An Assessment of Presentation Slide Quality at a National Hand Surgery Meeting.
Effective information transfer relies on the proper use of educational tools. Evaluating the quality of presentations permits us to improve educational materials in plastic surgery. Our specific aims were to assess the quality of presentations at a national hand surgery meeting using a checklist of presentation standards from the literature and to identify areas of improvement. Our sample included presentations from the Clinical Papers Sessions at the 2020 American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) Annual Meeting. A modified checklist based on the literature was used to assess the presentations. Two members of the research team extracted data from the included presentations and disagreements were reviewed collaboratively. A total of 96 presentations were included in this sample. The mean number of deficiencies per slide set was approximately nine. Misused graphics, ambiguous content (undefined abbreviations, undefined symbols, etc.), and overdetermined slides were the most common deficiencies identified in our sample. One-way ANOVA analysis of presenter role found a significant difference in the mean number of deficiencies (F (2, 93) = 7.36, p = 0.001) among different types of presenters with surgeon presenters exhibiting more deficiencies than students and other healthcare professionals. The use of a checklist to evaluate a presentation helps in cultivating more effective presentations in national meetings. A collaborative peer-review process incorporating feedback from multiple trainees, audience members, and colleagues facilitates effective information transfer through presentations.


Synergistic Effects of Arsenite on Radiosensitization of Glioblastoma Cells.
Glioblastoma is a frequent type of brain tumor and is radioresistant. Arsenite, which crosses the blood-brain barrier, shows synergistic effects with radiation in vitro and in vivo. The mechanism remains unclear. As synergistic radiosensitization has been reported in p53-deficient cancer cells, radiosensitization was evaluated using the glioblastoma cell line, U87MG-E6, which harbors inactivated p53, in comparison with the cell line, HCT116 p53 (-/-). Radiosensitivity was evaluated using clonogenic assays and detection of abnormal amplification of centrosomes (AAC). Synergistic effects of arsenite on radiosensitivity were observed in both cell lines. The radiosensitization induced by arsenite was abolished by N-acetyl-l-cysteine, a reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger. Increased radiosensitivity by arsenite was also abolished following knock-down of BRCA2. In addition, the increased radiosensitization by arsenite was correlated with AAC, which was abolished by BRCA2 knock-down. We conclude that radiosensitization by arsenite is related to ROS and BRCA2 function.


FigSum: automatically generating structured text summaries for figures in biomedical literature.
Figures are frequently used in biomedical articles to support research findings; however, they are often difficult to comprehend based on their legends alone and information from the full-text articles is required to fully understand them. Previously, we found that the information associated with a single figure is distributed throughout the full-text article the figure appears in. Here, we develop and evaluate a figure summarization system - FigSum, which aggregates this scattered information to improve figure comprehension. For each figure in an article, FigSum generates a structured text summary comprising one sentence from each of the four rhetorical categories - Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion (IMRaD). The IMRaD category of sentences is predicted by an automated machine learning classifier. Our evaluation shows that FigSum captures 53% of the sentences in the gold standard summaries annotated by biomedical scientists and achieves an average ROUGE-1 score of 0.70, which is higher than a baseline system.


On the trail of a cereal killer: Exploring the biology of Magnaporthe grisea.
The blast fungus Magnaporthe grisea causes a serious disease on a wide variety of grasses including rice, wheat, and barley. Rice blast is the most serious disease of cultivated rice and therefore poses a threat to the world's most important food security crop. Here, I review recent progress toward understanding the molecular biology of plant infection by M. grisea, which involves development of a specialized cell, the appressorium. This dome-shaped cell generates enormous turgor pressure and physical force, allowing the fungus to breach the host cuticle and invade plant tissue. The review also considers the role of avirulence genes in M. grisea and the mechanisms by which resistant rice cultivars are able to perceive the fungus and defend themselves. Finally, the likely mechanisms that promote genetic diversity in M. grisea and our current understanding of the population structure of the blast fungus are evaluated.


Lower serum chloride concentrations are associated with an increased risk of death in ICU patients with acute kidney injury: an analysis of the MIMIC-IV database.
The association between baseline serum chloride levels and mortality in patients with severe acute kidney injury (AKI) is unknown. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between baseline blood chloride levels and 28-day mortality in patients with AKI admitted to the ICU and to detect possible effect modifiers in this population. AKI patients with severe critical illness were extracted from the MIMIC-IV. During ICU admission, chloride levels were measured for the first time. Our primary outcome was 28-day mortality in patients with AKI after 24 hours in the ICU. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between three groups of chloride levels and 28-day mortality, and logistic regression with restricted cubic spline was applied to detect the non-linear trendy. A total of 24,166 patients with critically ill AKI were included in this retrospective cohort study. The total 28-day mortality rate in the ICU was 15.9%. Overall, there was a U-shaped relationship between baseline serum chloride levels and 28-day mortality (non-linear P<0.001). Accordingly, patients with low serum chloride (<96 mEq/L) had a significantly increased risk of death compared to patients with normal serum chloride (96-108 meq/L) (adjusted OR=1.94, 95% CI: 1.68-2.24, P<0.001). None of the variables, including age, gender, 24-hour fluid intake, continuous renal replacement therapy, ventilation, Atrial fibrillation, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, whether to measure lactate and AKI stage, significantly modified the association between lower chloride levels and 28-day mortality. Low serum chloride levels at baseline were associated with death at 28 days in intensive illnesses with AKI.


Resolving the influence of lignin on soil organic matter decomposition with mechanistic models and continental-scale data.
Confidence in model estimates of soil CO2 flux depends on assumptions regarding fundamental mechanisms that control the decomposition of litter and soil organic carbon (SOC). Multiple hypotheses have been proposed to explain the role of lignin, an abundant and complex biopolymer that may limit decomposition. We tested competing mechanisms using data-model fusion with modified versions of the CN-SIM model and a 571-day laboratory incubation dataset where decomposition of litter, lignin, and SOC was measured across 80 soil samples from the National Ecological Observatory Network. We found that lignin decomposition consistently decreased over time in 65 samples, whereas in the other 15 samples, lignin decomposition subsequently increased. These "lagged-peak" samples can be predicted by low soil pH, high extractable Mn, and fungal community composition as measured by ITS PC2 (the second principal component of an ordination of fungal ITS amplicon sequences). The highest-performing model incorporated soil biogeochemical factors and daily dynamics of substrate availability (labile bulk litter:lignin) that jointly represented two hypotheses (C substrate limitation and co-metabolism) previously thought to influence lignin decomposition. In contrast, models representing either hypothesis alone were biased and underestimated cumulative decomposition. Our findings reconcile competing hypotheses of lignin decomposition and suggest the need to precisely represent the role of lignin and consider soil metal and fungal characteristics to accurately estimate decomposition in Earth-system models.


Using self-reports of symptom severity to measure and manage workplace depression.
To test the workplace impact of depression when it is stratified by severity and considered in broader context. Structural equation models of health risk appraisal data (n = 39,097) involving 41 measures of contextual characteristics, depression severity, health, and job performance. Approximately 15.7% exhibited mild depression, whereas 6.9% recorded moderate to severe symptoms. Depression severity exerted large effects on general health and productivity loss, with the mild group posting the largest aggregate impact. Adverse personal life impact and financial concerns more significantly affected moderate to severe depression. In contrast, factors more directly amenable to employer health management efforts (eg, stressful job) better predicted mild depression. These results link depression to large health and productivity deficits. They call for public-private collaboration, parity in mental and physical health benefits, and resource allocation that is proportionate across the depression spectrum and facilitated by symptom severity screening.


Self-adherence to post-colonoscopy consults in patients undergoing diagnostic colonoscopy: Findings from a cross-sectional, quantitative survey at a South African quaternary hospital.
Post-colonoscopy consults empower patients to make informed decisions around their subsequent treatment, and non-compliance with these consults ("no-shows") hinders disease management. There is a paucity in the literature regarding self-adherence to post-colonoscopy consults in resource-limited settings such as South Africa. An understanding of self-adherence to post-colonoscopy consults in this setting is required to establish whether improved interventions are needed, and what specific elements of self-adherence should be addressed with these interventions. The objective of this hypothesis-generating, cross-sectional, quantitative survey was to conduct a baseline assessment of cognitive, motivational, social, and behavioural variables related to self-adherence to post-colonoscopy consults in patients who underwent diagnostic colonoscopy at a South African quaternary hospital. The Adherence Determinants Questionnaire (ADQ) was administered in 47 patients to establish a baseline assessment of elements related to self-adherence to post-colonoscopy consults, including interpersonal aspects of care, perceived utility, severity, susceptibility, subjective norms, intentions, and supports/barriers. ADQ scores were transformed to a percentage of the maximum score for each element (100.0%). The overall mean transformed ADQ score was 57.8%. The mean transformed scores for specific ADQ components were as follows: subjective norms (40.8%), perceived severity (55.4%), perceived utility (56.6%), intentions (59.4%), supports/barriers (59.9%), interpersonal aspects (62.2%), and perceived susceptibility (65.9%). There were no statistically significant differences in overall mean transformed ADQ scores and individual ADQ elements across categories of participant age (p-values ranging between 0.180 and 0.949 when compared between participants ≤40 years and >40 years old), gender (p-values ranging between 0.071 and 0.946 when compared between males and females), and race (p-values ranging between 0.119 and 0.774 when compared between Black Africans and non-Black Africans). Our findings suggest a general need for appropriate interventions to improve self-adherence to post-colonoscopy consults in our setting.


Chaotic resonance: two-state model with chaos-induced escape over potential barrier.
We consider the resonant effects of chaotic fluctuations on a strongly damped particle in a bistable potential driven by weak sinusoidal perturbation. We derive analytical expressions of chaos-induced transition rate between the neighboring potential wells based on the inhomogeneous Smoluchowski equation. Our first-order analysis reveals that the transition rate has the form of the Kramers escape rate except for a perturbed prefactor. This modification to the prefactor is found to arise from the statistical asymmetry of the chaotic noise. By means of the two-state model and the chaos-induced transition rate, we arrive at an analytical expression of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Our first-order SNR shows that chaotic resonance can correspond directly to stochastic resonance.


Immunoelectron microscopic location of tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase in mammalian, prokaryotic and archaebacterial cells.
Monoclonal antibody Am1 against conservative epitope of tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (WRS) was labeled with colloidal gold particles and used to localize the enzyme on ultrathin sections of eubacteria (Escherichia coli), archaebacteria (Methanococcus halophilus), rat pancreas tissue and rat fibroblasts (cell line RAT1). In all cell types immunoelectron microscopy revealed predominant cytoplasmic location of gold particles, as this could be expected from known biochemical data. In particular, in mammalian cells intensive labeling was observed in cytoplasmic regions rich in polysomes and free ribosomes. At the same time, the label was virtually absent in cytoplasmic regions where microfilament bundles were present. Significant concentrations of gold particles were found in mitochondria and nuclei. In the latter case, gold particles were located over diffuse chromatin regions and were virtually absent over compact chromatin. The density of diffuse chromatin in labeling may amount to about 50% of that found in the cytoplasm. Distribution of labeled antibodies over E. coli cells looks rather similar to that found for M. halophilus: gold particles are preferably concentrated over the cytoplasm and "boundary zone", i.e., a 30 nm wide cytoplasmic zone adjacent to the nucleoid border, while the label over nucleoid is virtually absent. Two main conclusions are drawn: (i) although in the animal cell homogenates WRS is recovered mainly as a soluble cytosolic enzyme, in intact cells it is associated with defined cellular organelles and compartments; this may be an evolutionarily acquired feature probably typical for multicellular organisms; (ii) the considerable density of labeling in diffuse (not compact) chromatin regions may be indicative of WRS involvement in the active chromatin functions (transcription, processing, transfer of gene products, etc.).


Photothermal nanotherapeutics and nanodiagnostics for selective killing of bacteria targeted with gold nanoparticles.
We describe a new method for selective laser killing of bacteria targeted with light-absorbing gold nanoparticles conjugated with specific antibodies. The multifunctional photothermal (PT) microscope/spectrometer provides a real-time assessment of this new therapeutic intervention. In this integrated system, strong laser-induced overheating effects accompanied by the bubble-formation phenomena around clustered gold nanoparticles are the main cause of bacterial damage. PT imaging and time-resolved monitoring of the integrated PT responses assessed these effects. Specifically, we used this technology for selective killing of the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus by targeting the bacterial surface using 10-, 20-, and 40-nm gold particles conjugated with anti-protein A antibodies. Labeled bacteria were irradiated with focused laser pulses (420-570 nm, 12 ns, 0.1-5 J/cm(2), 100 pulses), and laser-induced bacterial damage observed at different laser fluences and nanoparticle sizes was verified by optical transmission, electron microscopy, and conventional viability testing.


Detection of rhinovirus in turbinate epithelial cells of chronic sinusitis.
In contrast to the well-established association of rhinovirus (RV) with acute sinusitis, little is known about the role of RV infections in the pathogenesis of chronic sinusitis. Therefore, we assayed the nasal cavity mucosae of chronic sinusitis patients lacking signs of acute viral infection for the presence of RV. Nasal lavage fluids and turbinate epithelial cells from 39 sinusitis patients and 27 control subjects were tested. Turbinate epithelial cells were collected using a Rhino-probe mucosal curette. Picornavirus was assayed by an initial reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and picornavirus-positive samples were assayed by nested reverse-transcription PCR to detect RV. All lavage fluids from both groups, as well as control epithelial cells, were negative for picornavirus. In contrast, 8 of 39 (21%) epithelial cell samples from sinusitis patients were positive for picornavirus. RV-specific nested-PCR revealed that all eight of these samples were positive for RV. The detection of RV in the turbinate epithelial cells of chronic sinusitis patients suggests that RV may be important in the pathogenesis of chronic sinusitis.


Gene expression analysis of hypersensitivity to mosquito bite, chronic active EBV infection and NK/T-lymphoma/leukemia.
The human herpes virus, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), is a known oncogenic virus and plays important roles in life-threatening T/NK-cell lymphoproliferative disorders (T/NK-cell LPD) such as hypersensitivity to mosquito bite (HMB), chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV), and NK/T-cell lymphoma/leukemia. During the clinical courses of HMB and CAEBV, patients frequently develop malignant lymphomas and the diseases passively progress sequentially. In the present study, gene expression of CD16(-)CD56(+)-, EBV(+) HMB, CAEBV, NK-lymphoma, and NK-leukemia cell lines, which were established from patients, was analyzed using oligonucleotide microarrays and compared to that of CD56brightCD16dim/- NK cells from healthy donors. Principal components analysis showed that CAEBV and NK-lymphoma cells were relatively closely located, indicating that they had similar expression profiles. Unsupervised hierarchal clustering analyses of microarray data and gene ontology analysis revealed specific gene clusters and identified several candidate genes responsible for disease that can be used to discriminate each category of NK-LPD and NK-cell lymphoma/leukemia.


2-(2-Hydroxy-5-nitrobenzylidene)-1,3-indanedione versus Fluorescein Isothiocyanate in Interaction with Anti-hFABP Immunoglobulin G1: Fluorescence Quenching, Secondary Structure Alteration and Binding Sites Localization.
The first step in determining whether a fluorescent dye can be used for antibody labeling consists in collecting data on its physical interaction with the latter. In the present study, the interaction between the 2-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzylidene)-1,3-indanedione (HNBID) dye and the IgG1 monoclonal mouse antibody anti-human heart fatty acid binding protein (anti-hFABP) has been investigated by fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopies and complementary structural results were obtained by molecular modeling. We have determined the parameters characterizing this interaction, namely the quenching and binding constants, classes of binding sites, and excited state lifetimes, and we have predicted the localization of HNBID within the Fc region of anti-hFABP. The key glycosidic and amino acid residues in anti-hFABP interacting with HNBID have also been identified. A similar systematic study was undertaken for the well-known fluorescein isothiocyanate fluorophore, for comparison purposes. Our results recommend HNBID as a valuable alternative to fluorescein isothiocyanate for use as a fluorescent probe for IgG1 antibodies.


Apparent diffusion coefficient restriction in the white matter: going beyond acute brain territorial ischemia.
Reduction of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in white matter is not always ischaemic in nature. We retrospectively analysed our MRI records featuring reduced ADC values in the centrum semiovale without grey matter involvement or significant vasogenic oedema. Several conditions showed the aforementioned MR findings: moose-horn lesions on coronal images in X-linked Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease; small fronto-parietal lesions in Menkes disease; marked signal abnormalities in the myelinised regions in the acute neonatal form of maple syrup urine disease; strip-like involvement of the corpus callosum in glutaric aciduria type 1; persistent periventricular parieto-occipital abnormalities in phenylketonuria; diffuse signal abnormalities with necrotic evolution in global cerebral anoxia or after heroin vapour inhalation; almost completely reversible symmetric fronto-parietal lesions in methotrexate neurotoxicity; chain-like lesions in watershed ischaemia; splenium involvement that normalises in reversible splenial lesions or leads to gliosis in diffuse axonal injury. Neuroradiologists must be familiar with these features, thereby preventing misdiagnosis and inappropriate management.


Precision of the Gonyaulax circadian clock.
Under constant conditions, the circadian bioluminescent glow rhythm in populations (10(5) cells) of Gonyaulax polyedra is accurate to within 2 min/day. On successive days following the transfer to constant conditions, however, the glow exhibits a progressively broader waveform, implying that individual clocks in the population are drifting out of synchrony. Analysis of the glow waveform suggests that the standard deviation in circadian period among individual clocks is about 18 min and that the period of a given clock varies by less than this from one day to the next.


Approaches to risk assessment of automotive engine exhausts.
Contributions of alkenes to cancer risk from urban air pollution were estimated on the basis of radiation dose equivalent of target dose. The latter was inferred from the incremental carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb) level in urban areas, the ratio of epoxide-haemoglobin adducts to COHb levels in smokers and the alkenes/CO level ratios in cigarette smoke and urban air. This model predicts some 200 and 5 cancer cases annually in Sweden from ethene and propene, respectively. This indicates that the risk from alkenes is of the same order of magnitude as that from the particulate fraction of the pollution.


Microbial community analyses in biogas reactors by molecular methods.
Successful biogas production is based on stable or adaptable microbial community structure and activity which depends on type of substrate used and several physico-chemical conditions in the bioreactor. Monitoring those and the dynamics of microbiota is important for planning and optimizing the biogas process, avoiding critical points and reaching the maximum methane yield. Methanogens are extremely difficult to study with culture-based methods. Molecular methods for microbial community structure analysis in biogas reactors, which offer qualitative and quantitative information on bacterial and archaeal species and their microbial community changes, and causes for process instability are surveyed in this review. For comparative studies semi-quantitative, rapid and cheap techniques like T-RFLP, DGGE and TGGE are used. More laborious and expensive techniques with high-throughput like semi-quantitative FISH and DNA microarrays and also quantitative techniques like qPCR and sequencing are used for phylogenetic analysis. Technique type adequacy for certain study depends on what information is needed and on several advantages and disadvantages every technique possesses.


Vesico-ureteric reflux and urinary tract development in the Pax2 1Neu+/- mouse.
Vesico-ureteric reflux (VUR) is a urinary tract abnormality that affects roughly one-third of patients with renal-coloboma syndrome, an autosomal dominant condition caused by a mutation in PAX2. Here, we report that a mouse model with an identical mutation, the Pax2 1Neu+/- mouse, has a 30% incidence of VUR. In VUR, urine flows retrogradely from the bladder to the ureter and is associated with urinary tract infections, hypertension, and renal failure. The propensity to reflux in the Pax2 1Neu+/- mouse is correlated with a shortened intravesical ureter that has lost its oblique angle of entry into the bladder wall compared with wild-type mice. Normally, the kidney and urinary tract develop from the ureteric bud, which grows from a predetermined position on the mesonephric duct. In Pax2 1Neu+/- mice, this position is shifted caudally while surrounding metanephric mesenchyme markers remain unaffected. Mutant offspring from crosses between Pax2 1Neu+/- and Hoxb7/GFP+/- mice have delayed union of the ureter with the bladder and delayed separation of the ureter from the mesonephric duct. These events are not caused by a change in apoptosis within the developing urinary tract. Our results provide the first evidence that VUR may arise from a delay in urinary tract maturation and an explanation for the clinical observation that VUR resolves over time in some affected children.


Thiaminokinase in parent and pyrithiamine mutant Staphylococcus aureus.
1. As a result of the mutation of Staphylococcus aureus by pyrithiamine, deletion of the enzyme thiaminokinase in the system occurs. Some properties of thiaminokinase including the effects of pH, pyrophosphate donor nucleotides and metal ions on the enzyme in the parent S. aureus have been studied. Cell-free extract from mutant strain has been studied under similar conditions and thiaminokinase activity was found to be absent. Addition of thiamine (10mug./ml.) to the medium containing pyrithiamine (required for the growth of the mutant strain) did not give rise to thiaminokinase activity in the mutant bacteria. 2. The parent and the mutant strains of S. aureus have been studied for the fermentative production of acetylmethylcarbinol (3-hydroxybutan-2-one) and the mutant strain did not produce acetylmethylcarbinol under the conditions used.


Unsuccessful Acupuncture Conversion of Breech Presentation.
A case is presented of fetal oblique position with compound presentation, where acupuncture conversion of breech presentation failed due to the umbilical being wrapped three times around the fetus with a knot in the umbilical cord, so that delivery was terminated by cesarean section. Conversion of the fetal breech presentation was induced by manual acupuncture stimulation of the UB 67 acupoint with simultaneous CTG control in the 35th week of pregnancy. During the first acupuncture stimulation, CTG showed protracted uterine contraction with subsequent regular low amplitude contractions with intensified fetal activity and CTG curve reactivity. In the 39th week of gestation, the patient felt regular contractions verified by CTG records showing reactive curves. Obstetrical examination revealed a cervical dilatation of 4 cm, a compound presentation involving both legs and the umbilical cord, and oblique position. Therefore, a cesarean section according to a modified Misgav-Ladach method was performed and the patient gave birth to a healthy male neonate (3330 g, 49 cm, Apgar 10/10, pH 7.334). The obstetrician should warn the patient of the potential risks and complications associated with any method of breech presentation conversion.


Characterisation of macrophage migration inhibitory factor from Eimeria species infectious to chickens.
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) was the first cytokine to be identified almost 40 years ago. Homologues of MIF have been isolated recently from invertebrates, making it an interesting molecule from an evolutionary as well as functional perspective. The present study represents the first report of MIF homologues in apicomplexan parasites, belonging to the genus Eimeria. A single full-length clone was isolated from Eimeria acervulina that shared between 35 and 38% amino acid identity with MIFs of vertebrates. A MIF cDNA from Eimeria tenella shared 64% amino acid identity with E. acervulina MIF. The mRNA expression was highest in merozoites, whereas developing oocysts and sporozoites expressed low to undetectable levels. Protein expression patterns were nearly identical to that observed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), suggesting strong developmental regulation. Immunofluorescence staining and co-localisation studies of E. acervulina merozoites indicated that MIF is distributed throughout the cytosol, and appears to be concentrated in the apical end of the parasite. The presence of MIF was detected in excretory/secretory (ES) products collected from E. acervulina merozoites, and isoelectric focusing indicated that three MIF isoforms are present in this stage. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that apicomplexan MIF sequences form a sister relationship to MIF-like molecules from Arabidopsis thaliana.


Liver and adipose tissue contributions to newly formed fatty acids in an ascites tumor.
We determined the contribution from host hepatic and extrahepatic tissues to newly synthesized fatty acids (FA) in the Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT). We administered 3H2O (subcutaneously) and [14C]glucose (in a test meal) and measured the appearance of radioactivity in plasma triglyceride fatty acids (TGFA) and free fatty acids (FFA) and in tumor total lipid fatty acids (TLFA). Using [14 C]FFA, we selectively labeled epididymal fat TGFA to estimate the FA transport rate from intraperitoneal adipose tissue directly to the tumor. Contributions of four major pathways to newly synthesized FA in EAT were determined by multicompartmental analysis. De novo FA synthesis by EAT accounted for more than 93% of the TLFA radioactivity found in the tumor. Contributions from liver TGFA via plasma TGFA (less than 0.5%), adipose tissue TGFA via plasma FFA (less than 6%), and adipose tissue TGFA via direct intraperitoneal transport of FFA (less than 1%) accounted for less than 7% of all TLFA radioactivity measured in the EAT. Thus the present study establishes that practically all labeled esterified FA in the EAT is derived from de novo synthesis by tumor cells.


The relative importance of the capsule and the M-antigen in determining colony form of group A streptococci.
Evidence is presented showing that the surface configuration of Group A streptococcal colonies depends largely on whether or not the cocci form a capsule. Strains which form capsules during growth on agar produce mucoid or matt colonies. Strains that do not form capsules during growth on agar produce glossy colonies. Whether or not M antigen is formed by the growing cocci appears to have no direct effect on surface configuration of the colony, although there is an indirect and partial association between M production and the mucoid-matt variant state and between M deficiency and the glossy variant state.


Virtual reality for pediatric neuro-rehabilitation: adaptive visual feedback of movement to engage the mirror neuron system.
Sensorimotor therapy gives optimal results when patients are cognitively engaged into highly repetitive tasks, a goal that most children find hard to pursue. This paper presents the key developments of our ongoing effort to design an interactive rehabilitation environment that motivates physically impaired children throughout their therapy. The continuous motivation is achieved by the system adapting fundamental therapeutic components to the performance of each child. The relevant movement is mirrored to an animated character projected in front of the child. We speculate that the visual observation of one's own movements will activate the "mirror neuron system", a brain system underlying the human capacity to learn by imitation. Our rehabilitation algorithm personalizes the difficulty of the tasks by adapting the difficulty of reaching virtual targets on the animated environment through changing the visual gain between real and animated movements. To track the sensorimotor performance, we estimated the time required to reach a target. To give a proof of concept for the adaptation of the visual gain, we developed a serious game driven by a Leap Motion device. In addition to becoming a testbed for studying sensorimotor integration and neuroplasticity, the proposed notion of visual gain can be integrated into a highly engaging environment in which physically impaired children will play their way to recovery.


The effects of leptin on F-actin remodelling in type 1 diabetes.
The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of leptin on cytoskeleton structures in both in vivo and in vitro model of diabetes. For in vivo studies, leptin in different doses (240, and 480 mg/kg) was injected to the diabetic rats after 1-week of streptozotocin (STZ, 55 mg/kg) treatment. Leptin levels were analysed in serum, liver, and pancreas samples. Hepatic and pancreatic F- and G-actin expressions were determined by Western blotting. For in vitro studies, hepatic and pancreatic primary cell lines were obtained from the control rats. To these cultures, STZ (15 and 30 mM), leptin (50, 60 and 100 ng/mL), and their combinations were applied for 1, 3, and 4 weeks. After the treatment period, F-actin was visualised by the Alexa-fluor fluorescent dye. Streptozotocin decreased the G-actin in both tissues in vivo. However, leptin caused a dose-dependent increase in G-actin levels while F-actin decreased in both tissues. Moreover, leptin caused the perimembranous condensation of actin filaments and amelioration of F-actin structures in vivo. A dose-dependent corruption of F-actin filament structures was observed in leptin-treated primary cells in vitro, while STZ also caused corruption of these filaments. Co-exposure of STZ and leptin caused the amelioration of F-actin filaments, while the peri- membranous condensation was also observed as was in vivo study. Leptin therapy could be a candidate for diabetes, but it should not be ruled out as being important the severity of diabetes and leptin doses.


The complete mitochondrial genome of the cryptic "lineage B" big-fin reef squid, Sepioteuthis lessoniana (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae) in Indo-West Pacific.
In this study, the complete mitogenome sequence of the cryptic "lineage B" big-fin reef squid, Sepioteuthis lessoniana (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae) has been sequenced by next-generation sequencing method. The assembled mitogenome consisting of 16,694 bp, includes 13 protein coding genes, 25 transfer RNAs, 2 ribosomal RNAs genes. The overall base composition of "lineage B" S. lessoniana is 36.7% for A, 18.9 % for C, 34.5 % for T and 9.8 % for G and show 90% identities to "lineage C" S. lessoniana. It is also exhibits high T + A content (71.2%), two non-coding regions with TA tandem repeats. The complete mitogenome of the cryptic "lineage B" S. lessoniana provides essential and important DNA molecular data for further phylogeography and evolutionary analysis for big-fin reef squid species complex.


Considerations in evaluating changes in outcome for infants weighing less than 1,501 grams.
Neonatal mortality for 285 infants and developmental outcome for 158 infants with birth weights of 751 to 1,500 gm, born in the Capital Regional Perinatal Center between July 1975 and December 1979, were compared with the findings in 1952, in 1965 to 1967, and in 1968 to 1970. In the 1,001- to 1,500-gm group, mortality decreased and there was an 18% incidence of major neuropsychiatric disability compared to the 48% found in 1952 when the same examination techniques and diagnostic criteria were used. More 751- to 1,000-gm infants survive now also, but 40% have a major handicap. There is a high incidence of preconceptional, prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal abnormalities in this group of very low-birth-weight infants, but the incidence is significantly higher in those with major disabilities. The infants who die and those who have subsequent major neuropsychiatric abnormalities require the sophisticated techniques of neonatal intensive care, whereas these procedures are not needed or are used only briefly for the infants who are normal. In upper New York State, the demographic shifts in race, age, parity, education, and induced abortions account for 13% of the drop in neonatal mortality in the 1,001- to 1,500-gm group. These demographic as well as social and medical care changes must be taken into account in any evaluation of the decreasing mortality and morbidity that has occurred. Improvements in prenatal, obstetric, and neonatal care appear to be doing for the 751- to 1,000-gm group now what the then high-level care in 1952 did for the 1,001- to 1,500-gm group, when mortality decreased but only half of those who survived were normal.


Area-Selective Atomic Layer Deposition of ZnO on Si\SiO2 Modified with Tris(dimethylamino)methylsilane.
Delayed atomic layer deposition (ALD) of ZnO, i.e., area selective (AS)-ALD, was successfully achieved on silicon wafers (Si\SiO2) terminated with tris(dimethylamino)methylsilane (TDMAMS). This resist molecule was deposited in a home-built, near-atmospheric pressure, flow-through, gas-phase reactor. TDMAMS had previously been shown to react with Si\SiO2 in a single cycle/reaction and to drastically reduce the number of silanols that remain at the surface. ZnO was deposited in a commercial ALD system using dimethylzinc (DMZ) as the zinc precursor and H2O as the coreactant. Deposition of TDMAMS was confirmed by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and wetting. ALD of ZnO, including its selectivity on TDMAMS-terminated Si\SiO2 (Si\SiO2\TDMAMS), was confirmed by in situ multi-wavelength ellipsometry, ex situ SE, XPS, and/or high-sensitivity/low-energy ion scattering (HS-LEIS). The thermal stability of the TDMAMS resist layer, which is an important parameter for AS-ALD, was investigated by heating Si\SiO2\TDMAMS in air and nitrogen at 330 °C. ALD of ZnO takes place more readily on Si\SiO2\TDMAMS heated in the air than in N2, suggesting greater damage to the surface heated in the air. To better understand the in situ ALD of ZnO on Si\SiO2\TDMAMS and modified (thermally stressed) forms of it, the ellipsometry results were plotted as the normalized growth per cycle. Even one short pulse of TDMAMS effectively passivates Si\SiO2. TDMAMS can be a useful, small-molecule inhibitor of ALD of ZnO on Si\SiO2 surfaces.


Topography of Arc/Arg3.1 mRNA expression in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus induced by recent and remote spatial memory recall: dissociation of CA3 and CA1 activation.
The understanding of the mechanisms of memory retrieval and its deficits, and the detection of memory underlying neuronal plasticity, is greatly impeded by a lack of precise knowledge of the brain circuitry that underlies the functions of memory. The specific roles of anatomically distinct hippocampal subdivisions in recent and long-term memory retention and recall are essentially unknown. To address these questions, we mapped the expression of Arc/Arg 3.1 mRNA, a neuronal activity marker, in memory retention at multiple rostrocaudal levels of the dentate gyrus, CA3, CA1, subiculum, and lateral and medial entorhinal cortices after a platform search in a water-maze spatial task at 24 h and 1 month compared with swim and naive controls. We found that the entorhinohippocampal neuronal activity underlying the recall of recent and remote spatial memory has an anatomically distributed and time-dependent organization throughout both the dorsal and ventral hippocampus that is subdivision specific. We found a dissociation in the activity of the entorhinal cortex, CA3, and CA1 over a period of memory consolidation. Although CA3, the dorsal hippocampus, and the entorhinal cortex demonstrated the most persistent learning-specific signal during both recent and long-term memory recall, CA1 and the ventral hippocampus displayed the most dramatic signal decline. We determined the coordinates of activity clusters in the hippocampal subdivisions during the platform search and their dynamics over time. Our mapping data suggest that although the level of corticohippocampal interaction is similar during the retrieval of recent and remote spatial memories, the mnemonic function of the hippocampus may have changed, and the activity underlying remote spatial memory could be anatomically segregated within hippocampal subdivisions in small segments.


[Franciscus Silvius (1614-1672) and his contributions to neuroanatomy and clinical medicine].
The article is dedicated to the 350th anniversary of the death of the Dutch anatomist, physiologist, yatrochemist and the greatest physician of the XVII century, Franciscus Sylvius (Franz de le Boe) (1614-1672). His contribution to the study of the structure of the nervous system is characterized, as well as the main scientific discoveries and achievements in building a rational system of medical science and practice. It is stated that eponym «aquaeductus Sylvii» was coined by Lorenz Heister in 1717 in his paper «De admiranda cerebelli structura».


Dysmorphophobia: a question of definition.
Dysmorphophobia is an uncommon psychiatric syndrome characterized by a subjective feeling of ugliness or physical defect. Although appearance is within normal limits, the patient feels that this is noticeable to others. Views on the nature of this condition are illustrated by two case histories. It is proposed that dysmorphophobia is a discrete psychiatric illness. The symptoms arise in individuals with schizoid, narcissistic, or obsessional personality traits and should be distinguished from those phenomena which are secondary to morbid psychological processes.


Ascobotryozyma cognata sp. nov., a new ascomycetous yeast associated with nematodes from wood-boring beetle galleries.
A new species of Ascobotryozyma, A. cognata sp. nov. (anamorph Botryozyma cognata), was isolated from beetle galleries in Idaho, USA. A. cognata was found on the surface of free-living nematodes, Panagrellus dubius, collected from galleries created by the long-horned beetle Saperda calcarata in Populus (aspen), and the weevil Cryptorhynchus lapathi in Salix (willow). A. cognata isolates were collected from similar habits and in relatively close proximity to those of A. americana, the only species described from North America. The recognition of A. cognata as a distinct species was supported by morphological and molecular data. Thallus cells of A. cognata were significantly shorter than those of A. americana. Low DNA reassociation values, notably different randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), inter-sequence simple repeat (ISSR), and amplified fragment-length polymorphic (AFLP) fingerprints, and sequence divergence in both the D1/D2 domain of the nuc-LSU rDNA and an additional unidentified region were all consistent with the recognition of a new species.


Comparative evaluation of smear cytology & hybrid capture II for the diagnosis of cervical cancer.
There is no ideal screening method for cervical cancer in India with the role of human papilloma virus (HPV) detection yet to be established. This study was undertaken to compare the diagnostic accuracy of HPV testing by hybrid capture II (HC-II) with conventional cervical smear cytology for squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL). This prospective study was conducted at New Delhi during 2003-2004 with patients selected from the gynaecology out patients of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Initial screening by a questionnaire and per-speculum examination were used to select high-risk patients. Patients, in whom conventional cytology, HC-II test and colposcopy-directed biopsy were done, formed the basis of this study. Of the 133 patients included in the study, incidence on biopsy of low grade SIL (L-SIL) was 6.77 per cent, high grade SIL (H-SIL) was 8.27 per cent and carcinoma was 3.00 per cent. Sensitivity and specificity of cytology for detection of H-SIL and above lesions was 93.33 and 83.49 per cent while for HC-II it was 93.33 and 90.83 per cent, respectively. HC-II had higher diagnostic accuracy of 91.13 per cent versus 84.68 per cent for cytology. Kappa for HC-II was higher (0.67) than cytology (0.52). Among patients diagnosed to have atypical squamous cells (ASC-US & ASC-H) and L-SIL, HC-II helped to select patients who had significant lesions on biopsy. The main utility of HC-II is in the triage of patients with cytology smear diagnosis of ASC-US, ASC-H or L-SIL, for referral to colposcopic examination. HC-II alone has the best diagnostic accuracy but owing to high cost it is unsuitable for general screening in developing countries. Combining HC-II with cytology will refer smaller numbers for colposcopy,improving efficient utilization of available resources.


Hyperammonemia in Hepatic Encephalopathy.
The precise mechanism underlying the neurotoxicity of Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE) is remains unclear. The dominant view has been that gut-derived nitrogenous toxins are not extracted by the diseased liver and thereby enter the brain. Among the various toxins proposed, the case for ammonia is most compelling. Events that lead to increased levels of blood or brain ammonia have been shown to worsen HE, whereas reducing blood ammonia levels alleviates HE. Clinical, pathological, and biochemical changes observed in HE can be reproduced by increasing blood or brain ammonia levels in experimental animals, while exposure of cultured astrocytes to ammonium salts reproduces the morphological and biochemical findings observed in HE. However, factors other than ammonia have recently been proposed to be involved in the development of HE, including cytokines and other blood and brain immune factors. Moreover, recent studies have questioned the critical role of ammonia in the pathogenesis of HE since blood ammonia levels do not always correlate with the level/severity of encephalopathy. This review summarizes the vital role of ammonia in the pathogenesis of HE in humans, as well as in experimental models of acute and chronic liver failure. It further emphasizes recent advances in the molecular mechanisms involved in the progression of neurological complications that occur in acute and chronic liver failure.


Stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in pollen grains in order to characterize plant functional groups and photosynthetic pathway types.
Measurements of delta(13)C, delta(15)N and C : N ratios on modern pollen grains from temperate plants, including whole grains as well as extracted sporopollenin, were analysed in order to characterize physiological plant types at the pollen level and to determine the variation of these parameters in modern pollen grains of the same climatic area. Measurements are presented for 95 batches of whole modern pollen from 58 temperate species and on the stable fraction of modern pollen grains, chemically extracted sporopollenin, for two modern species. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and cross-polarization and magic-angle spinning (CP/MAS) sporopollenin spectra were conducted in parallel. C(3) and C(4) plants can be separated by delta(13)C measurements based on pollen. Probabilistic assignments to plant functional groups (herbaceous, deciduous woody, evergreen woody) of C(3) plants by the means of a discriminant analysis can be made for C : N ratios and for delta(13)C. The results are related to other studies on sporopollenin in order to use this method in future work on fossil samples. Stable isotope measurements on pollen allow improved pollen diagrams, including forms that cannot be differentiated at species level, increasing the accuracy and resolution of plant physiological type distribution in quaternary and older fossil sediments.


Did Buddha turn the other cheek too? A comparison of posing biases between Jesus and Buddha.
People tend to exhibit a leftward bias in posing. Various studies suggest that posing to the left portrays a stronger emotion, whereas posing to the right portrays a more neutral emotion. Religions such as Christianity emphasize the role of strong emotions in religious experience, whereas religions such as Buddhism emphasize the calming of emotions as being important. In the present study, we investigated if the emphasis on emotionality of a religion influences the depiction of their religious figures. Specifically, we coded 484 paintings of Jesus and Buddha from online art databases for whether the deity exhibited a left bias, right bias, or central face presentation. The posing biases were analysed to discover whether paintings of Jesus would more frequently depict a leftward bias than paintings of Buddha. Jesus is more commonly depicted with a leftward bias than Buddha, and Buddha is more commonly depicted with a central face presentation than Jesus. These findings support the idea that the amount of emotionality that is to be conveyed in artwork influences the whether the subject is posed with a leftward bias.


Measurement of thickness profiles of glass plates by analyzing Haidinger fringes.
We report what we believe is a novel method for measuring the thickness profiles of plane parallel plates by analyzing their Haidinger fringes. When an extended monochromatic source is viewed through a ∼1-mm-thick plate, concentric transmission-type Haidinger fringes can easily be observed. Small variations in the plate thickness result in changes in the radii of the ring fringes. In this study, we scanned 20-mm-diameter fused silica and BK7 plates while tracing a specific ring in each fringe pattern to measure the thickness profiles of the plates, achieving an uncertainty of 2 nm in the measurements of the thickness differences between two locations on each plate.


[Impact factors and publication time spans in urological journals].
The impact factor, cited half-life, and immediacy index are three important methods that can be used to demonstrate how a journal's articles are cited over the course of a specific time span. These three factors thus represent instruments for measuring the importance and reputation of a scientific magazine. The goal of our study was to evaluate the constancy of journals specialized in the field of urology and to analyze those listed in the 2005 Journal Citation Report (JCR) using the standardized methods specified by the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) and JCR. Primarily we wanted to examine the different time spans needed for publication of original papers submitted to certain journals; in more exact terms: the time span from submission of an article or original paper to its publication and from the time of acceptance of an original paper or article to its publication in a urological journal. Furthermore, we wanted to investigate the dynamics of urological journals regarding their impact factors for the years 2000-2005. The study was performed using the ISI JCR and the library as well as the online library of the Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen. A very satisfactory development can be observed in the field of urology with the standardized methods of the (ISI) JCR.


Structural Specificity of Flavonoids in the Inhibition of Human Fructose 1,6-Bisphosphatase.
Liver fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) is a recognized regulatory enzyme of the gluconeogenesis pathway, which has emerged as a valid target to control gluconeogenesis-mediated overproduction of glucose. As such, the management of diabetes with FBPase inhibitors represents a potential alternative for the currently used antidiabetic agents. In this study, the FBPase inhibition of a panel of 55 structurally related flavonoids was tested, through a microanalysis screening system. Then, a subset of seven active inhibitors and their close chemical relatives were further evaluated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using a linear interaction energy (LIE) approach. The results obtained showed that D14 (herbacetin) was the most potent inhibitor, suggesting that the presence of -OH groups at the C-3, C-4', C-5, C-7, and C-8 positions, as well as the double bond between C-2 and C-3 and the 4-oxo function at the pyrone ring, are favorable for the intended effect. Furthermore, D14 (herbacetin) is stabilized by a strong interaction with the Glu30 side chain and the Thr24 backbone of FBPase. This is the first investigation studying the in vitro inhibitory effect of a panel of flavonoids against human liver FBPase, thus representing a potentially important step for the search and design of novel inhibitors of this enzyme.


Research methodology search filters: are they effective for locating research for evidence-based veterinary medicine in PubMed?
The study examined the effectiveness of research methodology search filters developed by Haynes and colleagues and utilized by the Clinical Query feature of PubMed for locating literature for evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM). A manual review of articles published in 6 commonly read veterinary journals was conducted. Articles were classified by format (original study, review, general article, conference report, decision analysis, and case report) and purpose category (etiology, prognosis, diagnosis, and treatment). Search strategies listed in PubMed's Clinical Query feature were then tested and compared to the manually reviewed data to calculate sensitivity, specificity, and precision. The author manually reviewed 914 articles to identify 702 original studies. Search #1 included terms determined to have the highest sensitivity and returned acceptable sensitivities over 75% for diagnosis and treatment. Search #2 included terms identified as providing the highest specificity and returned results with specificities over 75% for etiology, prognosis, and treatment. The low precision for each search prompts the question: Are research methodology search filters practical for locating literature for the practice of EBVM? A study examining terms related to appropriate research methodologies for advanced clinical veterinary research is necessary to develop filters designed to locate literature for EBVM.


Head circumference in young children with autism: the impact of different head circumference charts.
The hypothesis that the presence of macrocephaly might vary with the specific growth chart used was tested by using the Nellahus, CDC, and recent Rollins et al revision head circumference charts to plot the head circumferences of 253 children with neurodevelopmental disorders and with ages between 12 to 36 months; of these children, 59 had a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. The CDC and Rollins et al head circumference charts identified more cases of macrocephaly and fewer cases of microcephaly than did the older Nellhaus chart but did not significantly differ in their identification of macrocephaly in children with autism.


Fractal-fractional age-structure study of omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant transmission dynamics.
This paper proposes a new fractal-fractional age-structure model for the omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant under the Caputo-Fabrizio fractional order derivative. Caputo-Fabrizio fractal-fractional order is particularly successful in modelling real-world phenomena due to its repeated memory effect and ability to capture the exponentially decreasing impact of disease transmission dynamics. We consider two age groups, the first of which has a population under 50 and the second of a population beyond 50. Our results show that at a population dynamics level, there is a high infection and recovery of omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant infection among the population under 50 (Group-1), while a high infection rate and low recovery of omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant infection among the population beyond 50 (Group-2) when the fractal-fractional order is varied.


Inhibition of membrane-associated calcium-independent phospholipase A2 as a potential culprit of anthracycline cardiotoxicity.
Administration of anthracyclines, a family of highly effective anticancer drugs, is associated with a cumulative dose-related cardiomyopathy, the etiology of which remains poorly understood. We have discovered that administration of the anthracyclines leads to a marked inhibition of membrane-associated calcium-independent phospholipase A(2) (iPLA(2)) both in vitro and in vivo. To elucidate the clinical relevance of this effect and to correlate it with known cardiotoxicity of the individual anthracyclines, we have compared four anthracycline analogues: doxorubicin, daunorubicin, idarubicin, and epirubicin for their ability to inhibit iPLA(2). Isolated adult rat cardiomyocytes were treated with each analogue at concentrations of 0.1-100 micro M, and PLA(2) activity was assessed in cytosolic and membrane fractions using (16:0, [(3)H]18:1) plasmenylcholine in the absence of calcium. For all of the examined analogues, iPLA(2) inhibition was concentration and time dependent, preceded detectable changes in cell viability, and was specific to the membrane-associated enzyme. The degree of iPLA(2) inhibition by equimolar concentrations of epirubicin and idarubicin was significantly less than that of doxorubicin or daunorubicin, which correlates with the reported in vivo cardiotoxicity of these drugs. Because membrane iPLA(2) represents the majority of myocardial PLA(2) activity, its inhibition by anthracyclines would critically impair the ability of cardiomyocytes to repair oxidized phospholipids. Indeed, anthracycline-pretreated myocytes become more susceptible to the low-level oxidative stress imposed by repetitive additions of tert-butyl peroxide. The results suggest that iPLA(2) inhibition may be the initial step in a chain of events leading to chronic cardiotoxicity of the anthracyclines.


NGF levels decrease in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion after spinal hemisection.
To examine changes in nerve growth factor (NGF) levels in spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) after spinal injury, male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 150-175 g were given spinal hemisections. NGF content was measured at various post-surgical times and compared with naive controls (n = 4 per time point) in the spinal cord, DRG and blood serum by ELISA techniques (Promega). Levels of NGF in the blood serum were significantly increased 8-fold at 48h but were significantly decreased in the spinal cord and DRG by 2- to 4-fold until 7 days postsurgery (ANOVA, p < 0.05). Contrary to accepted dogma, spinal injury results in decreased levels of NGF in the spinal cord and DRG following spinal injury.


Lectins offer new perspectives in the development of macrophage-targeted therapies for COPD/emphysema.
We have previously shown that the defective ability of alveolar macrophages (AM) to phagocytose apoptotic cells ('efferocytosis') in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/emphysema (COPD) could be therapeutically improved using the C-type lectin, mannose binding lectin (MBL), although the exact mechanisms underlying this effect are unknown. An S-type lectin, galectin-3, is also known to regulate macrophage phenotype and function, via interaction with its receptor CD98. We hypothesized that defective expression of galectin/CD98 would be associated with defective efferocytosis in COPD and that mechanisms would include effects on cytoskeletal remodeling and macrophage phenotype and glutathione (GSH) availability. Galectin-3 was measured by ELISA in BAL from controls, smokers and current/ex-smokers with COPD. CD98 was measured on AM using flow cytometry. We assessed the effects of galectin-3 on efferocytosis, CD98, GSH, actin polymerisation, rac activation, and the involvement of PI3K (using β-actin probing and wortmannin inhibition) in vitro using human AM and/or MH-S macrophage cell line. Significant decreases in BAL galectin-3 and AM CD98 were observed in BAL from both current- and ex-smoker COPD subjects vs controls. Galectin 3 increased efferocytosis via an increase in active GTP bound Rac1. This was confirmed with β-actin probing and the role of PI3K was confirmed using wortmannin inhibition. The increased efferocytosis was associated with increases in available glutathione and expression of CD98. We provide evidence for a role of airway lectins in the failed efferocytosis in COPD, supporting their further investigation as potential macrophage-targeted therapies.


The high expression of Aspergillus pseudoglaucus protease in Escherichia coli for hydrolysis of soy protein and milk protein.
The hydrolysates of soy protein and milk protein are nutritional and functional food ingredients. Aspergillus pseudoglaucus aspergillopepsin I (App) is an acidic protease, including signal peptide, propeptide, and catalytic domain. Here, we cloned the catalytic domain App with or without propeptide in Escherichia coli. The results showed that the App without propeptide was not expressed or did not exhibit activity and App with propeptide (proApp) was highly expressed with a specific activity of 903 U/mg. Moreover, the denaturation temperature of proApp was 4.1 °C higher than App's. The proApp showed 104 U/mg and 252 U/mg hydrolysis activities towards soy protein and milk protein under acidic conditions. By RP-HPLC analysis, the peptides obtained from the hydrolysates of soy protein and milk protein were hydrophilic peptides. This work first demonstrates efficient proteolysis of soy protein and milk protein through the functional expression of full-length proApp, which will likely have valuable industrial applications.


The Relationship Between Contraceptive Method Use and Return of Fecundity Among Women Attempting Pregnancy in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.
One of the most common barriers to using effective family planning methods is the belief that hormonal contraceptives and contraceptive devices have adverse effects on future fertility. Recent evidence from high-income settings suggests that some hormonal contraceptive methods are associated with delays in return of fecundity, yet it is unclear if these findings generalize to low- and middle-income populations, especially in regions where the injectable is widely used and pressure to bear children is significant. Using reproductive calendar data pooled across 47 Demographic and Health Surveys, we find that the unadjusted 12-month probability of pregnancy for women attempting pregnancy after discontinuing traditional methods, condoms, the pill, and the IUD ranged from 86% to 91%. The 12-month probability was lowest among those who discontinued injectables and implants, with approximately 1 out of 5 women not becoming pregnant within one year after discontinuation. Results from multivariable analysis showed that compared with users of either periodic abstinence or withdrawal, users of the pill, IUD, injectable, and implant had lower fecundability following discontinuation, with the largest reductions occurring among women who used injectables and implants. These findings indicate that women's concerns about potential short-term reductions in fecundity following contraceptive use are not unfounded.


Immunocytochemical investigation of ACTH-cells and vasopressin in the pituitaries of humans died from myocardial infarction.
The pituitaries and adrenals of 30 patients died from extensive fresh myocardial infarction and of 25 patients died from other diseases were studied. In myocardial infarction the mean weight of the above glands was significantly higher than in other diseases. In most cases an increase in number of pituitary ACTH-cells was observed with the immunoperoxidase method. In non-cardiogenic shock (another 9 cases) gland weight was also increased but without a significant increase in the number of ACTH-cells. Hyperactivity of the anterior pituitary-adrenal system is due to a number of known factors. It may be assumed that patients who have infarction are either exposed to an extraordinary amount of stress stimuli or are more susceptible to stress than normal subjects. The findings may indicate the morphological basis of this situation. Of the shock phenomena, incomplete necrosis and haemorrhage of the adrenal cortex are frequent. In the pituitary neural lobe the neurosecretory material, which proved to be vasopressin with the PAP-method, was found to be increased more frequently in myocardial infarction than after other diseases.


Interactions of dopamine and neurotensin on calcium fluxes and prolactin release in normal rat pituitary cells.
We studied the role of calcium in dopaminergic control of the neuroendocrine effects of neurotensin. In primary cultures of dispersed normal female rat anterior pituitary cells the interactions of dopamine and neurotensin were examined with reference to the rate of PRL release, the magnitude of 45Ca2+ uptake, the rate of fractional 45Ca2+ efflux, and the dynamic response of the intracellular calcium concentration (Cai) monitored with the fluorescent dye, Indo-1. Neurotensin stimulated calcium uptake and also mobilized a pool of intracellular calcium to increase Cai in a sustained plateau-like pattern. The response of PRL release and fractional efflux to neurotensin, however, each displayed typical spike and plateau profiles. In the presence of dopamine the stimulation of PRL release and calcium uptake due to neurotensin were abolished, and the rise in Cai was barely detectable, but neurotensin-stimulated fractional efflux persisted almost unchanged. These data suggest that dopamine may modulate Cai by inhibiting calcium uptake and possibly also by enhancing cellular calcium extrusion under stimulated conditions. Further, the increased inositol trisphosphate production reportedly stimulated by neurotensin apparently does not generate a spike-like response of intracellular calcium, and stimulated hormone release may display a spike and plateau pattern solely with a plateau Cai profile.


Tobacco point-of-purchase promotion: examining tobacco industry documents.
In the face of increasing media restrictions around the world, point-of-purchase promotion (also called point-of-sale merchandising, and frequently abbreviated as POP or POS) is now one of the most important tools that tobacco companies have for promoting tobacco products. Using tobacco industry documents, this paper demonstrates that tobacco companies have used point-of-purchase promotion in response to real or anticipated advertising restrictions. Their goal was to secure dominance in the retail setting, and this was achieved through well-trained sales representatives who offered contracts for promotional incentive programmes to retailers, which included the use of point-of-sale displays and merchandising fixtures. Audit programmes played an important role in ensuring contract enforcement and compliance with a variety of tobacco company incentive programmes. Tobacco companies celebrated their merchandising successes, in recognition of the stiff competition that existed among tobacco companies for valuable retail display space.


Fitness consequences of short- and long-distance pollinations in Phlox hirsuta, an endangered species.
The persistence of rare and endangered plant species may depend on the distance pollinators travel when dispersing pollen. Pollinations between adjacent plants, which are often genetically similar, can decrease seed set, germination, and/or progeny vigor due to shared S-alleles or inbreeding depression. Interpopulation pollen dispersal is often suggested as a management tool to increase genetic diversity; however, long-distance pollinations also have the potential to decrease fitness. We performed experimental hand pollinations in the field and germination experiments in a growth chamber to determine the effect of intrapopulation pollination distance (1 m, 10 m, and 100 m) on seed set, seed germination, progeny growth, and progeny reproduction in Phlox hirsuta. In addition, we included interpopulation pollinations (6740 m) to determine whether artificial gene flow is a viable management option for this endangered species. Although pollination distance did not affect the number of healthy seeds produced or the likelihood of radicle emergence, it did significantly affect the ability of germinating seeds to successfully produce cotyledons. Outbreeding depression was observed during seed germination and early seedling development. Seedlings resulting from interpopulation pollinations developed more slowly and were less likely to survive to produce cotyledons than seedlings resulting from all three intrapopulation pollination distances. Our results suggest that the success of P. hirsuta does not depend on the distance pollinators travel within populations and that conservation strategies that involve transporting genes between populations can be counterproductive.


Physiological dead space and effective parabronchial ventilation in ducks.
Gas exchange in avian lungs is described by a cross-current model that has several differences from the alevolar model of mammalian gas exchange [e.g., end-expired PCO2 greater than arterial PCO2 (PaCO2)]. Consequently the methods available for estimating effective ventilation and physiological dead space (VDphys) in alveolar lungs are not suitable for an analysis of gas exchange in birds. We tested a method for measuring VDphys in birds that is functionally equivalent to the conventional alveolar VDphys. A cross-current O2-CO2 diagram was used to define the ideal expired point (PEi) and VDphys was calculated as from the equation, VDphys = [(PEiCO2--PECO2)/PEiCO2]. VT, where VT is tidal volume. In seven Pekin ducks VDphys was 13.8 ml greater than anatomic dead space and measured changes in the instrument dead space volume. VDphys also reflected changes in ventilation-perfusion inequality induced by temporary unilateral pulmonary arterial occlusion. Bohr dead space, calculated by substituting end-expired PCO2 for PEiCO2, was insensitive to such inhomogeneity. Enghoff dead space, calculated by substituting PaCO2 for PEiCO2, is theoretically incorrect for cross-current gas exchange and was often less than anatomic dead space. We conclude that VDphys is a useful index of avian gas exchange and propose a standard definition for effective parabronchial ventilation (VP) analogous to alveolar ventilation (i.e., VP = VE--VDphys, where VE is total ventilation).


The Course and Predictors of Health-Related Quality of Life in Living Kidney Donors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
A better understanding of the course and risk factors for impaired long-term health-related quality of life (HRQoL; ie, physical, psychological, and social-relational functioning) after kidney donation might help clinicians improve the care of live kidney donors. This systematic review and meta-analysis summarizes prospective studies about the course and predictors of HRQoL in living kidney donors. Studies indicate that shortly after donation, donors have lower HRQoL, with minor to moderate changes in psychological and social-relational functioning and major changes in physical functioning. At 3-12 months after donation, HRQoL returned to baseline or was slightly reduced, particularly for fatigue, but scores were still comparable to general population norms. Results were mainly robust across surgery techniques. A limited number of studies examined risk factors for impaired HRQoL, with low psychological functioning before donation as the most consistent predictor. Based on these results, clinicians can inform potential donors that, on average, kidney donors have high long-term HRQoL; however, donors with low psychological functioning at baseline are those most at risk of impaired long-term HRQoL. Future studies should focus on other potentially relevant predictors of postdonation HRQoL, including donor eligibility criteria and donor-recipient relationships, to optimize screening and interventions for donors at risk.


The role of adjuvant external beam radiation therapy for papillary thyroid carcinoma invading the trachea.
To evaluate the effect of adjuvant external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) on local failure-free survival rate (LFFS) for papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) invading the trachea. Fifty-six patients with locally advanced PTC invading the trachea were treated with surgical resection. After surgery, 21 patients received adjuvant EBRT and radioactive iodine therapy (EBRT group) and 35 patients were treated with radioactive iodine therapy (control group). The age range was 26-87 years (median, 56 years). The median follow-up period was 43 months (range, 4 to 145 months). EBRT doses ranged from 50.4 to 66 Gy (median, 60 Gy). Esophagus invasion and gross residual disease was more frequent in the EBRT group. In the control group, local recurrence developed in 9 (9/35, 26%) and new distant metastasis in 2 (2/35, 6%) patients, occurring 4 to 68 months (median, 37 months) and 53 to 68 months (median, 60 months) after surgery, respectively. Two patients had simultaneous local recurrence and new distant metastasis. There was one local failure in the EBRT group at 18 months after surgery (1/21, 5%). The 5-year LFFS was 95% in the EBRT group and 63% in the control group (p = 0.103). In the EBRT group, one late grade 2 xerostomia was developed. Although, EBRT group had a higher incidence of esophagus invasion and gross residual disease, EBRT group showed a better 5-year LFFS. Adjuvant EBRT may have contributed to the better LFFS in these patients.


Synthesis and expression in Escherichia coli of the gene encoding monocyte-derived neutrophil-activating factor: biological equivalence between natural and recombinant neutrophil-activating factor.
The neutrophil-activating factor (NAF) purified from the conditioned medium of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated human monocytes was sequenced and found to consist of 72 amino acids: SAKELRCQCIKTYSKPFHPKFIKELRVIESGPHCANTEIIVKLSDGRELCLDPKENWVQRVVEKFLKRA ENS. Purified preparations of natural NAF contained, in addition to this main form, minor amounts of three amino-terminal variants with 77 (+AVLPR), 70, and 69 residues. A gene coding for the 72-amino acid NAF was synthesized, cloned, and expressed in Escherichia coli. Western (immunologic) blot analysis of crude bacterial extracts, with an antiserum raised against natural NAF, revealed a single band that comigrated with natural NAF. Recombinant NAF purified to homogeneity had identical amino- and carboxyl-terminal sequences to the 72-amino acid natural NAF. Recombinant NAF was tested on human neutrophils and had the same activity and potency as natural NAF in inducing chemotaxis, rapidly increasing cytosolic free Ca2+, activating the respiratory burst, and releasing specific and azurophilic granular contents.


Virus-stimulated plasmacytoid dendritic cells induce CD4+ cytotoxic regulatory T cells.
Immune responses to pathogens need to be maintained within appropriate levels to minimize tissue damage, whereas such controlled immunity may allow persistent infection of certain types of pathogens. Interleukin 10 (IL-10) plays an important role in such immune regulation. We previously showed that HSV-stimulated human plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) induced naive CD4+ T cells to differentiate into interferon gamma (IFN-gamma)/IL-10-producing T cells. Here we show that HSV-stimulated pDCs induce allogeneic naive CD4+ T cells to differentiate into cytotoxic regulatory T cells that poorly proliferate on restimulation and inhibit proliferation of coexisting naive CD4+ T cells. IL-3-stimulated pDCs or myeloid DCs did not induce such regulatory T cells. Both IFN-alpha and IL-10 were responsible for the induction of anergic and regulatory properties. High percentages of CD4+ T cells cocultured with HSV-stimulated pDCs, and to a lesser extent those cocultured with IL-3-stimulated pDCs, expressed granzyme B and perforin in an IL-10-dependent manner. CD4+ T cells cocultured with HSV-stimulated pDCs accordingly exhibited cytotoxic activity. The finding that virus-stimulated pDCs are capable of inducing CD4+ cytotoxic regulatory T cells suggests that this DC subset may play an important role in suppressing excessive inflammatory responses and also in inducing persistent viral infection.


Activation of lysosomal function in the course of autophagy via mTORC1 suppression and autophagosome-lysosome fusion.
Lysosome is a key subcellular organelle in the execution of the autophagic process and at present little is known whether lysosomal function is controlled in the process of autophagy. In this study, we first found that suppression of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activity by starvation or two mTOR catalytic inhibitors (PP242 and Torin1), but not by an allosteric inhibitor (rapamycin), leads to activation of lysosomal function. Second, we provided evidence that activation of lysosomal function is associated with the suppression of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1), but not mTORC2, and the mTORC1 localization to lysosomes is not directly correlated to its regulatory role in lysosomal function. Third, we examined the involvement of transcription factor EB (TFEB) and demonstrated that TFEB activation following mTORC1 suppression is necessary but not sufficient for lysosomal activation. Finally, Atg5 or Atg7 deletion or blockage of the autophagosome-lysosome fusion process effectively diminished lysosomal activation, suggesting that lysosomal activation occurring in the course of autophagy is dependent on autophagosome-lysosome fusion. Taken together, this study demonstrates that in the course of autophagy, lysosomal function is upregulated via a dual mechanism involving mTORC1 suppression and autophagosome-lysosome fusion.


Toxicity of antitumor agents on hemopoietic colony forming cells.
The effects of selected antitumor agents--methotrexate, 6-mercaptopurine, cyclophosphamide, hydroxyurea and cytosine arabinoside on hemopoietic progenitor cells were determined by femoral and splenic colony forming cell (CFC) content after single and multiple injections of the agents. Mice were injected in groups of three with the agents on different days and killed on the same day. Major findings were: 1) All the antitumor agents (by single or multiple injections), with the exception of 6-mercaptopurine, caused an early reduction in the number of CFC per femur and an increase in CFC levels per spleen on day 7.2)CFC levels per 10(5) cells were significantly lower at 1 hour after single injections of hydroxyurea or methotrexate than at 24 hours after a single injection of either drug. 3) Multiple vs. single doses of hydroxyurea and cytosine arabinoside showed that multiple doses were more effective in reducing femoral CFC levels on day 1 and elevating splenic CFC content on day 7 than were single doses. 4) Multiple doses of 6-mercaptopurine were more effective than single doses in lowering femoral CFC levels on day 1, but all doses of 6-mercaptopurine failed to evoke a change in splenic CFC levels. 5) Multiple doses of methotrexate were not more effective than single doses in decreasing femoral CFC content and raising splenic CFC levels.


Unconventional mechanisms of protein transport to the cell surface of eukaryotic cells.
The classical secretion of soluble proteins and transport of integral membrane proteins to the cell surface require transit into and through the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus. Signal peptides or transmembrane domains target proteins for translocation into the lumen or insertion into the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum, respectively. Here we discuss two mechanisms of unconventional protein targeting to plasma membranes, i.e., transport processes that are active in the absence of a functional Golgi system. We first focus on integral membrane proteins that are inserted into the endoplasmic reticulum but that, however, are transported to plasma membranes in a Golgi-independent manner. We then discuss soluble secretory proteins that are secreted from cells without any involvement of the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus.


Add-on Oxytocin in the Treatment of Postpartum Acute Schizophrenia: A Case Report.
An increasing body of research has been published concerning the potential impact of oxytocin (OT) in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders that affect social functioning, such as schizophrenia. The possible therapeutic effect of OT in promoting mother-child bonding could be valuable in the management of postpartum psychosis. Studies on the efficacy of OT as an add-on therapy in the treatment of schizophrenia have found reductions in both positive and negative symptoms. The patient in the case reported here developed her second psychotic episode at the age of 22, a month after delivering her first child. Four weeks after treatment with aripiprazole was initiated, the patient's negative symptoms persisted, causing problems in the mother-child interaction. Intranasal OT (40 IU/d) was then added to the aripiprazole. Assessment scales [the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0), and the Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning (BIMF)] and qualitative data from her caregiver were obtained at baseline and in the third and eighth weeks after the end of the OT therapy. Improvement was observed on almost all of the domains of the WHODAS 2.0 and the BIMF, as well as on the PANSS negative and general psychopathology scales. Data from the patient's caregiver indicated an overall improvement in mother-child interaction. These results, especially the improvement in results on the PANSS scale, are similar to findings from previous studies in patients with schizophrenia. OT seems to boost the antipsychotic effect on positive symptoms through the OT dopamine pathway, while the effect on negative symptoms probably involves a more general mechanism. Because the postpartum period is of immense significance for child development and mental well-being, future research to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of OT in the management of postpartum psychosis is warranted.


Myogenic Differentiation Potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Fetal Bovine Bone Marrow.
The myogenic potential of bovine fetal MSC (bfMSC) derived from bone marrow (BM) remains unknown; despite its potential application for the study of myogenesis and its implications for livestock production. In the present study, three protocols for in vitro myogenic differentiation of bfMSC based on the use of DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza), myoblast-secreted factor Galectin-1 (Gal-1), and myoblast culture medium SkGM-2 BulletKit were used. Plastic-adherent bfMSC were isolated from fetal BM collected from abattoir-derived fetuses. Post-thaw viability analyses detected 85.6% bfMSC negative for propidium iodine (PI). Levels of muscle regulatory factors (MRF) MYF5, MYF6, MYOD, and DES mRNA were higher (P < 0.05) in bfMSC cultured under 100 µM of 5-Aza compared to 1 and 10 µM. Treatment of bfMSC with 10 µM of 5-Aza resulted in down-regulation of MYOD mRNA (Days 7 to 21) and up-regulation of MYF6 (Day 7), MYF5, and DES mRNA (Day 21). Gal-1 and SkGM-2 BulletKit induced sequential down-regulation of early MRF (MYF5) and up-regulation of intermediate (MYOD) and late MRF (DES) mRNA. Moreover, DES and MYF5 were immunodetected in differentiated bfMSC. In conclusion, protocols evaluated in bfMSC induced progress into myogenic differentiation until certain extent evidenced by changes in MRF gene expression.


Biodiesel byproduct bioconversion to rhamnolipids: Upstream aspects.
This study focused on two important aspects of the upstream process: the appropriate use of crude glycerol as a low-cost carbon source, and strain selection. The effect of different crude glycerol concentrations on rhamnolipid biosynthesis by two Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains (wild type LBI and mutant LBI 2A1) was studied. Finally, the synthesized rhamnolipids were characterized by mass spectrometry. When both strains were compared, 50 g/L was the most favorable concentration for both, but P. aeruginosa LBI 2A1 showed an increase in rhamnolipid production (2.55 g/L) of 192% over wild type (1.3 g/L). The higher rhamnolipid production could be related to a possible mechanism developed after the mutation process at high antibiotic concentrations. Mass spectrometry confirmed the glycolipid nature of the produced biosurfactant, and the homologue composition showed a wide mixture of mono and di-rhamnolipids. These results show that high glycerol concentrations can inhibit microbial metabolism, due to osmotic stress, leading to a better understanding of glycerol metabolism towards its optimization in fermentation media. Since P. aeruginosa LBI 2A1 showed higher conversion yields than P. aeruginosa LBI, the use of a mutant strain associated with a low cost carbon source might improve biosurfactant biosynthesis, therefore yielding an important upstream improvement.


Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CAPOX) alone for low- and intermediate-risk stage II/III rectal cancer: Long-term follow-up of a prospective single-arm study.
Stratified treatment has been recommended for rectal cancer. Our previous multicenter randomized trial showed that low-/intermediate-risk rectal cancer patients did not benefit much from neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. In our phase II study, we found that stage II/III rectal cancer patients with low-/intermediate risks can be managed by neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone and achieve a good response. The current study aimed to report the long-term survival outcomes in the expanded phase II trial. Consecutive patients diagnosed with mid-low stage II/III rectal cancer with low/intermediate risk factors were included. Four cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CAPOX) were given, and MRI was used for tumour response detection. The primary endpoint was disease-free survival. The secondary endpoints were tumour response to NCT, tumour-related death, and overall survival. This study enrolled 121 eligible patients. The good tumour response rate based on MRI was 82.6 %, with a pathological complete response (pCR) rate of 18.3 %. The disease-free survival rate was 82.6 %, and the overall survival rate was 96.7 % after a median follow-up time of 40 months. Two patients (1.7 %) suffered local recurrence, and 15 patients (12.4 %) suffered distant metastasis. The median disease-free survival and overall survival were 37 (9-60) and 40 (16-60) months, respectively. Tumour longitudinal length reduction and tumour regression grade on MRI were identified as predictors for poor tumour response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In stage II/III rectal cancer patients with low-/intermediate risks, neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone may result in an acceptable tumour response and disease-free survival. Tumour response might be predicted early.


Early stages of the natriuretic hormone story.
The paper reviews the early stages of the research on natriuretic hormone. The described experimental work was designed and accomplished in several internationally recognized laboratories where the author was invited to extend his projects. The cross-circulation experiments in animals with acutely increased extracellular fluid volume documented, that in the mechanism of natriuresis - besides a series of the physical natriuretic factors - there is still room for an active humoral natriuretic substance. This substance inhibited the sodium transporting enzyme, Na,K-ATPase, in the frog skin. Analogous inhibition of the renal Na,K-ATPase may be partly responsible for the increased sodium excretion. It was further shown that the extent of natriuresis is positively modulated by the concentration of sodium in the cerebrospinal fluid detected in the anterior-third ventricle region (AV3V) in the brain.


Littoral cell angioma.
Littoral cell angioma (LCA) is an extremely rare primary splenic tumor. There are few MRI and scintigraphic characteristics described. These characteristics may be most helpful in differentiating LCA from other primary vascular tumors. We present a 54-year-old woman found on CT to have a 7-cm mass within an enlarged spleen. LCA was diagnosed by ultrasound (US)-guided biopsy. She was successfully treated with laparoscopic splenectomy. The CT, MRI, US, and Tc99m-RBC scan characteristics are described along with histologic and immunohistochemical correlation.


[A family of hereditary spastic paraplegia with dementia, ataxia, and dystonia].
We reported three siblings with complicated hereditary spastic paraplegia. The striking features in these patients were characterized by early onset of gait disturbance, mental deficiency, and dystonia. The most likely diagnosis was Mast syndrome. Patient 1: A 44 years-old woman. She first developed gait disturbances at age of 8. She was admitted in our hospital because of progressive spastic paraplegia. Neurological examination revealed mental deficiency, saccadic pursuit eye movement, speech disturbance of cerebellar type, ataxia, and spastic paraplegia. She showed also dystonia in the face, tongue, and trunk. MRI showed cerebellar atrophy. Patient 2: A 51 years-old brother of the patient 1. He had mentally retarded. Late teens he developed gait disturbance. Gradually he manifested spastic paraplegia, dysarthria, dysphasia, mental deficiency, and ataxia. He also showed incontinence of urine and feces. Then he became bedridden, apathetic, and showed forced crying. MRI showed diffuse brain atrophy. Patient 3: A 48 year-old woman. This woman, a sister of the patient 1, showed progressive gait disturbance and dysarthria. She also developed incontinence, apathy, and dystonia. She became bedridden, responding to simple questions with only occasional single-word answers. Her speech was slurred, and spastic paraplegia was noted. MRI showed diffuse brain atrophy including marked atrophy of the cerebellum.


Comparison of triptan tablet consumption per attack: a prospective study of migraineurs in Spain.
To compare patient self-reported tablet consumption of rizatriptan 10 mg per attack (24 hours) with that of sumatriptan 50 mg, zolmitriptan 2.5 mg, and naratriptan 2.5 mg on an unselected, prescription-based, Spanish migraine population. One hundred twenty community pharmacies recruited patients with migraine, who used their pharmacies, to fill a triptan prescription. In diaries, patients recorded baseline pain intensity and the number of triptan tablets and additional medication taken per attack. Patients treated a maximum of three attacks. Analysis of variance or the Student t test and chi-square or Fisher exact tests were used for univariate comparisons. Hochberg corrections were used for multiple-group comparisons. A generalized estimating equation method was used to correct for within-subject correlation. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Two hundred thirty-one patients (84% women) treated 589 evaluable migraine attacks (sumatriptan, n = 135; naratriptan, n = 90; zolmitriptan, n = 149; rizatriptan, n = 149). Triptan tablet consumption per attack (mean +/- SD) for rizatriptan (1.24 +/- 0.56) was significantly lower than that of sumatriptan (1.75 +/- 1.2; P< .05), zolmitriptan (1.61 +/- 0.86; P < .05), or naratriptan (1.46 +/- 0.62; P= .05). The average number of triptan tablets taken and additional medication use increased according to baseline pain severity. More attacks were treated with one tablet of rizatriptan (81.2%) than with one tablet of sumatriptan (51.9%), zolmitriptan (55.7%), or naratriptan (60%). The probability of using more than one triptan tablet per attack (24 hours) was more than three times greater for sumatriptan (adjusted OR = 3.71; CI, 2.05 to 6.7; P = .001) and zolmitriptan (adjusted OR = 3.32; CI, 1.82 to 6.17; P = .001), and more than two times greater for naratriptan (adjusted OR = 2.66; CI, 1.36 to 5.21; P =.004) than for rizatriptan. Rizatriptan was associated with significantly lower triptan tablet use and additional medication use per attack than the other triptans. Additional randomized studies are needed to confirm the conclusions of this study.


Knowledge, Attitude, Perception and Current Practices of Health Personnel in Managing Post-Stroke Delirium in a New Stroke Centre in Malaysia.
Despite the high prevalence of post-stroke delirium in Malaysia, there are no studies on good practices related to its management. This study aimed to analyse the knowledge, attitude, perception, and factors associated with current practices related to delirium in acute stroke patients among health personnel at Hospital Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (HSAAS) (formerly known as Hospital Pengajar Universiti Putra Malaysia). This cross-sectional study was conducted from 26 April 2021 to 9 May 2021 (17 weeks). All health personnel from various departments managing patients with acute stroke in our centre were invited to participate. An online questionnaire was disseminated to assess their knowledge, attitude, perception, and current practices concerning delirium. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association between the independent and dependent variables. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. The response rate was 22.49% (47 of 209 participants). More than half (61.7%, n = 29) had good current practices towards delirium in acute stroke patients. A significant association was found between knowledge and current practices related to delirium (P = 0.024). However, there was no significant association between current practices and sociodemographic factors (age, ethnicity, gender and job position), attitude, perceptions, screening barriers, or health service organisation. Most respondents had good current practices and knowledge in managing post-stroke delirium. Therefore, upskilling health personnel for managing this illness is essential to ensure good post-stroke care and improve prognosis related to delirium.


Separation characteristics and component comparison of woody extracts of Illicium verum fruit.
Illicium verum was a medicinal plant containing many valuable active ingredients. However, the rich extracts from its fruit are invariably wasted for inefficient separation processes. To further utilize these resources, the four extracts were obtained. The results showed that the optimum extraction times for methanol/ethanol, ether/ethanol, benzene/ethanol, and petroleum ether/ethanol extraction were 3, 5, 9, and 5 h for each single extraction, respectively. Among the four methods, the third method was found to be optimum, and gave a maximum yield of 31.63%. It was suggested that the extracts could be used as rare spices, biomedicines, liquid bioenergy, etc.


Pro-inflammatory cytokines increase glucose, alanine and triacylglycerol utilization but inhibit insulin secretion in a clonal pancreatic beta-cell line.
We have investigated the effects of prolonged exposure (24 h) to pro-inflammatory cytokines on beta-cell metabolism and insulin secretion using clonal BRIN-BD11 beta cells. Addition of IL-1beta, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and IFN-gamma (at concentrations that did not induce apoptosis) inhibited chronic (24 h) and acute stimulated levels of insulin release (by 59 and 93% respectively), increased cellular glucose and alanine consumption, and also elevated lactate and glutamate release. However, ATP levels and cellular triacylglycerol were decreased while glutathione was increased. We conclude that sub-lethal concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines appear to shift beta-cell metabolism away from a key role in energy generation and stimulus-secretion coupling and towards a catabolic state which may be related to cell defence.


Transconjunctival upper blepharoplasty: a safe and effective addition to facial rejuvenation techniques.
Transconjunctival techniques for eyelid rejuvenation are now well accepted in the lower eyelid. Transconjunctival upper blepharoplasty is a relatively new technique for which overall experience has been limited. Since October 1998, the authors performed 42 bilateral transconjunctival upper blepharoplasties on patients undergoing facial and eyelid rejuvenation. They describe the essential anatomy and technique of the procedure. The CO2 laser is used concomitantly for treating fine rhytids and tightening loose upper eyelid skin. This procedure is an effective method of removing medial upper eyelid fat with minimal complications.


A mechanistic study of the utilization of arachno-diruthenaborane [(Cp*RuCO)2B2H6] as an active alkyne-cyclotrimerization catalyst.
The reaction of nido-[1,2-(Cp*RuH)(2)B(3)H(7)] (1a, Cp*=η(5)-C(5)Me(5)) with [Mo(CO)(3)(CH(3)CN)(3)] under mild conditions yields the new metallaborane arachno-[(Cp*RuCO)(2)B(2)H(6)] (2). Compound 2 catalyzes the cyclotrimerization of a variety of internal- and terminal alkynes to yield mixtures of 1,3,5- and 1,2,4-substituted benzenes. The reactivities of nido-1a and arachno-2 with alkynes demonstrates that a change in geometry from nido to arachno drives a change in the reaction from alkyne-insertion to catalytic cyclotrimerization, respectively. Density functional calculations have been used to evaluate the reaction pathways of the cyclotrimerization of alkynes catalyzed by compound 2. The reaction involves the formation of a ruthenacyclic intermediate and the subsequent alkyne-insertion step is initiated by a [2+2] cycloaddition between this intermediate and an alkyne. The experimental and quantum-chemical results also show that the stability of the metallacyclic intermediate is strongly dependent on the nature of the substituents that are present on the alkyne.


Intrarenal aneurysm of the renal artery in children.
Two children with hypertension had intrarenal aneurysms in the renal artery. In both children, renovascular hypertension was documented by renal vein renin assay showing elevated renin secretion from the involved kidney and suppression of renin secretion from the contralateral kidney. Transcatheter embolization of a segmental artery cured the hypertension in one case. A nephrectomy performed in the other case, because of multiple intrarenal aneurysms, was curative. Intrarenal renal artery aneurysms are an uncommon cause of renovascular hypertension in children. The aneurysms may be mycotic or congenital in origin, or secondary to diffuse vasculitis. Although spontaneous resolution of the aneurysms may occur when due to vasculitis, treatment of most aneurysms is usually necessary. Transcatheter embolization of solitary aneurysms is an attractive alternative to partial nephrectomy, since it allows maximal preservation of renal parenchyma with minimal morbidity.


[Bronchial atresia. A case report].
Bronchial atresia with mucocele and focal hyperinflation of the lung is a rare anomaly. We report the observation of a 12-year-old girl which presented a right hilar opacity on chest X-ray. The thoracic computed tomography identified an atretic segmental bronchus of the middle lobe with mucocele and focal hyperinflation of the lung. Bronchial endoscopy ruled out any acquired etiology of bronchial obstruction. The definitive diagnosis was bronchial atresia with mucocele and focal hyperinflation of the lung. This uncommon malformation is usually a radiological description. Eighty-four cases were collected in the main series in 1989. Nowadays, about 12 new cases have been published.