Binding of anti-Z-DNA antibodies to negatively supercoiled SV40 DNA.
The binding of anti-Z-DNA antibody preparations to negatively supercoiled, protein-free SC40 DNA was analyzed. Covalent cross-linking with 0.1% glutaraldehyde followed by DNA restriction endonucleolytic fragmentation and nitrocellulose filtration allowed accurate mapping of antibody binding sites. The critical superhelical density necessary to allow antibody binding was -sigma = 0.056. The major region of antibody-DNA interaction was found within an SV40 segment spanning viral map positions 40 to 474. This region coincides with the nucleosome free region in SV40 minichromosomes and harbours the early and late promoter regions including the SV40 enhancer segment. Although it is unknown whether alternative, non-B-DNA conformations are generated in vivo within SV40 minichromosomes our results emphasize the high degree of DNA structural flexibility that can be realized under negative torsional stress.


Wireless IoT and Cyber-Physical System for Health Monitoring Using Honey Badger Optimized Least-Squares Support-Vector Machine.
Health monitoring is a prominent factor in a person's daily life. Healthcare for the elderly is becoming increasingly important as the population ages and grows. The health of an Elderly patient needs frequent examination because the health deteriorates with an increasing age profile. IoT is utilized everywhere in the health industry to identify and communicate with the patients by the professional. A cyber-physical system (CPS) is used to combine physical processes with communication and computation. CPS and IoT are both wirelessly connected via information and communication technologies. The novelty of the research lies in the Honey Badger (HB) algorithm optimized Least-squares Support-Vector Machine (LS-SVM) architecture proposed in this paper for monitoring multi parameters to categorize and determine the abnormal patient details present in the dataset. Since the performance of the LS-SVM is highly dependent on the width coefficient and regularization factor, the HB algorithm is employed in this study to optimize both parameters. The HB algorithm is capable of solving the medical problem that has a complex search space and it also improves the convergence performance of the LS-SVM classifier by achieving a tradeoff between the exploration and exploitation phases. The HB optimized LS-SVM classifier predicts the patients with deteriorating health conditions and evaluates the accuracy of the results obtained. In the end, the statistical data is provided to the caretaker via a smartphone application as a monthly statistical report. The proposed model offers a Positive Predictive Value (PPV), Negative Predictive Value (NPV), and an Area Under the Curve (AUC) score of 0.9478, 0.9587, and 0.9617 respectively which is relatively higher than the conventional techniques such as Decision tree, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed model efficiently models the sensor parameters and offers timely support to elderly patients.


Large, papillomatous, pedunculated nevus sebaceus: a new phenotype.
We present five cases of an unusual phenotype of nevus sebaceus characterized by large, pink, exophytic nodules. In all cases, no evidence of extracutaneous disease or associated syndromes was observed. We review the clinical presentation of nevus sebaceus, the differential diagnosis of exophytic scalp tumors in the newborn, as well as management of these lesions.


Evaluation of dietary calcium requirements for laying Longyan shelducks.
To establish the dietary Ca requirements for laying ducks during their peak laying period, 5 Ca levels (2.8, 3.2, 3.6, 4.0, and 4.4%) were used, and laying performance, eggshell quality, serum variables, and bone quality were examined. A total of 1,620 Longyan shelducks with similar BW at 20 wk of age were fed for 13 wk in 5 treatment groups, each with 4 replicates of 81 birds. Dietary Ca increased egg production and egg mass (linear, P<0.01) and reduced the feed conversion ratio (FCR), but egg weight was not affected. Dietary Ca level did not affect eggshell properties or any reproductive organ index except for shell weight (highest with the 4.0% Ca diet, P<0.05). Serum concentrations of Ca and calcitonin increased with dietary Ca level (linear, P<0.01), and a quadratic response (P<0.01) was seen in alkaline phosphatase activity; the highest values were in ducks fed the 3.6% Ca diet. Tibial fresh weight was affected by dietary Ca (linear and quadratic, P<0.05) with tibiae from the 2.8% Ca ducks weighing less than those from ducks fed any other Ca level. Other tibial measurements were unaffected by dietary Ca. According to the regression model, the Ca levels required for laying Longyan shelducks during their peak laying period are 3.4 and 3.2% for maximal serum alkaline phosphatase activity and tibial fresh weight, respectively. The results showed that diets containing 3.2 to 3.6% Ca provide for superior productive performance and bone quality in laying Longyan shelducks during their peak laying period.


Localization of antigenic sites in the primary sequence of the Sendai virus NP protein.
Monoclonal antibodies were used to localize five antigenic sites in the sequence of the Sendai virus NP gene. NP-specific peptides, expressed in Escherichia coli from the cloned gene served as antigens for blot analyses to determine the specificity of antibody binding. The antigenic sites were associated primarily with the C-terminal half of the protein.


Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm originating from a heterotopic pancreas within the jejunum: a case report.
We report a case of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm arising within the heterotopic pancreatic tissue which was found incidentally in the jejunum during surgery for bowel obstruction. A 54-year-old female patient was admitted to our hospital due to sudden abdominal pain. In preoperative findings, we diagnosed bowel obstruction and performed surgery. Intra-operative findings showed adhesive intestinal obstruction, we performed synechiotomy for adhesion release. During surgery, when searching the small intestine, we coincidentally found a tumor in the jejunum and partial resected the jejunum. Pathological examination revealed a 1.2 cm × 1.0 cm × 1.0 cm white yellow nodule with cystic spaces. Histological examination demonstrated heterotopic pancreatic tissue consisting of well-formed lobules of pancreatic acini and cystically dilated ducts containing intraductal papillary neoplasm. Moreover, in immunohistochemical staining, MUC5AC was diffusely expressed, but not MUC1, MUC2 and MUC6.


[Cotrel-Dubousset instrumentation in the treatment of scoliosis].
The authors describe the operative principles of the C.D. device reviewing implantable material (rods and hooks, screws and transverse system). The principles of this surgical approach (2 rods) which offers the possible distraction and contraction where necessary, are described. Good derotation is achieved and a strong and stable square support device enabling the patient to be got out of bed rapidly without any need for post-operative support. The post-operative care is extremely easy and a rapid return to school activity is possible.


A new method for the synthesis of α-aminoalkylidenebisphosphonates and their asymmetric phosphonyl-phosphinyl and phosphonyl-phosphinoyl analogues.
A convenient approach has been developed to α-aminoalkylidenebisphosphonates and their asymmetric phosphonyl-phosphinyl and phosphonyl-phosphinoyl analogues by α-phosphonylation, α-phosphinylation or α-phosphinoylation of 1-(N-acylamino)alkylphosphonates, that, in turn, are easily accessible from N-acyl-α-amino acids. Effective electrophilic activation of the α-position of 1-(N-acetylamino)alkylphosphonates was achieved by electrochemical α-methoxylation of these compounds in methanol, mediated with NaCl, followed by displacement of the methoxy group with triphenylphosphonium tetrafluoroborate to give hitherto unknown 1-(N-acetylamino)-1-triphenylphosphoniumalkylphosphonate tetrafluoroborates. The latter compounds react smoothly with trialkyl phosphites, dialkyl phosphonites or alkyl phosphinites in the presence of Hünig's base and methyltriphenylphosphonium iodide in a Michaelis-Arbuzov-like reaction to give the expected alkylidenebisphosphonates, 1-phosphinylalkylphosphonates or 1-phosphinoylalkylphosphonates, respectively, in good yields.


Palladium-Catalyzed Cleavage of α-Allenylic Aryl Ether toward Pyrazolemethylene-Substituted Phosphinyl Allenes and Their Transformations via Alkenyl C-P(O) Cleavage.
A palladium-catalyzed two-component coupling of allenylphosphine oxides with conjugated N-tosylhydrazones is revealed. For the first time, the cleavage of α-allenylic aryl ether toward pyrazolemethylene-substituted phosphinyl allenes enabled facile synthesis of combined motifs with pyrazole and allene. Moreover, the obtained adducts could be easily transformed to potential bioactive multifunctionalized phosphinates via a novel alkenyl C-P(O) cleavage.


Hippocampus, Retrosplenial and Parahippocampal Cortices Encode Multicompartment 3D Space in a Hierarchical Manner.
Humans commonly operate within 3D environments such as multifloor buildings and yet there is a surprising dearth of studies that have examined how these spaces are represented in the brain. Here, we had participants learn the locations of paintings within a virtual multilevel gallery building and then used behavioral tests and fMRI repetition suppression analyses to investigate how this 3D multicompartment space was represented, and whether there was a bias in encoding vertical and horizontal information. We found faster response times for within-room egocentric spatial judgments and behavioral priming effects of visiting the same room, providing evidence for a compartmentalized representation of space. At the neural level, we observed a hierarchical encoding of 3D spatial information, with left anterior hippocampus representing local information within a room, while retrosplenial cortex, parahippocampal cortex, and posterior hippocampus represented room information within the wider building. Of note, both our behavioral and neural findings showed that vertical and horizontal location information was similarly encoded, suggesting an isotropic representation of 3D space even in the context of a multicompartment environment. These findings provide much-needed information about how the human brain supports spatial memory and navigation in buildings with numerous levels and rooms.


Coma and thyroid storm in apathetic thyrotoxicosis.
We report the case of an 87-year-old woman with coma who was found to be in thyrotoxic crisis. The patient had a recent history of decreased mentation and apathy, and laboratory findings were found to be consistent with hyperthyroidism. After a stormy course, the clinical condition recovered to baseline, with return of laboratory values to normal following antithyroid therapy. We provide the details of this rarely documented presentation of apathetic hyperthyroidism with thyroid storm and coma and review the characteristics of similar cases in the literature.


Synthesis of Fullerotetrahydroquinolines via [4 + 2] Cycloaddition Reaction of [60]Fullerene with in Situ Generated Aza-o-quinone Methides.
An efficient [4 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of [60]fullerene with the in situ generated aza-o-quinone methides from N-(o-chloromethyl)aryl sulfonamides with the assistance of Cu2O has been developed to afford a series of fullerotetrahydroquinolines. This strategy exhibits a broad substrate scope and excellent functional group tolerance. A tentative reaction pathway for the formation of fullerotetrahydroquinolines is proposed on the basis of the experimental results.


A Multilayer Interlaced Ag Nanosheet Film Prepared by an Electrodeposition Method on a PPy@PEDOT:PSS Film: A Strategy to Prepare Sensitive Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Substrates.
A highly sensitive multilayer interlaced silver (Ag) nanosheet (MISN) film was prepared on a PPy@PEDOT:PSS film via an electrodeposition method for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) applications. After the PPy@PEDOT:PSS film was pretreated with ascorbic acid solution, many sparse Ag nanoparticles (NPs) could be directly reduced on the surface of the PPy@PEDOT:PSS film in AgNO3 solution. Then, the MISN film was directionally grown along the surface of sparse Ag NPs by using an electrochemical galvanostatic method to form a Ag/PPy@PEDOT:PSS film for a SERS substrate. The results indicated that with the increase in electrodeposition time, the density of Ag nanosheets was also increased for boosting the SERS effect. Accordingly, owing to the directional growth of Ag NPs, the increase in the length-width ratio of single Ag nanosheets would further promote the SERS signal of the substrate. Moreover, the maximum enhancement factor of the SERS substrate could reach to 12,478, and the minimum limit of detection of melamine solution was down to 5.42 ng/mL. The SERS sensitivity of the Ag nanosheet film reached 100.65. This method of preparing the SERS substrate provides a novel and robust strategy for the low-cost and high-sensitivity detection in biomedicine, drugs, and food.


Phasmarhabditis safricana n. sp. (Nematoda: Rhabditidae), a parasite of the slug Deroceras reticulatum from South Africa.
During a survey for mollusc-associated nematodes in South Africa, a new Phasmarhabditis species was isolated from the invasive slug, Deroceras reticulatum, collected from a nursery near George in the Western Cape province. The nematode was identified using a combination of morphological, morphometric, molecular, and phylogenetic techniques. The new species, P. safricana n. sp., is characterised by the cupola-shaped tail of the female with a spike, small, non-protruding phasmids, a fingerprint-like pattern of the cuticle covering the female tail, toothlike cephalic structures of the infective juveniles, and the distinct molecular characteristics of the species. The molecular phylogeny of the new species, as inferred from its SSU and LSU rRNA gene, places P. safricana n. sp. in close proximity to P. papillosa. Virulence tests were conducted, which demonstrated that P. safricana n. sp. caused significant mortality to the European invasive slug, D. reticulatum. The new species brings the total complement of the genus to eleven species.


Sunitinib in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.
Sunitinib is an oral multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitor with potent antiangiogenic properties. Preclinical data have demonstrated that pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors depend on vascular endothelial growth factor receptors and platelet growth factor receptors-signaling pathways for tumor angiogenesis. Sunitinib has recently been approved for the treatment of patients with advanced, progressive pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Sunitinib has demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements in progression-free survival in a double-blinded randomized trial against placebo, setting progression-free survival as a valid endpoint for the evaluation of novel agents in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Although patients who progressed in this phase III trial were allowed to cross-over, a trend toward improvement in overall survival was also observed. In this trial, side effects reported with sunitinib were those previously reported in other tumor types, including hand-foot syndrome, diarrhea, and hypertension. This trial also investigated patient-reported outcome and showed that treatment with sunitinib did not affect quality of life of patient. Interestingly, this trial showed that sunitinib could be combined with somatostatin analogues without affecting the safety profile of either sunitinib or somatostatin analogues. Since the overall survival of patients with well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors remains sufficiently long, it is worth considering using alternate sequences of targeted therapy (such as everolimus) and chemotherapy to optimize the care of patients with advanced diseases. The optimal sequence for using chemotherapy, everolimus, and sunitinib will remain to be established in clinical trials.


Arabidopsis thaliana floral dip transformation method.
Arabidopsis floral dip transformation is notable for a number of reasons. First, it is strikingly simple to perform. Agrobacterium is applied to flowering Arabidopsis plants that subsequently set seed, and transgenic plants are then selected among the progeny seedlings. Because no plant tissue culture is required, somaclonal variation is avoided, and the procedure can be performed easily by nonspecialists. Success rates are high: it is common that 1% of the progeny seedlings are transgenic. The biology behind the method is interesting: Arabidopsis and some related Brassicaceae are apparently unique in allowing exogenously applied Agrobacterium to colonize the interior of developing ovaries, where female gametophyte cell lineages are transformed. The availability of the method has had a transformative effect on the overall practice of plant molecular biology, as the generation and analysis of large numbers of transgenic plants is now routine in hundreds of laboratories. The method has been exploited in a genomics context to make stable gene knockout plant lines for most Arabidopsis genes.


The role of thyroid and parathyroid metabolism disorders in the etiology of sudden onset dizziness.
The aim of this study was to evaluate thyroid and parathyroid functions as a cause of sudden onset dizziness (SOD) in patients who were admitted to the Emergency Department (ED). This study was conducted prospectively in 100 patients with sudden onset dizziness (SOD) admitted to the ED. Neurologic, ear-nose-throat, detailed neck examinations, serum calcium levels, thyroid function tests (TFT), and parathormone and thyroid ultrasounds were performed on all patients in our study. Thirty-seven (37%) females and 63 (63%) males were included in this study. Four patients (4%) had elevated serum TSH levels, 6 (6%) had decreased serum fT3 levels, 10 (10%) had decreased serum fT4 levels, 2 (2%) had elevated serum fT4 levels, and 2 (2%) had elevated serum parathormone levels. In 4 (4%) patients, the serum calcium levels were lower than normal, and 2 (50%) of these patients had symptomatic hypocalcemia. Thyroid ultrasound examinations showed multinodular goiter in 28 (28%) patients, 2 (2%) patients had thyroiditis, 12 (12%) had an isolated unilateral nodule, and 58 (58%) had normal thyroid tissues. We suggest that detailed neck examination, TFT, and thyroid ultrasound examination should be considered in the diagnostic algorithms of SOD to provide rapid diagnosis and proper treatment for a patient in the ED.


High resolution and stability roll angle measurement method for precision linear displacement stages.
A method for high resolution roll angle measurement of linear displacement stages is developed theoretically and tested experimentally. The new optical configuration is based on a special differential plane mirror interferometer, a wedge prism assembly, and a wedge mirror assembly. The wedge prisms assembly is used as a roll angle sensor, which converts roll angle to the changes of optical path. The special interferometer, composed a polarization splitter plane, a half wave plate, a beam splitter, a retro-reflector and a quarter wave plate, is designed for high resolution measurement of the changes of the optical path. The interferometric beams are a completely common path for the adoption of the centrosymmetrical measurement structure, and the cross talk of the straightness, yaw, and pitch errors is avoided. The angle measurement resolution of the proposed method is 3.5 μrad in theoretical with a phase meter which has a resolution of 2π/512. The experimental result also shows the great stability and accuracy of the present roll angle measurement system.


Disentangling Coalescing Neutron-Star-White-Dwarf Binaries for LISA.
The prime candidate sources for the upcoming space-borne gravitational wave (GW) observatory LISA are the numerous Galactic tight binaries of white dwarfs (WDs) and neutron stars (NSs), many of which will coalesce and undergo mass transfer, leading to simultaneous emission of x rays and GWs. Here, detailed and coherent numerical stellar models are explored for the formation and evolution of these systems, including finite-temperature effects and complete calculations of mass transfer from a WD to a NS accretor. Evolutionary tracks of characteristic strain amplitude are computed, and the unique pattern of their evolution in the GW frequency-dynamical chirp mass parameter space enables a firm identification of the nature of the systems. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that a precise detection of the chirp allows determination of the NS mass to an accuracy of a few percent; with applications to constraining its equation of state, in particular for dual-line GW sources observed simultaneously at high and low frequencies.


Detection of primary breast cancer presenting as metastatic carcinoma of unknown primary origin by 111In-pentetreotide scan.
Women with isolated metastatic carcinoma or adenocarcinoma involving axillary lymph nodes are a well-recognized group of unknown primary carcinoma (UPC) patients with a favorable prognosis. This group of patients are generally treated based on the assumption that they have occult breast cancer. However, to facilitate patient access to the whole spectrum of therapies available for patients with breast cancer, including strategies involving the use of high-dose chemotherapy, a precise diagnosis is increasingly important. In this clinical case we report the detection of a primary breast cancer by 111In-pentetreotide scanning in a woman who presented with metastatic carcinoma in axillary nodes, no palpable breast lesion, a nondiagnostic mammogram, and negative breast ultrasonography. Previous outcomes analysis of patients with UPC have emphasized the value of identifying women with breast cancer. This report suggests that the 111In-pentetreotide scan can contribute specific, clinically useful information in the evaluation of women presenting with metastatic carcinoma in axillary nodes and an occult primary and deserves prospective study in women with UPC presenting with isolated axillary metastases.


Nursing with dignity. Part 9: Jehovah's Witnesses.
This article describes the main teachings and customs of Jehovah's Witnesses. It offers some guidelines to enable nurses to provide sensitive and appropriate care to patients who are Jehovah's Witnesses.


Microtubule polarity is instructive for many aspects of neuronal polarity.
Many neurons in bilaterian animals are polarized with functionally distinct axons and dendrites. Microtubule polarity, microtubule stability, and the axon initial segment (AIS) have all been shown to influence polarized transport in neurons. Each of these cytoskeletal cues could act independently to control axon and dendrite identity, or there could be a hierarchy in which one acts upstream of the others. Here we test the hypothesis that microtubule polarity acts as a master regulator of neuronal polarity by using a Drosophila genetic background in which some dendrites have normal minus-end-out microtubule polarity and others have the axonal plus-end-out polarity. In these mosaic dendrite arbors, we found that ribosomes, which are more abundant in dendrites than axons, were reduced in plus-end-out dendrites, while an axonal cargo was increased. In addition, we determined that microtubule stability was different in plus-end-out and minus-end-out dendrites, with plus-end-out ones having more stable microtubules like axons. Similarly, we found that ectopic diffusion barriers, like those at the AIS, formed at the base of dendrites with plus-end-out regions. Thus, changes in microtubule polarity were sufficient to rearrange other cytoskeletal features associated with neuronal polarization. However, overall neuron shape was maintained with only subtle changes in branching in mosaic arbors. We conclude that microtubule polarity can act upstream of many aspects of intracellular neuronal polarization, but shape is relatively resilient to changes in microtubule polarity in vivo.


A Conceptual Multivariate Modelling Approach for Integrating Epidemiologic and Psychosocial Determinants to Examine the Epidemiology of Diseases in Under-served Populations.
Epidemiologic research involves the study of a complex set of host, environment and causative agent factors as these interact to impact health and diseases in any population. A conceptual multivariate modelling approach for integrating epidemiologic and psychosocial determinants to examine the epidemiology of chronic and infectious diseases in under-served populations in the USA was developed. Our approach relies upon systems analysis, i.e. integrating concepts and methods in epidemiology with mathematics and statistics along with computational methods and tools to rigorously examine the dynamics of diseases such as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in a community. We used a multifactorial and quantitative epidemiologic (static) model that interrelates multiple determinants including biomedical, behavioral, and socioeconomic factors to analyze morbidity and mortality due to HIV/AIDS. The research involved participation of the community in the collection of socioeconomic, demographic, environmental, epidemiologic and biomedical data. In collaboration with Montgomery AIDS Outreach (MAO), a community based Organization in Montgomery, Alabama; blood samples were collected and tested using Orasure HIV testing kits to establish infection status with HIV/AIDS. Using these models, evaluations of various intervention scenarios with the objective of recommending effective strategies to minimize the risk of new HIV infections and/or manage existing diseases in a community can be generated.


Cloning and characterization of a metabotropic glutamate receptor, mGluR4b.
An alternative spliced variant of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype mGluR4a, termed mGluR4b was isolated from a rat cDNA library. Subtype mGluR4b was identical to the previously described mGluR4a, except for the last 64 amino acids in the C-terminal region in which were replaced by 135 new amino acids in mGluR4b. Recombinant baculoviruses coding for mGluR4a and mGluR4b were expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda, Sf-9, insect cells and characterized pharmacologically by measuring [3H]-L-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate ([3H]-L-AP4) binding and second messenger formation. [3H]-L-AP4 binding to membranes prepared from Sf-9 cells expressing mGluR4a and mGluR4b revealed respective affinities (Kd) of 480 and 360 nM and maximal binding densities (Bmax) of 4.2 and 0.8 pmol/mg protein. The ligand selectivity of mGluR4a and mGluR4b was similar: L-AP4 > L-serine-O-phosphate > L-glutamate > L-2-amino 2-methyl-4-phosphonobutyrate > (1S,3R)-1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylate > or = quisqualate. A decrease in the affinity of [3H]-L-AP4 was observed in the presence of 0.1 mM guanosine 5'-O-(3-thio)trisphosphate-gamma-S, indicating that mGluR4a and mGluR4b were functionally coupled to G-proteins in Sf-9 cells. Agonists of mGluR4 caused a minor decrease in forskolin-induced cAMP formation in Sf-9 cells expressing either mGluR4a or mGluR4b, suggesting that both receptors are coupled to adenylate cyclase in an inhibitory manner. Thus, mGluR4a and mGluR4b share a common signal transduction pathway and pharmacology when expressed in Sf-9 insect cells.


Facile synthesis of Pd(ii) and Ni(ii) pincer carbene complexes by the double C-H bond activation of a new hexahydropyrimidine-based bis(phosphine): catalysis of C-N couplings.
Hexahydropyrimidine-based bis(phosphine), a pro-NHC ligand, was synthesized in one step and excellent yield. It underwent spontaneous double C-H bond activation to give cationic pincer NHC complexes of the type [(PCP)MCl]X (M = Pd, Ni and X = Cl, BF4) in the absence of any external reagents. Their structures were determined by X-ray diffraction methods and the mechanism of formation of palladium carbene complexes as analyzed by DFT calculations showed two transition states. The Pd(ii) carbene complex effectively catalyzes a few C-N cross coupling reactions.


Invasive procedures in the diagnosis of pneumonia.
The etiology of respiratory infections can be elusive despite the recent advances in diagnostic technology. Thereby, the clinician needs a systematic approach for a definitive early diagnosis. This review presents the pros and cons of various invasive procedures in order to select the most appropriate diagnostic method. Expectorated sputum, the important initial step in community-acquired pneumonia, is unreliable in complex pneumonias, mainly because of colonization of the oropharynx. Even though blood cultures are frequently negative, they provide a precise diagnosis and should be obtained in undiagnosed pneumonias. Transtracheal needle aspiration has few false-negative results. However, its use has decreased because of the high frequency of false-positive cultures and risk of serious complications. Bronchoscopy provides direct access to both the bronchi and parenchyma for visualization and sampling. Plugged telescoping catheter brush, used safely in different clinical settings, has good sensitivity in identifying the pathogen, but the specificity varies with the underlying status of the patient. Because of upper airway contamination, bronchial washings are only slightly better than expectorated sputum. A newer technique, transbronchial needle aspiration, is, thus far, no improvement over the plugged telescoping catheter brush. In the immunosuppressed patient, bronchoalveolar lavage has excellent diagnostic accuracy for opportunistic infections. The accuracy increases with the addition of transbronchial biopsy. Transthoracic needle aspiration gives decisive information with low false-positive results. With the ultrathin needle, the complications decrease. Renewed interest in thoracoscopy-guided biopsy has demonstrated a high diagnostic accuracy with low complication rate. One procedure, a combination, or improvements of these procedures may reduce the need for open lung biopsy. Nevertheless, an open lung biopsy furnishes the best specimen for making a histological and microbiological diagnosis, although controversy exists regarding any improvement in survival rates.


Hydration Status of Junior Tennis Players and the Difference after a Lecture on Its Practice.
Dehydration reduces exercise performance and causes heat-related illness. However, the fact that dehydration is a serious sports injury is often forgotten, especially among junior tennis players, who engage in tennis matches alone without receiving advice from others. Our objective was to investigate the hydration status of junior tennis players and the difference after attending a lecture on the importance of hydration. In total, 157 junior tennis players attending a training camp participated in this study. The duration of the camp was two days, and a lecture was organized on the first night to educate the players about hydration using a body mass scale. Body mass (BM) was measured immediately before and after practice on the first and second day. The water loss rate (WLR) was calculated by dividing the loss in BM during practice by the BM before practice. In total, 34.4% of players had attended a lecture on hydration in the past. These players had a lower WLR than those who had not, but the difference was not significant. The WLR was significantly lower after attending our lecture than that before. This study suggests that a lecture on hydration could immediately improve the hydration status of the junior tennis players; however, this effect may not be lasting. They may need help from their coaches and parents to implement what they have learned in lecture.


Effects of nanosilver on sound absorption coefficients in solid wood species.
Sound absorption coefficients (ACs) were determined in five solid woods (poplar, beech, walnut, mulberry, and fir) in the longitudinal and tangential directions at four different frequencies of 800, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz. The length of the longitudinal and tangential specimens was 50-mm and 10-mm, respectively. Separate sets of specimens were impregnated with either nanosilver suspension or water. The size range of nanoparticles was 30-80 nm. Results showed that sound ACs were lower in longitudinal specimens because sound waves could penetrate the open ends of vessels more easily, being trapped and damped there. Impregnation with both nanosilver suspension and water resulted in a significant decrease in the sound ACs. The decrease in the ACs was due to the collapsing and accumulation of perforation plates and cell parts, blocking the way through which waves could pass through the vessels. This caused higher damping due to a phenomenon called vibration decay. Correlation between gas permeability versus sound AC is significantly dependant on the porous structure of individual specimens.


[Comments on "Effect of Acupuncture vs Sham Acupuncture on Live Births Among Women Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization: A Randomized Clinical Trial " from Journal of the American Medical Association].
In recent years, acupuncture has been used widely as an adjuvant treatment for the in vitro fertilization (IVF). "Effect of Acupuncture vs Sham Acupuncture on Live Births Among Women Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization: A Randomized Clinical Trial " published in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on May 15, 2018, the research findings do not support the use of acupuncture to improve the rate of live births among the women undergoing IVF. In order to avoid the misunderstanding of the scholars at home and abroad for the clinical effects of acupuncture on IVF assistance, the authors put forward the doubts after the analysis from the following 3 aspects, including the acupuncture scheme, outcomes and result explanation. Additionally, the thinking and suggestions are proposed for the future development of the clinical trials of acupuncture IVF assistance in terms of selecting the proper participants, being abided by the standards of the evidence-based medicine, designing multi-acupuncture schemes and setting up the rational control, as well as conducting the overall analysis of the trial data.


Facilitatory effect of the intra-hippocampal pre-test administration of MT3 in the inhibitory avoidance task.
The cholinergic system plays a crucial role in learning and memory. Modulatory mechanisms of this system in the acquisition and consolidation processes have been extensively studied, but their participation in the memory retrieval process is still poorly understood. Conventional pharmacological agents are not highly selective for particular muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes. Muscarinic toxins (MTs) that are highly selective for muscarinic receptors were extracted from the venom of the mamba snake, like the toxin MT3, selective for the M4 receptor subtype. These toxins are useful tools in studies of the specific functions of the M4 mediated transmission. The M4 receptor selective antagonist MT3, given into the dorsal hippocampus before the test, have enhanced the memory retrieval of an inhibitory avoidance task in rats. MT3 had no effect in the habituation to a new environment, including basic motor parameters, meaning that the effect in he inhibitory avoidance is purely cognitive. Our results suggest an endogenous negative modulation of the cholinergic muscarinic system upon the retrieval of previously consolidated aversive memories, hereby shown by the facilitatory effect of MT3.


Analysis of statistical coefficients and autoregressive parameters over intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) for epileptic seizure detection.
Epilepsy is a persistent neurological disorder impacting over 50 million people around the world. It is characterized by repeated seizures defined as brief episodes of involuntary movement that might entail the human body. Electroencephalography (EEG) signals are usually used for the detection of epileptic seizures. This paper introduces a new feature extraction method for the classification of seizure and seizure-free EEG time segments. The proposed method relies on the empirical mode decomposition (EMD), statistics and autoregressive (AR) parameters. The EMD method decomposes an EEG time segment into a finite set of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) from which statistical coefficients and autoregressive parameters are computed. Nevertheless, the calculated features could be of high dimension as the number of IMFs increases, the Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney U test were thus employed for features ranking in order to withdraw lower significant features. The obtained features have been used for the classification of seizure and seizure-free EEG signals by the application of a feed-forward multilayer perceptron neural network (MLPNN) classifier. Experimental results carried out on the EEG database provided by the University of Bonn, Germany, demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method which performance assessed by the classification accuracy (CA) is compared to other existing performances reported in the literature.


Increased insulin-like growth factor-I mRNA expression in pyloric muscle in infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.
The etiology of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) is unknown. Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is a polypeptide hormone that elicits various biological activities (cellular growth, replication, and differentiation) by binding to its receptors. IGF-I has been suggested to play an important role in both gastrointestinal (GI) maturation and smooth-muscle-cell (SMC) hypertrophy. Full-thickness muscle biopsy specimens were obtained from 8 IHPS patients (age range 14-64 days, mean 28.1 days) at pyloromyotomy and from 8 age-matched controls (15-60 days, mean 33.8 days) without GI disease at autopsy. In-situ hybridization was performed using an IGF-I-specific and digoxigenin (DIG)-labeled oligonucleotide probe and visualized by nitroblue tetrazolium staining. In normal controls, IGF-I mRNA expression was absent or weak in both circular and longitudinal smooth-muscle layers of pyloric muscle. In contrast, the pyloric muscle in IHPS patients demonstrated strong IGF-I mRNA expression in the circular smooth-muscle layer and moderate expression in the longitudinal smooth-muscle layer. The increase in IGF-I mRNA in pyloric muscle in IHPS suggests that SMCs are actively synthesizing IGF-I, contributing to the development of pyloric muscle hypertrophy.


Carboplatin-based chemotherapy in patients with gynecological malignancies on long-term hemodialysis.
We report on three cases of long-term dialysis patients with gynecological malignancies who were successfully treated with chemotherapy. Two epithelial ovarian carcinoma patients were treated with a single agent, carboplatin (100-200 mg/m2). One recurrent endometrial carcinoma patient was treated with carboplatin (200 mg/m2) and paclitaxel (135 mg/m2). Hemodialysis was started 2 h after the carboplatin infusion and lasted 4 h in all three cases. All patients tolerated these therapies without significant myelosuppression or severe side-effects. Our findings suggest these regimens are feasible, and the combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin is effective chemotherapy when administered to long-term hemodialysis patients with recurrent endometrial carcinoma.


Long-term outcome of children undergoing surgery for suspected perilymph fistula.
A number of authors have suggested that surgery for suspected perilymph fistula is effective in preventing deterioration of hearing and in improving hearing in some cases in the short term. We present long-term hearing outcome data from 35 children who underwent exploration for presumed perilymph fistula at The Children's Hospital, Sydney, Australia, between 1985 and 1992. The pre-operative audiological data (mean of 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz results) were compared with the most recently available data (range two to 15 years) and the six-month post-operative data. The short-term results showed no significant change in hearing at six months, with a subsequent, statistically significant progression of hearing loss in both operated and non-operated ears (Wilcoxon signed rank test: operated ear, p < 0.017; non-operated ear, p < 0.009). In this case series, exploratory surgery for correction of suspected perilymph fistula did not prevent progression of long-term hearing loss.


Aircraft noise-Auralization-based assessment of weather-dependent effects on loudness and sharpness.
This paper deals with the question of how specific weather conditions affect the perception of aircraft noise. Auralization is a suitable method by enabling parametrical decompositions of the overall aircraft noise scenario into source and propagation components. Considering influences on the auditory perception, the signal processing chain contains different virtual receivers and post processing using psychoacoustic hearing models. For broad coverage, generic standardized as well as measurement-based atmosphere models with variation of ground impedances such as soil data are evaluated. These variations are given aircraft noise measurement values based on A-weighted sound pressure levels LA and psychoacoustic measures regarding loudness, N, and sharpness, S. The results show an immense influence of weather conditions on A-weighted sound pressure levels and on psychoacoustic perception of aircraft noise, too. The weather-dependent differences of A-weighted sound pressure levels are up to 15 dBA and relative differences regarding loudness of factor 1.6 and sharpness of factor 2.0 occur. The approach can be used to get a better understanding of how the temporal statistics of specific local weather conditions and their perceptual consequences may lead to improved taxation of actual noise events and to an improved basis for long-term averages of aircraft noise effects.


Unjamming strongly compressed rafts: Effects of the compression direction.
We experimentally study the unjamming dynamics of strongly compressed particle rafts confined between two fixed walls and two movable barriers. The back barrier is made of an elastic band, whose deflection indicates the local stress. The front barrier is pierced by a gate, whose opening triggers local unjamming. Prior to gate opening, the rafts are quasistatically compressed by moving only one of the two barriers, in the vicinity of which folds form. Using high-speed imaging, we follow the raft relaxation with folded, jammed, and unjammed areas and measure the velocity fields inside and outside the confined domain. Two very different behaviors develop. For rafts compressed by the back barrier, only partial unjamming occurs. At the end of the process, many folds remain and the back stress does not relax. The flow develops mostly along the compression axis and the particles passing the gate form a dense raft whose width is the gate width. For rafts compressed at the front, quasitotal unjamming is observed. Almost no folds persist and only minimal stress remains, if any. The particles flow along the compression axis but also normally to it and form a rather circular and not dense assembly. Both the force chain network orientation and the initial fold location could cause the unjamming difference. Other effects, such as a different pressure field or simple steric hindrance, cannot be excluded.


Night-time lights: A global, long term look at links to socio-economic trends.
We use a parallelized spatial analytics platform to process the twenty-one year totality of the longest-running time series of night-time lights data-the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) dataset-surpassing the narrower scope of prior studies to assess changes in area lit of countries globally. Doing so allows a retrospective look at the global, long-term relationships between night-time lights and a series of socio-economic indicators. We find the strongest correlations with electricity consumption, CO2 emissions, and GDP, followed by population, CH4 emissions, N2O emissions, poverty (inverse) and F-gas emissions. Relating area lit to electricity consumption shows that while a basic linear model provides a good statistical fit, regional and temporal trends are found to have a significant impact.


Low Fertility at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century.
In the past few decades, demographic concerns have shifted from rapid population growth fueled by high fertility to concerns of population decline produced by very low, sub-replacement fertility levels. Once considered a problem unique to Europe or developed nations, concerns now center on the global spread of low fertility. Nearly half of the world's population now lives in countries with fertility at or below replacement levels. Further, by the mid-twenty-first century three of four countries now described as developing are projected to reach or slip below replacement fertility. We review the research on low fertility through the predominant frameworks and theories used to explain it. These explanations range from decomposition and proximate determinant frameworks to grand theories on the fundamental causes underlying the pervasiveness and spread of low fertility. We focus on the ability of theory to situate previous and future findings and conclude with directions for furthur research.


Differential effects of inhibitors of PTZ-induced kindling on glutamate transporters and enzyme expression.
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder resulting from abnormal neuronal firing in the brain. Glutamate transporters and the glutamate-glutamine cycle play crucial roles in the development of seizures. In the present study, the correlation of epilepsy with glutamate transporters and enzymes was investigated. Herein, male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into four groups (six animals/group); 35 mg/kg pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) was used to induce a kindling model of epilepsy. Once the kindling model was established, animals were treated for 15 days with either valproic acid (VPA, 350 mg/kg) or ceftriaxone (CEF, 200 mg/kg) in addition to the control group receiving saline. After treatment, electrocorticography (ECoG) was performed to record the electrical activity of the cerebral cortex. The glutamate reuptake time (T80 ) was also determined in situ using an in vivo voltammetry. The expression levels of glutamate transporters and enzymes in the M1 and CA3 areas of the brain were determined using a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). ECoG measurements showed that the mean spike number of the PTZ + VPA and PTZ + CEF groups was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than that of the PTZ group. Compared with the PTZ group, VPA or CEF treatment decreased the glutamate reuptake time (T80 ). The expression levels of EAAC1, GLT-1, GLAST, glutamine synthetase (GS), and glutaminase were increased in the PTZ group. Treatment with VPA or CEF enhanced the expression levels of GLT-1, GLAST, EAAC1, and GS, whereas the glutaminase expression level was reduced. The current results suggest that VPA or CEF decreases seizure activity by increasing glutamate reuptake by upregulating GLT-1 and GLAST expression, implying a possible mechanism for treating epilepsy. Also, we have suggested a novel mechanism for the antiepileptic activity of VPA via decreasing glutaminase expression levels. To our knowledge, this is the first study to measure the glutamate reuptake time in situ during the seizure (i.e., real-time measurement).


Phase relation changes between the firings of alpha and gamma-motoneurons and muscle spindle afferents in the sacral micturition centre during continence functions in brain-dead human and patients with spinal cord injury.
1. Single-nerve fibre action potentials (APs) were recorded with 2 pairs of wire electrodes from lower sacral nerve roots during surgery in patients with spinal cord injury and in a brain-dead human. Conduction velocity distribution histograms were constructed for afferent and efferent fibres, nerve fibre groups were identified and simultaneous impulse patterns of alpha and gamma-motoneurons and secondary muscle spindle afferents (SP2) were constructed. Temporal relations between afferent and efferent APs were analyzed by interspike interval (II) and phase relation changes to explore the coordinated self-organization of somatic and parasympathetic neuronal networks in the sacral micturition centre during continence functions under physiologic (brain-dead) and pathophysiologic conditions (spinal cord injury). 2. In a paraplegic with hyperreflexia of the bladder, urinary bladder stretch (S1) and tension receptor afferents (ST) fired already when the bladder was empty, and showed a several times higher bladder afferent activity increase upon retrograde bladder filling than observed in the brain-dead individual. Two alpha2-motoneurons (FR) innervating the external bladder sphincter were already oscillatory firing to generate high activity levels when the bladder was empty. They showed activity levels with no bladder filling, comparable to those measured at a bladder filling of 600 ml in the brain-dead individual. A bladder storage volume of 600 ml was thus lost in the paraplegic, due to a too high bladder afferent input to the sacral micturition center, secondary to inflammation and hypertrophy of the detrusor. 3. In a brain-dead human, 2 phase relations existed per oscillation period of 160 ms between the APs of a sphincteric oscillatory firing alpha2-motoneuron, a dynamic fusimotor and a secondary muscle spindle afferent fibre. Following stimulation of mainly somatic afferent fibres, the phase relations changed only little. 4. In a paraplegic with dyssynergia of the urinary bladder also 2 phase relations (less stable) existed per oscillation period of 110 ms in a functional unit between the APs of a sphincteric alpha-motoneuron, a fusimotor and a secondary spindle afferent fibre. The phase relations changed with time following stimulation of mainly somatic afferents. A second functional unit organized by phase related interactions was phase related to the first functional unit. 5. Following painful bladder catheter pulling, the parasympathetic division was transiently activated several times in the paraplegic. At times of activation of the parasympathetic division, 3 broad phase relations occurred within and between the two functional units, indicating that the parasympathetic division in the sacral micturition and defecation center channeled an additional input to the somatic oscillatory firing neuronal networks driving motoneurons which innervate the external bladder and/or anal sphincters. 6. It is conceivable that the mutual inhibitory action of detrusor and external bladder sphincter has the capacity to recover, if the functional neuronal organization of the sacral micturition center is improved in the direction of more stable phase relations between the firings of neurons and neuronal ensembles by natural coordinated afferent inputs from continence organs, supraspinal neurons, and functionally connected neuronal networks. For supraspinal control and improvement of neuronal organization some kinds of bulbo-spinal-bulbo pathways have to exist or to be reconstructed by regeneration. 7. It will be shown in a following article that the sacral micturition centre can be repaired after spinal cord injury by a functional reorganization and limited regeneration of the human spinal cord by administering coordination dynamics therapy.


Panoramic dental X-ray exposure leads to oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis-mediated developmental defects in zebrafish embryos.
Panoramic x-ray units are widely used in dental radiodiagnostics. Patients are exposed to relatively low radiation doses with panoramic imaging, but considering lifetime frequency of exposure, even a small risk can have serious health consequences. Our aim was to assess the effects of panoramic x-rays at two different exposure times on developing zebrafish embryos, focusing on oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptotic pathways, and development. Zebrafish embryos were divided into three groups: control, standard panoramic (SPE, 5.5 s exposure time) and pedodontic panoramic x-ray group (PPE, 4.8 s exposure time). Optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters were used to measure absorbed doses. Mean radiation doses for SPE and PPE were 7.83 mSv and 5.83 mSv respectively. At the end of 96 h post-fertilization, lipid peroxidation (LPO), nitric oxide (NO), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione S-transferase and superoxide dismutase were measured in the embryos. Expressions of genes related with inflammation (tnfα, il6, ill15, il21), immunoregulation (ifng) and apoptosis (p53, bax, casp2, casp3, casp8) were determined by RT-PCR. Even at reduced doses at high-speed mode, developmental toxicity was observed in both groups as evidenced by decreased pigmentation, yolk sac oedema, and spinal curvature. While deterioration of oxidant-antioxidant balance, suppression of immune response, induction of inflammation and apoptosis were observed through increased LPO, NO, decreased GSH, ifng, and increased expressions of genes related with inflammation and apoptosis, these effects were more pronounced in the SPE group. These results demonstrate the influence of exposure time and indicate the need for further consideration of optimal panoramic modes from a radiation-induced damage perspective.


Orthopedic Robot-Assisted Femoral Neck System in the Treatment of Femoral Neck Fracture.
Cannulated screw fixation is the main therapy for femoral neck fractures, especially in young patients. The traditional surgical procedure uses C-arm fluoroscopy to place the screw freehand and requires several guide wire adjustments, which increases the operation time and radiation exposure. Repeated drilling can also cause damage to the blood supply and bone quality of the femoral neck, which can be followed by complications such as screw loosening, nonunion, and femoral head necrosis. In order to make fixation more precise and reduce the incidence of complications, our team applied robot-assisted orthopedic surgery for screw placement using the femoral neck system to modify the traditional procedure. This protocol introduces how to import a patient's X-ray information into the system, how to perform screw path planning in software, and how the robotic arm assists in screw placement. Using this method, the surgeons can place the screw successfully the first time, improve the accuracy of the procedure, and avoid radiation exposure. The whole protocol includes the diagnosis of femoral neck fracture; the collection of intraoperative X-ray images; screw path planning in the software; precise placement of the screw under the assistance of the robotic arm by the surgeon; and verification of the implant placement.


The surgical management of left atrial thrombosis.
A series of 122 consecutive patients with left atrial thrombosis is reviewed. Positive diagnosis was achieved in only 40 cases (36%) based on the angiographic findings and the presence of coronary fistula. The main cause of mortality and morbidity was cerebrovascular embolism. A change in our surgical technique, including the occlusion of the mitral orifice, has so far eliminated this problem.


A new species of and a new transfer from the millipede genus Polydrepanum Carl, 1932 (Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae, Polydrepanini).
A new species of Polydrepanum Carl, 1932, is described and illustrated in detail from the Eastern Ghats of India: P. fissum sp. nov. One new combination of species misplaced in Polydrepanum is established: Telodrepanum implicatum (Carl, 1941) comb. nov.. All the nominal Polydrepanum spp. are keyed and the known distribution of the genus is mapped.


Linkage of an Alzheimer disease susceptibility locus to markers on human chromosome 21.
We assessed linkage between Alzheimer disease (AD) and restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) from human chromosome 21 in 8 families selected because of multiple occurrences of AD and large size. Sib-pair analysis demonstrated significant evidence for linkage between 2 markers (D21S1 and D21S11) and disease. Two markers, D21S13 and D21S52, did not yield evidence in favor of linkage to disease and a 5th, D21S16, was uninformative. The results confirm that a susceptibility locus for Alzheimer disease is located on chromosome 21. In contrast to other investigators who demonstrated linkage between AD and chromosome 21 loci, we found evidence in favor of linkage in both late- (greater than age 65) and early-onset families.


UGT1A1*28 relationship with abnormal total bilirubin levels in chronic hepatitis C patients: Outcomes from a case-control study.
Gilbert syndrome (GS) is a frequent benign clinical condition, marked by intermittent unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia, mostly due to the polymorphism uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1*28 (UGT1A1*28). Hyperbilirubinemia has been reported in a GS patient undergoing hepatitis C treatment, and other UGT isoforms polymorphisms have been linked to worse outcomes in viral hepatitis. Yet, little is known to GS contributions' to the liver disease scenario. Our aim was to assess UGT1A1 genotypes' frequency in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients and correlate with total bilirubin (TB). This is a case-control study in a large tertiary medical center. Cases were CHC patients confirmed by hepatitis C virus (HCV)-polymerase chain reaction. Exclusion criteria were hepatitis B virus or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection. Control were healthy blood donors. UGT1A1 promoter region gene genotyping was performed, and bilirubin serum levels were available for HCV patients. Genotypes and alleles frequencies were similar in case (n = 585; P = 0.101) and control groups (n = 313; P = 0.795). Total bilirubin increase was noticed according to thymine-adenine repeats in genotypes (P < 0.001), and the TB greater than 1 mg/dL group had more UGT1A1*28 subjects than in the group with TB values <1 mg/dL (18.3 vs 5.3; P < 0.001). Bilirubin levels are linked to the studied polymorphisms, and this is the first time that these findings are reported in a chronic liver disease sample. Among patients with increased TB levels, the frequency of UGT1A1*28 is higher than those with normal TB. Personalized care should be considered to GS, regarding either abnormal bilirubin levels or drug metabolism.


e-Health prototype system for cardiac telemonitoring.
This paper presents the approach of an e-health system for cardiac telemonitoring which uses the development board LinkIt ONE as a monitoring system. Such board was adapted to measure the cardiac pulse, analyze it and determine whether a person is having a cardiac arrhythmia or not. When an arrhythmia appears, the prototype activates an alarm in order to report the patient's condition and its location to a caregiver or a close healthcare center. The data of the cardiac pulse is originated in an e-health sensor platform connected to an Arduino. Location data comes from a GPS module in the aforementioned board which is connected by WiFi with the virtual platform UBIDOTS. It provides visual information about the variables measured, the patient's location and the alarms; keeping the patient's caregiver or the healthcare center constantly informed.


meso-Bis{η(5)-1-[1-(dimethylamino)ethenyl]-3-(trimethylsilyl)cyclopentadienyl}iron(II) and the cobalt(II) analogue.
The two title crystalline compounds, viz. meso-bis{η(5)-1-[1-(dimethylamino)ethenyl]-3-(trimethylsilyl)cyclopentadienyl}iron(II), [Fe(C(12)H(20)NSi)(2)], (II), and meso-bis{η(5)-1-[1-(dimethylamino)ethenyl]-3-(trimethylsilyl)cyclopentadienyl}cobalt(II), [Co(C(12)H(20)NSi)(2)], (III), were obtained by the reaction of lithium 1-[1-(dimethylamino)ethenyl]-3-(trimethylsilyl)cyclopentadienide with FeCl(2) and CoCl(2), respectively. For (II), the trimethylsilyl- and dimethylaminoethenyl-substituted cyclopentadienyl (Cp) rings present a nearly eclipsed conformation, and the two pairs of trimethylsilyl and dimethylaminoethenyl substituents on the Cp rings are arranged in an interlocked fashion. In the case of (III), the same substituted Cp rings are perfectly staggered leading to a crystallographically centrosymmetric molecular structure, and the two trimethylsilyl and two dimethylaminoethenyl substituents are oriented in opposite directions, respectively, with the trimethylsilyl group of one Cp ring and the dimethylaminoethenyl group of the other Cp ring arranged more closely than in (II).


Molecular mechanisms and drug development in aquaporin water channel diseases: structure and function of aquaporins.
The discovery of the water channel aquaporin has greatly expanded our understanding of the regulation of the water permeability of biological membranes. The atomic structure of aquaporin-1 (AQP1) demonstrated how aquaporin is freely permeated by water but not protons and provided marked insight into several human disorders. Eleven mammalian aquaporins have been identified, each with a distinct distribution, and these are selectively permeated by water or water plus glycerol. Aquaporins are suspected in numerous pathological conditions involving fluid transport such as brain edema. Knowledge of aquaporin structure may provide insight into the development of new therapeutics through appropriate drug design.


Crossed ureteral ectopia with solitary kidney.
A case of crossed ectopia with a solitary kidney in a 73-year-old man is presented. The fact that the kidney is normally situated and vascularized, and the presence of a second blind homolateral ureter leads us to conclude that this is a case of crossed ureteral ectopia in a solitary kidney. The embryogenesis of the malformation is discussed.


Long-standing intraspinal glass fragments causing subsequent radiculopathy after dorsal stabilization.
A 37-year-old female presented with a history of lumbar intraspinal glass fragments due to an accident in childhood. The patient developed progressive right convexity thoracolumbar scoliosis during puberty. Twenty-eight years after the accident, horizontalization of this deformity was performed by dorsal stabilization. Postoperatively the patient complained of acute L-5 radiculopathy. Radiological examination detected multiple glass fragments intra- and extradurally around the L3-4 levels with compression of the dural sac. Microsurgical removal of the extra- and intradural glass fragments led to complete relief of the radicular pain. Foreign bodies can become symptomatic due to changes in the status of the spine, especially during growth in young patients.


Post-traumatic stress avoidance is attenuated by corticosterone and associated with brain levels of steroid receptor co-activator-1 in rats.
Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) avoid trauma-related stimuli and exhibit blunted hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation at the time of stress. Our rodent model of stress mimics the avoidance symptom cluster of PTSD. Rats are classified as "Avoiders" or "Non-Avoiders" post-stress based on the avoidance of a predator-odor paired context. Previously, we found Avoiders exhibit an attenuated HPA stress response to predator odor. We hypothesized that corticosterone administration before stress would reduce the magnitude and incidence of stress-paired context avoidance. Furthermore, we also predicted that Avoiders would exhibit altered expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling machinery elements, including steroid receptor co-activator (SRC)-1. Male Wistar rats (n = 16) were pretreated with corticosterone (25 mg/kg) or saline and exposed to predator-odor stress paired with a context and tested for avoidance 24 h later. A second group of corticosterone-naïve rats (n = 24) were stressed (or not), indexed for avoidance 24 h later, and killed 48 h post-odor exposure to measure phosphorylated GR, FKBP51 and SRC-1 levels in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), central amygdala (CeA) and ventral hippocampus (VH), all brain sites that highly express GRs and regulate HPA function. Corticosterone pretreatment reduced the magnitude and incidence of avoidance. In Avoiders, predator-odor exposure led to lower SRC-1 expression in the PVN and CeA, and higher SRC-1 expression in the VH. SRC-1 expression in PVN, CeA and VH was predicted by prior avoidance behavior. Hence, a blunted HPA stress response may contribute to stress-induced neuroadaptations in central SRC-1 levels and behavioral dysfunction in Avoider rats.


Designing Computerized Provider Order Entry Software in Iran: The Nurses' and Physicians' Viewpoints.
This study aimed to identify the functional requirements of computerized provider order entry software and design this software in Iran. This study was conducted using review documentation, interview, and focus group discussions in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, as the medical pole in Iran, in 2013-2015. The study sample consisted of physicians (n = 12) and nurses (n = 2) in the largest hospital in the southern part of Iran and information technology experts (n = 5) in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Functional requirements of the computerized provider order entry system were examined in three phases. Finally, the functional requirements were distributed in four levels, and accordingly, the computerized provider order entry software was designed. The software had seven main dimensions: (1) data entry, (2) drug interaction management system, (3) warning system, (4) treatment services, (5) ability to write in software, (6) reporting from all sections of the software, and (7) technical capabilities of the software. The nurses and physicians emphasized quick access to the computerized provider order entry software, order prescription section, and applicability of the software. The software had some items that had not been mentioned in other studies. Ultimately, the software was designed by a company specializing in hospital information systems in Iran. This study was the first specific investigation of computerized provider order entry software design in Iran. Based on the results, it is suggested that this software be implemented in hospitals.


Reversal of optic disc cupping in glaucoma.
To study whether reversal of optic disc cupping after intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction is related to risk of glaucoma progression. In this prospective follow-up study, where 51 patients with exfoliation glaucoma and five with ocular hypertension combined with exfoliation syndrome were followed for 6 years after IOP reduction, 24 showed progression of glaucoma in visual fields or optic nerve head (ONH) stereophotographs. ONH topography was measured with the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRT). A decrease in HRT parameter cup volume of more than 5% was considered cup reversal. Multiple logistic regression was used to model progression of glaucoma. Cup reversal (OR 0.226; 95% CI 0.055 to 0.918, p = 0.037), final IOP (OR 1.216; 95% CI 1.000 to 1.479, p = 0.050) and visual field mean defect at entry (OR 1.158; 95% CI 1.034 to 1.296, p = 0.011) were associated with progression. IOP change from study entry to 6-year control visit was not associated with progression (OR 0.964, 95% CI 0.850 to 1.092, p = 0.56). Cup reversal seemed to be an independent protective factor for progression of glaucoma.


2-Bromo-N-(dibenzyl-carbamothioyl)benzamide.
The 2-bromo-benzoyl group in the title compound, C(22)H(19)BrN(2)OS, adopts an E conformation with respect to the thiono S atom across the N-C bond. In the crystal structure, the mol-ecule is stablized by N-H⋯O inter-molecular hydrogen bonds, forming a one-dimensional chain along the b axis.


Cases from the aerospace medicine residents' teaching file: furunculosis.
A case is presented of an aviator with frequent dermatologic lesions concerning for recurrent furunculosis that was caused by community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and aeromedical disposition of recurrent furunculosis are discussed.


Spina bifida and folate-related genes: a study of gene-gene interactions.
To assess whether interactions of common alleles of two folate genes contribute to spina bifida risk. Case-control study, comparing 203 children with spina bifida to 583 controls. Homozygosity for the 677C-T allele of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) alone was associated with an odds ratio for spina bifida of 1.57 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-2.38). For the 844ins68 allele of cystathionine-beta-synthase alone, the odds ratio was 0.83 (95% CI, 0.39-1.64). For the joint genotype, the odds ratio was 3.69 (95% CI, 1.04-13.50). Interactions between common alleles of folate genes might contribute to the risk for spina bifida.


Behavioral flexibility and response selection are impaired after limited exposure to oxycodone.
Behavioral flexibility allows individuals to adapt to situations in which rewards and goals change. Potentially addictive drugs may impair flexible decision-making by altering brain mechanisms that compute reward expectancies, thereby facilitating maladaptive drug use. To investigate this hypothesis, we tested the effects of oxycodone exposure on rats in two complementary learning and memory tasks that engage distinct learning strategies and neural circuits. Rats were trained first in either a spatial or a body-turn discrimination on a radial maze. After initial training, rats were given oxycodone or vehicle injections in their home cages for 5 d. Reversal learning was tested 36 h after the final drug exposure. We hypothesized that if oxycodone impaired behavioral flexibility, then drug-exposed rats should learn reversals more slowly than controls. Oxycodone exposure impaired spatial reversal learning when reward contingencies changed rapidly, but not when they changed slowly. During rapid reversals, oxycodone-exposed rats required more trials to reach criterion, made more perseverative errors, and were more likely to make errors after correct responses than controls. Oxycodone impaired body-turn reversal learning in similar patterns. Limited exposure to oxycodone reduced behavioral flexibility when rats were tested in a drug-free state, suggesting that impaired decision-making is an enduring consequence of oxycodone exposure.


Synthesis and biological evaluation of isonucleosides derived from methyl 3,5-anhydro-2-O-(2-fluorobenzyl)-D-xylofuranosides.
New isonucleosides [methyl 5-(1-pyrimidinyl)furanosides] are prepared by nucleophilic opening of the oxetane ring of methyl 3,5-anhydro-2-O-(2-fluorobenzyl)-D-xylofuranoside with silylated pyrimidine bases in the presence of trimethylsilyl triflate. Structures, configurations and conformations were determined by NMR techniques and several X-ray diffraction analyses, seven of the isonucleosides were tested for cytotoxicity and activity against HIV, HSV and several other viruses.


Cochlear phase and amplitude retrieved from the auditory nerve at arbitrary frequencies.
It is currently impossible to mechanically measure the overall vibration pattern of the intact mammalian cochlea because of its inaccessibility and vulnerability. At first sight, data from the auditory nerve are a poor substitute because of their limited temporal resolution. The nonlinear character of neural coding, however, causes low-frequency interactions among the components of multitone stimuli. We designed a novel stimulus for which these interactions take a particularly systematic form, and we recorded the response of the auditory nerve to this stimulus. A careful analysis of interactions in the data allowed us to reconstruct frequency transfer functions (both their amplitude and their phase) at multiple points spanning the entire length of the cochlea. The generic character of our stimuli and analysis suggests its wider use in nonlinear system analysis, particularly in those instances in which limitations in temporal resolution restrict the use of customary methods.


Acute ketamine impairs mitochondrial function and promotes superoxide dismutase activity in the rat brain.
Ketamine is often associated with altered mitochondrial function and oxidative stress. Nevertheless, limited data are still available regarding the in vivo action of ketamine in mitochondrial bioenergetics and redox state. Accumulating evidence supports a role for nitric oxide (NO) as a possible modulator of ketamine's side effects. In the present study, we investigated the role of NO modulation on ketamine anesthesia at the level of brain mitochondrial function and redox status. Adult male rats received a single dose of ketamine (50, 100, or 150 mg/kg IP) or a combination of ketamine and N-nitro-L-arginine (3 mg/kg IP). Animals were killed 6 hours after treatment. Brain and blood samples were collected for plasma NO determination and mitochondria isolation. Several variables of brain mitochondrial function were evaluated. Ketamine interfered with complex I function, revealing increased oxygen consumption in state 4, impaired oxidative phosphorylation efficiency of glutamate-malate substrate, and decreased NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity. In addition, mitochondrial NO synthase (mtNOS) activity and NO plasma levels were increased for the 50 and 100 mg/kg doses. Ketamine administration increased hydrogen peroxide generation and triggered superoxide dismutase activity. All these effects could totally or partially be prevented by mtNOS inhibition through N-nitro-L-arginine. Acute ketamine administration impaired the function of mitochondrial complex I leading to increased mtNOS activity, increased generation of hydrogen peroxide and NO, resulting in superoxide dismutase triggering, and improved antioxidant activity. The present findings clarify the role of NO modulation in ketamine anesthesia, providing new data on a relevant clinical mechanism.


Immunoreactive forms of ACTH released by the adenohypophysis of the rat during the perinatal period in vivo and in vitro studies.
Immunoreactive ACTH levels were determined in whole plasma, eluate fractions of plasma and perfusates of anterior lobe extracts subjected to chromatography on Sephadex G-50 fine. In the fetal plasma, ACTH levels were higher on day 19 than on days 17, 18, 20 and 21. After birth, ACTH concentrations dropped to reach the lowest values in one week old newborns; thereafter they increased until weaning on day 21. They were then similar to those of non pregnant adult females. Three peaks of immunoreactive ACTH were present in all the chromatograms; the first one eluted near the void volume ("big" ACTH, PM approximately 44,000), the third one coeluted with human ACTH (1-39) ("little" ACTH, PM approximately 4,500) and the second one eluted midway between the 2 previous peaks ("intermediate" ACTH, PM approximately 13,000). During the last days of pregnancy, the proportion of the "little" form of ACTH in the fetal plasma showed a gradual increase whereas that of the "big" one decreased. On days 17, 19 and 21 of gestation the anterior lobes of fetal pituitary glands released in vitro these 3 forms of immunoreactive ACTH in the same proportions as those observed in the anterior lobes. In contrast, the proportions of the circulating forms of ACTH were quite different; the "little" one gradually increased and the "big" one decreased as gestation progressed. In vitro controlled tryptic digestion of the isolated "big" form led to the appearance of "intermediate" and "little" forms suggesting some transformations in the circulation of the ACTH forms released by the fetal hypophysis in vivo.


EXPANSINA17 up-regulated by LBD18/ASL20 promotes lateral root formation during the auxin response.
Expansins are non-hydrolytic cell wall-loosening proteins involved in a variety of plant developmental processes during which cell wall modification occurs. Cell wall remodeling proteins including expansins have been suggested to be involved in cell separation to facilitate the emergence of lateral roots (LRs) through the overlaying tissues of the primary root. LBD18/ASL20 activates EXPANSINA14 (EXPA14) expression by directly binding to the EXPA14 promoter to enhance LR emergence in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here we show that EXPA17 is another target gene regulated by LBD18 to promote LR formation in Arabidopsis. We showed that nuclear translocation of the LBD18:GR fusion protein expressed under the Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter or under the LBD18 promoter by dexamethasone treatment results in an increase in EXPA17 transcript levels. β-Glucuronidase (GUS) expression under the EXPA17 promoter, which is detected only in the roots of the wild type, was reduced in the LR primordium and overlaying tissues in an lbd18 mutant background. The number of emerged LRs of the EXPA17 RNAi (RNA interference) Arabidopsis lines was significantly lower than that of the wild type. Overexpression of EXPA17 in Arabidopsis increased the density of emerged LRs in the presence of auxin compared with the wild type. LR induction experiments with a gravitropic stimulus showed that LR emergence is delayed in the EXPA17 RNAi plants compared with the wild type. In addition, EXPA4 expression was also detected in overlaying tissues of the LR primordium and was inducible by LBD18. Taken together, these results support the notion that LBD18 up-regulates a subset of EXP genes to enhance cell separation to promote LR emergence in Arabidopsis.


In vivo volumetric analysis of coronary stent using optical coherence tomography with a novel balloon occlusion-flushing catheter: a comparison with intravascular ultrasound.
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is limited as an intravascular imaging tool because of interference with blood. This study tested a new balloon occlusion-flushing catheter for OCT scanning of stented coronary arteries and compared stent measurements between OCT and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Motorized pullback with OCT and IVUS was examined in coronary stents deployed in swine. Quantitative measurements were obtained and compared between both groups. In addition, stent strut thickness was compared among OCT, IVUS and actual measurement. The occlusion catheter successfully provided motorized pullback OCT images in the stented coronary arteries without any complications. There were no differences in calculated lumen volume. However, stent volumes were significantly smaller with OCT than with IVUS (p < 0.05). OCT significantly underestimated the stent strut thickness compared with the actual measurement. Although OCT underestimates the stent strut thickness, motorized pullback OCT imaging with the occlusion catheter can provide appropriate in-stent images in the porcine coronary arteries.


Self-Assembly and Photothermal Conversion of MetallaRussian Doll and Metalla[2]catenanes Induced via Multiple Stacking Interactions.
A variety of organometallic supramolecular architectures have been constructed over the past decades and their properties were also explored via different strategies. However, the synthesis of metalla-Russian doll is still a fascinating challenge. Herein, a series of new coordination supramolecular complexes, including a metalla-Russian doll, metalla[2]catenanes, and metallarectangles, were synthesized by using meticulously selected Cp*Rh (Cp* = η5-C5Me5) building units (E1, E2, and E3) and three rigid anthracylpyridine ligands (L1, L2, and L3) via a self-assembly strategy. While the combination of the short ligand L1 and E1 or E2 generated two metallarectangles, the longer ligand L2 containing an alkynyl group resulted in two new [2]catenanes, most likely due to which the strong electron-donating effect of alkynyl groups causes self-accumulation. Interestingly, an unusual Russian doll assembly was obtained through the reaction of L3 and E3 based on sextuple π···π stacking interactions. Furthermore, the dynamic structural conversion between [2]catenanes and the corresponding metallarectangles could be observed through concentration-, solvent-, and guest-induced effects. The [2]catenane complexes 4b displayed efficient photothermal conversion efficiency in solution (20.2%), in comparison with other organometallic macrocycles. We believe that π···π stacking interactions generate active nonradiative pathways and promote radiative photodeactivation pathways. This study proves the versatility of half-sandwich building units, not only to build complicated supramolecular topologies but also in effective functional materials for various appealing applications.


[Self-monitoring of blood glucose in France: data from a national survey].
Objectives: To describe Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose (SMBG) practices in France in patients with type 1 (T1DM) or type 2 (T2DM) diabetes, by estimating the proportion of patients performing SMBG at the recommended testing frequency and the proportion of patients complying with the current quality control guidelines on SMBG. Materials and methods: National cross-sectional study conducted in 238 pharmacies. A questionnaire was completed with adult diabetic patients buying SMBG devices or reagent strips for themselves, using a blood glucose meter for at least 6 months, treated with insulin or sulfonylurea/glinides ± other oral hypoglycaemic agents (HA). Results: Data from 449 patients were analysed: 85 T1DM and 121 T2DM patients treated by multiple basal-bolus injections ± HA (Group A and Group B), 123 T2DM patients treated by basal insulin ± HA (Group C), 102 patients treated by other insulin regimens ± HA (Group D) and 120 T2DM patients treated by sulfonylurea / glinides without insulin ± other HA (Group E). The recommended test frequency was observed by 29.8%, 36.4%, 61.8% and 69.2% of patients in Group A, Group B, Group C, and Group E, respectively. The quality of self-monitoring was insufficient in terms of device cleaning, storage conditions/expiry date of reagent strips, or use of control solutions. Patients displayed a limited capacity to take decisions in relation to their SMBG results (Group A: 56.5%, Group B: 70.2%, Group C: 49.2%, Group E: 36.0%) and limited knowledge about their glucose targets (Group A: 81%, Group B: 80.5%, Group C: 68.6%, Group E: 73.7%). Conclusion: SMBG use and compliance with quality guidelines must be improved, but healthcare professionals and patients must also focus their efforts on education to interpret SMBG results.


[Persistent infection caused by the Coxsackie B3 virus in adult mice].
A model of persistent infection with Coxsackie B-3 virus was developed in adult mice with clinical manifestations of the disease and long-term (up to 13 months) excretion of the causative agent. The method of multiple organ cultures was shown to be suitable for isolation of the persisting enterovirus. The presence of persistent infection was confirmed by the detection of IgM antibody in repeated daily examinations of the animals for 4 months. It seems to be expedient to use this model for investigations of the pathogenesis and methods of treatment of persistent Coxsackie B-3 infection in experimental animals.


Learning to localize sounds in a highly reverberant environment: Machine-learning tracking of dolphin whistle-like sounds in a pool.
Tracking the origin of propagating wave signals in an environment with complex reflective surfaces is, in its full generality, a nearly intractable problem which has engendered multiple domain-specific literatures. We posit that, if the environment and sensor geometries are fixed, machine learning algorithms can "learn" the acoustical geometry of the environment and accurately track signal origin. In this paper, we propose the first machine-learning-based approach to identifying the source locations of semi-stationary, tonal, dolphin-whistle-like sounds in a highly reverberant space, specifically a half-cylindrical dolphin pool. Our algorithm works by supplying a learning network with an overabundance of location "clues", which are then selected under supervised training for their ability to discriminate source location in this particular environment. More specifically, we deliver estimated time-difference-of-arrivals (TDOA's) and normalized cross-correlation values computed from pairs of hydrophone signals to a random forest model for high-feature-volume classification and feature selection, and subsequently deliver the selected features into linear discriminant analysis, linear and quadratic Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Gaussian process models. Based on data from 14 sound source locations and 16 hydrophones, our classification models yielded perfect accuracy at predicting novel sound source locations. Our regression models yielded better accuracy than the established Steered-Response Power (SRP) method when all training data were used, and comparable accuracy along the pool surface when deprived of training data at testing sites; our methods additionally boast improved computation time and the potential for superior localization accuracy in all dimensions with more training data. Because of the generality of our method we argue it may be useful in a much wider variety of contexts.


Direct posterior resin composite restorations: new techniques and clinical possibilities. Case reports.
Direct adhesive resin composite restorations in posterior teeth are now a reality thanks to improvements in these restorative materials and adhesive techniques. However, correct selection and application of materials are vastly important to clinical success. Two restorative techniques are described in detail, in one, a low-viscosity resin composite is placed incrementally, and in the other a condensable resin composite is placed in bulk. The former allows for greater security, because it is more traditional and has already proved to have clinical longevity; the latter has the advantage of being a quicker and simpler procedure. However, both techniques provide restorations that faithfully copy the dental tissues and have all the advantages of adhesive procedures.


Kidney transplantation in a patient with HIV disease.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease was considered an absolute contraindication to kidney transplantation until recently. The main reason was the concern regarding the side effects of immunosuppressive drugs in already immunocompromised patients. Kidney transplantation is considered to be the best form of renal replacement therapy in most patients with kidney failure. Nowadays, many world medical centers are successfully doing kidney transplantation in HIV patients with kidney failure. However, HIV disease is still considered a contraindication to kidney transplantation in most Indian centers. Here, we report a case of a patient with HIV infection and ESRD, who underwent successful kidney transplantation in our center.


Human consciousness is fundamental for perception and highest emotions.
Have Morsella et al. examined the fundamentals of consciousness? An experiment by Bar et al. (2006) has demonstrated the fundamental aspects of conscious and unconscious mechanisms of perception. The mental representations are not crisp and conscious like the perceived objects are, but vague and unconscious. This experiment points to the fundamental function of the neural mechanisms of consciousness in perception. Consciousness is also fundamental for the highest emotions.


Unusual Presentation of Extensor Tendon Rupture Caused by a Dorsal Wrist Synovial Cyst.
Synovial cysts are juxta-articular-fluid-filled collections that are lined by synovial cells, distinguishing them from a very close cystic lesion, which is the ganglion cyst. They usually present with pain and unpleasant appearance; here we present a case of wrist synovial cyst that caused extensor tendon rupture. A 50-year-old woman presented to our clinic with a cystic lesion on the dorsum of her wrist, with an inability to extend her index finger. The lesion was found intraoperatively engulfing the extensors of the index and causing a rupture. The cyst was excised and the tendon was reconstructed; pathology report confirmed the lesion as synovial cyst. Synovial cysts and ganglion cysts are two different entities but they have been used interchangeably in the literature; pathology is the only way to differentiate between them because they usually present with identical scenarios. None of them were reported to cause extensor tendon rupture, as presented in our article. Synovial cysts can cause rupture to extensor tendons if they arise from the sheath, and it is better to anticipate synovial cyst and remove it surgically before causing any further damage, if the lesion appeared to rise from the tendon sheath on further imaging.


Complement-fixing antibrain antibodies in multiple sclerosis. Comparison of their occurrence in cerebrospinal fluid and serum.
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum samples from 40 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and 48 control patients were examined by a microcomplement fixation test for the presence of antibodies against saline extracts of human brain. When tested with an IgG content standardized in 100 mg per 100 ml, 13 of the MS CSF and one of the corresponding MS sera were positive, whereas none of the control specimens were positive. The antibody was shown to be highly organ specific when tested against extracts of myocard, spleen, kidney and peripheral nerve. Chromatographic experiments showed the antibody to belong to the IgG class. It was concluded that the antibody was probably synthesized intrathecally in 12 and extrathecally in one MS patient.


Cerebral angiography under stereotactic conditions. Technical note.
A simple system for cerebral angiography under stereotactic conditions using standard components is described. X-ray tubes and power generator belong to the usual equipment of the stereotactic operating room. A film changer and an injection pump were integrated into the stereotactic arrangement. Angiographic documents with reduced X-ray magnification were obtained. For topographical orientation 5 films per seriogram were sufficient. The system also allows stereoscopic viewing by performing an additional oblique sequence after the head ring is rotated exactly 6 degrees. The combination of the necessary diagnostic procedures, as CT scan, angiography, ventriculography, serial biopsy within a single three coordinate reference system offers considerable advantages for brain tumour patients.


Variability in the amount of homoeologous pairing among F1 hybrids.
Genes involved in the exclusive pairing of homologous chromosomes have been described in several polyploid species but little is known about the activity of these genes in diploids (which have only one dose of each homoeologous genome). Analysis of the meiotic behaviour of species, natural and artificial hybrids and polyploids of Glandularia suggests that, in allopolyploids where homoeologous genomes are in two doses, regulator genes prevent homoeologous pairing. The different meiotic phenotypes in diploid F1 hybrids between Glandularia pulchella and Glandularia incisa strongly suggest that these pairing regulator genes possess an incomplete penetrance when homoeologous genomes are in only one dose. Moreover, the meiotic analysis of natural and artificial F1 hybrids suggests that the genetic constitution of parental species influences the activity of pairing regulator genes and is mainly responsible for variability in the amount of homoeologous pairing observed in diploid hybrids. In Glandularia, the pairing regulator genes originated in South American diploid species. The cytogenetic characteristics of this genus make it a good model to analyse and explore in greater depth the activity of pairing regulator genes at different ploidy levels.


Comparative study of ovomucoid isolated from Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata), domestic goose (Anser anser) and domestic duck (Anas platyrhynchos).
1. Ovomucoids were purified from Muscovy duck, domestic duck and domestic goose. 2. Peptide maps of cyanogen bromide-cleaved ovomucoids from Muscovy duck and domestic duck were very similar to one another, but differed from that of goose. 3. Muscovy duck ovomucoid showed the same protease inhibitory pattern as ovomucoid from domestic duck, inhibiting trypsin in the molar ratio of 1:2 and chymotrypsin 1:1. 4. Inhibitory complexes could be detected between chymotrypsin and ovomucoid from both Muscovy and domestic duck, but not from goose, by using non-denaturing gels. 5. No complexes could be detected between DFP-inactivated chymotrypsin and any of the ovomucoids. 6. The results show that of ovomucoid from Muscovy duck more closely resembles that from domestic duck than goose.


Measles at Work: Status of Measles Vaccination at a Multinational Company.
This study aims to evaluate the status of measles vaccination among employees working for a multinational company. It also assesses the effectiveness of an on-site prevention campaign. In keeping with the guidelines of the World Health Organization regarding measles awareness, the Federal Office of Public Health in Switzerland aims to eliminate measles by 2020. A questionnaire about measles vaccination was sent by e-mail and via a fluid survey. Logistic regression models examined the associations between explicative variables and the status of complete measles immunization. The status of complete measles immunization was used as the primary outcome. 17% of the participants were not aware of their measles immunization status, 14% had had only one dose of the vaccination, and only 24% had two doses. Male employees had a lower probability of being vaccinated against measles than women [aOR = 0.62; 95% CI: 0.43⁻0.86]. Employees of Swiss and African origin had a higher probability of being vaccinated than employees of European origin (aOR = 1.94; 95% CI: 1.13⁻3.33). Based on the results of the questionnaire, further efforts are needed to promote measles vaccination through awareness campaigns so that employees become more aware of the importance of measles immunization.


Within- and between-strain genetic variability in White Leghorn population detected through RAPD markers.
1. Five White Leghorn (WLH) strains, namely G, H, I, J and C, differing in selection history, were screened for randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) polymorphism using 50 random decamer primers. 2. Only 12 primers detected polymorphism between the strains. Out of 96 bands scored using these primers, only 21 (21.9%) were found to be polymorphic. 3. Strains differed considerably for within-population genetic similarity, estimated either by band sharing (WS=0.836 to 0.968) or band frequency (WF=0.820 to 0.969). 4. Between-strain genetic similarity estimates, based on band sharing (BS) as well as on band frequency (BF) ranged from 0.756 to 0.958 and from 0.830 to 0.996, respectively. Strains C and H were most closely related to each other, while J appeared to be more distant from other strains. 5. The between-strain genetic distance estimates also revealed similar trends. 6. A phylogenetic tree, derived using Nei's coefficient of similarity revealed similar relationships between the WLH strains.


Comparison of the enzyme-hydrolyzed casein, guanidination, and isotope dilution methods for determining ileal endogenous protein flow in the growing rat and pig.
The objectives of the two studies were to determine whether the guanidination and isotope dilution methods applied both by labeling the animal (15N-infusion method) and by diet (15N-dilution method) give similar estimates of ileal endogenous lysine (EL) and endogenous nitrogen (EN) flows, respectively, to that of the enzyme-hydrolyzed casein (EHC) method in the growing pig and to determine whether the guandination and 15N-dilution methods give similar estimates of EL and EN flows, respectively, to that of the EHC method in the rat. For the first study, the test diet contained guanidinated and enzymatically hydrolyzed casein (molecular weight < 5,000 Da), which was also labeled with 15N. Rats (n = 30; mean BW 178 g) and pigs (n = 6; mean BW 19.2 kg) received a preliminary EHC-based diet for 7 d. The test diet was then given to the rats and pigs on d 8. Digesta were sampled from the terminal 20 cm of ileum of killed animals. The EL flows determined using the guanidination method were lower than those determined using the EHC method (means of 298 vs. 382, and 214 vs. 287 microg/g of DMI, in the rat and pig, respectively; P < 0.05 for the rat and P < 0.01 for the pig). The EN flows determined with the 15N-dilution method were lower than those determined using the EHC method (means of 1,034 vs. 1,942 and 1,011 vs. 1,543 microg/g of DMI, in the rat and pig, respectively, P < 0.001 for the rat and P < 0.05 for the pig). In the second study, pigs (n = 6; mean BW 27 kg) were continuously infused via the jugular vein with 15N-leucine for 11 d. The pigs received an EHC-based diet (molecular weight < 5,000 Da) during this 11-d period, after which digesta were sampled at the terminal ileum under anesthesia. The EN flow determined using the 15N-infusion method (mean of 1,971 microg/g DMI) was higher (P < 0.01) than that determined using the EHC method (mean of 1,233 microg/g DMI). The guanidination method gave a lower estimate of EL flow than did the EHC method in both the pig and rat. The 15N-dilution method also gave a lower estimate of EN flow than the EHC method in the pig and rat, and the 15N-infusion method gave a higher estimate of EN flow than the EHC method in the pig.