Non contiguous-finished genome sequence and description of Peptoniphilus timonensis sp. nov.
Peptoniphilus timonensis strain JC401(T) sp. nov. is the type strain of P. timonensis sp. nov., a new species within the Peptoniphilus genus. This strain, whose genome is described here, was isolated from the fecal flora of a healthy patient. P. timonensis is an obligate Gram-positive anaerobic coccus. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. The 1,758,598 bp long genome (1 chromosome, no plasmid) contains 1,922 protein-coding and 22 RNA genes, including 5 rRNA genes.


GABRG2 C588T gene polymorphisms might be a predictive genetic marker of febrile seizures and generalized recurrent seizures: a case-control study in a Romanian pediatric population.
This case-control study aimed to assess two single nucleotide polymorphisms of the gene encoding the GABRG2 protein - GABRG2 (3145 G>A) and GABRG2 rs 211037 Asn196Asn (C588T) - in a cohort of pediatric patients from Romania, and evaluate their possible impact on drug-resistant forms of generalized epilepsy and recurrent febrile seizures. One hundred and fourteen children with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (group 1) or febrile seizures (group 2) were compared to 153 controls. Peripheral blood samples were assessed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, with results interpreted based on the disappearance of a restriction site in the C allele (122 bp) compared to the T allele (100 bp + 22 bp). A significant association was found with the TT homozygous genotype and T allele for both febrile seizures and epilepsy for the C588T locus, while GABRG2 G>A 3145 showed no significant association with any type of seizure. The TT homozygous genotype of GABRG2 Asn196Asn polymorphism was more frequent in patients with a history of febrile seizures (p = 0.0001), without a significant association identified for GABRG2-G>A 3145. Composite analysis showed associations with epilepsy for CC-AG (p = 0.02) and CT-AG (p = 0.007) with the CC-AA combination as reference. C588T polymorphism of the GABRG2 gene might be a predictive genetic marker in triggering febrile convulsions. GABRG2 rs211037 TT homozygotes and T allele variants have an increased risk for developing febrile seizures. Recurrent crises and repeated episodes of seizures are more frequent in the GABRG2 Asn196Asn TT genotype polymorphism, with a 45 and 8 times higher risk of developing idiopathic generalized epilepsy and recurrent febrile seizures, respectively.


Combining Ordinary Kriging with wind directions to identify sources of industrial odors in Portland, Oregon.
This study combines Ordinary Kriging, odor monitoring, and wind direction data to demonstrate how these elements can be applied to identify the source of an industrial odor. The specific case study used as an example of how to address this issue was the University Park neighborhood of Portland, Oregon (USA) where residents frequently complain about industrial odors, and suspect the main source to be a nearby Daimler Trucks North America LLC manufacturing plant. We collected 19,665 odor observations plus 105,120 wind measurements, using an automated weather station to measure winds in the area at five-minute intervals, logging continuously from December 2014 through November 2015, while we also measured odors at 19 locations, three times per day, using methods from the American Society of the International Association for Testing and Materials. Our results quantify how winds vary with season and time of day when industrial odors were observed versus when they were not observed, while also mapping spatiotemporal patterns in these odors using Ordinary Kriging. Our analyses show that industrial odors were detected most frequently to the northwest of the Daimler plant, mostly when winds blew from the southeast, suggesting Daimler's facility is a likely source for much of this odor.


Influence of electromagnetic pulse on the offspring sex ratio of male BALB/c mice.
Public concern is growing about the exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) and its effect on male reproductive health. Detrimental effect of EMF exposure on sex hormones, reproductive performance and sex-ratio was reported. The present study was designed to clarify whether paternal exposure to electromagnetic pulse (EMP) affects offspring sex ratio in mice. 50 male BALB/c mice aged 5-6 weeks were exposed to EMP daily for 2 weeks before mated with non-exposed females at 0d, 7d, 14d, 21d and 28d after exposure. Sex hormones including total testosterone, LH, FSH, and GnRH were detected using radioimmunoassay. The sex ratio was examined by PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis. The results of D0, D21 and D28 showed significant increases compared with sham-exposed groups. The serum testosterone increased significantly in D0, D14, D21, and D28 compared with sham-exposed groups (p<0.05). Overall, this study suggested that EMP exposure may lead to the disturbance of reproductive hormone levels and affect the offspring sex ratio.


Development of nanostructured silver vanadates decorated with silver nanoparticles as a novel antibacterial agent.
In this work we report the synthesis, characterization and application of silver vanadate nanowires decorated with silver nanoparticles as a novel antibacterial agent. These hybrid materials were synthesized by a precipitation reaction of ammonium vanadate and silver nitrate followed by hydrothermal treatment. The silver vanadate nanowires have lengths of the order of microns and diameters around 60 nm. The silver nanoparticles decorating the nanowires present a diameter distribution varying from 1 to 20 nm. The influence of the pH of the reaction medium on the chemical structure and morphology of silver vanadates was studied and we found that synthesis performed at pH 5.5-6.0 led to silver vanadate nanowires with a higher morphological yield. The antimicrobial activity of these materials was evaluated against three strains of Staphylococcus aureus and very promising results were found. The minimum growth inhibiting concentration value against a MRSA strain was found to be ten folds lower than for the antibiotic oxacillin.


Histocompatibility (HL-A) antigens and primary open-angle glaucoma.
To assess the association between open-angle glaucoma and HL-A antigens, the frequencies of 25 HL-A antigens were determined in 49 patients with OAG, and 22 patients with increased intraocular pressure, due to causes other than OAG, using the microcytotoxicity method. The results were compared to 250 individuals from the general population who were tested in the same laboratory at the same period of time. Using rigid statistical analysis, the incidence of the Bw35 antigen was found to be significantly (less than 0.012) higher among OAG patients. In a group of 27 first relatives of OAG patients who were tested at the same time, the frequency of Bw35 antigen was increased compared to the general population. The biological importance of the association between Bw35 and OAG, which may still be a chance deviation, is not yet fully understood. It may indicate that the Bw35 antigen or the HLA loci are among the genetic factors which produce susceptibility to open-angle glaucoma.


PREVALENCE AND PREDICTORS OF PREDIABETES AMONG ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF OF A TERTIARY HEALTH CENTRE, SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA.
Prediabetes is a condition in which individuals have blood glucose levels higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes mellitus. Inadequate moderate-intensity physical activity, amidst other risk factors, is a well-documented risk factor for prediabetes. Hospital administrative staff can be particularly vulnerable to prediabetes because of the greater number of hours spent in a sitting or sedentary position during administrative duties. The aim of this study was to find the prevalence of prediabetes and to determine its predictors among administrative staff of a tertiary health centre in southwestern Nigeria. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among 300 administrative staff of the University College Hospital, Ibadan over a period of three months. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire that was adapted from the generic WHO-STEPs instrument approach to surveillance of chronic non-communicable diseases risk factors. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17. Descriptive analyses were performed to estimate the prevalence of prediabetes while the independent predictors of prediabetes were investigated using multinomial logistic regression model. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. The mean age of participants was 51.2 ± 5.3 years. There were 164 (54.7%) males and 136 (45.3%) females that participated in the study. The prevalence of prediabetes was 22.3%. Based on the final multivariable multinomial model, the independent predictors of prediabetes included; male sex (OR= 1.24; 95% CI= 1.082 - 2.460), positive family history of diabetes mellitus (OR= 1.57; 95% CI= 1.088 - 2.611), alcohol intake (OR= 1.13; 95% CI= 0.688 - 1.543) and inadequate moderate-intensity physical activity (OR= 1.49; 95% CI= 1.027 - 2.936). There was a high prevalence of prediabetes among the administrative staff of University College Hospital, Ibadan. Regular screening of hospital employees for prediabetes is highly recommended. Work-place exercise should be advocated to improve moderate-intensity physical activity among hospital employees.


Quantification of T cell Antigen-specific Memory Responses in Rhesus Macaques, Using Cytokine Flow Cytometry (CFC, also Known as ICS and ICCS): Analysis of Flow Data.
What was initially termed 'CFC' (Cytokine Flow Cytometry) is now more commonly known as 'ICS' (Intra Cellular Staining), or less commonly as 'ICCS' (Intra Cellular Cytokine Staining). The key innovations were use of an effective permeant (allowing intracellular staining), and a reagent to disrupt secretion (trapping cytokines, thereby enabling accumulation of detectable intracellular signal). Because not all researchers who use the technique are interested in cytokines, the 'ICS' term has gained favor, though 'CFC' will be used here. CFC is a test of cell function, exposing lymphocytes to antigen in culture, then measuring any cytokine responses elicited. Test cultures are processed so as to stain cells with monoclonal antibodies tagged with fluorescent markers, and to chemically fix the cells and decontaminate the samples, using paraformaldehyde. CFC provides the powers of flow cytometry, which includes bulk sampling and multi-parametric cross-correlation, to the analysis of antigen-specific memory responses. A researcher using CFC is able to phenotypically characterize cells cultured with test antigen, and for phenotypic subsets (e.g. CD4+ or CD8+ T cells) determine the % frequency producing cytokine above background level. In contrast to ELISPOT and Luminex methods, CFC can correlate production of multiple cytokines from particular, phenotypically-characterized cells. The CFC assay is useful for detecting that an individual has had an antigen exposure (as in population screenings), or for following the emergence and persistence of antigen memories (as in studies of vaccination, infections, or pathogenesis). In addition to quantifying the % frequency of antigen-responding cells, mean fluorescence intensity can be used to assess how much of a cytokine is generated within responding cells. With the technological advance of flow cytometry, a current user of CFC often has access to 11 fluorescent channels (or even 18), making it possible to either highly-characterize the phenotypes of antigen-responding cells, or else simultaneously quantify the responses according to many cytokines or activation markers. Powerful software like FlowJo (TreeStar) and SPICE (NIAID) can be used to analyse the data, and to do sophisticated multivariate analysis of cytokine responses. The method described here is customized for cells from Rhesus macaque monkeys, and the extensive annotating notes represent a decade of accumulated technical experience. The same scheme is readily applicable to other mammalian cells (e.g. human or mouse), though the exact antibody clones will differ according to host system. The basic method described here incubates 1 × 106 Lymphocytes in 1 ml tube culture with antigen and co-stimulatory antibodies in the presence of Brefeldin A, prior to staining and fixation. Note: This is the second part of a two-part procedure. Part one has the same initial title, but the subtitle "From Assay Set-up to Data Acquisition (Sylwester et al., 2014)". The Abstract and Historical Background is the same for both documents.


First draft genome sequence of a member of the genus mangrovibacter, isolated from an aquaculture farm in India.
Mangrovibacter sp. MFB070, a Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, nitrogen-fixing bacterium, was isolated from an aquaculture farm in Cochin, India. Here, we report the first draft genome sequence of a member of the genus Mangrovibacter, which may help us to elucidate the evolutionary status of this genus. The draft genome sequence of the Mangrovibacter sp. consists of 5,361,682 bp, encoding 4,971 predicted coding sequences in 57 contigs.


MS-377, a selective sigma receptor ligand, indirectly blocks the action of PCP in the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor ion-channel complex in primary cultured rat neuronal cells.
MS-377 ((R)-(+)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-[4-(2-methoxyethyl)piperazin-1-yl]methyl-2-pyrrolidinone L-tartrate) is a antipsychotic agent that binds to sigma-1 receptor. MS-377 showed anti-dopaminergic and anti-serotonergic activities and antagonistic action against phencyclidine (PCP)-induced behaviors in an animal model. These anti-psychotic activities of MS-377 are attributable to association with sigma-1 receptor. However, the mechanism by which the sigma-1 receptor ligands exact those numerous effects remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of MS-377 on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor ion-channel complex in primary cultured rat neuronal cells. First, we examined the effect of MS-377 on NMDA-induced Ca2+ influx with fura-2/ AM loaded cells. MS-377 showed no effects on the basal Ca2+ concentration and NMDA-induced Ca2+ influx by itself PCP and SKF-10047 reduced the NMDA-induced increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Pre-incubation of 1 microM MS-377 was found to significantly block the reduction by PCP or SKF-10047 of the NMDA-induced Ca2+ influx. Second, the effect of MS-377 on [3H]MK-801 intact cell binding was examined. PCP, haloperidol and (+)-pentazocine inhibited [3H]MK-801 binding, although MS-377 showed no effect by itself Pre-treatment of MS-377 markedly reversed the inhibition of [3H]MK-801 binding by PCP in a dose-dependent manner. These effects of MS-377 may depend on its affinity for the sigma-1 receptor, because MS-377 is a selective sigma-1 receptor ligand without any affinity for NMDA receptor ion-channel complex. These observations suggest that the MS-377 indirectly modulated the NMDA receptor ion-channel complex, and the anti-psychotic activities of MS-377, in part, are attributable to such on action via sigma-1 receptor.


Delayed primary realignment of posterior urethral rupture.
The treatment of acute posterior urethral rupture is controversial. Twelve patients who presented with acute posterior urethral rupture over a five-year period were treated by delayed primary realignment of the injury. The technique of this procedure and the outcome are the subject of this presentation. Eight patients had successful realignment without strictures. Two patients with strictures responded to simple dilatations with bougies and the other two had formal urethroplasty.


Interference of polyclonal free light chains with identification of Bence Jones proteins.
We present a case in which kappa free light chains caused difficulty in interpreting classical urinary immunoelectrophoresis, but immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) demonstrated the presence of a lambda-Bence Jones protein. Analysis of the urine by Ouchterlony double diffusion and IFE after gel-filtration chromatography showed that the difficulty was caused by the presence of large amounts of polyclonal free light chains. The workup also demonstrated that although IFE is the more sensitive and specific technique, IFE performed on concentrated urinary samples is especially subject to misinterpretation unless densely staining patterns are diluted and reassayed. This process of sample dilution provides a means for titrating antigen and antibody concentrations such that condition-specific patterns become visible on the gel. This workup also shows that, at some dilutions, polyclonal free light chains may migrate in the same manner as an oligoclonal band in a so-called ladder configuration. These bands were observed from both monomeric and dimeric fractions isolated by gel chromatography, consistent with reports that this pattern is largely linked to the isoelectric points of the molecules. We speculate that, in rare instances, the distinction between polyclonal and monoclonal kappa free light chains migrating as a ladder-banding pattern may be equivocal.


Assessment of percent cholesterol absorption in humans with stable isotopes.
Dietary cholesterol restriction is a general recommendation for the medical community and emphasizes the importance of intestinal cholesterol absorption and metabolism in humans. However, several methods that may accurately quantify cholesterol absorption utilize radioactive isotopes that are undesirable for younger individuals, women, children, and normal subjects. To eliminate this hazard, we have developed a procedure for measurement of percent cholesterol absorption, based on that of Zilversmit (1972. Proc. Soc. Exp. Med. Biol. 140: 862-865), using stable nonradioactive isotopic tracers of cholesterol. [26,26,26,27,27,27-2H]cholesterol (30 mg) was administered orally and [23,24,25,26,27-13C]cholesterol (15 mg) was administered intravenously on day 0 and percent cholesterol absorption was calculated as the plasma ratio of oral/intravenous isotopic tracer on day 3 as determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring. Tracer cholesterol given orally peaked in plasma on day 2 and then slowly declined in parallel with the intravenous tracer. Cholesterol absorption in 16 healthy subjects (on no medication and not ingesting alcohol) consuming a Step One Diet was 53.5% +/- 8.5 SD%. Five subjects underwent repeat testing after 4-6 weeks with excellent replication (SD of difference between tests = 2.8%). No differences in the metabolism of [13C5]cholesterol, [2H6]cholesterol, and [14C]cholesterol were observed. The use of stable isotopes for the study of percent cholesterol absorption is precise and safe, allowing repeated measurements in normal individuals and thus facilitating clinical investigation of this key component of human cholesterol metabolism.


Visual impact of Zernike and Seidel forms of monochromatic aberrations.
The aim of this study was to examine the impact of different aberrations modes (e.g., coma, astigmatism, spherical aberration [SA]) and different aberration basis functions (Zernike or Seidel) on visual acuity (VA). Computational optics was used to generate retinal images degraded by either the Zernike or Seidel forms of second through fourth-order aberrations for an eye with a 5-mm pupil diameter. High contrast, photopic VA was measured using method of constant stimuli for letters displayed on a computer-controlled, linearized, quasimonochromatic (lambda = 556 nm) display. Minimum angle of resolution (MAR) varied linearly with the magnitude (root mean square error) of all modes of aberration. The impact of individual Zernike lower- and higher-order aberrations (HOAs) varied significantly with mode, e.g., arc minutes of MAR per micrometer of root mean square slopes varied from 7 (spherical defocus) to 0.5 (quadrafoil). Seidel forms of these aberrations always had a smaller visual impact. Notably, Seidel SA had 1/17th the impact of Zernike SA with the same wavefront variance, and about 1/4th the impact of Zernike SA with matching levels of r wavefront error. With lower-order components removed, HOAs near the center of the Zernike pyramid do not have a large visual impact. The majority of the visual impact of high levels of fourth-order Zernike aberrations can be attributed to the second-order terms within these polynomials. Therefore, the impact of SA can be minimized by balancing it with a defocus term that flattens the central wavefront (paraxial focus) or maximizes the area of the pupil with a flat wavefront. Over this wide range of aberration types and levels, image quality metrics based on the Point Spread Function (PSF) and Optical Transfer Function (OTF) can predict VA as reliably as VA measures can predict retests of VA, and, thus, such metrics may become valuable predictors of both VA and, via optimization, refractions.


Connexin26 Modulates Radiation-Induced Skin Damage by Regulating Chemokine CCL27 through MAPK Signaling.
Connexin26 (Cx26) plays an important role in ionizing radiation-induced damage, and CC chemokine ligand 27 (CCL27) regulates the skin immune response. However, the relationship between Cx26 and CCL27 in radiation-induced skin damage is unclear. After X-ray irradiation, clonogenic survival and micronucleus formation were assessed in immortalized human keratinocytes (HaCaT). Proteins in the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and CCL27-related proteins were detected by immunoblotting. HaCaTCx26-/- cells were constructed to verify the effects of Cx26 on CCL27 secretion. A mouse model was established to examine the expression of CCL27 and skin inflammation in vivo. The degree of skin injury induced by 6 MV of X rays was closely related to CCL27. The phosphorylation of ERK, p38 and NF-κB was significantly increased in irradiated cells. The secretion of CCL27 was significantly decreased in HaCaT wild-type cells relative to HaCaTCx26-/- cells. Whereas cell survival fractions decreased, and the micronuclei formation rate increased as a function of increasing X-ray dose in HaCaT cells, the opposite trend occurred in HaCaTCx26-/- cells. Our findings show that Cx26 likely plays a role in the activation of the MAPK and NF-κB/COX-2 signaling pathways and regulates the secretion of CCL27 in keratinocytes after X-ray radiation-induced skin damage.


Gender difference in speech intelligibility using speech intelligibility tests and acoustic analyses.
The purpose of this study was to compare men with women in terms of speech intelligibility, to investigate the validity of objective acoustic parameters related with speech intelligibility, and to try to set up the standard data for the future study in various field in prosthodontics. Twenty men and women were served as subjects in the present study. After recording of sample sounds, speech intelligibility tests by three speech pathologists and acoustic analyses were performed. Comparison of the speech intelligibility test scores and acoustic parameters such as fundamental frequency, fundamental frequency range, formant frequency, formant ranges, vowel working space area, and vowel dispersion were done between men and women. In addition, the correlations between the speech intelligibility values and acoustic variables were analyzed. Women showed significantly higher speech intelligibility scores than men and there were significant difference between men and women in most of acoustic parameters used in the present study. However, the correlations between the speech intelligibility scores and acoustic parameters were low. Speech intelligibility test and acoustic parameters used in the present study were effective in differentiating male voice from female voice and their values might be used in the future studies related patients involved with maxillofacial prosthodontics. However, further studies are needed on the correlation between speech intelligibility tests and objective acoustic parameters.


Challenging the dogma: relationship between time to healing and formation of hypertrophic scars after burn injuries.
Hypertrophic scarring (HTS) is defined as a scar, which is raised above the skin level and remains within the confines of the original lesion. The authors hypothesize that small surface area burns can be left to heal beyond 21 days without an increase in the incidence of HTS formation, within the confines of a carefully selected patient population. The authors have documented the number of days to healing in all patients conservatively managed in their outpatient burns clinic. All patients who took longer than 21 days to heal receive a follow-up telephone call. A multivariate regression analysis is used to confirm significant factors that impede healing time. This study included 181 conservatively managed burns with a male:female ratio of 1.63:1 and average age of 24.7 ± 21.69 years (range, 1 month to 85 years). In total, 32 patients (18%) took more than 21 days to heal (range, 22-88 days), of which five patients presented with HTS (days to healing range, 23-47; one mixed depth and four deep dermal). One patient did not attend for follow-up, two patients settled with silicone gel alone whereas one settled with pressure garments. One patient is still being seen. The only significant factor in predicting time to healing in the ANOVA model in this study was depth of burn (P = .01; confidence interval, 1.18-6.07). Advances in wound care and better understanding of the physiological processes involved in healing may now enable the management of smaller burns with dressings, delaying the need for early surgical debridement and skin grafting in certain individuals.


Certification of lead concentration in standard reference materials by isotope dilution mass spectrometry.
In response to needs for analytical standards by researchers studying the exposure of humans to lead, a wide variety of environmental and "food" Standard Reference Materials have been prepared and certified for lead as well as for many other elements. Among the food types are SRM 1571, Orchard Leaves, 45 ppm; SRM 1575, Pine Needles, 10.8 ppm; SRM 1573, Tomato Leaves, 6.3 ppm; SRM 1566, Oyster Tissue, 0.48 ppm; SRM 1577, Bovine Liver, 0.34 ppm; SRM 1568, Rice Flour, 0.045 ppm; and SRM 1567, Wheat Flour, 0.020 ppm. These materials, intended for use in calibrating instruments and methods, have been certified by a definitive method, isotope dilution mass spectrometry. The advantages and disadvantages of this technique are discussed and some suggestions for the use of its isotopic selectivity in the study of lead in the human environment are presented.


Cell-to-cell and phloem-mediated transport of potato virus X. The role of virions
Movement-deficient potato virus X (PVX) mutants tagged with the green fluorescent protein were used to investigate the role of the coat protein (CP) and triple gene block (TGB) proteins in virus movement. Mutants lacking either a functional CP or TGB were restricted to single epidermal cells. Microinjection of dextran probes into cells infected with the mutants showed that an increase in the plasmodesmal size exclusion limit was dependent on one or more of the TGB proteins and was independent of CP. Fluorescently labeled CP that was injected into epidermal cells was confined to the injected cells, showing that the CP lacks an intrinsic transport function. In additional experiments, transgenic plants expressing the PVX CP were used as rootstocks and grafted with nontransformed scions. Inoculation of the PVX CP mutants to the transgenic rootstocks resulted in cell-to-cell and systemic movement within the transgenic tissue. Translocation of the CP mutants into sink leaves of the nontransgenic scions was also observed, but infection was restricted to cells close to major veins. These results indicate that the PVX CP is transported through the phloem, unloads into the vascular tissue, and subsequently is transported between cells during the course of infection. Evidence is presented that PVX uses a novel strategy for cell-to-cell movement involving the transport of filamentous virions through plasmodesmata.


Seed Coating Increases Seed Moisture Uptake and Restricts Embryonic Oxygen Availability in Germinating Cereal Seeds.
Seed coating is a technology to improve germination and homogenize stand establishment. Although coating often results in lower germination rates, seeds that do germinate grow more vigorously and show strongly reduced respiratory losses during reserve mobilization. We hypothesize that the higher mobilization efficiency is due to a shift in the enzymatic cleavage of sucrose from invertase to sucrose synthase in the embryonic tissue caused by a reduced oxygen availability induced by oversaturation with water caused by the coating during early germination. We investigated the effect of coating on barley, rye, and wheat seed imbibition during the first 30 h after seeds were placed in moisture. We profiled oxygen in the embryos and measured sucrose and acid invertase levels as imbibition progressed. We found that seeds within coatings absorbed significantly more moisture than uncoated seeds. Coating resulted in near anoxic oxygen concentrations in the developing embryonic tissues in all three species. In barley, sucrose was not cleaved via the invertase pathway, despite the fact that invertase activity in coated seeds was increased. In rye and wheat, invertase activities were significantly lower in embryos from coated seeds without significantly changing the sugar composition.


Road traffic mortality in Iran: longitudinal trend and seasonal analysis, March 2011-February 2020.
Road traffic mortalities (RTMs) and injuries are among the leading causes of human fatalities worldwide, particularly in low-and middle-income countries like Iran. Using an interrupted time series analysis, we investigated three interventional points (two government-mandated fuel price increases and increased traffic ticket fines) for their potential relation to RTMs. Our findings showed that while the overall trend of RTMs was decreasing during the study period, multiple individual provinces showed smaller reductions in RTMs. We also found that both waves of government-mandated fuel price increases coincided with decreases in RTMs. However, the second wave coincided with RTM decreases in a smaller number of provinces than the first wave suggesting that the same type of intervention may not be as effective when repeated. Also, increased traffic ticket fines were only effective in a small number of provinces. Potential reasons and solutions for the findings are discussed in light of Iran's Road Safety Strategic Plan.


Comparison of a visual analogue scale and Lake Louise symptom scores for acute mountain sickness.
Assessment of the presence and severity of acute mountain sickness (AMS) is based on subjective reporting of the sensation of symptoms. The Lake Louise symptom scoring system (LLS) uses categorical variables to rate the intensity of AMS-related symptoms (headache, gastrointestinal distress, dizziness, fatigue, sleep quality) on 4-point ordinal scales; the sum of the answers is the LLS self-score (range 0-15). Recent publications indicate a potential for a visual analogue scale (VAS) to quantify AMS. We tested the hypothesis that overall and single-item VAS and LLS scores scale linearly. We asked 14 unacclimatized male subjects [age 41 (14), mean (SD) yr; height 176 (3) cm; weight 75 (9) kg] who spent 2 days at 3647 m and 4 days at 4560 m to fill out LLS questionnaires, with a VAS for each item (i) and a VAS for the overall (o) sensation of AMS, twice a day (n = 172). Even though correlated (r = 0.84), the relationship between LLS(o) and VAS(o) was distorted, showing a threshold effect for LLS(o) scores below 5, with most VAS(o) scores on one side of the identity line. Similar threshold effects were seen for the LLS(i) and VAS(i) scores. These findings indicate nonlinear scaling characteristics that render difficult a direct comparison of studies done with either VAS or LLS alone.


Hydrothermal vent fields discovered in the southern Gulf of California clarify role of habitat in augmenting regional diversity.
Hydrothermal vent communities are distributed along mid-ocean spreading ridges as isolated patches. While distance is a key factor influencing connectivity among sites, habitat characteristics are also critical. The Pescadero Basin (PB) and Alarcón Rise (AR) vent fields, recently discovered in the southern Gulf of California, are bounded by previously known vent localities (e.g. Guaymas Basin and 21° N East Pacific Rise); yet, the newly discovered vents differ markedly in substrata and vent fluid attributes. Out of 116 macrofaunal species observed or collected, only three species are shared among all four vent fields, while 73 occur at only one locality. Foundation species at basalt-hosted sulfide chimneys on the AR differ from the functional equivalents inhabiting sediment-hosted carbonate chimneys in the PB, only 75 km away. The dominant species of symbiont-hosting tubeworms and clams, and peripheral suspension-feeding taxa, differ between the sites. Notably, the PB vents host a limited and specialized fauna in which 17 of 26 species are unknown at other regional vents and many are new species. Rare sightings and captured larvae of the 'missing' species revealed that dispersal limitation is not responsible for differences in community composition at the neighbouring vent localities. Instead, larval recruitment-limiting habitat suitability probably favours species differentially. As scenarios develop to design conservation strategies around mining of seafloor sulfide deposits, these results illustrate that models encompassing habitat characteristics are needed to predict metacommunity structure.


Thoracoscopic Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation: Adjunct Therapy for Secondary Prevention of Life-Threatening Ventricular Arrhythmias in Children.
Cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD) is a surgical option for patients with life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. Previously described cohorts included populations in which CSD was performed for primary and secondary prevention. We report the efficacy of CSD as adjunct therapy in children with medically refractory life-threatening arrhythmias. Retrospective review of patients undergoing thoracoscopic CSD at one institution between January 2008 and July 2017. Patient demographics, indications, procedural details, complications, length of stay, and effectiveness were evaluated. Ten thoracoscopic CSD procedures were performed in 8 patients. Mean age was 8.2 years (8 days-19 years); mean weight was 32.6 kg (2.7-57 kg); and 50% were female. Four had long QT syndrome, 3 catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, and 1 short QT syndrome. All patients had at least two (2 to >40) episodes of resuscitated ventricular arrhythmia and were maximized on medical therapy. Six patients had implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) with a mean of 11.9 appropriate discharges (1-40) before CSD. All patients underwent left CSD; 2 subsequently required right CSD. Four of the 6 ICD patients experienced dramatic improvement (total 48 ICD discharges pre-CSD; 3 post-CSD). Two patients noncompliant with medical therapy had no significant improvement (24 ICD discharges pre-CSD; 23 post-CSD) and also underwent right CSD, again with no improvement (23 discharges pre-right CSD; 28 post-right CSD). Thoracoscopic CSD can be safely performed in the neonate and pediatric populations. When utilized with medication therapy, CSD is an effective adjunct in reducing ICD discharges and arrhythmias.


Comparison of two doses of tranexamic acid on bleeding and surgery site quality during sinus endoscopy surgery.
One of the main concerns in sinus surgery is blood loss due to the high vasculature of the mucosa. Tranexamic acid (TA) is an antifibrinolytic agent which reduces bleeding following certain surgical procedures. This randomized double-blinded clinical trial was performed on 70 patients with class I and II ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) who were scheduled for endoscopic sinus surgery under general anesthesia. The average ages of the patients were 18 to 50 years old. Thirty-five patients (group A) received 5 mg/Kg of TA, and another 35 patients (group B) received 15 mg/Kg of TA. The mean arterial pressure (MAP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate (HR) were documented. Also, the amount of blood loss and satisfaction scores were obtained from the surgeon in 30th, 60th, 90th, 120th and 180th minutes. All the data was analyzed by SPSS-15 software with T-test. A total of 52 males and 18 females participated in the study. There were no significant differences between the mean age, MAP, DBP, SBP and HR during surgery between groups. Blood loss was 272.74 ± 25.77 mL 242.89 ± 51.77 mL in the group A and B respectively (P < 0.003). The surgeon was more satisfied with the surgical field of the group B than the group A (mean scores 4 (3-5) vs. 3 (1-5) respectively, P < 0.005). Surgery period and need for supplement drug to control bleeding in group B was significantly less than in group A (P < 0.05). But there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of side effects. Administration of 15 mg/Kg TA intravenously is more effective than 5 mg TA to achieve hemostasis and improving the quality of surgical field, surgeon satisfaction, less surgery period and bleeding volume during endoscopic sinus surgery without any significant side effects.


The uses of simple spirometry.
The use of spirometry to determine pulmonary function has been complicated by the proliferation of measurements possible from the expiratory effort. Non-pulmonary physiologists face the problem of making a choice between a multiplicity of spirometric tests. Some guidelines for ventilatory testing are offered. The various uses of spirometry are indicated and those tests which best subserve these uses are suggested.


Functional role of glycosphingolipids in contact inhibition of growth in a human mammary epithelial cell line.
We have demonstrated previously the involvement of certain glycosphingolipids (GSLs) in 'contact inhibition' (dependent on cell-to-cell contact) of cell growth. Here, we examined the roles of specific GSLs in contact inhibition of the human epithelial cell line MCF10A. Contact-inhibited cells show increased expression of the ganglioside GD3 and the globo-series GSL Gb3, and of the mRNAs for the corresponding sialyltransferases ST8SIA1 (GD3 synthase) and galactosyltransferase A4GALT (Gb3 synthase). siRNA knockdown (KD) of ST8SIA1 and/or A4GALT significantly suppresses contact inhibition. Exogenous addition of GD3 or Gb3 inhibits proliferation of low-density cells. Our findings suggest that GSLs play functional roles in contact inhibition of these cells and that Merlin/NF2, a tumor suppressor protein, is involved in the GSL function.


S-1-Induced Lacrimal Drainage Obstruction and Its Association with Ingredients/Metabolites of S-1 in Tears and Plasma: A Prospective Multi-institutional Study.
This prospective study was conducted to determine the incidence of lacrimal drainage obstruction (LDO) during S-1 chemotherapy and evaluate the association between the development of LDO and the concentrations of ingredients/metabolites of S-1 in tears and plasma. A total of 145 patients with gastric cancer who received adjuvant S-1 therapy were enrolled. Ophthalmologic examinations were performed regularly during S-1 chemotherapy. Concentrations of tegafur, 5-chloro-2,4-dihydroxypyridine (CDHP), and 5-fluorouracil at steady-state trough level were measured in both tears and plasma. Fifty-three patients (37%) developed LDO. The median time to the onset of LDO was 10.9 weeks, and LDO developed most frequently in the nasolacrimal duct. Univariable analyses revealed that an older age (≥ 70 years), creatinine clearance rate (Ccr) < 80 mL/min, 5-fluorouracil concentration in plasma ≥ 22.3 ng/mL (median), CDHP concentration in plasma ≥ 42.0 ng/mL (median), and tegafur concentration in tears ≥ 479.2 ng/mL (median) were related to increased development of LDO. Multivariable analysis indicated that a high plasma 5-fluorouracil concentration was predictive of increased development of LDO (hazard ratio, 2.02; p=0.040), along with older age and decreased Ccr. Patients with LDO also developed S-1-related non-hematologic toxicity more frequently than those without LDO (p=0.016). LDO is a frequent adverse event during S-1 chemotherapy. An older age, decreased Ccr, and high plasma 5-fluorouracil concentration were found to be independent risk factors for LDO. The high incidence of LDO warrants regular ophthalmologic examination and early intervention in patients receiving S-1 therapy.


Transient post-operative atrial fibrillation predicts short and long term adverse events following CABG.
To assess the relationship between the development of transient post-operative atrial fibrillation (TPOAF) following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and risk of long-term mortality. Atrial fibrillation (AF) following CABG is common and associated with increased morbidity and mortality in the perioperative period. However the impact of TPOAF and its management on long-term morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing first time, isolated CABG surgery remains unclear. The Cleveland Clinic Cardiovascular Information Registry was used to identify 5,205 consecutive patients who underwent CABG between January 1993 and December 2005. Patients with TPOAF (n=1,490) were compared to those without post-operative AF (n=3,645) for the endpoints of death, myocardial infarction (MI), or stroke at 1 year. Overall rates of 1-year mortality, MI and stroke were 3.7%, 0.8%, and 2.6%, respectively. Patients with TPOAF had an increased risk of death at 1 year as compared to patients without POAF (6.4% vs. 2.7%; P<0.001), but there was not an increased risk of stroke or MI. Multivariate analysis identified TPOAF as an independent predictor of death at 1 year (HR 1.89, 95% CI, 1.42-2.53; P<0.001). After propensity matching, patients who developed TPOAF experienced a significantly increased risk of death compared with those without TPOAF (HR 1.96, 95% CI, 1.34-2.86; P<0.001). In patients undergoing first time, isolated CABG, the presence of TPOAF identifies a subgroup of patients at increased risk for all-cause mortality. Future prospective studies to determine potential beneficial interventions in this large population are warranted.


[Bioinformatics Analysis and Preliminary Functional Study of Abnormal Expression of Splicing Factors in Gastric Cancer].
Objective To analyze the expression of splicing factors in gastric cancer using bioinformatics methods and investigate the effect of aberrantly expressed serine/arginine-rich splicing factor(SRSF10)on the phenotype of gastric cancer cells. Methods The RNA-seq data of gastric cancer and paracancerous tissues were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)cancer database,and bioinformatics analysis was performed to obtain the splicing factors differentially expressed in gastric cancer.The splicing factor SRSF10 was selected to investigate its effect on the development of gastric cancer.RNA interference technology was used to construct SRSF10 knockdown gastric cancer cells.MTS,Transwell,and cell scratches were used to study the effect of SRSF10 knockdown on gastric cancer cell phenotype. Results A total of 48 splicing factors were identified in gastric cancer by a series of bioinformatics techniques,of which 35 were up-regulated and 13 were down-regulated.The splicing factor SRSF10,which was up-regulated,was selected for further study.It was found that the gastric cancer cells after SRSF10 knockdown proliferated more slowly and had lower migration ability than normal gastric cancer cells. Conclusions Multiple splicing factors are found in gastric cancer and may play an important role in the development of gastric cancer.The splicing factor SRSF10 may contribute to the pathogenesis of gastric cancer.


Barriers and enablers to the family meal across time; a grounded theory study comparing South Australian parents' perspectives.
Family meals are positively associated with numerous beneficial health and social outcomes. Current discourse however claims that parents are faced with numerous barriers when trying to bring the family together to share a meal. Solutions for overcoming barriers to a positive shared family meal are often individualistic and do not address the systemic pressures and burdens families have faced for decades. The aim of this study was to explore the systemic and novel barriers and enablers to shared family meals as experienced by families across time. To achieve this, a qualitative study informed by grounded theory was conducted. Parents of South Australian families were recruited and interviewed in the 1990s, and a new sample of parents were recruited and interviewed in 2020. Transcripts were analysed using grounded theory and comparative analysis methods. Thirty-two parents from 16 families were interviewed in the 1990s, and 22 parents from 10 families in 2020. Ten factors were identified presenting as either enablers or barriers to the family meal, depending on the context they were experienced. Barriers and enablers were largely consistent across time. Scheduling and flexibility, children's disruptions and children's independence, privileges required to have family meals and motivation and commitment to the family meal were identified as persistent enablers and barriers across time. These findings indicate that parents are faced with similar challenges they have been facing for decades and are still not being adequately supported to execute family meals regularly. Recognising that factors present as either barriers or enablers to the family meal provides us with opportunities to transform barriers to enablers and support families to have regular, meaningful family meals.


Alzheimer's amyloid-β A2T variant and its N-terminal peptides inhibit amyloid-β fibrillization and rescue the induced cytotoxicity.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common dementia affecting tens of million people worldwide. The primary neuropathological hallmark in AD is amyloid plaques composed of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ). Several familial mutations found in Aβ sequence result in early onset of AD. Previous studies showed that the mutations located at N-terminus of Aβ, such as the English (H6R) and Tottori (D7N) mutations, promote fibril formation and increase cytotoxicity. However, A2T mutant located at the very N-terminus of Aβ shows low-prevalence incidence of AD, whereas, another mutant A2V causes early onset of AD. To understand the molecular mechanism of the distinct effect and develop new potential therapeutic strategy, here, we examined the effect of full-length and N-terminal A2V/T variants to wild type (WT) Aβ40 by fibrillization assays and NMR studies. We found that full-length and N-terminal A2V accelerated WT fibrillization and induced large chemical shifts on the N-terminus of WT Aβ, whereas, full-length and N-terminal A2T retarded the fibrillization. We further examined the inhibition effect of various N-terminal fragments (NTFs) of A2T to WT Aβ. The A2T NTFs ranging from residue 1 to residue 7 to 10, but not 1 to 6 or shorter, are capable to retard WT Aβ fibrillization and rescue cytotoxicity. The results suggest that in the presence of full-length or specific N-terminal A2T can retard Aβ aggregation and the A2T NTFs can mitigate its toxicity. Our results provide a novel targeting site for future therapeutic development of AD.


Effect of different dietary energy on collagen accumulation in skeletal muscle of ram lambs.
Tenderness is one of the most appreciated characteristics of meat quality. The objective of this trial was to investigate the effect of different energy diets on collagen deposition and meat tenderness. Twelve one-half Dorper × one-half small thin-tailed sheep crossed ram lambs (20 ± 0.5 kg of BW) were randomly selected and divided into 2 groups in a completely randomized design. Animals were offered identical diets at 100 or 65% of ad libitum intake. Lambs were euthanized when BW in the ad libitum group reached 35 kg, and the semitendinosus (ST) muscle were sampled. The results showed that Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) was significantly increased when lambs were fed an energy-restricted diet ( < 0.05). Masson trichrome stain and hydroxyproline assay demonstrated increased collagen content in ST muscle of feed restriction lambs. Both and mRNA contents were significantly increased when lambs were fed an energy-restricted diet ( < 0.05), whereas no difference for mRNA expression was observed ( > 0.05). Expression of α () was greater in the feed restriction group ( < 0.01), and no differences were observed for both () and () mRNA contents ( > 0.05). In addition, 1, 2, 9, and 13 (, , , and ) did not change with the feed restriction, whereas both 1 and 2 ( and ) were increased. Feed restriction did not alter TGF-β and SMAD protein contents, but phosphor-p38 protein content was elevated. In summary, feed restriction enhanced collagen accumulation in ST muscle, which may negatively affect the lamb tenderness, and was associated with the upregulated p38 signaling pathway.


Prevalence and significance of gastrointestinal helminths and protozoa in South American Camelids in Switzerland.
A cross sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence and significance of endoparasitic infections in South American Camelids (SAC) in Switzerland. Qualitative and quantitative coproscopic examinations were performed in 38 farms during the grazing period. Management practices with possible interference with parasitic infections were analyzed. On the farm level prevalences of endoparasitic infections were: trichostrongyles 87%; Trichuris sp. 74%; Capillaria sp. 68%; Nematodirus battus 63%; Nematodirus sp. 53%; Dicrocoelium dendriticum 34%; Moniezia sp. 8%; Fasciola hepatica 5%; protostrongylids 5%; Eimeria macusaniensis 68%. The level of helminth egg excretion was generally low. The highest values were recorded for trichostrongyles with an average of all investigated farms of 53 eggs per gram of faeces. The mean trichostrongyle egg output was approximately three-fold in SAC on farms that also kept sheep and/or goats, although this difference was not significant (P = 0.11). Clinical trichostrongylidosis was not reported from any of the farms. The low infection level with gastrointestinal nematodes is attributed to the defaecation behaviour of the SAC depositing their faeces focally on small spots on pasture. As a consequence, pasture infectivity is largely restricted to the area adjacent to the dung piles. Dicrocoeliosis is regarded as the most relevant parasitic infection of llamas and alpacas in Switzerland causing severe clinical symptoms and death in untreated animals. Sixteen per cent of the owners regularily treated their herds against dicrocoeliosis using praziquantel at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight orally.


The borazine dimer: the case of a dihydrogen bond competing with a classical hydrogen bond.
Dimers of borazine were studied using matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy and ab initio quantum chemical calculations. Computations were performed at the MP2 and M06-2X levels of theory using the 6-311++G(d,p) and aug-cc-pVDZ basis sets for the various homodimers. At both levels of theory, an aligned stacked structure was found to be the global minimum, which was nearly isoenergetic to a parallel displaced structure. A T-shaped structure, where the N-H of one borazine pointed towards the N of the second borazine, was found to be a local minimum. In addition to these structures, a dihydrogen bonded structure, where the hydrogen attached to the nitrogen of borazine interacted with the hydrogen attached to the boron atom of another borazine, was also indicated. Experimentally, we observed the T-shaped dimer and the dihydrogen bonded dimer. This is one of the rare examples of experimental evidence for a dihydrogen bond, in a system other than in a metal hydride. These results for the borazine dimer were clearly different from the benzene dimer where the parallel displaced structure was found to be the global minimum followed by the T-shaped structure at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level of theory. AIM, EDA and NBO analyses were carried out for all the structures to explore the nature of interactions.


Flaviviruses and flavivirus vaccines.
Several human-pathogenic flaviviruses (including yellow fever, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile and tick-borne encephalitis viruses) have a significant public health impact in different parts of the world and the potential of emerging in previously non-endemic regions. For some viruses, the structure of the most important immunogen, the envelope protein E, has been determined to atomic resolution by X-ray crystallography, and the architecture of virus particles has been resolved by cryo-electron microscopy. Through the combination of structural and immunological investigations, we now have a detailed understanding of the mechanisms of virus neutralization and antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of infectivity at a molecular level. The latter phenomenon has been proposed to play an important role in the immunopathology of severe forms of dengue virus infections (hemorrhagic dengue fever and dengue shock syndrome) and is therefore of special relevance in the context of dengue vaccines. Effective human vaccines are in use for the prophylaxis of yellow fever (live attenuated), Japanese encephalitis (live attenuated and inactivated whole virus), and tick-borne encephalitis (inactivated whole virus). Although dengue is the most important flavivirus with respect to global disease incidence, the development and use of vaccines has been hampered so far by the theoretical risk of vaccine-related adverse events such as immune enhancement of infection and the requirement to induce a long-lasting protective immune response against all four dengue serotypes simultaneously. Currently, several kinds of dengue vaccines are in development, but only one of these candidates (a chimeric dengue-yellow fever live attenuated vaccine) has reached the stage of phase 3 clinical trials.


Distributed Multi-Target Tracking and Data Association in Vision Networks.
Distributed algorithms have recently gained immense popularity. With regards to computer vision applications, distributed multi-target tracking in a camera network is a fundamental problem. The goal is for all cameras to have accurate state estimates for all targets. Distributed estimation algorithms work by exchanging information between sensors that are communication neighbors. Vision-based distributed multi-target state estimation has at least two characteristics that distinguishes it from other applications. First, cameras are directional sensors and often neighboring sensors may not be sensing the same targets, i.e., they are naive with respect to that target. Second, in the presence of clutter and multiple targets, each camera must solve a data association problem. This paper presents an information-weighted, consensus-based, distributed multi-target tracking algorithm referred to as the Multi-target Information Consensus (MTIC) algorithm that is designed to address both the naivety and the data association problems. It converges to the centralized minimum mean square error estimate. The proposed MTIC algorithm and its extensions to non-linear camera models, termed as the Extended MTIC (EMTIC), are robust to false measurements and limited resources like power, bandwidth and the real-time operational requirements. Simulation and experimental analysis are provided to support the theoretical results.


Validation of biocides against duck hepatitis B virus as a surrogate virus for human hepatitis B virus.
The use of a surrogate virus, namely duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV), has been recommended for testing the virucidal activity of chemical biocides against hepatitis B virus. To date, however, this model has not been recognized as a standard test in European countries, as its laboratory use is associated with considerable difficulties. As previous studies have demonstrated, several alternative procedures may improve the validation of DHBV infection in a cell culture system. Using indirect immunofluorescent antigen staining and the light cycler real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, the virucidal activity of peracetic acid (PAA), povidone-iodine (PVP-I) and formaldehyde was tested against DHBV obtained from congenitally infected ducks or prepared from the transfected hepatoma D2 cell line. The results demonstrated that inactivation of DHBV from the D2 cell line was achieved with lower concentrations of the biocides and within shorter exposure time intervals. These lower concentration-exposure time values for DHBV from D2 cells in comparison with DHBV from infected ducks indicated a higher sensitivity of the virus derived from D2 cells. In addition, concentrations of PAA and PVP-I that significantly inactivated DHBV in suspension tests were not able to destroy the viral genome. In conclusion, DHBV from congenitally infected ducks should be used for virucidal testing of chemical biocides against DHBV; DHBV prepared from D2 cells is unsuitable due to its higher sensitivity to biocides. Indirect immunofluorescent staining allows reliable detection of DHBV infectivity, whereas the hepadnavirucidal effect can be evaluated by quantitative PCR.


State of the Art for Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Treatment: Where Are We Now?
The prognosis of metastatic pancreatic cancer remains poor despite the recent progress on modern chemotherapeutic regimens, such as FOLFIRINOX, gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel. A better understanding of the altered signalling pathways and the importance of stroma and the immune environment in pancreatic cancer have led to the development of new clinical trials with promising results. In the present review, a general outline of current first- and second-line therapies is provided. Further, new therapeutic possibilities are reviewed, in particular EGFR and VEGF inhibitors, immunotherapy and PARP inhibitors.


Association of Hemoglobin Concentration and Its Change With Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality.
Anemia is thought to increase mortality risks, but the effects of high hemoglobin concentration on survival are unclear. The effect of change in hemoglobin concentrations on survival in the general population is also unknown. This study aimed to examine the effect of hemoglobin concentrations and their changes on cardiovascular and all-cause mortality risks. We retrospectively analyzed a cohort from the NHIS-HEALS (National Health Insurance Service-National Health Screening Cohort) database, including 170 078 men and 122 116 women without cardiovascular diseases, aged >40 years at baseline, with hemoglobin concentrations available for both first and second health examinations. We assessed 2 independent variables: "One-time" hemoglobin concentrations and changes in hemoglobin from first to second examination. Participants were followed up for a median of 8 years to determine mortality related to myocardial infarction, stroke, all cardiovascular diseases, and all causes. Hemoglobin concentrations showed a U- or J-shaped association with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors. When anemic men achieved normal hemoglobin concentrations, the all-cause mortality risk decreased, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.67 (95% confidence interval, 0.59-0.77), in comparison with those whose anemia persisted. Both increases and decreases of hemoglobin concentration outside the normal range elevated all-cause mortality risk (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.39 [95% confidence interval, 1.28-1.49] and 1.10 [95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.20], respectively), compared with persistent normal hemoglobin concentrations. The trend was similar in women but was less significant. Low or high hemoglobin concentrations were associated with elevated cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Reaching and maintaining hemoglobin concentrations within the normal range correlated with decreased all-cause mortality.


The value of preoperative saphenous venography for graft evaluation in femoral arterial occlusive disease.
We reviewed the results of preoperative bilateral ascending phlebography in 23 patients who had femoral arterial occlusive disease; seven of the 40 successful saphenous venograms showed significant abnormalities. Varicosities, congenital duplications, superficial or deep thrombophlebitis and saphenous vein length were clearly identifiable. Correlation of the radiographic sphenous diameter with the operative measurement was poor. Nevertheless, four of the 21 patients were spared unnecessary surgery because we had determined by preoperative venography a better vein for autograft than the ipsilateral saphenous vein.


The influence of VKORC1 gene polymorphism on warfarin maintenance dosage in pediatric patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Warfarin is the most commonly used oral anticoagulant, however, there are large interindividual variations in dose responses. Genetic polymorphisms in CYP2C9, VKORC1 and CYP4F2 have been shown to play an important role in variations in the warfarin maintenance dose in adults, but their effects in children remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the effect of VKORC1 polymorphism on warfarin dosage in pediatric patients by meta-analysis. Using strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, we searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, CNKI and ChainInfo from 2004 to Mach 17th, 2015. The relationship between warfarin dose and two single nucleotide polymorphisms of the VKORC1 gene (at positions -1639 and 1173) were analyzed using Revman version 5.2.3 software. Eight studies were included in the meta-analysis, involving 610 pediatric patients. Patients that were VKORC1 -1639 GA, AA or A carriers required significantly lower warfarin dosage than GG carriers (the weighted mean difference in warfarin dose ranged from -26% to -50%). Additionally, the age of the patient and indication of warfarin (i.e. Fontan procedure) significantly affected warfarin dosage, but changes in the target international normalized ratio range had no effect. On the other hand, VKORC1 1173 polymorphisms showed no significant effect on warfarin dosage, which differs from adult patients. In conclusion, we found that VKORC1 -1639 gene polymorphisms have a moderate effect on warfarin dosage in pediatric patients, but clinical characteristics such as age and indication of warfarin also play an important role.


[Patent foramen ovale as the cause of recurrent embolic strokes. Case report].
А clinical case of a young patient with recurrent ischemic strokes is presented. The problems of diagnostic embolic strokes are discussed. We set out the algorithm for identifying patients, in whom patent foramen ovale is the most probable cause of embolic stroke. Detailed consideration of imaging diagnostic methods possibility is included. Hypothesis of probable source of cardioembolism from patent foramen ovale is presented. Recommendations for the secondary prevention of recurrent ischemic stroke, associated with patent foramen ovale, are provided. We also considered the issues of antithrombotic treatment.


Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of the bilateral pedicle cement anchoring technique in percutaneous vertebroplasty for Kümmell disease.
The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of the bilateral pedicle cement anchoring technique combined with the postural reduction in percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) for Kümmell disease. For this purpose, a retrospective study was performed on 18 patients with Kümmell disease who between January 2018 and June 2021 underwent bilateral pedicle cement anchoring combined with postural reduction in PVP. Pre- and post-operative bone mineral density, injected cement volume, visual analogue scale (VAS) values, Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores, Cobb angle measurements and anterior vertebral height (AVH) were recorded and assessed. The mean follow-up duration was 8.4±1.2 months. The average VAS score decreased from 8.17±0.71 pre-operatively to 1.56±0.62 post-operatively and remained at 2.00±0.91 at the final follow-up visit (P<0.05). The average ODI improved from 86.44±5.5 pre-operatively to 24.33±7.82 post-operatively. Until the last follow-up, the ODI remained at 27.11±8.76 (P<0.05). Similarly, the changes in the Cobb angle and AVH before and after surgery were also statistically significant in the radiological evaluation (P<0.05). During the follow-up, two patients experienced adjacent vertebral fractures. The loosening of cement was not found. Overall, the present study demonstrated that during the treatment of Kümmell disease with PVP, the bilateral pedicle cement anchoring technique combined with postural reduction can achieve good clinical outcomes.


Life-cycle assessment (EASEWASTE) of two municipal solid waste incineration technologies in China.
The environmental profile of two municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) technologies with semi-dry flue gas cleaning, namely grated firing incinerators (GFI) and fluidised bed incinerators (FBI) that are commonly used in China were evaluated and compared by life-cycle assessment (LCA) using the EASEWASTE model. All emissions of key pollutants as well as energy, resource and material inputs and outputs associated with the two MSWI technologies were determined and the corresponding environmental impact potentials were modelled. Incineration of MSW with a lower heating value (LHV) around 4.5 MJ kg(-1) demands that auxiliary fuel is used, and both GFI and FBI caused environmental loads by contributing with environmental impact potentials in most categories except for some saving in global warming (GW100) and hazardous waste (HW). Coal combustion in FBI is a main contributor to the environmental impact potentials and thus should always be limited to a minimum. Auxiliary fuels can be avoided when the LHV of MSW is higher than 5-6 MJ kg(- 1). For all scenarios, GFI saves more global warming potentials than FBI due to its higher net power generation from combustion of MSW itself. Leachate from the bunker could be sprayed into the furnace for evaporation under high temperature, as an alternative to waste-water treatment, without major changes in the environmental profile of the incinerator. The presented evaluations may contribute to a more balanced environmental assessment of the two incineration technologies with respect to incineration of MSW with low heating values as often found in Asia and China.


Temperature and heater responses during transition between radiant and incubator thermal environment in newborn preterm lambs.
Although both incubators and radiant warmer beds can provide thermal support to infants in the neonatal intensive care unit, the transition between devices can be a stressful event. The goal of this study was to evaluate a new device that combines these methods of warming and converts between them without requiring physical movement of the infant. Twin preterm lambs received thermal support from a radiant warmer bed and an incubator (control), or from the Versalet 7700 Care Center (treatment) in the warmer and incubator configurations. Temperature of each lamb, as well as device heater power, were monitored every 2 min before, during, and after the transition. Physiological parameters were monitored every 15 min. There was a significant difference in response time between closed-open and open-closed conditions for both groups. More adverse events occurred in the control group during transfers. There were no differences in temperatures or physiological variables during transitions in either group. These data suggest the Versalet provides similar thermal stability to traditional devices, with fewer adverse events associated with the lack of physical movement between warming configurations. The impact of this device on the care of the preterm neonate will be evaluated in a clinical trial.


Materials Genomics Screens for Adaptive Ion Transport Behavior by Redox-Switchable Microporous Polymer Membranes in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.
Selective ion transport across membranes is critical to the performance of many electrochemical energy storage devices. While design strategies enabling ion-selective transport are well-established, enhancements in membrane selectivity are made at the expense of ionic conductivity. To design membranes with both high selectivity and high ionic conductivity, there are cues to follow from biological systems, where regulated transport of ions across membranes is achieved by transmembrane proteins. The transport functions of these proteins are sensitive to their environment: physical or chemical perturbations to that environment are met with an adaptive response. Here we advance an analogous strategy for achieving adaptive ion transport in microporous polymer membranes. Along the polymer backbone are placed redox-active switches that are activated in situ, at a prescribed electrochemical potential, by the device's active materials when they enter the membrane's pore. This transformation has little influence on the membrane's ionic conductivity; however, the active-material blocking ability of the membrane is enhanced. We show that when used in lithium-sulfur batteries, these membranes offer markedly improved capacity, efficiency, and cycle-life by sequestering polysulfides in the cathode. The origins and implications of this behavior are explored in detail and point to new opportunities for responsive membranes in battery technology development.


Leucine-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein in the cerebrospinal fluid is a potential inflammatory biomarker for meningitis.
Leucine-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein (LRG) is a novel biomarker for inflammatory diseases. We evaluated the levels of LRG, interleukin (IL)-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of children with meningitis. CSF samples from 10 patients with bacterial meningitis (BM) and 10 with aseptic meningitis (AM) were evaluated. Samples from 10 patients with febrile status (FS) were used as controls. LRG levels were measured using a two-site enzyme immunoassay. IL-6 and TNF-α levels were measured using a multiplex bead-based assay. CSF examination of patients with BM at the convalescent stage was also conducted. LRG and TNF-α levels in patients with BM, and IL-6 levels in patients with BM and AM showed significant increase compared with those in FS. Patients with BM at the convalescent stage showed significantly diminished LRG and IL-6 levels. LRG and IL-6 levels in CSF were indicated to be effective predictors for BM (LRG, AUC = 0.91; IL-6, AUC = 0.85). Only LRG levels showed a significant difference between patients with BM and AM (AUC = 0.78, P = 0.034). LRG level could be a sensitive inflammatory biomarker for inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system, comparable with IL-6 level.


[The no. 210/92 law: an analysis of the applications for damages caused by vaccine's administrations and transfusions].
Practices related to vaccines and transfusions aren't free of risk as regards complications and undesired effects. The no. 210/92 law lays down payments to people who are damaged in consequence of the administration of obligatory vaccines, transfusions and haemoderivatives. Our study valued law's sticking, analysing applications for payment sent in by damaged people to some ASL of Lazio and Abruzzo, in the period 1992-2000.


Space debris removal by ground-based lasers: main conclusions of the European project CLEANSPACE.
Studies show that the number of debris in low Earth orbit is exponentially growing despite future debris release mitigation measures considered. Specifically, the already existing population of small and medium debris (between 1 cm and several dozens of cm) is today a concrete threat to operational satellites. A ground-based laser solution which can remove, at low expense and in a nondestructive way, hazardous debris around selected space assets appears as a highly promising answer. This solution is studied within the framework of the CLEANSPACE project which is part of the FP7 space program. The overall CLEANSPACE objective is: to propose an efficient and affordable global system architecture, to tackle safety regulation aspects, political implications and future collaborations, to develop affordable technological bricks, and to establish a roadmap for the development and the future implantation of a fully functional laser protection system. This paper will present the main conclusions of the CLEANSPACE project.


Reduction of prostaglandin D2 to 9 alpha,11 beta-prostaglandin F2 by a human liver 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid/dihydrodiol dehydrogenase isozyme.
Prostaglandin (PG) specificity of two 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid/dihydrodiol dehydrogenase isozymes, DD2 and DD4, of human liver was examined. DD2 exhibited NADPH-linked reductase activity for 9-,11- and 15-ketoprostaglandins at a pH optimum of 6.0, whereas DD4 reduced only 15-ketoprostaglandin F2 alpha. DD2 showed the highest Vmax/Km value for PGD2 of the PG substrates, and the reduced product of PGD2 was identified to 9 alpha,11 beta-PGF2 by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In the reverse reaction with NADP+ as a cofactor, the two enzymes slowly oxidized several PGs with 9-, 11- and/or 15-hydroxy groups, except that DD2 showed high activity for 9 alpha,11 beta-PGF2 at a pH optimum of 10.0. The Km and Vmax values of DD2 for PGD2 were 57 microM and 250 nmol/min per mg, respectively, at pH 7.0 and 37 degrees C, and the respective values for 9 alpha,11 beta-PGF2 were 72 microM and 10 nmol/min per mg. PGD2 11-ketoreductase activity in human liver cytosol was recovered in 30-75% saturated ammonium sulfate fraction. More than 77% of the PGD2 11-ketoreductase activity in the ammonium sulfate fraction was immunoprecipitated by antibodies against DD2, and inhibited by known inhibitors of the enzyme. These results suggest that DD2 is a major soluble PGD2 11-ketoreductase species in human liver.


[ROBOT-ASSISTED RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY FOR MEN AGE 75 AND OLDER].
(Objectives) Surgical treatment prostate cancer in elderly patients is controversial. However, robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) is a less invasive procedure than conventional surgery. Therefore, we perform RARP for elderly patients whose general condition is good (Performance status ≤1). The aim of this study is to evaluate surgical, oncological and functional outcomes for RARP in men age 75 and older. (Patients and methods) From July 2013 to April 2016, 300 patients underwent RARP at our institution. They were divided into two groups: an older patient group (≥75 years) and a younger patient group (<75 years). Treatment outcomes for each group, including surgical, oncological and functional outcomes, were compared. (Results) There were no statistically significant differences in surgical outcomes with the exception of nerve sparing rates (older patients: 5.9% vs. younger patients: 17.7%, P=0.0192). Importantly, intra- and postoperative complication rates were similar in both groups (minor complication: 7.4% vs. 3.9%, P=0.322, major complication: 0.0% vs. 2.2%, P=0.592). Regarding oncological outcomes, including positive surgical margin rate and PSA failure (PSA>0.2 ng/ml) at 12 months after surgery, no significant differences existed. Lastly, functional outcomes between the groups, including continence (≤1 pads/day) at 12 months after surgery, had no significant differences. (Conclusions) Our data suggests that RARP can be performed safely for men age 75 and older, and can become a good option for older patients with prostate cancer.


Changes in natural killer activities in experimental secondary amyloidosis.
Natural killer (NK) cell activity in experimental murine amyloidosis was studied. In CBA/J mice, which show a high incidence of amyloidosis, NK activity was significantly decreased after 1 week of casein treatment. In C3H mice, which show a low incidence of amyloidosis, NK activity was not changed by casein treatment. Pretreatment with lipopolysaccharide in vivo enhanced the NK activities in CBA/J and C3H mice. These increases were not observed after casein treatment. The lowered NK activity of cells from CBA/J mice after casein treatment was restored to the normal range by indomethacine in vitro. Depletion of adherent cells from the spleen cells treated with casein had no effect on NK activity. Single-cell assay showed that casein treatment impaired the killing but not the binding of NK cells to target cells. After casein treatment, the splenic serum amyloid A (SAA) level gradually increased in CBA/J mice but remained low in C3H mice. NK activity was suppressed by the addition of serum obtained from CBA/J mice treated with casein but not by normal control serum. And partially purified AA protein obtained from the spleen of CBA/J mice treated with casein also suppressed NK activity in vitro.


Elimination of deleterious effects of DMBA-induced skin carcinogenesis in mice by Syzygium cumini seed extract.
The inhibition of tumor incidence by hydro-alcoholic extract of S.cumini seed was evaluated in mice on two stage process of skin carcinogenesis induced by single application of 7, 12-dimethyl benz(a)anthracene (100 µg/100µl of acetone), and 2 weeks later promoted by repeated application of croton oil (1% acetone/thrice in a week) till the end of the experiment (i.e. 16 weeks). Oral administration of extract at a dose of 250mg/kg b.wt./day at the peri-initiational stage (i.e. 7 days before and 7 days after DMBA application), promotional stage (i.e. from the time of croton oil application) and at both the stages (i.e. 7 days prior to DMBA application & continued till the end of experiment) to the mice, recorded a significant reduction in tumor incidence to 37.5, 50 & 25% respectively in comparison to the carcinogen treated control, where tumor incidence was found as 100%. Tumor yield and Tumor burden were also significantly reduced by SCE. Similarly, the cumulative number of papillomas after 16 weeks was 68 in the control group, which was reduced to 15, 21 & 8 in the animals treated with the SCE continuously at peri-, post- and peri- & post- initiation stage respectively. A significant impairment was noticed in the levels of reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase & protein and enhancement in LPO in liver and skin of carcinogen treated control mice as compared with vehicle treated mice. All such parameters were returned to near normal value by administration of SCE to DMBA treated mice. These results suggest a possible chemopreventive property of S.cumini against DMBA induced skin carcinogenesis in mice.


Central and peripheral cardiovascular adaptations to exercise in endurance-trained children.
Stroke volume (SV) response to exercise depends on changes in cardiac filling, intrinsic myocardial contractility and left ventricular afterload. The aim of the present study was to identify whether these variables are influenced by endurance training in pre-pubertal children during a maximal cycle test. SV, cardiac output (Doppler echocardiography), left ventricular dimensions (time-movement echocardiography) as well as arterial pressure and systemic vascular resistances were assessed in 10 child cyclists (VO2max: 58.5 +/- 4.4 mL min-1 kg-1) and 13 untrained children (UTC) (VO2max: 45.9 +/- 6.7 mL min-1 kg-1). All variables were measured at the end of the resting period, during the final minute of each workload and during the last minute of the progressive maximal aerobic test. At rest and during exercise, stroke index was significantly higher in the child cyclists than in UTC. However, the SV patterns were strictly similar for both groups. Moreover, the patterns of diastolic and systolic left ventricular dimensions, and the pattern of systemic vascular resistance of the child cyclists mimicked those of the UTC. SV patterns, as well as their underlying mechanisms, were not altered by endurance training in children. This result implied that the higher maximal SV obtained in child cyclists depended on factors influencing resting SV, such as cardiac hypertrophy, augmented myocardium relaxation properties or expanded blood volume.


Lactoferrin inhibits the proliferation of IMR‑32 neuroblastoma cells even under X‑rays.
Neuroblastoma is a typical solid tumor common in childhood. The present study investigated the inhibitory effects of lactoferrin on the proliferation of IMR-32 neuroblastoma cells, including under X-ray irradiation. In controlled in vitro assays, it was found that lactoferrin inhibited cell proliferation, accompanied by cell membrane disruption. Furthermore, intracellular reactive oxygen species generation increased in IMR-32 cells treated with lactoferrin, causing membrane lipid peroxidation and the leakage of lactate dehydrogenase. The IC50 values for cell proliferation were ~2.0 nM for doxorubicin, 2.7 mM for dibutyryl-cAMP and 45.9 µM for lactoferrin. X-ray irradiation at 1 Gy decreased cell proliferation to ~30%, which was not restored by lactoferrin. In the Fenton reaction system with iron chloride, lactoferrin increased hydroxyl radical (OH·) formation via H2O2, as confirmed by electron spin resonance spectra. On the whole, the findings of the present study indicate that lactoferrin, found abundantly in milk, may help prevent or treat neuroblastoma in infants with modest efficacy, and does not exert a protective effect against X-rays.


[Experimental study of the ability of different strains of vaccinia virus to induce autoantibody formation].
The intensity of autoantibody production to red blood cell lysate in guinea pigs inoculated with smallpox vaccine prepared from different strains was studied at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after vaccine inoculation. The dynamics of autoantibody production in the same animals as well as the influence of altered responsiveness of the animals pre-treated with dyphtheria toxin on the intensity of autoantibody production were determined. The autoantibody-inducing activity correlated with reactogenicity of the strains and was most marked in the white cloned variant of the Tashkent strain, slightly lower in the L-IVP strain being intermediate in this criterion and insignificant in poorly reactogenic EM-63 and B-51 strains. In the animals with altered responsiveness the autoimmune responses were increased. The results of this study were tested statistically.


Pulmonary leiomyosarcoma.
A case of pulmonary leiomyosarcoma presenting as a mass lesion on skiagram chest with low attenuation value on computerized scan is presented.


Breast-feeding and infant feeding practices in selected rural and semi-urban communities in Kemaman, Terengganu.
A survey was carried out in the district of Kemaman, Terengganu, Malaysia to study infant feeding practices in rural and semi-urban communities. A total of 593 mothers were interviewed and their socio-demographic information recorded. Data on infant feeding practices were collected from mothers who had children up to 15 months of age. Among breast-feeding mothers (n =157), 42.0 % fed their babies for less than 3 months and 58.0% bottle fed for more than 6 months. Sixteen children were found to be fed on sweetened condensed milk with 62.5% of them for the first 3 months. Among those who breast fed their babies, 40.1% were found to have bottle fed at one time or another. The majority of breast feeding mothers belonged to the groups having incomplete primary schooling or completed primary education only and household income below RM600 per month. A substantial number of breast fed babies were given weaning foods in the form of porridge mixture (rice + egg, rice + vegetables, rice + meat, rice+ fish and cereals) between the age of 0 - 3 months. The findings of this study concluded that although breast-feeding is widely practiced, however, their duration has dwindled, and early introduction of solid foods is widespread.


Clinical and Radiological Presentations and Management of Blunt Splenic Trauma: A Single Tertiary Hospital Experience.
BACKGROUND Splenic injury is the leading cause of major bleeding after blunt abdominal trauma. We examined the clinical and radiological presentations, management, and outcome of blunt splenic injuries (BSI) in our institution. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective study of BSI patients between 2011 and 2014 was conducted. We analyzed and compared management and outcome of different splenic injury grades in trauma patients. RESULTS A total of 191 BSI patients were identified with a mean (SD) age of 26.9 years (13.1); 164 (85.9%) were males. Traffic-related accident was the main mechanism of injury. Splenic contusion and hematoma (77.2%) was the most frequent finding on initial computerized tomography (CT) scans, followed by shattered spleen (11.1%), blush (11.1%), and devascularization (0.6%). Repeated CT scan revealed 3 patients with pseudoaneurysm who underwent angioembolization. Nearly a quarter of patients were managed surgically. Non-operative management failed in 1 patient who underwent splenectomy. Patients with grade V injury presented with higher mean ISS and abdominal AIS, required frequent blood transfusion, and were more likely to be FAST-positive (p=0.001). The majority of low-grade (I-III) splenic injuries were treated conservatively, while patients with high-grade (IV and V) BSI frequently required splenectomy (p=0.001). Adults were more likely to have grade I, II, and V BSI, blood transfusion, and prolonged ICU stay as compared to pediatric BSI patients. The overall mortality rate was 7.9%, which is mainly association with traumatic brain injury and hemorrhagic shock; half of the deaths occurred within the first day after injury. CONCLUSIONS Most BSI patients had grade I-III injuries that were successfully treated non-operatively, with a low failure rate. The severity of injury and presence of associated lesions should be carefully considered in developing the management plan. Thorough clinical assessment and CT scan evaluation are crucial for appropriate management of BSI.


The medical educator teaching portfolio: its compilation and potential utility.
A revolution in thinking and redefinition of traditional scholarship by prioritising teaching skills and achievements has led to the birth of the Teaching Portfolio, designed to carry a comprehensive and dynamic record of the teaching activities of the faculty. A teaching portfolio documents the faculty's teaching scholarship and effectiveness. It is a record of selected information on one's teaching achievements, skills and strategies and dynamically represents the faculty's growth, progress and teaching record. The author suggests a template for the Teaching Portfolio of a Medical Educator, which consists of four parts: (1) evaluation, (2) personal professional development, (3) learning processes and (4) an appendix.


The leucokinin-like peptide receptor from the cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, is localized in the midgut periphery and receptor silencing with validated double-stranded RNAs causes a reproductive fitness cost.
The cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus microplus (Canestrini) (Acari: Ixodidae), is a one-host tick that infests primarily cattle in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. This species transmits deadly cattle pathogens, especially Babesia spp., for which a recombinant vaccine is not available. Therefore, disease control depends on tick vector control. Although R. microplus was eradicated in the USA, tick populations in Mexico and South America have acquired resistance to many of the applied acaricides. Recent acaricide-resistant tick reintroductions detected in the U.S. underscore the need for novel tick control methods. The octopamine and tyramine/octopamine receptors, both G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR), are believed to be the main molecular targets of the acaricide amitraz. This provides the proof of principle that investigating tick GPCRs, especially those that are invertebrate-specific, may be a feasible strategy for discovering novel targets and subsequently new anti-tick compounds. The R. microplus leucokinin-like peptide receptor (LKR), also known as the myokinin- or kinin receptor, is such a GPCR. While the receptor was previously characterized in vitro, the function of the leucokinin signaling system in ticks remains unknown. In this work, the LKR was immunolocalized to the periphery of the female midgut and silenced through RNA interference (RNAi) in females. To optimize RNAi experiments, a dual-luciferase system was developed to determine the silencing efficiency of LKR-double stranded RNA (dsRNA) constructs prior to testing those in ticks placed on cattle. This assay identified two effective dsRNAs. Silencing of the LKR with these two validated dsRNA constructs was verified by quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) of female tick dissected tissues. Silencing was significant in midguts and carcasses. Silencing caused decreases in weights of egg masses and in the percentages of eggs hatched per egg mass, as well as delays in time to oviposition and egg hatching. A role of the kinin receptor in tick reproduction is apparent.


Participatory visual methods for American Indian communities and mental health conversations.
Visual methods serve a unique purpose in that they help generate data that uncover experiences, knowledge, and contextual factors that lead to a greater shared understanding about a topic. We describe the process and results of one American Indian community-based organization's success using visual methods to prompt community conversations about mental health and substance abuse. We uncovered community members' mental health perspectives and experiences through visual vignettes. Our hope is that other communities and funding agencies see the value and promise of visual methods as a valid approach that promotes shared dialogue, decision making, and conversations for future generations.


Pharmacogenomics of cetuximab in metastatic colorectal carcinoma.
Cetuximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody that has revolutionized the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Knowledge of the mechanisms that underlie its effectiveness, as well as the primary and secondary resistance mechanisms, have led to important developments in the understanding of cetuximab biology. In light of knowledge gained from recent trials, the efficacy of cetuximab has been clearly demonstrated to depend upon RAS mutational status, moreover cetuximab should only be used in a subset of patients who may benefit. In this article, we critically review clinical and pharmacogenetic issues of cetuximab, focusing on the cost-effectiveness involved with the use of the drug.


A deterministic alternative to the full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo method.
Development of exponentially scaling methods has seen great progress in tackling larger systems than previously thought possible. One such technique, full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo, is a useful algorithm that allows exact diagonalization through stochastically sampling determinants. The method derives its utility from the information in the matrix elements of the Hamiltonian, along with a stochastic projected wave function, to find the important parts of Hilbert space. However, the stochastic representation of the wave function is not required to search Hilbert space efficiently, and here we describe a highly efficient deterministic method that can achieve chemical accuracy for a wide range of systems, including the difficult Cr2 molecule. We demonstrate for systems like Cr2 that such calculations can be performed in just a few cpu hours which makes it one of the most efficient and accurate methods that can attain chemical accuracy for strongly correlated systems. In addition our method also allows efficient calculation of excited state energies, which we illustrate with benchmark results for the excited states of C2.


Abnormalities in glutamate metabolism and excitotoxicity in the retinal diseases.
In the physiological condition, glutamate acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter in the retina. However, excessive glutamate can be toxic to retinal neurons by overstimulation of the glutamate receptors. Glutamate excess is primarily attributed to perturbation in the homeostasis of the glutamate metabolism. Major pathway of glutamate metabolism consists of glutamate uptake by glutamate transporters followed by enzymatic conversion of glutamate to nontoxic glutamine by glutamine synthetase. Glutamate metabolism requires energy supply, and the energy loss inhibits the functions of both glutamate transporters and glutamine synthetase. In this review, we describe the present knowledge concerning the retinal glutamate metabolism under the physiological and pathological conditions.


Self-assembled networks highly responsive to hydrocarbons.
Rheological studies were performed with aqueous salt solutions of anionic surfactant potassium oleate and its mixtures with hydrophobically modified polyacrylamide. Semidilute solutions of the surfactant in the presence of salt (KCl) demonstrate viscoelastic properties due to the formation of a transient network of entangled wormlike micelles. These systems are highly responsive to hydrocarbons: the addition of n-heptane or n-dodecane reduces the viscosity of solutions by up to 4 to 5 orders of magnitude, thus inducing the transition of a gellike system to a fluid one. It is the transformation of cylindrical surfactant micelles into spherical ones upon absorption of hydrocarbon that disrupts the network. The addition of a small amount (0.5 wt %) of associating polymer leads to up to a 5000-fold increase in the zero-shear viscosity and enhances the susceptibility to hydrocarbons. SANS data show that independently of the presence of polymer the radius of wormlike micelles is roughly equal to the length of a surfactant molecule, whereas the radius of spheres formed upon the absorption of hydrocarbon is 2-2.5-fold higher. A possible structure of the spherical micelles is discussed.


A nuclear-encoded sigma factor, Arabidopsis SIG6, recognizes sigma-70 type chloroplast promoters and regulates early chloroplast development in cotyledons.
Eubacterial-type multi-subunit plastid RNA polymerase (PEP) is responsible for the principal transcription activity in chloroplasts. PEP is composed of plastid-encoded core subunits and one of multiple nuclear-encoded sigma factors that confer promoter specificity on PEP. Thus, the replacement of sigma factors associated with PEP has been assumed to be a major mechanism for the switching of transcription patterns during chloroplast development. The null mutant (sig6-1) of plastid sigma factor gene AtSIG6 exhibited a cotyledon-specific pale green phenotype. Light-dependent chloroplast development was significantly delayed in the sig6-1 mutant. Genetic complementation of the mutant phenotype by the AtSIG6 cDNA demonstrated that AtSIG6 plays a key role in light-dependent chloroplast development. Northern and array-based global analyses for plastid transcripts revealed that the transcript levels of most PEP-dependent genes were greatly reduced in the sig6-1 mutant, but that the accumulation of nuclear-encoded RNA polymerase (NEP)-dependent transcripts generally increased. As the PEP alpha subunit and PEP-dependent trnV accumulated at normal levels in the sig6-1 mutant, the AtSIG6 knockout mutant probably retained functional PEP, and the transcriptional defects are likely to have been directly caused by AtSIG6 deficiency. Most of the AtSIG6-dependent genes are preceded by sigma70-type promoters comprised of conserved -35/-10 elements. Thus, AtSIG6 may act as a major general sigma factor in chloroplasts during early plant development. On the other hand, the mutant phenotype was restored in older seedlings. Arabidopsis probably contains another late general sigma factor, the promoter specificity of which widely overlaps with that of AtSIG6.


Spectral CT in evaluating the therapeutic effect of transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma: A retrospective study.
This study aimed to investigate the value of computed tomographic (CT) spectral imaging in evaluating the effect of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE).The records of 67 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who had undergone dynamic spectral CT before treatment were selected for the study. Iodine concentrations pretreatment in liver parenchyma, the HCC lesion(s), portal vein, and aorta were measured from the decomposition images. The normalized iodine concentrations (NIC) were calculated. All of them underwent plain scan or contrast-enhanced CT post-treatment (approximately 4-6 weeks after TACE).The values of arterial phase normalized iodine concentrations (AP NIC) before TACE correlated with the grades of lipiodol deposition in tumors (r = 0.76, P < .001). However, there was no relationship between normalized iodine concentrations in the portal venous phase (PVP NIC) before TACE and the grade of lipiodol deposition (r = 0.17, P = .17). Values of AP NIC in residual tumors pre-TACE were significantly lower than those in partial lesions with deposition of iodized oil. The threshold AP NIC of 0.18 yielded an AUC of 0.895, 83.33% sensitivity, 81.03% specificity, 83.33% positive predictive value (PPV), and 82.76% negative predictive value, respectively. The survival probability in patients with AP NIC values pre-TACE ≥ 0.18 was higher than those whose AP NIC values pre-TACE were < 0.18 (P = .028).Spectral CT with quantitative analysis of AP NIC may help to evaluate the utility and predict the therapeutic effect of TACE. Values of AP NIC had high sensitivity and specificity for differentiating partial tumors with lipiodol deposition from those without lipiodol deposition.


A direct assessment of the role of state and trait negative emotion in aggressive behavior.
Affective priming of aggression was examined in groups low and high in trait negative emotionality (NEM) using a Buss aggression paradigm. Negative affect was induced by exposure to aversive air blasts during some intervals (threat) and not others (safe). Phasic negative affect was assessed using startle reflex potentiation, and tonic distress was indexed by startle sensitization. Participants delivered shocks faster during threat versus safe intervals, indicating that phasic distress primed aggression. Following initial exposure to air blasts, high NEM participants showed enhanced tonic distress and delivered persistently more intense shocks than low NEM participants. These findings indicate that sustained negative affect biases high stress-reactive individuals toward more intense acts of aggression, with phasic distress affecting the rapidity of aggressive response.