Microarrays-Enabled Hypothesis Generation: The Suspect Role of FNBP-1 in Neuropsychiatric Pathogenesis Associated with HIV and/or HCV Infection.
The spectrum of neuropsychiatric illness (NI) associated with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and/or the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is far reaching and significantly impacts the clinical presentation and outcome of infected persons; however, the etiological and pathophysiological background remains partially understood. The present work was aimed to investigate the potential significance of formin binding protein 1 (FNBP-1)-dependent pathways in NI-pathogenesis by elaborating on previous microarray-based research in HIV and/or HCV-infected patients receiving interferon-α (IFN-α) immunotherapy via a rigorous data mining procedure. Using microarray data of peripheral whole blood (PB) samples obtained from HCV mono-infected persons (n=25, Affymetrix® HG-U133A_2) 12 h before and after the 1st dose of pegylated IFN-α (PegIFN-α), we re-applied the same analytical algorithm that we had developed and published in an earlier study with HIV/HCV co-infected subjects (N=28, Affymetrix® HG-U133A), in order to evaluate reproducibility of potential NI-related molecular findings in an independent cohort. Among 28 gene expression profiles (HIV/HCV: N=9 vs. HCV: N=19) selected by applying different thresholds (a Mean Fold Difference value (MFD) in gene expression of ≥ 0.38 (log2) and/or P value from <0.05 to ≤ 0.1) FNBP-1 was identified as the only overlapping marker, which also exhibited a consistent upregulation in association with the development of NI in both cohorts. Previous functional annotation analysis had classified FNBP-1 as molecule with significant enrichment in various brain tissues (P<0.01). Our current findings are strongly arguing for intensifying research into the FNBP-1-related mechanisms that may be conferring risk for or resistance to HIV- and/or HCV-related NI.


Mushrooms: a potential natural source of anti-inflammatory compounds for medical applications.
For centuries, macrofungi have been used as food and medicine in different parts of the world. This is mainly attributed to their nutritional value as a potential source of carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, and minerals. In addition, they also include many bioactive metabolites which make mushrooms and truffles common components in folk medicine, especially in Africa, the Middle East, China, and Japan. The reported medicinal effects of mushrooms include anti-inflammatory effects, with anti-inflammatory compounds of mushrooms comprising a highly diversified group in terms of their chemical structure. They include polysaccharides, terpenoids, phenolic compounds, and many other low molecular weight molecules. The aims of this review are to report the different types of bioactive metabolites and their relevant producers, as well as the different mechanisms of action of mushroom compounds as potent anti-inflammatory agents.


Satisfaction following Unilateral Breast Reconstruction: A Comparison of Pedicled TRAM and Free Abdominal Flaps.
The purpose of this study was to compare patient satisfaction following unilateral pedicled transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) and free abdominal flap reconstruction. Patients who underwent unilateral breast reconstruction using pedicled TRAM or free abdominal flaps (muscle-sparing TRAM or deep inferior epigastric perforator flap) and completed the BREAST-Q were identified from 2 prospectively maintained databases. BREAST-Q scores were assessed and compared for Satisfaction with Breasts, Outcome, and Physical Well-being Chest/Abdomen. Of the 138 patients who completed the BREAST-Q, 84 underwent pedicled TRAM flap reconstruction and 54 underwent free abdominal flap reconstruction. Overall, pedicled TRAM flap patients scored higher than free abdominal flap patients on all 4 BREAST-Q scales. This difference reached statistical significance in Satisfaction with Breasts (+7.74; P = 0.02). Similar results were found among patients who completed the BREAST-Q at <3 years postoperation. However, among patients at ≥3 years postoperation, there were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups, with the pedicled flap cohort scoring higher in Satisfaction with Breasts and Physical Well-being Chest and the free abdominal flap cohort scoring higher in Satisfaction with Outcome and Physical Well-being Abdomen scores. Patients who underwent unilateral pedicled TRAM flap reconstruction experienced greater initial breast satisfaction than patients who underwent unilateral free abdominal flap reconstruction, but satisfaction equalized between the two over time, suggesting that long-term satisfaction may be equivalent between the 2 methods of reconstruction.


Engaging the Community to Effectively Plan and Implement Community-Based Mental Health Programs.
Community engagement is recognized as an effective means to maximizing public health program impacts despite challenges such as power imbalances that can undermine efforts. The value of engaging communities as equitable partners in the design and delivery of community-based programs has gained increasing traction over the last few decades. Most research in this area has been focused on partnerships between academia and communities, leaving a knowledge gap regarding engagement between community organizations and between community organizations and members. This paper presents a process evaluation that aimed to identify and describe factors found to impact and promote community engagement efforts within a multisite, multiyear, community-based prevention initiative. Findings highlight that strategies such as investing in trust-building efforts, engaging community influencers, and providing meaningful opportunities for community member involvement can help facilitate effective implementation. Recognizing the value and necessity of community engagement in community-based programming is an integral and continuous process.


A comprehensive nutritional survey of hospitalized patients: Results from nutritionDay 2016 in China.
Prevalence of malnutrition is a common and serious issue responsible for the morbidity and mortality rate among hospitalized patients. We aimed to provide an actual and comprehensive situation of the nutritional characteristics, nutritional support and the risk factors for malnutrition among hospitalized patients in China. We analyzed the data from nutritionDay audit 2016 in China. The international daylong cross-sectional survey was performed on November 10th, 2016 via filling out several questionnaires regarding information on patients' illness, food intake history, weight change and nutritional care. Re-assessment of patients' outcome questionnaire was performed 30 days later. Total of 781 patients from 9 hospitals and 8 kinds of departments were enrolled in this report. Of these, malnutrition rate was 29.6%. Parenteral nutrition (251/344, 73.0%) was the primary nutrition support form in Chinese hospitals. However, 41.8% (136/325) of patients at nutritional risk or already diagnosed with malnutrition did not received any form of nutritional support, whereas 34.0% (155/456) well-nourished patients did. Patients with malnutrition had extended length of hospital stay and poor 30-day outcomes compared to well-nourished patients. Nutritional support could benefit nutritional risk or malnutrition patients, rather than well-nourished patients. Moreover, major lesion types, self-related health, food intake last week were independent risk factors of malnutrition (all p<0.05). Chinese hospital staff is generally lack of knowledge and awareness of malnutrition. Self-related health, major lesion types and food intake are associated with malnutrition.


Effects of filament geometry on the arc efficiency of a high-intensity He+ ion source.
A strongly focusing high-intensity He(+) ion source equipped with three concave electrodes has been designed and constructed as the beam source for a high-energy He(0) neutral beam probe system to diagnose fusion-produced alpha particles in thermonuclear fusion plasmas. The reduction of heat load onto the concave extraction electrodes is particularly important for a long pulse operation, as the heat load deforms the electrodes and thus the beam focal length. The effects on the arc efficiency (beam current/arc power) of the ion source due to the discharge filament structure (straight-type and L-shape-type filaments), size (filament diameters of 2 and 1.5 mm), number, and the locations have been studied. Choice of the appropriate filament structure improved the arc efficiency by 17%.


[Multiple system atrophy and autophagy].
Macroautophagy is a dynamic process whereby cytoplasmic molecules are sequestered within autophagosomes. There exist two groups of mammalian autophagy-related gene (Atg) 8 homologues (LC3 and GABARAPs), which play essential role in autophagosomal formation. We determined whether Atg8 homologues are affected in Lewy body disease (LBD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA). The level of LC3 was increased in an insoluble fraction from the brain of patients with LBD, whereas the level of GABARAPs was decreased in LBD. The level of matured GABARAPs was significantly decreased in the cerebellum of MSA, and that the higher levels of matured and lipidated LC3 were detected in detergent-insoluble fraction of MSA. Furthermore, immunohistochemical staining revealed that both LC3 and GABARAPs were localized in Lewy bodies and glial cytoplasmic inclusions in MSA were positive for LC3. These findings suggest that autophagic function is impaired through alteration of Atg8 homologues in LBD and MSA. Autophagy-enhancing strategies can therefore have therapeutic efficacy for various neurodegenerative diseases including LBD and MSA.


Use of mifepristone and sublingual misoprostol for early medical abortion.
Existing drug-induced abortion techniques involve oral administration of 200 mg of mifepristone, followed by oral administration of 600 microg of misoprostol 48 hours later, but the effects are variable. As revealed by recent research, sublingual and oral administrations of misoprostol are equally efficacious in terms of rapid absorption, but the former lasts longer in serum. Hence, in the near future, sublingual administration of misoprostol may become the most effective way to induce abortion. Women with intrauterine pregnancy up to 49 gestational days received vaginal ultrasonography, followed by oral administration of mifepristone 200 mg and sublingual administration of misoprostol 600 microg 48 hours later. They returned for follow-up consultations 3 and 14 days after. The definition of a successfully induced complete medical abortion was that the abortion occurred without surgery or evacuating the uterus. A total of 356 women underwent medical abortion; the complete abortion rate was 98.3% (350 women). Medical abortion was unsuccessful in five (1.7%) women, who eventually had to undergo dilation and curettage. Patients found the side effects to be bearable; the reported satisfaction rate was 89.9% (325 women). Medical abortion for early termination of pregnancy should be achieved by oral administration of mifepristone, followed by sublingual administration of misoprostol.


Perceptions of psychiatric care among foreign- and Swedish-born people with psychotic disorders.
This paper is a report of a study to explore different perceptions of psychiatric care among foreign- and Swedish-born people with psychotic disorders. Research from different countries reports a high-incidence of psychosis among migrants. The risk-factors discussed are social disadvantages in the new country. To understand and meet the needs of people from different countries, their perspective of psychiatric care must be illuminated and taken into consideration. A phenomenographic study was conducted in 2005-2006 using semi-structured interviews with a convenience sample of 12 foreign-born people and 10 Swedish-born people with psychosis. Three categories were identified: personal and family involvement in care; relating to healthcare staff; and managing illness and everyday life. Foreign-born people differed from Swedish-born people in that they struggled to attain an everyday life in Sweden, relied on healthcare staff as experts in making decisions, and had religious beliefs about mental illness. Among Swedish-born people, the need for more support to relatives and help to perform recreational activities was important. It is important to identify individual perceptions and needs, which may be influenced by cultural origins, when caring for patients with psychosis. Previous experience of care, different ways of relating to staff, and individual needs should be identified and met with respect. Social needs should not be medicalized but taken into consideration when planning care, which illustrates the importance of multi-professional co-operation.


Management of lipid disorders for stroke prevention.
Lipid disorders are common among stroke patients, many of whom also have coronary artery disease. Cholesterol, a lipid, plays a major role in the development of plaque and resulting atherosclerosis. Understanding laboratory values, stroke risk, pharmacological management, and lifestyle modifications associated with lipid disorders is critical to improving care for stroke patients with lipid disorders.


Mobile Health (mHealth) Services and Online Health Educators.
Mobile technology enables health-care organizations to extend health-care services by providing a suitable environment to achieve mobile health (mHealth) goals, making some health-care services accessible anywhere and anytime. Introducing mHealth could change the business processes in delivering services to patients. mHealth could empower patients as it becomes necessary for them to become involved in the health-care processes related to them. This includes the ability for patients to manage their personal information and interact with health-care staff as well as among patients themselves. The study proposes a new position to supervise mHealth services: the online health educator (OHE). The OHE should be occupied by special health-care staffs who are trained in managing online services. A survey was conducted in Brunei and Indonesia to discover the roles of OHE in managing mHealth services, followed by a focus group discussion with participants who interacted with OHE in a real online health scenario. Data analysis showed that OHE could improve patients' confidence and satisfaction in health-care services.


Advanced oxidation of amoxicillin by Fenton's reagent treatment.
Advanced oxidation of amoxicillin was realized in aqueous solution by using Fenton's reagent treatment. Box-Behnken statistical experiment design was used to determine the effects of reagent concentrations on amoxicillin degradation and mineralization. Amoxicillin (10-200 mg L(-1)), hydrogen peroxide (10-500 mg L(-1)) and Fe(II) (0-50 mg L(-1)) concentrations were considered as independent variables in batch oxidation experiments. Percent amoxicillin and total organic carbon (TOC) removals (mineralization) were considered as the objective functions to be maximized. Required reaction times were 2.5 min and 15 min, respectively for degradation and mineralization of amoxicillin. Both peroxide and amoxicillin concentrations affected the extent of amoxicillin degradation and mineralization. Complete amoxicillin degradation was obtained within 2.5 min while 37% mineralization took place within 15 min. The optimum peroxide/Fe/amoxicillin ratio resulting in complete amoxicillin degradation and 37% mineralization was 255/25/105 mg L(-1).


Pharmacokinetics of intra-arterially administered pirarubicin in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with glioma.
The present paper investigates the pharmacokinetics of pirarubicin (THP) in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of two patients with glioma during hyperosmotic disruption of the blood-brain barrier (HODBBB) and intra-arterial combination chemotherapy. A 42-year-old Japanese man (patient A) with glioblastoma and a 21-year-old Japanese woman (patient B) with astrocytoma received a course of HODBBB and intra-arterial combination chemotherapy with THP, methotrexate, peplomycin, and vindesine. Patient A was initially administered mannitol, followed by the infusion of anticancer drugs into the right internal carotid artery. Patient B was initially administered mannitol, followed by the infusion of anticancer drugs into the right internal carotid artery and, immediately thereafter, into the right vertebral artery. Samples of blood and of CSF in the brain ventricle were obtained. THP concentration was measured by HPLC, and the pharmacokinetic parameters of this drug were estimated in plasma and CSF. In both patients, the plasma concentration of THP peaked at the end of infusion, then decreased in a bi-exponential decay pattern during the remainder of the treatment period. THP was detectable in CSF beginning 1.0 h after the initiation of infusion, then was slowly eliminated from the ventricle. The maximum CSF concentration of THP was 0.97% of plasma in patient A and 0.89% in patient B. The CSF AUC of THP was 28.4% of plasma in patient A and 13.1% in patient B.


Beyond the therapeutic window: a case presentation.
The relationship of haloperidol dose and plasma concentration to psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia is described. The authors present evidence supporting a therapeutic window hypothesis, in which an individual patient's course follows an inverted U curve. The clinical implications for dosage strategies are discussed.


Subunit H of the V-ATPase binds to the medium chain of adaptor protein complex 2 and connects Nef to the endocytic machinery.
Nef is an accessory protein of human and simian immunodeficiency viruses (HIV and SIV) that is required for efficient viral infectivity and pathogenicity. It decreases the expression of CD4 on the surface of infected cells. V1H is the regulatory subunit H of the vacuolar membrane ATPase (V-ATPase). Previously, the interaction between Nef and V1H has been found to facilitate the internalization of CD4, suggesting that V1H could connect Nef to the endocytic machinery. In this study, we demonstrate that V1H binds to the C-terminal flexible loop in Nef from HIV-1 and to the medium chain (mu2) of the adaptor protein complex 2 (AP-2) in vitro and in vivo. The interaction sites of V1H and mu2 were mapped to a central region in V1H from positions 133 to 363, which contains 4 armadillo repeats, and to the N-terminal adaptin-binding domain in mu2 from positions 1 to 145. Fusing Nef to V1H reproduced the appropriate trafficking of Nef. This chimera internalized CD4 even in the absence of the C-terminal flexible loop in Nef. Finally, blocking the expression of V1H decreased the enhancement of virion infectivity by Nef. Thus, V1H can function as an adaptor for interactions between Nef and AP-2.


The protective effect of fermented Curcuma longa L. on memory dysfunction in oxidative stress-induced C6 gliomal cells, proinflammatory-activated BV2 microglial cells, and scopolamine-induced amnesia model in mice.
Curcuma longa L. is a well-known medicinal plant that has been used for its anti-cancer, neuroprotective, and hepatoprotective effects. However, the neuroprotective effect of fermented C. longa (FCL) has not been reported. Therefore, in this study, the effectiveness of FCL for the regulation of memory dysfunction was investigated in two brain cell lines (rat glioma C6 and murine microglia BV2) and scopolamine-treated mice. C. longa powder was fermented by 5% Lactobacillus plantarum K154 containing 2% (w/v) yeast extract at 30 °C for 72 h followed by sterilization at 121 °C for 15 min. The protective effects of fermented C. longa (FCL) on oxidative stress induced cell death were analyzed by MTT assay in C6 cells. The anti-inflammatory effects of FCL were investigated by measuring the production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) as well as the expression levels of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells. The step-through passive avoidance test, Morris water maze test, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, and expression of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) were employed to determine the effects of FCL on scopolamine-induced memory deficit in mice. The contents of curcuminoids were analyzed through LC/MS. Pretreatment with FCL effectively prevented the cell death induced by oxidative stress in C6 cells. Moreover, FCL inhibited the production NO and PGE2 via the inhibition of iNOS and COX-2 expression in BV2 cells. FCL significantly attenuated scopolamine-induced memory impairment in mice and prevented scopolamine-induced AChE activity in the hippocampus. Additionally, FCL reversed the reduction of CREB and BDNF expression. The curcuminoids content in FCL was 1.44%. FCL pretreatment could alleviate scopolamine-induced memory impairment in mice, as well as oxidative stress and inflammation in C6 and BV2 cells, respectively. Thus, FCL might be a useful material for preventing impairment of learning and memory.


[Protective effects of glycyrrhizic acid against lupus nephritis in MRL/lpr mice].
To investigate protective effect of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) against lupus nephritis in MRL/lpr mice and explore its underlying mechanisms. Forty MRL/lpr mice were randomized equally into blank control group, dexamethasone (1.5 mg/kg) group, GA (20 mg/kg) group, and GA (40 mg/kg) group with corresponding treatments for 7 days, with 10 wild-type mice as the control group. Serum levels of uric acid and creatinine and inflammatory cytokines in the serum and kidney were tested after the treatments using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The pathological changes in the kidneys were detected using HE staining, and the protein expressions of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, IL-1β, p-NF-κB, NF-κB, p-IκBα, and IκBα were detected with Western blotting. GA obviously decreased serum levels of uric acid and creatinine, decreased inflammatory cytokines in the serum and kidney, ameliorated renal pathologies and inhibited the expressions of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, IL-1β, p-NF-κB, and p-IκBα proteins in MRL/lpr mice. GA has protective effects against lupus nephritis in MRL/lpr mice.


On the origin of enhanced hole injection for AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes with AlN insertion layer in p-electron blocking layer.
For the [0001] oriented AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV LEDs), the holes in the p-type electron blocking layer (p-EBL) are depleted due to the polarization induced positive sheet charges at the last quantum barrier (LQB)/p-EBL interface. The hole depletion effect significantly reduces the hole injection capability across the p-EBL. In this work, we propose inserting a thin AlN layer between the LQB and the p-EBL, which can generate the hole accumulation at the AlN/p-EBL interface. Meanwhile, the holes can obtain the energy when traveling from the p-EBL into the multiple quantum wells (MQWs) by intraband tunneling through the thin AlN layer. As a result, the hole injection and the external quantum efficiency (EQE) have been remarkably enhanced. Moreover, we point out that the thick AlN insertion layer can further generate the hole accumulation in the p-EBL and increase the hole energy which helps to increase the hole injection. We also prove that the intraband tunneling for holes across the thick AlN insertion layer is facilitated by using the optimized structure.


[Physiologic mechanisms in extremity veins supporting chronic orthostatic tolerance].
As a consequence of chronic orthostatic load of the organism several long-term antigravitation defense mechanism are activated in the lower extremity veins and microvessels. The following adaptive mechanisms are brought into focus: acute pressure-induced myogenic tone and its augmentation which promote the venous capacity autoregulation, potassium channels counterregulating the depolarization of the venous smooth muscle membrane, functional and structural remodeling of sympathetic innervation in the vascular wall, changes in venous network properties, decreased capillary supply in oxidative muscles of the extremities, and probably transendothelial homeostatic water transport in the wall of veins.


Understanding the Odour Spaces: A Step towards Solving Olfactory Stimulus-Percept Problem.
Odours are highly complex, relying on hundreds of receptors, and people are known to disagree in their linguistic descriptions of smells. It is partly due to these facts that, it is very hard to map the domain of odour molecules or their structure to that of perceptual representations, a problem that has been referred to as the Structure-Odour-Relationship. We collected a number of diverse open domain databases of odour molecules having unorganised perceptual descriptors, and developed a graphical method to find the similarity between perceptual descriptors; which is intuitive and can be used to identify perceptual classes. We then separately projected the physico-chemical and perceptual features of these molecules in a non-linear dimension and clustered the similar molecules. We found a significant overlap between the spatial positioning of the clustered molecules in the physico-chemical and perceptual spaces. We also developed a statistical method of predicting the perceptual qualities of a novel molecule using its physico-chemical properties with high receiver operating characteristics(ROC).


Social Capital Associated with Quality of Life among People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nanchang, China.
Background: This study aims to explore the relationship between quality of life (QOL) and social capital factors among "people living with HIV/AIDS" (PLWHA), in order to improve their quality of life and help them to release AIDS discrimination. Methods: A cross-sectional survey with 225 PLWHA was done in Nanchang, China, between January and June of 2015. Questionnaires consisted of a socio-demographic questionnaire, Personal Social Capital Scale and Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey. To identify social capital factors influencing QOL among PLWHA, t-test and multiple linear regression were used as statistical tools. The analysis of data was conducted using SPSS 22.0 with a significant value of p < 0.05. Results: The scores of total social capital, bonding social capital and bridging social capital were 23.68 ± 5.55, 14.11 ± 3.40 and 9.46 ± 3.43 respectively. The scores of Physical Health Summary (PHS) and Mental Health Summary (MHS) were 51.88 ± 7.04 and 49.29 ± 6.60. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that age (B = -0.137, p = 0.020), income (B = 0.2170, p ≤ 0.001), employment (B = 0.112, p = 0.043) and bonding social capital (B = 0.178, p = 0.001) had significant effects on PHS. Bonding social capital was the most important influencing factor for MHS (B = 0.506, p < 0.001). There was no significant relationship between bridging social capital and QOL (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The PLWHA community has low social capital and a poor QOL in Nanchang. Bonding social capital had a positive impact on the QOL of PLWHA. There is an urgent need to build a better social support system based on bonding social capital for PLWHA. It is worth further exploring to identify how to make full use of bridging social capital for improving QOL among PLWHA.


On Becoming a Surgical Intern: Navigating the Lurch from Medical School to Internship.
There are three major transitions in the educational trajectory of those heading into a career in surgery. The first transition is from the first year or two of medical school to the clerkships of the third year. The second is the transition from medical school into the first postgraduate year of residency training. The third, which is widely held to be the toughest transition of all, is from residency into independent practice. This review, which could be called 'a rookie's survival guide,' will address the second of those 'lurches,' that of the transition from medical school into a surgical internship.


Battery-operated portable PCR system with enhanced stability of Pt RTD.
This paper reports an outdoor-use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology in which stability of resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) is remarkably improved. A thin-film RTD made of non-annealed Pt shows accuracy degradation because the resistance of the RTD tends to decrease during the PCR operation. Thus, the annealing process is applied to the Pt RTD to improve the stability, which is a prerequisite to the accurate measurement of the absolute temperature. Both heaters and the RTD are fabricated on a thin quartz substrate whose melting temperature is high enough for annealing. The performances in the PCR time and power consumption are enhanced by reducing the size of the heater chips with no degradation in the temperature uniformity. A spring-loaded electrode is employed to simplify the procedure of electrical connection to the thermal controller and loading/unloading of the PCR chip. The contact area of the electrical connection is so small that the conductive thermal resistance increases; thereby small heat dissipation can be exploited for low-power operation. The stability of the RTD is experimentally confirmed in terms of resistance variation over repeated PCR operations (four times). The least variation of 0.005%, which corresponds to a negligible temperature variation of 0.038 °C for the PCR, is achieved from the RTD annealed for 5 min at 450 °C. The gel-electrophoresis result indicates that the PCR performance of the proposed system using a film-type PCR chip is comparable to that of a conventional system using a vial tube despite its low power consumption.


The phytochemical 3,3'-diindolylmethane decreases expression of AR-controlled DNA damage repair genes through repressive chromatin modifications and is associated with DNA damage in prostate cancer cells.
Androgen receptor (AR) is a transcription factor involved in normal prostate physiology and prostate cancer (PCa) development. 3,3'-Diindolylmethane (DIM) is a promising phytochemical agent against PCa that affects AR activity and epigenetic regulators in PCa cells. However, whether DIM suppresses PCa via epigenetic regulation of AR target genes is unknown. We assessed epigenetic regulation of AR target genes in LNCaP PCa cells and showed that DIM treatment led to epigenetic suppression of AR target genes involved in DNA repair (PARP1, MRE11, DNA-PK). Decreased expression of these genes was accompanied by an increase in repressive chromatin marks, loss of AR occupancy and EZH2 recruitment to their regulatory regions. Decreased DNA repair gene expression was associated with an increase in DNA damage (γH2Ax) and up-regulation of genomic repeat elements LINE1 and α-satellite. Our results suggest that DIM suppresses AR-dependent gene transcription through epigenetic modulation, leading to DNA damage and genome instability in PCa cells.


[Pseudoischemic ST-segment due to atrial repolarization during exercise test. Review of the literature, diagnostic criteria and personal experience].
Atrial repolarization wave has been known since many years: it is opposite in direction to P wave, may have a magnitude of 100 to 200 microV and may extent into the ST segment (usually it is hidden in the QRS complex). It was hypothesized that this wave could cause ST-segment depression mimicking myocardial ischemia. The false positive response is characterized by marked downsloping of the PR segment at peak exercise, longer exercise time (> 6 min), peak exercise heart rate > 125 bpm, absence of chest pain and ST-segment normalization in the first minute of recovery. In our experience a role of atrial repolarization in ST-segment depression was found in 5.5% of 144 consecutive and non-selected individuals evaluated with exercise testing.


The sinomenine enteric-coated microspheres suppressed the TLR/NF-κB signaling in DSS-induced experimental colitis.
Sinomenine is a pure alkaloid with immunosuppressive effects that is extracted from the Chinese medicinal plant Sinomenium acutum. We studied the therapeutic effects of sinomenine on inflammatory bowel disease. In this study, we randomly divided mice into the following ten groups: Control group; DSS-induced colitis group; Salicylazosulfapyridine (SASP)-treated group; Chitosan-treated group; low-, medium-, and high-dose sinomenine-treated and sinomenine enteric-coated microspheres-treated groups. We recorded changes in colon length, disease activity index (DAI), and colon pathology, measured TLR4, MyD88, SIGIRR, NF-κB p65 protein levels and inflammatory serum cytokine levels. Except for the Control group, the weight of mice in each group decreased, the DAI of the DSS-induced colitis group was significantly higher than the other groups, and the DAIs of the sinomenine- and sinomenine enteric-coated microspheres-treated groups were significantly lower than that of the SASP-treated group. TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB p65 and proinflammatory cytokine expressions decreased dose dependently in the sinomenine and sinomenine enteric-coated microspheres-treated groups and were generally lower in the sinomenine enteric-coated microspheres groups. However, SIGIRR and anti-inflammatory IL-10 expressions exhibited the opposite pattern. Based on the superior therapeutic effect, sinomenine enteric-coated microspheres might regulate TLR/NF-κB signaling and would be beneficial for an effective and safe therapy of inflammatory bowel disease.


Strength training reduces force fluctuations during anisometric contractions of the quadriceps femoris muscles in old adults.
The greater fluctuations in motor output that are often exhibited by old adults can be reduced with strength training. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of strength and steadiness training by old adults on fluctuations in force and position during voluntary contractions with the quadriceps femoris muscle. Healthy old adults (65-80 yr) completed 16 wk of heavy-load (80% of maximum, n = 11) strength training, heavy-load steadiness training (n = 6), or no training (n = 9). Steadiness training required subjects to match the angular displacement about the knee joint to a constant-velocity template. The Heavy-Load group experienced a 5.5% increase in muscle volume, a 25% increase in maximal voluntary contraction force, and a 26% increase in the one-repetition (1-RM) load. The Heavy-Load Steady group experienced increases of 11.5, 31, and 36%, respectively. The maximal electromyogram signal of quadriceps femoris increased by 51% in the two training groups. The coefficient of variation (CV) for force during submaximal isometric contractions did not change with training for any group. Although both training groups also experienced a reduction in CV for force during anisometric contractions with a 50% 1-RM load, the standard deviation of position did not change with time for any group. The Heavy-Load Steady group also experienced a reduction in CV for force during the training contractions performed with the 80% 1-RM load. Thus strength training reduced the force fluctuations of the quadriceps femoris muscles during anisometric contractions but not during isometric contractions.


Effects of histatin-1 peptide on human corneal epithelial cells.
Ocular surface and corneal epithelial wounds are common and potentially debilitating problems. Ideal treatments for these injuries would promote epithelial healing without inflammation, infection and scarring. In addition the best treatments would be cost-efficient, effective, non-toxic and easily applied. Histatin-1 peptides have been shown to be safe and effective enhancers of epithelial wound healing in other model systems. We sought to determine whether histatin-1 peptides could enhance human corneal epithelial wound healing in vitro. Histatin-1 peptides were applied to human corneal epithelial cells and compared over useful dose ranges in scratch assays using time-lapse microscopy. In addition, path finding analysis, cell spreading assays, toxicity and proliferation assays were performed to further characterize the effects of histatin-1 peptide on human corneal limbal epithelial (HCLE). Histatin-1 enhanced human corneal epithelial wound healing in typical wound healing models. There was minimal toxicity and no significant enhancement of proliferation of corneal epithelium in response to histatin-1 application. Corneal epithelial spreading and pathfinding appeared to be enhanced by the application of histatin-1 peptides. Histatin -1 peptide may enhance migration of HCLE cells and wound healing in vitro. These peptides may have benefit in corneal epithelial wounds and need to be investigated further.


The effect of addition of fluorescent moieties to dihydropyrenes: enhancing photochromicity and fluorescence monitoring.
A series of dihydropyrenes with appending fluorescent moieties were synthesized with the objective of increasing the photochromic efficiency for this class of compounds and to establish how suitable fluorescence would be to follow their photochromic behavior. The ring opening quantum yields of dihydropyrenes with aroyl substituents at the 4-position showed increased ring opening quantum yields without a decrease of the half-life for the thermal reversion of the less stable open isomer, the metacyclophanediene to the dihydropyrene. The fluorescence of the appending naphthoyl or pyrenoyl moieties was not suitable to follow the photochromic cycling of the dihydropyrenes. However, the emission detected above 600 nm of the closed isomer of the dihydropyrene moiety was shown to be a good monitoring method for the photochromic cycling.


[Hormone-like action of blood plasma lipoproteins on human platelets and smooth vascular muscle cells].
It has been found that blood lipoproteins are capable of inducing rapid and reversible elevations of [Ca2+]i in human blood platelets and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) loaded with Ca(2+)-sensitive fluorescent probes. The effects of LDL and HDL3 were dose-dependent and reached saturation at physiological concentrations of these lipoproteins. Both lipoproteins activated the phosphoinositide turnover, producing elevated levels of diacylglycerol and inositol mono-, bis- and triphosphates. Analysis of isomers of inositol phosphates in lipoprotein-treated VSMC by anion-exchange HPLC supported the view that LDL and HDL3 activate polyphosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C. These data demonstrate that lipoproteins, similarly to aggregation inducers and vasoactive hormones, stimulate second messenger systems in platelets and VSMC. It was shown that pretreatment of cells with protein kinase C activators, cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinases, significantly decreased the hormone-like effects of the lipoproteins. Preincubation of VSMC with pertussis toxin also attenuated the effects of LDL and HDL3. In contrast, adrenaline potentiated the 2-3-fold LDL-induced elevation of [Ca2+]i in platelets. Considering that increase in the intracellular cAMP and cGMP and the activation of protein kinase C are known to inhibit the effects of Ca(2+)-mobilizing hormones, the results obtained demonstrate a similarity between the mechanisms of activation of cell-signalling systems by hormones and lipoproteins, suggesting also that lipoprotein-induced activation may be transduced by G-proteins.


Influence of Ar(2)+ in an argon collisional-radiative model.
A nonlinear time-dependent collisional-radiative model for recombining argon is presented. Reactions involving Ar(2)+ are taken into account and their influence is discussed. It is shown that Ar(2)+ may increase the time to reach the quasi-steady-state by a factor of 100. The calculation of the recombination rate coefficient at the quasi-steady-state is presented. An analytical expression is derived and compared with existing literature values. The importance of the increase of the quasi-steady-state time is illustrated by comparisons of excited levels population densities distribution measured in a fast moving plasma where the mechanical time scale is sufficiently short to provide a time-dependent chemistry in a reference frame moving with the flow. The high sensitivity of the results towards the electron number density is pointed out. Finally, the influence of the processes involving Ar(2)+ on the excitation temperature is discussed.


Quantifying Variability in Growth and Thermal Inactivation Kinetics of Lactobacillus plantarum.
The presence and growth of spoilage organisms in food might affect the shelf life. In this study, the effects of experimental, reproduction, and strain variabilities were quantified with respect to growth and thermal inactivation using 20 Lactobacillus plantarum strains. Also, the effect of growth history on thermal resistance was quantified. The strain variability in μmax was similar (P > 0.05) to reproduction variability as a function of pH, aw, and temperature, while being around half of the reproduction variability (P < 0.05) as a function of undissociated lactic acid concentration [HLa]. The cardinal growth parameters were estimated for the L. plantarum strains, and the pHmin was between 3.2 and 3.5, the aw,min was between 0.936 and 0.953, the [HLamax], at pH 4.5, was between 29 and 38 mM, and the Tmin was between 3.4 and 8.3°C. The average D values ranged from 0.80 min to 19 min at 55°C, 0.22 to 3.9 min at 58°C, 3.1 to 45 s at 60°C, and 1.8 to 19 s at 63°C. In contrast to growth, the strain variability in thermal resistance was on average six times higher than the reproduction variability and more than ten times higher than the experimental variability. The strain variability was also 1.8 times higher (P < 0.05) than the effect of growth history. The combined effects of strain variability and growth history on D value explained all of the variability as found in the literature, although with bias. Based on an illustrative milk-processing chain, strain variability caused ∼2-log10 differences in growth between the most and least robust strains and >10-log10 differences after thermal treatment. Accurate control and realistic prediction of shelf life is complicated by the natural diversity among microbial strains, and limited information on microbiological variability is available for spoilage microorganisms. Therefore, the objectives of the present study were to quantify strain variability, reproduction (biological) variability, and experimental variability with respect to the growth and thermal inactivation kinetics of Lactobacillus plantarum and to quantify the variability in thermal resistance attributed to growth history. The quantitative knowledge obtained on experimental, reproduction, and strain variabilities can be used to improve experimental designs and to adequately select strains for challenge growth and inactivation tests. Moreover, the integration of strain variability in prediction of microbial growth and inactivation kinetics will result in more realistic predictions of L. plantarum dynamics along the food production chain.


Positive association between leptin serum levels and disease activity on endoscopy in inflammatory bowel disease: A case-control study.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) includes ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn's disease (CD) and indeterminate colitis. As these subtypes of IBD display important differences in the behavior of the natural course of the disease, the identification of non-invasive markers for IBD is important. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the serum levels of 10 adipokines and their association with endoscopic activity in IBD. The 10-protein profile (C-peptide, ghrelin, gastric inhibitory polypeptide, glucagon-like peptide-1, glucagon, insulin, leptin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, resistin and visfatin) was evaluated using serum from 53 participants (23 UC and 11 CD patients, as well as 19 controls) from Zacatecas (Mexico) by using the Bio-Plex Pro Human Diabetes 10-Plex Panel (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.). Compared with those in the controls, leptin levels were significantly lower in patients with IBD (P=4.9×10-4). In addition, serum leptin displayed differences between groups with and without disease activity on endoscopy (P<0.001). Among the study population, serum leptin levels of <5,494 pg/ml significantly increased the odds of IBD by 12.8-fold [odds ratio (OR)=12.8, 95% confidence interval (CI)=3.04-53.9, P=0.001]. In addition, patients with serum leptin levels of <2,498 pg/ml displayed 5.8-fold greater odds of disease activity on endoscopy among the study population (OR=5.8, 95% CI=1.52-22.4, P=0.013). No differences in the serum levels of the remaining proteins were identified between the groups. Among the study population, serum leptin was associated with an increased risk of IBD and with disease activity on endoscopy. Additional studies will be necessary to validate the use of leptin as a non-invasive biomarker of IBD severity.


Oxygen isotopic abundances in calcium- aluminum-rich inclusions from ordinary chondrites: implications for nebular heterogeneity.
The oxygen isotopic compositions of two calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) from the unequilibrated ordinary chondrite meteorites Quinyambie and Semarkona are enriched in 16O by an amount similar to that in CAIs from carbonaceous chondrites. This may indicate that most CAIs formed in a restricted region of the solar nebula and were then unevenly distributed throughout the various chondrite accretion regions. The Semarkona CAI is isotopically homogeneous and contains highly 16O-enriched melilite, supporting the hypothesis that all CAI minerals were originally 16O-rich, but that in most carbonaceous chondrite inclusions some minerals exchanged oxygen isotopes with an external reservoir following crystallization.


A reexamination of the empirically supported treatments critiques.
Half a dozen special sections and a number of independent articles in psychotherapy journals have recently addressed and debated empirically supported treatments (ESTs). Serious arguments have been presented in favor of the EST movement, while significant criticisms have also appeared. While acknowledging the importance of criticism on the process of developing the EST lists, this commentary reexamines several critiques related to the goals of the EST movement. By offering a positive and comprehensive view of EST aspects that may have initially appeared as weaknesses, this article reaffirms the strengths and potential benefits of the EST project and discusses ways to achieve them.


Cystic basal cell carcinoma of the orbit and eyelids.
When basal cell carcinoma develops cystic change, its clinical and radiological features vary, leading to confusion in differential diagnosis We report four cases with cystic formation of 62 patients with orbital and adnexal basal cell carcinoma encountered during the last 12 years. The salient clinical, radiological, and histopathological features of these cases are presented and differential diagnosis of large cystic lesions in the orbit is discussed. When the basal cell carcinoma develops cystic changes it mimics other orbital cysts, including inclusion cysts due to penetrating injury, mucoceles, and necrotic metastatic tumors.


Exploring the urinary selenometabolome following a multi-phase selenite administration regimen in humans.
To gain more insight into the human metabolism of the essential trace element selenium, we investigate the response of the urinary selenium metabolites to changing selenium intake by applying a stepwise selenium administration regimen based on repeated dosaging. Sodium selenite was administered orally to healthy volunteers at an incrementally increasing dosage. The supplementation regimen extended over 20 days for each volunteer, and daily morning urine samples were collected prior to, during, and following the supplementation phases. A total of 160 urine samples were analyzed for total urinary selenium and a panel of selenometabolites by using ICPMS and HPLC/ICPMS. Selenosugar 1 gave the strongest response followed by TMSe and then selenosugar 3. Se-methylselenoneine excretion was not stimulated by increased selenium intake, suggesting that it is not in equilibrium with selenium body pools. Selenate was detected in all urine samples; it showed a clear and consistent response to supplementation and an abrupt return to baseline levels upon cessation of supplementation, indicating that it arose from the oxidation of the administered selenite rather than from the oxidation of endogenous hydrogen selenide. The gap between total urinary selenium and the sum of Se species markedly increased in response to selenium administration, which highlights the presence of unknown Se species that respond to selenite supplementation. The characterization of these unknown species and their possible biological activities might be essential before considering selenium supplementation in clinical trials. We discuss the implications of the responses of the selenium metabolites and their inter-relationships for selenium metabolism.


How effects on health equity are assessed in systematic reviews of interventions.
Enhancing health equity has now achieved international political importance with endorsement from the World Health Assembly in 2009. The failure of systematic reviews to consider effects on health equity is cited by decision-makers as a limitation to their ability to inform policy and program decisions. To systematically review methods to assess effects on health equity in systematic reviews of effectiveness. We searched the following databases up to July 2 2010: MEDLINE, PsychINFO, the Cochrane Methodology Register, CINAHL, Education Resources Information Center, Education Abstracts, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Index to Legal Periodicals, PAIS International, Social Services Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Digital Dissertations and the Health Technology Assessment Database. We searched SCOPUS to identify articles that cited any of the included studies on October 7 2010. We included empirical studies of cohorts of systematic reviews that assessed methods for measuring effects on health inequalities. Data were extracted using a pre-tested form by two independent reviewers. Risk of bias was appraised for included studies according to the potential for bias in selection and detection of systematic reviews. Thirty-four methodological studies were included. The methods used by these included studies were: 1) Targeted approaches (n=22); 2) gap approaches (n=12) and gradient approach (n=1). Gender or sex was assessed in eight out of 34 studies, socioeconomic status in ten studies, race/ethnicity in seven studies, age in seven studies, low and middle income countries in 14 studies, and two studies assessed multiple factors across health inequity may exist.Only three studies provided a definition of health equity. Four methodological approaches to assessing effects on health equity were identified: 1) descriptive assessment of reporting and analysis in systematic reviews (all 34 studies used a type of descriptive method); 2) descriptive assessment of reporting and analysis in original trials (12/34 studies); 3) analytic approaches (10/34 studies); and 4) applicability assessment (11/34 studies). Both analytic and applicability approaches were not reported transparently nor in sufficient detail to judge their credibility. There is a need for improvement in conceptual clarity about the definition of health equity, describing sufficient detail about analytic approaches (including subgroup analyses) and transparent reporting of judgments required for applicability assessments in order to assess and report effects on health equity in systematic reviews.


Preradiation chemotherapy may improve survival in pediatric diffuse intrinsic brainstem gliomas: final results of BSG 98 prospective trial.
Radiation therapy remains the only treatment that provides clinical benefit to children with diffuse brainstem tumors. Their median survival, however, rarely exceeds 9 months. The authors report a prospective trial of frontline chemotherapy aimed at delaying radiation until time of clinical progression. The aim was to investigate the possibility that radiotherapy would maintain its activity in children whose disease progressed after chemotherapy. Twenty-three patients took part in this protocol, the BSG 98 protocol, which consisted of frontline chemotherapy alternating hematotoxic and nonhematotoxic schedules. Each cycle included three courses delivered monthly; the first course was 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosoureacisplatin, and the second and third were high-dose methotrexate. Three patients underwent one cycle; 5 patients each, two and three cycles; and 10 patients, four cycles. Twenty of the 23 patients eventually received local radiation therapy. A historical cohort of 14 patients who received at least local radiation therapy served as controls. Four patients experienced severe iatrogenic infections, and 11 patients required platelet transfusions. Median survival increased significantly in patients participating in the protocol compared to that in the historical controls (17 months, 95% confidence interval [CI], 10-23 months, vs. 9 months, 95% CI, 8-10 months; p = 0.022), though hospitalization was prolonged (57 vs. 25 days, p = 0.001). Although frontline chemotherapy alternating hematotoxic and nonhematotoxic schedules significantly increases overall median survival, its cost from infection and hospitalization deserves honest discussion with the children and their parents.


TIVAN: tissue-specific cis-eQTL single nucleotide variant annotation and prediction.
Predicting genetic regulatory variants, most of which locate in non-coding genomic regions, still remain a challenge in genetic research. Among all non-coding regulatory variants, cis-eQTL single nucleotide variants (SNVs) are of particular interest for their crucial role in regulating gene expression. Since different gene expression patterns are believed to contribute to the etiologies of different phenotypes, it is desirable to characterize the impact of cis-eQTL SNVs in a context-specific manner. Though computational methods for predicting the potential of variants being pathogenic or deleterious are well-established, methods for annotating and predicting cis-eQTL SNVs are under-developed. Here, we present TIVAN (TIssue-specific Variant ANnotation and prediction), an ensemble method of decision trees, to predict tissue-specific cis-eQTL SNVs. TIVAN is trained based on a comprehensive collection of features, including genome-wide genomic and epigenomic profiling data. As a result, TIVAN has been shown to accurately discriminate cis-eQTL SNVs from non-eQTL SNVs and perform favorably to other methods by obtaining higher five-fold cross-validation AUC values (CV-AUC) and Leave-One-Chromosome-Out predicted AUC values (LOCO-AUC) across 44 different tissues belonging to 27 different tissue classes. Finally, TIVAN consistently maintains top performance on an independent testing dataset, which includes 7 tissues in 11 studies. TIVAN software is available at https://github.com/lichen-lab/TIVAN. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Linear polymerization caused by the defective folding of a non-inhibitory serpin ovalbumin.
Polymerization caused by defective folding of heat-denatured ovalbumin was examined. A compactly misfolded ovalbumin that was produced by cooling heat-denatured protein rapidly tended to aggregate in the presence of salt. Two different forms of aggregates were observed as the concentration of salt was varied: a linear polymer at a physiological concentration and a massive agglomerate at a higher concentration. Salt-induced polymerization depended on the species of anion and the order of effectiveness followed the lyotropic series of Hofmeister. Defective folding of heat-denatured ovalbumin induced the exposure of cysteine residues in sequences located in the interior of the native protein. The misfolded ovalbumin, but not the native protein, bound to bovine BiP and stimulated its ATPase activity with the K(m) of 64 microM and the V(max) of 0.5 nmol/min per milligram. Measurement of surface plasmon resonance revealed that only the misfolded ovalbumin was recognized with the K(d) of 4.12 X 10(-8) M by the Fab fragment of a monoclonal antibody raised against hen ovalbumin, and its epitope was determined to be a hydrophobic segment in the beta-strand of central sheet A. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the linear polymerization was inhibited by the addition of bovine BiP and the Fab fragment. These results demonstrated that the compactly misfolded ovalbumin polymerized through hydrophobic interaction occurring among the areas exposed as a result of defective folding of the heat-denatured protein. Exposure of the region of, or adjacent to, the central beta-sheet A was required for axial contact among the misfolded molecules, suggesting that this process may be explained by reference to the mechanism proposed for loop-sheet polymerization in the Z type variant of a serpin alpha1-antitrypsin.


Survival of osseointegrated implants in head and neck cancer patients submitted to multimodal treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
To investigate the survival rate in implants placement in irradiated and non-irradiated bone in patients undergoing head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment. We focused on the consequences of the main complications, such as osteoradionecrosis and peri-implantitis. An electronic search conducted by PRISMA protocol was performed. Full texts were carefully assessed, and data were assimilated into a tabular form for discussion and consensus among the expert panel. The quality assessment and the risk of bias are verified by Joanna Briggs Institute checklist (JBI) and The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), and Risk of Bias in Non-Randomized Studies of Interventions (ROBINS-I) assessment tool. A total of 452 records were identified in the based on our PICOs strategy and after screening, 19 articles were included in the descriptive analysis of the review. Totaling 473 implants placed in irradiated and non-irradiated bone, and 31.6% of the patients were over 60 years of age. 57.9%) performed implant placement in a period of 12 months or more after the ending of radiotherapy. Only 5 studies had a follow-up period longer than 5 years after implant placement, of which three were used for the meta-analysis. In the meta-analysis of 5-year survival rate, analysis of implants in irradiated bone was assessed; a random effect model was used and a weighted proportion (PP) of 93.13% (95% CI: 87.20-99.06; p < 0.001), and in the 5-year survival rate, analysis of implants in non-irradiated bone was analysed; a fixed effect model was used and a weighted proportion (PP) of 98.52% survival (95% CI: 97.56-99.48, p < 0.001). Survival rates of implants placed in irradiated bone are clinically satisfactory after a follow-up of 5 years, with a fewer percentage than in implants placed in non-irradiated bone after metanalyses performed.


Formation of silk fibroin matrices with different texture and its cellular response to normal human keratinocytes.
Three forms of silk fibroin (SF) matrices, woven (microfiber), non-woven (nanofiber), and film form, were used to perform a conformational analysis and cell culture using normal human oral keratinocytes (NHOK). To obtain the SF microfiber (SF-M) matrix, natural grey silk was degummed, while the SF film (SF-F) and nanofiber (SF-N) matrices were prepared by casting and electrospinning the formic acid solutions of the regenerated SF, respectively. For insolubilization, as-prepared SF-F and SF-N matrices were chemically treated with an aqueous methanol solution of 50%. The conformational structures of as-prepared and chemically treated SF matrices were investigated using attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR) and solid-state 13C CP/MAS nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The as-cast SF-F matrix formed a mainly beta-sheet structure that was similar to the SF-M matrix, whereas the as-spun SF-N matrix had a random coil conformation as the predominant secondary structure. Conformational transitions from random coil to beta-sheet of the as-spun SF-N occurred rapidly within 10 min following aqueous methanol treatment, and were confirmed by solid-state 13C NMR analysis. To assess the cytocompatibility and cells behavior on the different textures of SF, we examined the cell attachment and spreading of NHOK that was seeded onto the SF matrices, as well as the interaction between the cells and SF matrices. Our results indicate that the SF nanofiber matrix may be more preferable than SF film and SF microfiber matrices for biomedical applications, such as wound dressings and scaffolds for tissue engineering.


Measurement of acute pain in infants: a review of behavioral and physiological variables.
The use of non-validated pain measurement tools to assess infant pain represents a serious iatrogenic threat to the developing neonatal nervous system. One partial explanation for this practice may be the contradictory empirical data from studies that use newborn pain management tools constructed for infants of different developmental stages or exposed to different environmental stressors. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the evidence regarding the physiologic and behavioral variables that accurately assess and measure acute pain response in infants. A literature search was conducted using PUBMED and CINAHL and the search terms infant, neonate/neonatal, newborn, pain, assessment, and measurement to identify peer-reviewed studies that examined the validity and reliability of behavioral and physiological variables used for investigation of infant pain. Ten articles were identified for critical review. Strong evidence supports the use of the behavioral variables of facial expressions and body movements and the physiologic variables of heart rate and oxygen saturation to assess acute pain in infants. It is incumbent upon researchers and clinical nurses to ensure the validity, reliability, and feasibility of pain measures, so that the outcomes of their investigations and interventions will be developmentally appropriate and effective pain management therapies.


[Expression of discoidin domain receptor 2 in different phases of alcoholic liver fibrosis in a rat model].
To observe the expressions of discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR2) in different phases of alcoholic liver fibrosis (ALF) in a rat model and to study the possible association between DDR2 and collagen deposition in ALF. After an ALF rat model was established by alcohol gastrogavage and an olive oil diet, the liver histopathology was observed in different phases of the development of fibrosis. The expressions of DDR2 mRNA and protein were also detected by RT-PCR and Western blot respectively to make a dependability analysis with the index of ALF. (1) The expressions of DDR2 mRNA and protein increased gradually along with ALF aggravation. In the normal control group, they were respectively 1.023+/-0.132 and 0.321+/-0.027; in the model 1 group (week 12) they were 3.644+/-1.686, 0.476+/-0.046; in the model 2 group (week 16) they were 8.337+/-2.387, 0.738+/-0.057; and in the model 3 group (week 20) they were 15.730+/-4.569, 0.997+/-0.049. The differences of DDR2 mRNA (F = 21.74, P less than 0.01) and protein (F = 10.38, P less than 0.01) among these four groups were significant. (2) The expressions of DDR2 had a positive correlation with collagen type I, III, IV contents and the serum index of ALF, especially with type III and IV collagen and serum hexadecenoic acid. The expression of DDR2 in this ALF model correlates closely with collagen deposition in the liver, suggesting that it may play an important role in ALF pathogenesis.


Volcanic history in the Smythii basin based on SELENE radar observation.
Elucidation of the subsurface structure in the Smythii basin on the moon is important for understanding lunar volcanic history. Two lava units (Units 1 and 2) cover this basin. The spatial subsurface structure below Unit 2 is unknown. We used SELENE/Lunar Radar Sounder data to identify four subsurface boundaries at 130, 190, 300, and 420 m depths. The radar is reflected at the paleo-regolith layer sandwiched among lava flows, which is supported by a simple radar reflection/transmission model. The spatial distribution of subsurface boundaries demonstrates the deposition of Unit 2 on the subsidence in Unit 1. A simple loading model explained the maximum depth of subsidence (~500 m) and indicated that lithospheric thickness in the Smythii basin was ~24 km at 3.95 Gya. The estimated growth rate of the lithosphere was ~60 km/Ga during 3.95 to 3.07 Gya. After the formation of the Smythii basin at ~4.11 Gya, Unit 1 and Unit 2 deposited with eruption rates of ~8.4 × 10-4 km3/yr by 3.95 Gya and ~7.5 × 10-6 km3/yr by 3.07 Gya respectively. The timing of decline in volcanic activity in the Smythii basin differs from that for the lunar nearside maria, indicating the diversity of volcanism in various lunar areas.


Regulation of G protein mRNA levels by thyroliberin, vasoactive intestinal peptide and somatostatin in prolactin-producing rat pituitary adenoma cells.
We have investigated the regulation of mRNA levels of alpha- and beta-subunits of guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins) by peptide hormones in prolactin producing rat pituitary adenoma cells (GH3 cells) in culture. The cells were treated with thyroliberin (1 microM), vasoactive intestinal peptide (1 microM) or somatostatin (10 microM) for 6 to 48 hours. Thyroliberin and vasoactive intestinal peptide increased the levels of Gs alpha Go alpha, Gi-2 alpha, Gi-3 alpha, Gx alpha, G beta 36 and mRNAs. The effect of vasoactive intestinal peptide was however earlier and more pronounced. Gi-2 alpha mRNA levels showed the quantitatively largest alterations. Somatostatin upregulated Gs alpha and downregulated Go alpha and Gi-2 mRNAs. G protein mRNAs for Gi-2 alpha and Go alpha were increased by exposure of the cells to a medium devoid of serum. We conclude that G protein mRNA levels are subjected to alterations by hormones that act through the corresponding G proteins in the regulation of prolactin synthesis and secretion.


Special-class EMR children mainstreamed: a study of an aptitude (learning potential) X treatment interaction.
Academic, personal, and social growth were compared for special-class EMR children who were assigned randomly to regular grades or retained in special classes at three time intervals: prior to the assignment, 2 month after assignment, and at the conclusion of the school year. There were no significant differences between the two groups prior to or 2 months after reintegration. After one school year, the reintegrated children were more internally controlled, had more positive attitudes toward school, and were more reflective in their behavior. The hypothesis that the more able students by the learning potential criterion would benefit more from regular than special-class placement was supported. These students expressed more positive feelings toward themselves as students, felt others perceived them as more competent, and behaved more reflectively when they were integrated than when assigned to special class. The high-able (learning potential) students performed more competently academically than the low-able (learning potential) students, regardless of placement.


Physician recommendation for colorectal cancer screening by race, ethnicity, and health insurance status among men and women in the United States, 2000.
In this study, the authors examined whether men and women in the United States had received a physician recommendation to get a colorectal cancer screening test, by race, ethnicity, and health insurance status using data from the 2000 National Health Interview Survey. Among men and women who had had a doctor visit in the past year but who had not had a recent fecal occult blood test, about 94.6% (95% CI 94.0-95.2) reported that their doctor had not recommended the test in the past year. African Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians/Alaska Natives were less likely to report receiving a recommendation for endoscopy compared to Whites.


[Utilization of health service in women with reproductive tract infections in urban and rural areas].
To provide insight on psychosocial factors underlying utilization of health services of women whom perceived reproductive tract infection (RTI) symptoms. A cross-sectional study, adopted Aday and Andersen's Social Behaviour Model was conducted in 1998 - 1999 in China. Hebei province and Beijing were purposely chosen as the research sites. All eligible married women aged 21 to 60, 864 subjects, were interviewed in person. Findings showed that the percentage of self-reported symptoms of RTIs was 35.6 in urban compared to 46.8 in the rural areas. The proportion of women with RTIs who utilized health services was 27.5 versus 26.7 percent among the two groups. Urban women, mostly 'white collar' class, with free medical service, satisfied with health providers, receiving information from health provider and having severe current experience RTIs, were more likely to use health services. Rural women, however, having both severe prior experience and current experience of RTIs, high family income, having much knowledge about self-medication, perceiving less social stigma of getting RTIs, and perceiving severity of RTIs, were more likely to use health services. These findings showed that there was a great need on providing culturally acceptable reproductive health education at different places so as to improve women's ability of self-care. Regular medical check-up for women is also important for improving the quality of health service. Reform on health insurance seemed necessary. Factors as social stigma related to RTIs, giving women social and moral support also need to be taken into account.


A gender-specific analysis of adolescent dietary caffeine, alcohol consumption, anger, and violent behavior.
Self-reported dietary caffeine and alcohol consumption were examined in relation to anger and violent behavior in Icelandic tenth-graders. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to investigate direct and indirect effects of measured and latent variables in the population sample of 3,670, controlling for parental financial standing, family structure, ADHD, and peer delinquency. Gender differences were observed that have not been reported previously, especially in relation to anger as a possible mediator of violent behavior against a background of caffeine and alcohol consumption. Study findings suggest the need to take account of caffeine consumption in relation to adolescent anger and violence.


Gender, hormone therapy, and HIV: what should cardiologists know?
Transgender individuals represent the fastest growing minority in the United States and are disproportionately affected by HIV. Hormone therapy is the most common treatment for gender dysphoria in transgender individuals. As HIV is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease, it is critical to further research the influence masculinising and feminising hormone therapies have on cardiovascular disease. There is a clinical need for evidence-based guidelines for cardiologists to follow to effectively care for and treat transgender patients. For this to be done, the interplay between HIV, hormone therapy, and cardiovascular disease must be better understood through collaboration between researchers and clinicians to achieve maximum benefit from recent advancements.


Decrease of gastrointestinal mucosal damage by salicyluric acid compared with salicylic acid in rabbits.
The gastrointestinal mucosal damage following the oral administration of salicylic acid or salicyluric acid was examined in rabbits using a scanning electron microscope. Six and 24 h after treatment with salicylic acid, morphological changes of gastric mucosa were recognized. In rabbits treated with salicyluric acid, however, severe damage in the gastric mucosa was not found after 24 h compared with the treatment with salicylic acid. Following the treatment with salicylic acid, some mucosal damage in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum was observed after 24 h. The surface character of the duodenal, jejunal, ileal, caecal and colonic mucosa were almost identical compared with the control following the treatment with salicyluric acid. It was reported that salicyluric acid is metabolized to salicylic acid by the intestinal microorganisms. From these results, it was suggested that prodrugs utilizing the metabolism of salicyluric acid to salicylic acid by intestinal microorganisms may be useful in reducing gastrointestinal mucosal damage.


Role of Digital Microfluidics in Enabling Access to Laboratory Automation and Making Biology Programmable.
Digital microfluidics (DMF) is a liquid handling technique that has been demonstrated to automate biological experimentation in a low-cost, rapid, and programmable manner. This review discusses the role of DMF as a "digital bioconverter"-a tool to connect the digital aspects of the design-build-learn cycle with the physical execution of experiments. Several applications are reviewed to demonstrate the utility of DMF as a digital bioconverter, namely, genetic engineering, sample preparation for sequencing and mass spectrometry, and enzyme-, immuno-, and cell-based screening assays. These applications show that DMF has great potential in the role of a centralized execution platform in a fully integrated pipeline for the production of novel organisms and biomolecules. In this paper, we discuss how the function of a DMF device within such a pipeline is highly dependent on integration with different sensing techniques and methodologies from machine learning and big data. In addition to that, we examine how the capacity of DMF can in some cases be limited by known technical and operational challenges and how consolidated efforts in overcoming these challenges will be key to the development of DMF as a major enabling technology in the computer-aided biology framework.


Application of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Technology to the Study of Hematological Diseases.
The burst of reprogramming technology in recent years has revolutionized the field of stem cell biology, offering new opportunities for personalized, regenerative therapies. The direct reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has provided an invaluable tool to study and model a wide range of human diseases. Here, we review the transforming potential of such a strategy in research and in therapies applicable to the hematology field.


Response Assessment in Myeloma: Practical Manual on Consistent Reporting in an Era of Dramatic Therapeutic Advances.
The understanding and treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) have dramatically improved in recent years. However, accurate assessment of the response of myeloma to therapy and its subsequent relapse remains a difficult task. Criteria have changed over time and new parameters have recently been incorporated to evaluate minimal residual disease status. We present a practical approach to assess response and relapse/progression in myeloma in the context of its treatment. A robust reporting schema is crucial to correctly evaluate any treatment protocol and compare results across trials. MM is a highly heterogeneous disease with multifarious manifestations. To assess the tumor load decline after treatment and its increase during relapse/progression, numerous parameters need to be taken into account. As our ability and the tools to measure low levels of disease have improved over time, so have the accepted definitions of response, most recently in August 2016. The goal of this article is to define, describe, and clarify the practical methodological aspects of disease evaluation in response to therapy and in progression or relapse. We expect this practical manual will help myeloma professionals and research workers in data collection for registries and databases and clinical trial reporting.


Fast image recovery using variable splitting and constrained optimization.
We propose a new fast algorithm for solving one of the standard formulations of image restoration and reconstruction which consists of an unconstrained optimization problem where the objective includes an l2 data-fidelity term and a nonsmooth regularizer. This formulation allows both wavelet-based (with orthogonal or frame-based representations) regularization or total-variation regularization. Our approach is based on a variable splitting to obtain an equivalent constrained optimization formulation, which is then addressed with an augmented Lagrangian method. The proposed algorithm is an instance of the so-called alternating direction method of multipliers, for which convergence has been proved. Experiments on a set of image restoration and reconstruction benchmark problems show that the proposed algorithm is faster than the current state of the art methods.


The anti-proliferative effects of adiponectin on human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells and oxidative stress involvement.
Adiponectin (Acrp30) plays an important role in energy metabolism and inflammation. Recently, in vivo serum Acrp30 levels have been reported to be correlated to risk of developing several types of cancers such as lung cancer, and in vitro studies have demonstrated a role for Acrp30 in the control of cell proliferation and survival. However, the molecular effects of Acrp30 on lung cancer have not yet been clearly defined. In the present study, we investigated the effects of different concentrations of Acrp30 on the A549 human alveolar epithelial cell line, an in vitro model of lung adenocarcinoma. A549 cells were exposed to various concentrations of Acrp30 and successively, proliferation, apoptosis and oxidative stress were evaluated by MTT test, caspase activity assay, flow-cytometry and western blotting analysis. Our results demonstrated that Acrp30 causes, in a time- and dose-dependent manner, a reduction of cell viability and duplication together with an increase in cell apoptosis rate. In addition, we found that Acrp30 induces an increase of lipid peroxidation evaluated by TBARS assay and a concomitant reduction of nitric oxide release, both markers of cellular oxidative stress. Taken together, our data on A549 cells provides new insight into potential involvement of Acrp30 on physio-pathologic mechanisms of lung diseases through interference with proliferation, apoptosis and oxidative status.


Dyspnea caused by atlantoaxial subluxation in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.
Atlantoaxial subluxation is a well-known but poorly recognized disease in rheumatoid patients. We report a patient with rheumatoid arthritis whose chief complaint was dyspnea on arrival to the emergency department (ED). After further investigation, spinal cord compression caused by atlantoaxial subluxation was diagnosed. This is an uncommon but important case that ED physicians should be aware of.


Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder after liver transplantation: Incidence, long-term survival and impact of serum tacrolimus level.
To investigate incidence and survival of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) patients after liver transplantation. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among patients who underwent liver transplantation at Shiraz Transplant Center (Shiraz, Iran) between August 2004 and March 2015. Clinical and laboratory data of patients were collected using a data gathering form. There were 40 cases of PTLD in the pediatric age group and 13 cases in the adult group. The incidence of PTLD was 6.25% in pediatric patients and 1.18% in adult liver transplant recipients. The post-PTLD survival of patients at 6 mo was 75.1% ± 6%, at 1 year was 68.9% ± 6.5% and at 5 years was 39.2% ± 14.2%. Higher serum tacrolimus level was associated with lower post-PTLD survival in pediatric patients (OR = 1.07, 95%CI: 1.006-1.15, P = 0.032). A serum tacrolimus level over 11.1 ng/mL was predictive of post PTLD survival (sensitivity = 90%, specificity = 52%, area under the curve = 0.738, P = 0.035). Incidence of PTLD in our liver transplant patients is comparable to other centers. Transplant physicians may consider adjustment of tacrolimus dose to maintain its serum level below this cutoff point.


[Headache in female].
Significant correlation is observed between the prevalence of headache (tension type headache and migraine) and such variables as gender and age. The prevalence of migraine in reproductive-aged females is 4 to 5 times higher than that in males. However, the prevalence in headache does not differ with gender before puberty. Female life stages include the pre-pubertal period, pubertal period, reproductive period (pregnancy, parturition, and puerperium), menopausal period, and postmenopausal period. During these life stages, serum estrogen levels change dynamically. Even during the menstrual cycle, serum estradiol levels change dynamically. These changes definitely differ from changes in serum testosterone levels in males. Headache or migraine during the menstrual cycle is more frequently observed during the period of menstruation. However, the prevalence of headache and migraine become lower after menopause. These findings suggest that the occurrence of headache is in part associated with the decline in serum estradiol levels.


[Isosorbide dinitrate: correlations between its anti-anginal effect, dosage form and administration schedule].
The action of various dosage forms of isosorbide dinitrate (ID) was studied with the help of repeated treadmill run in 28 CHD patients with stable angina of effort. The mean duration of the antianginal effect of ID standard tablets (nitrosorbide-NS) at a dose of 10 mg per os was 3.0 +/- 0.4 h. The effect of sublingual NS administration was more marked and the duration slightly less than in NS administration per os. ID of prolonged action isomac-retard containing 40 mg of ID produced an effect, insignificantly exceeding in duration the NS effect. Dinitrosorbilong (DNL) for gingival application produced and effect as marked as that of sublingual NS. The duration of the DNL effect significantly exceeded that of the effect of all ID dosage form under study (over 8 h). An increase in a NS dose per os did not result in an effect of the same degree and duration as that of DNL.


Effects of epigallocatechin gallate on lipid metabolism and its underlying molecular mechanism in broiler chickens.
The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on fat metabolism and to establish the molecular mechanism of these effects in broilers. Seventy-two 28-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chickens were divided into three groups with different levels of EGCG supplementation for 4 weeks: normal control (NC) group, L-EGCG (a low-level supplement of EGCG, 40 mg/kg body weight daily) and H-EGCG (a high-level supplement of EGCG, 80 mg/kg body weight daily). After 4 weeks of oral administration, EGCG significantly reduced the level of abdominal fat deposition in broilers. The serum triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol of chickens in H-EGCG group were also significantly decreased compared with the NC group, and the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was notably increased at the same time. Moreover, the vital role of the liver and abdominal adipose tissue in lipid metabolism of poultry animals was examined through gene expression and enzyme activities related to fat anabolism and catabolism in these organs. Our data show that EGCG supplementation for 2 weeks significantly downregulated the expression of fatty acid synthesis and fat deposition-related genes, and upregulated the expression of genes involved in fatty acid β-oxidation and lipolysis genes. Simultaneously, the activities of hepatic fatty acid synthesis enzymes (fatty acid synthase and acetyl CoA carboxylase) were significantly decreased, and the activity of carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 was notably elevated. The results suggest that EGCG could alleviate fat deposition in broilers through inhibiting fat anabolism and stimulating lipid catabolism in broilers.


Translocation of short and long polymers through an interacting pore.
We perform two-dimensional Langevin dynamics simulations of electric-field driven polymer translocation through an attractive nanopore. We investigate the effect of the location of the attractive region using different pore patterns. This is found to have an impact on both the translocation time as a function of the chain length and on the polymer entry frequency. We qualitatively compare our results to available experimental data.


Longitudinal Study of Caries Development from Childhood to Adolescence.
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that globally, dental caries is the most important oral condition. To develop effective prevention strategies requires an understanding of how this condition develops and progresses over time, but there are few longitudinal studies of caries onset and progression in children. The aim of the study was to establish the pattern of caries development from childhood into adolescence and to explore the role of potential risk factors (age, sex, ethnicity, and social deprivation). Of particular interest was the disease trajectory of dentinal caries in the permanent teeth in groups defined by the presence or absence of dentinal caries in the primary teeth. Intraoral examinations to assess oral health were performed at 4 time points by trained and calibrated dentist examiners using a standardized, national diagnostic protocol. Clinical data were available from 6,651 children. Mean caries prevalence (% D3MFT > 0) was 16.7% at the first clinical examination (ages 7-9 y), increasing to 31.0%, 42.2%, and 45.7% at subsequent examinations. A population-averaged model (generalized estimating equations) was used to model the longitudinal data. Estimated mean values indicated a rising D3MFT count as pupils aged (consistent with new teeth emerging), which was significantly higher (4.49 times; 95% confidence interval, 3.90-5.16) in those pupils with caries in their primary dentition than in those without. This study is one of the few large longitudinal studies to report the development of dental caries from childhood into adolescence. Children who developed caries in their primary dentition had a very different caries trajectory in their permanent dentition compared to their caries-free contemporaries. In light of these results, caries-free and caries-active children should be considered as 2 separate populations, suggesting different prevention strategies are required to address their different risk profiles.


Identification of the membrane attachment sites for protein 4.1 in the human erythrocyte.
The nature of the membrane attachment site(s) for protein 4.1 in the human erythrocyte membrane has yet to be fully elucidated. In this paper we show that the major attachment site is glycophorin (GP) C/D, and that purified protein 4.1 can bind to two distinct sites on glycophorin C/D. One of these interactions is direct, involving residues 82-98 on glycophorin C (61-77 on glycophorin D), while the other interaction is mediated by p55. We have localized the binding site for p55 on glycophorin C to residues 112-128 (glycophorin D91-107). We also provide evidence that band 3 is an additional, minor, protein 4.1 binding site. The binding sites for band 3, glycophorin C/D, and p55 are all located within the 30-kDa domain of protein 4.1. We estimate that the relative utilization of the three sites in normal membranes comprises 40% to p55, 40% to GPC/D, and 20% to band 3. The same region of protein 4.1 binds GPC/D and band 3, while the p55 binding site is distinct. The interactions involving protein 4.1 with p55 and p55 with GPC/D are of high affinity (nM), while those involving GPC/D and band 3 are 100-fold lower (microM). These results suggest that the most significant interactions between protein 4.1 and the membrane are those involving p55.


Pediatric dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans in Madrid, Spain: multi-institutional outcomes.
Little is known about the incidence and management of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) in children. We conducted a retrospective review of all patients younger than 18 years of age treated for DFSP over a period of 11 years (2000-2011) in Madrid, Spain. The sample consisted of 13 children. The average annual incidence of DFSP in the pediatric population corresponded to 1.02 cases per million person-years (95% confidence interval 0.55, 1.73). Sites of involvement were diverse, with 15.3% of tumors found in acral locations. The median tumor size was 3.5 cm × 3 cm and the median time from apparent onset to diagnosis was 36 months. Histopathologic examination revealed conventional (77.0%), pigmented (15.4%), and myxoid (7.6%) variants. The mitotic index was consistently <5 per 10 high-power fields. All lesions were removed using surgical excision. One patient developed a local recurrence because of initial affected margins; none developed metastases. The median duration of clinical follow-up was 70.5 months. This study estimated the average annual incidence rate of DFSP in a population of patients younger than 18 years and reviewed the experience of several hospitals in the management of this tumor.


Rodlike fluorescent pi-conjugated 3,3'-bipyridazine ligand: optical, electronic, and complexation properties.
We report on the design and synthesis of a new quadrupolar pi-conjugated 3,3'-bipyridazine D-A-D ligand. Its electronic and optical properties were investigated. Besides high fluorescence and pronounced solvatochromism, it exhibits an inherent electroactivity exploited to build an organic green light emitting device. Moreover, the ability of this ligand to complex metallic centers (Cu(I), Ni(II), Pt(II), and Ir(III)) was also investigated to access different geometries and to tune their electronic and optical properties. These preliminary results open up the synthesis of heavy-metal complexes to obtain phosphorescent emitters.


Ecological impacts of photosynthetic light harvesting in changing aquatic environments: A systematic literature map.
Underwater light is spatially as well as temporally variable and directly affects phytoplankton growth and competition. Here we systematically (following the guidelines of PRISMA-EcoEvo) searched and screened the published literature resulting in 640 individual articles. We mapped the conducted research for the objectives of (1) phytoplankton fundamental responses to light, (2) effects of light on the competition between phytoplankton species, and (3) effects of climate-change-induced changes in the light availability in aquatic ecosystems. Among the fundamental responses of phytoplankton to light, the effects of light intensity (quantity, as measure of total photon or energy flux) were investigated in most identified studies. The effects of the light spectrum (quality) that via species-specific light absorbance result in direct consequences on species competition emerged more recently. Complexity in competition arises due to variability and fluctuations in light which effects are sparsely investigated on community level. Predictions regarding future climate change scenarios included changes in in stratification and mixing, lake and coastal ocean darkening, UV radiation, ice melting as well as light pollution which affect the underwater light-climate. Generalization of consequences is difficult due to a high variability, interactions of consequences as well as a lack in sustained timeseries and holistic approaches. Nevertheless, our systematic literature map, and the identified articles within, provide a comprehensive overview and shall guide prospective research.


Functional amplification and preservation of human gut microbiota.
Background: The availability of fresh stool samples is a prerequisite in most gut microbiota functional studies. Objective: Strategies for amplification and long-term gut microbiota preservation from fecal samples would favor sample sharing, help comparisons and reproducibility over time and between laboratories, and improve the safety and ethical issues surrounding fecal microbiota transplantations. Design: Taking advantage of in vitro gut-simulating systems, we amplified the microbial repertoire of a fresh fecal sample and assessed the viability and resuscitation of microbes after preservation with some common intracellular and extracellular acting cryoprotective agents (CPAs), alone and in different combinations. Preservation efficiencies were determined after 3 and 6 months and compared with the fresh initial microbiota diversity and metabolic activity, using the chemostat-based Environmental Control System for Intestinal Microbiota (ECSIM) in vitro model of the gut environment. Microbial populations were tested for fermentation gas, short-chain fatty acids, and composition of amplified and resuscitated microbiota, encompassing methanogenic archaea. Results: Amplification of the microbial repertoire from a fresh fecal sample was achieved with high fidelity. Dimethylsulfoxide, alone or mixed with other CPAs, showed the best efficiency for functional preservation, and the duration of preservation had little effect. Conclusions: The amplification and resuscitation of fecal microbiota can be performed using specialized in vitro gut models. Correct amplification of the initial microbes should ease the sharing of clinical samples and improve the safety of fecal microbiota transplantation. Abbreviations: CDI, Clostridium difficile infection; CPA, cryoprotective agent; D, DMSO, dimethylsulfoxide; FMT, fecal microbiota transplantation; G, glycerol; IBD, inflammatory bowel disease; P, PEG-4000, polyethylene glycol 4000 g.mol-1; SCFA, short-chain fatty acid; SNR, signal-to-noise ratio.


Critical frequency of photic driving in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
Pattern visual evoked response (PVER) and critical frequency of photic driving (CFPD) to repetitive flash stimuli were studied in 68 consecutive patients suspected of multiple sclerosis (MS) and 15 normal controls to assess the diagnostic value of combined PVER-CFPD testing. Clinically, 38 qualified for the diagnosis of MS while 30 did not. The CFPD was found to be unreliable for detecting optic nerve dysfunction (OND) in MS, since well-defined photic driving at all frequencies above 40 flashes per second was not present in 14 patients without MS (47%) and in three normal control subjects (20%). The PVER, on the other hand, was highly sensitive and specific for OND, being abnormal in 12 patients with definite MS (92%) but in none of the normal controls. It is concluded that PVER by itself is a valuable test for the diagnosis of OND in MS and additional CFPD testing is uninformative and may even be misleading.


Screening diversity and distribution of Copia retrotransposons reveals a specific amplification of BARE1 elements in genomes of the polyploid Hordeum murinum complex.
We explored diversity, distribution and evolutionary dynamics of Ty1-Copia retrotransposons in the genomes of the Hordeum murinum polyploid complex and related taxa. Phylogenetic and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses of reverse transcriptase sequences identified four Copia families in these genomes: the predominant BARE1 (including three groups or subfamilies, A, B and C), and the less represented RIRE1, IKYA and TAR-1. Within the BARE1 family, BARE1-A elements and a subgroup of BARE1-B elements (named B1) have proliferated in the allopolyploid members of the H. murinum complex (H. murinum and H. leporinum), and in their extant diploid progenitor, subsp. glaucum. Moreover, we found a specific amplification of BARE1-B elements within each Hordeum species surveyed. The low occurrence of RIRE1, IKYA and TAR-1 elements in the allopolyploid cytotypes suggests that they are either weakly represented or highly degenerated in their diploid progenitors. The results demonstrate that BARE1-A and BARE1-B1 Copia elements are particularly well represented in the genomes of the H. murinum complex and constitute its genomic hallmark. No BARE1-A and -B1 homologs were detected in the reference barley genome. The similar distribution of RT-Copia probes across chromosomes of diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid taxa of the murinum complex shows no evidence of proliferation following polyploidization.


The prosthetic need WHO index: a comparison between self-perception and professional assessment in an elderly population.
The purpose of this study was to consider the criteria for establishing the need for prosthesis, by comparing the need perceived subjectively by a patient (self-perception) with that assessed by an examiner according to the WHO diagnosis criteria. The proposed domiciliary sample comprised 270 elderly (aged 60 years or older) residents in a municipality in southern Brazil. The interviews and oral examinations were conducted by two dentists following a period of training and calibration. The criteria used conformed to the WHO and FDI standards. Statistical treatment of data included bivariate and multivariate analysis using SPSS 10.0. Only five patients identified the need for a prosthesis when not identified by the examiner. In the case of 172 elderly subjects, there was agreement in the self-perceived and observed treatment needs. The need for prosthesis was found in 93 elderly subjects who did not perceive any need for prosthetic treatment. The multivariate analysis showed that the variables age, gender, residential area and form of service most sought after during their lives were significantly associated with a better self-perception of oral health. The professional criteria based on WHO guidelines differed from the self-perceived need. Elderly male subjects who lived in a rural area and were 70 years of age or more, who did not participate in third age groups, and who had not sought dental services for most of their lives were the least likely to perceive the need for prosthetic treatment, thereby underestimating their oral health needs.