Exosome membrane-modified M2 macrophages targeted nanomedicine: Treatment for allergic asthma.
Exosomes are naturally secreted nanovesicles that have emerged as a promising therapeutic nanodelivery platform due to their specific composition, biological properties, and stability. Modifying synthetic nanoparticles with the intrinsic hallmarks of exosome membrane to create exosome mimetics could lead to safe and efficient smart silencer delivery. The study focuses on exploring the combination of polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)-based nanoparticles with naturally occurring exosome membrane from M2 macrophages to deliver a Dnmt3aos smart silencer to treat allergic asthma (AA) in mice. Exosome membrane of M2 macrophages and PLGA nanoparticles (PLGA NPs) wrapped with the smart silencer of Dnmt3aos (Dnmt3aossmart silencer) were first synthesized. The resulting exosome membrane coated PLGA@Dnmt3aossmart silencer (EM-PLGA@Dnmt3aossmart silencer) was administered intravenously into Der f1-induced asthma mice, which was followed by the investigation of therapeutic outcomes and the mechanism in vivo. Seven infusions of EM-PLGA@Dnmt3aossmart silencer ameliorated AA with a marked reduction of lung inflammation. After intravenous injection, the EM-PLGA@Dnmt3aossmart silencer was distributed in various organs, including the lungs, with retention over 48 h, and it targeted M2 macrophages. Moreover, the injections of EM-PLGA@Dnmt3aossmart silencer markedly decreased the proportion of M2 macrophages and inflammatory cytokines in the airway. More importantly, the EM-PLGA@Dnmt3aossmart silencer treatment did not obviously suppress the overall immune function of host. To our knowledge, this study provides the first experimental evidence of the ability of EM-PLGA@Dnmt3aossmart silencer to target M2 macrophages in the treatment of AA by combining exosome membrane and biomaterials, thus presenting a novel immunotherapy for the allergic disease.


Cohort restriction based on prior enrollment: Examining potential biases in estimating cancer and mortality risk.
Electronic health records and administrative databases provide rich, longitudinal data for health-related research. These data cover large, diverse populations creating excellent research opportunities, but have limitations. In particular, information is available only for individuals who are enrolled in a particular health system; thus, studies often exclude individual's with short enrollment history. Such cohort restriction may cause selection bias in absolute risk estimates for the full enrollee population. We use hazard ratios (HRs) to estimate the association between length of prior enrollment and cancer and all-cause mortality risk. HRs different from one indicate restricted cohorts would produce biased risk estimates for the full enrollee population. Our study sample included 170,708 enrollees of a Western Washington healthcare delivery system. Unadjusted models found individuals with 10 or more years of prior enrollment had higher risk of cancer and death compared to those with less than 5 years prior enrollment (HRs ranged from 1.29 - 3.01). Age- and sex-adjusted models accounted for much of this difference (HRs: 0.93 - 1.24). Models adjusting for additional covariates had similar results (HRs: 0.91 - 1.14). After evaluating potential selection bias, we conclude that, in this setting, age- and sex-standardizing risk estimates can remove most of the bias due to lengthy, prior-enrollment cohort restrictions. Before generalizing estimates based on a selected sample of patients meeting prior enrollment criteria, researchers should assess the potential for selection bias.


Comparative effects of a new calcium antagonist, FR 7534, nitroglycerin, and dipyridamole on regional myocardial blood flow and cardiac contractility during partial coronary artery occlusion in the dog.
The present study was designed to determine the effects of three different types of coronary vasodilators--FR 7534 (a new calcium antagonist), nitroglycerin, and dipyridamole--on the transmural blood flow and contractile function in the normal and ischemic myocardium of anesthetized dogs. Radioactive microspheres (15 muc) and Walton-Brodie strain gauge arches were used to measure tissue blood flow and contractile force, respectively. During 5 min intravenous infusions of nitroglycerin (5 microgram/kg/min) or dipyridamole (50 microgram/kg/min), which produced approximately 20% reductions in mean aortic pressure, blood flow and contractile force in ischemic myocardium decreased significantly. Under similar conditions, FR 7534 (10 microgram/kg/min) produced a significant decrease in ischemic contractile force, but tissue blood flow to the ischemic area did not change. In contrast, when mean aortic pressure was controlled by administration of methoxamine, nitroglycerin produced significant increases in ischemic blood flow (42%) and contractile force (47%), whereas dipyridamole produced significant decreases (41 and 32%, respectively). On the other hand, FR 7534 plus methoxamine produced a significant increase in ischemic blood flow (70%); however, ischemic contractile force did not change. These results demonstrate FR 7534 to affect the oxygen supply-demand balance in ischemic myocardium favorably by maintaining blood flow and depressing contractility during hypotension or by increasing flow during controlled systemic pressure.


Large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping of vector fields.
This paper proposes a method to match diffusion tensor magnetic resonance images (DT-MRIs) through the large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping of vector fields, focusing on the fiber orientations, considered as unit vector fields on the image volume. We study a suitable action of diffeomorphisms on such vector fields, and provide an extension of the Large Deformation Diffeomorphic Metric Mapping framework to this type of dataset, resulting in optimizing for geodesics on the space of diffeomorphisms connecting two images. Existence of the minimizers under smoothness assumptions on the compared vector fields is proved, and coarse to fine hierarchical strategies are detailed, to reduce both ambiguities and computation load. This is illustrated by numerical experiments on DT-MRI heart images.


Molecular mechanisms of early plant pattern-triggered immune signaling.
All eukaryotic organisms have evolved sophisticated immune systems to appropriately respond to biotic stresses. In plants and animals, a key part of this immune system is pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). Plant PRRs are cell-surface-localized receptor kinases (RKs) or receptor proteins (RPs) that sense microbe- or self-derived molecular patterns to regulate pattern-triggered immunity (PTI), a robust form of antimicrobial immunity. Remarkable progress has been made in understanding how PRRs perceive their ligands, form active protein complexes, initiate cell signaling, and ultimately coordinate the cellular reprogramming that leads to PTI. Here, we discuss the critical roles of PRR complex formation and phosphorylation in activating PTI signaling, as well as the emerging paradigm in which receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases (RLCKs) act as executors of signaling downstream of PRR activation.


Protease activity in gingival crevicular fluid: presence of free protease.
Our aim was to study protease activity in GCF from inflamed sites with or without tissue destruction. 19 patients with both periodontitis and gingivitis sites and 12 patients having gingivitis alone participated in the study. GCF samples were collected by an intracrevicular washing method. The protease activity was measured as degradation of FITC-conjugated casein. To obtain a semiquantitative estimate of the harvested GCF volume, we measured the transferrin concentration in the wash-fluid. The protease activity was significantly higher in the deep pockets in periodontitis patients than in shallow pockets in the same patients. This difference was still higher when the ratio of protease activity to the amount of transferrin in the sample was plotted. Although protease activity was lower in samples from gingivitis patients than in the deep pockets in periodontitis patients, the difference was not significant. About 90% of the activity could be inhibited by the addition of an excess amount of alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT). This study shows that protease activity is higher in inflamed sites with tissue destruction than in inflamed sites without. Most of this activity could be inhibited by A1AT, which suggests that the activity is due to an imbalance between protease and antiprotease rather than to proteases insensitive to A1AT.


Ultrasound-guided intranodal lymphangiography with lipiodol for treatment of chylous ascites following surgery for ovarian cancer: A case report.
Although lymphadenectomy for gynecological cancer is often associated with chylous leakage, the proper management of this complication remains a matter of debate. In the present study a case of chylous leakage successfully treated with lipiodol lymphangiography is described. A 33-year-old patient with ovarian cancer experienced chylous leakage following total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, omentectomy, and pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy. The volume of fluid in the abdominal drainage tube increased to 800-1,000 ml/day on postoperative day (POD)3. The patient was started on a fat-restricted diet on POD3 and octreotide on POD21, but the volume of the discharge remained unchanged. Lipiodol lymphangiography was performed on POD62, which reduced the leakage, and the patient was discharged on POD95. Therefore, lipiodol lymphangiography effectively resolved chylous leakage following surgery for gynecological cancer. The aim of the present study was to report the clinical effectiveness of lipiodol lymphangiography in resolving chylous leakage in such cases, and to summarize the methods used and complications encountered.


Transition metal based heterogeneous electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction at near-neutral pH.
The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is considered as a major bottleneck of water splitting for hydrogen generation. It is highly desired to develop high performance OER catalysts in near-neutral operating environments because of mild corrosion and pollution. This review summarized the recent development of heterogeneous catalysts containing transition metals (TM) for the OER at near-neutral pH. Specifically, we focus on some effective strategies to achieve a high OER performance for TM (e.g., Co, Mn, Ni, Cu, Fe, and binary TM)-based catalysts in near-neutral media. The progress and perspectives are discussed, which might provide some insights into the rapid promotion of the electrocatalytic performance for future applications in hydrogen production.


Distributing mental health care resources: strategic implications from the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing.
This paper considers mental health services resource distribution under the Australian second national mental health plan, with its direction to mental health services to be more inclusive of people with higher prevalence psychiatric disorders. We consider inequalities in mental health in Australia,and describe the performance of the composite census variable employed in the Victorian mental health funding distribution formula, the index of relative socioeconomic disadvantage (IRSED), in predicting disorder rates and perceived needs for care. We review data sets generated through the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHWB) for their utility in development of resource distribution formulae. We present analyses from the 10 641 cases examined in the household survey to explore the role of the IRSED in predicting prevalence rates of anxiety, affective, substance misuse and other disorders,as well as perceived need for care. Recent epidemiological studies provide some additional sources of data to guide resource distribution,although the available data sets are found not to be optimized for examination of this issue. Greater levels of socioeconomic disadvantage of areas are associated with increased rates of morbidity in metropolitan areas, with different patterns for different disorder groups. The influence of the IRSED is more complex outside the major cities. The descriptive epidemiological data now available, despite significant investment, are relatively crude instruments for this current purpose. The findings support the case for using the IRSED as a proxy indicator for morbidity for the high prevalence disorders, but only within metropolitan areas. This examination confirms the existence of significant inequalities in mental health between Australian urban areas with different socioeconomic characteristics.


Unusual structures in the epidermal Langerhans' cells of normal human skin.
Two unusual structures were found in the epidermal Langerhans' cells of normal human adult skin: (1) an intramitochondrial crystalline lattice structure composed of numerous electron-dense, fine particles approximately 90 A in diameter, with a lucent spacing of nearly 90 A; (2) bundles of unusual cytoplasmic tubular structures, approximately 120 A wide.


Fabrication of Artificial Nanobasement Membranes for Cell Compartmentalization in 3D Tissues.
In recent decades, tissue engineering techniques have attracted much attention in the construction of 3D tissues or organs. However, even though precise control of cell locations in 3D has been achieved, the organized cell locations are easily destroyed because of the cell migration during the cell culture period. In human body, basement membranes (BMs) maintain the precise cell locations in 3D (compartmentalization). Constructing artificial BMs that mimic the structure and biofunctions of natural BMs remains a major challenge. Here, a nanometer-sized artificial BM through layer-by-layer assembly of collagen type IV (Col-IV) and laminin (LM), chosen because they are the main components of natural BMs, is reported. This multilayered Col-IV/LM nanofilm imitates natural BM structure closely, showing controllable and similar components, thickness, and fibrous network. The Col-IV/LM nanofilms have high cell adhesion properties and maintain the spreading morphology effectively. Furthermore, the barrier effect of preventing cell migration but permitting effective cell-cell crosstalk between fibroblasts and endothelial cells demonstrates the ability of Col-IV/LM nanofilms for cell compartmentalization in 3D tissues, providing more reliable tissue models for evaluating drug efficacy, nanotoxicology, and implantation.


Dual resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac and Cry2Aa toxins in Heliothis virescens suggests multiple mechanisms of resistance.
One strategy for delaying evolution of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis crystal (Cry) endotoxins is the production of multiple Cry toxins in each transgenic plant (gene stacking). This strategy relies upon the assumption that simultaneous evolution of resistance to toxins that have different modes of action will be difficult for insect pests. In B. thuringiensis-transgenic (Bt) cotton, production of both Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab has been proposed to delay resistance of Heliothis virescens (tobacco budworm). After previous laboratory selection with Cry1Ac, H. virescens strains CXC and KCBhyb developed high levels of cross-resistance not only to toxins similar to Cry1Ac but also to Cry2Aa. We studied the role of toxin binding alteration in resistance and cross-resistance with the CXC and KCBhyb strains. In toxin binding experiments, Cry1A and Cry2Aa toxins bound to brush border membrane vesicles from CXC, but binding of Cry1Aa was reduced for the KCBhyb strain compared to susceptible insects. Since Cry1Aa and Cry2Aa do not share binding proteins in H. virescens, our results suggest occurrence of at least two mechanisms of resistance in KCBhyb insects, one of them related to reduction of Cry1Aa toxin binding. Cry1Ac bound irreversibly to brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) from YDK, CXC, and KCBhyb larvae, suggesting that Cry1Ac insertion was unaffected. These results highlight the genetic potential of H. virescens to become resistant to distinct Cry toxins simultaneously and may question the effectiveness of gene stacking in delaying evolution of resistance.


Combined pharmacotherapy and psychological treatment for depression: a systematic review.
Adherence to antidepressant medication use is a problem in clinical practice. Some authors have posited that combined psychological treatment facilitates adherence to pharmacotherapy. To study the relationship between adherence to use of and efficacy of antidepressant drugs plus psychological treatment vs drug treatment alone in depressive disorders. MEDLINE, Current Contents, PsychInfo, Cochrane Library, and reference lists were searched, from January 1980 to November 2002. Randomized clinical trials comparing antidepressant treatment alone with antidepressant treatment in combination with a psychological intervention in depressive disorders were considered. The decision to include studies in the meta-analysis was performed by 2 reviewers. Three independent reviewers extracted the data, using a precoded form. Methodological quality of the studies was evaluated in terms of allocation concealment and independence of evaluators. Sixteen trials met the inclusion criteria, with 932 patients randomized to pharmacotherapy alone and 910 to combined treatment. Overall, patients receiving combined treatment improved significantly compared with those receiving drug treatment alone (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38-2.52), but dropouts and nonresponders did not differ in distribution between the 2 treatment modalities (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.60-1.24). Studies longer than 12 weeks showed a significant advantage of combined treatment over drug treatment alone (OR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.22-4.03), with a significant reduction in dropouts compared with nonresponders (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.39-0.88). These estimates were not affected by study quality. Psychological treatment combined with antidepressant therapy is associated with a higher improvement rate than drug treatment alone. In longer therapies, the addition of psychotherapy helps to keep patients in treatment. Further studies are needed to investigate whether the improvement in response attributable to the combination of drug treatment and psychotherapy can be achieved by a combination of pharmacotherapy and a compliance-enhancing intervention.


Adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate stimulates secretion of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone from permeabilized cells of the intermediate lobe of the rat pituitary gland.
The effect of Mg-ATP and cyclic AMP on the secretion of alpha-melanocyto-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) from electrically permeabilized cells of rat intermediate lobe (IL) were investigated. Addition of exogenous Ca2+ stimulated alpha-MSH secretion in a concentration- (EC50 = 4.8 microM) and temperature-dependent manner. This Ca2+-evoked secretion was further enhanced by Mg-ATP and cyclic AMP. Mg-ATP was required for the fully secretory response in the electrically permeabilized IL cells and the maximal secretion was reached at 1 mM. Cyclic AMP in the presence of GTP gamma S also potentiated Ca2+-evoked alpha-MSH secretion to the same magnitude as Mg-ATP. In the absence of Ca2+ both the cyclic AMP and Mg-ATP did not stimulate alpha-MSH secretion from IL cells. The data suggest that Mg-ATP and cyclic AMP may modulate directly the secretory components rather than change intracellular concentration of free Ca2+.


Internal fluid dynamics in levitated drops by fast magnetic resonance velocimetry.
Fluid motion inside a levitated drop is determined by the interface properties. Momentum transfer through a highly mobile interface results in stationary vortex patterns inside the drop that dramatically enhance mass transfer between both phases, while immobile interfaces suppress internal dynamics. The presence of small amounts of surface-active substances can result in a partial reduction of interface mobility, the so-called rigid cap. The time dependence of internal flow patterns is presented by means of NMR velocity images of levitated drops, and is compared to fast measurements of the velocity distribution along the three orthogonal coordinates.


iSCAN-V2: A One-Pot RT-RPA-CRISPR/Cas12b Assay for Point-of-Care SARS-CoV-2 Detection.
Rapid, specific, and sensitive detection platforms are prerequisites for early pathogen detection to efficiently contain and control the spread of contagious diseases. Robust and portable point-of-care (POC) methods are indispensable for mass screening of SARS-CoV-2. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas)-based nucleic acid detection technologies coupled with isothermal amplification methods provide a straightforward and easy-to-handle platform for detecting SARS-CoV-2 at POC, low-resource settings. Recently, we developed iSCAN, a two-pot system based on coupled loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and CRISPR/Cas12a reactions. However, in two-pot systems, the tubes must be opened to conduct both reactions; two-pot systems thus have higher inherent risks of cross-contamination and a more cumbersome workflow. In this study, we developed and optimized iSCAN-V2, a one-pot reverse transcription-recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA)-coupled CRISPR/Cas12b-based assay for SARS-CoV-2 detection, at a single temperature in less than an hour. Compared to Cas12a, Cas12b worked more efficiently in the iSCAN-V2 detection platform. We assessed and determined the critical factors, and present detailed guidelines and considerations for developing and establishing a one-pot assay. Clinical validation of our iSCAN-V2 detection module with reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) on patient samples showed 93.75% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Furthermore, we coupled our assay with a low-cost, commercially available fluorescence visualizer to enable its in-field deployment and use for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Taken together, our optimized iSCAN-V2 detection platform displays critical features of a POC molecular diagnostic device to enable mass-scale screening of SARS-CoV-2 in low-resource settings.


TLR and IMD signaling pathways from Caligus rogercresseyi (Crustacea: Copepoda): in silico gene expression and SNPs discovery.
The Toll and IMD signaling pathways represent one of the first lines of innate immune defense in invertebrates like Drosophila. However, for crustaceans like Caligus rogercresseyi, there is very little genomic information and, consequently, understanding of immune mechanisms. Massive sequencing data obtained for three developmental stages of C. rogercresseyi were used to evaluate in silico the expression patterns and presence of SNPs variants in genes involved in the Toll and IMD pathways. Through RNA-seq analysis, which used 20 contigs corresponding to relevant genes of the Toll and IMD pathways, an overexpression of genes linked to the Toll pathway, such as toll3 and Dorsal, were observed in the copepod stage. For the chalimus and adult stages, overexpression of genes in both pathways, such as Akirin and Tollip and IAP and Toll9, respectively, were observed. On the other hand, PCA statistical analysis inferred that in the chalimus and adult stages, the immune response mechanism was more developed, as evidenced by a relation between these two stages and the genes of both pathways. Moreover, 136 SNPs were identified for 20 contigs in genes of the Toll and IMD pathways. This study provides transcriptomic information about the immune response mechanisms of Caligus, thus providing a foundation for the development of new control strategies through blocking the innate immune response.


An optimized procedure for preparation of conditioned medium from Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stromal cells isolated from umbilical cord.
Cell-free therapy based on conditioned medium derived from mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) has gained attention in the field of protective and regenerative medicine. However, the exact composition and properties of MSC-derived conditioned media can vary greatly depending on multiple parameters, which hamper standardization. In this study, we have optimized a procedure for preparation of conditioned medium starting from efficient isolation, propagation and characterization of MSCs from human umbilical cord, using a culture medium supplemented with human platelet lysate as an alternative source to fetal bovine serum. Our procedure successfully maximizes the yield of viable MSCs that maintain canonical key features. Importantly, under these conditions, the compositional profile and biological effects elicited by the conditioned medium preparations derived from these MSC populations do not depend on donor individuality. Moreover, approximately 120 L of conditioned medium could be obtained from a single umbilical cord, which provides a suitable framework to produce industrial amounts of toxic-free conditioned medium with predictable composition.


[The new LEM caval filter in the prevention of pulmonary embolism. Preliminary results of a French multicenter study].
Preliminary results are reported of a prospective multicenter trial of a new caval filter (LEM*) implanted by the percutaneous jugular route in 100 patients, 55 men and 45 women, mean age 67 +/- 13 years, to produce partial interruption of inferior vena cava (IVC). Of the 100 attempts to insert the LEM* filter, 2 failures to catheterize the jugular vessel were reported, 98 filters being placed in the IVC with 82 implantation considered adequate. Of the remaining 16 cases, the filter was inclined (7 cases) or incompletely open (9 cases) with total lack of success in 3 cases. Overall efficacy was obtained therefore in 95 cases. Follow up included 94 patients seen after one week, 63 after 3 months and 10 after 6 months: 3 embolic recurrences were noted (3.2%) of cases. None of the 8 deaths reported was related to the thromboembolic disease. Standard frontal abdominal radiographic images showed migration of filter in 13 cases (13.7%) not exceeding the height of a vertebral body: 9 were caudal and 4 proximal, the LEM* filter remaining within the IVC. Phlebocavography in 90 cases showed the IVC to be permeable in 84 cases (93.3%). Incomplete opening or inclination of filter had no effect on the course. These findings demonstrate that the advantages of the LEM* filter include: a percutaneous introduction allowing rapid, certain insertion, and a form studied for limitation of inclination and avoidance of perforation of the IVC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


A prospective evaluation of changes in brain structure and cognitive functions in adult stem cell transplant recipients.
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an efficacious treatment for many hematologic malignancies. However, the conditioning regimen of high-dose (HD) chemotherapy with or without total body irradiation (TBI) can be associated with neurotoxicity. In this prospective study, we used quantitative neuroimaging techniques to examine regional gray matter and ventricular volumes, and standardized neuropsychological tests to assess cognitive function before and 1 year after HSCT in 28 patients with hematologic malignancies and in ten healthy controls evaluated at similar intervals. Nineteen patients received conditioning treatment with HD chemotherapy alone and nine had both TBI and HD chemotherapy. There was a significant reduction in gray matter volume in the middle frontal gyrus bilaterally and in the left caudate nucleus in the patient group (all patients combined) but not among healthy controls over the 1-year follow-up period. There was a significant increase in left lateral ventricle volume and in total ventricle volume in the patient group, relative to healthy controls. Similar brain structural changes were seen for patients treated with HD chemotherapy alone. The neuropsychological results showed that 21% of patients could be classified as impaired at baseline. The Reliable Change Index suggested no significantly different rates of cognitive decline between patients and healthy controls. The findings suggest that HSCT patients may be at an increased risk for developing regional brain volume loss, and that subgroups may experience cognitive dysfunction prior to and 1 year following the transplant.


Willingness to use HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among gay men, other men who have sex with men and transgender women in Myanmar.
HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has emerged as a key component of contemporary HIV combination prevention strategies. To explore the local suitability of PrEP, country-specific acceptability studies are needed to inform potential PrEP implementation. In the context of Myanmar, in addition to resource constraints, HIV service access by gay men, other men who have sex with men, and transgender women (GMT) continues to be constrained by legislative and community stigma and marginalization. We aimed to determine PrEP acceptability among GMT in Myanmar and explore the factors associated with willingness to use PrEP. GMT were recruited in Yangon and Mandalay through local HIV prevention outreach programmes in November and December 2014. Quantitative surveys were administered by trained peer educators and collected data on demographics, sexual risk, testing history and PrEP acceptability. A modified six-item PrEP acceptability scale classified self-reported HIV undiagnosed GMT as willing to use PrEP. Multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with willingness to use PrEP. Among 434 HIV undiagnosed GMT, PrEP awareness was low (5%). PrEP acceptability was high, with 270 (62%) GMT classified as willing to use PrEP. GMT recruited in Mandalay (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.79; 95%CI = 1.05-3.03), who perceived themselves as likely to become HIV positive (aOR = 1.82; 95%CI = 1.10-3.02), who had more than one recent regular partner (aOR = 2.94; 95%CI = 1.41-6.14), no regular partners (aOR = 2.05; 95%CI = 1.10-3.67), more than five casual partners (aOR = 2.05; 95%CI = 1.06-3.99) or no casual partners (aOR = 2.25; 95%CI = 1.23-4.11) were more likely to be willing to use PrEP. The association between never or only occasionally using condoms with casual partners and willingness to use PrEP was marginally significant (aOR = 2.02; 95%CI = 1.00-4.10). GMT who reported concern about side effects and long-term use of PrEP were less likely (aOR = 0.35; 95%CI = 0.21-0.59) to be willing to use PrEP. This is the first study to assess PrEP acceptability in Myanmar. Findings suggest PrEP is an acceptable prevention option among GMT in Myanmar, providing they are not required to pay for it. Implementation/demonstration projects are needed to explore the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of PrEP as a prevention option for GMT in Myanmar.


Conservative care of De Quervain's tenosynovitis/ tendinopathy in a warehouse worker and recreational cyclist: a case report.
This case study was conducted to evaluate the conservative management of a patient presenting with right sided wrist and thumb pain diagnosed as De Quervain's tenosynovitis/tendinopathy. A 49-year-old female warehouse worker and recreational cyclist with right-sided De Quervain's tenosynovitis/tendinopathy that began after a long-distance cycling trip. Treatment included ultrasound, soft tissue and myofascial release therapy, tool assisted fascial stripping or "guasha", acupuncture, mobilizations and kinesiology taping. Home advice included icing, rest, wrist bracing, elevation and eccentric rehabilitation exercises. The positive outcome was a complete resolution of the patient's complaint. This case demonstrates how De Quervain's disease is a challenging condition to treat with conservative methods and can be aggravated with new exacerbating factors as treatment continues. In this case, the addition of the active care (including eccentric exercises and self-care) helped to reinforce the passive care given in the office and accelerate the recovery.


Predicting motor vehicle crashes using Support Vector Machine models.
Crash prediction models have been very popular in highway safety analyses. However, in highway safety research, the prediction of outcomes is seldom, if ever, the only research objective when estimating crash prediction models. Only very few existing methods can be used to efficiently predict motor vehicle crashes. Thus, there is a need to examine new methods for better predicting motor vehicle crashes. The objective of this study is to evaluate the application of Support Vector Machine (SVM) models for predicting motor vehicle crashes. SVM models, which are based on the statistical learning theory, are a new class of models that can be used for predicting values. To accomplish the objective of this study, Negative Binomial (NB) regression and SVM models were developed and compared using data collected on rural frontage roads in Texas. Several models were estimated using different sample sizes. The study shows that SVM models predict crash data more effectively and accurately than traditional NB models. In addition, SVM models do not over-fit the data and offer similar, if not better, performance than Back-Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) models documented in previous research. Given this characteristic and the fact that SVM models are faster to implement than BPNN models, it is suggested to use these models if the sole purpose of the study consists of predicting motor vehicle crashes.


The effects of paid sick leave on worker absenteeism and health care utilization.
We estimate the short-term effects of paid sick leave on worker absenteeism and health care utilization in the United States using data from the 2000-2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. We use both parametric and matching-based difference-in-differences methods to account for nonrandom selection into jobs that offer paid sick leave and estimate the treatment effect separately for workers who gained and lost sick leave benefits. We find consistent evidence of increased absenteeism among female workers who gained paid sick leave but not for other groups. Estimates for office-based visits are mostly statistically insignificant and may not have a causal interpretation due to preexisting trends.


Quality assurance and continuing education needs of rural and remote general practitioners: how are they changing?
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners' (RACGP) 1998 Rural Quality Assurance and Continuing Education (QA & CE) Needs Assessment Project was designed to generate sufficient data to inform strategic planning for rural and remote GPs participating in the College's QA & CE Program. Results indicated that the demand for QA & CE activities has changed over the past 12 years. Three distinct streams of continuing education emerged, where once only one was researched. This reflected a move towards continuing professional development (CPD) rather than purely continuing medical education (CME). However, differences between the CME needs identified suggested that national data could not be reduced to the local level. Data on CME in which rural and remote GPs felt underserviced, proved more useful in relation to other workforce variables such as age, length of service and gender. A broad 'rural set' of CPD topics was established, and the survey yielded information on learning format preferences that will be of use to providers of QA & CE activities for rural GPs across Australia.


Reactions to the death of a parent. Results from patients and field subjects.
The authors studied two groups of persons who had experienced either the death of a mother or father. One group consisted of patients who had sought treatment because of pathological aspects of bereavement. The other group consisted of volunteers selected from a review of hospital death records, which indicated the recent death of their parent. The study used a nonequivalent groups design, where both groups were followed over time. The field subjects were initially seen much sooner after the death than the patients. The patient group received a time-limited dynamic therapy focused on the stress response syndrome induced by the death. At the pretherapy evaluation point, the patient sample had significantly higher levels of symptomatic distress than did the nonpatient sample. The distress declined over a 13-month period, so that patients had comparable levels of distress to that of the field subjects. After adjusting for initial values, the main difference was that patients reduced their avoidant operations more than did the field subjects. Intervening variables were assessed for the prediction of change in symptoms over time as related to the parental death. The variables that showed significant correlations to symptomatic change were cumulative negative life events from varied sources, occupation, social class, developmental level of the self-concept, identity of the deceased parent, and attribution of blame for the death. Social support did not relate to change in symptoms over time.


Characteristics of school psychology faculty in 2021.
Although racial, ethnic, and linguistically minoritized school-aged students within the United States are increasing in population, school psychologists have historically been predominantly white, monolingual females. Diversity within the field of school psychology is important for improving students' achievement and postsecondary success, particularly as it relates to underrepresented students. Research shows that the diversity of school psychology faculty is important for the recruitment and retention of minoritized graduate students. However, demographic information within school psychology has only been calculated within the context of memberships to psychological organizations (e.g., the National Association of School Psychologists), which could underestimate the actual diversity of school psychology faculty currently in the profession. The purpose of this study was to collect information on the demographic characteristics of school psychology faculty as of 2021. A total of 429 school psychology trainers completed a brief web-based survey in which they self-identified their employment characteristics, gender identity, sexual orientation, racial-ethnic identity, (dis)ability status, and languages spoken. At the time of the survey, most of the sample were employed as full professors (30.5%) or assistant professors (29.4%). Results demonstrated that majority of the sample identified as white (78.6%), cisgender female (66.2%), heterosexual (87.2%), non(dis)abled (95.1%), and monolingual English speaking (83.9%). Faculty of color were more likely to report a higher percentage of time spent teaching as compared to white faculty. Implications of these findings and future directions are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).


Changes in ovarian follistatin levels during the oestrous cycle in sheep may serve as an intraovarian regulator.
The expression and concentration of follistatin and activin change during oestrous cycle suggesting their involvement in the regulation of follicular development. The aim of this study was to determine the level, source and potential role of follistatin in the sheep ovary. Follistatin in ovarian venous blood, measured by radioimmunoassay, remained at its low level from follicular phase (day -1 and 0) to mid-luteal phase (days 11-13) phase but were significantly elevated during the late luteal phase (days 14 and 15) when corpora lutea underwent regression. Western blot analyses of follicular fluid at day 15 of the cycle showed two strong bands at 42 and 45 kDa and weakly stained bands at 39 and 31 kDa. At day 0, these bands became weaker and the 39 kDa band became undetectable. However, there were no differences in follistatin concentrations between ovaries with and without functional corpus luteum (CL) during the whole luteal phase. In addition, although the ovaries of Booroola ewes normally contain more corpora lutea than those of normal merino ewes, follistatin concentrations in both jugular and ovarian venous blood were similar in Booroola and normal merino ewes. It is concluded that the secretion of follistatin from the ovary is not related to the formation of CL or high ovulation rate of Booroola ewes. The elevation in follistatin concentration in follicular fluid and ovarian blood during late luteal phase may indicate a dual role of follistatin in the luteolysis of existing CL and development of new follicle cohort.


Transcatheter creation of an atriopulmonary communication in the Hemi-Fontan or Glenn circulation.
There have been several modifications of the Fontan procedure, which has been used for palliation of the functionally univentricular circulation since its conception in the early 1970s. The development of intrahepatic veno-venous fistulas, pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas, and communications from the hepatic vein to the pulmonary venous atrium, are some of the complications encountered by patients with cavo-pulmonary communications. We describe transcatheter creation of an atriopulmonary communication, with simultaneous implantation of a stent, as a method of reducing or preventing pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas and associated right-to-left shunting in this setting. The intervention has been undertaken in two patients following a Hemi-Fontan procedure, itself created subsequent to a Glenn anastomosis. The combination of these procedures creates communicating atriopulmonary and cavopulmonary circulations.


A study of nanomaterial dispersion in solution by wet-cell transmission electron microscopy.
Preparation of nanomaterial dispersion or nanofluids requires good characterization techniques, including particle size and morphological measurements. A reliable and straight-forward process to characterize and quantify the degree of dispersion and agglomeration is needed. A wet-cell transmission electron microscope (TEM) technique has been developed to make comparisons between sonicated and hand-shaken solutions of both aluminum oxide nanoparticles and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. In each case, the wet-cell TEM technique reveals images of nanoparticles well dispersed in aqueous solutions due in part to the use of ultrasonic power instead of simply manual shaking and stirring. The technique is currently qualitative and shows great potential for a host of nanotechnology applications.


RhoC Is an Unexpected Target of RhoGDI2 in Prevention of Lung Colonization of Bladder Cancer.
RhoGDI2 (ARHGDIB) suppresses metastasis in a variety of cancers but the mechanism is unclear, thus hampering development of human therapeutics. RhoGDI2 is a guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor (GDI) for the Rho family of GTPases thought to primarily bind to Rac1; however, Rac1 activation was not decreased by RhoGDI2 expression in bladder cancer cells. To better understand the GTPase-binding partners for RhoGDI2, a mass spectrometry-based proteomic approach was used in bladder cancer cells. As expected, endogenous RhoGDI2 coimmunoprecipitates with Rac1 and unexpectedly also with RhoC. Further analysis demonstrated that RhoGDI2 negatively regulates RhoC, as knockdown of RhoGDI2 increased RhoC activation in response to serum stimulation. Conversely, overexpression of RhoGDI2 decreased RhoC activation. RhoC promoted bladder cancer cell growth and invasion, as knockdown increased cell doubling time, decreased invasion through Matrigel, and decreased colony formation in soft agar. Importantly, RhoC knockdown reduced in vivo lung colonization by bladder cancer cells following tail vein injection in immunocompromised mice. Finally, unbiased transcriptome analysis revealed a set of genes regulated by RhoGDI2 overexpression and RhoC knockdown in bladder cancer cells. RhoGDI2 suppresses bladder cancer metastatic colonization via negative regulation of RhoC activity, providing a rationale for the development of therapeutics that target RhoC signaling.


Global and pointwise rates of decay in glaucoma eyes deteriorating according to pointwise event analysis.
To estimate rates of change in glaucoma eyes deteriorating according to pointwise event analysis (Guided Progression Analysis, GPA). A total of 274 eyes with six or more reliable visual fields (vf) 5 years were enrolled (baseline mean deviation [MD]: -4.2 ± 4.5 dB). Pointwise and global rates of decay from linear regression analyses were estimated up to the time of VF deterioration according to GPA or until the last follow-up visit in stable eyes. Relationship of rates of decay with time to worsening and eccentricity and agreement of global and pointwise trend analyses with GPA were explored. Seventy eyes (25.5%) worsened according to GPA. A statistically significant global rate of decay (P < 0.05) was observed in 54% (MD) and 62% (visual field index) of deteriorating eyes compared to 22% and 22% in stable eyes (κ = 0.32 vs. 0.37 for agreement with GPA). Rates of decay diminished with longer time to initial worsening and were faster in points within the central 10° of fixation compared to 20° and 30° regions (P = 0.025 and 0.279, respectively). Established criteria for pointwise linear regression (PLR) detected only 31% of locations deteriorating by GPA. Less stringent PLR criteria led to improved agreement with GPA at the expense of higher false detection rate. Global and pointwise rates of decay decreased with longer time to VF deterioration. The agreement between pointwise event analysis and global trend analyses was fair. Less stringent criteria for PLR led to improved agreement with GPA at the expense of higher false detection rate.


Circulating levels of interleukin-10 and interleukin-6 in gastric and colon cancer patients before and after surgery: relationship with radicality and outcome.
Elevated interleukin-10 (IL-10) and IL-6 serum levels in advanced gastrointestinal cancer patients have been shown previously. To investigate the behavior and the prognostic role of IL-10 and IL-6 serum levels in gastric and colon cancer patients undergoing surgery, we studied the relationship between these cytokine levels and surgical radicality and outcome. Seventy-eight patients with gastric or colon cancer were admitted to the study, and 50 underwent radical surgery. Cytokine serum levels were measured by ELISA the day before surgery and 16 days after surgery. Circulating levels of IL-10 and IL-6 were found to be higher in cancer patients than in controls. Both IL-10 and IL-6 serum levels were demonstrated to be able to predict likelihood to perform radical surgery. IL-10 serum levels returned to normal in all but 8 radically resected patients. These 8 patients had tumor recurrence. In contrast, IL-6 serum levels were shown to significantly decrease in all patients but not to normalize regardless of the radicality of the operation. On multivariate analysis, basal IL-10 serum levels were found to be among the variables significantly affecting the disease-free survival rate. Stepwise regression selected tumor stage, number of metastatic resected nodes, and basal IL-10 serum level as the best combination of variables for prediction of likelihood of tumor recurrence. Preoperative IL-10 serum levels may be a useful marker to predict likelihood of performing radical surgery. Abnormally high postoperative IL-10 values negatively affected disease-free survival and tumor recurrence. IL-6 serum levels were found to have a more limited prognostic role.


Effects of anodized titanium with Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide immobilized via chemical grafting or physical adsorption on bone cell adhesion and differentiation.
This study examined the effects of the immobilization of Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide (CAAALLLKERGDSK) on anodized titanium (Ti) via chemical grafting or physical adsorption methods on cell adhesion and osteoblast differentiation. The RGD peptide was immobilized on the anodized Ti surface by means of physical adsorption or chemical grafting. The chemical composition of each RGD-immobilized Ti substrate was examined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The level of cell proliferation was investigated via tetrazolium (XTT) assay. Alkaline phosphatase activity and calcium deposition were evaluated by alizarin red S staining, and mRNA expression of the differentiated osteoblast marker genes was analyzed by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Cell adhesion was enhanced on the RGD-immobilized Ti substrates compared to the anodized Ti surfaces. In addition, significantly increased cell spreading and proliferation were observed with the cells grown on the RGD-immobilized Ti (P < .05). Furthermore, the osteoblasts on the RGD-immobilized Ti showed significant increases in the integrin ?1 and type I collagen levels and small increases in osteonectin and osteocalcin levels (P < .05). Interestingly, the chemical grafting method resulted in significantly greater effects on adhesion and differentiation than the physical adsorption method (P < .05). RGD-immobilized Ti substrates might be effective in improving the osseointegration of dental implants. In particular, the chemical grafting method of RGD immobilization is more favorable and is expected to provide positive outcomes with future animal and clinical studies.


Expression of genes related to reproduction and pollen foraging in honey bees (Apis mellifera) narcotized with carbon dioxide.
It has been proposed that a honey bee (Apis mellifera) worker's preference for foraging for pollen or nectar is modulated by a gene network that was originally involved in regulating the reproductive cycles of an ancestral solitary species. We used carbon dioxide to induce narcosis in queens and workers. This treatment is known to initiate oogenesis in queens, reduce oogenesis in queenless workers and to change worker foraging preference. We then assessed changes in gene expression of genes suspected to be involved in either foraging behaviour or reproduction. We show that some genes change expression in the opposite direction between castes in response to treatment. Our results therefore support the hypothesis that reproductive and foraging traits are causally related in the honey bee.


Ribonucleoside uptake and phosphorylation during fertilization and early development of the sea-urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus.
Uptake of the four ribonucleosides normally present in RNA increases nearly 50-fold shortly after fertilization in eggs of the sea-urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Uridine, adenosine and cytidine are phosphorylated (greater than 95%) to their mono-, di- and triphosphates immediately after transport into the fertilized egg. Although guanosine is transported to an extent equal to the other three ribonucleosides, less than 12% of its phosphorylated after transport. In vitro nucleoside and nucleotide kinase assays of unfertilized egg homogenates indicate that the uridine, adenosine and cytidine kinases as well as the uridylate, adenylate, cytidylate and guanylate kinases are present in the egg prior to fertilization. Substrate competition measurements indicate that adenosine phosphorylation is catalyzed by a monospecific enzyme, while uridine and cytidine phosphorylations are catalyzed by a common kinase. Guanosine kinase activity was not detectable in unfertilized egg homogenates. Between 3 h and 5 h after fertilization the phosphorylation of transported guanosine begins to increase as it enters the embryo. By 7 h after fertilization, more than 95% of the guanosine entering the embryo is phosphorylated to the mono-, di- and triphosphates. More than 80% is phosphorylated to guanosine triphosphate. The timing of increased guanosine phosphorylation correlates with a decrease in the acid-soluble GTP pools in the embryo, suggesting that increased guanosine kinase activity is a response to increased GTP demand. These results, in view of the importance of GTP in many cellular processes, imply a crucial role for guanosine kinase activation in GTP pool maintenance and cellular metabolism during early sea-urchin development.


Exploring the artificial intelligence "Trust paradox": Evidence from a survey experiment in the United States.
Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are poised to transform society, national defense, and the economy by increasing efficiency, precision, and safety. Yet, widespread adoption within society depends on public trust and willingness to use AI-enabled technologies. In this study, we propose the possibility of an AI "trust paradox," in which individuals' willingness to use AI-enabled technologies exceeds their level of trust in these capabilities. We conduct a two-part study to explore the trust paradox. First, we conduct a conjoint analysis, varying different attributes of AI-enabled technologies in different domains-including armed drones, general surgery, police surveillance, self-driving cars, and social media content moderation-to evaluate whether and under what conditions a trust paradox may exist. Second, we use causal mediation analysis in the context of a second survey experiment to help explain why individuals use AI-enabled technologies that they do not trust. We find strong support for the trust paradox, particularly in the area of AI-enabled police surveillance, where the levels of support for its use are both higher than other domains but also significantly exceed trust. We unpack these findings to show that several underlying beliefs help account for public attitudes of support, including the fear of missing out, optimism that future versions of the technology will be more trustworthy, a belief that the benefits of AI-enabled technologies outweigh the risks, and calculation that AI-enabled technologies yield efficiency gains. Our findings have important implications for the integration of AI-enabled technologies in multiple settings.


Efficient Light-Driven Water Oxidation Catalysis by Dinuclear Ruthenium Complexes.
Mastering the light-induced four-electron oxidation of water to molecular oxygen is a key step towards the achievement of overall water splitting to produce alternative solar fuels. In this work, we report two rugged molecular pyrazolate-based diruthenium complexes that efficiently catalyze visible-light-driven water oxidation. These complexes were fully characterized both in the solid state (by X-ray diffraction analysis) and in solution (spectroscopically and electrochemically). Benchmark performances for homogeneous oxygen production have been obtained for both catalysts in the presence of a photosensitizer and a sacrificial electron acceptor at pH 7, and a turnover frequency of up to 11.1 s(-1) and a turnover number of 5300 were obtained after three successive catalytic runs. Under the same experimental conditions with the same setup, the pyrazolate-based diruthenium complexes outperform other well-known water oxidation catalysts owing to both electrochemical and mechanistic aspects.


Continuous Capnography Reduces the Incidence of Opioid-Induced Respiratory Rescue by Hospital Rapid Resuscitation Team.
The aim of this study was to determine the impact of end tidal carbon dioxide or capnography monitoring in patients requiring patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) on the incidence of opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD) in the setting of rapid response. A retrospective analysis was conducted in an urban tertiary care facility on the incidence of OIRD in the setting of rapid response as defined by a positive response to naloxone from January 2012 to December 2015. In March 2013, continuous capnography monitoring was implemented for all patients using PCA. The preintervention incidence of OIRD in the setting of rapid response was 0.4% of patients receiving opioids. After the implementation of capnography, the incidence of OIRD in the setting of rapid response was reduced to 0.2%, which was statistically significant (χ2 = 46.246; df, 1; P < 0.0001). The rate of transfers to a higher level of care associated with these events was also reduced by 79% (baseline, 7.6 transfers/month; postintervention, 1.6 transfers/month). Continuous capnography monitoring in patients receiving PCA significantly reduces the incidence of OIRD in the setting of rapid response and unplanned transfers to a higher level of care.


Errors in Action Timing and Inhibition Facilitate Learning by Tuning Distinct Mechanisms in the Underlying Decision Process.
Goal-directed behavior requires integrating action selection processes with learning systems that adapt control using environmental feedback. These functions are known to intersect at a common neural substrate with multiple known targets of plasticity (the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic network), suggesting that feedback signals have a multifaceted impact on future decisions. Using a hybrid of accumulation-to-bound decision models and reinforcement learning, we modeled the performance of humans in a stop signal task where participants (N 75: 37 males, 38 females) learned the prior distribution of the timing of a stop signal through trial-and-error feedback. Changes in the drift rate of the action execution process were driven by errors in action timing, whereas adaptation in the boundary height served to increase caution following failed stops. These findings highlight two interactive learning mechanisms for adapting the control of goal-directed actions based on dissociable dimensions of feedback error.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Many complex behavioral goals rely on the ability to regulate the timing of action execution while also maintaining enough control to cancel actions in response to "Stop" cues in the environment. Here we examined how these fundamental components of behavior become tuned to the control demands of the environment by combining principles of reinforcement learning with accumulation-to-bound models. Model fits to behavioral data in an adaptive stop signal task revealed two adaptive mechanisms: (1) timing error-related changes in the rate of the execution signal; and (2) an increase in the execution boundary after failed stops. These findings demonstrate unique effects of timing and control errors on the underlying mechanisms of control, the rate and threshold of accumulating action signals.


Clinical application of carbon fibre reinforced plastic leg orthosis for polio survivors and its advantages and disadvantages.
A prospective study was carried out on the clinical application and features of a carbon fibre reinforced plastic leg orthosis (carbon orthosis) for polio survivors. The subjects comprised 9 polio survivors, and 11 carbon knee-ankle-foot orthoses (KAFOs) were prescribed, fabricated, and checked out at the authors' post-polio clinic. Walking was classified based on the functional ambulatory category, and the features of walking with a carbon orthosis were self-evaluated by using a visual analogue scale. The period from modelling a cast to completion was 55 +/- 25 days; the weight of a carbon KAFO was 27.8% lighter than that of the ordinary KAFO; the standard carbon KAFO was 50% more expensive than the ordinary KAFO. The carbon KAFO remained undamaged for at least 2 years. It improved the scores in the functional ambulation categories, but there was no difference between walking with an ordinary and with a carbon KAFO. The self-evaluation of walking with a carbon KAFO revealed that the subjects using a carbon KAFO were satisfied with their carbon KAFO. The carbon KAFO is lightweight, durable, slim and smart, and is positively indicated for polio survivors.


Use of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry for identification of molds of the Fusarium genus.
The rates of infection with Fusarium molds are increasing, and a diverse number of Fusarium spp. belonging to different species complexes can cause infection. Conventional species identification in the clinical laboratory is time-consuming and prone to errors. We therefore evaluated whether matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a useful alternative. The 289 Fusarium strains from the Belgian Coordinated Collections of Microorganisms (BCCM)/Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology Mycology (IHEM) culture collection with validated sequence-based identities and comprising 40 species were used in this study. An identification strategy was developed, applying a standardized MALDI-TOF MS assay and an in-house reference spectrum database. In vitro antifungal testing was performed to assess important differences in susceptibility between clinically relevant species/species complexes. We observed that no incorrect species complex identifications were made by MALDI-TOF MS, and 82.8% of the identifications were correct to the species level. This success rate was increased to 91% by lowering the cutoff for identification. Although the identification of the correct species complex member was not always guaranteed, antifungal susceptibility testing showed that discriminating between Fusarium species complexes can be important for treatment but is not necessarily required between members of a species complex. With this perspective, some Fusarium species complexes with closely related members can be considered as a whole, increasing the success rate of correct identifications to 97%. The application of our user-friendly MALDI-TOF MS identification approach resulted in a dramatic improvement in both time and accuracy compared to identification with the conventional method. A proof of principle of our MALDI-TOF MS approach in the clinical setting using recently isolated Fusarium strains demonstrated its validity.


Prediction of persistent ectopic pregnancy after laparoscopic salpingostomy.
To evaluate whether preoperative measurements of progesterone and hCG in serum can predict the risk of needing a second therapeutic intervention after laparoscopic salpingostomy. In 158 patients with unruptured tubal pregnancies smaller than 4 cm, serum progesterone and hCG levels were measured in two venous blood samples taken preoperatively. Fourteen complicated cases, in which a second therapeutic intervention was necessary, were compared with 144 uncomplicated cases. Eleven of the 14 complicated cases (79%) had preoperative progesterone values exceeding 35 nmol/L, whereas this was true for only 15 (10%) of the uncomplicated cases. Among the complicated cases, 12 (86%) had preoperative daily hCG changes above 100 IU/L, compared to 44 (31%) of the uncomplicated cases. Cases with a progesterone level above 35 nmol/L and a daily hCG change exceeding 100 IU/L had a 61% risk for a second therapeutic intervention, whereas with a progesterone value below 35 nmol/L and/or a daily hCG change of less than 100 IU/L, the risk was only 2%. The risk for a second therapeutic intervention after laparoscopic salpingostomy for ectopic pregnancy can be predicted by the combined use of two sequential serum hCG samples and one serum progesterone sample, the last of each taken within 24 hours preoperatively.


Pathophysiology of the neuromuscular junction in diabetic rats.
Using electrophysiological methods, we examined transport and transmission properties of the neuromuscular synapse in normal and diabetic rats. The stereospecific glucose transport system in the presynaptic nerve terminal was examined in two diabetic models and compared to the control. In both the streptozotocin (STZ) model and the Cohen model, a significant reduction was observed in the rates of glucose transport. A semiquantitative index for glucose transport, the glucose uptake factor, was 61 +/- 18% (SD) in the control group, 17 +/- 9% in the STZ group, and 15 +/- 10% in the Cohen group. Diabetes also affects the liberation of acetylcholine from the presynaptic motor nerve endings. The mean number of acetylcholine quanta liberated by the nerve impulse [quantal content (QC)] was reduced by 43% after 3.5 months of STZ diabetes. Thus, both the metabolic and the transmission functions of the neuromuscular junction are affected by the diabetic state.


Three-dimensional feedback processes in current-driven metal.
Using three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamic simulations, we study how a pit on a metal surface evolves when driven by intense electrical current density j. Redistribution of j around the pit initiates a feedback loop: j both reacts to and alters the electrical conductivity σ, through Joule heating and hydrodynamic expansion, so that j and σ are constantly in flux. Thus, the pit transforms into larger striation and filament structures predicted by the electrothermal instability theory. Both structures are important in applications of current-driven metal: The striation constitutes a density perturbation that can seed the magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability, while the filament provides a more rapid path to plasma formation, through 3D j redistribution. Simulations predict distinctive self-emission patterns, thus allowing for experimental observation and comparison.


A context-aware approach for progression tracking of medical concepts in electronic medical records.
Electronic medical records (EMRs) for diabetic patients contain information about heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and smoking status. Discovering the described risk factors and tracking their progression over time may support medical personnel in making clinical decisions, as well as facilitate data modeling and biomedical research. Such highly patient-specific knowledge is essential to driving the advancement of evidence-based practice, and can also help improve personalized medicine and care. One general approach for tracking the progression of diseases and their risk factors described in EMRs is to first recognize all temporal expressions, and then assign each of them to the nearest target medical concept. However, this method may not always provide the correct associations. In light of this, this work introduces a context-aware approach to assign the time attributes of the recognized risk factors by reconstructing contexts that contain more reliable temporal expressions. The evaluation results on the i2b2 test set demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach, which achieved an F-score of 0.897. To boost the approach's ability to process unstructured clinical text and to allow for the reproduction of the demonstrated results, a set of developed .NET libraries used to develop the system is available at https://sites.google.com/site/hongjiedai/projects/nttmuclinicalnet.


TripSense: A Trust-Based Vehicular Platoon Crowdsensing Scheme with Privacy Preservation in VANETs.
In this paper, we propose a trust-based vehicular platoon crowdsensing scheme, named TripSense, in VANET. The proposed TripSense scheme introduces a trust-based system to evaluate vehicles' sensing abilities and then selects the more capable vehicles in order to improve sensing results accuracy. In addition, the sensing tasks are accomplished by platoon member vehicles and preprocessed by platoon head vehicles before the data are uploaded to server. Hence, it is less time-consuming and more efficient compared with the way where the data are submitted by individual platoon member vehicles. Hence it is more suitable in ephemeral networks like VANET. Moreover, our proposed TripSense scheme integrates unlinkable pseudo-ID techniques to achieve PM vehicle identity privacy, and employs a privacy-preserving sensing vehicle selection scheme without involving the PM vehicle's trust score to keep its location privacy. Detailed security analysis shows that our proposed TripSense scheme not only achieves desirable privacy requirements but also resists against attacks launched by adversaries. In addition, extensive simulations are conducted to show the correctness and effectiveness of our proposed scheme.


Preparation and in vitro and in vivo release studies of Huperzine A loaded microspheres for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
The purpose of this study was to prepare microspheres containing Huperzine A, which is used for patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease because of its potent anticholineestase activity, and to clarify in vitro and in vivo release characteristics of them. The preparation and in vitro and in vivo release studies of Huperzine A loaded microspheres were described. By spray drying method, Huperzine A was encapsulated successfully in the microspheres which were spherical with a non-porous and smooth surface. In vitro studies showed that the release of Huperzine A from microspheres was depended on the properties of polymers and the release medium. Counter-ionic interaction between the primary amine group of Huperzine A and the carboxylic terminal group of PLG polymers improves the encapsulation of Huperzine A, reducing the initial burst and extending the sustained release. High molecular weight of PLG polymer leads to a negative influence on sustained release of Huperzine A due to less carboxylic terminal groups. Acidic medium also reduces the initial burst and sustained the release due to decreased swelling of the polymeric matrix. In vivo experiment showed, after intramuscular injection, that the plasma concentration of Huperzine A reached the max. at 2 h, then fell rapidly to a stable and near constant level of 0.5 to 2.5 ng/ml within 2 weeks, until the drug was exhausted from the microspheres. It indicates the potential of a 2-week sustained release system of Huperzine A.


Mesenteric panniculitis associated with abdominal tuberculous lymphadenitis: a case report and review of the literature.
Mesenteric panniculitis is a rare disease characterized by chronic non-specific inflammation of the mesenteric adipose tissue. The specific aetiology of the disease is previously unknown. A case diagnosed as mesenteric panniculitis is presented. The cause was biopsy-proved abdominal tuberculous lymphadenitis. To our knowledge, mesenteric panniculitis associated with tuberculosis infection has not been reported previously in the literature. Thus, we would like to present the first case and describe CT features of the disease.


Operative management of humeral nonunions. Factors that influence the outcome.
The purpose of this study is to present the outcome of surgically treated humeral nonunions and find factors that affect the outcome. Forty-two patients with humeral nonunions (30 shaft, 7 proximal and 5 distal) were reviewed in a prospective manner. Treatment was based on a specific algorithm. Demographics, time to union, range of motion, functional outcome and complications were recorded and analysed. Mean follow-up was 78 months and mean time to union was 4.3 months. Infection was associated with delayed union of the pseudarthrosis, while range of motion was negatively affected by the location (proximal) and the AO type of the initial fracture. Complication rate was 17%. The surgical management of humeral nonunions yields a favourable outcome with reduced rate of complications. Infection prolonged healing time, while proximal location of the nonunion and the type B or C fracture according to AO/OTA classification adversely affected range of motion.


Removal of a thoracic intramedullary epidermoid tumor in a child.
Epidermoid cysts are rare, benign neoplasms that account for less than 1% of all intraspinal tumors. The most common localization is in the lumbar area, and one-third of the tumors are intramedullary. In this video, the authors present removal of a thoracic intramedullary epidermoid tumor in a 6-year-old boy, carrier of a 22q11 gene duplication and affected by psychomotor retardation. He presented a 1-year history of progressive gait impairment. No history of lumbar puncture or trauma was reported. The procedure was performed under neurophysiological monitoring, and it was uneventful with complete recovery of neurological function. Technical nuances are illustrated.


Clusterin gene expression in the rat thymus is not modulated by dexamethasone treatment.
Clusterin, a multifunctional glycoprotein, characterized as a potent inhibitor of the membrane attack complex of complement, is also known to be the product of a gene that is highly up-regulated in certain tissues undergoing programmed cell death. We have studied the expression of this gene in the rat thymus after the induction of thymocyte programmed cell death (PCD) by in vivo dexamethasone administration. Northern blot analysis of clusterin mRNA 2, 4, 6 and 8 hr after dexamethasone administration in a total of 21 rats revealed no modification in the level of clusterin gene expression. In situ hybridization demonstrated that clusterin gene expression is macroscopically confined to the medullary region of the thymus, and that this distribution is not modified by dexamethasone administration. These results strongly suggest that in the rat, clusterin gene expression is not associated with the programmed cell death of thymocytes following in vivo dexamethasone administration. In situ hybridization of the clusterin cRNA to thymus cryostat sections confirmed the results obtained by Northern blot analysis. Indeed, no consistent increase in the amount of clusterin mRNA was detectable at any of the time-points studied. The macroscopic distribution of clusterin mRNA in the rat thymus was identical to that previously observed in the human thymus, clusterin message being essentially detected within the medullary regions. No modification in the macroscopic distribution of clusterin gene expression was detected after dexamethasone administration. These results suggest that, like the human thymus, medullary epithelial cells are the site of clusterin gene expression in the rat thymus. Moreover they indicate that an increase in the extent of ongoing thymocyte PCD does not significantly modify the rate or site of clusterin gene expression within the thymus.


Formation and role of malaria pigment.
Malaria pigment is most abundant and distinct in gametocytes. Trophozoites have variable amounts of pigment, depending on the species of Plasmodium and the stage of infection. In Plasmodium falciparum infection, blood smear preparations fall into two categories that are distinguishable at all levels of parasitemia; one type of preparation contains only pigment-deficient trophozoites, and the other type contains only pigment-rich trophozoites. Pigment accumulates in the residual body of the mature schizont and is lost upon rupture of the schizont. In contrast, pigment remains associated with the macrogametocyte and developing oocyst. Certain antimalarial drugs, such as chloroquine, have distinct effects on pigment clumping. These observations raise questions regarding the current idea of pigment as an inert excretory product of hemoglobin metabolism. It is suggested that pigment particles represent stacked utilizable intermediates of hemoglobin digestion that accumulate in the gametocyte to serve as a food reserve during the growth cycle in the mosquito.


Multibranched Linear DNA-Controlled Assembly of Silver Nanoclusters and Their Applications in Aptamer-Based Cell Recognition.
DNA-templated silver nanoclusters (DNA-AgNCs) are promising fluorescent materials and have been used in cancer diagnosis. Although many different DNA-AgNC applications have been realized, most of them rely on individual DNA-AgNCs or assembled DNA-AgNCs with limited recognition abilities, resulting in low detection sensitivity or off-target effects, in turn, hindering the performance of DNA-AgNCs in cancer cell recognition. As a solution, we assembled DNA-AgNCs by a multibranched linear (MBL) DNA structure formed through a trigger-initiated hybridization chain reaction (HCR) regarding the natural compatibility of DNA-AgNCs with DNA programmability and the advantages of DNA assembly in incorporating repetitive and functional moieties into one structure. By the specific modification of the trigger, MBL-AgNCs tethered with the targeting aptamer and partially hybridized duplex, which works as a component of DNA logic platform relying on the combination of cascade strand displacement reaction and specific recognition ability of aptamers, were obtained, respectively. DNA-AgNCs assembled by the aptamer-tethered MBL structure exhibited about 20-fold enhanced detection sensitivity in recognizing cancer cells compared to individual aptamer-tethered DNA-AgNCs. DNA-AgNCs assembled by the duplex-attached MBL exhibited logic performance in analyzing dual cell surface receptors with the assistance of "AND" logic platform, thus identifying cancer cells with high sensitivity and resolution. The facile conjugation of the MBL structure with different functional DNA structures makes it an ideal platform to assemble DNA-AgNCs used for aptamer-based cell recognition, thus broadening the potential applications of DNA-AgNCs.


"Competitive quenching": a mechanism by which perihydroxylated perylenequinone photosensitizers can prevent adverse phototoxic damage caused by verteporfin during photodynamic therapy.
Incorporation of photodynamic therapy into clinical practice for induction of vascular photo-occlusion highlights the need to prevent adverse phototoxicity to sensitive juxtaposed tissues, particularly in the retina. We developed a system termed "competitive quenching" to prevent adverse phototoxic damage. It involves differential compartmentalization of a photoactivator to the intravascular compartment for photoexcitation and delivery of phototoxicity to targeted vessels. A different photodynamic agent is partitioned to the extravascular retinal space to quench reactive oxygen species generated by photosensitization, thereby protecting the adjacent retinal tissues from adverse phototoxicity. The absorption spectra of quenchers must span wavelengths that are shorter and excluded from the spectral range of photoexcitation light to prevent photoactivation of the quencher. Perihydroxylated perylenequinones were found to be suitable to function as "competitive quenchers" with the prototype hypericin identified as a potent quencher. Here we examined the mechanisms operative in competitive quenching and suggest that hypericin forms a complex with verteporfin, thereby quenching singlet oxygen formation. Furthermore, we show that hypericin, with six phenolic hydroxyls, protects retinal and endothelial hybridoma cells from phototoxicity more effectively than the dimethyl tetrahydroxy helianthrone structural analog with only four such phenolic hydroxyls. The findings suggest that hydroxyl numbers contribute to the efficacy of competitive quenching.


Computer-aided diagnosis in chest radiology.
Chest radiography is still a useful examination in various situations, although CT has become a modality of choice as a diagnostic examination in many cases. Current computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) schemes for chest radiographs include nodule detection, interstitial disease detection, temporal subtraction, differential diagnosis of interstitial disease, and distinction between benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. All of these schemes are demonstrated as providing potentially useful tools for radiologists when the output of these schemes is used as a "second opinion." There are some commercially available products for these schemes and more are expected to be available in the near future. The current status of CAD for CT is also discussed briefly in this article.


Population growth and distribution versus agricultural change: an analysis of the Warli tribal community in Dahanu and Talaseri Talukas of Thane district (Maharashtra).
The authors examine the relationship between population growth and agricultural change using a village-level study of the Warli tribal community in Maharashtra, India. "This paper tries to highlight the relationship that exists between the two factors and the relative changes in the structural character of the two factors. It also focuses on the complications brought about by the juxtaposition of a market economy of the nontribals on the subsistence peasant agriculture of the Warli tribals. Methodology is empirical. Suitable statistical aids have been used on available census material [for the years 1901-1971], substantiated with fieldwork."


In vitro reconstitution of EryCIII activity for the preparation of unnatural macrolides.
EryCIII is a desosaminyltransferase that converts an inactive macrolide precursor to a biologically active antibiotic. It may have potential for the synthesis of unnatural macrolides with useful biological activities. However, it has been difficult to reconstitute the activity of EryCIII in vitro. We report here that purified, inactive EryCIII can be converted to an active catalyst by the addition of another protein encoded in the same gene cluster, EryCII. The EryCII-treated protein retains activity even when EryCII is removed. We also show that AknT, an activator protein from an unrelated gene cluster, is capable of activating EryCIII. Although the mechanism of activation is not yet understood, we have concluded from these experiments that these antibiotic Gtf activator proteins do not function to deliver substrates to EryCIII and do not exert their effects by forming stable complexes with the Gtf during the glycosyltransfer reaction. We report that activated EryCIII is capable of utilizing an alternative sugar donor, so these results lay the groundwork for the production of novel macrolides.


A machine learning-based approach to assess impacts of autonomous vehicles on pavement roughness.
Studies have been initiated to investigate the potential impact of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) on transportation infrastructure. However, most existing research only focuses on the wandering patterns of CAVs. To bridge this gap, an apple-to-apple comparison is first performed to systematically reveal the behavioural differences between the human-driven vehicle (HDV) and CAV trajectory patterns for the first time, with the data collected from the camera-based next generation simulation dataset and autonomous driving co-simulation platform, CARLA and SUMO, respectively. A gradient boosting-based ensemble learning model for pavement performance (i.e. international roughness index) prediction is then developed with the input features including three driving pattern features, namely, lateral wandering deviation, longitudinal car-following distance and driving speed, plus 20 other context variables. A total of 1707 observations is extracted from the long-term pavement performance database for model training purposes. The result indicates that the trained model can accurately predict pavement deterioration and that CAV deteriorates pavement faster than HDV by 8.1% on average. According to the sensitivity analysis, CAV deployment will create a greater impact on the younger pavements, and the rate of pavement deterioration is found to be stable under light traffic, whereas it will increase under congested traffic. This article is part of the theme issue 'Artificial intelligence in failure analysis of transportation infrastructure and materials'.


Effect of contact lens wear and a near task on tear film break-up.
To study the effect of extrinsic controls on blinking by examining blink parameters and tear stability among adapted soft contact lens (CL) wearers performing tasks that require varying amounts of visual concentration. The Demographic Questionnaire, Contact Lens Dry Eye Questionnaire, and Current Symptoms Questionnaire were completed by 15 adapted soft CL wearers (nine females). Three 55 s simultaneous measurements of tear film stability via retroillumination and blinking were obtained with a slit-lamp biomicroscope and 200 Hz video camera while subjects listened to music and played a video game with and without their habitual CLs. Interblink interval (IBI) and blink amplitude (BA) were calculated. The area of break-up (AB) was calculated for the retroillumination image before each blink. The Current Symptoms Questionnaire was completed four times throughout testing. With the game compared to music, IBI was significantly longer and BA significantly decreased without CLs (p < or = 0.001). With CLs, the IBI did not significantly change between tasks but the BA significantly decreased (p = 0.100). The AB significantly increased with CL and the game (paired t-test, p < or = 0.001). The BA was significantly correlated with self-reported severity of dry eye for all testing scenarios (Spearman r > or = 0.5579, p < 0.0001) and several symptom measures (Spearman r > or = 0.6262, p < 0.0001). The AB was significantly correlated with symptom measures including bothersome discomfort for the game with and without CLs (Spearman r > or = 0.5064, p < 0.0001). During tasks requiring concentration, the IBI increased (blink rate decreased) and many blinks were incomplete without CLs. With CLs, tear film instability increased. Blinking frequency also increased, but it remained high when subjects played the game, and symptoms of ocular irritation increased. This suggests that wearing soft CLs, even when fully adapted, provides enough extrinsic ocular surface stimulation to override internal controls and affect blink parameters.


Treatment with xylometazoline (Otrivin) nosedrops over a six-week period.
Twenty healthy subjects were treated with xylometazoline 1 mg/ml for six weeks in order to study the occurrence of tachyphylaxis and rhinitis medicamentosa. Each subject instilled 0.15 ml of xylometaxoline nose-drops into each nostril three times a day. Posterior rhinomanometry was performed before the trial started, after 1, 2, 4 and 6 weeks treatment and 20, 27, 40 and 48 hours after the subject had taken the nose-drops for the last time. With rhinomanometry it was possible in this study to show that the same dose was adequate during the whole six-week period, i.e. no tachyphylaxis was observed. No reactive congestion was observed after the trial was finished.


Pathology of the neurohypophysis.
Neurohypophysis is composed of nerve fibers and has an intimate morphologic and functional contact with the hypothalamus. Pathology of the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland may develop several clinical features such as diabetes insipidus, which is caused by infections, vascular events, surgical complications and benign and malignant tumors as well as metastasis. Inappropriate secretion of vasopressin (Schwartzbartter syndrome) is due to excessive vasopressin release from the posterior pituitary or the ectopic production by various tumors, mainly carcinoid of the lung.


[Clinical application of enlarging greater ischiatic notch by ilium osteotomy to expose the sacral plexus via the gluteal approach].
Objectives: To observe the possibility of enlarging the greater sciatic notch by illium osteotomy through the posterior gluteal approach for reaching the intrapelvic upper sacral plexus as well as the covergence level of sacral plexus,and performing the nerve graft for surgical repairing the sacral plexus ruptured injuries or sacral plexus nerve tumor resection. Methods: The clinical data of 10 patients with sacral plexus injury or sacral plexus nerve tumor underwent the surgical operation via the expanded greater sciatic notch at Department of Hand Surgery,Beijing Jishuitan Hospital from July 2016 to November 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.There were 4 male and 6 female patients,with an age of (38.0±9.3)years (range:26 to 56 years).There were 8 cases with sacral plexus injury at the intrapelvic or covergence level (deep to the piriformis). Out of this 8 cases,4 cases with intrapelvic pan-sacral plexus injury,1 case with upper sacral plexus injury and 3 cases with convergence level pan sacral plexus injury.Another 2 cases were sacral plexus neoplasm.The average time from injury or onset to operation was 10.4 months (range:1.5 to 60.0 months). All cases were performed surgery for reaching the intrapelvic upper sacral plexus as well as the covergence level of sacral plexus with enlarging the greater sciatic notch by illium osteotomy through the posterior gluteal approach.Intraoperation the sacral plexus ruptured injurie was repaired and the sacral plexus nerve tumor was resected.Intraoperative findings,postoperative complications and healing of patients were recorded. Results: All the 10 patients underwent the sacral plexus surgical exploration and cutaneous nerve graft for sacral plexus nerve repairing or neurolysis or neoplasm resection through the posterior gluteal approach successfully.The length and width of illium osteotomy mass were (2.9±0.4)cm (range:2.5 to 3.8 cm) and (2.5±0.5)cm (range:1.5 to 3.4 cm) respectively.The median intraoperative bleeding volume was (M(QR))800(800)ml (range:400 to 2 000 ml).There were no complication with major vascular injury and hematoma formation,and all incisions healed.The postoperative follow-up was 29.8 months (range:1.5 to 54.0 months).Nine cases of iliac osteotomy were healed,and 1 case was not healed because the follow-up was only 1.5 months. Conclusions: The intrapelvic upper sacral plexus and the convergence level of sacral plexus deep to the piriformis can be exposed clearly through this posterior gluteal approach via illium osteotomy for enlarging the greater sciatic notch,and there was enough operative space that surgical exploration and nerve graft or nerve transfer or neoplasm resection can be performed.


SiO₂ Stabilized Magnetic Nanoparticles as a Highly Effective Catalyst for the Degradation of Basic Fuchsin in Industrial Dye Wastewaters.
Catalytic degradation of organic pollutants by nanomaterials is an effective way for environmental remediation. The Fenton reaction involving H₂O₂ oxidation catalysed by Fe3+ is an advisable way for wastewater degradation. Herein, Fe₃O₄/SiO₂ core-shell nanoparticles were prepared as catalyst by coprecipitation and sol-gel methods, and this catalyst is used for degradation of fuchsin in wastewater by H₂O₂. The Fenton reaction between H₂O₂ and Fe₃O₄ is proposed to explain the catalytic performance. The coating of SiO₂ on Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles could dramatically stabilize the Fe₃O₄ in aqueous solution and prevent their oxidation. More importantly, the magnetic property of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles endows them with good recyclability. Thus, due to the outstanding catalytic results, almost 100% removal degradation was achieved within 5 min over a wide pH value range at room temperature, which is better than that without catalysts. Temperature is a positive factor for improving the degradation rate, but room temperature is selected as the best temperature for economic and energy savings reasons, because more than 98% of fuchsins can still be degraded at room temperature. Moreover, these Fe₃O₄/SiO₂ core-shell nanoparticles exhibit excellent magnetic recyclability and stable properties after repeated utilization. Therefore, these as-presented Fe₃O₄/SiO₂ core-shell nanoparticles with low-cost and high performance are expected to be applied in practical industry wastewater degradation.


Therapy control in oncology by circulating nucleosomes.
The courses of circulating nucleosomes in the serum of patients with various solid tumors correlate with the clinical outcome after chemo- and radiotherapy. Already during the initial phase of treatment they showed considerable alterations consisting of a rapid increase followed by a decrease during the first therapeutic week. Among patients with advanced lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy, those patients who responded to therapy exhibited less pronounced increases and more complete decreases compared to those patients with insufficient response. In addition, response to therapy was correlated with stronger decreases of the precyclic baseline values from cycle 1 to 2 and from cycle 1 to 3. Thus, circulating nucleosomes are a valuable tool for the early prediction of therapeutic efficacy and can help to modulate therapy strategies early and on an individual basis.


Using functional traits and phylogeny to understand local extinction risk in dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata).
Understanding the risk of local extinction of a species is vital in conservation biology, especially now when anthropogenic disturbances and global warming are severely changing natural habitats. Local extinction risk depends on species traits, such as its geographical range size, fresh body mass, dispersal ability, length of flying period, life history variation, and how specialized it is regarding its breeding habitat. We used a phylogenetic approach because closely related species are not independent observations in the statistical tests. Our field data contained the local extinction risk of 31 odonate (dragonflies and damselflies) species from Central Finland. Species relatedness (i.e., phylogenetic signal) did not affect local extinction risk, length of flying period, nor the geographical range size of a species. However, we found that closely related species were similar in hind wing length, length of larval period, and habitat of larvae. Both phylogenetically corrected (PGLS) and uncorrected (GLM) analysis indicated that the geographical range size of species was negatively related to local extinction risk. Contrary to expectations, habitat specialist species did not have higher local extinction rates than habitat generalist species nor was it affected by the relatedness of species. As predicted, species' long larval period increased, and long wings decreased the local extinction risk when evolutionary relatedness was controlled. Our results suggest that a relatively narrow geographical range size is an accurate estimate for a local extinction risk of an odonate species, but the species with long life history and large habitat niche width of adults increased local extinction risk. Because the results were so similar between PGLS and GLM methods, it seems that using a phylogenetic approach does not improve predicting local extinctions.


Review of Solier's Mecorhopalus species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae).
Antoine Joseph Jean Solier, a French naturalist, described 53 species of Staphylinidae of the Chilean fauna, among them three species in a new genus Mecorhopalus (M. ater, M. bipustulatus and M. elongatus). Today these species are regarded as Aleochara atra, A. solieri and A. mutare , respectively. The objective of this study is to provide an updated description and nomenclatural status of these species. Mecorhopalus remains as junior synonym of Aleochara with one species in the subgenus Aleochara and another in Coprochara. Through study of the type material, A. mutare is synonymized with A. solieri as junior subjective synonym.


On the evolution of the physiological model.
Most of us who have concerned ourselves with models can perceive outlines like those above to catalog the future evolution of the expository function of models. In the context of a single class of computerized mathematical models of respiratory physiology, we can observe at once the burgeoning interest among scientists, and the similarities between model activity and the general organization of scientific information for use. Although physiological models have become quite advanced in their subject control, there is relatively little coordinated activity in the mechanization of the purposes and philosophical potential of automata. The outlines, however, are visible. An assiduous pursuit of the notion of "explanation" by machine is a major evolutionary step next to occur. It appears to us that various diagrams similar to Figures 5 or 6 can be created and investigated in terms of their relation to the human mind and in terms of formalizing rules for traversing from one plane to the next. The evolution of models will require program-making programs which can decide when and how to aggregate for deductive inference, and how far to penetrate top-down for explanation. The rules for identifying "second order" effects must be established. The decision to ignore or use these rules will be crucial. These are the means whereby the systems are traversed from plane to plane. In a word, models need to synthesize the means to ignore, "forget," and gloss over; only then will we have useful tools for taking informed action in physiology, diagnosis in medicine, or the writing of "scholarly" reviews.


Safe and novel technique for peritoneal access in urologic laparoscopy without prior insufflation.
Access to the peritoneum for transperitoneal laparoscopic surgery can be achieved using a variety of techniques, each of which has advantages and disadvantages as well as risks of complications. The endoscopic threaded imaging port (EndoTIP) is a metal, reusable, threaded visual-access cannula that is inserted by rotational rather than axial force. When the technique was described initially, capnoperitoneum was obtained prior to trocar insertion. We describe the results of our series using the EndoTIP port without prior capnoperitoneum. All 165 patients who underwent urologic transperitoneal laparoscopic procedures using the EndoTIP performed by a single surgeon from October 2001 through June 2005 were reviewed. Twentyfive patients were morbidly obese, and 32 had had previous abdominal surgical procedures. All data regarding patient demographics, details of the procedures, and outcomes were obtained from a database developed for prospective data collection at our institution. There were no complications associated with peritoneal access or trocar insertion. The average time required to obtain capnoperitoneum was <1 minute. Insertion of the EndoTIP port without prior capnoperitoneum is a safe, quick, and reliable method for peritoneal access in laparoscopic surgery. By avoiding blind punctures of the abdominal cavity, the risk of complications during access is minimized. We believe this technique should be considered in preference to techniques where trocars are inserted blindly.