[The distribution of intestinal parasites among children in Denizli].
Intestinal parasitic disease appears to be an important national health problem in our country. Parasitic infection distribution is related to the socioeconomic status and environmental factors. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of intestinal parasites among children in the 1-15 age group in the Denizli province. Parasitic infection was observed in 256 (10.2%) out of 2518 children. The highest rate of 31.4% was that of Giardia intestinalis. The rates of Enterobius vermicularis and Blastocystis hominis were found to be 29.6% and 14% respectively.


Stroke in the young in Israel. Incidence and outcomes.
Data on stroke in the young in Israel are fragmentary. To obtain an overall perspective and to assess the nature and magnitude of the problem, a study was conducted on stroke occurrence in the young population during 1 year. Incidence and outcomes are reported in this communication. We conducted a prospective ascertainment of first stroke in all permanent residents of Israel aged 17 to 49 years who were referred to all acute-care hospitals in the country or died before reaching them. We identified 253 first stroke victims in the studied population; 62.8% were male. The age- and sex-adjusted incidence rate for all types of stroke was 10.36/100 000 per year (males, 13.00; females, 7.71). The majority of strokes (80.6%) were cerebral infarctions, with 9.9% intracerebral hemorrhages, 7.9% subarachnoid hemorrhages, and 1.6% strokes of unspecified type. The case-fatality rate for all types of stroke was 9.9% (mortality within the first 4 weeks after the event, on average 6 days). The survival rate was 95% for cerebral infarctions, 64% for intracerebral hemorrhages, and 80% for subarachnoid hemorrhages; 86.7% of all survivors remained with an impairment resulting in a disability. Incidence rates were similar to those reported from developed Western countries. The case-fatality rate of 9.9% and the considerable percentage of survivors with a disability in a population at the beginning of their family, professional, and social lives indicate the magnitude of the problem.


A Korean boy with atypical X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy confirmed by an unpublished mutation of ABCD1.
X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is a rare peroxisomal disorder, that is rapidly progressive, neurodegenerative, and recessive, and characteristically primary affects the central nervous system white matter and the adrenal cortex. X-ALD is diagnosed basaed on clinical, radiological, and serological parameters, including elevated plasma levels of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFA), such as C24:0 and C26:0, and high C24:0/C22:0 and C26:0/C22:0 ratios. These tests are complemented with genetic analyses. A 7.5-year-old boy was admitted to Department of Pediatrics, Chungnam National University Hospital with progressive weakness of the bilateral lower extremities. Brain magnetic resonance imaging confirmed clinically suspected ALD. A low dose adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test revealed parital adrenal insufficiency. His fasting plasma levels of VLCFA showed that his C24:0/C22:0 and C26:0/C22:0 ratios were significantly elevated to 1.609 (normal, 0-1.390) and 0.075 (normal, 0-0.023), respectively. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral whole blood samples collected from the patient and his family. All exons of ABCD1 gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific primers. Amplified PCR products were sequenced using the same primer pairs according to the manufacturer's instructions. We identified a missense mutation (p.Arg163Leu) in the ABCD1 gene of the proband caused by the nucleotide change 488G>T in exon 1. His asymptomatic mother carried the same mutation. We have reported an unpublished mutation in the ABCD1 gene in a patient with X-ALD, who showed increased ratio of C24:0/C22:0 and C26:0/C22:0, despite a normal VLCFA concentrations.


Characterization of the Volatile Compounds of Zhenba Bacon at Different Process Stages Using GC-MS and GC-IMS.
Zhenba bacon (ZB), a type of Chinese traditional bacon with a long history, has attracted considerable attention in the Southwest of China for its unique flavor. To elucidate the changing course of aroma components during the process of ZB, four stages of process stages were assessed by GC-MS and GC-IMS coupled with multivariate data analysis. A total of 44 volatile compounds were identified by GC-IMS, including 5 esters, 8 alcohols, 12 aldehydes, 3 ketones, 1 furan and 2 sulfides; 40 volatile compounds were identified by GC-MS, 4 ketones, 7 phenols, 8 alcohols, 6 esters, 6 aldehydes, and 6 other compounds were detected. During the curing period, the amount and content of esters in Zhenba bacon gradually increased. Phenols appear in large quantities during the smoking period. The VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in the gallery plots were the most diverse in YZ samples, which are mainly esters. POV (peroxide value) and TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substance) showed that lipid oxidation played an important role in the formation of volatile flavor components of bacon. This study provides valuable analytical data to explain the flavor formation of Zhenba bacon.


Caregiver-mediated approaches to managing challenging behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder.
A significant proportion of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are referred to mental health centers due to the presence of challenging behaviors. Because challenging behaviors in children and adolescents with ASD often result from underlying social and communication difficulties and comorbid anxiety, traditional caregiver-mediated behavior intervention techniques developed for children with disruptive behavior disorders may need to be adapted for this population. Behavioral interventions that target communication skills, social skills, anxiety, and sensory responsiveness in children with ASD may be needed. Notably, while best practice necessitates the involvement of caregivers in treating children and adolescents with ASD, few randomized control studies have examined the effectiveness of caregiver-implemented interventions in reducing challenging behaviors. This review summarizes the current literature with regard to caregiver-mediated behavioral interventions for children with ASD, and suggests areas for intervention development and research.


Surgical pain attenuates acute morphine tolerance in rats.
Nociceptive stimuli, such as formalin-induced pain and adjuvant-induced arthritis, attenuate tolerance to morphine antinociception. In this study, we have explored the effect of upper and lower abdominal surgical pain on the prevention of acute tolerance to morphine antinociception in Sprague-Dawley rats. Group I received lower abdominal surgery (LAS) and i.v. morphine infusion; group II received LAS and i.v. saline infusion; group III received upper abdominal surgery (UAS) and i.v. morphine infusion; group IV received UAS and i.v. saline infusion; group V received i.v. morphine infusion; and group VI received i.v. saline infusion. The antinociceptive effects of morphine were measured by an infrared thermal tail flick test. We also measured plasma concentrations of morphine in rats receiving morphine infusions with or without surgical treatment. We found that acute tolerance to morphine antinociception developed after 2 h following i.v. infusion of morphine alone. However, both UAS and LAS significantly slowed the rate of development of acute tolerance to morphine. The area under the time-response curves (AUC) of groups I and III were mean 34,556 (SD 5607) and 32,548 (9783), respectively, which were significantly different from that of group V (18,759 (8225)) (P < 0.01). Also, there were no significant differences between groups I and III. There were no significant differences between groups for plasma morphine concentrations during the 8-h study (e.g. groups I, III and V: 179.9 (22.6), 182.7 (14.4) and 170.9 (15.8) ng ml-1 at 8 h, respectively) and we suggest that the appearance of acute morphine tolerance after morphine infusion is not pharmacokinetic in nature.


Agreement of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy Classification in People With Extremity Conditions.
In the McKenzie system of mechanical diagnosis and therapy (MDT), a reliable system for the management of spinal problems, classifications are used to guide management strategies. For the classification of extremity disorders, interexaminer agreement has not been investigated with patients. The study objective was to investigate interexaminer agreement for provisional MDT extremity classification with patients. This was a reliability study with examiner masking. A therapist with an MDT credential observed the assessments made by 2 therapists with MDT diplomas, who successively performed MDT assessments for 33 patients with extremity pain on the same day. Immediately after each evaluation, all 3 therapists assigned the most appropriate MDT classification from 15 categories; they were unaware of each other's selection. The observed agreement and the Cohen kappa were calculated for the MDT classifications. The observed agreement for the 15 MDT categories of classification between the therapist with an MDT credential and the first therapist with an MDT diploma was 78.8%. The Cohen kappa was .72 (95% confidence interval=.54, .89), indicating good agreement. However, the observed agreement between the 2 therapists with MDT diplomas when the patient was assessed separately was 42.4%. The Cohen kappa was .21 (95% confidence interval=.01, .41), indicating poor agreement. Study limitations included convenience sampling of patients, the small number of examiners, and the limited extremity experience of the therapists with MDT diplomas. Interexaminer agreement for provisional MDT extremity classification was good when the examiners were seeing the same patient concurrently but poor when the patient was seen successively. Further studies are needed to establish which factors, including study method, are responsible for the divergent results of the MDT assessments of extremity disorders.


Comparison of Gut Viral Communities in Atopic Dermatitis and Healthy Children.
The immune development and regulation of living individuals are affected by the gut microbiota. The imbalance of gut microbiota is considered to be a key factor that easily induces immune dysregulation and the development of atopic diseases. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects nearly 20% of children. To date, metagenomics research on AD has mainly focused on the skin and gut microbiome. However, here we assessed the composition of the virome in the gut of AD patients and healthy controls for the first time. This study has obtained possible dominant viruses at different viral classification levels. In terms of diversity, the alpha diversity of the patients group was significantly lower than that of the healthy controls group, and the beta diversity of the two groups was significantly different from phylum to family level. These findings provide a new perspective for us to better understand the effect of the gut microecological environment on AD.


Tick factors and in vitro cultivation influence the protein profile, antigenicity and pathogenicity of a cloned Borrelia garinii isolate from Ixodes ricinus hemolymph.
A Borrelia garinii isolate (NE11H) was obtained from the hemolymph of infed Ixodes ricinus. NE11H expressed four major proteins of 33 kDa, 32 kDa, 23 kDa and 22 kDa. During in vitro culture, NE11H successively lost the expression of the 22 kDa and 23 kDa proteins and the NE11H variant (NE11Hp15) was not recognized by an immune serum specific for the OspC protein (anti-OspC IS). However, when reintroduced into tick midguts, NE11Hp15 spirochetes present in the midgut again reacted with anti-OspC IS. A clone derived from the wild type line, cNE11H, lacked the 22 kDa but not the 23 kDa protein. The 23 kDa protein of cNE11H was recognized by anti-OspC IS. In addition, the two descendant lines (NE11Hp15 and cNE11H) lost their capacity to induce clinical arthritis in SCID mice. When cNE11H was reintroduced into ticks and reisolated from various tick organs, most reisolates presented the same reaction with anti-OspC IS as cNE11H. Interestingly, two reisolates obtained from the tick midgut reexpressed large amounts of the 22 kDa protein which was recognized by anti-OspC IS and these two reisolates induced clinical arthritis in SCID mice. The results confirm that proteins of 22/23 kDa are differentially expressed during in vitro subcultures and in ticks, and show that proteins which are not detectable after in vitro culture may be reexpressed after reexposure of B. burgdorferi to its former environment in the tick. The data suggest that the pathogenicity of B. burgdorferi for mice might be influenced by environmental factors via differential expression of 22/23 kDa proteins.


Understanding and managing pandemic-related panic buying.
Pandemics are associated with panic buying (PB) of groceries and other supplies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, community leaders expressed frustration and bewilderment about PB. Psychological explanatory concepts, including those from social learning theory and the concept of the behavioral immune system, along with recent research, suggests the following account of pandemic-related PB. PB arises when people are told to go into self-isolation as part of pandemic containment interventions. Empirically, episodes of PB typically last 7-10 days and are likely initiated by highly fearful people. PB by an anxious minority of shoppers leads to fear contagion among other shoppers, amplified by widespread dissemination, via social media, of images and videos of PB and empty shelves in stores. Thus, a snow-balling effect arises where fear of scarcity creates real but short-term scarcity. People who are highly frightened of infection tend to have heightened disgust proneness. Toilet paper is a means of escaping disgust stimuli, and for this and other reasons, toilet paper became a target of PB for people frightened of contracting COVID-19. Exploitative or selfish over-purchasing also occurred, motivated by "dark" (e.g., psychopathic) personality traits. "Don't panic!" messages from community leaders were ineffective or counter-productive. Alternative forms of messaging are discussed.


Foreign body aspiration in children: the effects of delayed diagnosis.
Foreign body aspiration is common in children, but there are no clinical clues that can determine or rule out the diagnosis before entering the operating room for bronchoscopy. The purposes of our study were to define the clinical characteristics of foreign body aspiration in the pediatric population and to evaluate the significance of delay in its diagnosis and treatment. The study used a retrospective review of 136 charts of children up to the age of 16 who underwent bronchoscopy for foreign body removal for 10 years in Ha'Emek Medical Center (Afula, Israel). An adult witness of an aspiration episode (most frequent presenting symptom), a child younger than 2 years, and an abnormal plain chest radiography were found to be significant predictors of foreign body aspiration. Estimated risk for foreign body aspiration was significantly higher in children who were younger than 2 years with an eyewitness for the aspiration episode and abnormal chest radiography (odds ratio, 5.6, with confidence interval from 2.0 to 15.6). The rate of complication was 2-fold higher in patients who arrived at the hospital 2 days or more after the aspiration compared with patients who arrived earlier. The rate of complication was 2-fold higher in patients who underwent bronchoscopy 24 hours or more after arrival at the emergency department compared with patients who underwent bronchoscopy within the first 24 hours. Delayed arrival of a child with a suspected foreign body aspiration at the hospital and delayed bronchoscopy were found to be related to a higher rate of complication.


A bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature on Internet, video games, and cell phone addiction.
The aim of this study was to locate the scientific literature dealing with addiction to the Internet, video games, and cell phones and to characterize the pattern of publications in these areas. One hundred seventy-nine valid articles were retrieved from PubMed and PsycINFO between 1996 and 2005 related to pathological Internet, cell phone, or video game use. The years with the highest numbers of articles published were 2004 (n = 42) and 2005 (n = 40). The most productive countries, in terms of number of articles published, were the United States (n = 52), China (n = 23), the United Kingdom (n = 17), Taiwan (n = 13), and South Korea (n = 9). The most commonly used language was English (65.4%), followed by Chinese (12.8%) and Spanish (4.5%). Articles were published in 96 different journals, of which 22 published 2 or more articles. The journal that published the most articles was Cyberpsychology & Behavior (n = 41). Addiction to the Internet was the most intensely studied (85.3%), followed by addiction to video games (13.6%) and cell phones (2.1%). The number of publications in this area is growing, but it is difficult to conduct precise searches due to a lack of clear terminology. To facilitate retrieval, bibliographic databases should include descriptor terms referring specifically to Internet, video games, and cell phone addiction as well as to more general addictions involving communications and information technologies and other behavioral addictions.


Chemical control of laryngeal vascular resistance in anesthetized dogs.
The branch of the cranial superior thyroid artery that supplies the larynx was perfused unilaterally at a constant flow rate in dogs anesthetized with pentobarbitone sodium (30 mg.kg-1, i.v.). Laryngeal vascular resistance (RLv) was calculated. Intraluminal laryngeal pressure (PL) was determined. Asphyxia caused a diminution in PL (-27.7 +/- 4.2%) (p < 0.01) and an initial decrease followed by an increase in RLv (-10.9 +/- 2.3% and +12.8 + 2.8%) (p < 0.001). Following vagotomy, asphyxia decreased PL (-17.1 +/- 4.2%) and increased RLv (+45.5 +/- 11.0%). Systemic hypoxia induced by breathing 8% O2-N2 increased RLv (+8.4 +/- 1.3%) (p < 0.001) and decreased PL (-24.9 +/- 3.7%) (p < 0.001). In chemodenervated dogs, the response of PL to hypoxia was abolished while that of RLv was similar to that in intact animals. Breathing of 7% CO2 in air caused an increase in RLv (+6.1 +/- 1.6%) (p < 0.001) and a decrease in PL (-20.9 +/- 3.2%) (p < 0.001). Following chemodenervation, hypercapnia still increased RLv (+11.3 +/- 3.2%) (p < 0.01) and diminished PL (-29.9 +/- 2.5%). Bilateral vagotomy reduced the response of PL to hypercapnia (-13.3 +/- 6.9%) (p < 0.05). Local intra-arterial injection of KCN produced an increase in RLv and PL (+7.0 +/- 1.2%, +9.0 +/- 1.0%). After peripheral chemodenervation KCN injection slightly increased PL (+2.0 +/- 0.9%). The response of RLv was almost abolished. In conclusion, laryngeal vasoconstriction in response to systemic hypoxia after chemodenervation is probably mediated by increased sympathetic discharge to the larynx due to hypoxia of the CNS. Laryngeal responses to hypercapnia may be due to the action of central chemoreceptors.


The effects of some halogen-containing compounds on Bacillus subtilis endospores.
Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and sodium dichloroisocyanurate (NaDCC) were more active against Bacillus subtilis 8236 spores in both viability and in germination and outgrowth studies than were polyvinylpyrrolidone-iodine (PVP-I) and Lugol's solution. Of the two chlorine compounds studied NaOCl proved to be the more active. The two iodine-containing compounds gave contrasting results with the Lugol's solution demonstrating increased antibacterial activity with increasing available iodine concentration. The antibacterial behaviour of PVP-I, however, reflected the more complex nature of aqueous iodine-surfactant mixtures. Initially, non-complexed iodine concentration (the active species) increased with increasing total available iodine concentration, resulting in increasing antibacterial activity. However, due to changes in the physical properties of the mixture, a maximum concentration of non-complexed iodine was reached so that a further increase in total available iodine resulted in a decrease in non-complexed iodine concentration and consequently a decrease in the antibacterial activity of the solution was observed. A greater inhibitory effect was observed in subsequent germination and outgrowth studies when spores were pre-treated with respective biocide than when untreated spores were added to germination media containing biocide at t = 0. This may reflect a combination of different contact times plus the neutralizing effect of the germination media on such halogen compounds.


Insecticide-induced inhibition of thyroid activity in the fish Oreochromis mossambicus and recovery in insecticide-free water.
The histological and histochemical state of the thyroid gland of Oreochromis mossambicus was analyzed after 20 days' exposure of the fish to BHC (p less than 0.001 ppm). Histological changes after exposure included acolloidal and atrophied follicles and goitre formation. Follicular and nuclear diameter and the E/T ratio were significantly (p less than 0.001) higher than in the corresponding controls. The above insecticide led to thyroid dysfunction. The histochemical characteristics of the gland also changed after BHC treatment. When exposed fish were transferred to normal, clear, dechlorinated water, the altered follicles displayed remarkable recovery of activity and thyroid function returned to almost the same state as in normal controls. Histological and histochemical evaluation at 10-day intervals revealed healthy functional restitution of the gland, indicating that BHC-induced changes are reversible.


[Epidemiological and genetic study of 3 congenital cardiopathies with neonatal disclosure].
A familial study was undertaken on 382 probands with transposition of the great vessels, 348 with coarctation of the aorta and 143 with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. It allowed to assess in sibs the frequency of identical congenital heart diseases (respectively 0.15, 0.42 and 3.41%) and of all 7.32%). The epidemiological study did not provide further data worth noting. At the origin of the transposition of the great vessels, tetratogenetic factors are added to genetic factors, whose part is of little importance; hypoplastic left heart syndromes are heterogeneous (recessive autosomal transmission, chromosome abnormalities, sporadic cases). Coarctations of the aorta, which are dependent on different mechanisms are also heterogeneous. It is possible that common factors, whether hereditary or not, play a part on one hand in hypoplastic left heart syndromes and coarctations of the aorta, and, on the other hand, in some congenital heart diseases.


In vitro modeling of polyclonal infection dynamics within the human airways by Haemophilus influenzae differential fluorescent labeling.
Genomic diversity of nontypeable H. influenzae strains confers phenotypic heterogeneity. Multiple strains of H. influenzae can be simultaneously isolated from clinical specimens, but we lack detailed information about polyclonal infection dynamics by this pathogen. A long-term barrier to our understanding of this host-pathogen interplay is the lack of genetic tools for strain engineering and differential labeling. Here, we present a novel plasmid toolkit named pTBH (toolbox for Haemophilus), with standardized modules for fluorescent or bioluminescent labeling, adapted to H. influenzae requirements but designed to be versatile so it can be utilized in other bacterial species. We present detailed experimental and quantitative image analysis methods, together with proof-of-principle examples, and show the ample possibilities of 3D microscopy, combined with quantitative image analysis, to model H. influenzae polyclonal infection lifestyles and unravel the co-habitation and co-infection dynamics of this respiratory pathogen.


Pulmonary artery pressures and outcomes after MitraClip.
We evaluated the impact of MitraClip on systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) and the effects of baseline sPAP on outcomes. In a cohort of patients who underwent MitraClip implantation, three groups were defined according to pre-procedure sPAP levels. Clinical and echocardiographic data were compared. The study included 177 patients: 59 had severe pulmonary hypertension (PHT), 96 had mild to moderate PHT, and 22 had no PHT. In patients with pre-existing severe PHT, sPAP was reduced from 70.8 ± 9.2 to 56.8 ± 13.7 mmHg (P < 0.001), sPAP remained unchanged in patients with mild to moderate PHT but was significantly increased from 30.8 ± 4.3 to 38.6 ± 8.3 mmHg in the no-PHT group (P < 0.001). Improvement of sPAP was observed in 77% of severe PHT group, while worsening of sPAP was more common among patients with no-PHT [57% compared with 33% among the mild to moderate PHT and 7% in the severe PHT group, respectively, (P < 0.001)]. One year survival was similar among the study groups. MitraClip decreases PHT among patients with severe PHT. A concerning finding is that most patients with no-PHT increase their sPAP.


Diminished CD4+ T cell surface CCR5 expression in alcoholic patients.
The C-C chemokine receptors, particularly the CCR5, appeared to play an important role in T cell-mediated inflammatory reactions. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of chronic alcohol consumption on the in vivo CCR5 expression. Fourteen alcoholic men hospitalized for a detoxification programme were prospectively included and compared with 49 age-matched controls. The CD4(+) T cell surface CCR5 densities were drastically lower in alcoholic patients [mean, 5319 molecules/cell; 95% confidence interval (CI) 4477-6162] as compared with CCR5 densities of the controls (10 944 molecules/cell [CI 9929-11959]; P < 10(-4)). Chronic alcohol consumption is associated with a significant decrease of CCR5 expression, which could favour Th1/Th2 imbalance.


Effectiveness of acidified sodium chlorite and other sanitizers to control Escherichia coli O157:H7 on tomato surfaces.
The use of a suitable sanitizer can reduce the risk of produce-related foodborne illnesses. We evaluated the effectiveness of several sanitizers to reduce inoculated Escherichia coli O157:H7 on the surface of cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiform). Depending on the method of inoculation (dipping/spotting), each of 80 g (eight tomatoes) of inoculated cherry tomatoes was washed in 400 mL of sanitizer solutions or 400 mL distilled water for 5 minutes. The effectiveness of sanitizers on spot-inoculated E. coli O157:H7 on tomato surfaces was found higher than on dip-inoculated tomatoes. Washing with water or chlorine water (0.1 g/L as free chlorine) could reduce 1.3 log CFU/g of E. coli O157:H7 in dip-inoculated (6.8 log CFU/g) tomatoes. Washing with lactic acid (LA) solution (1.0 g/L), phytic acid solution (1.0 g/L), calcinated seashells (oyster/sakhalin surf clam), and 1.0 g/L chitosan in 0.5 g/L LA (Chito) did not exhibit a significant higher effectiveness than that of water wash alone (1.0 log CFU/g). Acidified sodium chlorite (ASC) solution prepared from 0.5 g/L of sodium chlorite and 1.0 g/L LA or phytic acid reduced 3.5 log CFU/g of E. coli O157:H7 in dip-inoculated tomato surfaces. ASC (0.5 g/L of sodium chlorite and 1.0 g/L of LA) wash followed by a second wash with LA exhibited an additional sanitary effectiveness compared to a single wash with ASC. However, washing with ASC followed by a second wash with Chito exhibited an additional 1.0 log CFU/g reduction compared to a secondary wash with water. No significant difference of color, taste, and texture was observed among the washed cherry tomatoes.


Anion exchange resins as a source of nitrosamines and nitrosamine precursors.
Anion exchange resins are important tools for the removal of harmful anionic contaminants from drinking water, but their use has been linked to the presence of carcinogenic nitrosamines in treated drinking water. In bench-scale batch and column experiments, anion exchange resins from a large, representative group were investigated as sources of the nitrosamines N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), N-nitrosodi-n-propylamine (NDPA), and N-nitrosodi-n-butylamine (NDBA) and their precursors. Several resins were found to release high levels (up to >2000 ng/L, orders of magnitude above drinking water regulatory levels) of nitrosamines upon initial rinsing with lab-grade water, with levels subsiding within 50-100 bed volumes of rinsing. Resins released similarly high levels of nitrosamine precursors, with spikes in precursor release triggered by regeneration of resins with sodium chloride or by interruptions in flow resulting in prolonged contact times. Free chlorine or preformed monochloramine in feedwater led to the production of nitrosamines. Resins released different nitrosamines and precursors depending on their functional groups, with some resins releasing as many as three different nitrosamines and their precursors. These findings have significant implications for the pretreatment and appropriate use of anion exchange resins by drinking water utilities and for the production of anion exchange resins by manufacturers.


Disappearance of leftward rapid eye movements during sleep in left visual hemi-inattention.
Contrasting hypotheses have been proposed about the functional equivalence between waking saccades and REMs. Patients with left visual hemi-inattention showed dissociation between the direction of waking saccades and that of REMs. REMs directed toward the left were virtually absent, while waking inspective saccades directed in both lateral directions were present, but confined to the right hemispace. It is concluded that: a) the cortical areas regulating attention are relevant in the production of REMs; b) two separate attentional mechanisms have to be considered in relation to the hemi-inattentive syndrome, one is involved in the cognitive control of visual exploration and plays little or no role in the modulation of REMs, the other deals with REMs during sleep and with reflex-like orienting responses to peripheral stimuli during waking.


Reye syndrome model in rats: protection against liver abnormalities by L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine.
The effects of L-carnitine (LCn) and acetyl-L-carnitine (AcLCn) were assessed on the liver alterations observed in Kilpatrick's model of Reye syndrome in rats; fasted rats were given lipopolysaccharide (LPS), 0.2 mg/kg i.p., 12 hr before they were sacrificed, plus acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), 50 mg/kg i.p., 11 hr before sacrifice; LCn or AcLCn were given twice, 500 mg/kg orally, 12 and 2 hr before sacrifice. LPS+ASA-treated rats showed a dramatic decrease of hepatic ketone bodies and acetyl-CoA and an increase of isobutyryl-CoA, isovaleryl-CoA and succinyl-CoA. Electron microscopy of LPS+ASA-treated rat liver showed a slight but significant alteration in mitochondrial inner structure. Because impairment of mitochondrial function in RS is associated with swelling, we investigated whether the microviscosity of mitochondrial lipids and the cholesterol-phospholipid ratio (CHOL/PL), were involved in the RS model used. Mitochondria from LPS+ASA-treated rats showed a decrease in lipid microviscosity, in CHOL/PL ratio and in CHOL/PL ratio of both inner and outer membrane fractions; these alterations suggested a general increase in membrane fluidity. LCn and AcLCn reversed the morphological alterations in mitochondria after LPS+ASA, observed by electron microscopy, the decrease in KB and the toxic increase in short-chain acyl-CoAs; AcLCn only reversed the decrease in acetyl-CoA. LCn and AcLCn prevented mitochondrial lipid alterations mainly in the inner membrane fraction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Use of isotretinoin (Accutane) in the United States: rapid increase from 1992 through 2000.
Isotretinoin, a drug approved to treat severe recalcitrant nodular acne, has been marketed in the United States since 1982. The drug is an effective treatment for acne that is refractory to other therapies, but it is a teratogen and can cause serious side effects. Our purpose was to describe trends in the use of isotretinoin in the United States from marketing through year 2000 and summarize characteristics of patients and prescribers. Data from 2 pharmaceutical marketing research databases, the National Prescription Audit Plus and the National Disease and Therapeutic Index, and from 2 health plan networks were obtained and analyzed. Retail pharmacies dispensed 19.8 million outpatient prescriptions for isotretinoin from marketing in 1982 through 2000. From 1983 through 1993, the median annual number of prescriptions was just over 800,000; between 1992 and 2000, the number of prescriptions increased 2.5-fold (250%) to nearly 2 million in year 2000. The increases registered in the health plans were somewhat larger: about 275% increases from 1995 through 1999. There is no ICD-9 code for nodulocystic acne; consequently, the type of acne treated with isotretinoin is not determinable from these data. However, between 1993 and 2000, the proportion of isotretinoin treatment for severe acne declined from 63% to 46%, whereas the proportion of treatment for mild and moderate acne increased from 31% to 49%. Data also indicated that the sex distribution of patients was nearly even, and that 63% of male patients prescribed isotretinoin were 15 to 19 years old, whereas 51% of female patients were 15 to 24 years old. In the last 8 years, there has been a 2.5-fold (250%) increase in the number of dispensed prescriptions for isotretinoin in the United States. Data also reveal an increasing proportion of isotretinoin use for mild and moderate acne.


An Orthogonal Synthetic Approach to Nonsymmetrical Bisazolyl 2,4,6-Trisubstituted Pyridines.
A three-step synthetic route giving access to nonsymmetrical bisazolyl 2,4,6-trisubstituted pyridines with different substituents on the pyrazole, indazole, and pyridine heterocycles is described. From the readily available 4-bromo-2,6-difluoropyridine, both fluorine atoms allow for easy selective stepwise substitution, and the bromine atom provides easy access to additional functionalities through both Suzuki and Sonogashira Pd(0) cross-coupling reactions. These synthons represent optimal structures as building blocks in complexation and metalloorganic structures for the tuning of their chelating and photophysical properties.


Advances in the use of biologics and other novel drugs for managing inflammatory bowel disease.
For the ultimate aim of preventing intestinal disability in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the treatment goal has moved from symptom control towards inflammation control (i.e., 'deep remission'). Furthermore, the concept of 'treat-to-target' has been adopted to assist in treatment escalation and better control. Although deep remission is possible with current biologics, there are still unmet needs in IBD management. Biosimilars of several biologics will be an increasingly common option in the near future. In this review, we review the current status of novel drugs for IBD, focusing on recent phase 2 and 3 randomized controlled trials, and address the issues of biosimilars. Recent studies of the 'treat-to-target' strategy and therapeutic drug monitoring are summarized.


Electrically compensated, tattoo-like electrodes for epidermal electrophysiology at scale.
Epidermal electrophysiology is widely carried out for disease diagnosis, performance monitoring, human-machine interaction, etc. Compared with thick, stiff, and irritating gel electrodes, emerging tattoo-like epidermal electrodes offer much better wearability and versatility. However, state-of-the-art tattoo-like electrodes are limited in size (e.g., centimeters) to perform electrophysiology at scale due to challenges including large-area fabrication, skin lamination, and electrical interference from long interconnects. Therefore, we report large-area, soft, breathable, substrate- and encapsulation-free electrodes designed into transformable filamentary serpentines that can be rapidly fabricated by cut-and-paste method. We propose a Cartan curve-inspired transfer process to minimize strain in the electrodes when laminated on nondevelopable skin surfaces. Unwanted signals picked up by the unencapsulated interconnects can be eliminated through a previously unexplored electrical compensation strategy. These tattoo-like electrodes can comfortably cover the whole chest, forearm, or neck for applications such as multichannel electrocardiography, sign language recognition, prosthetic control or mapping of neck activities.


Chlorogenic Acid Ameliorates Colitis and Alters Colonic Microbiota in a Mouse Model of Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis.
This study evaluated the mitigating effects of dietary chlorogenic acid (CGA) on colon damage and the bacterial profile in a mouse model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to receive one of the following treatments: (i) basal diet; (ii) basal diet with 2% CGA; (iii) basal diet with 2.5% DSS or (iv) basal diet with 2% CGA and 2.5% DSS. Following a 2-week pre-treatment period, mice in the DSS and CGA-DSS groups received 2.5% DSS in drinking water for 5 days, while the other two groups received sterile water. Compared to DSS alone, CGA was found to reduce the disease activity index, myeloperoxidase activity and tumor necrosis factor-α levels in colon tissues (P < 0.05). CGA also ameliorated DSS-induced inflammatory responses, reduced colon shortening and decreased the histological scores (P < 0.05). In an evaluation of the relative abundances of bacteria in the fecal microbiota, we found that CGA reversed the decrease in diversity caused by DSS and improved the relative abundance of organisms in the genus Lactobacillus (P < 0.05). These results indicate that CGA maintains intestinal health and reduces DSS-induced colon injury by decreasing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and restoring intestinal microbial diversity.


Splenic infarct as a diagnostic pitfall in radiology.
Follow-up of colorectal carcinoma after therapy is based on symptoms, tumor markers, and imaging studies. Clinicians sometimes face diagnostic dilemmas because of unusual presentations on the imaging modalities coupled with rising serum markers. We report a case of colorectal carcinoma that presented with gastrointestinal symptoms 14 months after completion of treatment. Investigations showed rise in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Suspecting disease recurrence, complete radioimaging workup was performed; the only abnormality detected was a smooth, hypodense area in the posterior third of the spleen on contrast-enhanced computed tomography abdomen. In view of the previous diagnosis of carcinoma colon, the symptoms reported by the patient, the elevated CEA, and the atypical CECT appearance, a diagnosis of splenic metastasis was made. The patient was subjected to splenectomy as a curative treatment. However, the histopathological report revealed it to be a splenic infarct. The present case reemphasizes the limitations of radiological studies in the follow-up of carcinoma colon.


Primary malignant mixed Müllerian tumour (MMMT) of the vagina and review of the literature.
Primary malignant mixed Müllerian tumour (MMMT) of the vagina is a rare entity. We report a case of a 62-year-old woman who presented with a fixed and hard anterior vaginal wall mass with contact bleeding. She proceeded to have an anterior infralevator pelvic exenteration with urethrectomy and anterior vaginectomy, creation of an ileal conduit and bilateral lymph node dissection. Histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry confirmed the diagnosis of primary MMMT of the vagina. The patient was stage IVA at diagnosis. Despite chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she had progressive disease and eventually passed away at the age of 65 years.


Obstetrician-gynecologists' approach to well-woman care.
To estimate obstetrician-gynecologists' attitudes and management practices regarding well-woman care. A questionnaire was mailed to 1,000 members of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 600 of whom participate in the Collaborative Ambulatory Research Network. The response rate was 57%. Of these, 513 (91%) respondents provide routine gynecologic care and are the focus of the study. Most obstetrician-gynecologists include an examination of the abdomen (97%) and thyroid and neck (92%) during a well-woman examination, although fewer conduct skin (73%) or mouth (19%) surveys. Asked how they would most likely treat several conditions in nonpregnant patients, respondents would prescribe medications for menopausal issues (69%), hormone therapy (73%), and for generalized anxiety disorder (39%), and they would refer patients to a primary care physician for high blood pressure (73%) and high cholesterol (65%). Female and younger respondents were more likely than male and older respondents to refer patients for several nonreproductive health conditions and were less likely to personally treat them. A majority (61%) of obstetrician-gynecologists define well-woman care within the context of gynecologic practices as care related to overall health and primary care rather than care limited to reproductive health (39%); this majority was less likely to agree that obstetrician-gynecologists should limit their care to reproductive health (15% compared with 62%) and more likely to personally treat most nonreproductive health issues than were those who see care as limited to reproductive health. The majority of obstetrician-gynecologists define well-woman care as overall health and primary care, and their opinions and practices reflect this. III.


Comparison of the inhibitory effects of tolcapone and entacapone against human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases.
Tolcapone and entacapone are two potent catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors with a similar skeleton and displaying similar pharmacological activities. However, entacapone is a very safe drug used widely in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, while tolcapone is only in limited use for Parkinson's patients and needs careful monitoring of hepatic functions due to hepatotoxicity. This study aims to investigate and compare the inhibitory effects of entacapone and tolcapone on human UDP-glucosyltransferases (UGTs), as well as to evaluate the potential risks from the view of drug-drug interactions (DDI). The results demonstrated that both tolcapone and entacapone exhibited inhibitory effects on UGT1A1, UGT1A7, UGT1A9 and UGT1A10. In contrast to entacapone, tolcapone exhibited more potent inhibitory effects on UGT1A1, UGT1A7, and UGT1A10, while their inhibitory potentials against UGT1A9 were comparable. It is noteworthy that the inhibition constants (Ki) of tolcapone and entacapone against bilirubin-O-glucuronidation in human liver microsomes (HLM) are determined as 0.68μM and 30.82μM, respectively, which means that the inhibition potency of tolcapone on UGT1A1 mediated bilirubin-O-glucuronidation in HLM is much higher than that of entacapone. Furthermore, the potential risks of tolcapone or entacapone via inhibition of human UGT1A1 were quantitatively predicted by the ratio of the areas under the plasma drug concentration-time curve (AUC). The results indicate that tolcapone may result in significant increase in AUC of bilirubin or the drugs primarily metabolized by UGT1A1, while entacapone is unlikely to cause a significant DDI through inhibition of UGT1A1.


Immature symbiotic system between horizontally transmitted green algae and brown hydra.
Some strains of brown hydra (Hydra vulgaris) are able to harbor the green algae Chlorococcum in their endodermal epithelial cells as symbionts. However, the relationship between brown hydra and chlorococcum is considered to be incipient symbiosis because most artificially introduced symbionts are not stable and because symbiotic H. vulgaris strains are rare in the wild. In this study, we compared the gene expression levels of the newly established symbiotic hydra (strain 105G), the native symbiotic strain (J7), and their non-symbiotic polyps to determine what changes would occur at the early stage of the evolution of symbiosis. We found that both the 105G and J7 strains showed comparable expression patterns, exhibiting upregulation of lysosomal enzymes and downregulation of genes related to nematocyte development and function. Meanwhile, genes involved in translation and the respiratory chain were upregulated only in strain 105G. Furthermore, treatment with rapamycin, which inhibits translation activity, induced the degeneration of the symbiotic strains (105G and J7). This effect was severe in strain 105G. Our results suggested that evolving the ability to balance the cellular metabolism between the host and the symbiont is a key requirement for adapting to endosymbiosis with chlorococcum.


Self-Reported Incident Hypertension and Long-Term Kidney Function in Living Kidney Donors Compared with Healthy Nondonors.
The risk of hypertension attributable to living kidney donation remains unknown as does the effect of developing postdonation hypertension on subsequent eGFR. We sought to understand the association between living kidney donation, hypertension, and long-term eGFR by comparing donors with a cohort of healthy nondonors. We compared 1295 living kidney donors with median 6 years of follow-up with a weighted cohort of 8233 healthy nondonors. We quantified the risk of self-reported hypertension using a parametric survival model. We examined the association of hypertension with yearly change in eGFR using multilevel linear regression and clustering by participant, with an interaction term for race. Kidney donation was independently associated with a 19% higher risk of hypertension (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 1.41; P=0.04); this association did not vary by race (interaction P=0.60). For white and black nondonors, there was a mean decline in eGFR (-0.4 and -0.3 ml/min per year, respectively) that steepened after incident hypertension (-0.8 and -0.9 ml/min per year, respectively; both P<0.001). For white and black kidney donors, there was a mean increase in eGFR after donation (+0.4 and +0.6 ml/min per year, respectively) that plateaued after incident hypertension (0 and -0.2 ml/min per year, respectively; P=0.07 and P=0.01, respectively, after hypertension). Kidney donors are at higher risk of hypertension than similar healthy nondonors, regardless of race. Donors who developed hypertension had a plateau in the usual postdonation increase of eGFR.


Nanoscale Topographical Effects on the Adsorption Behavior of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 on Graphite.
The interaction between bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and the surface of biomaterials is essential for the restoration of bone and cartilage tissue, inducing cellular differentiation and proliferation. The properties of the surface, including topology features, regulate the conformation and bioactivity of the protein. In this research, we investigated the influence of nanopatterned surfaces on the interaction of a homodimer BMP-2 with graphite material by combining molecular dynamics (MD) and steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations. The graphite substrates were patterned as flat, linear grating, square, and circular profiles in combination with BMP-2 conformation in the side-on configuration. Ramachandran plots for the wrist and knuckle epitopes indicated no steric hindrances and provided binding sites to type I and type II receptors. Results showed two optimal patterns that increased protein adsorption of the lower monomer while preserving the secondary structure and leaving the upper monomer free to interact with the cells. Charged residues arginine and lysine and polar residues histidine and tyrosine were the main residues responsible for the strong interaction with the graphite surface. This research provides new molecular-level insights to further understand the mechanisms underlying protein adsorption on nanoscale patterned substrates.


Cardiovascular responses induced by the activation of muscarinic receptors of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus in anesthetized rats.
The cardiovascular effects of nicotinic receptors of cholinergic system in the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT) were shown. In the following, the cardiovascular effects of the muscarinic receptor, another receptor in this system, were examined. Rats were divided into eight groups: 1) control; 2 and 3) Ach (acetylcholine, an agonist) 90 and 150 nmol; 4 and 5) Atr (atropine; a muscarinic antagonist) 3 and 9 nmol; 6) Atr 3 + Ach 150; 7) Atr 9 + Ach 150; and 8) Atr 3 + hexamethonium (Hexa; 300 nmol) + Ach 150. After anesthesia, cannulation of the femoral artery was performed, and then the mean arterial pressure (MAP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and heart rate (HR) were recorded using a power lab apparatus. Following drug microinjection, the maximum change (Δ) in MAP, SBP, and HR was calculated and analyzed. Both doses of Ach (90 and 150) significantly decreased ΔMAP and ΔSBP but could not change ΔHR. Neither of the doses of Atr significantly affected ΔMAP, ΔSBP, and ΔHR. Co-injection of Atr 3 + Ach 150 only increased ΔHR, but Atr 9 + Ach 150 decreased ΔMAP and ΔSBP than Ach 150 alone. The effect of the co-injection of Atr 9 + Hexa 300 + Ach 150 was also the same as the Atr 9 + Ach 150 group. The present results revealed that cholinergic muscarinic receptors in the PPT have an inhibitory effect on MAP and SBP with no important effect on HR.


A single glutamate residue controls the oligomerization, function, and stability of the aquaglyceroporin GlpF.
Like many other alpha-helical membrane proteins, the monomeric Escherichia coli aquaglyceroporin GlpF associates within cellular membranes and forms higher-order oligomeric structures. A potential impact of the oligomeric state on the protein function remains enigmatic. We have analyzed the role of residues W42 and E43 in the oligomerization of the E. coli GlpF protein in vitro and in vivo. In contrast to W42, the polar glutamate residue at position 43 appears to be critical for oligomerization. While other polar residues can substitute for the function of E43, replacement of E43 with alanine results in a greatly reduced GlpF oligomerization propensity. The reduced interaction propensity of GlpF E43A correlates with an impaired in vivo function as well as a decreased in vivo stability. Therefore, E43 is critical for the proper oligomerization of GlpF, and protein oligomerization appears to be crucial for the channel function as well as for the in vivo stability of the protein.


Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome in liver transplantation.
Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome is a rare delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction that causes skin abnormalities and mucosal involvement of the entire body. This is a case report of DRESS occurring in a liver transplantation recipient after taking drugs. A 57-year-old female patient with hepatocellular carcinoma underwent living donor liver transplantation in April 2019. She had no previous medical histories relevant to allergic diseases. There were no adverse events during hospitalization. She was admitted to evaluate and treat a headache occurring at one month after transplantation. However, she suffered from adverse drug reactions after taking anticonvulsants, showing skin rash, itching sense, and fever with eosinophilia. Piperacillin/Tazoperan was administered for ten days as an empirical antibiotic. Skin biopsy was performed on postoperative day 106 for erythematous maculopapular rash in the arms, legs, and torso. Her symptoms improved after discontinuation of the suspected medication with conservative skin treatment and high-dose steroid treatment. This case suggests that suspicion of drug history is essential for early diagnosis and management of DRESS.


Health-related quality of life following isolated aortic valve surgery: is earlier intervention better?
The study aim was to determine the health-related quality of life (HRQL) in conjunction with clinical outcomes following aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery. In these times of healthcare change, quality measures of the success of a procedure go beyond clinical outcomes, with patient reports of HRQL considered important. All patients who had undergone AVR surgery were followed prospectively through the authors' valve registry and the local Society of Thoracic Surgery (STS) database. The HRQL (Short-Form 12 and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire) was collected preoperatively, and at six and 12 months after surgery. Since 2005, a total of 459 patients have undergone isolated AVR surgery. The mean age, ejection fraction and STS risk score were 65.8 +/- 13.6 years, 57.7 +/- 11.0%, and 2.8 +/- 3.5 (range: 0.4-47.9), respectively. The median (IQR) length of hospital stay was 5 (3-7) days. Compared to the STS national norms, all clinical outcomes were excellent. A Kaplan-Meier analysis showed the two year cumulative survival as 92.0%. After 12 months the physical and mental HRQL had improved significantly, surpassing age and heart disease norms (p < 0.001 and p = 0.02, respectively). Multivariate analysis determined that a higher 12-month physical HRQL was predicted by a lower STS risk score (B = -1.3, p < 0.001) and a lower perioperative morbidity (B = -5.5, p = 0.02) after adjustment for baseline HRQL, age, and gender. In a subset of patients classified as 'symptomatic', as determined by higher MLHF scores, the HRQL scores were increased to age norms and surpassed the heart disease norms. Patients who undergo AVR can expect excellent clinical and HRQL outcomes, with greater benefits the earlier the surgery is carried out. The tracking of HRQL is valuable in understanding the success of a procedure from the patients' perspective.


A modified model of glaucoma filtering surgery in Sprague-Dawley rats.
Animal models are useful in glaucoma research to study tissue response to wound healing. Smaller animals such as rats offer additional advantages in terms of availability of detection antibodies and microarrays with cheaper maintenance costs. In this study, we describe a glaucoma filtering surgery (GFS) model in adult Sprague-Dawley rats by performing a sclerostomy using a 26-G needle and additionally placing a silicone tube (27 G) connecting the anterior chamber to the subconjunctival space to maintain a patent fistula for the flow of aqueous humor, thus providing a more definitive bleb. This technique will be useful in identifying and modifying newer targets in the wound healing process in order to improve surgical outcomes following GFS.


Hospital and ICU patient volume per physician at peak of COVID pandemic: State-level estimates.
In anticipation of patient surge due to COVID-19, many states are working to increase the available healthcare workforce. To help inform state policies and initiatives aimed at physician deployment during COVID-19, we used predictions of peak patient volume for hospitals and intensive care units (ICU) and regional physician workforce estimates to measure patient to physician ratios at the peak of the pandemic for each state. We estimated the number of potentially available physicians based on Medicare Part B billings for the care of hospitalized and critically ill patients in 2017, adjusted for attrition due to exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and relevant experience. We used estimates from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation to determine the number of hospitalized and ICU patients expected at the peak of the pandemic in each state. We then determined the expected ratio of patients per physician for each state at the peak of the pandemic. The median number of hospitalized patients per physician was 13 (low estimate) to 18 (high estimate). At the high estimate of hospitalized patients, 35 states would have a patient to physician ratio of more than 15:1 (patient to physician ratios above 15:1 have been associated with poor outcomes). For ICU patients, the median number of patients each physician would treat across states would be 8-11 patients. Nine states would experience patient to physician ratios above 15:1 at the higher end of estimates. Patient-physician ratios decreased if the available physician pool was broadened to include physicians without recent experience treating hospitalized patients, and physicians in surgical specialties with experience treating acutely hospitalized patients. We estimate that most states will have sufficient physician capacity to manage hospitalized patients at the peak of the pandemic. However, at the high estimates of hospitalized patients, some Midwestern states will experience high patient to provider ratios that may adversely affect patient outcomes. State.


Rainbow-like radiation from an omni-directional source placed in a uniaxial metamaterial slab.
In this paper, the radiation of an omni-directional line source placed in a uniaxial metamaterial slab is experimentally presented. The anisotropic slab made of metallic symmetrical rings with dispersive permeability is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. For low value of the permeability, a directive radiation at the broadside of the slab can be obtained. Due to the excitation of the leaky wave mode supported by this structure, the emitted electromagnetic wave transmits at a greater angle from the normal of the slab as the value of permeability increases along with the frequency. Thus a rainbow-like radiation will be formed since waves of different frequencies will deflect into different directions.


What Makes You Generous? The Influence of Rural and Urban Rearing on Social Discounting in China.
An individual's willingness to share resources declines as the social distance between the decision maker and the recipient increases, which is known as social discounting. This social-distance-dependent prosocial behavior is likely to be influenced by the region in which individuals were raised. Based on previous studies on social discounting, this research focuses on the differing social distance-dependent prosocial behaviors between rural- and urban-reared participants in China. Our data showed that both groups' behaviors conform to the social discounting function and fit the hyperbolic model, as reported in previous studies about social discounting. Interestingly, individuals who were raised in rural areas yielded a smaller discount rate than those who were raised in urban areas, which indicated that a rural upbringing produced people who were more generous than those with an urban upbringing. Furthermore, this distinct type of generosity occurred notably among individuals with greater social distance, such as strangers or distant acquaintances. The reason may be due to the difference in dominant culture, production mode and lifestyle between rural and urban people.


Multifactorial induction of gene expression and nuclear localization of mouse interleukin 1 alpha.
We have studied mouse brown adipose tissue (BAT) which was shown to contain high levels of mRNA for IL-1 alpha and IL-1 receptor. We found high contents of both the 31 kDa precursor and the 18 kDa mature form of IL-1 alpha proteins in BAT when compared with brain, lymph nodes and spleen. Both forms of IL-1 alpha were also present in primary cultures of BAT. The IL-1 alpha subcellular localization revealed the predominant nuclear association of both precursor and mature form of IL-1 alpha which accounted for 48% of total cellular IL-1 alpha in BAT and a similar subcellular distribution was found in spleen. The specific content of IL-1 alpha found in nuclei purified from BAT or from cultured brown adipocytes was 6-47-fold higher than in other cellular fractions. Nuclear IL-1 alpha was increased by addition of 10% fetal calf serum to cultured adipocytes previously depleted of the serum. The expression of the IL-1A gene in cultured brown adipocytes was increased 6-8-fold by IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, LPS and by noradrenaline. The stimulation with all four agents, resulted in a rapid burst of IL-1 alpha mRNA level after 15-30 min. The highest stimulation was found in differentiated, preconfluent adipocytes cultured for 6 days. The results suggest an important regulatory role of IL-1 alpha in brown adipocytes. The rapid responses of IL-1A gene expression to multifactorial stimulation and pronounced nuclear localization of IL-1 alpha proteins further support the existence of a hypothetical nuclear function of IL-1 alpha.


Glycation induces conformational changes in the amyloid-β peptide and enhances its aggregation propensity: molecular insights.
The cytotoxicity of the amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide, implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), can be enhanced by its post-translational glycation, a series of non-enzymatic reactions with reducing sugars and reactive dicarbonyls. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms that potentially enhance the cytotoxicity of the advanced glycation modified Aβ. In this work, fully atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are exploited to obtain direct molecular insights into the process of early Aβ self-assembly in the presence and absence of glycated lysine residues. Analyses of data exceeding cumulative timescales of 1 microsecond for each system reveal that glycation results in a stronger enthalpy of association between Aβ monomers and lower conformational entropy, in addition to a sharp overall increase in the beta-sheet content. Further analyses reveal that the enhanced interactions originate, in large part, due to markedly stronger, as well as new, inter-monomer salt bridging propensities in the glycated variety. Interestingly, these conformational and energetic effects are broadly reflected in preformed protofibrillar forms of Aβ small oligomers modified with glycation. Our combined results imply that glycation consolidates Aβ self-assembly regardless of its point of occurrence in the pathway. They provide a basis for further mechanistic studies and therapeutic endeavors that could potentially result in novel ways of combating AGE related AD progression.


Deficit in prepulse inhibition in mice caused by dietary n-3 fatty acid deficiency.
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) may be biosynthesized from a precursor alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) or obtained preformed in the diet. Dams were fed four diets with different levels of the various n-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation, and their offspring were weaned to the same diets: "n-3 Deficient," containing (as % total fatty acids) 0.07% of LNA; "Low LNA" (0.4%); "High LNA" (4.8%); and a "DHA + EPA" diet, containing 0.4% of LNA, 2% DHA, and 2% EPA. Sensorimotor gating was measured by prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response in C57Bl6 mice. The n-3 Deficient and Low LNA diets caused a substantial deficit in PPI compared to the DHA + EPA diet, whereas the High LNA diet induced a less pronounced, but significant reduction of PPI. These are the first data that demonstrate a deficit in sensorimotor gating in rodents caused by an inadequate amount of the n-3 fatty acids in the diet. Our results differentiate the effects of a High LNA diet from one with added EPA and DHA even though the difference in brain DHA content is only 12% between these dietary groups.


The prognosis of patients less than 40 years with bladder cancer.
Natural history of young patients with bladder cancer has not yet been known. So this study aimed to understand characteristics and prognosis of patients less than 40 years with bladder cancer. We retrospectively analyzed 42 patients (group 1) less than 40 years with bladder cancer followed up for 6 months at least from October 1998 to January 2010. As controlled group (group 2) consisted 44 patients of 60 years or more who had same condition as above mentioned from January to December 2009 was set. Tumor size and number, pathological results, urine cytology results and recurrence rate were reviewed. The mean ages and the gender distribution in the two groups showed no difference. Tumor size (P = 0.021) and number (P = 0.016) in group 1 was smaller than control. The proportion of muscle invasive type was not significant, but pTa in group 1 was occupied larger portion than group 2 (P = 0.01). Group 1 had more low grade cancer (P = 0.013), and lower recurrence rate (7.1%) than group 2 (38.6%) (P = 0.001). In addition, the mean recurrence free duration of group 1 and 2 were 37.7 ± 6.3 and 9.9 ± 2.5 months, respectively. Group 1 showed later relapse than group 2 (P = 0.002). No progression in stage at recurrence was in group 1, but 1 case had progression in group 2. In grade, 1 case was worsen in group 1 and 3 cases were worsen in group 2.


Experimental evidence of explosive synchronization in mercury beating-heart oscillators.
We report experimental evidence of explosive synchronization in coupled chemo-mechanical systems, namely in mercury beating-heart (MBH) oscillators. Connecting four MBH oscillators in a star network configuration and setting natural frequencies of each oscillator in proportion to the number of its links, a gradual increase of the coupling strength results in an abrupt and irreversible (first-order-like) transition from the system's unordered to ordered phase. On its turn, such a transition indicates the emergence of a bistable regime wherein coexisting states can be experimentally revealed. Finally, we prove how such a regime allows an experimental implementation of magneticlike states of synchronization, by the use of an external signal.


Human immunodeficiency virus rebound after suppression to <400 copies/mL during initial highly active antiretroviral therapy regimens, according to prior nucleoside experience and duration of suppression.
This study evaluated 1433 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients starting highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), 409 (28%) of whom had prior nucleoside experience and achieved an HIV load of <400 copies/mL by 24 weeks of therapy. Three hundred seven patients experienced virus rebound during a total of 2773.3 person-years of follow-up. There was a higher rate of virus rebound among the patients with pre-HAART nucleoside experience (relative hazard [RH], 2.86; 95% confidence interval, 2.22-3.84; P<.0001) and a decreasing rate of virus rebound with increasing duration of virus suppression (i.e., time since achieving a virus load of <400 HIV RNA copies/mL) among both the nucleoside-experienced and naive patients (P<.0001), but the difference between the groups persisted into the third year of follow-up (P=.0007). Even patients who had experienced <2 months of nucleoside therapy before beginning HAART had an increased risk of virus rebound (RH, 1.95; P=.009). It appears that only a small period of pre-HAART nucleoside therapy is sufficient to confer a disadvantage, in terms of risk of virus rebound, that persists for several years.


Properties of Phosphoglycolate Phosphatase from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Anacystis nidulans.
The levels of activity of 2-phosphoglycolate phosphatase in the green algae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Chlorella vulgaris, were in the range of 37 to 60 micromoles per milligram chlorophyll per hour and in the blue-green algae, Anacystis nidulans and Anabaena variabilis were 204 to 310 micromoles per milligram chlorophyll per hour. The activity in each species was similar regardless of whether the algae were grown with air or 5% CO(2) in air. The enzyme purified 530-fold from Chlamydomonas was stable, had a broad pH optimum between 6 and 8.5, and was specific for the hydrolysis of P-glycolate with a K(m) of 23 micromolar. The enzyme purified 18-fold from Anacystis was labile, had a sharp pH optimum at 6.3, and was also specific for P-glycolate with a K(m) of 94 micromolar. The molecular weight of the enzyme from Chlamydomonas was estimated to be 92,000 by gel filtration.The phosphatase from both sources required a divalent cation for activity. The Chlamydomonas enzyme was most effectively activated by Co(2+), but was also activated by Mg(2+) (K(a) = 30 micromolar), Mn(2+), and Zn(2+). The Anacystis enzyme was most effectively activated by Mg(2+) (K(a) = 140 micromolar), and was also activated by Co(2+) and Mn(2+), but not by Zn(2+). Anions were also required for maximum activity of the enzyme from both sources. The Chlamydomonas enzyme was activated about 2- to 3-fold by chloride (K(a) = 140 micromolar), bromide, nitrate, bicarbonate (K(a) = 600 micromolar) and formate. The Anacystis enzyme was activated over 10-fold by chloride (K(a) = 870 micromolar), bromide, iodide, and nitrate, but was not activated by bicarbonate or formate.The properties of the algal enzymes were similar to those previously reported for higher plants. The levels and kinetic properties of the enzyme seemed sufficient to account for the flux through the glycolate pathway that occurs in these algae. The phosphatase was not associated with the ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase responsible for P-glycolate formation in the carboxysomes of Anacystis.


Population models for threshold-based control of Tetranychus urticae in small-scale Kenyan tomato fields and for evaluating weather and host plant species effects.
The spatial distribution of motile life stages of the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch in Kenyan small-scale tomato fields was described by Taylor's power law and an enumerative sampling plan was designed for research purposes. The exponential increase of T. urticae populations during three growing seasons permits the development and use of a simple exponential model for the design of a threshold-based chemical control system. For this purpose, a critical threshold of 440 motile mites per sample unit at the end of the growing season (12 weeks after transplanting) was translated into a proportion of 0.83 infested units in sample 3, i.e. five weeks after transplanting. A sequential binomial sampling plan with respect to the proportion of 0.83, five weeks after transplanting, was designed. The exponential model was extended to account for the influence of weather and host plant species. Model development and parameter estimation were based on three data sets (Kenyan tomato fields, Italian and Californian strawberry fields). The model satisfactorily predicted a positive influence on growth rates by (i) changing the host plant from tomato to strawberry, and (ii) temperature, while a negative effect resulted from (iii) rainfall; both (ii) and (iii) are controlled by temperature-rainfall interactions. In contrast, the estimated parameter values did not satisfactorily describe the expected responses at specific temperature and rainfall values. Nevertheless, the model allowed the rating of host plant species in the field. A fourth data set from Swiss apple orchards was used to test the model, and population build-up on the apple host plant appeared to be higher than on tomatoes but lower than on strawberry.


Prior exercise training blunts short-term high-fat diet-induced weight gain.
High-fat diets rapidly cause weight gain and glucose intolerance. We sought to determine whether these changes could be mitigated with prior exercise training. Male C57BL/6J mice were exercise-trained by treadmill running (1 h/day, 5 days/wk) for 4 wk. Twenty-four hours after the final bout of exercise, mice were provided with a high-fat diet (HFD; 60% kcal from lard) for 4 days, with no further exercise. In mice fed the HFD prior to exercise training, the results were blunted weight gain, reduced fat mass, and a slight attenuation in glucose intolerance that was mirrored by greater insulin-induced Akt phosphorylation in skeletal muscle compared with sedentary mice fed the HFD. When ad libitum-fed sedentary mice were compared with sedentary high-fat fed mice that were calorie restricted (-30%) to match the weight gain of the previously trained high-fat fed mice, the same attenuated impairments in glucose tolerance were found. Blunted weight gain was associated with a greater capacity to increase energy expenditure in trained compared with sedentary mice when challenged with a HFD. Although mitochondrial enzymes in white adipose tissue and UCP-1 protein content in brown adipose tissue were increased in previously exercised compared with sedentary mice fed a HFD, ex vivo mitochondrial respiration was not increased in either tissue. Our data suggest that prior exercise training attenuates high-fat diet-induced weight gain and glucose intolerance and is associated with a greater ability to increase energy expenditure in response to a high-fat diet.


Novel process for the coproduction of xylo-oligosaccharide and glucose from reed scraps of reed pulp mill.
Current utilization of reed scraps (RS) from reed pulping mills is just burning and burying, remaining the unused RS a major industry waste. The aim of this study was to valorize RS by utilizing it as feedstock for xylo-oligosaccharide (XOS) production. The RS was subjected to dilute acid, alkaline, and liquid hot water (LHW) pretreatments to get the pretreated RS, which was then subjected to xylanase and subsequently cellulase enzymatic to produce XOS and glucose as well. The highest yield of XOS and glucose were 0.144 g and 0.304 g / g of RS, respectively, which were obtained from the LHW pretreatment under the optimized conditions of 170 °C, 1:8 solid loadings and 30 min duration. Overall, by upgrading RS waste into XOS and glucose as value-added products of reed pulp production, we thereby paved a new way in this research to valorize the waste from reed pulping mills.


Partner switching and metabolic flux in a model cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis.
Metabolite exchange is fundamental to the viability of the cnidarian-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis and survival of coral reefs. Coral holobiont tolerance to environmental change might be achieved through changes in Symbiodiniaceae species composition, but differences in the metabolites supplied by different Symbiodiniaceae species could influence holobiont fitness. Using 13C stable-isotope labelling coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we characterized newly fixed carbon fate in the model cnidarian Exaiptasia pallida (Aiptasia) when experimentally colonized with either native Breviolum minutum or non-native Durusdinium trenchii Relative to anemones containing B. minutum, D. trenchii-colonized hosts exhibited a 4.5-fold reduction in 13C-labelled glucose and reduced abundance and diversity of 13C-labelled carbohydrates and lipogenesis precursors, indicating symbiont species-specific modifications to carbohydrate availability and lipid storage. Mapping carbon fate also revealed significant alterations to host molecular signalling pathways. In particular, D. trenchii-colonized hosts exhibited a 40-fold reduction in 13C-labelled scyllo-inositol, a potential interpartner signalling molecule in symbiosis specificity. 13C-labelling also highlighted differential antioxidant- and ammonium-producing pathway activities, suggesting physiological responses to different symbiont species. Such differences in symbiont metabolite contribution and host utilization may limit the proliferation of stress-driven symbioses; this contributes valuable information towards future scenarios that select in favour of less-competent symbionts in response to environmental change.


An assay for high-sensitivity detection of thrombin activity and determination of proteases activating or inactivating protease-activated receptors.
This paper describes the development of galactosidase protease-activated receptor (GPAR) as a recombinant protein obtained by fusion of beta-galactosidase, the extracellular domains of protease-activated receptors (PARs), and a biotin acceptor domain. Used as an immobilized substrate, this protein allows the detection of thrombin in the sub-picomolar range. A comparative analysis for proteolytic cleavage of murine PAR1, PAR2, and PAR3 and human PAR4 was performed, involving mutated and nonmutated GPAR fusion proteins. Thrombin cleaved GPAR1 (2.6 mol(beta-galactosidase)/(mol(thrombin) * min)), GPAR3 (410 mmol(beta-galactosidase)/(mol(thrombin) * min)), and GPAR4 (4.3 mmol(beta-galactosidase)/(mol(thrombin) * min)) specifically at the proteolytic activation site. A second possible cleavage site for thrombin is present in murine PAR1 and PAR3. Trypsin and plasmin cleaved all receptor fusion proteins with little specificity for the activation site, except for a marked preference of trypsin for cleavage at the activation site of GPAR2. Chymotrypsin cleaves GPAR1 at a rate (58 mmol(beta-galactosidase)/(mol(thrombin) * min)) that suggests the possibility of chymotryptic inactivation of PAR1. Elastase may inactivate PAR1 and PAR3, but probably not PAR2 and PAR4. Neither activated protein C nor the plasminogen activators cleave any GPAR fusion protein at considerable rates.


Childhood hearing impairment: auditory and linguistic interactions during multidimensional speech processing.
Children with mild-severe sensorineural hearing losses often use hearing aids and aural/oral language as their primary mode of communication, yet we know little about how speech is processed by these children. The purpose of this research was to investigate how the multidimensional information underlying accurate speech perception is processed by children with mild-severe hearing impairments. The processing of the auditory and linguistic dimensions of speech was assessed with a speeded selective-attention task (Garner, 1974a). Listeners were required to attend selectively to an auditory dimension (gender of the talker) and ignore a linguistic dimension (word) and vice versa. The hypothesis underlying the task is that performance for the target dimension will be unaffected by what is happening on the nontarget dimension if the dimensions are processed independently. On the other hand, if the dimensions are not processed independently, listeners will not be able to attend selectively and performance for the relevant dimension will be affected by what is happening on the irrelevant dimension (termed "Garner" interference). Both children with normal hearing (N = 90) and children with hearing impairment (N = 40) showed some degree of Garner interference, implying that the dimensions of speech are not processed independently by these children. However, relative to the children with normal hearing, the children with hearing impairment showed normal Garner interference when attending selectively to the word dimension (normally effective at ignoring talker-gender input) and reduced Garner interference when attending selectively to the talker-gender dimension (more effective at ignoring word input). This pattern of results implies that the auditory dimension has a normal strength-of-processing level that makes it normally distracting and that the linguistic dimension has an underdeveloped strength-of-processing level that makes it easier to ignore in children with hearing impairment.


A review on nanotoxicity and nanogenotoxicity of different shapes of nanomaterials.
Nanomaterials (NMs) generally display fascinating physical and chemical properties that are not always present in bulk materials; therefore, any modification to their size, shape, or coating tends to cause significant changes in their chemical/physical and biological characteristics. The dramatic increase in efforts to use NMs renders the risk assessment of their toxicity highly crucial due to the possible health perils of this relatively uncharted territory. The different sizes and shapes of the nanoparticles are known to have an impact on organisms and an important place in clinical applications. The shape of nanoparticles, namely, whether they are rods, wires, or spheres, is a particularly critical parameter to affect cell uptake and site-specific drug delivery, representing a significant factor in determining the potency and magnitude of the effect. This review, therefore, intends to offer a picture of research into the toxicity of different shapes (nanorods, nanowires, and nanospheres) of NMs to in vitro and in vivo models, presenting an in-depth analysis of health risks associated with exposure to such nanostructures and benefits achieved by using certain model organisms in genotoxicity testing. Nanotoxicity experiments use various models and tests, such as cell cultures, cores, shells, and coating materials. This review article also attempts to raise awareness about practical applications of NMs in different shapes in biology, to evaluate their potential genotoxicity, and to suggest approaches to explain underlying mechanisms of their toxicity and genotoxicity depending on nanoparticle shape.


TCR activation of human T cells induces the production of exosomes bearing the TCR/CD3/zeta complex.
We show in this study that human T cells purified from peripheral blood, T cell clones, and Jurkat T cells release microvesicles in the culture medium. These microvesicles have a diameter of 50-100 nm, are delimited by a lipidic bilayer membrane, and bear TCR beta, CD3epsilon, and zeta. This microvesicle production is regulated because it is highly increased upon TCR activation, whereas another mitogenic signal, such as PMA and ionomycin, does not induce any release. T cell-derived microvesicles also contain the tetraspan protein CD63, suggesting that they originate from endocytic compartments. They contain adhesion molecules such as CD2 and LFA-1, MHC class I and class II, and the chemokine receptor CXCR4. These transmembrane proteins are selectively sorted in microvesicles because CD28 and CD45, which are highly expressed at the plasma membrane, are not found. The presence of phosphorylated zeta in these microvesicles suggests that the CD3/TCR found in the microvesicles come from the pool of complexes that have been activated. Proteins of the transduction machinery, tyrosine kinases of the Src family, and c-Cbl are also observed in the T cell-derived microvesicles. Our data demonstrate that T lymphocytes produce, upon TCR triggering, vesicles whose morphology and phenotype are reminiscent of vesicles of endocytic origin produced by many cell types and called exosomes. Although the exact content of T cell-derived exosomes remains to be determined, we suggest that the presence of TCR/CD3 at their surface makes them powerful vehicles to specifically deliver signals to cells bearing the right combination of peptide/MHC complexes.


Chloride anion concentration as a determinant of renal vascular responsiveness to vasoconstrictor agents.
1. The role of chloride concentration in modulating vasoconstrictor responses of the rat isolated kidney, perfused with Krebs-Henseleit solution, to angiotensin II (AII), arginine vasopressin (AVP) and phenylephrine (PE) was investigated. 2. Reduction of perfusate chloride from a high (117 mM) to low (87 mM) concentration, by substitution of sodium chloride with a mixture of sodium salts of propionate, acetate and methanesulphonate, reduced responsiveness to all three vasoconstrictors, the change for AII being most pronounced. 3. For AII, reduced vasoactivity with low chloride was evident both in terms of the threshold dose and on the linear part of the dose-response curve but not for the maximum response. This attenuating effect of low chloride on the vasoconstrictor response to AII was reversed when perfusion with high chloride was reinstituted. Continuous perfusion with high chloride progressively increased the vasoconstrictor effect of low doses of AII for successive dose-response curves. 4. In addition to reducing responses on the linear part of the dose-response curve for both AVP and PE, low chloride also reduced the maximum vasoconstrictor response to PE, whereas the threshold dose for the two agonists was unchanged. In contrast to the enhanced pressor response to AII, during continuous perfusion with high chloride, tachyphylaxis occurred with AVP and PE. 5. The ability of chloride to modify renal responsiveness to vasoconstrictor agents may contribute to the increase in renal vascular resistance and decrease in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) which occurs during infusion of hyperchloremic solutions into the renal artery and explain the need for chloride as the anion accompanying sodium in salt-sensitive hypertensive models.


Critical care air transport team (CCATT) nurses' deployed experience.
The objective of this study was to use descriptive and phenomenological methods with Critical Care Air Transport Team (CCATT) nurses to identify knowledge and skills required to provide care for critically ill patients in a combat environment. Unstructured interviews, focus groups, written narratives, group interviews, participant observation, and review of in-flight documentation of care were used to obtain data from 23 registered nurses who had deployed with CCATT missions. Dimensions that emerged from the data included: clinical and operational competence, personal, physical, and psychosocial readiness, soldier and survival skills, leadership, administrative concerns, group identification and integration, aircraft air and evacuation familiarity, and nurse characteristics. This information should be shared with CCATT trainers and unit personnel to better prepare them for the realities of future deployments. Future research could incorporate these data into a self-assessment scale to evaluate CCATT nurses' readiness for future deployments.


Change in employment status of 5-year cancer survivors.
To follow the employment status of 5-year cancer survivors for 5 years after diagnosis with their first lifetime invasive cancer and to identify socio-demographic, work-related and cancer-related predictors of employment status after 5 years. This prospective registry study concerned all 3278 people in Norway (18-61 years old) diagnosed with their first lifetime invasive cancer in 1999 and alive in 2004 and a cancer-free control group (n = 6368) matched by sex, age, educational level and employment status in 1998. The employment rate among male cancer survivors declined steadily every year, from 94% the year before diagnosis (1998) to 77% 5 years after diagnosis (2004). This change did not differ significantly from that of male controls. The employment rate of female survivors also declined steadily, from 87% (1998) to 69% (2004). This decline was greater than that among female controls, and in 2004 survivors had a significantly lower employment rate. For both men and women, the significant pre-diagnosis predictors of being employed in 2004 concerned higher socio-economic position. For both sexes, lung cancer survivors had the highest decline in employment rate, and male skin cancer survivors had a lower decline in employment rate than controls. Socio-demographic and work-related factors explained more of the variance in employment status than did cancer diagnosis. The employment rate among 5-year cancer survivors did not change significantly except for female survivors. Low socio-economic position is a risk factor for decline in employment rate and should be focused on to prevent cancer-related inequity.


Rehabilitation therapy self-efficacy and functional recovery after hip fracture.
Little is known about the role of psychological factors in the functional recovery process of hip fracture patients. This study employed a prospective cohort design to test the hypothesis that hospitalized hip fracture patients with greater reported self-efficacy for conducting rehabilitation therapy would have a greater likelihood of recovering to a pre-fracture level of locomotion function six months after the fracture. This hypothesis was tested controlling for pre-fracture level of function and depressive symptoms reported during hospitalization for surgical repair. An original measure of rehabilitation therapy self-efficacy was evaluated prior to hypothesis testing. Study patients were recruited from two hospitals, interviewed during hospitalization and followed up six months later. Patients included in hypothesis test analyses (n = 24) were mostly women (82%) with a mean age of 79 years. Results showed that patients with higher self-efficacy scores had a greater likelihood of locomotion recovery, controlling for pre-fracture locomotion function level (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.21; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.00-1.45; P= 0.05). This positive association between rehabilitation therapy self-efficacy and likelihood of locomotion recovery persisted after adding depressive symptoms (the Center for Epidemiological Studies-depression (CES-D) score) to this logistic regression model (AOR for self-efficacy = 1.18; 95% CI = 0.99-1.42; P= 0.07). It is concluded that rehabilitation therapy self-efficacy is a potentially important psychological factor in helping hip fracture patients recover locomotion functioning.


Interrelation between peripheral platelet count and platelet activation during and after liver surgery in pigs.
The present work was designed to evaluate the functional and ultrastructural changes in platelets during and after major liver resection in healthy pigs as a trial to predict changes occurring in healthy liver donors. Measures to ensure the safety of the donor hepatectomy remain the main concern. Fifteen healthy pigs were prepared for liver resection by right trisegmentectomy. Blood samples were collected as such: one before the operation, two during the operation (one after the mobilization and other after the resection of the liver) and two after the operation (day 7 and day 14). Platelet count and markers of platelet activation, platelet factor 4 and beta-thromboglobulin, were measured. Separated platelets from peripheral blood and the resected liver were examined by electron microscopy. Platelet count was significantly dropped after hepatic mobilization and resection [(P < 0.05) and (P < 0.01), respectively] in comparison to normal level. On day 7, it increased significantly (P < 0.05). On day 14, it increased to become nonsignificantly different from preoperative count. beta-Thromboglobulin and platelet factor 4 were significantly increased after hepatic mobilization and resection [(P < 0.05) and (P < 0.01), respectively]. On day 7, they decreased to become nonsignificantly different from normal level. On day 14, they significantly reincreased (P < 0.01). Electron microscopic examination of platelets revealed all signs of activation after hepatic mobilization and resection. These changes disappeared on day 7 and reobserved on day 14. Liver surgery causes an acute and profound drop in platelet count and an increase in platelet activation. It is necessary to give proper systemic coagulant therapy in addition to platelet transfusion at the end of surgery for 1 week in case of hepatic resection.


A Cu3P-CoP hybrid nanowire array: a superior electrocatalyst for acidic hydrogen evolution reactions.
It is highly attractive to construct cost-effective hybrid electrocatalysts with superior activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acids. In this communication, we report a novel structure consisting of a Cu3P-CoP hybrid nanowire array supported on carbon cloth (Cu3P-CoP/CC) as a superior HER electrocatalyst in acidic media. Owing to the synergistic effect between Cu3P and CoP, this Cu3P-CoP/CC catalyst exhibits superior catalytic HER performance, needing an overpotential of 59 mV to drive a current density of 10 mA cm-2 in 0.5 M H2SO4, 24 and 130 mV less than that for CoP/CC and Cu3P/CC, respectively. Moreover, this catalyst also shows high long-term electrochemical durability.


Calmodulin kinase II is required for angiotensin II-mediated vascular smooth muscle hypertrophy.
Despite our understanding that medial smooth muscle hypertrophy is a central feature of vascular remodeling, the molecular pathways underlying this pathology are still not well understood. Work over the past decade has illustrated a potential role for the multifunctional calmodulin-dependent kinase CaMKII in smooth muscle cell contraction, growth, and migration. Here we demonstrate that CaMKII is enriched in vascular smooth muscle (VSM) and that CaMKII inhibition blocks ANG II-dependent VSM cell hypertrophy in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, systemic CaMKII inhibition with KN-93 prevented ANG II-mediated hypertension and medial hypertrophy in vivo. Adenoviral transduction with the CaMKII peptide inhibitor CaMKIIN abrogated ANG II-induced VSM hypertrophy in vitro, which was augmented by overexpression of CaMKII-delta2. Finally, we identify the downstream signaling components critical for ANG II- and CaMKII-mediated VSM hypertrophy. Specifically, we demonstrate that CaMKII induces VSM hypertrophy by regulating histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) activity, thereby stimulating activity of the hypertrophic transcription factor MEF2. MEF2 transcription is activated by ANG II in vivo and abrogated by the CaMKII inhibitor KN-93. Together, our studies identify a complete pathway for ANG II-triggered arterial VSM hypertrophy and identify new potential therapeutic targets for chronic human hypertension.


Development and Application of a Simple "Easy To Operate" Propidium Monoazide-Crossing Priming Amplification on Detection of Viable and Viable But Non-culturable Cells of O157 Escherichia coli.
O157 Escherichia coli is one of the most important foodborne pathogens causing disease even at low cellular numbers. Thus, the early and accurate detection of this pathogen is important. However, due to the formation of viable but non-culturable (VBNC) status, the golden standard culturing methodology fails to identify O157 E. coli once it enters VBNC status. Crossing priming amplification (CPA) is a novel, simple, easy-to-operate detection technology that amplifies DNA with high speed, efficiency, and specificity under isothermal conditions. The objective of this study was to firstly develop and apply a CPA assay with propidium monoazide (PMA) for the rapid detection of the foodborne E. coli O157:H7 in VBNC state. Five primers (2a/1s, 2a, 3a, 4s, and 5a) were specially designed for recognizing three targets, which were rfbE, stx1, and stx2, and evaluated for its effectiveness in detecting VBNC cell of E. coli O157:H7 with detection limits of pure VBNC culture at 103, 105, and 105 colony-forming units (CFUs)/ml for rfbE, stx1, and stx2, respectively, whereas those of food samples (frozen pastry and steamed bread) were 103, 105, and 105 CFUs/ml. The application of the PMA-CPA assay was successfully used on detecting E. coli O157:H7 in VBNC state from food samples. In conclusion, this is the first development of PMA-CPA assay on the detection of VBNC cell, which was found to be useful and a powerful tool for the rapid detection of E. coli O157:H7 in VBNC state. Undoubtedly, the PMA-CPA method can be of high value to the food industry owing to its various advantages such as speed, specificity, sensitivity, and cost-effectiveness.


Opposite regulation of interleukin-8 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha by weight loss.
To obtain more information on the possible influence of body mass index (BMI) and weight loss on interleukin-8 (IL-8) in plasma and in the adipose tissue. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was used for comparison and determined in parallel with IL-8. The study was divided into three parts: 1) a cross-sectional study that included 89 subjects; 2) a 20-week intervention study in which 34 healthy obese subjects received a dietary intervention for 8 weeks followed by an additional 12 weeks on a weight-stabilization diet; 3) from this latter study, a subgroup of 8 obese subjects was investigated with a subcutaneous adipose-tissue biopsy. In the cross-sectional study, plasma levels of TNF-alpha (p < 0.01), but not IL-8, was correlated with BMI. However, in a subgroup (BMI, 20 to 30 kg/m(2)), IL-8 was correlated with BMI (p < 0.01). In the intervention study, weight loss and weight maintenance led to an increase in IL-8 by 30% (p < 0.05) and a decrease in TNF-alpha by 40% (p < 0.001), which were paralleled in the adipose tissue, demonstrating a 2- to 3-fold increase (p < 0.01) and a 40% to 80% decrease (p < 0.01) in IL-8 and TNF-alpha, respectively. Weight loss in obese subjects was associated with opposite changes in the secretion and transcription of IL-8 and TNF-alpha in the adipose tissue, as well as in plasma. This could indicate that plasma IL-8 under some conditions may be related to changes in adipose tissue IL-8 production.


Sham surgery controls: intracerebral grafting of fetal tissue for Parkinson's disease and proposed criteria for use of sham surgery controls.
Sham surgery is a controversial and rarely used component of randomised clinical trials evaluating surgical interventions. The recent use of sham surgery in trials evaluating efficacy of intracerebral fetal tissue grafts in Parkinson's disease has highlighted the ethical concerns associated with sham surgery controls. Macklin, and Dekkers and Boer argue vigorously against use of sham surgery controls. Macklin presents a broad argument against sham surgery controls while Dekkers and Boer present a narrower argument that sham surgery is unnecessary in the specific setting of fetal tissue engraftment for Parkinson's disease. I defend sham surgery controls against both these criticisms. Appropriate clinical trial design, sometimes including sham surgery, is needed to ensure that false positive trial results do not occur and endanger public safety. Results of a completed trial of fetal tissue grafting for Parkinson's disease are used to illustrate the potential benefits of, and problems associated with, sham surgery controls. Sham surgery controls, however, should be employed only when absolutely necessary. I suggest criteria for appropriate use of sham surgery controls.


A question of justice: assessing nurse migration from a philosophical perspective.
The intensified nurse migration leads to severe problems for the health care systems in many developing countries. Using the Philippines as an example, this paper will address the question of global nurse migration from a philosophical perspective. John Rawls' liberal and Michael Walzer's communitarian theory of justice will be examined in view of the ethical problem of nurse migration. In line with Rawls' A Theory of Justice, nurse migration undermines the ability of the people in developing countries to make use of their basic rights and liberties. Walzer's communitarian assessment of nurse migration, on the other hand, will stress the shared 'thin' morality, as well as the shared history between the 'donating' and receiving countries. This paper argues that the commonality of a shared history and common values implies the moral obligation to ensure a fairer distribution of nurses.