A Japanese model of disease management.
We started a disease management model, Carna, that includes two programs: one for primary prevention of lifestyle diseases and one for secondary/tertiary prevention of diabetes mellitus. These programs support the family doctor system and education for participants to allow the concept of disease management to take root in Japan. We developed a critical pathway system that can optimize health care of individual participants by matching individual status. This is the core technology of the project. Under the primary prevention program, we can perform the health check-up/ instruction tasks in the 'Tokutei Kenshin', which will start for all Japanese citizens aged 40-74 years in April 2008. In the diabetic program, Carna matches doctors and new patients, prevents patient dropout, supports detection of early-stage complications by distributing questionnaires periodically, and facilitates medical specialists' cooperation with family doctors. Carna promotes periodic medical examinations and quickly provides the result of blood tests to patients. We are conducting a study to assess the medical outcomes and business model. The study will continue until the end of 2007.


Staff members' emotional reactions to aggressive and suicidal behavior of inpatients.
This study examined the relationship between the characteristics of inpatients and staff members' emotional reactions to the patients, particularly the extent to which the reactions were related to patients' aggressive or suicidal behavior. The Feeling Word Checklist-58 was used to measure staff members' feelings. Two positive and five negative feeling dimensions were examined: important, confident, rejected, on guard, bored, overwhelmed, and inadequate. A total of 253 staff members from a wide variety of psychiatric wards at a university-affiliated hospital in Oslo, Norway, completed a total of 2473 checklists about their emotional reactions to 207 patients. For each patient, a member of the research team used information from ward staff who knew the patient to complete a Social Dysfunction and Aggression Scale measuring whether the patient had been aggressive (outward aggression) or suicidal (inward aggression). Staff reported positive feelings about patients much more frequently than negative feelings. Multiple regression analysis revealed that patient characteristics explained much more of the variance in negative feelings than in positive feelings. Outward aggression explained an average of 22 percent of the variance in scores on the five negative dimensions. Inward aggression explained an average of 12 percent more of the variance in scores on the five negative dimensions. Gender, age, amount of medication, and diagnosis (psychotic or not psychotic) explained only a small proportion of the variance in feeling scores. Even though the level of negative feelings toward patients was low, patients' aggressive and suicidal behavior explained a large proportion of the variance in negative feelings.


Learning and mastery behaviours as risk factors to abandonment in a paediatric user of advanced single-switch access technology.
The present descriptive case study documents the behaviours of a child single-switch user in the community setting and draws attention to learning and mastery behaviours as risk factors to single-switch abandonment. Our observations were interpreted in the context of a longer term school-based evaluation of an advanced single-switch access technology with a nine year-old user with severe spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. The child completed 25 experiment sessions averaging a rate of three sessions every two weeks. During each session he worked on several blocks of single-switch computer activity using his vocal cord vibration switch. Despite high levels of single-switch sensitivity and specificity that suggested a good fit between the participant and the technology, the participant perceived a lower proficiency level of his own abilities, demonstrated impatience and intolerance to interaction errors, and was apprehensive of making mistakes when using his switch in public. The benefit of gaining some degree of independent physical access might not necessarily enhance resilience to interaction errors or bouts of poor task performance. On the other hand, the participant's behaviours were consistent with those of a typically developing child learning or mastering any new skill or task. Implications for Rehabilitation The attitude and behaviour of a paediatric switch user towards skill development can be risk factors to abandonment of an access technology, despite successful clinical trial with the device. Children with severe disabilities can be associated with the same types of skill development behaviour patterns and achievement motivation as their typically developing peers. Empirical observations of the case participant's switch use behaviours suggest that user training could be adaptive in order to account for individual differences in skill development and achievement motivation.


Combined oral contraceptives: update recommendations of the Latin American contraceptive association.
Background: In recent years, new combined oral contraceptives (COCs) have become available, representing an advance in terms of individualization and compliance by users.Objective: To provide recommendations regarding COCs: formulations, use, efficacy, benefits and safety.Method: For these recommendations, we have used the modified Delphi methodology and carried out a systematic review of studies found in the literature and reviews performed in humans, published in English and Spanish in Pubmed, Medline and advanced medicine and computer networks until the year 2021, using the combination of terms: 'oral contraceptives', 'estroprogestins' and 'combined oral contraceptives'.Results: Regarding the estrogen component, initially switching from mestranol (the pro-drug of ethinylestradiol) to ethinylestradiol (EE) and then reducing the EE dose helped reduce side effects and associated adverse events. Natural estradiol and estradiol valerate are already available and represent a valid alternative to EE. The use of more potent 19-nortestosterone-derived progestins, in order to lower the dose and then the appearance of non-androgenic progestins with different endocrine and metabolic characteristics, has made it possible to individualize the prescription of COC according to the profile of each woman.Conclusion: Advances in the provision of new COCs have improved the risk/benefit ratio by increasing benefits and reducing risks. Currently, the challenge is to tailor contraceptives to individual needs in terms of safety, efficacy, and protection of female reproductive health.


Circumsporozoite antibodies and falciparum malaria incidence in children living in a malaria endemic area.
In a case-control study we examined the association of Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite antibodies (anti-R32tet32) with subsequent P. falciparum infections. A study population of 140 children living in an endemic area was followed longitudinally for 25 weeks with weekly blood smears for malaria parasites and, once every two weeks, serum samples for circumsporozoite antibody determinations. From the malaria cases, antibody measurements occurring between two and six weeks prior to the onset of parasitaemia were utilized. For each case, two controls were selected. The results from 17 cases and 34 controls failed to show a statistically significant difference in antibody levels prior to the infection (P=0.07, one-tailed Student's t-test). However, 8 of the 17 cases had antibody present, indicating a level that was not protective against patent infection.


Impact on patients and partners of inpatient and extended cardiac counseling and rehabilitation: a controlled trial.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of cardiac counseling and rehabilitation programs led by a nurse counselor, compared with normal care on outcomes for myocardial infarction (MI) patients and their partners. A randomized controlled trial with follow-up to 1 year was conducted with 100 patients recruited within 72 hours of a first MI and their partners: a Control group received normal care; an Inpatient group received cardiac rehabilitation from a nurse counselor while in hospital; and an Extended group received the same cardiac rehabilitation as the Inpatient group, but with additional sessions continuing up to 6 weeks after discharge from hospital. The scales for main outcome measures were 1) knowledge of heart disease and treatment (correct, misconceptions, and uncertainty); 2) mood (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale); 3) satisfaction; 4) disability (Functional Limitations Profile). Inpatient cardiac counseling and rehabilitation resulted in more knowledge, less anxiety, less depression, and greater satisfaction with care in both patients and partners and in less disability in patients, with effects enduring to 1 year. There was some evidence of additional benefit from the Extended program. Both nurse counselors achieved benefits on all outcome variables. This Inpatient cardiac counseling and rehabilitation program resulted in significant and enduring benefits of clinical value. It is likely that it would be acceptable to most post-MI patients, many of whom are not offered or are unable to accept outpatient cardiac rehabilitation.


Immunological cross-reactivity of multiplication-stimulating activity polypeptides.
The immunoreactivity of the multiple species of multiplication-stimulating activity (MSA) purified from medium conditioned by a rat liver cell line (BRL-3A) has been examined. Antibodies were raised in rabbits following immunization with MSA II polypeptides. Subpopulations of antibodies were purified from one antiserum using DEAE-cellulose chromatography. One antibody subpopulation recognized common antigenic determinants on MSA I and MSA II polypeptides; whereas a second antibody subpopulation recognized common determinants on MSA I, II, and III polypeptides. In a radioimmunoassay utilizing 125I-MSA III-2 and a purified antibody subpopulation, the human somatomedins (somatomedin A, insulin-like growth factor I and II) showed weak, but significant cross-reactivity: insulin-like growth factor II was 10% as potent as MSA II. By contrast, somatomedin partially purified from rat serum, insulin, growth hormone, epidermal growth factor, nerve factor, and fibroblast growth factor, showed no reactivity in the radioimmunoassay.


Assessment of professional singers using laryngeal, respiratory, and airflow measurements.
In the pedagogy of classical vocal singing, it can be difficult to determine the human voice fach, especially for the voice of aspiring vocalists. Hence, an objective metric-based system for the determination of the human voice is needed. In the present study, we investigated the anthropological and aerodynamic parameters for 60 professional singers with a professionally confirmed singing range. Amongst the 60 included professional singers, there were ten participants each for sopranos, mezzo-sopranos, altos (female vocal fach), and tenors, baritones, basses (male vocal fach). Airflow measurements were recorded using spirometry whilst anthropological measurements were taken using CT scans. Appropriate statistical analyses were done using the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis H test with post-hoc tests and Bonferroni correction. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Soprano singers, who have the highest pitch, were found to be the shortest and least heavy, whilst basses, who have the lowest pitch, were found to be tallest and heaviest amongst the study participants. Furthermore, sopranos had the smallest lung volumes while the basses had the largest lung volumes (raw spirometry measures). However, when normalized ratios were considered, no differences were observed. Finally, laryngeal size showed sexual dimorphism due to developmental changes. A mix of anthropological and aerodynamic measurements may be useful to assist singers and vocal pedagogues to assess and determine voice types before the beginning of their vocal studies.


Symmetrical retrograde actin flow in the actin fusion structure is involved in osteoclast fusion.
The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of the zipper-like structure (ZLS), a podosome-related structure that transiently appears at the cell contact zone, in osteoclast fusion. Live-cell imaging of osteoclasts derived from RAW264.7 cells transfected with EGFP-actin revealed consistent symmetrical retrograde actin flow in the ZLS, but not in the podosome cluster, the podosome ring or the podosome belt. Confocal imaging showed that the distributions of F-actin, vinculin, paxillin and zyxin in the ZLS were different from those in the podosome belt. Thick actin filament bundles running outside the ZLS appeared to recruit non-muscle myosin IIA. The F-actin-rich domain of the ZLS contained actin-related protein 2/3 complex (Arp2/3). Inhibition of Arp2/3 activity disorganized the ZLS, disrupted actin flow, deteriorated cell-cell adhesion and inhibited osteoclast hypermultinucleation. In contrast, ML-7, an inhibitor of myosin light chain kinase, had little effect on the structure of ZLS and promoted osteoclast hypermultinucleation. These results reveal a link between actin flow in the ZLS and osteoclast fusion. Osteoclast fusion was promoted by branched actin elongation and negatively regulated by actomyosin contraction.


[MiR-142-3p inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory response in human periodontal ligament cells through targeting IRAK1].
To investigate the effects of miR-142-3p overexpression on secretion of inflammatory factors in human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and its underlying mechanism. hPDLCs were cultured by tissue cultivation in vitro and treated with various concentrations of LPS for 6, 12, 24 and 48 h. hPDLCs were treated with miR-142-3p mimics for 24 h in the presence of 2.0 μg/mL LPS and the expression levels of inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β) were detected by ELISA assay. The target relationship between miR-142-3p and interleukin-1 receptor- associated kinase 1 (IRAK1) was detected by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The miR-142-3p and IRAK1 mRNA expression was measured by qRT-PCR. The protein expression levels of IRAK1, TLR4 and NF-κB were detected by Western blotting. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 16.0 software package. The miR-142-3p expression level was decreased significantly at 24 h in 2.0 μg/mL LPS-treated hPDLCs (P<0.01). Transfection of miR-142-3p mimics remarkably increased miR-142-3p expression (P<0.01). The secretion of inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β) in LPS-treated hPDLCs was significantly decreased by miR-142-3p overexpression (P<0.05). Dual-luciferase reporter assay showed a directly targeting relationship between miR-142-3p and IRAK1. Overexpression of miR-142-3p significantly reduced the IRAK1 protein expression in LPS-treated hPDLCs (P<0.05), whereas no obvious effect on IRAK1 mRNA expression was noted (P>0.05). Moreover, miR-142-3p overexpression markedly diminished the protein expression of TLR4 and phosphorylated NF-κB in LPS-treated hPDLCs (P<0.05). Overexpression of miR-142-3p can alleviate the inflammatory response induced by LPS in hPDLCs and the underlying mechanism may be associated with targeting and inhibiting IRAK1 expression leading to suppression of TLR4/NF-κB inflammatory signaling pathway through which miR-142-3p overexpression protects peridentium against inflammation.


Organic particulate material levels in the atmosphere: conditions favoring sensitivity to varying relative humidity and temperature.
This study examines the sensitivity in predicted levels of atmospheric organic particulate matter (M(o), microg m(-3)) as those levels may potentially be affected by changes in relative humidity and temperature. In a given system, for each partitioning compound, f(g) and f(p) represent the gaseous and particulate fractions (f(g) + f(p) = 1). Sensitivity in the M(o) levels becomes dampened as the compounds contributing significantly to M(o) are increasingly found in the particle phase (f(p) --> 1). Thus, although local maxima in sensitivity can be encountered as M(o) levels increase, because as M(o) increases each f(p) --> 1, then increasing M(o) levels generally tend to reduce sensitivity in M(o) levels to changes in relative humidity and temperature. Experiments designed to elucidate the potential magnitudes of the effects of relative humidity and temperature on M(o) levels must be carried out at M(o) levels that are relevant for the ambient atmosphere: The f(p) values for the important partitioning compounds must not be elevated above ambient-relevant values. Systems in which M(o) levels are low (e.g., 1-2 microg m(-3)) and/or composed of unaged secondary organic aerosol are the ones most likely to show sensitivity to changing relative humidity and temperature. Results from two published chamber studies are examined in the above regard: [Warren B, et al. (2009) Atmos Environ 43:1789-1795] and [Prisle NL, et al. (2010) Geophys Res Lett 37:L01802].


Unkei-to for correcting luteal phase defects.
To assess the clinical efficacy of Unkei-to in women with luteal phase defects. A study of 103 consecutive subjects with luteal phase defects treated with unkei-to (7.5 g/d) and 94 control subjects was conducted. A venous blood sample was taken, and plasma gonadotropins, 17 beta-estradiol and progesterone levels were measured. Dominant follicle size and endometrial thickness were assessed in the late follicular phase. Unkei-to significantly decreased plasma luteinizing hormone and significantly increased 17 beta-estradiol concentration in the follicular phase and significantly increased progesterone (66.7%) in the midluteal phase (P < .05). Significant development of the dominant follicle (P < .01) and endometrium (P < .001) was also observed in patients treated with unkei-to. We observed significant prolongation of the luteal phase (43%, P < .001) as measured by basal body temperature. There was a 79.6% rate of correction of luteal phase defects in patients treated with unkei-to. Furthermore, the pregnancy rate in patients desiring pregnancy was 49.5% (41/83). Administration of unkei-to may normalize the gonadotropin-ovarian endocrine system and/or their interaction in the follicular phase and may improve the endocrine environment in the luteal phase in patients with luteal phase defects.


[Hepatic steato-fibrosis and non-alcoholic liver disease in elderly].
The critical role of the hepatic stellate cells in pathogenesis and evolution of hepatic fibrosis is stressed. The authors, also, illustrate the most recent acquisitions about morphological and bioumoral aspects of complex sinusoidal-Disse space-stellate cells and their importance for the risk of evolution towards non-alcoholic liver disease.


Operative treatment of acetabular fractures.
A retrospective review of 23 patients with acetabular fractures operated upon between January 1985 and December 1990 was conducted. Eighteen patients were available for assessment of functional outcome. Radiological results were also evaluated. The majority of the patients were male and the average age was 35 years. Three-quarters of the patients had an injury to another system. Three-quarters of the patients were operated upon within two weeks and only two patients had complications directly related to the operation. Radiological result was excellent or good in 61%, fair in 22%, and poor in 16% of the patients. Functional score was excellent or good in 72%, fair in 16% and poor in 11%. In summary, operative treatment of acetabular fracture is a safe and acceptable method of managing displaced acetabular fractures.


Death from cancer: frequent unscheduled care.
To examine the demographic, clinical, and temporal factors associated with cancer decedents being a frequent or very frequent unscheduled care (GP-general practice Out-Of-Hours (GPOOH) and Accident & Emergency (A&E)) attender, in their last year of life. Retrospective cohort study, of all 2443 cancer decedents in Tayside, Scotland, over 30- months period up to 06/2015, comparing frequent attenders (5-9 attendances/year) and very frequent attenders (≥10 attendances/year) to infrequent attenders (1-4 attendances/year) and non-attenders. Clinical and demographic datasets were linked to routinely-collected clinical data using the Community Health Index number. Anonymised linked data were analysed in SafeHaven, using binary/multinomial logistic regression, and Generalised Estimating Equations analysis. Frequent attenders were more likely to be older, and have upper gastrointestinal (GI), haematological, breast and ovarian malignancies, and less likely to live in accessible areas or have a late cancer diagnosis. They were more likely to use GPOOH than A&E, less likely to have face-to-face unscheduled care attendances, and less likely to be admitted to hospital following unscheduled care attendance. Age, cancer type, accessibility and timing of diagnosis relative to death were associated with increased likelihood of being a frequent or very frequent attender at unscheduled care.


Induction of an Inflammatory Response in Primary Hepatocyte Cultures from Mice.
The liver plays a decisive role in the regulation of systemic inflammation. In chronic kidney disease in particular, the liver reacts in response to the uremic milieu, oxidative stress, endotoxemia and the decreased clearance of circulating proinflammatory cytokines by producing a large number of acute-phase reactants. Experimental tools to study inflammation and the underlying role of hepatocytes are crucial to understand the regulation and contribution of hepatic cytokines to a systemic acute phase response and a prolonged pro-inflammatory scenario, especially in an intricate setting such as chronic kidney disease. Since studying complex mechanisms of inflammation in vivo remains challenging, resource-intensive and usually requires the usage of transgenic animals, primary isolated hepatocytes provide a robust tool to gain mechanistic insights into the hepatic acute-phase response. Since this in vitro technique features moderate costs, high reproducibility and common technical knowledge, primary isolated hepatocytes can also be easily used as a screening approach. Here, we describe an enzymatic-based method to isolate primary murine hepatocytes, and we describe the assessment of an inflammatory response in these cells using ELISA and quantitative real-time PCR.


Negotiating care: patient tactics at an urban South African hospital.
To examine the various ways in which patients sought to influence the care they received in the admission and adult medical services of a large urban, academic hospital in South Africa. These included the steps taken by patients to increase their access to services and improve their experience of care. Part of a qualitative study of rationing behaviour, the methods combined, observations, interviews and a survey. Patient's actions were oriented to two main goals: obtaining care and preserving their sense of self and dignity. These actions shaped patients' pathways in five key ways: meeting the entry criteria for admission; presenting as a cooperative, expert patient; mobilizing social networks among health care staff; making use of complaints mechanisms; and deploying narratives of resistance. Patients made tactical use of small spaces at the margins of the health care system. Although, with some exceptions, they had limited impact on the care received in the hospital, they highlight patients as active players and point to the ways in which patient agency can be strengthened in the light of the shift towards chronic disease care and greater patient involvement in care.


A sensitive five-breath N2 washout test of distribution of ventilation.
The amount of nitrogen eliminated in the first five breaths after start of oxygen breathing was compared with the amount that would be removed in these breaths, if alveolar mixing were uniform. The ratio of these two amounts is a measure of the degree of unevenness of ventilation; it was determined in 41 nonsmokers, 22 heavy smokers, and 6 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The "five-breath index" (ratio x 100) in the nonsmokers ranged between 90 and 100. In 16 of the smokers, it was less than 87.5 (95% confidence limit of normals), although in only 5 of these, spirometric tests (MMEF) were considered abnormal. The index in the 6 patients ranged between 51 and 83. The test is highly reproducible, simple to perform, and might be of value in the detection of early lung disease.


Comparative study of National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study (NEXUS) chest algorithm and extended focused assessment with sonography for trauma (E-FAST) in the early detection of blunt chest injuries in polytrauma patients.
Chest imaging plays a prominent role in the assessment of patients with blunt trauma. Selection of the right approach at the right time is fundamental in the management of patients with blunt chest trauma.[1] A reliable, economic, bedside, and rapidly accomplished screening test can be pivotal. [2]. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of extended- focused assessment with sonography for trauma (E-FAST) to that of the National Emergency X-Radiography Utilisation Study (NEXUS) chest algorithm in detecting blunt chest injuries. This descriptive cross-sectional study included 50 polytrauma patients with blunt chest trauma from the emergency centre of Suez Canal University Hospital. E-FAST and computed tomography (CT) were conducted, followed by reporting of NEXUS criteria for all patients. Blinding of the E-FAST performer and CT reporter were confirmed. The results of both the NEXUS algorithm and E-FAST were compared with CT chest results. The NEXUS algorithm had 100% sensitivity and 15.3% specificity, and E-FAST had 70% sensitivity and 96.7% specificity, in the detection of pneumothorax.In the detection of hemothorax, the sensitivity and specificity of the NEXUS algorithm were 90% and 7.5%, respectively, whereas E-FAST had a lower sensitivity of 80% and a higher specificity of 97.5%. E-FAST is highly specific for the detection of hemothorax, pneumothorax, and chest injuries compared with the NEXUS chest algorithm, which demonstrated the lowest specificity. However, the NEXUS chest algorithm showed a higher sensitivity than E-FAST and hence can be used effectively to rule out thoracic injury.


Highly sensitive DNA detection using cascade amplification strategy based on hybridization chain reaction and enzyme-induced metallization.
A novel highly sensitive colorimetric assay for DNA detection using cascade amplification strategy based on hybridization chain reaction and enzyme-induced metallization was established. The DNA modified superparamagnetic beads were demonstrated to capture and enrich the target DNA in the hybridization buffer or human plasma. The hybridization chain reaction and enzyme-induced silver metallization on the gold nanoparticles were used as cascade signal amplification for the detection of target DNA. The metalization of silver on the gold nanoparticles induced a significant color change from red to yellow until black depending on the concentration of the target DNA, which could be recognized by naked eyes. This method showed a good specificity for the target DNA detection, with the capabilty to discriminate single-base-pair mismatched DNA mutation (single nucleotide polymorphism). Meanwhile, this approach exhibited an excellent anti-interference capability with the convenience of the magentic seperation and washing, which enabled its usage in complex biological systems such as human blood plasma. As an added benefit, the utilization of hybridization chain reaction and enzyme-induced metallization improved detection sensitivity down to 10pM, which is about 100-fold lower than that of traditional unamplified homogeneous assays.


Microsurgical Subinguinal Varicocele Repair of Grade II-III Lesions Associated with Improvements of Testosterone Levels.
The results of reports on the association between varicocele repair and testosterone levels were conflicting. The aim of the present study is, therefore, to investigate the impact of varicocele repair on testosterone levels. The study is based on 20 men who experienced microsurgical subinguinal varicoceles repair because of chronic dull scrotal pain. All hormonal profiles available in the clinical records were reviewed. Follow-up evaluation was done at 1 and 12 months after surgery. Men were classified into groups based on the preoperative testosterone levels: euogonadal (serum levels of testosterone > 12 nmol/l), hypogonadal men (serum levels of testosterone ≤ 12 nmol/l). Microsurgical subinguinal varicocele repair was associated with a significant improvements of testosterone levels at 1 and 12 months after surgery as compared to the preoperative levels (13 nmol/l vs. 18 nmol/l, p = 0.03; 13 nmol/l vs. 15 nmol/l, p = 0.01). The same trend was seen in men who were classified as being hypogonadal (7.0 nmol/l vs. 15 nmol/l, p = 0.01; 7.0 nmol/l vs. 10 nmol/l, p = 0.02). No significant improvements in testosterone levels were observed in euogonadal men (p > 0.05). Microsurgical subinguinal varicocele repair was associated with a significant improvements of testosterone levels in men with grade II-III lesions and low preoperative testosterone values.


Multiferroics: progress and prospects in thin films.
Multiferroic materials, which show simultaneous ferroelectric and magnetic ordering, exhibit unusual physical properties - and in turn promise new device applications - as a result of the coupling between their dual order parameters. We review recent progress in the growth, characterization and understanding of thin-film multiferroics. The availability of high-quality thin-film multiferroics makes it easier to tailor their properties through epitaxial strain, atomic-level engineering of chemistry and interfacial coupling, and is a prerequisite for their incorporation into practical devices. We discuss novel device paradigms based on magnetoelectric coupling, and outline the key scientific challenges in the field.


Research on a modularized long pulse generator based on anti-resonance network and transmission line transformer.
A modularized generator with three long pulse modules is designed and constructed in this work. The long pulse module consists of a three-section anti-resonance network and a three-stage transmission line transformer. A single module can output a pulse with an amplitude of 33 kV and a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 400 ns, when the primary energy storage system provides a voltage of 24 kV. After the three modules are connected in series in experiment, the modularized long pulse generator delivers a high-voltage pulse to the matched load resistor with a maximum voltage of 96 kV and an FWHM of 400 ns. Repetitive experiments at a repetition frequency of 10 Hz are also carried out.


[Experimental study of influence of lipophilic products of phytogenic origin on lipid metabolism in rats].
The article presents the results of biochemical evaluation of metabolic effects of lipophilic products of plant origin among which such oils as linseed, black nuts and walnuts oils as well as medicine «Phosphogliv» were selected as the most promising ones. The influence of the studied substances on lipid metabolism in experiment on male rats (170–220 g body weight) with modeled acute hepatotoxicity with carbon tetrachloride (that was achieved by subcutaneous injection of 50% oil solution of carbon tetrachloride – 0.5 ml/100 g of the body mass once a day during 3 days) has been investigated. Liver function was assessed by triacylglycerols content in the serum, total, esterified and nonesterified cholesterol, cholesterol in the lipoproteins of high, low and very low density, as well as by the nonesterified cholesterol and phospholipids content in the hemolysate of red blood cells. Carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxic damage was accompanied by the development of severe hypercholesterolemia associated both with the increase in total cholesterol and its content in low density lipoproteins alongside the reducing of the cholesterol concentration in high density lipoproteins, resulted in secondary dyslipoproteinemia. Inhibition of the esterification of cholesterol processes as well as the decrease in the triacylglycerols concentration was observed. It is connected with the triacylglycerols endogenous synthesis blocking in the liver, resulted from its toxic damage. It is also confirmed by cholesterol content reducing in the lipoproteins of very low density. In erythrocytes of rats with CCl4 intoxication phospholipid content decreased while the amount of nonesterified cholesterol that is a component of cell membranes, influencing the proteins and lipids diffusion, which reduces the mobility of the fatty acid residues of phospholipids, increased. The injection of the black nuts and walnuts oils as well as flax oil (intragastric injections 0.2 ml daily in the morning before the main feeding from the 7th to the 30th day of the experiment, n=25 in each group) to rats with liver failure induced by carbon tetrachloride, contributed to the partial restoration of liver tissue structure and statistically reliable decrease of lipid metabolism. Decrease in the total cholesterol content by 17.5% in the group of animals treated with linseed oil was observed; LDL cholesterol also decreased under the influence of walnuts and black nuts oils by 36.7 and 40.6% respectively. The increase in the content of phospholipids in erythrocytes of rats when administered by the studied lipophilic products has made it possible to prove the improvement of the cell membranes rheological properties. The results of the study of the influence of linseed, black nuts and walnuts oils as well as medicine «Phosphogliv» on animals with hepatotoxicity by CCl4 have proved positive effect of these lipophilic substances on lipid metabolism.


Competency in Tubularized Incised Plate Repair for Distal Hypospadias: Cumulative Sum Learning Curve Analysis of a Single Surgeon Experience.
We sought to determine the number of cases to achieve competency and proficiency in tubularized incised plate technique for distal hypospadias repair using cumulative sum analysis. From 2001 to 2015 we reviewed all distal tubularized incised plate repairs performed by a single surgeon since independent practice. Data for 450 consecutive cases included age, meatal location, presence of curvature, operative time, occurrence of complications and followup duration. A cumulative sum analysis cohort chart was used to determine trends in complication rate and operative time during the evaluation period. In order to account for surgical experience with time, the highest peak, plateau, and down trends in operative time and complication rate were identified on the plot and set as the transition points between learning (phase 1), competence (phase 2) and proficiency (phase 3). Based on the cumulative sum analysis learning curve, the competence phase with plateau of operative time and complication rate commences beyond the 127th case, and the proficiency phase with notable decline in operative time and complication rate was noted beyond the 234th case. When comparing case characteristics and surgical outcomes between phases and learning curve, the proficiency phase involved younger patients and more severe degree of distal hypospadias being repaired using the tubularized incised plate approach with fewer complications related to meatal stenosis and fewer cosmetic complications. In our study competency in distal hypospadias tubularized incised plate repair was reached beyond the 127th case, while proficiency was attained beyond the 234th case.


[Epidemiological aspects of the present-day demographic situation in Russia].
Study of reference rate in healthcare institutions in 1991 - 2001 demonstrated a steady growth of general mortality and disease incidence among the population (by 22.7% and 8.1%, respectively). The number of patients with acute and chronic diseases registered in 2001 was by 16.4% higher than that in 1991. These trends were characteristic of all disease classes, but the most intensive growth was observed in such classes as diseases of blood and hemopoetic organs (2.5 times), endocrinal and urogenital diseases (1.8 times). Disease incidence and general mortality among children aged 0 to 14 had grown by 25% and 33.2%, among adolescents--by 60% and 71.1%, among adults--by 5.2% and 20.3%, respectively. These negative trends in population health were accompanied by a constant growth of incapacitation rate in 1990 - 2000 (2.4 times, and 4.3 times among children and adolescents younger than 18). There is a correlation between mortality and traditionally used demographic parameters, which suggests that mortality should be recognized the key demographic parameter. In order to achieve a satisfactory level of population health and adequate demographic transition, and to develop general sanatory strategy, the State should undertake powerful, goal-seeking, society-oriented measures, including deep clinical and epidemiological study of human pathology.


Solid-state structural transformations of two Ag(I) supramolecular polymorphs to another polymer upon absorption of HNO3 vapors.
Solid-state structural transformation of two polymorphic forms of [Ag(8-HqH)(8-Hq)]n (1α and 1β, where 8-HqH = 8-hydroxyquinoline and 8-Hq(-) = 8-hydroxyquinolate) to {[Ag(8-HqH)2]NO3}n (2) has been observed upon solid-gas reaction of compounds 1α and 1β with HNO3 vapors. Solid-gas reaction of compound 2 with hydrated vapors of NH3 results in the formation of only the 1β polymorph, while solid-solid reaction of compound 2 with KOH results in the formation of a 1α and 1β mixture with chiral and achiral space groups of P2(1)2(1)2(1) and Pbcn, respectively.


circNBPF10/miR-224 Axis Regulates PBX3 to Promote the Malignant Progression of Lung Cancer.
This study aims to reveal the potential effect of circNBPF10 on the malignant progression of lung cancer. The expression levels of circNBPF10 in lung cancer tissues and cell lines were detected via real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The relationship between circNBPF10 expression and lung cancer metastasis was further analyzed. Effects on lung cancer cells after the knockout or overexpression of circNBPF10 were detected. Subsequently, the regulatory relationship of circNBPF10 with miR-224 was detected by using the dual-luciferase reporter gene. In addition, the role of pre-B-cell homeo box 3 (PBX3) in the progression of lung cancer affected by circNBPF10 was evaluated through a rescue experiment. circNBPF10 was highly expressed in lung cancer tissues and lung cancer cell lines. The expression level of circNBPF10 was significantly higher in patients with lung cancer and lymphatic metastasis or distant metastasis than in patients with nonmetastatic lung cancer. The downregulation of circNBPF10 reduced the proliferation, migration, and invasion of lung cancer cells. In lung cancer cells, circNBPF10 negatively regulated the expression of miR-224, whereas miR-224 directly targeted the expression of PBX3. The results of the rescue experiment confirmed that PBX3 was the key gene for the promoting effect of circNBPF10 on the malignant progression of lung cancer. circNBPF10 was highly expressed in lung cancer tissues and was associated with distant metastasis and poor prognosis in patients with lung cancer. circNBPF10 upregulated PBX3 by targeting miR-224 and promoted the malignant progression of lung cancer.


Projected current density comparison in tDCS block and smooth FE modeling.
Current density distribution and projected current density calculation following transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) forward model in a human head were compared between two modeling pipelines: block and smooth. Block model was directly constructed from MRI voxel resolution and simulated in C. Smooth models underwent a boundary smoothing process by applying recursive Gaussian filters and simulated in COMSOL. Three smoothing levels were added to determine their effects on current density distribution compared to block models. Median current density percentage differences were calculated in anterior superior temporal gyrus (ASTG), hippocampus (HIP), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), occipital lobes (OCC) and precentral gyrus (PRC) and normalized against a baseline value. A maximum of + 20% difference in median current density was found for three standard electrode montages: F3-RS, T7-T8 and Cz-Oz. Furthermore, median current density percentage differences in each montage target brain structures were found to be within + 7%. Higher levels of smoothing increased median current density percentage differences in T7-T8 and Cz-Oz target structures. However, while demonstrating similar trends in each montage, additional smoothing levels showed no clear relationship between their smoothing effects and calculated median current density in the five cortical structures. Finally, relative L2 error in reconstructed projected current density was found to be 17% and 21% for block and smooth pipelines, respectively. Overall, a block model workflow may be a more attractive alternative for simulating tDCS stimulation because involves a shorter modeling time and independence from commercial modeling platforms.


Effects of two different water sources used for irrigation on the soil geochemical properties and the quality of the Lohan guava (Psidium guajava L. Lohan).
The effect of two different water sources (treated waste water and lake water) used for irrigation on the soil geochemical properties and the fruit quality parameters of the Lohan guava were studied. The fruits' physical attributes, physicochemical attributes, nutritional attributes, mineral content as well as consumers' acceptance were evaluated. The properties of the different water sources and their effect, on both the soil and the quality of the fruits, were evaluated. Analysis of the irrigation water revealed that treated waste water was of acceptable quality with reference to irrigation water quality guidelines, while the lake water used for irrigation fell short in several aspects. The different water sources used for irrigation in the farms affected the soil geochemical properties significantly. The quality of guavas harvested from the farms that were irrigated with different water sources was significantly different. Irrigation water qualities were observed to have positive effects on the quality of the fruits and consumers' acceptance as observed from the results of quality analysis and the consumers' acceptance test.


Bioaccumulation of ionic titanium and titanium dioxide nanoparticles in zebrafish eleutheroembryos.
The production of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO(2) NPs) for commercial applications has greatly increased over the last years and consequently the potential risk for human health. There is a growing awareness of the need to understand the behavior and influence these nanoparticles exert on the environment. Bioaccumulation serves as a good integrator to assess chemical exposure in aquatic systems and is dependent on factors, such as the exposure routes, diet and the aqueous medium. We analyzed the experimental bioaccumulation capability of ionic titanium and TiO(2) NPs by zebrafish (Danio rerio) eleutheroembryos through bioconcentration factors (BCFs), after 48 or 72 h of exposure. The stability of both chemical forms in an aquatic medium was fully characterized for further bioaccumulation studies. Several stabilizing agents (humic acids, soluble starch, polyethylene glycol, Na(4)P(2)O(7) and Na(2)HPO(4)) for anatase and rutile, the two allotrophs of TiO(2) NPs, were evaluated to check the evolution of the aggregation process. Around 60% of TiO(2) NPs remained disaggregated under simulated environmental conditions with the addition of 50 mg L(-1) of humic acids. However, the presence of eleutheroembryos in the exposure medium increased TiO(2) NPs aggregation in the experimental tests. The BCFs values obtained in all cases were <100, which classifies ionic titanium and TiO(2) NPs as non-bioaccumulative substances, under the REACH regulations.


Ectopic gallbladder: laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
An unusual case of ectopic retroplaced gall bladder is reported. In our patient, this congenital anomaly was detected on ultrasonography and confirmed by CT scan, MRCP, and ERCP. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed without complications. The importance of proper preoperative investigations is emphasized for accurate diagnosis, to rule out biliary tract anomalies, and to properly plan surgical approach and management.


[Nuclear medical differentiation of focal lesions of the liver].
Radio-colloid scintigraphy, hepatobiliary scintigraphy and blood pool scanning with tagged red blood cells are well-established methods of nuclear medicine for the differential diagnosis of hepatic lesions. Hepatic hemangiomas and focal nodular hyperplasia can be differentiated in over 90% of cases. The sensitivity of single-photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) in the detection of liver masses greater than 2 cm diameter is 92%-98%.


Teamwork among midwives during neonatal resuscitation at a maternity hospital in Nepal.
The ability of health care providers to work together is essential for favourable outcomes in neonatal resuscitation, but perceptions of such teamwork have rarely been studied in low-income settings. Neonatal resuscitation is a proven intervention for reducing neonatal mortality globally, but the long-term effects of clinical training for this skill need further attention. Having an understanding of barriers to teamwork among nurse midwives can contribute to the sustainability of improved clinical practice. To explore nurse midwives' perceptions of teamwork when caring for newborns in need of resuscitation. Nurse midwives from a tertiary-level government hospital in Nepal participated in five focus groups of between 4 and 11 participants each. Qualitative Content Analysis was used for analysis. One overarching theme emerged: looking for comprehensive guidelines and shared responsibilities in neonatal resuscitation to avoid personal blame and learn from mistakes. Participants discussed the need for protocols relating to neonatal resuscitation and the importance of shared medical responsibility, and the importance of the presence of a strong and transparent leadership. The call for clear and comprehensive protocols relating to neonatal resuscitation corresponded with previous research from different contexts. Nurse midwives working at a maternity health care facility in Nepal discussed the benefits and challenges of teamwork in neonatal resuscitation. The findings suggest potential benefits can be made from clarifying guidelines and responsibilities in neonatal resuscitation. Furthermore, a structured process to deal with clinical incidents must be considered. Management must be involved in all processes.


Supramolecular control over molecular magnetic materials: γ-cyclodextrin-templated grid of cobalt(II) single-ion magnets.
Single-ion magnets (SIMs) are potential building blocks of novel quantum computing devices. Unique magnetic properties of SIMs require effective separation of magnetic ions and can be tuned by even slight changes in their coordination sphere geometry. We show that an additional level of tailorability in the design of SIMs can be achieved by organizing magnetic ions into supramolecular architectures, resulting in gaining control over magnetic ion packing. Here, γ-cyclodextrin was used to template magnetic Co(II) and nonmagnetic auxiliary Li(+) ions to form a heterometallic {Co, Li, Li}4 ring. In the sandwich-type complex [(γ-CD)2Co4Li8(H2O)12] spatially separated Co(II) ions are prevented from superexchange magnetic coupling. Ac/dc magnetic and EPR studies demonstrated that individual Co(II) ions with positive zero-field splitting exhibit field-induced slow magnetic relaxation consistent with the SIMs' behavior, which is exceptional in complexes with easy-plane magnetic anisotropy.


Metabolomics and metabolite profiling: past heroes and future developments.
Following the sequencing of the human and other genomes, much research effort is now invested in post- genomic science, particularly in the related disciplines of proteomics and metabolomics. In this paper, we will attempt to provide an overview of mass spectrometry-based metabolomic strategies, discuss the evolution of metabolomics from its predecessor, Hmetabolite profiling", and provide some pointers to future methodological and technological direction. Current data from the authors' laboratory will also be presented, highlighting our efforts in the field of "targeted metabolomics", namely, "steroidomics in the brain".


Three Cases of Escherichia coli Meningitis in Chicks Imported to Japan.
Three outbreaks of colibacillosis have occurred in chicks during the quarantine period after importation to Japan. All three were derived from three different countries without epidemiologic relevance. Some birds from each infected flock were examined pathologically and bacteriologically. The characteristic histologic finding common to all three cases was severe bacterial meningitis in the central nervous system. Pericarditis, perihepatitis, and omphalitis with bacterial colonies were also observed. The bacterial colonies observed histologically were immunohistochemically positive for Escherichia coli antigens. Escherichia coli was isolated from the organ samples from each outbreak. At least two E. coli isolates were serotyped as O18 and O161, which differed from the popular serotypes in Japan. These results suggest that avian pathogenic E. coli of uncommon serotypes can be imported from outside countries by infected chicks. Colibacillosis should be included in the differential diagnosis when meningitis is histologically observed in chicks.


Strategies and techniques for multi-component drug design from medicinal herbs and traditional Chinese medicine.
Many common diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer are caused or exacerbated by disparate physiological, pathological, environmental, and lifestyle factors. However, the chief aim of current drug discovery approaches is to search for single-entity drugs that interact with well-defined molecular targets (a single receptor or enzyme). The concept of multi-target drugs or multi-component therapy is gaining increased attention with the discovery that many diseases (like hypertension) are best treated by multi-drug or multi-target therapies. Traditional medicines, such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Indian Ayurveda, have been re-evaluated and are becoming important resources for the discovery of bioactive molecules with therapeutic effects and for designing multi-targets drugs. This article provides an overview of new strategies and techniques to design therapeutic regimes that comprise more than one active ingredient to produce synergistic effects by simultaneously interacting with multiple molecular targets. Advances in phytochemistry, high throughput screening, DNA sequencing, systems biology, and bioinformatics can reveal the chemical composition and molecular mechanisms of TCM and together provide a new template for the early stages of drug discovery. Meanwhile, clinical knowledge of TCM provides a promising framework for multi-component drug design. A renaissance of multi-component drug discovery inspired by traditional medicine is possible.


Design and wavefront characterization of an electrically tunable aspherical optofluidic lens.
We present a novel design of an exclusively electrically controlled adaptive optofluidic lens that allows for manipulating both focal length and asphericity. The device is totally encapsulated and contains an aqueous lens with a clear aperture of 2mm immersed in ambient oil. The design is based on the combination of an electrowetting-driven pressure regulation to control the average curvature of the lens and a Maxwell stress-based correction of the local curvature to control spherical aberration. The performance of the lens is evaluated by a dedicated setup for the characterization of optical wavefronts using a Shack Hartmann Wavefront Sensor. The focal length of the device can be varied between 10 and 27mm. At the same time, the Zernike coefficient Z40, characterising spherical aberration, can be tuned reversibly between 0.059waves and 0.003waves at a wavelength of λ=532nm. Several possible extensions and applications of the device are discussed.


An investigation of the line motion effect in a callosotomy patient.
When a line is flashed instantaneously between two markers it can appear to propagate from one marker to the other. This illusion is known as the line motion effect. We investigated this effect in the two hemispheres of a callosotomy ("split-brain") patient. We found that both hemispheres perceived the line motion effect, and that flashing one of the markers biased the direction of motion away from that marker regardless of which hemisphere received the stimulus. In contrast, matching the width of the line to the width of one of the markers biased the direction of motion away from the marker only when it appeared in the left visual hemifield. This suggests that multiple mechanisms can contribute to the line motion effect, and that some of these mechanisms rely on different neural structures.


Two-year-olds use primary sentence accent to learn new words.
German children aged 2;1 heard a sentence containing a nonce noun and a nonce verb (Der Feks miekt). Either the noun or the verb was prosodically highlighted by increased pitch, duration and loudness. Independently, either the object or the action in the ongoing referential scene was the new element in the situation. Children learned the nonce noun only when it was both highlighted prosodically and the object in the scene was referentially new. They did not learn the nonce verb in any condition. These results suggest that from early in linguistic development, young children understand that prosodic salience in a sentence indicates referential newness.


Assessment of the antibacterial effect of Barium Titanate nanoparticles against Staphylococcus epidermidis adhesion after addition to maxillofacial silicone.
Background: Maxillofacial silicones are the most popular and acceptable material for making maxillofacial prostheses, but they are not perfect in every sense. To enhance their effectiveness, more improvements to their properties are required, such as their antimicrobial efficiency. This study assess the antibacterial effect of barium titanate nanoparticles in various percentages against staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm adhesion after addition to maxillofacial silicone. Methods: Barium titanate nanoparticles were added into VST-50 platinum silicone elastomer in four weight percentages (0.25wt%, 0.5wt%, 0.75wt% and 1wt%). 50 specimens were prepared and categorized into five groups; one control group and four experimental groups. All conducted data was statistically analyzed using (one-way ANOVA) analysis of variance, and Games-Howell multiple comparison test (significant level at p < 0.05). Shapiro-Wilk and Levene's tests were used, respectively, to evaluate the normal distribution and homogeneity of the data. Result: One-way ANOVA test revealed a highly significant difference between all groups, and Games-Howell test revealed a highly significant difference between the control group and the four experimental groups. The 0.25wt% and 0.5wt% groups revealed a highly significant difference between them and with the (0.75%wt and 0.1%wt) groups. While the 0.75wt% group revealed a significant difference with 1wt% group. Conclusions: The addition of barium titanate to VST-50 maxillofacial silicone enhanced the antibacterial activity of silicon against Staphylococcus epidermidis, and this activity seems to be concentration dependent. FTIR analysis demonstrated no chemical interaction between the Barium Titanate and the VST-50 maxillofacial silicone elastomer. SEM pictures show that the barium titanate nanopowder was effectively dispersed inside the maxillofacial silicone matrix.


Computer-aided Diagnosis-generated Kinetic Features of Breast Cancer at Preoperative MR Imaging: Association with Disease-free Survival of Patients with Primary Operable Invasive Breast Cancer.
Purpose To retrospectively investigate the relationship between the kinetic features of breast cancer assessed with computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) at preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and disease-free survival in patients with primary operable invasive breast cancer. Materials and Methods This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board. The requirement to obtain informed consent was waived. The authors identified 329 consecutive women (mean age, 52.9 years; age range, 32-88 years) with newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer who had undergone preoperative MR imaging and surgery between January 2012 and February 2013. All MR images were retrospectively reviewed by using a commercially available CAD system, and the following kinetic parameters were noted for each lesion: peak enhancement (highest pixel signal intensity in the first series obtained after administration of contrast material), angio-volume (total volume of the enhancing lesion), and delayed enhancement profiles (the proportions of washout, plateau, and persistently enhancing component within a tumor). Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to identify the relationship between CAD-generated kinetics and disease-free survival after adjusting for clinical-pathologic variables. Results A total of 36 recurrences developed at a median follow-up of 50 months (range, 15-55 months). CAD-measured peak enhancement at preoperative MR imaging enabled differentiation between patients with and patients without recurrence (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.728; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.676, 0.775; P < .001). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that a higher peak enhancement (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.001; 95% CI: 1.000, 1.002; P = .004), a higher washout component (HR = 1.029; 95% CI: 1.005, 1.054; P = .017), and lymphovascular invasion at histopathologic examination (HR = 3.011; 95% CI: 1.302, 6.962; P = .010) were associated with poorer disease-free survival. Conclusion Higher values of CAD-measured peak enhancement and washout component at preoperative MR imaging were significantly associated with poorer disease-free survival of patients with primary operable breast cancer. © RSNA, 2017.


An evolution-based strategy for engineering allosteric regulation.
Allosteric regulation provides a way to control protein activity at the time scale of milliseconds to seconds inside the cell. An ability to engineer synthetic allosteric systems would be of practical utility for the development of novel biosensors, creation of synthetic cell signaling pathways, and design of small molecule pharmaceuticals with regulatory impact. To this end, we outline a general approach-termed rational engineering of allostery at conserved hotspots (REACH)-to introduce novel regulation into a protein of interest by exploiting latent allostery that has been hard-wired by evolution into its structure. REACH entails the use of statistical coupling analysis (SCA) to identify 'allosteric hotspots' on protein surfaces, the development and implementation of experimental assays to test hotspots for functionality, and a toolkit of allosteric modulators to impinge on endogenous cellular circuitry. REACH can be broadly applied to rewire cellular processes to respond to novel inputs.


Inhibition of herpes simplex virus type 2-induced biochemical transformation by interferon.
The effect of interferon on the biochemical transformation of thymidine kinase-deficient cells by UV-inactivated herpes simplex virus type 2 has been studied. Transformation was much less sensitive to the action of interferon than virus multiplication. However, the continuous presence of a high dose of interferon (2,000 U) inhibited transformation almost completely. Although we could not differentiate between the effect of interferon on fixation and expression of the virus thymidine kinase gene, data suggest that the inhibitory effect of interferon on transformation might be partially due to the suppression of virus thymidine kinase expression.


Genotoxic and cytotoxic potential of whole plant extracts of Kalanchoe laciniata by Ames and MTT assay.
Lack of data on safety of herbal medicines have endangered human health and life. The present study evaluated the genotoxic and mutagenic effect of Kalanchoe laciniata to access the safety and usefulness of the medicinal plant. Aqua-methanolic and n-hexane extracts of K. laciniata were evaluated for the genotoxic potential using Ames assay and cytotoxicity was evaluated using MTT assay. Ames assay was conducted using two strains of Salmonella typhimurium TA-100 and TA-102 whereas MTT assay was performed on baby hamster kidney cell line BHK-21. Aqua-methanolic extract of K.laciniata exhibited significant mutagenicity when exposed to TA-102 strain with a mutagenic index of 50.66 and 54.74 at maximum dose 150 mg/plate. The extract was also mutagenic to TA-100 strain but to a lesser extent. M.I of n-hexane extract was 12.15 and 15.51 for TA-100 and TA-102 respectively. n-hexane extract was mutagenic but little difference was observed between results of two strains. Both extracts were found to be cytotoxic with an IC50 of 321.9 and 638.5 µg/mL for aqua-methanolic and n-hexane extracts respectively. On the basis of results it was concluded that aqua-methanolic and n-hexane extracts of K.laciniata possess mutagenic and cytotoxic potential. It is suggested to explore the plant further to evaluate its safety in rodents and other species.


Megakaryocytic morphology in Janus kinase 2 V617F positive myeloproliferative neoplasm.
Alterations in megakaryocyte morphology are the hallmark of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). These neoplasm are also associated with Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) V617F mutation in nearly 95% patients with polycythemia vera (PV), 40% patients of essential thrombocythemia (ET) and 50% patients of myelofibrosis (MF). The utility of megakaryocyte morphology in these disorders in correlation with JAK2 V617F remains unresolved. The aim of the study was to assess the morphology of megakaryocytes in bone marrow aspirates (BMAs) and bone marrow biopsies of patients of BCR-ABL negative MPNs with JAK2 V617F mutation. This study was a retrospective and prospective, hospital-based study undertaken for a period ranging from January 2011 to April 2015. Assessment of morphological features of megakaryocytes in 15 BMAs and their respective biopsies which included seven cases of PV, three cases of ET, and five cases of MF with JAK2 V617F mutation. Chi-square test and Fisher exact test were used to compare the different features of megakaryocytes. Software version SPSS 13.0 was used. Megakaryocytes in ET were found to have characteristically large size with staghorn multinucleated nuclei and exhibiting large amount of cytoplasm. MF showed dense clustering of megakaryocytes with staghorn nucleus along with sinusoidal dilatation and intrasinusoidal hematopoiesis. PV showed loose and dense clustering of megakaryocytes with a predominance of cloud-like nuclei. Few of the megakaryocytic morphologic features showed overlap between MF and PV and between ET and early MF. Megakaryocytic morphology can aid in the accurate diagnosis of the different subcategories of MPNs. This would help in categorization of clinically suspicious patients of JAK2 V617F negative patients.


Dual-Functional Manganese-Doped ZnO-MOF Hybrid Material with Enhanced Hydrolytic Stability: A Fluorescent Photoinduced Electron Transfer Sensor for the Ultraselective Detection of Acetic Acid and Chromium (VI).
In recent years, the synthesis of metal-organic framework (MOF)─nanocomposites has received wide attention from the scientific fraternity due to the presence of a tunable hierarchical architecture and invasive versatility in applications. The present work focuses on the solvothermal synthesis of a novel hybrid MOF-nanocomposite through the impregnation of Mn-doped ZnO nanoparticles onto the matrix of a pioneer metal-organic framework that is composed of zinc metal connected with terephthalic acid linkers (MOF-5). The hierarchical arrangements of the prepared material were further assessed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), UV-visible, photoluminescence (PL), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. The porosity analysis via nitrogen sorption measurements at 77 K showed that the material is porous with hierarchical micro-, wide micro-, and mesopores. The SAED pattern confirms the polycrystallinity of the material, which is in good agreement with the data obtained from PXRD analysis. Effective integration of Mn-doped ZnO onto the MOF structure was confirmed by XPS analysis, and the study further identified the oxidation state of the elements present. The synthesized analyte is an efficient fluorescent chemosensor for the detection of acetic acid, which can find further potential applications in intracellular imaging. Interestingly, the same compound also selectively detects the presence of Cr(VI) ions, thereby acting as a dual sensor, which finds applications in the sensing and removal of environmental contaminants. The material showed a sharp and intense emission at 569 nm at an excitation wavelength of 320 nm, and it exhibits high quenching efficiencies of 99.87 and 71.43% toward the sensing of μM level concentration of acetic acid and Cr2O72-, respectively. The highly efficient fluorescent sensing of pollutants, even at a shorter linear range, discarded the possibility of sensing the pollutants at higher concentration ranges. The Ksv value for the detection of acetic acid and Cr(VI) is found to be 3.7017 × 106 and 11.0324 × 106 M-1, respectively, which further confirms the higher sensing ability of the synthesized fluorophore. The mechanistic studies and density functional theory calculations of Mn-doped ZnO@MOF-5 reveal that photoinduced electron transfer plays a significant role in the turn-off response toward acetic acid and Cr2O72- ions. In the case of acetic acid, in addition to photoinduced electron transfer, hydrogen bonding interactions may also lead to fluorescence quenching. To the best of our knowledge, no precedent work has been reported for the sensing of acetic acid in the solution state. All other fluorescent sensing reports put forward the sensing and adsorption of acetic acid in the gaseous state, which makes this material a pioneer among others for the detection of acetic acid in the solution phase.


Demographic and educational differences in smoking in a tobacco-growing state.
National studies have documented an excessive rate of cigarette smoking in black men; however, a 1987 survey conducted in two urban areas in South Carolina documents a high rate of smoking in young white men with fewer than 12 years of education (67%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 58.3, 75.7). Differences in smoking rates by educational level were significant only for those younger than 40. Young blacks were less likely to smoke and smoked fewer cigarettes than whites. As a result, the population burden of cigarettes in young black men with fewer than 12 years of education was only 27% of the burden carried by their white peers. Television, physicians, and radio were all seen as likely sources of health information to prevent heart disease, but newspapers were less likely to be cited by those younger than 40 or by those with fewer than 12 years of education. Reported physician counseling for smoking cessation did not differ significantly by race, sex, or educational level of the patient, but reported counseling was higher for individuals with a personal history of cardiovascular disease (odds ratio [OR] = 2.32, CI = 1.27, 4.25) and somewhat lower for the elderly. We highlight the population burden of cigarettes, a predictor of the eventual disease burden attributable to smoking, as a useful priority measure for smoking intervention efforts.


An MRI-visible immunoadjuvant based on hollow Gd2O3 nanospheres for cancer immunotherapy.
Hollow Gd2O3 nanospheres significantly promote the cellular uptake of a tumor antigen by antigen presenting cells, exhibit pH-dependent alteration of the MR signal intensity and markedly enhance the antitumor immunity. Hollow Gd2O3 nanospheres are promising as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-visible cancer immunoadjuvants for cancer immunotherapy.


Diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatography in evaluation of obstructive jaundice.
To determine the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatography in the evaluation of obstructive jaundice taking endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) as the gold standard. The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Radiology Department of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation from August, 2009, to February, 2010. It comprised 77 patients (36 males and 41 females) with clinically obstructive jaundice referred for magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatography evaluation. The findings were compared with the gold standard. Data was analysed using SPSS version 15. The sensitivity of magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatography for obstructive jaundice was 97%; specificity was 75% and accuracy was 80%, while positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were 99% and 60% respectively. Magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatography is a relatively quick, accurate and non-invasive imaging modality for the assessment of obstructive jaundice in ruling out potentially correctable underlying causes and reducing unnecessary invasive interventions.


Relationship between allergic rhinitis and diamine oxidase activity: A preliminary report.
To analyze the diamine oxidase (DAO), the main catabolic enzyme of histamine, degradation activity and its relation with symptoms of persistent allergic rhinitis. In this descriptive and analytical observational study, we collected DAO activity levels and the nasal peak inspiratory flow. Enzymatic activity deficit in 108 patients was 46.3% (95% CI, 0.44 - 0.63), 33.33% in mild and 47.92% in moderate/severe rhinitis (p = 0.376). The nasal peak inspiratory flow in patients with a deficit in DAO activity was 76.30 ± 28.40 L/min compared to 93.62 ± 37.50 L/min in patients with normal enzymatic activity (p = 0.010). It seems that the lower the catabolic activity of DAO, the lower the nasal peak inspiratory flow observed. Although DAO activity levels could be a severity biomarker in allergic rhinitis, a cause-effect association cannot be concluded. The enzyme could be another actor in the pathophysiology of allergic rhinitis.


Cross-Linking of Sugar-Derived Polyethers and Boronic Acids for Renewable, Self-Healing, and Single-Ion Conducting Organogel Polymer Electrolytes.
This report describes the synthesis and characterization of organogels by reaction of a diol-containing polyether, derived from the sugar d-xylose, with 1,4-phenylenediboronic acid (PDBA). The cross-linked materials were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and rheology. The rheological material properties could be tuned: gel or viscoelastic behavior depended on the concentration of polymer, and mechanical stiffness increased with the amount of PDBA cross-linker. Organogels demonstrated self-healing capabilities and recovered their storage and loss moduli instantaneously after application and subsequent strain release. Lithiated organogels were synthesized through incorporation of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) into the cross-linked matrix. These lithium-borate polymer gels showed a high ionic conductivity value of up to 3.71 × 10-3 S cm-1 at 25 °C, high lithium transference numbers (t + = 0.88-0.92), and electrochemical stability (4.51 V). The gels were compatible with lithium-metal electrodes, showing stable polarization profiles in plating/stripping tests. This system provides a promising platform for the production of self-healing gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) derived from renewable feedstocks for battery applications.


Gender differences in clinical confidence: a nationwide survey of resident physicians in Japan.
The number of women physicians is increasing in Japan. The authors investigated gender differences in self-perceptions of clinical confidence. This cross-sectional study was conducted in March 2007 by using a stratified random sample of 1,124 second-year resident physicians. Residents' confidence levels were assessed, using four-point Likert scales (e.g., 1 for "not at all" to 4 for "very much"), in four competency sets: physical exams, procedural skills, interpretations of clinical tests, and physician-patient relationships and social service application. Gender effect was investigated for clinical confidence levels by general linear models adjusting for age, types of hospitals, number of clinical experiences, satisfaction with residency conditions, future career, and perspectives on life and work. The overall mean confidence scores in the four sets ranged between 2.9 and 3.1. Compared with men, women were younger (P = .001), more likely to be oriented more to life than to work (P < .001), less interested in doctor of medical science degrees (P = .001), and less likely to be satisfied with residency conditions (P = .020). A significantly greater proportion of women chose "family" (70% versus 54% for men) as "the most important thing in life." Compared with men, women were less confident in the majority of competency areas even after adjusting for the number of clinical experiences. This nationwide resident survey demonstrated gender differences in clinical confidence levels. Future studies require careful monitoring of self-confidence and its impact on physicians' professional development.


Role of age and injury mechanism on cervical spine injury tolerance from head contact loading.
The objective of this study was to determine the influence of age and injury mechanism on cervical spine tolerance to injury from head contact loading using survival analysis. This study analyzed data from previously conducted experiments using post mortem human subjects (PMHS). Group A tests used the upright intact head-cervical column experimental model. The inferior end of the specimen was fixed, the head was balanced by a mechanical system, and natural lordosis was removed. Specimens were placed on a testing device via a load cell. The piston applied loading at the vertex region. Spinal injuries were identified using medical images. Group B tests used the inverted head-cervical column experimental model. In one study, head-T1 specimens were fixed distally, and C7-T1 joints were oriented anteriorly, preserving lordosis. Torso mass of 16 kg was added to the specimen. In another inverted head-cervical column study, occiput-T2 columns were obtained, an artificial head was attached, T1-T2 was fixed, C4-C5 disc was maintained horizontal in the lordosis posture, and C7-T1 was unconstrained. The specimens were attached to the drop test carriage carrying a torso mass of 15 kg. A load cell at the inferior end measured neck loads in both studies. Axial neck force and age were used as the primary response variable and covariate to derive injury probability curves using survival analysis. Group A tests showed that age is a significant (P < .05) and negative covariate; that is, increasing age resulted in decreasing force for the same risk. Injuries were mainly vertebral body fractures and concentrated at one level, mid-to-lower cervical spine, and were attributed to compression-related mechanisms. However, age was not a significant covariate for the combined data from group B tests. Both group B tests produced many soft tissue injuries, at all levels, from C1 to T1. The injury mechanism was attributed to mainly extension. Multiple and noncontiguous injuries occurred. Injury probability curves, ±95% confidence intervals, and normalized confidence interval sizes representing the quality of the mean curve are given for different data sets. For compression-related injuries, specimen age should be used as a covariate or individual specimen data may be prescaled to derive risk curves. For distraction- or extension-related injuries, however, specimen age need not be used as a covariate in the statistical analysis. The findings from these tests and survival analysis indicate that the age factor modulates human cervical spine tolerance to impact injury.


Resolution of acute acquired comitant esotropia after suboccipital decompression for Chiari I malformation.
To report a case of acute comitant esotropia successfully treated with suboccipital decompression in a 9-year-old male patient with Chiari I malformation. Interventional case report. A 9-year-old male with Chiari I malformation had acute onset of diplopia, headache, and comitant esotropia. About 9 months after suboccipital decompression, diplopia resolved and there was near orthophoria on examination 15 months after surgery. In view of our case and after a review of literature, we advocate primary suboccipital decompression to treat acute comitant esotropia in patients with Chiari I malformation. A follow-up period of at least 1 year rather than 6 months seems necessary to assess surgery effects.


ABDS: tool suite for analyzing biologically diverse samples.
Analytics tools are essential to identify informative molecular features about different phenotypic groups. Among the most fundamental tasks are missing value imputation, signature gene detection, and expression pattern visualization. However, most commonly used analytics tools may be problematic for characterizing biologically diverse samples when either signature genes possess uneven missing rates across different groups yet involving complex missing mechanisms, or multiple biological groups are simultaneously compared and visualized. We develop ABDS tool suite tailored specifically to analyzing biologically diverse samples. Mechanism-integrated group-wise imputation is developed to recruit signature genes involving informative missingness, cosine-based one-sample test is extended to detect enumerated signature genes, and unified heatmap is designed to comparably display complex expression patterns. We discuss the methodological principles and demonstrate the conceptual advantages of the three software tools. We also showcase the biomedical applications of these individual tools. Implemented in open-source R scripts, ABDS tool suite complements rather than replaces the existing tools and will allow biologists to more accurately detect interpretable molecular signals among diverse phenotypic samples. The R Scripts of ABDS tool suite is freely available at https://github.com/niccolodpdu/ABDS.


Comparison of lung tumorigenesis induced by urethan in athymic nude mice and euthymic littermates.
Athymic (nu/nu) and euthymic (nu/+) mice were intraperitoneally given doses of 0.25 to 1.5 mg/g body weight of urethan at the age of 14 to 16 days. Dose-response relationship and sequential changes in lung tumorigenesis induced by urethan in athymic mice were compared with those in euthymic littermates. The urethan dose-response relationship in lung tumorigenesis of the nu/nu mice was almost the same as that in the nu/+ mice. Incidence and multiplicity of the lung tumors were investigated sequentially 28 days to 12 months after urethan injection. They showed similar indexes in the two phenotypically different mice at varying periods after 0.5 mg/g body weight urethan treatment (incidences of 4.8 and 4.4 tumors/mouse and 96 and 97% for nu/nu and nu/+ mice, respectively, at 12 months after treatment). This means that the length of the latent period is similar in these phenotypically different mice. It may be concluded that the immunosurveillance mechanism mediated by T-cells does not function in the present model.


Factors Associated With Malnutrition in Hospitalized Cancer Patients in a National Oncology Center in Conflict-Affected Settings in Sana'a, Yemen: An Institution-Based Cross-Sectional Study.
Background Cancer can significantly impact the nutritional status of patients, which can worsen related complications and reduce the effectiveness of treatment. Malnutrition is a common complication among cancer patients, especially among older adults. This study aims to determine the prevalence of malnutrition among hospitalized cancer patients and identify factors associated with malnutrition. Methodology and methods The cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on 296 cancer patients admitted to the National Oncology Referral Center in Sana'a, Yemen, between February 1 and March 31, 2022. Malnutrition was diagnosed through clinical assessment and screening tools such as screening tools, body mass index (BMI), weight loss percentage, and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to assess factors associated with malnutrition. Results Of the 296 patients included in the analysis, most were female 225 (76.0%), and the mean age was 45.8 years. The prevalence of undernutrition, as determined by the BMI score, was 48 (16.2%). The prevalence of malnutrition was higher in females 37 (16.4%) compared to males 11(15.5%). The data indicated that 49% of hospitalized patients had experienced weight loss of 5% or more. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that single (AOR=12.93, 95% CI: 1.17-142.77) or widowed (AOR=11.51, 95% CI: 1.05-126.03) marital status, weight loss (AOR=7.56, 95% CI: 3.00-18.69), stomach cancer (AOR=6.77, 95% CI: 1.66-27.70), and breast cancer (AOR=2.60, 95% CI: 1.12-6.03) were associated with an increased risk of malnutrition. Conclusions The study highlights the importance of evaluating and addressing the nutritional status of cancer patients, especially at the beginning and during treatment, to improve their clinical outcomes. Prospective studies are recommended to further investigate this issue.


[Electromyographic findings in children with dermatomyositis].
The author analysed electromyographic records in 14 children wit dermatomyositis. The findings included primary muscular changes of great intensity and presence of activity at rest in 50% of cases. The intensity of primary muscular changes resembled that observed in Duchenne's dystrophy and the distribution of changes was similar to that in non-progressive myopathies. Electromyographic changes occur in all cases of dermatomyositis and confirm the clinical diagnosis.


Intimacy Behaviors and Relationship Satisfaction for Cohabitors: Intimate Sacrifices Are Not Always Beneficial.
Guided by interdependence theory, the authors examined how relationship satisfaction is explained by intimate behavior sacrifices in a sample of cohabitors (N = 200). Specifically, it was predicted that characteristics of intimate behavior sacrifices, such as ease and partner appreciation should alter the association of sacrifice frequency and relationship satisfaction. The pattern that emerged demonstrates lower satisfaction for cohabitors when they frequently made intimate sacrifices and their partners were less appreciative of the sacrifices. When making frequent, but less appreciated, intimacy sacrifices for their partner, cohabitors may struggle with intimacy behaviors that are partner oriented.


Velocity of DNA during translocation through a solid-state nanopore.
While understanding translocation of DNA through a solid-state nanopore is vital for exploiting its potential for sensing and sequencing at the single-molecule level, surprisingly little is known about the dynamics of the propagation of DNA through the nanopore. Here we use linear double-stranded DNA molecules, assembled by the DNA origami technique, with markers at known positions in order to determine for the first time the local velocity of different segments along the length of the molecule. We observe large intramolecular velocity fluctuations, likely related to changes in the drag force as the DNA blob unfolds. Furthermore, we observe an increase in the local translocation velocity toward the end of the translocation process, consistent with a speeding up due to unfolding of the last part of the DNA blob. We use the velocity profile to estimate the uncertainty in determining the position of a feature along the DNA given its temporal location and demonstrate the error introduced by assuming a constant translocation velocity.


Mutational analysis of the L1 binding site of 23S rRNA in Escherichia coli.
The L11 ribosomal protein operon of Escherichia coli contains the genes for L11 and L1 and is feedback regulated by the translational repressor L1. Both the L1 binding site on 23S rRNA and the L1 repressor target site on L11 operon mRNA share similar proposed secondary structures and contain some primary sequence identity. Several site-directed mutations in the binding region of 23S rRNA were constructed and their effects on binding were examined. For in vitro analysis, a filter binding method was used. For in vivo analysis, a conditional expression system was used to overproduce a 23S rRNA fragment containing the L1 binding region, which leads to specific derepression of the synthesis of L11 and L1. Changes in the shared region of the 23S rRNA L1 binding site produced effects on L1 binding similar to those found previously in analysis of corresponding changes in the L11 operon mRNA target site. The results support the hypothesis that r-protein L1 interacts with both 23S rRNA and L11 operon mRNA by recognizing similar features on both RNAs.


The site of magnesium absorption from the ruminant stomach.
1. A low-magnesium diet was fed to four sheep, each of which had been surgically prepared with a rumen fistula, a tube into the cranial one-third of the omasum, a tube to the cranial one-third of the abomasum and a re-entrant duodenal cannula. Mg, as gluconate or acate or acetate, was continuously infused for 12-14 d in turn into (1) the caudal duodenal cannula, (2) the abomasum, (3) the omasum, (4) the rumen. A continuous infusion of the chromium-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid complex (CrEDTA) was maintained to the rumen. The abomasal effluent which flowed through the cranial duodenal cannula was continually sampled and the flow of Mg calculated from the concentrations of Mg and CrEDTA. Blood and rumen fluid samples were taken and urine and faeces collected during each period of Mg infusion. 2. The Mg infused to either the abomasum or omasum was completely recovered at the duodenum, indicating a lack of net absorption of Mg from these stomach compartments. In contrast, 13-7-18-7 mmol (36-61%) of the Mg infused to the rumen was not recovered at the duodenum which suggested that a substantial net absorption of the infused Mg occurred from the reticulo-rumen. Absorption of Mg caudal to the pylorus was not related to the site of Mg infusion and averaged 3-28 +/- 0-56 (SEM) mmol/d. 3. Compared with the intraruminal infusion, the post-ruminal infusion of Mg was associated with decreased plasma and rumen fluid Mg concentrations, decreased urinary Mg exretion, decreased Mg balance and increased faecal Mg excretion. 4. It is concluded that no significant absorption of Mg occurs from either the omasum or abomasum in sheep and that the reticulo-rumen is the principal site of Mg absorption before the pylorus. Absorption of Mg post-ruminally is insufficient to maintain normal Mg status in the animal.


Treatment of allicin improves maturation of immature oocytes and subsequent developmental ability of preimplantation embryos.
Allicin (AL) regulates the cellular redox, proliferation, viability, and cell cycle of different cells against extracellular-derived stress. This study investigated the effects of allicin treatment on porcine oocyte maturation and developmental competence. Porcine oocytes were cultured in medium supplemented with 0 (control), 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10 or 100 μM AL, respectively, during in vitro maturation (IVM). The rate of polar body emission was higher in the 0.1 AL-treated group (74.5% ± 2.3%) than in the control (68.0% ± 2.6%) (P < 0.1). After parthenogenetic activation, the rates of cleavage and blastocyst formation were significantly higher in the 0.1 AL-treated group than in the control (P < 0.05). The reactive oxygen species level at metaphase II did not significantly differ among all groups. In matured oocytes, the expression of both BAK and CASP3, and BIRC5 was significantly lower and higher, respectively, in the 0.1 AL-treated group than in the control. Similarly, the expression of BMP15 and CCNB1, and the activity of phospho-p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), significantly increased. These results indicate that supplementation of oocyte maturation medium with allicin during IVM improves the maturation of oocytes and the subsequent developmental competence of porcine oocytes.


Urinary Biomarker Panel to Improve Accuracy in Predicting Prostate Biopsy Result in Chinese Men with PSA 4-10 ng/mL.
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and clinical performance of a panel of urinary biomarkers to diagnose prostate cancer (PCa) in Chinese men with PSA levels between 4 and 10 ng/mL. A total of 122 patients with PSA levels between 4 and 10 ng/mL who underwent consecutive prostate biopsy at three hospitals in China were recruited. First-catch urine samples were collected after an attentive prostate massage. Urinary mRNA levels were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The predictive accuracy of these biomarkers and prediction models was assessed by the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The diagnostic accuracy of PCA3, PSGR, and MALAT-1 was superior to that of PSA. PCA3 performed best, with an AUC of 0.734 (95% CI: 0.641, 0.828) followed by MALAT-1 with an AUC of 0.727 (95% CI: 0.625, 0.829) and PSGR with an AUC of 0.666 (95% CI: 0.575, 0.749). The diagnostic panel with age, prostate volume, % fPSA, PCA3 score, PSGR score, and MALAT-1 score yielded an AUC of 0.857 (95% CI: 0.780, 0.933). At a threshold probability of 20%, 47.2% of unnecessary biopsies may be avoided whereas only 6.2% of PCa cases may be missed. This urinary panel may improve the current diagnostic modality in Chinese men with PSA levels between 4 and 10 ng/mL.


Water-Induced Regeneration of a 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl Radical after Its Scandium Ion-Promoted Electron-Transfer Disproportionation in an Aprotic Medium.
A neutral, stable radical, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•), has been frequently used to estimate the activity of antioxidants for more than 60 years. However, the number of reports about the effect of metal ions on the reactivity of DPPH• is quite limited. We have recently reported a unique electron-transfer disproportionation of DPPH• to produce the DPPH cations (DPPH+) and anions (DPPH-) upon the addition of scandium triflate [Sc(OTf)3 (OTf = OSO2CF3)] to an acetonitrile (MeCN) solution of DPPH•. The driving force of this reaction is suggested to be an interaction between DPPH- and Sc3+. In this study, it is demonstrated that the addition of H2O to the DPPH•-Sc(OTf)3 system in MeCN resulted in an increase in the absorption band at 519 nm due to DPPH•. This indicated that an electron-transfer comproportionation occurred to regenerate DPPH•. The regeneration of DPPH• was also confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The amount of DPPH• increased with an increasing amount of added H2O to reach a constant value. The detailed mechanism of regeneration of DPPH• was proposed based on the detailed spectroscopic and kinetic analyses, in which the reaction of DPPH+ with [(DPPH)2Sc(H2O)3]+ generated upon the addition of H2O to [(DPPH)2Sc]+ is the rate-determining step.


Detecting nanoparticles in tissue using an optical iterative technique.
Determining the physical penetration depth of nanoparticles (NPs) into tissues is a challenge that many researchers have been facing in recent years. This paper presents a new noninvasive method for detecting NPs in tissue using an optical iterative technique based on the Gerchberg-Saxton (G-S) algorithm. At the end of this algorithm the reduced scattering coefficient (µs'), of a given substance, can be estimated from the standard deviation (STD) of the retrieved phase of the remitted light. Presented in this paper are the results of a tissue simulation which indicate a linear ratio between the STD and the scattering components. A linear ratio was also observed in the tissue-like phantoms and in ex vivo experiments with and without NPs (Gold nanorods and nano Methylene Blue). The proposed technique is the first step towards determining the physical penetration depth of NPs.


Dobutamine stress echocardiography in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Myocardial ischemia in the absence of coronary artery disease is common in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) induces left ventricular (LV) new wall motion abnormalities (NWMA) in some patients with HCM. We evaluated the effects of dobutamine on LV performance and hemodynamics in HCM. Eighteen patients with non-obstructive HCM underwent DSE. Dobutamine was administered at dosages of 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 microg/kg/min with increments at intervals of 3 min. Seven patients developed NWMA, whereas the other 11 did not. During DSE, heart rate increased significantly more in NWMA patients,whereas LV outflow tract gradient (OTG) increased significantly and similarly in both groups. At peak dobutamine dose, NWMA patients had a significant increase in LV end-systolic diameter and volume and a significant decrease in LV fractional shortening and ejection fraction. Posterior wall thickening increased significantly, whereas septal thickening did not increase throughout DSE in both groups. In a subgroup of patients with HCM, DSE induces NWMA, associated with a greater increase in heart rate, irrespective of LVOTG. NWMA induce a depression of global LV systolic performance. The septum shows no contractile reserve, regardless of NWMA. These phenomena may be the result of induction of ischemia and/or impaired LV systolic function due to fast heart rate.


Lithium Nitrate Solvation Chemistry in Carbonate Electrolyte Sustains High-Voltage Lithium Metal Batteries.
The lithium metal anode is regarded as a promising candidate in next-generation energy storage devices. Lithium nitrate (LiNO3 ) is widely applied as an effective additive in ether electrolyte to increase the interfacial stability in batteries containing lithium metal anodes. However, because of its poor solubility LiNO3 is rarely utilized in the high-voltage window provided by carbonate electrolyte. Dissolution of LiNO3 in carbonate electrolyte is realized through an effective solvation regulation strategy. LiNO3 can be directly dissolved in an ethylene carbonate/diethyl carbonate electrolyte mixture by adding trace amounts of copper fluoride as a dissolution promoter. LiNO3 protects the Li metal anode in a working high-voltage Li metal battery. When a LiNi0.80 Co0.15 Al0.05 O2 cathode is paired with a Li metal anode, an extraordinary capacity retention of 53 % is achieved after 300 cycles (13 % after 200 cycles for LiNO3 -free electrolyte) and a very high average Coulombic efficiency above 99.5 % is achieved at 0.5 C. The solvation chemistry of LiNO3 -containing carbonate electrolyte may sustain high-voltage Li metal anodes operating in corrosive carbonate electrolytes.


First Membrane Proximal External Region-Specific Anti-HIV1 Broadly Neutralizing Monoclonal IgA1 Presenting Short CDRH3 and Low Somatic Mutations.
Mucosal HIV-1-specific IgA have been described as being able to neutralize HIV-1 and to block viral transcytosis. In serum and saliva, the anti-HIV IgA response is predominantly raised against the envelope of HIV-1. In this work, we describe the in vivo generation of gp41-specific IgA1 in humanized α1KI mice to produce chimeric IgA1. Mice were immunized with a conformational immunogenic gp41-transfected cell line. Among 2300 clones screened by immunofluorescence microscopy, six different gp41-specific IgA with strong recognition of gp41 were identified. Two of them have strong neutralizing activity against primary HIV-1 tier 1, 2, and 3 strains and present a low rate of somatic mutations and autoreactivity, unlike what was described for classical gp41-specific IgG. Epitopes were identified and located in the hepted repeat 2/membrane proximal external region. These Abs could be of interest in prophylactic treatment to block HIV-1 penetration in mucosa or in chronically infected patients in combination with antiretroviral therapy to reduce viral load and reservoir.


[The rare syndromic forms of monogenic diabetes in childhood].
The most frequent form of diabetes in the childhood is type 1 diabetes. Moreover, the rare forms of diabetes have been also identified in children. Besides of neonatal diabetes caused by the mutations in KCNJ11, SUR1 and GCK genes, other forms of monogenic diabetes are associated with different chronic disorders. These rare forms of syndromic diabetes are related to mutations in genes which lead to Wolfram syndrome, Alström syndrome, Wolcott-Rallison syndrome or Roger's/TRMA syndrome. In this paper we discuss the clinical features of rare syndromic forms of monogenic diabetes, which gave suggestions on pathogenic mechanism of the diagnosed diabetes in childhood. This may be helpful for appropriate classification of the epidemiological, clinical and genetic data. It may be useful in the future to the form of the Polish National Survey of rare syndromic forms of monogenic diabetes in childhood.


A BASIC microcomputer program for prediction of B and T cell epitopes in proteins.
A BASIC microcomputer program (EPIPLOT) has been developed for predicting B and T cell antigenic sites in proteins from their primary structures. The program calculates and plots flexibility, hydrophilicity and antigenicity profiles using 13 different scales, chosen as those yielding the best predictions on proteins whose antigenic structures are known. T cell epitope prediction is based on published algorithms focused on amphiphilic structures and characteristic sequence patterns. The advantages of joint predictions in locating T cell antigenic sites are also discussed.