Development of a nanocomposite system by combining an organic dyad 1-(4-chloro-phenyl)-3-(4-methoxy-naphthalen-1-yl)-Propenone with semiconductor TiO2 nanoparticles.
Steady state and time resolved spectroscopic measurements on an organic dyad, 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(4-methoxy-naphthalen-1-yl)-propenone, where the donor 1-methoxynaphthalene is connected with the acceptor p-chloroacetophenone by an unsaturated olefinic bond, in presence of TiO2 nanoparticles were made at the ambient temperature. Time resolved fluorescence measurements reveal that the rate parameters associated with charge separation, kCS, within the dyad increases whereas charge recombination rate reduces when the surrounding medium is changed from chloroform to TiO2 nanoparticles. The observed results indicate that the dyad being combined with TiO2 nanoparticles may form organic-inorganic nanocomposite systems useful for developing light energy conversion devices.


Mixotrophy in the Marine Plankton.
Mixotrophs are important components of the bacterioplankton, phytoplankton, microzooplankton, and (sometimes) zooplankton in coastal and oceanic waters. Bacterivory among the phytoplankton may be important for alleviating inorganic nutrient stress and may increase primary production in oligotrophic waters. Mixotrophic phytoflagellates and dinoflagellates are often dominant components of the plankton during seasonal stratification. Many of the microzooplankton grazers, including ciliates and Rhizaria, are mixotrophic owing to their retention of functional algal organelles or maintenance of algal endosymbionts. Phototrophy among the microzooplankton may increase gross growth efficiency and carbon transfer through the microzooplankton to higher trophic levels. Characteristic assemblages of mixotrophs are associated with warm, temperate, and cold seas and with stratification, fronts, and upwelling zones. Modeling has indicated that mixotrophy has a profound impact on marine planktonic ecosystems and may enhance primary production, biomass transfer to higher trophic levels, and the functioning of the biological carbon pump.


Intake, nutrient digestibility, and growth performance of Holstein dairy calves consuming a milk replacer at moderate or high feeding rates.
The objective of this study was to evaluate nutrient intake and digestibility, and growth performance of calves when fed a milk replacer (MR) at 2 feeding rates. Male Holstein calves [n = 49; 45.0 ± 5.2 (mean ± SD) kg of body weight (BW); 3 to 4 d of age] were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 MR [27% crude protein (CP), 18% fat, dry matter (DM) basis; 14% solid] feeding programs: (1) 0.66 kg of DM/d for first 39 d divided into 2 equal a.m. and p.m. meals followed by one-half of the allotment per day for 3 d fed in the a.m. feeding only (moderate); (2) 0.96 kg of DM/d for the first 42 d divided into 2 equal a.m. and p.m. meals followed by one-half of the allotment per day for 7 d fed in the a.m. feeding only (high). A textured starter fed to calves contained whole grains with 20% CP and 44% starch (DM basis). At d 56, calves were moved into groups by treatment (4 calves/pen) and fed the same starter blended with 5% hay until d 112. Data were analyzed as a completely randomized design, or as a completely randomized design with repeated measures when applicable. Over the entire nursery period (d 0-56), there were no differences in average daily gain (0.63 vs. 0.64 kg/d) and hip width change (4.44 vs. 4.57 cm) for moderate- versus high-fed calves. Apparent digestibility of DM (76.5 vs. 70.3%), organic matter (77.4 vs. 71.2%), CP (78.8 vs. 72.6%), and neutral detergent fiber (37.2 vs. 22.7%) differed between moderate- and high-fed calves when estimated at d 51 to 55. From d 56 to 112, average daily gain (0.99 vs. 0.91 kg/d), hip width change (5.32 vs. 4.68 cm), and gain/DM intake (0.335 vs. 0.307 kg/kg) were greater, but DM intake per kg of BW (0.028 vs. 0.028 kg/kg) did not differ for calves previously fed moderate versus high. Feeding calves more than 0.66 kg of DM/d from a 27% CP, 18% fat MR did not improve BW gain and structural growth in the nursery period (d 0-56), and decreased these in the grower period (d 56-112) partially through reduction in digestibility of the starter.


Monocular and binocular rivalry between contours.
The temporal characteristics of binocular and monocular rivalry between orthogonal gratings of the same or complementary colours were investigated. Rivalry was measured in terms of the dominance of either grating or the visibility of composites comprised of parts of both gratings. The total duration for which either grating was dominant was significantly longer in binocular rivalry between gratings of complementary colours. A comparison of binocular and monocular rivalry indicated considerable phenomenal differences between them. Dominance in binocular rivalry corresponds to the visibility of one grating alone; this occurs rarely in monocular rivalry, which is characterized by fluctuations in the distinctiveness of the gratings. The changes in distinctiveness are influenced by colour in a similar manner to that in binocular rivalry, and the frequencies of fluctuations are higher for gratings of complementary colours.


The effects of neuroplasticity-based auditory information processing remediation in adults with chronic traumatic brain injury.
Adults with chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI) may experience long-term deficits in multiple cognitive domains. Higher-order functions, such as verbal memory, are impacted by deficits in the ability to acquire verbal information. This study investigated the effects of a neuroplasticity-based computerized cognitive remediation program for auditory information processing in adults with a chronic TBI. Forty-eight adults with TBI were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. Both groups underwent a neuropsychological assessment at baseline and post-training. The Intervention group received 40 one-hour cognitive training sessions with the Brain Fitness Program. The intervention group improved in performance on measures of the Woodcock-Johnson-III Understanding Directions subtest and Trail Making Test Part-A. They also reported improvement on the cognitive domain of the Cognitive Self-Report Questionnaire. The present study demonstrated that a neuroplasticity-based computerized cognitive remediation program may improve objective and subjective cognitive function in adults with TBI several years post-injury.


Unmethylation of specific sites in the 5' region is critical for the expression of murine alpha Fc gamma R gene.
Three subtypes of murine low-affinity receptors for IgG (Fc gamma RII) have been identified. One is encoded by the alpha Fc gamma R gene, two are encoded by the beta Fc gamma R gene. In the present work, we examined whether DNA methylation might control expression of the alpha Fc gamma R gene. We found that, in DNA from a panel of Fc gamma R(+) and (-) cell lines, two MspI sites of the alpha Fc gamma R gene were selectively unmethylated only in the two cell lines containing alpha transcripts. These sites, separated by a distance of 1.2 kb, are located in the 5' region of the gene. All other MspI sites were methylated in all cell lines. Furthermore, 5-azacytidine induced the demethylation and the expression of the alpha Fc gamma R gene in the Fc gamma R(-) thymoma BW5147. Both alpha Fc gamma R gene transcripts and corresponding protein products became detectable in 5-azacytidine-treated cells. The alpha Fc gamma R gene was also demethylated and expressed in mouse spleen cells cultured with human rIL-2. We conclude that a correlation links the unmethylation and the expression of the alpha Fc gamma R gene in murine cell lines as well as in nontransformed lymphoid cells responding to a physiological stimulus.


Validation of pre-compensation under point-ahead-angle in a 1 km free-space propagation experiment.
Adaptive optical pre-compensation is seen as crucial for free-space laser communication in order to overcome the influence of atmospheric turbulence, particularly with respect to Earth-to-GEO feederlinks. This paper presents an experimental investigation into adaptive optical pre-compensation under large point-ahead-angles. We detail the design and realization of a free-space laser communication experiment over a 1.0 km horizontal path using a divergent beacon beam and a focussed signal beam, propagating in opposite directions. We describe the design and development of our experimental setup and measurement campaign using real turbulence. The median isoplanatic angle was calculated to be 0.16 mrad, while an increase in the received optical power through pre-compensation could be demonstrated for point-ahead-angles in the range of 0.13 mrad to 0.27 mrad.


Route of immunization with peptide-pulsed dendritic cells controls the distribution of memory and effector T cells in lymphoid tissues and determines the pattern of regional tumor control.
We have established that the route of immunization with peptide-pulsed, activated DC leads to memory CD8+ T cells with distinct distributions in lymphoid tissues, which determines the ability to control tumors growing in different body sites. Both intravenous (i.v.) and subcutaneous (s.c.) immunization induced memory T cells in spleen and control of metastatic-like lung tumors. s.c. immunization also induced memory T cells in lymph nodes (LNs), imparting protection against subcutaneously growing tumors. In contrast, i.v. immunization-induced memory was restricted to spleen and failed to impart protective immunity against subcutaneously growing tumors. Memory cell distribution and tumor control were both linked to injection route-dependent localization of DCs in lymphoid compartments. Using peripheral LN-ablated mice, these LNs were shown to be essential for control of subcutaneously growing tumors but not lung metastases; in contrast, using immunized asplenic mice, we found that the spleen is necessary and sufficient for control of lung tumors, but unnecessary for control of subcutaneously growing tumors. These data demonstrate the existence of a previously undescribed population of splenic-resident memory CD8 T cells that are essential for the control of lung metastases. Thus, regional immunity based on memory T cell residence patterns is an important factor in DC-based tumor immunotherapy.


Exposure of insects and host plants to different concentrations of CO2 affects the performance of Mahanarva spectabilis (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) in successive insect generations.
The performance of three successive generations of Mahanarva spectabilis (Distant) (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) fed on four forages exposed to environments with different CO2 concentrations was evaluated. In the first bioassay, we utilized the following scenarios: A) plants and insects were kept at high and constant CO2 (700 ppm) and B) the insects were kept at CO2 700 ppm and fed on plants from the greenhouse (average of 390 ppm). In the second bioassay, we utilized the following scenarios: C) plants and insects were kept in a greenhouse and D) the insects were kept in the greenhouse and fed on plants kept at CO2 700 ppm. The survival and duration of the nymphal and adult stages and the number of eggs/female of M. spectabilis were evaluated. It was only possible to evaluate the cumulative effects of the increase of CO2 on three successive generations of M. spectabilis kept in a greenhouse, due to the reduced survival of the insects in the first generation in the laboratory. A greater direct than indirect effect of the CO2 level on the performance of M. spectabilis was observed. Furthermore, it should be considered that the effect of CO2 elevation on the survival, periods of development, and fecundity, when taken together, can significantly impact the population dynamics of M. spectabilis in future climate scenarios.


Prevalence of low Back pain among adolescents in relation to the weight of school bags.
The association between the weight of school bag and Low Back Pain (LBP) amongst students remains under intense debate worldwide. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of LBP amongst public high school students (14 to 19 years) in Kuwait and to investigate the association between LBP and the weight of school bags. An analytical cross-sectional study using multistage cluster random sampling with probability proportional to size was conducted on a total of 950 public high school students from all governorates. Data on LBP were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. A 0-10 Numeric Pain Rating Scale was used to rate the intensity of LBP. The students' height and weight in addition to the weight of their school bags were measured using appropriate weight and height scales. Logistic regression was used to investigate the association between the weight of school bags and LBP while adjusting for potential confounders. The estimated lifetime, 6-month, and 1-month prevalence of LBP were 70.3% (95% CI: 67.30-73.21%), 49.1% (95% CI: 45.83-52.28%), and 30.8% (95% CI: 27.81-33.78%) respectively, with significantly higher prevalence amongst females compared to males (p < 0.001). The absolute weight of school bag was not significantly associated with LBP neither in univariable nor multivariable analysis. The relative weight of school bag (as a percentage of the body weight) was significantly associated with LBP in univariable analysis but not in multivariable analysis. The perceived heaviness of school bag, however, was found to be significantly associated with LBP throughout the analysis (p < 0.001). In conclusion, LBP amongst high school students in Kuwait seems to be very common with a prevalence resembling that of high-income countries. Our data suggest that the perceived heaviness of school bag is far more important than the actual bag weight. Current recommendations about the weight of school bags, which are not supported by evidence, should be revised to take into account the students' perceived heaviness of school bag.


Resection of mediastinal granulocytic sarcoma triggered the rapid progression of acute myeloid leukemia.
Mediastinal granulocytic sarcoma (GS) is a relatively rare disease. We experienced a case of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that took a rapid turn for the worse after the resection of a mediastinal GS. A healthy 60-year-old man had been in good general health all his life, but was diagnosed with a mediastinal tumor by his family physician and was referred to our department. The patient underwent resection of the mediastinal tumor because thymoma was highly suspected. On postoperative day (POD) 3, the patient suffered a fever as well as an elevated white blood cell (WBC) count and a high C-reactive protein level. His WBC count was 77,240 at its peak on POD 9, at which point the patient was diagnosed with AML by bone marrow aspiration. The immunohistological findings showed the features of leukemia, and GS was diagnosed. Despite chemotherapy, the patient died on POD 28 as a result of rapid disease progression.


[Use of CT in the staging and follow-up of small-cell bronchial cancer].
In 54 patients with small-cell bronchial carcinoma, investigated with conventional X-ray technique and computer tomography, CT afforded a considerable extension of findings in regard to mediastinal tumor and metastatic spread, as well as in the detection of supraclavicular and pleural metastases. Also, the process of remission and renewed tumor growth could be observed better. Thus, CT constitutes quite an acquisition to therapy planning. The investigations carried out simultaneously in the brain region did not appreciably add to the findings in comparison to scintigraphy. In contrast, in the abdominal region, we have discovered liver metastases, subrenal metastases and lymph-node metastases both at first investigations and at controls. At post-mortem, however, we found kidney metastases that were not described in the CT but which may possibly have arisen prefinally. Altogether, thoracal and abdominal investigations with CT prior to onset of therapy and subsequent control are a valuable addition to therapy planning.


Gene loss, adaptive evolution and the co-evolution of plumage coloration genes with opsins in birds.
The wide range of complex photic systems observed in birds exemplifies one of their key evolutionary adaptions, a well-developed visual system. However, genomic approaches have yet to be used to disentangle the evolutionary mechanisms that govern evolution of avian visual systems. We performed comparative genomic analyses across 48 avian genomes that span extant bird phylogenetic diversity to assess evolutionary changes in the 17 representatives of the opsin gene family and five plumage coloration genes. Our analyses suggest modern birds have maintained a repertoire of up to 15 opsins. Synteny analyses indicate that PARA and PARIE pineal opsins were lost, probably in conjunction with the degeneration of the parietal organ. Eleven of the 15 avian opsins evolved in a non-neutral pattern, confirming the adaptive importance of vision in birds. Visual conopsins sw1, sw2 and lw evolved under negative selection, while the dim-light RH1 photopigment diversified. The evolutionary patterns of sw1 and of violet/ultraviolet sensitivity in birds suggest that avian ancestors had violet-sensitive vision. Additionally, we demonstrate an adaptive association between the RH2 opsin and the MC1R plumage color gene, suggesting that plumage coloration has been photic mediated. At the intra-avian level we observed some unique adaptive patterns. For example, barn owl showed early signs of pseudogenization in RH2, perhaps in response to nocturnal behavior, and penguins had amino acid deletions in RH2 sites responsible for the red shift and retinal binding. These patterns in the barn owl and penguins were convergent with adaptive strategies in nocturnal and aquatic mammals, respectively. We conclude that birds have evolved diverse opsin adaptations through gene loss, adaptive selection and coevolution with plumage coloration, and that differentiated selective patterns at the species level suggest novel photic pressures to influence evolutionary patterns of more-recent lineages.


Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel ursolic acid analogues as potential α-glucosidase inhibitors.
Ursolic acid (UA) is a major pentacyclic triterpenoid in plants, vegetables and fruits, which has been reported to have a potential anti-diabetic activity. Despite various semi-synthetic ursolic acid derivatives already described, new derivatives still need to be designed and synthesized to further improve the anti-diabetic activity. In the present study, two series of novel UA derivatives, were synthesized and their structures were confirmed. The enzyme inhibition activities of semi-synthesized analogues against α-glucosidase were screened in vitro. The results indicated that most of UA derivatives showed a significant inhibitory activity, especially analogues UA-O-i with the IC50 values of 0.71 ± 0.27 μM, which was more potential than other analogues and the positive control. Furthermore, molecular docking studies were also investigated to verify the in vitro study. Structure modification at the C-3 and C-2 positions of UA was an effective approach to obtain the desired ligand from UA, whose structure was in accordance with the active pocket. Besides, suitable hydrophobic group at the position of C-2 might play an important role for the docking selectivity and binding affinity between the ligand and the homology modelling protein. These results could be helpful for designing more potential α-glucosidase inhibitors from UA in the future.


Ultrasound Evaluation of the Urinary Bladder in Dogs Following Cystotomy with Full Thickness Suture Placement.
The purpose of the study reported here is to determine the long-term effect of full thickness suture placement in the urinary bladder following cystotomy as it relates to urinary bladder mucosal changes identified ultrasonographically at the suture placement site. A retrospective search for dogs that had undergone a cystotomy from 6 to 24 mo prior to the study was performed, yielding 31 dogs included in the study. All dogs had the cystotomy closed using full thickness sutures. These dogs underwent an ultrasound of the urinary bladder to evaluate the mucosa at the incision site. Four (12.9%) of the 31 dogs had mucosal lesions consistent with a polypoid mass or masses. None of these four dogs had lesions solely at the previous cystotomy site. This study confirmed our hypothesis of no long-term evidence of mucosal lesions at the previous cystotomy site closed with full thickness sutures. Based on the results, the use of full thickness suture placement for the closure of the urinary bladder following cystotomy does not result in bladder mucosal changes. Other causes of mucosal changes, such as polypoid mass or masses, should be considered if identified on follow-up ultrasound evaluations following cystotomy procedures regardless of closure technique.


Perinatal Outcomes of Women Diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: An Australian Population-Based Cohort Study.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is common and may require treatment in adulthood. We aimed to investigate the treatment patterns and perinatal outcomes of women with any history of stimulant treatment for ADHD. We used health records of the New South Wales (NSW, Australia) population to compare perinatal outcomes of women treated with stimulants (dexamphetamine or methylphenidate) for ADHD from 1982 to 2012 who gave birth between 1994 and 2012, with perinatal outcomes of women with no known ADHD or stimulant treatment (comparison cohort). Five comparison women, matched by maternal age and infant year of birth, were selected for each treated woman. Pregnancy outcome odds ratios in the two groups were adjusted for confounders including maternal age and smoking. Of 5056 women treated for ADHD with stimulant medication, 3351 (66.3%) had stimulant treatment documented before the index pregnancy but not within 1 year before the expected date of delivery, 175 (3.5%) had stimulant treatment before and possibly during pregnancy (stimulant prescription within the 12 months directly before the expected date of the index birth and earlier), and 1530 (30.2%) had no stimulant treatment until after the index pregnancy. Treatment for ADHD at any time (before, before and during and only after the index pregnancy) was associated with reduced likelihood of spontaneous labour-odds ratios (ORs) 0.7 [0.7, 0.8], 0.7 [0.5, 0.9], and 0.7 [0.7, 0.8], respectively-and increased risk of caesarean delivery (1.2 [1.1, 1.3], 1.3 [0.9, 1.8], 1.3 [1.1, 1.4]); active neonatal resuscitation (1.2 [1.0, 1.3], 1.7 [1.1, 2.7], 1.3 [1.0, 1.7]); and neonatal admission > 4 h (1.2 [1.1, 1.3], 1.7 [1.2, 2.4], 1.2 [1.0, 1.4]). Treatment before or before and during pregnancy was, in addition, associated with increased risk of pre-eclampsia (1.2 [1.0, 1.4], 1.5 [0.8, 2.6]); preterm birth < 37 weeks (1.2 [1.0, 1.3], 1.4 [0.9, 2.3]); and 1-min Apgar < 7 (1.2 [1.1, 1.3], 2.0 [1.4, 2.9]). Stimulant prescribing was low during pregnancy (3.5% of women received such a prescription) and dropped during the 12 months before the due date from an average of 24.7 prescriptions per month in the first 6 months to 4.5 per month in the final 6 months. Compared with no treatment, ADHD stimulant treatment at any time was associated with small increases in the risk of some adverse pregnancy outcomes; treatment before, or before and during pregnancy, was associated with additional adverse outcomes, even after a treatment-free period of several years. None of these associations can be confidently attributed to stimulant treatment; in all cases ADHD per se or correlates of it could be responsible for the association.


Simple pseudo-dipeptides with a P2' glutamate: a novel inhibitor family of matrix metalloproteases and other metzincins.
A series of pseudo-peptides with general formula X-l-Glu-NH(2) (with X corresponding to an acyl moiety with a long aryl-alkyl side chain) have been synthesized, evaluated as inhibitors of matrix metalloproteases (MMPs), and found to display remarkable nanomolar affinity. The loss in potency associated with a substitution of the P(2)' l-glutamate by a l-glutamine corroborates the importance of a carboxylate at this position. The binding mode of some of these inhibitors was characterized in solution and by x-ray crystallography in complex with various MMPs. The x-ray crystal structures reveal an unusual binding mode with the glutamate side chain chelating the active site zinc ion. Competition experiments between these inhibitors and acetohydroxamic acid, a small zinc-binding molecule, are in accord with the crystallographic results. One of these pseudo-dipeptides displays potency and selectivity toward MMP-12 similar to the best MMP-12 inhibitors reported to date. This novel family of pseudo peptides opens new opportunities to develop potent and selective inhibitors for several metzincins.


A Dynamic Estimation of Obesity Using Nhanes Data: A Pseudo-Panel Approach.
In this analysis, we examine the effect of wages on obesity by constructing pseudo-panels to conduct a dynamic estimation of Grossman's human capital model. The results indicate that wages have an increasing effect on obesity status. After accounting for past health status, the protective effect of wages commonly disseminated in the literature reverses on obesity status. The results may also indicate possible asymmetric consumption behavior between foods/nutrients that improve diet quality versus those that degrade it. Individuals may be more keen to adhere to prophylactic diet strategies that abate consumption of unhealthy food/nutrients rather than measures which increase healthy nutrient consumption. Additionally, wages have an increasing effect on overall total calories consumed. These findings suggest that higher wage earners may focus their diet efforts on reducing consumption of specific nutrients but compensate by overconsuming other types of nutrients increasing overall calorie intake. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Ultrastructure of a complex epithelial system: the pharyngeal lining of the larval lamprey Petromyzon marinus.
Electron microscopy shows that the pharyngeal lining of the larval lamprey Petromyzon marinus is a structurally complex epithelial system that can be separated into eight epithelial types: gill lamellar, gill interlamellar, goblet cell, protective, terminal (taste) bud, preciliated, ciliated in tracts, and ciliated in grooves. Furthermore, these epithelial types encompass at least sixteen different cell types based on ultrastructure and, in some cases, correlative histochemistry (PAS, Alcian blue). Common to nearly all the epithelial types are basal cells and intermediate cells. These two cell types are seen as undifferentiated. Among mature cells, structural specialization as proceeded in three directions: 1) elaboration of mitochondria, probably related to molecular transport (ion-uptake cells, chloride cells); 2) ciliogenesis (preciliated and ciliated cell types); and 3) production of mucous secretory granules (mucous-platelet cells, goblet cells, superficial protective cells, columnar mucous cells, "cobblestone" cells, and marginal and dark cells in the terminal buds). Many of the functions of the cell types relate to the process of suspension feeding in this animal.


WOUND INSTILLATION OF LOCAL ANESTHETIC BUPIVACAINE FOR POSTOPERATIVE ANALGESIA FOLLOWING LUMBAR LAMINECTOMY.
Lumbar laminectomy is a commonly performed procedure in neurosurgical and orthopedic practice. Postoperative pain reliefhelps in early mobilization, initiation of physiotherapy, provides satisfaction to the patients and plays an important role in reducing the morbidity and mortality. This prospective study investigated the simple technique of instillation of wound with bupivacaine and leaving a contact time of 60 seconds on postoperative pain following lumbar laminectomy. 32 ASA I and II patients scheduled for laminectomy were randomly allocated to receive either 20 ml of normal saline (group I) or 0.25% of bupivacaine (group II) into the wound after securing hemostasis. After a dwell time of 60sec the wound was closed in layers without mopping or suctioning. After extubation, the pain scores were evaluated by visual analog scale at every 4 hrs. for 24hrs and also the time for first demand of analgesia, number of analgesic demands and the total amount of analgesia consumed were noted by an independent observer.. The median duration of analgesia in group I was 8.8 [5-11] and in group II 13 [8.5-16] hrs. with a p = 0.04. The number of demands and the amount of analgesia consumed was also statistically significant. Wound instillation technique is simple, safe and effective in management of acute pain management after lumbar laminectomy and can be used as one among the multimodal armamentarium in pain management.


Intragastric balloon treatment for obesity: what does it really offer?
Obesity is a chronic metabolic disorder with considerable health risks, which can be approved by a sustained modest weight loss. This can be achieved by medical treatment through behavioral therapy, diet, exercise and pharmacotherapy. Surgery is often needed for the severely obese. Intragastric balloon treatment stands in between, being more drastic than medical treatment but less invasive than surgery. In the light of the high premature deflation rate and the high incidence of gastric ulcers, a safer balloon had to be awaited, constructed according to predefined criteria. This new balloon (BioEnterics Intragastric Balloon) promoted a weight loss of 5-9 BMI units in 6 months with an impressive improvement of obesity-associated comorbidities. A weight regain of 25-40% has to be considered in a 1-year balloon-free follow-up period. A failure rate of 15% was observed in studies that defined a successful weight loss. With respect to safety, there was no mortality. Gastrointestinal complications, mainly consisting of esophagitis, were present in 5.5%. Intolerance of the balloon resulted in its removal in 7%. Balloons deflated in 8% with an uneventful outcome in all except 5 patients, who had to be operated. Balloon treatment is a valuable method, but nonresponse, intolerance and weight regain have to be taken into account.


Structure of the cell wall of Bacillus species C.I.P. 76-111.
An unusual type of bacterial cell wall was encountered in a Bacillus strain referred to as Bacillus sp. C.I.P. 76-111. The major constituent of this cell wall is a high-molecular-weight anionic protein non-covalently associated to a peptidoglycan-polysaccharide complex. The cell wall appeared as a multilayered structure when sections of whole cells or of isolated cell walls fixed with glutaraldehyde and postfixed with osmium tetroxide were examined by electron microscopy. The correlation between the observed morphological features and the biochemical data suggested that a thin central electron-dense layer identifiable with the peptidoglycan-polysaccharide complex is located between two similar thick layers of protein. Furthermore, negative staining of isolated cell walls revealed that the outer protein layer has a regular surface array of subunits with hexagonal symmetry. Several structural properties of the cell wall peptidoglycan were investigated and were found to resemble those of other bacilli. Further characterization of the autolytic system showed that an N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase and a glycosidase, presumably a N-acetylmuramidase, were associated with the peptidoglycan-polysaccharide complex. It was also established that this strain is devoid of membrane teichoic acid.


Utility of Frailty Assessment in Urologic Stone Surgery: A Review of the Literature.
Introduction and Objective: As life expectancy continues to rise, the prevalence of frailty is also increasing. The idea of frailty and its effect on the operative patient has been previously studied, but not regularly incorporated into routine practice. We present a review on frailty metrics in the literature, validated assessment methods, and simplified screening tools to better predict and optimize patient outcomes. Methods: An online PubMed search was conducted by three authors (T.A., T.G.R.B., M.M.) for overall frailty, frailty assessment, and preoperative risk assessment. Only English publications were included in the analysis. Full-text analysis was then conducted by all three authors to validate the data. Results: An abundance of literature was found on frailty. Even though some methods are validated as extremely effective for assessing frailty, they may be time-consuming and require a specialist. Various quick screening methods are also presented, many already validated, and should be utilized by urologists more regularly. Conclusions: Multiple studies demonstrate the relationship between frailty and surgical patients' outcome. Many quick, office-based, validated tools to screen for frailty are described, and should be incorporated into our practice in appropriate patients. Future research is now focused on the concept of "prehabilitation" to improve patient frailty status in the preoperative setting, and consequently operative outcomes.


Enzymatic Pictet-Spengler Reaction: Computational Study of the Mechanism and Enantioselectivity of Norcoclaurine Synthase.
The Pictet-Spengler (PS) reaction, i.e., the acid-catalyzed condensation between β-arylethylamine and an aldehyde or a ketone and the subsequent ring closure, is an important reaction in organic chemistry. A number of enzymes (called Pictet-Spenglerases, PSases) have been identified to catalyze this reaction, usually with very high enantioselectivity, making these enzymes of potential value in biocatalysis. PSases catalyze the key step in the biosynthesis of indole and benzylisoquinoline alkaloids of plant origin, some of which have pharmacological importance. However, the reaction mechanisms and the origins of the selectivity are not fully understood. Herein, we report a quantum chemical investigation of the mechanism and enantioselectivity of norcoclaurine synthase (NCS), an enzyme that catalyzes the PS condensation between dopamine and 4-hydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (4-HPAA). A large model of the active site is designed on the basis of a recent crystal structure, and it is used to calculate the detailed energy profile of the reaction. Good agreement is obtained between the calculated energies and available experimental information. Both the "dopamine-first" and the "HPAA-first" binding modes of the substrates reported in the literature are shown to be energetically accessible in the enzyme-substrate complex. However, it is demonstrated that only the dopamine-first pathway is associated with feasible energy barriers. Key active site residues are identified, and their roles in the catalysis are discussed and compared to site-directed mutagenesis experiments. Very importantly, the calculations are able to reproduce and rationalize the observed enantioselectivity of NCS. A detailed analysis of the geometries of the intermediates and transition states helps to pinpoint the main factors controlling the selectivity.


Relevance of the glycosyl donor to the regioselectivity of glycosidation of primary-secondary diol acceptors and application of these ideas to in situ three-component double differential glycosidation.
[reaction: see text] Three pairs of primary-secondary diol acceptors have been exposed to armed, disarmed, and n-pentenyl ortho ester glycosyl donors in glycosidation reactions. It is shown that the regioselectivity of those glycosylations is greatly influenced by the armed, disarmed, or ortho ester nature of the glycosyl donors. The selectivities observed have been used to devise efficient in situ three-component glycosylations involving two donors and one acceptor.


The EAP and workplace psychiatric injury.
The author provides brief historical and current overviews of EAP development, describes such programs' tasks and goals, and discusses how a professionally staffed EAP can address psychiatric injury in the workplace. Based on his experience in a major financial corporation, he describes strategies and interventions used by the EAP he oversees.


[The evolution of the thought of "Yojo" and its function as a theoretical bases for development of health culture].
The purpose of this monograph is to clarify the role of "Yojo" on public health in Japan. Yojo is a traditional concept which has been used for the nourishment of life in Eastern cultures. These thoughts on Yojo were published under the title of Yojoron in ancient China. Yojoron was imported into Japan somewhere from the 7th to 10th centuries. In ancient and medievel Japan, there were few writings about Yojoron. However during the Edo period, Yojoron suddenly flourished. Dominant in Yojoron was diet. Issues such as exercise, mental control, and sexual restraint were also considered in the Bunka, Bunsei, and Tenpo periods (the first half of 19th century). Yojoron included not only matters of physical and mental health but various other matters regarding the general quality of life such as morality, domestic economy, culture and education. However other health-related issues such as longevity and absence of diseases, showed a simultaneous decrease in the importance. Also principles of Yojoron such as restraint and austerity in behaviour were liberalized. These trends indicated the basic shift in Yojoron from personal health care to self-culture for the entire quality of life. Writings on Yojoron were still published after the Meiji restoration (1868). The principle of Yojoron in the Meiji period was based on both social Darwinism and social revolution theories. The primary concerns of Yojoron were consolidated into achieving health and longevity by personal effort. Therefore Yojoron can be seen as the theory of lifestyle and quality of life in traditional societies in Japan. The public saw in Yojoron a design for living through improved health. This meant the Yojoron was a very refined art of living, and therefore, implies that health care should be integrated with entire self-development. The principle of Yojo offers the ideal foundation of 'health culture' in modern societies.


Pregnancy information and advice on Sky television: an evaluation.
This paper is one of a series produced as part of an evaluation of a number of digital interactive television (DiTV) health pilots funded by the Department of Health during 2001/2002. This paper is concerned with two pregnancy health services produced by Channel Health and hosted on Sky television. The study aimed to discover the success or otherwise of health information on pregnancy in this form and on this medium or "platform". In particular we were interested in what kinds of people on the broader national stage viewed the Bush Babies programme. Data were obtained through a telephone questionnaire of Channel Health users. More than 250 people took part. More than 175 000 households watched the programmes, a large audience for this type of programme. Bush Babies attracted a sizeable audience with over a quarter of Channel Health viewers in this study having seen it. There proved to be marked differences between the types of people using the service and in the patterns of their use--and not always in the ways one might have expected. As expected, people who were single, older or male were less likely to view Bush Babies, while younger, married or cohabitants and females were more likely to watch the programme. More unexpectedly, perhaps, the fact that the person was pregnant was not a predictor of whether they saw a Bush Babies programme or the number of the programmes watched.


Effects of Acute Salbutamol Intake on Peripheral and Central Fatigue in Trained Men.
Ergogenic effect in physically active subjects has been reported after acute salbutamol (SAL) intake. β2-Agonists have potential stimulant effects within the central nervous system that could be involved in this ergogenic effect. We hypothesized that acute SAL intake would induce changes in cerebral responses during exercise, with significant improvement in cerebral oxygenation and voluntary activation (VA) contributing to an increase in muscle performance. Fourteen trained male subjects (25 ± 5 yr) performed repeated isometric knee extensions until task failure (TF) after 4 mg (oral) SAL, 800 μg (inhaled) SAL, or placebo intake. VA, corticospinal excitability, and inhibition assessed by transcranial magnetic stimulation and changes in hemoglobin concentrations assessed by near-infrared spectroscopy were measured before and during the fatiguing task. SAL had no significant effect both at rest and during exercise on prefrontal cortex oxygenation (e.g., changes in oxyhemoglobin concentration at TF: 11.4 ± 11.1 (4 mg SAL) vs 10.4 ± 10.6 (800 μg SAL) vs 10.8 ± 8.1 μmol (placebo); P = 0.314) and neuromuscular function (e.g., VA measured by TMS at TF: 90.2% ± 6.6% vs 92.6% ± 5.0% vs 90.1% ± 7.0%; P = 0.760). SAL had no effect on the number of contractions until TF (95 ± 51 vs 100 ± 52 vs 93 ± 47; P = 0.629). These results indicate that acute SAL intake had no effect on central and peripheral mechanisms of neuromuscular fatigue and did not improve quadriceps endurance.


Continuous measurement of cerebral blood flow velocity using transcranial Doppler reveals significant moment-to-moment variability of data in healthy volunteers and in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage.
The reliability of intermittent transcranial Doppler has not been accepted widely because of problems with interobserver variability and lack of accuracy. The limitations of intermittent transcranial Doppler are thought to be overcome by continuous measurement systems. However, little published data exist on their accuracy, feasibility, and moment-to-moment variability. In this study we aimed to determine the time-related variability of continuous transcranial Doppler signal from volunteers and patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and to examine the feasibility, ease of use, and quality of data generated from continuous transcranial Doppler for the detection of vasospasm. Prospective observational study. Intensive care unit in a tertiary referral center. Ten volunteers and eight patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. None. The middle cerebral artery blood flow velocities were recorded continuously from both patients and volunteers. The moment-to-moment variability of continuously recorded data was calculated. There was a wide range of velocity measurements in both volunteers and patients. There was a significant moment-to-moment variability in both volunteers (-31% to 58%) and in patients (-38% to 78%). There was a greater number of observations exceeding 10% moment-to-moment variability in the patient group with regard to systolic and diastolic velocities compared with volunteers (8% vs. 2%, p < .001). There was a trend toward a longer duration of good quality data in volunteers compared with patients (98 +/- 0.5% vs. 96 +/- 9%). Continuous measurement of cerebral blood flow velocities revealed a significant moment-to-moment variability in both patients and in volunteers, the magnitude of which was greater in the patients. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.


Robust exponential stability of markovian jumping neural networks with time-varying delay.
This paper considers the robust stability of a class of neural networks with Markovian jumping parameters and time-varying delay. By employing a new Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, a sufficient condition for the global exponential stability of the delayed Markovian jumping neural networks is established. The proposed condition is also extended to the uncertain cases, which are shown to be the improvement and extension of the existing ones. Finally, the validity of the results are illustrated by an example.


Control of the dual reactivity (iminium-dienamine) of β-arylmethyl α,β-unsaturated aldehydes in organocatalytic 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions with N-benzoyl C,N-cyclic azomethine imines.
1,3-Dipolar cycloadditions of C,N-cyclic azomethine imines with α,β-unsaturated aldehydes can be performed with complete control of the regio-, exo-, and enantioselectivity under aminocatalytic conditions. The so far never studied competence of the iminium-dienamine reactivity inherent to β-alkyl α,β-unsaturated aldehydes was studied, which was possible by allowing achievement of complete control of the chemoselectivity in reactions of the β-arylmethyl derivatives with azomethine imines by using different additives and organocatalysts, whose role has been rationalized by DFT calculations and chemical proofs. Thus, it has been possible to selectively obtain the pyrazolidines resulting from both the attack to the C2-C3 (via iminium) and the C3-C4 (via dienamine) bonds at the starting enals, which can be used as precursors of interesting tetrahydroisoquinolinic compounds.


1-D structured flexible supercapacitor electrodes with prominent electronic/ionic transport capabilities.
A highly efficient 1-D flexible supercapacitor with a stainless steel mesh (SSM) substrate is demonstrated. Indium tin oxide (ITO) nanowires are prepared on the surface of the stainless steel fiber (SSF), and MnO2 shell layers are coated onto the ITO/SSM electrode by means of electrodeposition. The ITO NWs, which grow radially on the SSF, are single-crystalline and conductive enough for use as a current collector for MnO2-based supercapacitors. A flake-shaped, nanoporous, and uniform MnO2 shell layer with a thickness of ~130 nm and an average crystallite size of ~2 nm is obtained by electrodeposition at a constant voltage. The effect of the electrode geometry on the supercapacitor properties was investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and a galvanostatic charge/discharge study. The electrodes with ITO NWs exhibit higher specific capacitance levels and good rate capability owing to the superior electronic/ionic transport capabilities resulting from the open pore structure. Moreover, the use of a porous mesh substrate (SSM) increases the specific capacitance to 667 F g(-1) at 5 mV s(-1). In addition, the electrode with ITO NWs and the SSM shows very stable cycle performance (no decrease in the specific capacitance after 5000 cycles).


Immunohistochemical analysis of growth factors in platelet-rich fibrin membranes.
The use of autogenous materials to promote tissue regeneration has guided the direction of modern dentistry, and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) is a promising biomaterial for tissue engineering. This in vitro immunohistochemical study aimed to analyze the presence of factors of endothelial growth and cell differentiation in PRF membranes by using the CD31 (endothelial cells) and CD163 (monocytes) markers. Five men and 5 women, aged between 25 and 60 years and without systemic health problems, were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were collected, submitted to a centrifugation protocol, and fixed in 4% formaldehyde, and then immunohistochemical analysis was performed. The histologic analysis of the slides showed that the fibrin clot was formed by a dense fiber network and cells trapped in its structure. One sample was excluded from the markers testing due to poor quality. All 9 of the valid samples were positive for the CD31 and CD163 markers, with reactivity ranging from 5% to 30% and 10% to 40% of cells, respectively. The immunohistochemical analysis showed the presence of CD31 and CD163 in the PRF membranes, indicating the potential for vascular neoformation and the significant presence of monocytes, which play an important role in tissue remodeling via their differentiation into macrophages.


From biopolitics to bioethics: church, state, medicine and assisted reproductive technology in Ireland.
This paper examines the emerging bioethical debate on assisted reproductive technology (ART) in Ireland, which is shaped by the long-standing contentious issue of abortion and the constitutional protection afforded to the 'unborn'. The focus of the paper is on the way in which the terms of this debate are shaped and constrained by the historical relations of power between church, state and medicine. Since the representation of Ireland as a post-Catholic, plural republic is becoming increasingly mainstream to cultural and political discourse, we pay particular attention to how the Catholic Church embraces bioethics as a meta frame or code for refocusing questions of values, beliefs and meanings to sustain the ideal of Ireland as a 'pro-life' and essentially Catholic nation. The Catholic Church is not simply asserting its voice of dissent in the context of public debate as one voice amongst a plurality of other voices, but to shape the emerging debate as a powerful, institutional actor. The opportunity to do so is afforded by the lack of public debate on bioethical issues and the exceedingly slow pace at which bioethics is moving towards an institutionalised framework in Ireland. These events can be explained by the legacy of the social power of the Catholic Church in Ireland and the direct and indirect influence it has long exercised over public policy vis-à-vis the state and its institutions, including medicine. There are two interconnected threads to the contextual analysis presented in our case study: first, the legacy of the social power wielded by the Catholic Church, and its slow and incremental demise reflected in the pace of secularisation in Ireland and the privatisation of morality; second, the emergence of a bioethical regulatory debate on ART, which is mired in the abortion controversy. Our analysis focuses on a number of key contradictions and tensions in the way in which the key institutions of church, state and medicine navigate their own positions vis-à-vis a bioethics debate, and how this constrains public participation.


[Imaging of cerebral ischemia within first hours: computed tomography (CT)].
Imaging of stroke has evolved with the development of stroke units and the CE approval of intravenous thrombolysis in the first three hours after stroke onset. The goal of imaging in the acute phase of stroke is: to make the diagnosis of stroke; to rule out other diagnosis (above all hemorrhagic strokes); to precise the location of the arterial occlusion; to assess the level of hypoperfusion; to evaluate the viability and reversibility of brain lesions; to understand the origin of the stroke by evaluating cervical arteries. Constraints of imaging in the acute phase of stroke are: the need to be performed as fast as possible to not delay IV thrombolysis (time is brain); machines must be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as close as possible to the stroke unit. The aim of imaging are: in routine practice to evaluate the likely benefits (provided by penumbra imaging) and risks of IV thrombolysis; in term of "evidence based medicine" to better evaluate new specific stroke therapies in randomized studies (IV thrombolysis between 3 to 4 hours, use of anti GpIIbIIIa, intra-arterial mechanical or chemical thrombolysis...). Magnetic resonance imaging is considered the goal standard of stroke imaging allowing to evaluate in a "one stop shopping" the level of arterial occlusion, hypoperfusion and brain viability. However, stroke management is a regional issue and performing MR in extreme emergency is almost impossible in all stroke units outside or even within university hospitals 24 hours a day. CT-perfusion and CT angiography are therefore an accurate alternative tool for acute stroke imaging. Multislice CT is indeed available in almost all stroke units. The examination is very time-saving and clinically relevant to make the decision for IV thrombolysis.


The role of endothelin-A receptors in cardiovascular responses to acute hypoxaemia in the late gestation sheep fetus.
1. In unanaesthetized chronically instumented fetal sheep (118-121 days gestation) we investigated the effect of acute isocapnic hypoxaemia (arterial Po2, 12.5 +/- 0.6 mmHg) on heart rate (FHR), mean systemic arterial blood pressure (MABP), carotid and femoral blood flows (CBF and FBF, respectively), and carotid and femoral vascular resistances (CVR and FVR, respectively) with the infusion of either the endothelin-A (ETA) receptor antagonist FR139317, or saline vehicle. 2. During normoxaemia FHR (P < 0.05) and CBF (P < 0. 01) were greater, and CVR (P < 0.01) was lower with FR139317 than with vehicle infusion. CVR remained lower with FR139317 than with vehicle infusion during hypoxaemia (P < 0.01) and recovery (P < 0. 05). During hypoxaemia the rapid initial bradycardia, the increase in MABP and FVR and the decrease in FBF were similar with vehicle and FR139317 infusion. In both groups plasma endothelin-1 concentration ([ET-1]) was unaltered by hypoxaemia. The increase in CBF during hypoxaemia with vehicle (P < 0.01) was absent with FR139317 infusion. 3. Thus in the late gestation ovine fetus endogenous ET-1 modulates basal FHR, CBF and CVR via ETA receptors. Modulation of CBF and CVR persists during hypoxaemia but ETA receptors do not appear to contribute to the decrease in femoral blood flow measured during acute hypoxaemia.


Mechanical characteristics of silicon nanostructures using force distance spectroscopy.
Experimental studies were undertaken to determine mechanical stiffness of Si chevron nanostructures grown by glancing angle deposition. Atomic force microscope based force-distance spectroscopy was performed on two types of chevron structures. The average stiffness of four-armed chevrons was found to be 381 +/- 16 Nm(-1), while that of five-armed chevrons was determined to be 375 +/- 23 Nm(-1). Simulations using finite element modeling were carried out to understand the mechanical characteristics of chevrons. For the nanostructures investigated in the present study, the simulation results indicate that while five-armed chevrons behave as springs, the four-armed chevrons act as cantilevers. It is shown that the position of loading point, physical dimensions and the geometry of the chevron control the overall mechanical response of chevron structures when subjected to an external load. It is proposed that by controlling the deposition parameters in glancing angle deposition, the topography of the structures and hence the position of loading points can be manipulated to generate a desirable mechanical response.


Modification of cleaning product formulations could improve indoor air quality.
Cleaning products contain numerous individual chemicals, which can be liberated on use. These species can react in air to form new chemical species, some of which are harmful to health. This paper uses a detailed chemical model for indoor air chemistry, to understand the chemical reactions that can occur following cleaning, assuming cleaning products with different proportions of limonene, α-pinene, and β-pinene are used. The tests included the pure compounds, 50:50 mixtures and mixtures in proportion to the rates of reaction with ozone and the hydroxyl radical. For the 3 h following cleaning, pure α-pinene was most efficient at producing particles, pure limonene for nitrated organic material, and a 50:50 mixture of β-pinene and limonene for formaldehyde, leading to enhancements of 1.1 μg/m3 , 400 ppt, and 1.8 ppb, respectively, compared to no cleaning. Cleaning in the afternoon enhanced concentrations of secondary pollutants for all the mixtures, owing to higher outdoor and hence indoor ozone compared to the morning. These enhancements in concentrations lasted several hours, despite the cleaning emissions only lasting for 10 min. Doubling the air exchange rate enhanced concentrations of formaldehyde and particulate matter by ~15% while reducing that of nitrated organic material by 13%. Changing product formulations has the potential to change the resulting indoor air quality and consequently, impacts on health.


The Development of Transformative Agency of Teachers in Teaching Research Activities in China.
Teaching research activities (TRA) in China are practical and reflective research of teachers on teaching. These required activities are meant to ensure quality education and facilitate the professional development of teachers. However, in TRA, teachers encounter many challenges such as low efficiency and weak team collaboration. These problems make it hard to achieve the expected outcomes. W Primary School reformed its activities using Change Laboratory, a formative intervention approach to workplace learning and development based on activity theory. The data collected included seven recorded meetings in the Change Laboratory. The conversations in the meetings were then transcribed into texts. A deductive method of content analysis was used to code the data, focusing on categorizing comments of teachers about the transformative agency. The findings showed the following: (1) There were five types of transformative agencies, namely, resisting, criticizing, explicating, envisioning, and committing to actions. Resisting and criticizing were represented less frequently, and taking action did not emerge as a type of transformative agency. (2) The comments about transformative agency about tools were more frequent than comments about other elements in the activity system. (3) There were some differences in the expression of transformative agency across participants. At the end of this study, the implications for the development of TRA are discussed.


Malignant mesothelioma: current status of histopathologic diagnosis and molecular profile.
Malignant mesothelioma of the pleura is a relatively rare neoplasm that has been estimated to account for 20 deaths per million males per year in North America and Europe. A causative association has been well established with asbestos exposure. Paradoxically, the incidence of this tumor continues to rise despite public efforts to reduce, contain or eliminate exposure to asbestos fibers over the past few decades. Another paradoxical feature of the disease is that the majority of malignant mesotheliomas represent morphologically low-grade, well-differentiated neoplasms, yet they follow a relentlessly aggressive and virtually uniformly fatal outcome. For this reason, identification of clinical, morphologic, immunohistochemical or molecular genetic parameters is of extremely limited value for prognostication. Surprisingly, for a disease that currently has no known cure, one of the major problems still lies in establishing the correct diagnosis. Diagnosis acquires a particular relevance in light of the medicolegal ramifications of this disease, and diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma is still fraught with difficulties. Despite the advances in modern diagnostic techniques, no specific markers or morphologic features exist that are exclusive to these tumors. Herein, the current status of malignant mesothelioma diagnosis is reviewed, including the possible contributions of modern molecular techniques for their diagnosis.


Spatial transcriptomic profiles of mouse uterine microenvironments at pregnancy day 7.5†.
Uterine dysfunctions lead to fertility disorders and pregnancy complications. Normal uterine functions at pregnancy depend on crosstalk among multiple cell types in uterine microenvironments. Here, we performed the spatial transcriptomics and single-cell RNA-seq assays to determine local gene expression profiles at the embryo implantation site of the mouse uterus on pregnancy day 7.5 (D7.5). The spatial transcriptomic annotation identified 11 domains of distinct gene signatures, including a mesometrial myometrium, an anti-mesometrial myometrium, a mesometrial decidua enriched with natural killer cells, a vascular sinus zone for maternal vessel remodeling, a fetal-maternal interface, a primary decidual zone, a transition decidual zone, a secondary decidual zone, undifferentiated stroma, uterine glands, and the embryo. The scRNA-Seq identified 12 types of cells in the D7.5 uterus including three types of stromal fibroblasts with differentiated and undifferentiated markers, one cluster of epithelium including luminal and glandular epithelium, mesothelium, endothelia, pericytes, myelomonocytic cell, natural killer cells, and lymphocyte B. These single-cell RNA signatures were then utilized to deconvolute the cell-type compositions of each individual uterine microenvironment. Functional annotation assays on spatial transcriptomic data revealed uterine microenvironments with distinguished metabolic preferences, immune responses, and various cellular behaviors that are regulated by region-specific endocrine and paracrine signals. Global interactome among regions is also projected based on the spatial transcriptomic data. This study provides high-resolution transcriptome profiles with locality information at the embryo implantation site to facilitate further investigations on molecular mechanisms for normal pregnancy progression.


[Statistical analysis on findings in the quality management system during inspection of IVD manufactures of China].
To explore the current state and the mainly typical problems and vulnerable parts existed in the quality management systems (QMS) of local in vitro diagnostic reagent manufactures. To statistical analyze the problems found in the quality management system of in vitro diagnostic reagent manufactures through inspection organized by CCD, SFDA during the second half year of 2011. The total level of the QMS of local IVD manufacturers has risen greatly in past recent years, but a lot of problems still existed. The main vulnerable issues existed in QMS of IVD are documentation and recorder control, design control and validation, producing process control, as well as monitoring and quality control etc, to which should be paid more attention in the future improvement made by the enterprises and supervision by the administration authorities.


[Suffering and misfortune--the beginning of comprehension].
Pain, suffering and damage are important items of the animal protection law and thus the basis for its accomplishment. It is the aim of this paper to give a review on those methods which are available to record and to assess well-being or suffering of animals. Since suffering cannot be measured directly different indicators such as health, productivity, physiological and biochemical parameters and behaviour have to be used in order to obtain conclusive evidence of suffering or well-being. Since it has to be taken into account that the individual indicators are of limited value with respect to their reliability and accuracy the combination of these indicators has to be recommended.


International trends in the incidence of brain tumours in children and young-adults and their association with indicators of economic development.
Childhood brain tumours (CBTs) are the second most common type of cancer in individuals aged 0-24 years globally and cause significant morbidity and mortality. CBT aetiology remains poorly understood, however previous studies found higher CBT incidence in high-income countries (HIC) compared to low-middle income countries (LMIC), suggesting a positive relationship between incidence and wealth. Aggregated data from Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5) were used to explore CBT epidemiology. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) compared CBT rates between twenty-five geographically and economically diverse countries. The relationship between incidence and economic development was explored using linear regression models and Spearman's rank correlation tests. Trends in CBT incidence between 1978 and 2012 were investigated using average annual percentage changes (AAPC). CBT incidence was highest in North America and lowest in Africa. CBT incidence rates increased significantly with increasing GDP per capita (p = 0.006). Gini index was significantly negatively associated with CBT incidence. Incidence decreased with increasing income inequality within countries, indicated by higher Gini indices (p = 0.040). Increasing and decreasing CBT incidence trends were observed within individual countries, although only Italy (p = 0.02) and New Zealand (p < 0.005) experienced statistically significant changes over time. The excess disease found in HIC may be explained by environmental risk factor exposure increasing CBT risk in wealthy populations. However, systematic limitations of substandard cancer detection and reporting in LMIC may mean incidence disparities result from misinformation bias rather than genuine differences in risk factor exposure. Further research is required to comprehensively describe CBT epidemiology and explain study findings.


High throughput screening for cyanovirin-N mimetics binding to HIV-1 gp41.
The human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein gp41 is an important mediator of viral entry into host cells. Previous studies showed that the virucidal protein cyanovirin-N (CV-N) bound to both gp120 and gp41, and that this binding was associated with its antiviral activity. We constructed an HTS assay based on the interaction of europium-labeled CV-N with recombinant glycosylated gp41 ectodomain to support identification of small-molecule mimetics of CV-N that might be developed as antiviral drug leads. Primary screening of over 107,000 natural product extracts in the assay yielded 347 confirmed hits. Secondary assays eliminated extracts that bound directly to labeled CV-N or for which the simple sugars mannose and N-acetylglucosamine blocked the interaction with gp41 (lectin activity). Extracts were further prioritized based on anti-HIV activity and other biological, biochemical, and chemical criteria. The distribution of source organism taxonomy of active extracts was analyzed, as was the cross-correlation of activity between the CV-N-gp41 binding competition assay and the previously reported CV-N-gp120 binding competition assay. A limited set of extracts was selected for bioassay-guided fractionation.


Effects of Temperature, Duration, and Heating Height of Foot Thermal Therapy on Sleep Quality of Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Background: Sleep disturbances, which are common problems in older adults, often lead to cognitive decline and depression and may even increase mortality risk. Foot thermal therapy is a simple and safe approach for improving sleep and is associated with relatively few side effects. However, the effect of different operations of foot thermal therapy on sleep quality in older adults is inconclusive. This study aimed to access the effects of temperature, duration, and heating height of foot thermal therapy (administered through a footbath) on the subjective and objective sleep quality of older adults. Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline, eight databases were searched for all relevant articles published up to July 2023, and a rigorous systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. This study was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42022383460). Inclusion criteria were: (1) participants with a mean age ≥60 years; (2) interventions that included foot thermal therapy; (3) a control group that received routine care but no thermal therapy; (4) outcome measurements that assessed sleep quality; and (5) the studies that utilized randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies. Methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools. The meta-analysis was performed using RevMan version 5.4. Results: A total of 11 studies were included. Foot thermal therapy before bedtime improved subjective sleep quality in older adults, with optimal parameters of 40°C temperature (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.66, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.33 to 0.99), ≤20-min duration (SMD = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.39 to 0.93), and 10 cm heating height (SMD = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.45 to 1.11). Subgroup analyses revealed that a temperature of 41°C-42°C can improve objective sleep latency (SMD = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.09 to 0.99). Conclusions: It is recommended to administer foot thermal therapy (40°C; ≤20 min; 10 cm above the ankle) to older adults 1 h before their bedtime. If they have trouble falling asleep, the temperature can be increased to 41°C-42°C.


Stress testing in valvular heart disease: clinical benefit of echocardiographic imaging.
Symptom development represents one of the most important indications for surgical intervention in patients with significant valvular heart disease. Exercise testing has an established role in the assessment of exercise capacity and symptomatic status in patients with severe valvular heart disease who claim to be asymptomatic. In these patients, clinical decision can be influenced by the results of exercise testing. In addition to the assessment of symptomatic response to exercise, stress echocardiography can provide valuable information on exercise-induced changes in valve hemodynamics, ventricular function and pulmonary artery pressure. Abnormal left ventricular response to exercise, increase in pulmonary pressure or change in the hemodynamic severity of the valvular disease adds to the prognostic value of elicited symptoms. In this article we discuss the validated indications, proven prognostic values and potential influence on clinical decisions of stress echocardiography in left valvular heart diseases.


Hyperuricemia is associated with an increased prevalence of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in patients with type 2 diabetes referred for clinically indicated 24-h Holter monitoring.
Several studies have reported an association between hyperuricemia and increased risk of permanent atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Currently, no published data are available on the relationship between hyperuricemia and risk of paroxysmal AF. We retrospectively evaluated 245 T2DM outpatients without pre-existing AF, cancer, cirrhosis and end-stage renal disease, who underwent a 24-h ECG-Holter monitoring for various clinical indications. Hyperuricemia was defined as a serum uric acid level >7 mg/dl for men and >6 mg/dl for women or allopurinol use. The diagnosis of paroxysmal AF was confirmed in affected individuals on the basis of 24-h ECG-Holter monitoring by experienced cardiologists. Hyperuricemia was observed in 59 (24.1%) patients, whereas paroxysmal AF was found in 11 (4.5%) patients. The prevalence of paroxysmal AF was higher in patients with hyperuricemia than in those without hyperuricemia (10.2 vs. 2.7%, p = 0.026). Logistic regression analysis showed that hyperuricemia was associated with an increased risk of prevalent paroxysmal AF. This association remained significant even after adjustment for age, metabolic syndrome and chronic kidney disease (adjusted-odds ratio 4.01, 95% CI 1.08-14.9; p = 0.039). Similar results were found when we used serum uric acid levels as a continuous measure. This study shows for the first time that hyperuricemia is independently associated with an approximately fourfold increased risk of prevalent paroxysmal AF in patients with T2DM. These findings may partly explain the increased risk of permanent atrial fibrillation and cardiovascular death observed among patients with hyperuricemia.


Trial of Vancomycin and Cefazolin as Surgical Prophylaxis in Arthroplasty.
The addition of vancomycin to beta-lactam prophylaxis in arthroplasty may reduce surgical-site infections; however, the efficacy and safety are unclear. In this multicenter, double-blind, superiority, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned adult patients without known methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization who were undergoing arthroplasty to receive 1.5 g of vancomycin or normal saline placebo, in addition to cefazolin prophylaxis. The primary outcome was surgical-site infection within 90 days after surgery. A total of 4239 patients underwent randomization. Among 4113 patients in the modified intention-to-treat population (2233 undergoing knee arthroplasty, 1850 undergoing hip arthroplasty, and 30 undergoing shoulder arthroplasty), surgical-site infections occurred in 91 of 2044 patients (4.5%) in the vancomycin group and in 72 of 2069 patients (3.5%) in the placebo group (relative risk, 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.94 to 1.73; P = 0.11). Among patients undergoing knee arthroplasty, surgical-site infections occurred in 63 of 1109 patients (5.7%) in the vancomyin group and in 42 of 1124 patients (3.7%) in the placebo group (relative risk, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.23). Among patients undergoing hip arthroplasty, surgical-site infections occurred in 28 of 920 patients (3.0%) in the vancomyin group and in 29 of 930 patients (3.1%) in the placebo group (relative risk, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.59 to 1.63). Adverse events occurred in 35 of 2010 patients (1.7%) in the vancomycin group and in 35 of 2030 patients (1.7%) in the placebo group, including hypersensitivity reactions in 24 of 2010 patients (1.2%) and 11 of 2030 patients (0.5%), respectively (relative risk, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.08 to 4.49), and acute kidney injury in 42 of 2010 patients (2.1%) and 74 of 2030 patients (3.6%), respectively (relative risk, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.39 to 0.83). The addition of vancomycin to cefazolin prophylaxis was not superior to placebo for the prevention of surgical-site infections in arthroplasty among patients without known MRSA colonization. (Funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council; Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number, ACTRN12618000642280.).


Improving the efficiency of n-Si/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cells by incorporating AuNP-decorated graphene oxide as a nanoadditive for conductive polymers.
A gold nanoparticle-decorated graphene oxide (GO-AuNP) hybrid material was prepared by using the chemical reduction method. The obtained results showed that the AuNPs of about of 15 nm are well bound on the surface of GO. The GO-AuNP hybrid material was used for transparent conductive film (TCF) and organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells. The TCF based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) containing GO-AuNPs was fabricated at room temperature. The obtained results show that the TCF containing 0.5 wt% GO-AuNPs has a high transmittance of 69.7% at 550 nm, a low sheet resistance of 50.5 Ω □-1 and a conductivity that increased to 3960 S cm-1, which is three times higher than those of the PEDOT:PSS and PEDOT:PSS/GO film. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the n-Si/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cell containing GO-AuNPs was 8.39% and is higher than pristine PEDOT:PSS (5.81%) and PEDOT:PSS/GO (7.58%). This is a result of the increased electrical conductivity and localized surface plasmon resonance of the PEDOT:PSS coating layer containing the GO-AuNP hybrid material.


Factors influencing early complications following Gamma Knife radiosurgery. A prospective study.
The factors influencing early complications following Gamma Knife radiosurgery have not been definitely established. We report a prospective study evaluating the incidence of early complications (occurring within 3 months of radiosurgery) and various factors associated with early complications following stereotactic Gamma Knife radiosurgery for intracranial lesions. Seventy-nine previously unirradiated consecutive adult patients (82 lesions: arteriovenous malformations 35, benign tumors 43, metastases 4) treated by Gamma Knife radiosurgery were studied between May 1997 and August 1998. The median target volume was 4.8 cm(3). The median dose of 15 Gy was prescribed to the 50% isodose. Patients were evaluated clinically and radiologically (with CT/MRI/SPECT) at 3-month intervals for the 1st year and 6 monthly thereafter. Complications were further divided as immediate (occurring within 24 h) or acute (occurring from 1 day to 3 months). Early complications were observed in 19/79 (24.0%) patients. These included immediate in 10 (12.7%) and acute complications in 9 (11.3%) patients and were characterized by headache, nausea/vomiting, vertigo and seizures. No severe early complications were observed. Radiological changes in the form of perilesional edema were seen in 8/82 (9.8%) lesions. Maximum target diameter >25 mm was the only factor significantly associated with early complications by univariate analysis (p = 0.0335). Multivariate analysis revealed maximum target diameter >25 mm and prescribed dose >20 Gy to be significantly associated with early complications (p = 0.0442 and p = 0.0083, respectively). Up to one fourth of the patients undergoing Gamma Knife radiosurgery for intracranial lesions can experience self-limiting early toxicity. The selection of targets with small diameter and volume may reduce the risk of early complications following Gamma Knife radiosurgery.


Highly efficient translation of messenger RNA in cell-free extracts prepared from L-cells.
Micrococcal nuclease was used to eliminate endogenous protein synthesis in extracts prepared from L cells. The nuclease can be inhibited subsequently with 2'-deoxythymidine-3', 5'-diphosphate. Nuclease-treated extracts primed with exogenous reovirus mRNA, synthesized full length polypeptides with linear kinetics for almost two hours leading to stimulation of the order of 10(4) times over endogenous background. On the average, between 40 and 50 molecules of polypeptide were synthesized per molecule of mRNA.


Towards a transformational eco-metabolistic bio-based design framework in architecture.
This paper discusses the foundations of a bio-based material paradigm for architecture. It argues that moving from a current reliance on the non-renewable materials of the geosphere, to the renewable and fundamentally cyclical materials of the biosphere can establish alternate foundations for thinking alternative sustainable building practices. By positioning architecture and the built environment as a particular case for bio-based materials, where the longer life spans of buildings support better carbon storage, this paper identifies the bottlenecks that limit their adaptation into the way architecture is thought, designed and built. If architectural ideation and design is traditionally understood through the durable and the permanent, our aim here is to challenge this foundation and bring forth the fundamental differences that bio-based materials engender. With focus on the embedded lifespans of living materials, the fundamental circularity and degradability of biomass and resulting transformative life cycles of the artefacts that they embody, this paper asks how a new representational framework for bio-based material paradigm can be conceptualised, instrumentalised and in turn materialised. The paper supports this positioning through a presentation of a series of methodological probes. The probes outline strategies for new methodologies by which we can capture, predict and steer the transformations of living materials and functionalise them as part of an architectural performance.


Molnupiravir Inhibits Replication of the Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern in a Hamster Infection Model.
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoCs) has exacerbated the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently available monoclonal antibodies and vaccines appear to have reduced efficacy against some of these VoCs. Antivirals targeting conserved proteins of SARS-CoV-2 are unlikely to be affected by mutations arising in VoCs and should therefore be effective against emerging variants. We here investigate the efficacy of molnupiravir, currently in phase 2 clinical trials, in hamsters infected with Wuhan strain or B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants. Molnupiravir proved to be effective against infections with each of the variants and therefore may have potential combating current and future emerging VoCs.


The burden of road traffic injuries in Kermanshah Province, Iran, in 2010-2011: GBD 2010 method.
Deaths, injuries and disabilities resulting from road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a public health major concern. This study aims to calculate the burden of RTIs in Kermanshah Province in Iran. In this study to determine the years of life lost (YLL) related to RTIs, the National Death Registration and Forensics Medicine census data were employed. We use forensic medicine data to calculate the incidence of non-fatal injuries and years lost due to disability (YLD). The cause of death and non-fatal injuries was classified using ICD-10 codes and 23 groupes of global burden of diseases (GBD) 2010. The disability-adjusted life year (DALY) estimated on the guidelines of the GBD 2010 and age and sex structure was taken from the National Statistic Center for the year 2010. Overall, 70.8% of the subjects were males. The fatal and non-fatal injury rates of RTI were 51.3 and 283.6 per 100,000 persons, respectively. YLLs and YLDs were 46613 (24.5 per 1000) and 3405 (1.8 per 1000) in both sexes, respectively. The disability adjusted life years were 40711 in males, 9306 in females and 50018 in both sexes (42.5, 9.8 and 26.3 per 1000, respectively). More than 93% of DALY was from YLL (24.5 per 1000), with a small proportion for YLD (1.8 per 1000). Accounting for more than 50,000 DALY attributed to RTIs, traffic injuries is a major public health and socioeconomic problem in Kermanshah. Designing cost-effective interventions based on comprehensive and multi-sectoral programmes at the national and provincial levels can save many lives and resources that are lost every year. Undoubtedly, establishing a surveillance system at the sub-national level and measuring the burden of injuries, as in this study, can help policy-makers and planners in lessening the burden of RTIs.


Severe symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease are associated with cardiovascular disease and other gastrointestinal symptoms, but not diabetes: a population-based study.
Few population-based studies have examined comorbidity in relation to gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD). To study the association between cardiovascular disease, diabetes, gastrointestinal symptoms and GERD. Population-based, cross-sectional, case-control study based on a large Norwegian health survey conducted in 1995-97. Among 65,333 participants, 3153 persons reporting severe reflux symptoms were defined as cases, and 40,210 persons without such symptoms were defined as controls. Data on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, gastrointestinal symptoms and potential confounders were collected through questionnaires. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using unconditional logistic regression, in crude and adjusted models. In the crude models, positive associations were observed between myocardial infarction (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.4-2.1), angina pectoris (OR 2.5, 95% CI 2.1-2.9) and stroke (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.1) and risk of GERD. The associations were attenuated in the adjusted models, but remained significant for angina pectoris (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.6-2.2). No association was observed between diabetes and GERD. Strong positive associations were seen between all studied gastrointestinal symptoms, i.e. nausea, diarrhoea and constipation, and risk of GERD. This population-based study indicates that myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, stroke and symptoms of nausea, diarrhoea and constipation are associated with GERD.


Could MRI visualize the invisible? An Italian single center study comparing magnetic resonance lymphography (MRL), super microsurgery and histology in the identification of lymphatic vessels.
Aim of this study is to evaluate the possibility of limb magnetic resonance lymphography (MRL) to differentiate lymphatic vessels from pathological veins, collect a specimen of the identified lymphatic vessel during operations of super microsurgical lymphatic-venular anastomosis (s-LVA) and perform immunohistochemical stainings to confirm the nature of the collected vessels. Twenty patients presenting lymphedema were enrolled in this study. Five patients reported lower limb lymphedema and 15 patients reported upper limb lymphedema. All patients had the indication for s-LVA and underwent preoperative MRL imaging of the affected limb. A total of 57 lymphatic vessels were identified by MRL and used to guide s-LVA: all these vessels have also been used to perform an intraoperative biopsy for immunohistochemical evaluation. A total of 53/57 vascular structures resulted compatible with lymphatic vessels at the immunohistochemical study performed with D2-40 antibody; 3/57 specimen showed the absence of the D2-40 antibody. A significant association was found between preoperative MRL and immunohistochemical marker D2-40 on collected specimen. Most of the articles in the international literature report the concomitant presence of both lymphatic and venous vessels at MRL. However, no one in literature describes the possibility to differentiate venous vessels from lymphatic vessels, and this is a crucial issue for the correct evaluation of the lymphatic system in patients with limb lymphedema undergoing a future surgical correction. In the present study, MRL allowed to identify active lymphatic vessels. MRL was predictive to determine preoperatory lymphatic vessels and to perform successful s-LVA in lymphedema patients. This is the first study to prove the nature of the vessels identified at the preoperative MRL with immunohistochemical stainings.


A comment on psychotherapy integration in the treatment of children.
Interest in psychotherapy integration, which has developed into an ongoing movement in the past decade or two, now appears to be capturing the interest among therapists and researchers in the clinical child area. The articles in this section deal specifically with the integration of basic research on language and cognition into the clinical arena, and the complementary use of concepts and interventions from different schools of thought. In commenting on these contributions, I have underscored the importance of using a broader historical and conceptual perspective, so that we can advance, rather than rediscover, what we already know.


Additional extrarenal abnormalities seen in Tc-99m DTPA renal flow study.
During 99mTc-DTPA renal flow studies, extrarenal abnormalities have been found to include aortic abnormalities (aneurysm, ectasia, thrombosis, and abruptly decreased flow), splenic abnormalities (enlarged, small, or absent spleen), hepatic arterialization, and very slow circulation. In addition to the above abnormal findings, we add three more extrarenal pathologies that may be concomitantly found with renal flow study: pleural effusion(s), malignancy of the abdomen, and anemia and/or skeletal metastases.


A comparative study of Vamana and Virechana Karma in the management of Sthula Pramehi w.s.r. to Type-2 diabetes.
In the present study, Vamana and Virechana along with palliative treatment was given to patients of Sthula Prameha (Diabetes mellitus or DM). An attempt was made to compare and evaluate the role of Shodhana therapy (Vamana and Virechana). Total 47 patients of Sthula Pramehi were registered in this study, out of which 38 completed the treatment. The patients were divided into two groups, viz. Vamana with Shamana (Group A) and Virechana with Shamana (Group B). Eighteen patients completed the treatment in Group A and 20 in Group B. Neem giloy satva capsule was used as Shamana drug at a dose of 500 mg twice daily after meals for 30 days in both the groups. The efficacy of therapy was assessed based on relief in cardinal signs and symptoms and blood sugar, lipid profile and other biochemical parameters etc. The results showed that the Vamana provided better relief in signs and symptoms as well as on fasting blood sugar (FBS) and postprandial blood sugar (PPBS) in comparison to Virechana.


Volunteer based approach to dog vaccination campaigns to eliminate human rabies: Lessons from Laikipia County, Kenya.
An estimated 59,000 people die from rabies annually, with 99% of those deaths attributable to bites from domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). This preventable Neglected Tropical Disease has a large impact across continental Africa, especially for rural populations living in close contact with livestock and wildlife. Mass vaccinations of domestic dogs are effective at eliminating rabies but require large amounts of resources, planning, and political will to implement. Grassroots campaigns provide an alternative method to successful implementation of rabies control but remain understudied in their effectiveness to eliminate the disease from larger regions. We report on the development, implementation, and effectiveness of a grassroots mass dog rabies vaccination campaign in Kenya, the Laikipia Rabies Vaccination Campaign. During 2015-2017, a total of 13,155 domestic dogs were vaccinated against rabies in 17 communities covering approximately 1500 km2. Based on an estimated population size of 34,275 domestic dogs, percent coverages increased across years, from 2% in 2015 to 24% in 2017, with only 3 of 38 community-years of vaccination exceeding the 70% target. The average cost of vaccinating an animal was $3.44 USD with in-kind contributions and $7.44 USD without in-kind contributions. The evolution of the Laikipia Rabies Vaccination Campaign from a localized volunteer-effort to a large-scale program attempting to eliminate rabies at the landscape scale provides a unique opportunity to examine successes, failures, and challenges facing grassroots campaigns. Success, in the form of vaccinating more dogs across the study area, was relatively straightforward to achieve. However, lack of effective post-vaccination monitoring and education programs, limited funding, and working in diverse community types appeared to hinder achievement of 70% coverage levels. These results indicate that grassroots campaigns will inevitably be faced with a philosophical question regarding the value of local impacts versus their contributions to a larger effort to eliminate rabies at the regional, country, or global scale.


[Latest evidence about longevity of Sun Simiao].
Recording in the preface of Binglishufu (written by Lu Zhaolin of the Tang Dynasty) was the only direct evidence about the longevity of Sun Simiao. It recorded 'Sun Simiao said since his birth in the Xinyou Year of the Kaihuang Period, he was 93 years old'. But there were disputes over the time of Xinyou Year-581 AD or 541 AD? It is easy to pick holes in both arguments and the whole research, so the conclusion is not reliable. Recordings in Biography of Sun Simiao, which said 'the governor of the Luozhou area marveled at Sun's intelligence and called him the saint child', are also fabricated. According to literature, 'in the 3(rd) year of the Xianqing Period, Sun Simiao was invited by the emperor and lived in the deserted house of the Boyang Princess. He was more than 90 years old and did not have any visual or hearing loss … he was good to give lectures at various schools like Zhuang and Lao … in the Zhou Xuan Emperor Period Sun was tired of royal affairs and chose to be a hermit in the Taibai Mountain' (Tanghuiyao, Datang Xinyu, Tanbinlu). Sun Simiao should have been born in 560 AD. This time conformed to the time of his other events. He was 20 when a hermit and was 99 when he was invited by the Emperor Gaozong in the 3(rd) year of Xianqing.


Microbiological Testing Results of Cooked Diced Chicken and Pasteurized Egg Products Purchased for United States Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs, 2012-2018.
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) purchases cooked diced chicken, pasteurized liquid whole eggs, and pasteurized dried egg mix for federal nutrition assistance programs. Purchases are made from establishments that have met the financial and technical requirements to become AMS-approved vendors. Cooked diced chicken is tested for the presence of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, and for levels of aerobic plate count (APC) organisms, coliforms, and generic Escherichia coli (GEC). Of 3668 samples collected from October 2012 through September 2018, none were positive for Salmonella, 3 (0.8%) were positive for L. monocytogenes, 8 (0.22%) exceeded the APC critical limit (CL) of 1000 colony-forming units (CFUs)/mL, 15 (0.41%) exceeded the coliform CL of 50 CFU/mL, and 5 (0.14%) exceeded the GEC CL of 10 CFU/mL. Pasteurized liquid whole egg and pasteurized dried egg mix are tested for the presence of Salmonella and for levels of APC and CL. Of 984 pasteurized liquid whole egg samples collected from October 2012 through September 2018, 1 (0.10%) was positive for Salmonella, 29 (2.5%) exceeded the APC CL, and 4 (0.41%) exceeded the coliform CL. Of 380 pasteurized dried egg mix samples collected during this period, none was positive for Salmonella, none exceeded the APC CL, and 3 (0.79%) exceeded the coliform CL. All production lots from which samples found to contain pathogens or to exceed indicator organism CLs were identified and rejected for purchase by AMS. These data suggest that cooked diced chicken and pasteurized egg products produced for federal nutrition assistance programs are done so under effective food safety systems.


Spatial variability of the Po River food web and its comparison with the Danube River food web.
Freshwater ecosystems are experiencing unprecedented pressure globally. To address environmental challenges, systematic and comparative studies on ecosystems are needed, though mostly lacking, especially for rivers. Here, we describe the food web of the Po River (as integrated from the white literature and monitoring data), describe the three river sections using network analysis, and compare our results with the previously compiled Danube River food web. The Po River food web was taxonomically aggregated in five consecutive steps (T1-T5) and it was also analyzed using the regular equivalence (REGE) algorithm to identify structurally similar nodes in the most aggregated T5 model. In total, the two river food webs shared 30 nodes. Two network metrics (normalized degree centrality [nDC]) and normalized betweenness centrality [nBC]) were compared using Mann-Whitney tests in the two rivers. On average, the Po River nodes have larger nDC values than in the Danube, meaning that neighboring connections are better mapped. Regarding nBC, there were no significant differences between the two rivers. Finally, based on both centrality indices, Carassius auratus is the most important node in the Po River food web, whereas phytoplankton and detritus are most important in the Danube River. Using network analysis and comparative methods, it is possible to draw attention to important trophic groups and knowledge gaps, which can guide future research. These simple models for the Po River food web can pave the way for more advanced models, supporting quantitative and predictive-as well as more functional-descriptions of ecosystems.


Enzymic method for the spectrophotometric determination of benzoic acid in soy sauce and pickles.
A simple spectrophotometric method for the determination of benzoic acid is described. Benzoic acid is measured enzymically through its reaction with benzoate 4-hydroxylase coupled with NADPH and O2. The entire enzymic procedure required 20 min to complete. The method greatly simplifies the procedure for benzoic acid determination and permits the routine inspection of a number of samples with very little laboratory equipment. The method was compared with HPLC and satisfactory agreement was achieved.


Treating hepatitis C.
(1) New treatments for hepatitis C are curing more people than before. (2) Baby boomers make up an estimated 75 percent of all cases of hepatitis C. (3) Medicare and some insurance plans cover screening for hepatitis C as a preventive service without a copayment.


Two cases of brainstem neurocysticercosis removal: operative video.
Neurocysticercosis is primarily managed with anthelminthic, antiepileptic, and corticosteroid therapies. Surgical removal of the larval cyst is indicated when associated mass effect causes neurological symptoms, as demonstrated in two cases. Cyst resection was achieved via the far lateral approach for a cervicomedullary cyst in one patient and via the subtemporal approach for a mesencephalic cyst in another. The cyst wall should be kept intact, when possible, to avoid dissemination of the inflammation-evoking contents. As the contents are usually semisolid and can be removed via suction, it is not necessary to remove the gliotic capsule or adherent portions of the cyst wall in highly eloquent locations. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/GqbaJu5sy1o.


The potential impact of a national diabetic retinopathy screening programme on a department of medical illustration.
Diabetic retinopathy screening programmes in the UK vary tremendously in quality, methods used, and frequency of screening. Indeed, many areas have no local screening service at all. The United Kingdom National Screening Committee has compiled and published a series of recommendations for a national risk reduction programme for diabetic retinopathy based on a screening programme. This paper will examine the primary recommendations of the committee and use the diabetic retinopathy screening programme currently running at Brighton Health Care NHS Trust as a model to demonstrate the potential impact the recommendations may have on an established programme. This will also give some indication of the resources required for any department not currently running a service.


Field Method for Testing Repellency of an Icaridin-Containing Skin Lotion against Vespid Wasps.
Vespid wasps are ecologically beneficial predators of insects but their stings also pose a human health risk. Current control methods based on killing vespids are suboptimal. Here, the repellent effect against Vespula vulgaris of a 20% icaridin skin lotion was evaluated under field conditions. An experimental setup was designed in which six artificial skin pieces (10 × 10 cm) were video-recorded for 1 h, to count each min the numbers of flying and feeding vespids. Prior to monitoring, five pieces were successively smeared with 2 mg of cream per cm², in 30 min intervals, from t = -120 min to 0. The sixth sheet remained untreated to serve as a control. One milliliter of an attractant, fruit jam, was deposited on each of the six surfaces at t = 0. The control surface was free of any flying or feeding vespid during an average period of 25 min, whereas the other five surfaces (treated at t = -120, -90, -60, -30, and 0 min) remained vespid-free for 39, 40, 45, 49, and 51 min, respectively. The skin lotion remained significantly active for at least 2 h. The experimental methodology is adjustable and allows the study of repellents against vespids in semi-natural conditions.