Cystatin C and inflammatory markers in kidney transplant recipients.
Kidney transplantation is the best option for patients with end-stage renal disease. This study evaluated the profile of cystatin C (CysC), interleukin 2 (IL-2), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) as inflammatory markers in 23 living donor kidney transplant recipients. A descriptive, analytical and prospective study was conducted between January 1st, 2007 and June 30th, 2008 on 23 living donor kidney transplant recipients. The biomarkers were evaluated before and 30 and 180 days after transplantation. The mean age of the patients was 34.3 years (± 11.7), females (52%) and non-whites (61%). Significant difference was found in cystatin C and creatinine before and 30 days after transplantation (p < 0.0001) and before and 180 days after transplantation (p < 0.0001). There was a significant difference in IL-2 between 30 and 180 days post-transplant (p = 0.0418) and in TNF-α between pre-transplant and 30 days post-transplant (p = 0.0001). A negative correlation was observed between cystatin C and TNF-α at pre-transplant and between cystatin C and IL-6 at 180 days post-transplant. Comparison of biopsied and non-biopsied patients showed a significant difference in creatinine and cystatin C at 30 and 180 days post-transplant in biopsied patients. Our results showed no significant correlations between CysC, IL-2, IL-6 and TNF-α levels in kidney transplant recipients at short-term follow-up. Moreover, CysC levels were very similar to creatinine levels in contrast to other inflammatory markers studied in biopsied and non-biopsied patients. Further studies are important to evaluate the long-term profile of these markers.


Floquet Engineering of Multiorbital Mott Insulators: Applications to Orthorhombic Titanates.
We consider driving multiorbital Mott insulators using laser radiation. We derive general expressions for periodically driven spin-orbital models using time-dependent perturbation theory in the strong interaction limit. We show that the effective exchange interactions of the Floquet spin-orbital Hamiltonian are highly tunable via variations of the frequency, amplitude, and polarization of the laser. We also take the effect of a finite bandwidth of excitations into account and study possible heating effects. We further apply our formalism to orthorhombic titanates YTiO_{3} and LaTiO_{3} based on first-principles calculations, and we find that the spin exchange interactions in these compounds can be engineered to a large extent by tuning the frequency and electric-field amplitude of the laser.


Structure-activity relationship of mutagenic aromatic and heteroaromatic nitro compounds. Correlation with molecular orbital energies and hydrophobicity.
A review of the literature yielded data on over 200 aromatic and heteroaromatic nitro compounds tested for mutagenicity in the Ames test using S. typhimurium TA98. From the data, a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) has been derived for 188 congeners. The main determinants of mutagenicity are the hydrophobicity (modeled by octanol/water partition coefficients) and the energies of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals calculated using the AM1 method. It is also shown that chemicals possessing three or more fused rings possess much greater mutagenic potency than compounds with one or two fused rings. Since the QSAR is based on a very wide range in structural variation, aromatic rings from benzene to coronene are included as well as many different types of heterocycles, it is a significant step toward a predictive toxicology of value in the design of less mutagenic bioactive compounds.


Seasonal and Monthly Patterns, Weekly Variations, and the Holiday Effect of Outpatient Visits for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in China.
To explore the seasonal and monthly patterns, weekly variations, and the holiday effect of outpatient visits for type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, as well as the influence of gender, age, and insurance type on variations. Data were obtained from the Shandong medical insurance database, including all outpatients in 12 cities of Shandong province in China from 2015 to 2017. The seasonal index (St) was calculated in terms of seasons, months, and weeks by the moving average method. A total of 904,488 patients received outpatient services during the study period. The seasonal indices of outpatient visits by type 2 diabetes patients were higher in autumn (108.36%) and spring (102.67%), while lower in winter (89.92%) and summer (99.04%), exhibiting an obvious seasonality. Gender and age had no effect on seasonal patterns. The month impacted the seasons patterns: January to February were the lowest and December the highest months of outpatient visits, complicating the seasonal patterns. We also identified a weekly pattern of outpatient visits. In addition, the outpatient visits for type 2 diabetes mellitus patients was also strongly affected by the Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, and National Day holiday periods. The type of medical insurance had a significant impact on outpatient visits. The outpatient visits for type 2 diabetes mellitus patients displayed seasonal patterns that were contradictory to the variations in blood glucose fluctuations found in previous studies and was also strongly affected by the holiday effect. The type of medical insurance impacted the pattern of outpatient visits.


Does childhood sexual abuse victimization translate into juvenile sexual offending? New evidence.
The cycle of violence thesis posits that early exposure to maltreatment increases the likelihood of later maladaptive and antisocial behaviors. Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) specifically has been shown to increase the likelihood of sexual offending, although less is known about its linkages to other forms of crime. Based on data from 2,520 incarcerated male juvenile offenders from a large southern state, hierarchical logistic regression models suggested that CSA increased the likelihood of later sexual offending nearly sixfold (467% increase). However, CSA was associated with an 83% reduced likelihood of homicide offending and 68% reduced likelihood of serious person/property offending. These findings suggest further support for the cycle of violence where CSA promotes sexual offending but novel findings regarding the linkages between CSA and other forms of crime.


Femtosecond spectroscopy and TD-DFT calculations of CuCl4(2-) excited states.
Photoinduced processes of tetrahexylammonium tetrachlorocuprate [(C6H13)4N]2Cu(II)Cl4 in chloro-organic solvents were investigated by steady state photolysis and femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The quantum yield of photoreduction of CuCl4(2-) was estimated to be about 1%; the process resulted in the formation of the copper(i) chlorocomplex Cu(I)Cl3(2-) and a chlorine atom. Femtosecond laser photolysis with a 422 nm, 40 fs pulse revealed a three-exponential decay of the LMCT excited state of [(C6H13)4N]2CuCl4. A global fitting SVD analysis of the femtosecond transient spectra suggested three relaxation times, ∼400 fs, ∼1.4 ps and ∼5.8 ps. Oscillations in transient absorption kinetic traces were documented for CuCl4(2-) solutions in 2-chlorobutane. The oscillation Fourier transform analysis of the oscillations and linear predictive singular value decomposition revealed peaks at 283 cm(-1) (damping time ∼600 fs) and 181 cm(-1) (damping time ∼400 fs). These peaks can be tentatively attributed to νs(Cu-Cl) symmetric stretching frequency A1 and T2 reflecting excited state vibrational coherence. Quantum chemical calculations suggest a possible scheme for relaxation pathways in CuCl4(2-). The observed transient excited state absorption bands agree semiquantitatively with the calculated transition bands of CuCl4(2-).


Metallothionein protects bone marrow stromal cells against hydrogen peroxide-induced inhibition of osteoblastic differentiation.
Metallothionein (MT), a cysteine-rich, metal-binding protein, is involved in homeostatic regulation of essential metals and protection of cells against oxidative injury. It has been shown that oxidative stress is associated with pathogenesis of osteoporosis and is capable of inhibiting osteoblastic differentiation of bone cells by nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). In this study, the effect of MT on oxidative stress-induced inhibition of osteoblast differentiation was examined. 50-200 microM hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress suppressed the osteoblastic differentiation process of primary mouse bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), manifested by a reduction in the differentiation marker alkaline phosphatase (ALP). The presence of exogenous MT (20-500 microM) or induction of endogenous MT by ZnCl2 (50-200 microM) could protect BMSCs against H2O2-induced inhibition of osteoblastic differentiation, manifested by a resumption of H2O2-inhibited ALP activity and ALP positive cells. Furthermore, adding exogenous MT or inducing endogenous MT expression impaired H2O2-stimulated NF-kappaB signaling. These data indicate the ability of MT to protect BMSCs against oxidative stress-induced inhibition of osteoblastic differentiation.


General Equation to Express Changes in the Physicochemical Properties of Organic Homologues.
Changes in various physicochemical properties (P (n)) of organic compounds with the number of carbon atoms (n) can be roughly divided into linear and nonlinear changes. To date, there has been no general equation to express nonlinear changes in the properties of organic homologues. This study proposes a general equation expressing nonlinear changes in the physicochemical properties of organic homologues, including boiling point, viscosity, ionization potential, and vapor pressure, named the "NPOH equation", as follows: P (n) = P (1) α n - 1 e ∑i=2 n(β/(i - 1)) where α and β are adjustable parameters, and P (1) represents the property of the starting compound (pseudo-value at n = 1) of each homologue. The results show that various nonlinear changes in the properties of homologues can be expressed by the NPOH equation. Linear and nonlinear changes in the properties of homologues can all be correlated with n and the "sum of carbon number effects", ∑i=2 n(1/i - 1). Using these two parameters, a quantitative correlation equation can be established between any two properties of each homologue, providing convenient mutual estimation of the properties of a homologue series. The NPOH equation can also be used in property correlation for structures with functionality located elsewhere along a linear alkyl chain as well as for branched organic compounds. This work can provide new perspectives for studying quantitative structure-property relationships.


Changing an organization's culture: Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry's TigerCare program.
Studies have shown that the culture of an organization could be the difference between success and failure in achieving its overall corporate goals and mission. Although some aspects of an organization's culture are visible and tangible, such as the physical structure or overall cleanliness of the facility, other aspects are less tangible but just as apparent, like the helpfulness of the staff and the overall "attitude" of the organization. Private industry discovered many years ago that the key to creating a friendly and productive culture lies in the hands of the employees. TigerCare is a program that engages the civil service employees and provides them with the knowledge and motivation necessary to excel in their jobs and deliver the highest standard of customer service and job performance. It has helped the LSUHSC School of Dentistry develop employees who deliver excellent customer care. This article reports on the specific steps taken to improve the customer service culture and describes the results of the program after two years of implementation.


Clinician Perspectives on Electronic Health Records, Communication, and Patient Safety Across Diverse Medical Oncology Practices.
We know little about how increased technological sophistication of clinical practices affects safety of chemotherapy delivery in the outpatient setting. This study investigated to what degree electronic health records (EHRs), satisfaction with technology, and quality of clinician-to-clinician communication enable a safety culture. We measured actions consistent with a safety culture, satisfaction with practice technology, and quality of clinician communication using validated instruments among 297 oncology nurses and prescribers in a statewide collaborative. We constructed an index to reflect practice reliance on EHRs (1 = "all paper" to 5 = "all electronic"). Linear regression models (with robust SEs to account for clustering) examined relationships between independent variables of interest and safety. Models were adjusted for clinician age. The survey response rate was 68% (76% for nurses and 59% for prescribers). The mean (standard deviation) safety score was 5.3 (1.1), with a practice-level range of 4.9 to 5.4. Prescribers reported fewer safety actions than nurses. Higher satisfaction with technology and higher-quality clinician communication were significantly associated with increased safety actions, whereas increased reliance on EHRs was significantly associated with lower safety actions. Practices vary in their performance of patient safety actions. Supporting clinicians to integrate technology and strengthen communication are promising intervention targets. The inverse relationship between reliance on EHRs and safety suggests that technology may not facilitate clinicians' ability to attend to patient safety. Efforts to improve cancer care quality should focus on more seamless integration of EHRs into routine care delivery and emphasize increasing the capacity of all care clinicians to communicate effectively and coordinate efforts when administering high-risk treatments in ambulatory settings.


Molecular interaction of ferredoxin and ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase from human malaria parasite.
The malaria parasite possesses plant-type ferredoxin (Fd) and ferredoxin-NADP(+) reductase (FNR) in a plastid-derived organelle called the apicoplast. This Fd/FNR redox system, which potentially provides reducing power for essential biosynthetic pathways in the apicoplast, has been proposed as a target for the development of specific new anti-malarial agents. We studied the molecular interaction of Fd and FNR of human malaria parasite (Plasmodium falciparum), which were produced as recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli. NMR chemical shift perturbation analysis mapped the location of the possible FNR interaction sites on the surface of P. falciparum Fd. Site-specific mutation of acidic Fd residues in these regions and the resulting analyses of electron transfer activity and affinity chromatography of those mutants revealed that two acidic regions (a region including Asp26, Glu29 and Glu34, and the other including Asp65 and Glu66) dominantly contribute to the electrostatic interaction with P. falciparum FNR. The combination of Asp26/Glu29/Glu34 conferred a larger contribution than that of Asp65/Glu66, and among Asp26, Glu29 and Glu34, Glu29 was shown to be the most important residue for the interaction with P. falciparum FNR. These findings provide the basis for understanding molecular recognition between Fd and FNR of the malaria parasite.


Management of Acute Right Ventricular Failure.
Acute right ventricular failure (RVF) is a frequent condition associated with high morbidity and mortality. This review aims to provide a current overview of the pathophysiology, presentation, and comprehensive management of acute RVF. Acute RVF is a common disease with a pathophysiology that is not completely understood. There is renewed interest in the right ventricle (RV). Some advances have been principally made in chronic right ventricular failure (e.g., pulmonary hypertension). Due to a lack of precise definition and diagnostic tools, acute RVF is poorly studied. Few advances have been made in this field. Acute RVF is a complex, frequent, and life-threatening condition with several etiologies. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is the key diagnostic tool in search of the etiology. Management includes transfer to an expert center and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) in most severe cases, etiological treatment, and general measures for RVF.


Necrotizing fasciitis: epidemiology and clinical predictors for amputation.
Necrotizing fasciitis, a relatively uncommon infection involving the skin, subcutaneous tissue, and fascia, is a rapidly progressive soft tissue infection and a medical and surgical urgency. Delayed debridement, with subsequent huge soft tissue loss is associated with loss of limb and infection and is the most common cause of mortality. The purpose of this work is to describe the epidemiology of necrotizing fasciitis and to identify the clinical characteristics that may be used to predict amputation in routine clinical practice. Retrospective cohort study data were collected from three general hospitals located in the Chiang Rai, Kamphaeng Phet, and Phayao provinces in northern Thailand. Epidemiologic data for all patients with a surgically confirmed diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis between 2009 and 2012 were collected. Medical records and reviews were retrieved from inpatient records, laboratory reports, and registers. Clinical predictors for amputation were analyzed by multivariable risk regression. A total of 1,507 patients with a diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis were classified as being with amputation (n=127, 8.4%) and without amputation (n=1,380, 91.6%). The most common causative Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens were Streptococcus pyogenes (33.3% in the amputation group and 40.8% in the non-amputation group) and Escherichia coli (25% in the amputation group and 17.1% in the non-amputation group). Predictive factors for amputation included gangrene (risk ratio [RR] 4.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.70-8.44), diabetes mellitus (RR 3.08, 95% CI 1.98-4.78), skin necrosis (RR 2.83, 95% CI 2.52-3.18), soft tissue swelling (RR 1.76, 95% CI 1.24-2.49), and serum creatinine values ≥1.6 mg/dL on admission (RR 1.71, 95% CI 1.38-2.12). All data were analyzed using the multivariable risk regression generalized linear model. The most causative pathogens were S. pyogenes and E. coli. Clinical predictors for amputation in patients with necrotizing fasciitis included having diabetes mellitus, soft tissue swelling, skin necrosis, gangrene, and serum creatinine values ≥1.6 mg/dL on admission. Thus, patients with any of these predictors should be monitored closely for progression and receive early aggressive treatment to avoid limb loss.


TRPC6 Channels Are Required for Proliferation, Migration and Invasion of Breast Cancer Cell Lines by Modulation of Orai1 and Orai3 Surface Exposure.
Transient receptor potential channels convey signaling information from a number of stimuli to a wide variety of cellular functions, mainly by inducing changes in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. Different members of the TRPC, TRPM and TRPV subfamilies have been reported to play a role in tumorigenesis. Here we show that the estrogen receptor positive and triple negative breast cancer cell lines, MCF7 and MDA-MB-231, respectively, exhibit enhanced expression of the TRPC6 channel as compared to the non-tumoral MCF10A cell line. In vitro TRPC6 knockdown using shRNA impaired MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation, migration and invasion detected by BrdU incorporation, wound healing and Boyden chamber assays, respectively. Using RNAi-mediated TRPC6 silencing as well as overexpression of the pore-dead dominant-negative TRPC6 mutant we have found that TRPC6 plays a relevant role in the activation of store-operated Ca2+ entry in the breast cancer cell lines but not in non-tumoral breast cells. Finally, we have found that TRPC6 interacts with Orai1 and Orai3 in MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cells and is required for the translocation of Orai1 and Orai3 to the plasma membrane in MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 cells, respectively, upon Ca2+ store depletion. These findings introduce a novel mechanism for the modulation of Ca2+ influx and the development of different cancer hallmarks in breast cancer cells.


A PGM1*1A variant with a reduced activity.
An adverse homozygosity at the phosphoglucomutase-1 (PGM1) locus was detected in a family by electrophoresis on starch gels. Isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide gels could clearly demonstrate a faint band at the same position as that of PGM1 1A in the mother and the child. Further analysis of other family samples and densitometric evaluation of the stained bands revealed the genetic transmission of a variant allele with a reduced activity. The molecular basis for the low activity is still unknown.


[Breast carcinoma and bone chondrosarcoma: a new syndrome?].
We report the case of a fifty three years old woman who has developed in the same time a breast carcinoma and a bone chondrosarcoma. The mean of this article is to underline the strong link (statistical and phenotype) between those two cancers and to discuss the possibility of a syndrome associating breast carcinoma and bone chondrosarcoma.


Three-component microwave-assisted synthesis of 3,5-disubstituted pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-4-ones.
A practical three-component method for the synthesis of pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-4-ones was developed. The reaction was performed in a one-pot manner under controlled microwave irradiation using easily accessible methyl 5-aminopyrazole-4-carboxylates, trimethyl orthoformate, and primary amines. Under the optimized conditions, challenging substrates, such as N-1 unsubstituted 5-aminopyrazole-4-carboxylates with another substituted amino group in position 3, reacted selectively affording 5-substituted 3-arylamino-1,5-dihydro-4H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-4-ones. The reaction tolerated a range of primary amines, including anilines. The advantages of the developed protocol include short reaction time, pot- and step-economy, and convenient chromatography-free product isolation. The structural features of representative products were explored by X-ray crystallography.


Theory of magnetic-field effect on trions in two-dimensional materials.
In this work, we present a theoretical method to study the effect of magnetic field on trions in two-dimensional materials. The trion is modeled by a three-particle Schrödinger equation and the magnetic-field interaction is included by means of a vector potential in symmetric gauge. By using a coordinate transformation and a unitary transformation, the trion Hamiltonian can be converted into the sum of a translational term describing the Landau quantization for the trion center-of-mass motion, an internal term describing the trion binding, and a translational-internal coupling term depending linearly on the magnetic-field strength. The trion eigenenergy and wavefunction can then be calculated efficiently by using a variational method, and the quantum numbers of trions in magnetic fields can be assigned. The eigenenergies, binding energies, and correlation energies of three trion branches, which correspond to the ground-state trion and two excited-state trions solved from the trion Hamiltonian in zero magnetic field, are studied numerically in finite magnetic fields. The present method is applied to study the magnetic-field dependence of trion energy levels in hole-doped WSe2 monolayers. The binding energies and correlation energies of positive trions in WSe2 are investigated over a range of magnetic fields up to 25 T.


Facilitating reintegration for military service personnel, veterans, and their families: An introduction to the special issue.
As service members return from active duty and, in some cases, exit the military, they face a process of reintegration (also referred to as community reintegration) as they seek to resume participation in their life roles as civilians. Facilitating this dynamic process of reintegration for service members, veterans, and their families-including outlining potential strategies for supporting this return to civilian life and its demands, roles, and responsibilities-is the focus of this Special Issue. Reintegration has been framed as a national priority (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2015) and has been a point of emphasis of efforts at federal, state, and local levels. As the articles in this issue suggest, multiple public, private, and voluntary systems and the communities to which service members, veterans, and their families return can help influence their health outcomes and, ultimately, their reintegration. (PsycINFO Database Record


H-reflex suppression and autonomic activation during lucid REM sleep: a case study.
A single subject, a proficient lucid dreamer experienced with signaling the onset of lucidity (reflective consciousness of dreaming) by means of voluntary eye movements, spent 4 nonconsecutive nights in the sleep laboratory. The subject reported becoming lucid and signaling in 8 of the 18 rapid-eye movement (REM) periods recorded. Ten lucid dream reports were verified by polygraphic examination of signals, providing a total of 12.5 min of signal-verified lucid REM. H-Reflex amplitude was recorded every 5 s, along with continuous recording of electroencephalogram, electrooculogram, electromyogram, electrocardiogram, finger pulse, and respiration. Significant findings included greater mean H-reflex suppression during lucid REM sleep than during nonlucid REM and correlations of H-reflex suppression with increased eye movement density, heart rate, and respiration rate. These results support previous studies reporting that lucid REM is not, as might be supposed, a state closer to awakening than ordinary, or nonlucid, REM; rather, lucid dreaming occurs during unequivocal REM sleep and is characteristically associated with phasic REM activation.


A Semliki forest virus vector engineered to express IFNα induces efficient elimination of established tumors.
Semliki Forest virus (SFV) represents a promising gene therapy vector for tumor treatment, because it produces high levels of recombinant therapeutic proteins while inducing apoptosis in infected cells. In this study, we constructed a SFV vector expressing murine interferon alpha (IFNα). IFNα displays antitumor activity mainly by enhancing an antitumor immune response, as well as by a direct antiproliferative effect. In spite of the antiviral activity of IFNα, SFV-IFN could be produced in BHK cells at high titers. This vector was able to infect TC-1 cells, a tumor cell line expressing E6 and E7 proteins of human papillomavirus, leading to high production of IFNα both in vitro and in vivo. When injected into subcutaneous TC-1 tumors implanted in mice, SFV-IFN was able to induce an E7-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte response, and to modify tumor infiltrating immune cells, reducing the percentage of T regulatory cells and activating myeloid cells. As a consequence, SFV-IFN was able to eradicate 58% of established tumors treated 21 days after implantation with long-term tumor-free survival and very low toxicity. SFV-IFN was also able to induce significant antitumor responses in a subcutaneous tumor model of murine colon adenocarcimoma. These data suggest that local production of IFNα by intratumoral injection of recombinant SFV-IFN could represent a potent new strategy to treat tumors in patients.


Glutathione export during apoptosis requires functional multidrug resistance-associated proteins.
GSH is released in cells undergoing apoptosis, and the present study indicates that the multidrug resistance-associated proteins (MRPs/ABCC) are responsible for this GSH release. Jurkat cells released approximately 75-80% of their total intracellular GSH during both Fas antibody- and staurosporine-induced apoptosis. In contrast, Raji cells, a lymphocyte cell line that is deficient in phosphatidylserine externalization, did not release GSH during apoptosis, and other apoptotic features appeared more slowly in these cells. Jurkat and Raji cell lines expressed comparable MRP and OATP/SLCO (organic anion-transporting polypeptide) mRNA levels, and MRP1 protein levels; however, differences existed in MRP1 localization and function. In Jurkat cells, MRP1 was largely localized to the plasma membrane, and these cells exported the MRP substrate calcein. Calcein release was enhanced during apoptosis. In contrast, Raji cells had little MRP1 at the plasma membrane and did not export calcein under basal or apoptotic conditions, indicating that these cells lack functional MRPs at the plasma membrane. GSH release in Jurkat cells undergoing apoptosis was inhibited by the organic anion transport inhibitors MK571, sulfinpyrazone, and probenecid, supporting a role for the MRP transporters in this process. Furthermore, when MRP1 expression was decreased with RNA interference, GSH release was lower under both basal and apoptotic conditions, providing direct evidence that MRP1 is involved in GSH export.


Potential Health Risk of Aluminum in Four Camellia sinensis Cultivars and Its Content as a Function of Leaf Position.
Tea plants can accumulate aluminum (Al) in their leaves to a greater extent than most other edible plants. Few studies, however, address the Al concentration in leaves at different positions, which is important information for tea quality control. Leaves from four different cultivars of Camellia sinensis L. grown in Hawaii were analyzed for Al concentrations at 10 different leaf positions. Each cultivar was harvested in the winter and summer to determine seasonal variations of Al concentrations in the leaves. The results showed that Al concentrations in the winter leaves were an average of 1.2-fold higher than those in the summer leaves, although the seasonal variations were not statistically significant. The total Al concentration of successively lower leaves showed an exponential increase (R2 ≥ 0.900) for all four cultivars in the summer season, whereas those of the winter leaves fit a bi-phase linear regression (R2 ≥ 0.968). The regression of the Al concentrations against the top-5 leaf positions in the winter season fit one linear regression, while that against leaf positions 6-11 fit another linear regression. The average Al concentrations between the third leaf and the shoot plus first two leaves increased approximately 2.7-fold and 1.9-fold for all cultivars in the winter and summer months, respectively. The Al concentrations in the rest of the leaves increased approximately 1.5-fold in a sequential order. The target hazard quotient being between 1.69 × 10-2 and 5.06 × 10-1 in the tea leaf samples of the four cultivars in Hawaii were all less than 1, suggesting negligible health risks for consumers. The results of this study may be useful for directing harvest practices and estimating tea quality.


Community Readiness Model for Prevention Planning: Addressing Childhood Obesity in American Indian Reservation Communities.
The community readiness model (CRM) is a stage-matched assessment protocol to assess community readiness to address a public health issue. To identify appropriate, culturally sensitive, and community-specific intervention strategies for preventing obesity in children, researchers, and community members formed a partnership to address childhood obesity within one American Indian Reservation. The CRM guided 30 interviews in five communities to direct the team's efforts in addressing obesity among children residing on the reservation. Interviews were scored across six dimensions on an anchored scale of one through nine; scores were then averaged to determine an overall readiness score for each community. A thematic analysis of interview responses aided in interpretation of the readiness scores and identified areas for prevention planning and intervention development. The overall community readiness score for the communities was 2.9 (SD = 0.5), which falls between 2 (denial/resistance) and 3 (vague awareness) on the anchored rating scale. The thematic analysis resulted in a hierarchal classification scheme with six broad themes that corresponded to the CRM dimensions and 13 sub-themes. The low readiness scores directed the team to implement corresponding strategies to increase awareness, while the thematic analysis suggested that action-based approaches might also be appropriate. The narrow range of scores suggest that community-wide assessments may be sufficient unless specific information is needed for each region of the community. The CRM may be an effective way to assess community readiness to address childhood obesity on an American Indian Reservation.


Periprosthetic femur fractures.
Successful treatment of periprosthetic femur fractures, like all fractures, requires careful attention to understand the fracture pattern nuances, identifying and executing a rational treatment approach, and providing an appropriate postoperative recovery protocol. Unlike most other fractures, modification of standard techniques is often required to obtain a stable fixation construct, and there is a greater role for revision arthroplasty in the treatment of periprosthetic fractures. Optimal indications for surgical repair versus revision arthroplasty and optimal postoperative weight-bearing protocols remain uncertain. Reported outcomes for patients with periprosthetic femoral shaft fractures are generally good and are relatively consistent. Results for periprosthetic distal femur fractures, however, are less good and more inconsistent. Both periprosthetic femoral shaft and distal femur fractures are associated with relatively high mortality rates, approaching that of patients with hip fractures. This review should provide insight into the current solutions and challenges for the treatment of patients with periprosthetic femur fractures.


Changes in the corpora allata and epidermal proliferation along the fourth instar of the Chagas disease vector Triatoma infestans.
Triatoma infestans, a blood-feeding insect, synchronises physiological mechanisms leading to moult with food intake. Since the corpora allata are important in moult and metamorphosis regulation, we have studied morphological changes in 4th instar nymphs (gland size, cell density, percent of animals showing mitoses and cell size). Changes were correlated with the effect of precocene II, epidermal proliferation, and with the extent of the "head critical period". Based on morphological grounds, three stages can be defined in the gland along the 4th instar: Stage 1 (days 0-2 after feeding) showed small corpora allata, composed by a small number of cells, and in which mitoses were absent; Stage 2 (days 3-9) showed growing corpora allata, in which cell number was increasing and proliferation was apparent; and Stage 3 (days 10-13) showed no mitotic activity, and a sharply diminishing size of the gland, as a consequence of the diminishing size of their cells. The ability of precocene II to induce abnormal moulting disappeared during stage 2 correlating with the termination of the head critical period and suggesting that corpora allata are essential during days 3 to 5 to determine normal growth. Epidermal cell number was increasing as a consequence of more frequent mitotic activity, beginning after the finalization of the head critical period and after a first increment in the size of the gland.


Selective spectral displacement projection for multifrequency MRE.
We introduce a new motion encoding concept for the displacement vector in multifrequency magnetic resonance elastography (MRE). Selective spectral displacement projection (SDP)-MRE can be applied to a vibration spectrum composed of three frequencies and exploits the filter condition of MRE for selecting one frequency each per spatial motion encoding direction. The selected components are simultaneously encoded in the phase of the MR signal. Therefore, the total MR phase is represented by a sum of phase portions, each corresponding to a distinct spatial projection and vibration frequency. The individual components can be obtained by applying a Fourier-transform to the temporally resolved phase images. SDP-MRE reduces the number of temporally resolved MRE experiments for data acquisition by a factor of 3, while providing similar wave images as found using conventional monofrequency MRE.


A Single-Crystalline Silver Plasmonic Circuit for Visible Quantum Emitters.
Plasmonic waveguides are key elements in nanophotonic devices, serving as optical interconnects between nanoscale light sources and detectors. Multimode operation in plasmonic two-wire transmission lines promises important degrees of freedom for near-field manipulation and information encoding. However, highly confined plasmon propagation along gold nanostructures is typically limited to the near-infrared region due to ohmic losses, excluding all visible quantum emitters from plasmonic circuitry. We report on the top-down fabrication of complex plasmonic nanostructures in single-crystalline silver plates. We demonstrate the controlled remote excitation of a small ensemble of fluorophores by a set of waveguide modes and the emission of the visible luminescence into the waveguide with high efficiency. This approach opens up the study of a nanoscale light-matter interaction between complex plasmonic waveguides and a large variety of quantum emitters available in the visible spectral range.


[Establishment of in vitro cultivation of Giardia canis trophozoites infected with Giardia canis virus].
To cultivate a Giardia canis isolate with G. canis virus (GCV). Five-day-old Meriones unguiculatus was infected with the cysts of G. canis isolated from dogs in Changchun and purified by sucrose density gradient centrifugation-G1 acid funnel filtration method. Trophozoites were isolated aseptically from the duodenum of the infected rodent after 8 days, then transferred to modified TYI-S-33 medium and cultivated at 37 degrees C. The trophozoites were centrifuged with 3,000 x g, 15 min after liquid nitrogen freeze-thawing three times and the supernatant stained negatively by phosphotungstic acid was observed with transmission electron microscope. G. canis trophozoites which adapted gradually to the environment and grew a cellular monolayer after 14 days were examined by freezing and thawing experiment, purity quotient, stability, biology characteristics and microbial contamination detection. The results demonstrated that a stable G. canis trophozoite cell isolate was established. G. canis virus with icosahedron spherical shape and 36 nm in diameter was observed by electron microscope. In vitro cultivation of G. canis trophozoites with GCV is established.


Review and Analysis of Technical Designs of Rear Underrun Protective Devices (RUPDs) in Terms of Regulatory Compliance.
The Rear Underrun Protective Device (RUPD) is a basic means to prevent a passenger car from running under the rear of a motor truck (also referred to as heavy goods vehicle or HGV) or a trailer in the case of a rear-end collision and thus to reduce deformations of the car's passenger compartment ("survival space"). In many publications dealing with such devices, the increasing of RUPD stiffness by applying innovative design solutions or using high-strength materials has been considered; in some designs, additional RUPD components are introduced to absorb the impact energy. In this paper, a review of the RUPD designs is presented and some of them are analyzed, where their characteristics that are essential for the compliance with normative market requirements are indicated. Results of the authors' research on the selection of an energy absorber incorporated in the rear impact guard bar of an HGV are presented as well.


Detecting European Rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus) Disease Outbreaks by Monitoring Digital Media.
Digital media and digital search tools offer simple and effective means to monitor for pathogens and disease outbreaks in target organisms. Using tools such as Rich Site Summary feeds, and Google News and Google Scholar specific key word searches, international digital media were actively monitored from 2012 to 2016 for pathogens and disease outbreaks in the taxonomic order Lagomorpha, with a specific focus on the European rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus). The primary objective was identifying pathogens for assessment as potential new biocontrol agents for Australia's pest populations of the European rabbit. A number of pathogens were detected in digital media reports. Additional benefits arose in the regular provision of case reports and research on myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus that assisted with current research.


TQM in dental practice.
Society now expects more from its doctors and dentists, and these increasing demands can be summed up in one relatively new term for the medical profession: "quality management" (QM). Doctors and dentists formerly took the view that their performance could be assessed solely on the basis of their technical skills, ethics and expertise, but are now confronted with a new social imperative, from outside the profession--quality management. The author, prize-winner of the European Quality Award 2000 describes his approach to introduce the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model in his dental practice. He shows that the EFQM model is well suited as a basis for a quality management system in healthcare.


Surgery with curative intent for stage IV gastric cancer: Is it a reality of illusion?
Gastric cancer with metastases outside of the regional lymph nodes is deemed oncologically unresectable. Nevertheless, some metastatic lesions are technically resectable by applying established surgical techniques such as para-aortic lymphadenectomy and hepatectomy. At the time of compilation of the Japanese gastric cancer treatment guidelines version 4, systematic reviews were conducted to see whether it is feasible to make any recommendation to dissect both the primary and metastatic lesions with intent to cure, possibly as part of multimodality treatment. Long-term survivors were found among carefully selected groups of patients both in prospective and retrospective studies. In addition, there is a growing list of publications reporting encouraging outcomes of gastrectomy conducted after exceptionally good response to chemotherapy, usually among patients who underwent R0 resection. This type of surgery is often referred to as conversion surgery. It is sometimes difficult to define a clear borderline between curative surgery scheduled after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the conversion surgery. This review summarizes what we knew after the literature reviews conducted at the time of compiling the Japanese guidelines and in addition reflects some new findings obtained thereafter through clinical trials and retrospective studies. Metastases were divided into three categories based on the major metastatic pathways: lymphatic, hematogenous, and peritoneal. In each of these categories, there were findings that could provide hope for patients with metastatic disease. These findings implied that the surgical technique that we already use could become more useful upon further developments in antineoplastic agents and drug delivery.


The biomechanical behavior and host response to porcine-derived small intestine submucosa, pericardium and dermal matrix acellular grafts in a rat abdominal defect model.
Several porcine-derived acellular biologic grafts are increasingly used in abdominal wall reconstruction due to the limitations of synthetic meshes in many clinical situations. However, relatively little is known so far about their comparative mechanical characteristics and performance after defect repair. We therefore investigated three most commonly used porcine-derived acellular biomaterials, small intestine submucosa (P-SIS), pericardium (P-PC) and acellular dermal matrix (P-ADM) immediately after prepared, and their effectiveness, biomechanical and histological characteristics in repairing full-thickness abdominal defect in a rat model. P-PC had the best native performance in the burst strength, tensile strength and ball burst among the three porcine-derived scaffolds. P-SIS showed a significantly higher water vapor transmission in comparison with P-PC or P-ADM. Abdominal wall defects in rats were all satisfied repaired with P-SIS, P-PC or P-ADM. No laxity or fistula was observed in the repaired abdominal wall in the P-SIS group up to 8 weeks after surgery. However, there was a tendency for high postoperative abdominal eventration in the P-ADM and P-PC groups as compared with the P-SIS group. With regard to overall aspects of the postoperative laxity, intra-abdominal adhesion formation, tensile stress, stretchability, and degree of tissue ingrowth in terms of collagen deposition and neovascularization, P-SIS exhibits clear advantages over P-PC as well as P-ADM after large abdominal wall defect reconstruction.


[Laparoscopic and standard cholecystectomy: comparison of immediate results].
The advantages of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LChE) are undoubtable in comparison with traditional one. However the experience showed, that LChE is not devoid of some shortcomings. It is characterized by the same typical complications as in ChE, besides it may be followed by some specific complications. The literature concerning the rate of complications in LChE are controversial. The comparative analysis has been carried out concerning the rate of complications after ChE (6800 operations) and LchE (900). The mean age of patients with choledocholythiasis--61.4 years. 40% of the patients had severe accompanying diseases coronary artery disease, complicated forms of arrythmia, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity. There were no significant differences between patients who underwent ChE (group 1) and LChE (group 2) by their age and the rate of accompanying diseases. Intraoperative cholangiography was performed in 3.5% of cases of group 1 and in 1.1%--in group 2. The average rate of the operations on extrahepatic bile ducts in group 1 was also lower--choledocholithotomy was carried out in 2.7%, transduodenal papillosphyncterotomy--in 1.7% of cases, drainage of the choledochal duct--in 1.9%. Combined operations were carried out in 10% of patients of group 1 and in 9.1% cases of group 2. The rate of intraoperative bleedings which demanded repeated operations made up in patients of group 1 0.1%, in patients of group 2 0.5%. Intraoperative damage of the choledochal duct in group 1 were detected in 0.14% and in group 2--in 0.11% of cases (the only complication of LChE in a patient was assessed as a endogenous wall clipping).


[Cloning of cDNA of TSARG4, a human spermatogenesis related gene].
To understand molecular mechanism of spermatogenesis, two ESTs BG720564 and AI700454, were found from SPAG4 (sperm antigen 4), a gene related to dense fiber protein of outer membrane of the human sperm and mouse spermatocytes gene AK006225. The gap was filled by polymerase chain reaction, and a 1252 bp fragment was obtained. This 1252 bp fragment was named TSARG4 (testis and spermatogenesis related gene 4 (GenBank accession number AF401350). Its opening reading frame was 94-1233 bp, as was proved by RT-PCR in human testis. TSARG4 gene was located in 20q11.2, and the putative protein was 379 amino acid with a theoretical molecular weight of 43 081 and isoelectric point of 8.61. The homologies of amino acid sequences were 74% between TSARG4 and AK006225 gene and 45% between TSARG4 and SPAG4 gene, respectively. The human TSARG4 mRNA is expressed in a wide range of adult tissues, including testis, whereas the homologous mouse spermatocytes gene AK006225 is expressed specifically in the testis.


Evaluation of the Therapeutic Potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) in Preclinical Models of Autoimmune Diseases.
Autoimmune diseases, chronic in nature, are generally hard to alleviate. Present long-term treatments with available drugs such as steroids, immune-suppressive drugs, or antibodies have several debilitating side effects. Therefore, new treatment options are urgently needed. Stem cells, in general, have the potential to reduce immune-mediated damage through immunomodulation and T cell regulation (T regs) by inhibiting the proliferation of dendritic cells and T and B cells and reducing inflammation through the generation of immunosuppressive biomolecules like interleukin 10 (IL-10), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), nitric oxide (NO), indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Many stem cell-based therapeutics have been evaluated in the clinic, but the overall clinical outcomes in terms of efficacy and the longevity of therapeutic benefits seem to be variable and inconsistent with the postulated benefits. This emphasizes a greater need for building robust preclinical models and models that can better predict the clinical translation of stem cell-based therapeutics. Stem cell therapy based on MSCs having the definitive potential to regulate the immune system and control inflammation is emerging as a promising tool for the treatment of autoimmune disorders while promoting tissue regeneration. MSCs, derived from bone marrow, umbilical cord, and adipose tissue, have been shown to be highly immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory and shown to enhance tissue repair and regeneration in preclinical models as well as in clinical settings. In this article, a review on the status of MSC-based preclinical disease models with emphasis on understanding disease mechanisms in chronic inflammatory disorders caused by exaggerated host immune response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was carried out. We also emphasized various factors that better predict the translation of stem cell therapeutic outcomes from preclinical disease models to human patients.


The association between sexual motives and sexual satisfaction: gender differences and categorical comparisons.
Past research suggests that sexual satisfaction may be partially dependent on sexual motives (the reasons people have sex). The primary goal of this study was to determine which of a wide range of empirically derived sexual motives were related to sexual satisfaction, and whether gender differences existed in these relationships. Examining data from 544 undergraduate participants (93 men, 451 women), we found that certain types of motives predicted levels of sexual satisfaction for both genders. However, a greater number of motive categories were related to satisfaction for women than for men, and sexual motives were a more consistent predictor of satisfaction in general for women than for men. We also found that empirical categories of motives predicted more variance in satisfaction ratings than did previously used theoretical categories. These findings suggest that a wide range of sexual motives are related to sexual satisfaction, that these connections may be moderated by gender, and that empirically-constructed categories of motives may be the most effective tool for studying this link.


Development and validation of XML-based calculations within order sets.
We have developed two XML Schemas to support the implementation of calculations within XML-based order sets. The models support the representation of variable-based algorithms and include data elements designed to support ancillary functions such as input range checking, rounding, and minimum/maximum value constraints. Two clinicians successfully authored 57 unique calculated orders derived from a set of 11 calculations using the models within our authoring environment. The resultant knowledge base content was subsequently tested and found to produce the desired results within the electronic physician order entry environment.


[Ultrasonic wave propagation characteristics of cancellous bone].
Ultrasonic measurements of bone status or bone mass density are generally performed using ultrasonic parameters consisting of the slope of frequency-dependent attenuation (or broadband ultrasound attenuation: BUA) and the speed of sound (SOS). Many results of in vitro laboratory measurements and in vivo clinical trials have shown the ultrasonic parameters, BUA and SOS correlate significantly with the bone mass density measured by X-ray method. However, there exists some problem inherent in the ultrasonic method on the reproducibility and the uncertainty of measured ultrasonic parameters. The ultrasonic properties of cancellous bone have been experimentally and theoretically studied by author's group to reveal problems inherent in the ultrasonic method. According to experimental and theoretical studies, two longitudinal waves, fast wave and slow wave are clearly observed. The propagation speed of the fast wave increases with the bone density and that of the slow wave decreases very slightly with the bone density. Whereas the attenuation constant of the fast wave is much higher than that of the slow wave and is almost independent of the bone density, but in contrast, the attenuation constant of the slow wave increases considerably with the bone density. Experimental results on transmitted ultrasonic wave through cancellous bone show that the amplitude of the slow wave decreases with the bone density and the amplitude of the fast wave, on the contrary, increases with the bone density. This dependence of the fast wave amplitude on the bone density can not be explained by the attenuation constant. The ultrasonic wave propagation path through cancellous bone is modelized to clarify the propagation phenomenon and to specify the causality between ultrasonic wave parameters and the bone density. The bone density is quantitatively formulated based on the modelization as a function of the amplitude and the propagation speed of the fast wave.


Associations between Dietary Patterns and Malnutrition, Low Muscle Mass and Sarcopenia in Adults with Cancer: A Scoping Review.
Dietary patterns examine the combinations, types and quantities of foods consumed in the diet. Compared to individual nutrients, dietary patterns may be better associated with cancer-related malnutrition, low muscle mass and sarcopenia. This scoping review identified associations between dietary patterns, assessed using data-driven methods (i.e., statistical methods used to derive existing dietary patterns) and hypothesis-orientated methods (i.e., adherence to diet quality indices), and malnutrition, low muscle (lean) mass and sarcopenia. MEDLINE, Embase and CINAHL databases were searched up to September 2021. Of the 3341 studies identified, seven studies were eligible for review. Study designs included experimental (n = 5) and observational (n = 2), and people with prostate, ovarian and endometrial, bladder, breast, and gastrointestinal cancers. One study used data-driven methods to derive dietary patterns, finding adherence to a 'fat and fish' diet was associated with lower odds of low muscle mass. Two studies examined adherence to hypothesis-orientated methods including the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener and Healthy Eating Index 2010 and four studies used 'non-traditional' approaches to analyse dietary patterns. Hypothesis-orientated dietary patterns, developed to improve general health and prevent chronic disease, and 'non-traditional' dietary patterns demonstrated inconsistent effects on muscle (lean) mass. All studies investigated muscle (lean) mass, omitting malnutrition and sarcopenia as cancer-related outcomes. This scoping review highlights the limited research examining the effect of dietary patterns on cancer-related outcomes.


The effect of learning an individualized song on autobiographical memory recall in individuals with Alzheimer's disease: A pilot study.
Numerous neuropsychological studies have investigated the effect of music on patients with Alzheimer's disease. Findings suggest that music can improve behavioral symptoms, but its potential effects on cognitive abilities of patients still require more investigation. In this 2 × 2 crossover study, we measured the impact of learning an individualized song on autobiographical memory recall and other cognitive abilities in 12 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. For each patient, one favorite song of the patient and one autobiographical memory with positive valence were associated to create a new personalized song. This song was taught to the patient by a speech and language therapy student throughout 10 sessions. This training period and a non-training period were proposed in a counterbalanced order between participants. We tested participants' autobiographical recall and general cognitive abilities at three time points: at the start of the experiment, at crossover, and at the end of the experiment. After excluding one outlier, results showed a significant improvement in the retrieval of the autobiographical memory and in general cognitive abilities after song training compared to the non-training period. Overall, our findings suggest that the use of personalized songs may be a useful and motivating tool for addressing the decline of autobiographical memory and of cognitive functions in general in persons with Alzheimer's disease.


[Surgical treatment of pulmonary trunk malignancy].
Surgical treatment of a patient with primary sarcoma of pulmonary trunk is presented in the article. This rare disease is characterized by poor prognosis if early diagnosis and adequate surgical treatment are absent.


Determination of pesticides and their metabolites in processed cereal samples.
Fifteen pesticides including some of their metabolites (disulfoton sulfoxide, ethoprophos, cadusafos, dimethoate, terbufos, disulfoton, chlorpyrifos-methyl, malaoxon, fenitrothion, pirimiphos-methyl, malathion, chlorpyrifos, terbufos sulfone, disulfoton sulfone and fensulfothion) were analysed in milled toasted wheat and maize as well as in wheat flour and baby cereals. The QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) methodology was used and its dispersive solid-phase extraction procedure was optimised by means of an experimental design with the aim of reducing the amount of co-extracted lipids and obtaining a clean extract. Gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorus detection were used as the separation and detection techniques, respectively. The method was validated in terms of selectivity, recoveries, calibration, precision and accuracy as well as matrix effects. Limits of detection were between 0.07 and 34.8 µg kg(-1) with recoveries in the range of 71-110% (relative standard deviations were below 9%). A total of 40 samples of different origin were analysed. Residues of pirimiphos-methyl were found in six of the samples at concentrations in the range 0.08-0.47 mg kg(-1), which were below the MRLs established for this pesticide in cereal grains. Tandem mass spectrometry confirmation was also carried out in order to identify unequivocally the presence of this pesticide.


Present-day and future global bottom-up ship emission inventories including polar routes.
We present a global bottom-up ship emission algorithm that calculates fuel consumption, emissions, and vessel traffic densities for present-day (2006) and two future scenarios (2050) considering the opening of Arctic polar routes due to projected sea ice decline. Ship movements and actual ship engine power per individual ship from Lloyd's Marine Intelligence Unit (LMIU) ship statistics for six months in 2006 and further mean engine data from literature serve as input. The developed SeaKLIM algorithm automatically finds the most probable shipping route for each combination of start and destination port of a certain ship movement by calculating the shortest path on a predefined model grid while considering land masses, sea ice, shipping canal sizes, and climatological mean wave heights. The resulting present-day ship activity agrees well with observations. The global fuel consumption of 221 Mt in 2006 lies in the range of previously published inventories when undercounting of ship numbers in the LMIU movement database (40,055 vessels) is considered. Extrapolated to 2007 and ship numbers per ship type of the recent International Maritime Organization (IMO) estimate (100,214 vessels), a fuel consumption of 349 Mt is calculated which is in good agreement with the IMO total of 333 Mt. The future scenarios show Arctic polar routes with regional fuel consumption on the Northeast and Northwest Passage increasing by factors of up to 9 and 13 until 2050, respectively.


Exosomes and Cancer Stem Cells in Cancer Immunity: Current Reports and Future Directions.
Cancer stem cells (CSCs), which have the capacity to self-renew and differentiate into various types of cells, are notorious for their roles in tumor initiation, metastasis, and therapy resistance. Thus, underlying mechanisms for their survival provide key insights into developing effective therapeutic strategies. A more recent focus has been on exosomes that play a role in transmitting information between CSCs and non-CSCs, resulting in activating CSCs for cancer progression and modulating their surrounding microenvironment. The field of CSC-derived exosomes (CSCEXs) for different types of cancer is still under exploration. A deeper understanding and further investigation into CSCEXs' roles in tumorigenicity and the identification of novel exosomal components are necessary for engineering exosomes for the treatment of cancer. Here, we review the features of CSCEXs, including surface markers, cargo, and biological or physiological functions. Further, reports on the immunomodulatory effects of CSCEXs are summarized, and exosome engineering for CSC-targeting is also discussed.


microRNAs in inflammatory alveolar bone defect: A review.
Inflammatory alveolar bone defects are caused by periodontal pathogens, are one of the most common oral diseases in the clinic, and are characterized by periodontal support tissue damage. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can participate in a variety of inflammatory lesions and modulate bone metabolism through the posttranscriptional regulation of target genes. In recent years, studies have confirmed that some miRNAs play significant roles in the development of inflammatory alveolar bone defects. Therefore, we reviewed the correlation between miRNAs and inflammatory alveolar bone defects and elucidated the underlying mechanisms to provide new ideas for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory alveolar bone defects.


Cancer testis antigens--their importance in immunotherapy and in the early detection of cancer.
The development of successful immunotherapeutic strategies requires the identification and characterisation of immunogenic cancer antigens that will be recognised by the host immune system, leading to tumour rejection. The concept of immunotherapy is based on the assumption that antigenic structures expressed in tumours can be used for therapeutic approaches employing the autologous immune system or by the application of immunotherapeutic reagents. Based on this concept, there is a great need to gain profound knowledge of the actual protein/antigen expression and its distribution pattern within normal tissues and cancerous tissues. Cancer testis (CT) antigens represent a unique class of tumour antigens, which are expressed in a variety of cancerous tissues and are silent in normal tissues, except for the testis. Owing to their restricted gene expression in the testis and various malignancies, CT antigens represent potential defined targets for antigen-based vaccination and antigen-directed immunotherapy to control cancer growth. Moreover, the analysis of humoral and cellular immune responses to CT antigens has proved useful for identifying novel cancer serum biomarkers with potential implications in early diagnosis of cancer.


A birth-season/DRD4 gene interaction predicts weight gain and obesity in women with seasonal affective disorder: A seasonal thrifty phenotype hypothesis.
We have recently described an association between the hypofunctional 7-repeat allele (7R) of the dopamine-4 receptor gene (DRD4), weight gain, and obesity in women with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). In the current study, we examined whether season-of-birth might interact with the 7R allele to influence body weight regulation in SAD. In 182 female probands with SAD, we performed an analysis of covariance predicting maximum lifetime body mass index (BMI) with both the exon-3 variable number of tandem repeat polymorphism of DRD4 and season-of-birth as independent variables, and age as the covariate. The overall model was highly significant (F = 4.42, df = 8, 173, p < 0.0001) with season-of-birth predicting maximal lifetime BMI both on its own and in its interaction with the 7R allele. The latter finding was attributable to 7-repeat carriers born in the spring (N = 17), who had a mean maximal lifetime BMI of 33.7 kg/m2 (SD 8.6), compared to 26.7 kg/m2 (SD 5.4) for all other probands combined (N = 165) (F = 20.01, df = 1, 179, p < 0.0001). The lifetime rate of obesity (maximal BMI > 30 kg/m2) was also significantly higher in the 7R/spring birth group (9/17=52.9% vs 32/165=19.4%; chi2 = 9.94, df = 1, p = 0.002; odds ratio = 4.68, 95% CI = 1.67-13.07). These data may reflect a novel gene-environment interaction, during early brain development, which establishes an increased risk for obesity in women with SAD. Although the mechanism for season-of-birth effects in psychiatric disorders is unknown, a characteristic pattern of melatonin exposure during the second and third trimesters may be of particular relevance in this study population. We speculate that these data may reflect the vestigial expression of a seasonal thrifty phenotype that contributed to the positive selection of the 7R allele over the past 40,000 years.


[Clinical observation on cluster acupuncture at scalp points combined with exercise therapy in treatment of limb spasm after stroke].
To observe the clinical effect of cluster acupuncture at scalp points in treating limb spasm after stroke on the basis of conventional exercise therapy. A total of 72 patients with limb spasm after stroke were randomly divided into an observation group (36 cases, 5 cases dropped off) and a control group (36 cases, 6 cases dropped off). The control group was treated with exercise therapy. In the observation group, on the basis of the control group, penetrating technique of acupuncture was exerted at Qianding (GV 21) to Baihui (GV 20), Xinhui (GV 22) to Qianding (GV 21), etc. once a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks. Before and after treatment, the changes of the modified Ashworth scale (MAS), simplified Fugl-Meyer motor assessment (FMA), and modified Barthel index (MBI) scores of the two groups were compared. After treatment, the MAS scores of upper and lower limbs in the two groups were lower than before treatment (P<0.05), and those in the observation group were lower than the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the scores of FMA and BMI in the two groups were higher than before treatment (P<0.05), and the score of MBI in the observation group was higher than the control group (P<0.05). On the basis of conventional exercise therapy, cluster acupuncture at scalp points can reduce the spasm, improve motor function and activities of daily living in patients with limb spasm after stroke.


Air Pollutant and Health-Efficiency Evaluation Based on a Dynamic Network Data Envelopment Analysis.
Environmental pollution and the associated societal health issues have attracted recent research attention. While most research has focused on the effect of air pollution on human health and local economies, few articles have discussed the environment, health, and economic development in in an integrated analysis. This paper used a Dynamic Network SBM Model to evaluate production and health efficiencies in Chinese cities and found that the production efficiency scores were slightly higher than the health efficiency scores, with the two-stage efficiency scores in most cities having significant fluctuations. Labor, fixed assets, energy, GDP, and lung disease and mortality reduction efficiencies in the first stage were generally high; however, the medical input efficiencies in the second stage were low, indicating that there was there significant room for improvement in many cities.


Cycle ergometer exercise to counteract muscle atrophy during unilateral lower limb suspension.
Atrophy of the leg muscles is a serious consequence of disuse and occurs with prolonged exposure to microgravity. We investigated whether intense interval training on a cycle ergometer would prevent muscle changes during unilateral lower limb suspension (ULLS). This study involved 11 healthy men who were divided into 2 groups, one with training on a cycle ergometer (TRN, N=6) and the other a control group (CON, N=5). TRN performed intense interval training (up to 90% of maximum heart rate) on alternate days during 20 d of unloading. Maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) of the quadriceps femoris and volume of the thigh muscle were measured before and after unloading. Muscle functional magnetic resonance imaging (mfMRI), which reflects the contractile activity of the activating muscle, were acquired during submaximal dynamic knee extension exercises. The MVC was significantly decreased in TRN (-11.1%) and CON (-18.7%). The total volume of the thigh muscles was maintained in TRN (-0.2%); however, a significant decrease was found in CON (-6.9%). The mfMRI signal increase for submaximal exercise did not change for TRN; however, it significantly increased for CON. Although the power of this study was limited, these results suggest that training on a cycle ergometer counteracts some of the effects of unloading and merits further study as a potential countermeasure for muscle changes in microgravity.


Impregnation of tubular self-assemblies into dextran hydrogels.
Amine groups are the building units of proteins. The incorporation of amine groups into polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel through dextran-allyl isocyanate-ethylamine (Dex-AE) enhances sustained protein release by introducing effective interactions. To investigate such an interaction effect and to improve protein release, we impregnated self-assembled tubular structures from dextran-bromoethylamine (Dex-BH) and dextran-chloroacetic acid (Dex-CA) into Dex-AE/PEGDA hydrogel. The morphology data obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveal that pure PEGDA hydrogel had no effect on the distribution of the self-assembled tubules; the introduction of Dex-AE brought about the dispersion of these tubules, and an increase in Dex-AE content led to more evenly distributed structures. Moreover, the implantation of the self-assembled tubules had no distinct effect on the swelling capacity of the hybrid self-assembly embedded hydrogels. The in vitro albumin release study was carried out in a pH 7.4 buffer solution; the results show that the implantation of the self-assembly into the hydrogels reduced the burst release and prolonged the protein release time. These findings demonstrate that the impregnation of tubular self-assembly into hydrogel makes the hybrid hydrogel an excellent protein delivery system.


RPfam: A refiner towards curated-like multiple sequence alignments of the Pfam protein families.
High-quality multiple sequence alignments can provide insights into the architecture and function of protein families. The existing MSA tools often generate results inconsistent with biological distribution of conserved regions because of positioning amino acid residues and gaps only by symbols. We propose RPfam, a refiner towards curated-like MSAs for modeling the protein families in the Pfam database. RPfam refines the automatic alignments via scoring alignments based on the PFASUM matrix, restricting realignments within badly aligned blocks, optimizing the block scores by dynamic programming, and running refinements iteratively using the Simulated Annealing algorithm. Experiments show RPfam effectively refined the alignments produced by the MSA tools ClustalO and Muscle with reference to the curated seed alignments of the Pfam protein families. Especially RPfam improved the quality of the ClustalO alignments by 4.4% and the Muscle alignments by 2.8% on the gp32 DNA binding protein-like family. Supplementary Table is available at http://www.worldscinet.com/jbcb/.


Use of plasmid profiles in the investigation of a patient with Helicobacter pylori infection and peptic ulcer disease.
Plasmids may effect bacterial virulence and antibiotic resistance, and serve as epidemiologic markers. In this study, plasmid DNA profiles of serial isolates of Helicobacter pylori showed persistence of an identical strain of this organism in a patient with duodenal ulcer disease. Three control strains of H. pylori isolated from other patients contained plasmids different from each other and from that of the original patient; two of these strains had two plasmids each. These data have important implications for further study of the epidemiology and pathogenesis of H. pylori-related diseases.


Prognosis after hepatic resection for stage IVA hepatocellular carcinoma: a need for reclassification.
To evaluate whether the prognosis of the four categories of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) classified as stage IVA in the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) classification of the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) is homogeneous. Hepatic resection has been proposed as the treatment of choice for patients with TNM stage IVA HCC, which consists of four different categories. It is unknown whether the prognosis of the four categories of patients is homogeneous. Clinicopathologic and follow-up data of 106 patients with resection of stage IVA HCC from 1989 to 2000 were prospectively collected. Survival results of the four categories of stage IVA patients were compared. Among stage IVA patients, survival was significantly worse in those with tumors involving a major branch of the portal or hepatic veins than in those with tumors invading adjacent organs, bilobar multiple tumors, or perforated visceral peritoneum. There were no significant differences in survival among the latter three groups. By Cox regression analysis, invasion of the portal or hepatic veins and presence of cirrhosis were independent adverse prognostic factors of overall survival among stage IVA patients, and invasion of the portal or hepatic veins was the only significant adverse prognostic factor of disease-free survival. The prognosis of the four categories of patients with stage IVA HCC under the current UICC TNM staging was not homogeneous. A refined classification of stage IV HCC is needed to take into consideration the worse prognosis associated with tumor invasion of a major branch of the portal or hepatic veins.


Cancer pain guidelines: now that we have them, what do we do?
Addressing the what, who, when, where, and how of implementing the AHCPR guidelines is an attempt to simplify what may be an overwhelming process. Use the suggestions presented in Figure 1 to formulate an action plan, and remember to assign a time frame and individual accountability. The commitment to moving the guidelines from the bookshelf to the bedside begins now. Using a process such as this will assist efforts to improve care of patients in pain. It is our hope that a year from now the copy of the AHCPR cancer pain guidelines on your shelf will not be covered with dust but rather will be a well-worn text translated to practice.


Effects of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells and Their Conditioned Medium in a Human Ex Vivo Wound Model.
Adult stem cells have been extensively investigated for tissue repair therapies. Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) were shown to improve wound healing by promoting re-epithelialization and vascularization as well as modulating the inflammatory immune response. In this study, we used ex vivo human skin cultured in a six-well plate with trans-well inserts as a model for superficial wounds. Standardized wounds were created and treated with allogeneic ASCs, ASCs conditioned medium (ASC-CM), or cell culture medium (DMEM) supplemented with fetal calf serum (FCS). Skin viability (XTT test), histology (hematoxylin and eosin, H and E), β-catenin expression as well as inflammatory mediators and growth factors were monitored over 12 days of skin culture. We observed only a moderate time-dependent decrease in skin metabolic activity while skin morphology was preserved, and re-epithelialization occurred at the wound edges. An increase in β-catenin expression was observed in the newly formed epithelia, especially in the samples treated with ASC-CM. In general, increased growth factors and inflammatory mediators, e.g., hepatocytes growth factor (HGF), platelet-derived growth factor subunit AA (PDGF-AA), IL-1α, IL-7, TNF-α, and IL-10, were observed over the incubation time. Interestingly, different expression profiles were observed for the different treatments. Samples treated with ASC-CM significantly increased the levels of inflammatory cytokines and PDGF-AA with respect to control, whereas the treatment with ASCs in DMEM with 10% FCS resulted in significantly increased levels of fibroblast growth factor-basic (FGF-basic) and moderate increases of immunomodulatory cytokines. These results confirm that the wound microenvironment can influence the type of mediators secreted by ASCs and the mode as to how they improve the wound healing process. Comparative investigations with pre-activated ASCs will elucidate further aspects of the wound healing mechanism and improve the protocols of ACS application.


Informing response criteria for psoriatic arthritis (PsA). II: Further considerations and a proposal--the PsA joint activity index.
To develop a recommended measure of response for use in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) clinical trials and observational cohort studies reflecting joint involvement. Previously, we used data from phase III randomized placebo-controlled trials of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents to determine models, based primarily on statistical considerations but with some clinical input when necessary, that best distinguish drug-treated from placebo-treated patients. For the same data, we examine response criteria currently used for PsA and logistic regression models based on the individual components of these response criteria. Comparison with our previously developed models, based primarily on statistical consideration, is made. A simplified score, the PsA Joint Activity Index (PsAJAI), based on components of the ACR30, performed better than the ACR20 and PsARC, and comparable to our previously developed models. The PsAJAI is a weighted sum of 30% improvement in core measures with weights of 2 given to the joint count measure, the C-reactive protein laboratory measure, and the physician global assessment of disease activity measure. Weights of 1 should be given to the remaining 30% improvement measures including pain, patient global assessment of disease activity, and the Health Assessment Questionnaire. We recommend the PsAJAI be used as an outcome measure for assessing joint disease response in PsA clinical trials.


Applications of population data analysis in on-farm dairy trials.
With appropriate management controls and statistical designs, on-farm trials are an increasingly valuable research tool. On-farm trials can speed up technology adoption, particularly with those studies requiring large numbers of animals. Useful designs include longitudinal (pen vs. pen) trials, in which pen is the experimental unit, and crossover or switchback designs, in which treatments are imposed on a schedule over 1 or more experimental groups. A paired-herd design has been used, in which herds are the experimental units in a crossover trial. Others have published similar studies, including a multisite crossover design that used 35 dairy farms to compare milk responses with a protein source by using individual cow records to evaluate differences in milk production. Recently, statistical process control (SPC) techniques have been used to evaluate management changes by using repeated measures on the farm. Although a drawback to SPC may be the lack of traditional statistics to test differences (i.e., the lack of a control group), standard run rules are used to demonstrate with statistical certainty that a process or variable has changed, or to characterize a seasonal change. With SPC, the inference is limited to the herd or group of animals being monitored. Meta-analysis techniques are powerful tools used to combine results from many similar trials in which the response of interest is either small (i.e., continuous variables) or of low frequency (i.e., discrete variables). Meta-analysis can be used to segment a database so as to validate and compare trial methods or to investigate publication bias. Additional design concerns for reproduction studies include the need for adequate numbers of observations and planning for the lag time between an experimental treatment and response measurement (e.g., confirmation of pregnancy).


Radiosurgery for re-irradiation of brain metastasis: results in 54 patients.
To evaluate in terms of probabilities of local-regional control and survival, as well as of treatment-related toxicity, results of radiosurgery for brain metastasis arising in previously irradiated territory. Between January 1994 and March 2000, 54 consecutive patients presenting with 97 metastases relapsing after whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) were treated with stereotactic radiotherapy. Median interval between the end of WBRT and radiosurgery was 9 months (range 2-70). Median age was 53 years (24-80), and median Karnofski performance status (KPS) 70 (60-100). Forty-seven patients had one radiosurgery, five had two and two had three. Median metastasis diameter and volume were 21 mm (6-59) and 1.2 cc (0.1-95.2), respectively. A Leksell stereotactic head frame (Leksell Model G, Elektra, Instrument, Tucker, GA) was applied under local anesthesia. Irradiation was delivered by a gantry mounted linear accelerator (linacs) (Saturne, General Electric). Median minimal dose delivered to the gross disease was 16.2 Gy (11.8-23), and median maximal dose 21.2 Gy (14- 42). Median follow-up was 9 months (1-57). Five metastases recurred. One- and 2-year metastasis local control rates were 91.3 and 84% and 1- and 2-year brain control rates were 65 and 57%, respectively. Six patients died of brain metastasis evolution, and three of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis. One- and 2-year overall survival rates were 31 and 28%, respectively. According to univariate analysis, KPS, RPA class, SIR score and interval between WBRT and radiosurgery were prognostic factors of overall survival and brain free-disease survival. According to multivariate analysis, RPA was an independent factor of overall survival and brain free-disease survival, and the interval between WBRT and radiosurgery longer than 14 months was associated with longer brain free-disease survival. Side effects were minimal, with only two cases of headaches and two of grade 2 alopecia. Salvage radiosurgery of metastasis recurring after whole brain irradiation is an effective and accurate treatment which could be proposed to patients with a KPS>70 and a primary tumour controlled or indolent. We recommend that a dose not exceeding 14 Gy should be delivered to an isodose representing 70% of the maximal dose since local control observed rate was similar to that previously published in literature with upper dose and side effects were minimal.


A multistage system for the automated detection of epileptic seizures in neonatal electroencephalography.
This paper describes the design and test results of a three-stage automated system for neonatal EEG seizure detection. Stage I of the system is the initial detection stage and identifies overlapping 5-second segments of suspected seizure activity in each EEG channel. In stage II, the detected segments from stage I are spatiotemporally clustered to produce multichannel candidate seizures. In stage III, the candidate seizures are processed further using measures of quality and context-based rules to eliminate false candidates. False candidates because of artifacts and commonly occurring EEG background patterns such as bifrontal delta activity are also rejected. Seizures at least 10 seconds in duration are considered for reporting results. The testing data consisted of recordings of 28 seizure subjects (34 hours of data) and 48 nonseizure subjects (87 hours of data) obtained in the neonatal intensive care unit. The data were not edited to remove artifacts and were identical in every way to data normally processed visually. The system was able to detect seizures of widely varying morphology with an average detection sensitivity of almost 80% and a subject sensitivity of 96%, in comparison with a team of clinical neurophysiologists who had scored the same recordings. The average false detection rate obtained in nonseizure subjects was 0.74 per hour.


Biological Behavior of Xenogenic Scaffolds in Alcohol-Induced Rats: Histomorphometric and Picrosirius Red Staining Analysis.
In this experimental protocol, the objective was to evaluate the biological behavior of two xenogenic scaffolds in alcohol-induced rats through histomorphometric and Picrosirius Red staining analysis of non-critical defects in the tibia of rats submitted or not to alcohol ingestion at 25% v/v. Eighty male rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 20 each): CG/B (water diet + Bio-Oss® graft, Geistlich Pharma AG, Wolhusen, Switzerland), CG/O (water diet + OrthoGen® graft, Baumer, Mogi Mirim, Brazil), AG/B (25% v/v alcohol diet + Bio-Oss® graft), and AG/O (25% v/v alcohol diet + OrthoGen® graft). After 90 days of liquid diet, the rats were surgically obtained, with a defect in the tibia proximal epiphysis; filled in according to their respective groups; and euthanized at 10, 20, 40 and 60 days. In two initial periods (10 and 20 days), all groups presented biomaterial particles surrounded by disorganized collagen fibrils. Alcoholic animals (AG/B and AG/O) presented, in the cortical and medullary regions, a reactive tissue with inflammatory infiltrate. In 60 days, in the superficial area of the surgical cavities, particles of biomaterials were observed in all groups, with new compact bone tissue around them, without complete closure of the lesion, except in non-alcoholic animals treated with Bio-Oss® xenograft (CG/B), where the new cortical interconnected the edges of the defect. Birefringence transition was observed in the histochemical analysis of collagen fibers by Picrosirius Red, in which all groups in periods of 10 and 20 days showed red-orange birefringence, and from 40 days onwards greenish-yellow birefringence, which demonstrates the characteristic transition from the formation of thin and disorganized collagen fibers initially to more organized and thicker later. In histomorphometric analysis, at 60 days, CG/B had the highest volume density of new bone (32.9 ± 1.15) and AG/O the lowest volume density of new bone (15.32 ± 1.71). It can be concluded that the bone neoformation occurred in the defects that received the two biomaterials, in all periods, but the Bio-Oss® was superior in the results, with its groups CG/B and AG/B displaying greater bone formation (32.9 ± 1.15 and 22.74 ± 1.15, respectively) compared to the OrthoGen® CG/O and AG/O groups (20.66 ± 2.12 and 15.32 ± 1.71, respectively), and that the alcoholic diet interfered negatively in the repair process and in the percentage of new bone formed.


A highly sensitive DNA sensor for attomolar detection of the BRCA1 gene: signal amplification with gold nanoparticle clusters.
Single stranded DNA fragments were conjugated onto gold nanoparticles leading to the formation of gold nanoparticle clusters upon hybridization with complementary strands. These clusters were successfully implemented for signal amplification in an electrochemical DNA sensor based on a graphene substrate. The sensor exhibited excellent sensitivity and selectivity with a detection limit of 50 attomolar target DNA.


Ursolic acid: A novel antiviral compound inhibiting rotavirus infection in vitro.
Rotavirus is one of the leading causes of severe acute gastroenteritis in children under 5 years of age, mainly affecting developing countries. Once the disease is acquired, no specific treatment is available; as such, the development of new drugs for effective antirotaviral treatment is critical. Ursolic acid is a pentacyclic triterpenoid with antiviral activity, which has been studied extensively in vitro and in vivo. To study the potential antirotaviral activity of ursolic acid, its toxic potential for viral particles (virucidal effect) and cultured cells (cytotoxicity) was analysed. No effect on virion infectivity was observed with treatments of up to 40 µM ursolic acid, while incipient cytotoxicity started to be evident with 20 µM ursolic acid. The antiviral potential of ursolic acid was evaluated in in-vitro rotavirus infections, demonstrating that 10 µM ursolic acid inhibits rotavirus replication (observed by a decrease in viral titre and the level of the main viral proteins) and affects viral particle maturation (a process associated with the endoplasmic reticulum) 15 h post infection. Interestingly, ursolic acid was also found to hamper the early stages of the viral replication cycle, as a significant reduction in the number and size of viroplasms, consistent with a decrease in VP6 and NSP2 viral proteins, was observed 4 h post infection. As such, these observations demonstrate that ursolic acid exhibits antiviral activity, suggesting that this chemical could be used as a new treatment for rotavirus.


[Allicor efficacy in lowering the risk of ischemic heart disease in primary prophylaxis].
To assess effects of allicor (a long-acting garlic drug) on the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in primary prophylaxis of cardiovascular diseases. A double blind placebo-controlled study investigated for a year changes in multifactorial risks of cardiovascular events or their complications in 167 patients with hyperlipidemia free of IHD. In men, intake of allicor for 12 months resulted in a 10.7% reduction of a 10-year absolute risk to develop IHD (p < 0.05) and decreased a 10-year absolute risk of acute myocardial infarction and sudden death by 22.7% (p < 0.05). In women, allicor prevented age-related cardiovascular risk (p < 0.05). Among lipid parameters, the greatest fall was observed for total cholesterol and LDLP cholesterol (p < 0.05) in men by 27.9 and 22.5 mg/dl, in women--by 11.4 and 10.8 mg/dl, respectively. Allicor is effective in reducing multifactorial risk of cardiovascular diseases.


Warming and CO2 enrichment modified the ecophysiological responses of Dahurian larch and Mongolia pine during the past century in the permafrost of northeastern China.
Tree-ring δ13C and δ18O of dominant Dahurian larch and Mongolia pine in the permafrost region of the northern Great Higgnan Mountains, China were used to elucidate species-specific ecophysiological responses to warming temperatures and increasing CO2 over the past century. Larch and pine stable carbon discrimination (Δ13C) 13C and δ18O in tree rings both showed synchronous changes during the investigated period (1901-2010), but with species-specific isotopic responses to atmospheric enriched CO2 and warming. Tree-ring Δ13C and δ18O were controlled by both maximum temperature and moisture conditions (precipitation, relative humidity and vapor pressure deficit), but with different growth periods (Δ13C in June-July and δ18O in July-August, respectively). In addition, stable isotopes of larch showed relatively greater sensitivity to moisture deficits than pine. Climatic conditions from 1920 to 1960 strongly and coherently regulated tree-ring Δ13C and δ18O through stomatal conductance. However, climatic-sensitivities of tree-ring Δ13C and δ18O recently diverged, implying substantial adjustments of stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate and altered water sources over recent decades, which reveal the varied impacts of each factor on tree-ring Δ13C and δ18O over time. Based on expected changes in leaf gas-exchange, we isolated the impacts of atmospheric CO2 and climate change on intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) over the past century. Higher intracellular CO2 in pine than larch from 1960 onwards suggests this species may be more resilient to severe droughts in the future. Our data also illustrated no weakening of the iWUE response to increasing CO2 in trees from this permafrost region. The overall pattern of CO2 enrichment and climate impacts on iWUE of pine and larch were similar, but warming increased iWUE of larch to a greater extent than that of pine over recent two decades. Taken together, our findings highlight the importance of considering how leaf gas-exchange responses to atmospheric CO2 concentration influence species-specific responses to climate and the alteration of the hydrological environment in forests growing in regions historically dominated by permafrost that will be changing rapidly in response to future warming and increased CO2.


Structured MRI reporting in spinal dysraphism.
Magnetic resonance evaluation of spinal dysraphism can be confusing for inexperienced radiologists and a detailed, step-by-step evaluation of the normal and abnormal imaging findings can help garner the diagnosis. The purpose of this article is to review the existing literature and to provide a comprehensive, structured, template checklist-style format for reporting spinal dysraphism that can help inexperienced radiologists to systematically analyze and report all the significant and ancillary findings in cases of spinal dysraphism and efficiently communicate the findings to the treating physician/surgeon.


[Molecular and cytologic analysis of clusters of moderate repeats of bird genomes].
Pigeon genome long sequences containing clusters of moderately repeating elements have been cloned. Molecular analysis has shown a dispersed distribution of the repeats in both pigeon and chicken genomes. Within a single cluster, a scrambled distribution of elements belonging to different families of repeats has been shown. Similar repeated sequences have been revealed within clusters. The analysed clusters of repeats are characterized by a limited structural variability in the genomes. In situ hybridization revealed the localization of sequences complementary to the cloned clusters in pigeon and chicken macrochromosomes. Preferential localization has been demonstrated in telomeric and centromeric chromosome regions as well as in the region of R-bands.


Construction of thrombus-targeted microbubbles carrying tissue plasminogen activator and their in vitro thrombolysis efficacy: a primary research.
Thrombosis is the common mechanism of various diseases of heart and vasculature and their major morbility and mortality. An efficient, safe and easy thrombolysis method is needed. We tried to develop a new type of ultrasound microbubbles carrying thrombolytics and simultaneously targeting to thrombus, which could bind with thrombus specifically and release the encapsulated drug locally under the ultrasound exposure. Microbubbles carrying tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser tetrapeptide (RGDS) were prepared by lyopyilization. Their properties were detected, including morphology, particle size, surface potential and pH. The results showed that the microbubbles were suitable for intravenous injection. The envelope rate of tPA, detected by ELISA, was (81.12 +/- 2.44%), and the conjugate rate of RGDS, detected by flow cytometer, was (94.49 +/- 6.19%). The tPA encapsulated in microbubbles kept fibrinolysis activity under the conditions of both natural releasing and ultrasound exposure, checked by agarose fibrin plate process. The contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEU) in rabbit liver showed that they were good for enhanced ultrasound imaging. The in vitro thrombolysis of the microbubbles to the blood clots from healthy human was detected with a mimical flowing model propelled by peristaltic pump. The drug-loaded microbubbles plus ultrasound irradiation got higher thrombolysis with the lowest dosage. The tPA-loaded microbubbles targeting to thrombus can be prepared by lyopyilization, which will bring out a novel way for the targeting drug-released thrombolysis therapy.


A Case of Spontaneous Spinal Subdural Hematoma Complicated by Cranial Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and Spinal Adhesive Arachnoiditis.
A 76-year-old woman with a spinal subdural hematoma (SDH) was presented with severe back pain without headache. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed 4 days after onset showed SDH extending from Th2 to L3. She was diagnosed with spontaneous SDH without neurological manifestation, and conservative treatment was selected. Transient disturbance of orientation appeared 7 days after onset. Small subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) was detected on head CT, and strict antihypertensive therapy was started. Symptoms changed for the better. Back pain disappeared 4 weeks after onset. On follow-up MRI at 6 months after onset, the SDH had been resolved spontaneously. Although adhesive arachnoiditis was observed at Th4-6, the recurrence of clinical symptoms was not observed at one year and a half after onset. Spinal subdural space is almost avascular; a hematoma in a subdural space is considered to come from a subarachnoid space when it is a lot. A hemorrhage in subarachnoid space was flushed by cerebral spinal fluid; hematoma or arachnoiditis was not formed in general. In our case, hemorrhage was a lot and expansion of SDH was large enough to cause cranial SAH and arachnoiditis. But longitudinally expanded SDH did not show neurological manifestation and resolved spontaneously in our case.