[The present situation and future prospects of bone substitute of bioinspired materials].
As for an artificial bone which is a substitute material of a bone which supports our body, a block/a granulation or paste properties are manufactured by HAP or beta-TCP. They are similar ingredient of the bone itself. In particular, beta-TCP shows excellent absorbency, and it is applied as a scaffold of tissue engineering of a bony structure. Because such an artificial bone does not obstruct bone metabolism such as the absorption by osteoblasts and bone formation by osteoblasts, such product has both interconnected pore and bioabsorbable properties. However, these artificial bones alone cannot meet demands of clinical practice side. Therefore it is necessary to have the material designs that can promote the work of three factors of cell/Growth factor/Scaffold to future artificial bones, a function more suitable for operation applications. And I would hope that the level of regenerative medicine would drastically improve by further development above mentioned artificial bone.


Nanoscale architectures for molecular electronics: vibrational spectroscopy and structure of solid hexa-n-dodecyl-hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene.
The solid columnar discotic and liquid-crystalline phases formed by hexa-n-dodecyl-hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (HBC-C12) have been investigated by IR and Raman vibrational spectroscopies. IR spectra clearly show the two phase transitions at 42 and at 107 degrees C already reported in literature and allow us to understand the conformational modifications of the n-alkyl chains that take place through the transitions. Thanks to the collected data, we propose a model of the structure of HBC-C12 in the solid-crystalline phase below 42 degrees C which includes the structure of the alkyl chains. This model is also confirmed by dichroic infrared microscopy measurements on highly oriented samples.


Development of a fast and reliable method for the assessment of microbial colonization and growth on textiles by DNA quantification.
There is a lack of relevant methods to assess the colonization of textiles by skin bacteria because present methods are mainly culture-based procedures. Therefore, the goal of this study was to develop a fast and sensitive culture-independent procedure for the quantification of microbial colonization and growth on textiles. We have established a suitable protocol to use DNA quantification as a reliable method for in vitroand in vivoinvestigations of textiles. For DNA extraction, a two-step procedure comprising treatment of the textile with a solution containing Triton X-100 and lysozyme for 1 h and a successive treatment by SDS and proteinase K for 2 h turned out to be most efficient. DNA extracted from textiles and fabrics was than quantified with the highly sensitive PicoGreen fluorescent dye. In vitrochallenge tests demonstrated a strong correlation between numbers of bacteria on textiles and amount of DNA extracted from textiles. Therefore, this method was used to compare different materials after in vivotrials for assessment of their susceptibility for microbial colonization and growth.


Ultraflexible and Lightweight Bamboo-Derived Transparent Electrodes for Perovskite Solar Cells.
Wearable devices are mainly based on plastic substrates, such as polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene naphthalate, which causes environmental pollution after use due to the long decomposition periods. This work reports on the fabrication of a biodegradable and biocompatible transparent conductive electrode derived from bamboo for flexible perovskite solar cells. The conductive bioelectrode exhibits extremely flexible and light-weight properties. After bending 3000 times at a 4 mm curvature radius or even undergoing a crumpling test, it still shows excellent electrical performance and negligible decay. The performance of the bamboo-based bioelectrode perovskite solar cell exhibits a record power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 11.68%, showing the highest efficiency among all reported biomass-based perovskite solar cells. It is remarkable that this flexible device has a highly bendable mechanical stability, maintaining over 70% of its original PCE during 1000 bending cycles at a 4 mm curvature radius. This work paves the way for perovskite solar cells toward comfortable and environmentally friendly wearable devices.


[Treatment of congenital hip dislocation using Pavlik's harness. Long term results].
After many years using Pavlik harness for treatment of congenital hips dislocation, it is important to evaluate long-term results, failure causes and factors responsible for avascular necrosis. One hundred and forty one children were treated by this mean (159 dislocated hips, 30 acetabular dysplasia). The follow up was 74 months (12-175). In this study, the severity of the dislocation was evaluated by antero-posterior radiographs of the pelvis. The importance of proximal dislocation was measured by the distance from the top of the proximal femoral metaphysis to the Y line and the lateralization by the distance from the medial border of the proximal femoral metaphysis to the ischium. Results were appreciated using Severin classification modified by Kasser and Mose's circles. Several factors as age at the beginning of treatment, sex, previous treatment, passive abduction of the hip, amount of dislocation were statistically evaluated (chi 2 and P test). Of 159 dislocated hips, 10 (6.3 per cent) were not reduced by the harness. Temporary growth modifications and avascular necrosis were observed in 24 (16.1 per cent) of 149 reduced hips. We shall add to these, 3 avascular necrosis in 10 hips which were not reduced in the pavlik harness and 2 avascular necrosis which occurred in normal hips. This complication was not encountered in dysplasic hips without dislocation. Using Severin classification, there was 61 excellent, 33 good and 5 fair results in the group of 99 hips followed for more than 72 months. Of all growth anomalies and avascular necrosis, only half of them keep sequelae at the last follow-up. Some factors as age, sex, previous treatment have no incidence in the number of failures and avascular necrosis. On the contrary, passive abduction of the hip, severity of the dislocation were responsible for most of these complications. Pavlik harness must be used with circonspection. It can be used only where passive abduction is superior to 30 degrees and distance H superior to 4 mm. In other cases, it is preferable to use progressive traction. Pavlik harness is widely used for treatment of congenital hip dislocation. Reduction can be obtained as stabilisation and correction of acetabular dysplasia. The risk for avascular remains relatively high. The use of the harness needs a rigourous choice of indications.


Collisionless Transport Close to a Fermionic Quantum Critical Point in Dirac Materials.
Quantum transport close to a critical point is a fundamental, but enigmatic problem due to fluctuations, persisting at all length scales. We report the scaling of optical conductivity (OC) in the collisionless regime (ℏω≫k_{B}T) in the vicinity of a relativistic quantum critical point, separating two-dimensional (d=2) massless Dirac fermions from a fully gapped insulator or superconductor. Close to such a critical point, gapless fermionic and bosonic excitations are strongly coupled, leading to a universal suppression of the interband OC as well as of the Drude peak (while maintaining its delta function profile) inside the critical regime, which we compute to the leading order in 1/N_{f}- and ε expansions, where N_{f} counts the fermion flavor number and ε=3-d. Correction to the OC at such a non-Gaussian critical point due to the long-range Coulomb interaction and generalizations of these scenarios to a strongly interacting three-dimensional Dirac or Weyl liquid are also presented, which can be tested numerically and possibly from nonperturbative gauge-gravity duality, for example.


Financial versus Non-Financial Incentives for Improving Patient Experience.
Delivering compassionate and coordinated care is a goal for all health care providers. Humans are not always consistent, though, both individually and collectively, and this is why everyone needs incentives to be at their best and to try to always be improving. The endlessly interesting question in patient experience is, what should those incentives look like? Should they be financial or nonfinancial? Dr. Thomas H. Lee explores what is most effective in regard to engaging and motivating physicians. While different approaches will work in different organizational cultures, financial incentives have their role in performance improvement. Compassionate coordinated care should be a social norm and be pursued by all health care organizations.


"Yellow-dragon Wonderful-seed Formula" for hyperuricemia in gout patients with dampness-heat pouring downward pattern: a pilot randomized controlled trial.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theories, the typical clinical manifestations of gout are attributed to the "dampness-heat pouring downward." Therefore, TCM practitioners always consider prescribing the formulae which are believed to clear heat and drain dampness for the management of gout. This clinical trial aims: (1) to determine the hypouricemic effect of "Yellow-dragon Wonderful-seed Formula" (YWF) decoction in gout patients with dampness-heat pouring downward pattern and (2) to determine if gypsum could provide additional significant benefits to YWF. A total of 72 hyperuricemic individuals with gout and dampness-heat pouring downward pattern were included with 62 of them completing the trial. Participants were randomly assigned to the YWF group, the YWF + gypsum group, or the allopurinol group. YWF and YWF + gypsum decoctions were orally administered for four weeks. Allopurinol was also orally administered for four weeks as the active control. Serum uric acid (sUA) level was the primary outcome measure. Urine urate level, scores on the SF-36 scale, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), X ray film, and C reactive protein (CRP) level were the secondary outcome measures. Compared with the values at week 0, YWF and YWF + gypsum did not significantly decrease the sUA level at each weekend reading. YWF, YWF + gypsum, and allopurinol decreased the urine urate levels and there were significant differences between the YWF group and the YWF + gypsum group. All the changes in the eight structures of SF-36 during the intervention period were not significantly different among the three groups and there was no significant difference in the CRP level among the three groups at each weekend reading. YWM, which modified on the basis of Two Wonderful Herbs Powder (2WHP), does not show significant hypouricemic effect. There is a possibility that Gypsum Fibrosum may provide additional effects to YWF in decreasing the urine urate levels but cannot add benefits to YWF in other outcome measures. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-TRC-12001933 . Registered on 10 February 2012.


[Dietary alpha-linolenic acid and arterial pressure in the rat].
The effect of dietary alpha-linolenic acid (18: 3 n-3) upon the arterial pressure of rats has been studied. Three experiments were carried out on rats of different ages that were fed a diet containing alpoha-linolenic acid in the form of Primor oil (rapeseed oil low in erucic acid). Control animals were fed a peanut oil diet and a third group of rats was fed a low-lipid, commercial diet. The arterial pressure of the rats was periodically measured. After a two- or three-month period (depending on the experiment), the rats were killed. Some of the livers were taken out and their fatty acids analysed. Comparing the results obtained in the rats fed on the alpha-linolenic acid diet with those of the control rats, we found that: (1) Dietary alpha-linolenic acid brought about no noticeable effect upon arterial pressure. (2) The arachidonic: linoleic (w/w) ratio in the liver lipids was lowered in the animals that had received alpha-linolenic acid, indicating a partial inhibition of the biosynthesis of arachidonic acid in these rats. Two hypotheses have been tentatively proposed to explain the absence of hypertensive effect following the administration of alpha-linolenic acid, in spite of its inhibitory effect upon the conversion of linoleic acid into polyunsaturated fatty acids which are the precursors of prostaglandins in rats.


Impact of esophagectomy for cancer on patients' occupational status.
The aim of our study was to investigate the impact of esophagectomy for cancer on patients' occupational status. All 109 consecutive patients presenting with esophageal cancer to the Surgical Oncology Unit of the Veneto Institute of Oncology Padua (Italy) between November 1, 2009 and March 15, 2012, were included in the study. Information on occupational status at diagnosis and at 1 year after esophagectomy was retrieved. Health-related quality of life was evaluated at discharge after surgery using selected aspects of the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire. Non parametric statistics were used. Sixty-one patients (49.6%) were active workers at diagnosis and 50 of them (82.0%) underwent esophagectomy. Eighteen active workers (18/50, 36.0%) quit their job within one year from esophagectomy. They received jejunostomy more often than patients still working after surgery (50.0% vs. 18.8%, respectively; p = 0.03) and reported lower social functioning at discharge (mean ± SD 63.6 ± 16.4 vs. 80.2 ± 25.6 in others, p = 0.02). Multivariable analysis identified jejunostomy as independent predictor of job-quitting at 1 year after esophagectomy (p = 0.03; OR 4.75, 95% C.I. 1.11-20.39) but not social functioning at discharge (p = 0.21). Patients should be informed that they may experience social and work disability due to cancer treatment and adequate interventions of return-to-work support should be provided. Adequate welfare strategy should be implemented for esophageal cancer survivors, enhancing their role competences and contributing to precision care medicine.


Pericardial effusion--an uncommon complication of Salmonella enteritis.
A 62-year-old lady who was receiving corticosteroids for rheumatoid arthritis was admitted suffering from dehydration due to salmonella enteritis. Despite rehydration and appropriate chemotherapy she remained unwell and developed hypotension and elevation of her jugular venous pressure. Echocardiography and subsequent aspiration demonstrated a purulent pericardial effusion from which S typhimurium was cultured. Following aspiration and a change of antibiotic therapy, her condition improved dramatically.


High pressure solid state chemistry of carbon dioxide.
A review of experimental and theoretical studies performed over the past three decades on high pressure chemistry of solid CO2, at 0-80 GPa and 40-3000 K, is presented. Emphasis is placed on the recently discovered non-molecular covalent crystalline phase V, and its glassy counterpart a-CO2, along with other molecular phases, whose interpretation is crucial for determining the reaction path to non-molecular CO2. The matter is still under debate, and many open issues are outlined, such as the true reaction mechanism for forming phase V. Finally, we propose arguments to stimulate possible future research in a more extended P-T range. This work is a tutorial review and should be of general interest both for solid state chemistry and condensed matter physics communities.


Hybridization and contemporary evolution in an introduced cichlid fish from Lake Malawi National Park.
Rapidly evolving systems offer the chance to observe genetic and phenotypic change in real time. We exploit a well-characterized introduction of cichlid fish into Lake Malawi National Park to document a short history of habitat colonization and the evolution of genes and colour pattern. In the early 1960s, a fish exporter introduced individuals of Cynotilapia afra to a single site (Mitande Point) of Thumbi West Island and, as late as 1983, the species was confined to this location. In 2001, C. afra had colonized the entire perimeter of Thumbi West. In July of that year, we sampled C. afra individuals from six sites around the island and scored variation in dorsal fin colour as well as allelic diversity at six microsatellite loci. We found that, in two decades, C. afra had diverged into genetically distinct, phenotypically different northern and southern populations. We observed a high proportion of hybrids between the introduced C. afra and the native Metriaclima zebra on the southern coast of Thumbi West, and speculate that hybridization is facilitated by low water clarity at these windward sites. The short history of C. afra at Thumbi West is a microcosm of contemporary evolutionary divergence and may provide the opportunity to study the process from start to finish in genetic detail.


Preparation of transmission electron microscopy cross-section specimens of crack tips using focused ion beam milling.
The preparation of transmission electron microscope (TEM) thin foil specimens from metal alloys containing cracks is usually thwarted by the difficulty in preventing preferential erosion of material along the flanks and at the tips of cracks. Recent developments in focused ion beam (FIB) micromachining methods have the potential to overcome this inherent problem. In this article we describe the development of new procedures, one using FIB alone and the other using a combination of FIB with more conventional ion milling to generate TEM specimens that largely retain the microstructural information at stress corrosion cracks in austentic alloys. Examples of corrosion product phase identification and interfacial segregation are included to verify that detailed information is not destroyed by ion bombardment during specimen preparation.


A comparative transcriptome analysis of a wild purple potato and its red mutant provides insight into the mechanism of anthocyanin transformation.
In this study, a red mutant was obtained through in vitro regeneration of a wild purple potato. High-performance liquid chromatography and Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside and petunidin-3-O-glucoside were main anthocyanins in the mutant and wild type tubers, respectively. In order to thoroughly understand the mechanism of anthocyanin transformation in two materials, a comparative transcriptome analysis of the mutant and wild type was carried out through high-throughput RNA sequencing, and 295 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained. Real-time qRT-PCR validation of DEGs was consistent with the transcriptome date. The DEGs mainly influenced biological and metabolic pathways, including phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and translation, and biosynthesis of flavone and flavonol. In anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway, the analysis of structural genes expressions showed that three genes, one encoding phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, one encoding 4-coumarate-CoA ligase and one encoding flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylasem were significantly down-regulated in the mutant; one gene encoding phenylalanine ammonia-lyase was significantly up-regulated. Moreover, the transcription factors, such as bZIP family, MYB family, LOB family, MADS family, zf-HD family and C2H2 family, were significantly regulated in anthocyanin transformation. Response proteins of hormone, such as gibberellin, abscisic acid and brassinosteroid, were also significantly regulated in anthocyanin transformation. The information contributes to discovering the candidate genes in anthocyanin transformation, which can serve as a comprehensive resource for molecular mechanism research of anthocyanin transformation in potatoes.


Immunolabeling of adenohypophysial cells with protein A-colloidal gold--antibody complex for electron microscopy: use of the freeze-substitution technique in tissue preparation.
The value of the freeze-substitution (FS) method for preparing tissues for electron microscopic immunohistochemistry was studied by comparing anterior pituitary cells prepared by this method and by a conventional method. Ultrathin sections of tissues embedded in Epon were subjected to immunostaining. The antigens adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and prolactin (PRL) in a single ultrathin section were demonstrated by a simple double-labeling technique using a protein A-colloidal gold-antibody (pAG-Ab) complex. The preservation of cellular ultrastructure was superior in preparations obtained by FS. Gold-labeling was seen over secretory granules, and in ACTH cells also over the cytoplasmic matrix. The labeling was more intense in preparations obtained by FS, judging from the numbers of gold particles. In the double-labeling procedure, in which the pA-small colloidal gold-anti-PRL complex and pA-large colloidal gold-anti-ACTH complex were applied sequentially to sections, no cross-labeling with small and large gold particles was observed. It is concluded that if the antisera are sufficiently specific, the use of FS and the pAG-Ab complex is very effective in peptide immunohistochemistry. However, in the double-labeling procedure it is essential that the Fc-binding sites of pAG are saturated by the use of excess amounts of antibodies.


Conversion of Naphthoates to cis-Dihydrodiols by Naphthalenesulfonate-assimilating Pseudomonas sp. TA-2.
A naphthalenesulfonate-assimilating bacterium, Pseudomonas sp. TA-2, was found to convert 2-naphthoate to cis-1,2-dihydroxv-1,2-dihydronaphthalene-2-carboxylate (DDN2C) and cis-l,2-dihydroxy-l,2-dihydronaphthalene-3-carboxylate (DDN3C), and converted 1-naphthoate to as-l,2-dihydroxy-l,2-dihydronaphthalene-l-carboxylate (DDN1C). It was suggested that conversion of naphthoates was done by a dioxvgenase with relaxed regioselectivity.


Retrospective study: The diagnostic accuracy of conventional forceps biopsy of gastric epithelial compared to endoscopic submucosal dissection (STROBE compliant).
Conventional forceps biopsy (CFB) is the most popular way to screen for gastric epithelial neoplasia (GEN) and adenocarcinoma of gastric epithelium. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy between conventional forceps biopsy and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD).Four hundred forty-four patients who finally undertook ESD in our hospital were enrolled from Jan 1, 2009 to Sep 1, 2015. We retrospectively assessed the characteristics of pathological results of CFB and ESD.The concordance rate between CFB and ESD specimens was 68.92% (306/444). Men showed a lower concordance rate (63.61% vs 79.33%; P = 0.001) and concordance patients were younger (P = 0.048). In multivariate analysis, men significantly had a lower concordance rate (coefficient -0.730, P = 0.002) and a higher rate of pathological upgrade (coefficient -0.648, P = 0.015). Locations of CFB did not influence the concordance rate statistically.The concordance rate was relatively high in our hospital. According to our analysis, old men plus gastric fundus or antrum of CFB were strongly suggested to perform ESD if precancerous lesions were found. And young women with low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia could select regular follow-up.


[Effects of different doses of iron supplement on function of mitochondrial respiration of liver during exercise-induced hypochromic rats].
To investigate the effects of iron supplement on function of mitochondrial respiratory of liver during exercise-induced hypochromic rats. Forty healthy male Wistar rats were randomized into 5 groups (n = 8): static control (C), exercise-training (T), training with supplementation of small dose iron (S + T), training with supplementation of middle dose iron (M + T) and training with supplementation of large dose iron (L + T). Training performed incremental exercise for 8 weeks, 6 days/week, iron supplementation from the fifth week. Liver were prepared immediately after exhaustive running. Liver mitochondria were extracted by differential centrifugation. Spectrophotometric analysis was used to evaluate activities of electron transport chain complex (C) I-IV in liver mitochondria. (1) C I, CII and CIV activities in T group were increased significantly (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), CI - C IV activities in S + T, M + T and L + T groups were increased significantly (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) compared with those in C group. (2) CII activity in S + T group was increased remarkably (P < 0.05); CIII and CIV activities in M + T group were increased remarkably (P < 0.01); CI - CIV activities in L+ T group were increased remarkably (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) compared with those in T group. Large load exercise training composite iron supplementation can improve function of mitochondrial respiration of liver and the aerobic capacity. From the athletic ability , the middle dose iron supplementation is better during large load exercise training.


RORgammat and commensal microflora are required for the differentiation of mucosal interleukin 22-producing NKp46+ cells.
The mucosal immune system of the intestine is separated from a vast array of microbes by a single layer of epithelial cells. Cues from the commensal microflora are needed to maintain epithelial homeostasis, but the molecular and cellular identities of these cues are unclear. Here we provide evidence that signals from the commensal microflora contribute to the differentiation of a lymphocyte population coexpressing stimulatory natural killer cell receptors and the transcription factor RORgammat that produced interleukin 22 (IL-22). The emergence of these IL-22-producing RORgammathiNKp46+NK1.1(int) cells depended on RORgammat expression, which indicated that these cells may have been derived from lymphoid tissue-inducer cells. IL-22 released by these cells promoted the production of antimicrobial molecules important in the maintenance of mucosal homeostasis.


[Spontaneous pulmonary hemosiderosis in a 4-year old boy].
A case is presented of spontaneous pulmonary haemosiderosis in a four-year-old boy. During three years of follow-up a severe disease episode occurred in the child, requiring treatment in Intensive Therapy Unit. Good therapeutic effect was achieved after combination of corticosteroid treatment with imuran.


The autoimmune-predisposing variant of lymphoid tyrosine phosphatase favors T helper 1 responses.
The C1858T single nucleotide polymorphism in PTPN22, which is the gene encoding lymphoid tyrosine phosphatase (LYP), confers increased risk for various autoimmune disorders in Caucasians. Although the disease-associated LYP allele (LYP*W620) is a gain-of-function variant that has higher catalytic activity than the major allele (LYP*R620), it is still unclear how LYP*W620 predisposes for autoimmunity. Here, we compared both T cell signaling and T cell function in healthy human donors homozygous for either LYP*R620 or LYP*W620. Generally, the presence of LYP*W620 caused reduced proximal T cell antigen receptor-mediated signaling (e.g. ζ chain phosphorylation) but augmented CD28-associated signaling (e.g. AKT activation). Altered ligand binding properties of the two LYP variants could explain these findings since LYP*R620 interacted more strongly with the p85 subunit of PI3K. Variation in signaling between cells expressing either LYP*R620 or LYP*W620 also affected the differentiation of conventional CD4(+) T cells. For example, LYP*W620 homozygous donors displayed exaggerated Th1 responses (e.g. IFNγ production) and reduced Th17 responses (e.g. IL-17 production). Importantly, while regulatory T cells normally suppressed Th1-mediated IFNγ production in LYP*R620 homozygous individuals, such suppression was lost in LYP*W620 homozygous individuals. Altogether, these findings provide a molecular and cellular explanation for the autoimmune phenotype associated with LYP*W620.


Premature aging of the immune system in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is an autoimmune disease of the young. The pathogenesis is not completely understood. Premature aging, associated thymic involution, and compensatory autoproliferation could play important roles in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity. We undertook this study to determine whether patients with JIA demonstrate premature immunosenescence. To test this hypothesis, we measured 3 indicators of aging: the percentages and total counts of peripheral blood naive T cells, the frequency of T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) in naive T cells, and telomeric erosion and Ki-67 expression as estimates of the replicative history of homeostatic proliferation. JIA patients showed an accelerated loss of CD4+,CD45RA+,CD62L+ naive T cells with advancing age and a compensatory increase in the number of CD4+,CD45RO+ memory T cells. JIA patients demonstrated a significantly decreased frequency of TRECs in CD4+,CD45RA+ naive T cells compared with age-matched healthy donors (P = 0.002). TREC numbers correlated with age only in healthy donors (P = 0.0001). Telomeric erosion in CD4+,CD45RA+ naive T cells was increased in JIA patients (P = 0.01). The percentages of Ki-67-positive CD4+,CD45RA+ naive T cells were increased in JIA patients (P = 0.001) and correlated with disease duration (P = 0.003), which was also an independent factor contributing to telomeric erosion (P = 0.04). Our findings suggest that age-inappropriate T cell senescence and disturbed T cell homeostasis may contribute to the development of JIA. In patients with JIA, dysfunction in the ability to reconstitute the T cell compartment should be considered when exploring new therapeutic strategies.


Clinical, Biochemical and Molecular Features of a Cohort of 8 Patients with Inherited Disorders of Vitamin B12 Metabolism in a Metabolic Reference Center.
Vitamin B12, or cobalamin (Cbl), undergoes a complex series of absorptive and intracellular processing steps before serving as a cofactor for the enzymes methylmalonyl-CoA mutase and methionine synthase. Disorders of intracellular cobalamin metabolism have variable phenotypes and age of onset related to the location of the defect in the metabolic pathway leading to a combined methylmalonic acidemia and homocystinuria (cblC, cblD, cblF and cblJ), Isolated methylmalonic acidemia (cblA, cblB and cblDv2) and isolated homocystinuria (cblDv1, cblE and cblG). We conducted a retrospective study of the clinical biochemical and molecular features of a cohort of patients with disorders of intracellular Cbl metabolism followed in our Reference Centre of Inherited Metabolic Diseases (CR-IMD) for the last 23 years (2000-2023). CblC: P1 and P2, pré-newborn screening (NBS), had an early and severe presentation evolving to multiorgan failure and death. P3 was asymptomatic at NBS with an excellent evolution except for nystagmus and retinitis pigmentosa. P4 presented at 19Y with an atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome and is presently on hemodialysis. CblD: P5 had a developmental delay (DD) and hypotonia and presented at 14m with seizures. CblDv2: P6 had DD and failure to thrive (FTT) and presented at 4Y with acute metabolic acidosis. CblDv1: P7 had DD, FTT, and hypotonia and presented at 16m with seizures and anemia. CblG: P8 had DD and FTT and presented at 15m with macrocytic anemia. In all, characteristic biochemical profiles guided the diagnosis, afterward confirmed by genetic analysis (4 MMACHC, 3 MMADHC, 1 MTR). All patients received either betaine, hydroxycobalamin, or both (P3 is on a very high dosage). Our cohort of patients has similar clinical and biochemical characteristics to the ones described in the literature. Outcomes of patients reinforce the importance of newborn screening and the need for consensus guidelines for optimal doses of parenteral hydroxocobalamin.


Characterization of the Fifth Putative Acetylcholinesterase in the Wolf Spider, Pardosa pseudoannulata.
Background: Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is an important neurotransmitter hydrolase in invertebrate and vertebrate nervous systems. The number of AChEs is various among invertebrate species, with different functions including the 'classical' role in terminating synaptic transmission and other 'non-classical' roles. Methods: Using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technology, a new putative AChE-encoding gene was cloned from Pardosa pseudoannulata, an important predatory natural enemy. Sequence analysis and in vitro expression were employed to determine the structural features and biochemical properties of this putative AChE. Results: The cloned AChE contained the most conserved motifs of AChEs family and was clearly clustered with Arachnida AChEs. Determination of biochemical properties revealed that the recombinant enzyme had the obvious preference for the substrate ATC (acetylthiocholine iodide) versus BTC (butyrylthiocholine iodide). The AChE was highly sensitive to AChE-specific inhibitor BW284C51, but not butyrylcholinesterase-specific inhibitor tetraisopropyl pyrophosphoramide (ISO-OMPA). Based on these results, we concluded that a new AChE was identified from P. pseudoannulata and denoted as PpAChE5. Conclusion: Here we report the identification of a new AChE from P. pseudoannulata and increased the AChE number to five in this species. Although PpAChE5 had the biggest Vmax value among five identified AChEs, it showed relatively low affinity with ATC. Similar sensitivity to test insecticides indicated that this AChE might serve as the target for both organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides.


Cardiac Sarcoma Presenting as Tamponade.
Sarcomas are a broad group of neoplasm that originate from the mesenchymal layer and represent about 1% of malignancy in the adult population. We describe a 46-year-old woman with no prior medical history who presented with worsening dyspnea. Physical examination was significant for jugular venous distension and bilateral lower extremity edema. Chest Xray showed cardiomegaly. Echocardiography showed a normal ejection fraction of 65%, pericardial effusion with tamponade physiology and three epicardial masses. Patient had pericardiocentesis performed followed by pericardial window. Biopsy of pericardial mass showed morphologic and immunophenotypic findings supportive of diagnosis of malignant soft tissue sarcoma. Though this type of cancer is rare, malignancy should be included as one of the differential diagnoses of new-onset pericardial effusion in a young patient. Early diagnosis and referral to a specialized sarcoma center for treatment is recommended.


A meta-analysis of clinical studies on the caries-inhibiting effect of fluoride gel treatment.
A meta-analysis was performed on published data on the caries-inhibiting effect of fluoride gel treatment in 6- to 15-year-old children. The purposes of this meta-analysis were: (1) to calculate the overall caries-inhibiting effect of clinical fluoride gel treatment studies, based on explicit selection criteria, and (2) to explore factors potentially modifying the effect of fluoride gel treatment in caries prevention, concerning the baseline caries prevalence of the target population, the general fluoride regimen, and application features. The caries-inhibiting effect of fluoride gel application was assessed by the prevented fraction and the 'number needed to treat'. The overall prevented fraction of the fluoride gel treatment studies, indicating the reduction of caries incidence by fluoride gel treatment relative to the incidence in the control group, was 22% (95% CI = 18-25%). Multiple regression analysis showed no significant influence on the prevented fractions for the variables 'baseline caries prevalence', 'general fluoride regimen', 'application method', and 'application frequency'. The 'number needed to treat' (NNT), indicating the number of patients that need to be treated in order to prevent 1 DMFS, estimated the efficiency of fluoride gel treatment according to the caries incidence of the target population, including cost/effect relations. It was found that the NNT = 18 in a population with caries incidence 0.25 DMFS per year, and NNT = 3 in a population with caries incidence = 1.5 DMFS per year (treatment duration 1 year). From the standpoint of cost-effectiveness, the additional effect of fluoride gel treatment in current low and even moderate caries incidence child populations must be questioned.


CircleNet: Anchor-free Glomerulus Detection with Circle Representation.
Object detection networks are powerful in computer vision, but not necessarily optimized for biomedical object detection. In this work, we propose CircleNet, a simple anchor-free detection method with circle representation for detection of the ball-shaped glomerulus. Different from the traditional bounding box based detection method, the bounding circle (1) reduces the degrees of freedom of detection representation, (2) is naturally rotation invariant, (3) and optimized for ball-shaped objects. The key innovation to enable this representation is the anchor-free framework with the circle detection head. We evaluate CircleNet in the context of detection of glomerulus. CircleNet increases average precision of the glomerulus detection from 0.598 to 0.647. Another key advantage is that CircleNet achieves better rotation consistency compared with bounding box representations.


The effectiveness of oxytocin in the treatment of stimulant use disorders: a systematic review.
The purpose of this review is to examine human study evidence on the effectiveness of oxytocin in this patient population. Despite stimulant use disorder being a major public health concern, there are no validated pharmacological treatments. Psychosocial interventions show limited effectiveness especially in the more severe cases of stimulant use disorder, whereas animal models suggest that oxytocin may be a useful treatment. A literature search using Medline, Embase, and PsychInfo was undertaken. Search results were subsequently imported into Covidence to identify relevant studies. Six studies were included in this review, two of which were pilot studies. Although oxytocin was well tolerated across studies, no study showed a statistically significant reduction in reported cocaine use or cravings. One study suggested oxytocin increased the desire to use cocaine, although the population of participants should be taken into consideration. In contrast, one study showed a trend towards reduced self-reported cocaine use. Available research does not support the use of oxytocin in the management of stimulant use disorder; however, included studies are small in sample size and limited in number. There were several noteworthy findings unrelated to this review's primary and secondary outcomes, which are of interest and warrant further research. We provide suggestions for future studies in this area of research. Considering the limited data available at this time, further studies are required before any definitive conclusions can be made regarding the use of oxytocin in stimulant use disorder management.


Effects of daily telephone-based re-education before taking medicine on Helicobacter pylori eradication: A prospective single-center study from China.
To investigate the effects of daily telephone-based re-education (TRE) before taking medicine for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) on the compliance and the eradication rate in a Chinese patient population. A prospective, physician-blinded, randomized, controlled clinical study was conducted. The patients were randomly assigned to receive TRE every day before taking medicine (TRE group) or no TRE (control group). The patients in the TRE group received regular instructions before taking medicine for the eradication of H. pylori during the entire course of treatment through telephone calls. The patients in the control group received detailed instructions at the time of seeing a doctor for the guidance. The primary outcome was the H. pylori eradication rate after treatment. The secondary outcomes included the clinical remissions after treatment, adverse events, compliance, and patients' satisfaction. A total of 140 patients were randomized, 70 to the TRE group and 70 to the control group. As the primary outcome, the H. pylori eradication rates in the TRE and control groups were 62.7% and 71.2% in per protocol analysis (P = 0.230), and 52.9% and 52.9% in intention-to-treat analysis (P = 0.567), respectively. As the secondary outcomes, there were no significant differences in the patients' satisfaction between the two groups (good, 79.7% vs 76.9%; fair, 13.6% vs 19.2%; poor, 6.7% vs 3.9%, for the TRE group and control group, respectively; P > 0.05 for all); the rates of adverse effects were 15.2% and 63.5% in the TRE and control groups, respectively (P < 0.001); the compliance rates in the TRE and control groups were 85.7% and 74.3%, respectively (P = 0.069). Daily TRE before taking medicine had no significant impact on the patients' compliance, satisfaction, or H. pylori eradication, but reduced the rate of adverse events.


Kinetic Study of the Equilibration between Carminic Acid and Its Two Isomers Isolated from Cochineal Dye.
Carminic acid (CA) is a major component of cochineal dye used in food additives, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. CA and its isomers, 2-C-α-glucofuranoside and 2-C-β-glucofuranoside of kermesic acid (DCIV and DCVII, respectively), were isolated from cochineal dye and the equilibrium constants (K) between CA, DCIV and DCVII were investigated. DCIV was partially converted to CA and DCVII, and DCVII was converted to CA and DCIV, whereas CA was very stable and only very slightly converted to DCIV and DCVII. Most of the DCIV and DCVII was converted to CA under aqueous conditions. The kinetic rate constants (k) for the degradation of DCIV within the first day of incubation at 24°C was determined to be 0.901 d-1 and for the degradation of DCVII it was determined to be 1.102 d-1. The k value for the formation of CA from the remaining DCIV was calculated to be 0.146 d-1 and for the formation of CA from the produced DCVII it was found to be 0.148 d-1. The K values were calculated as 1.22×10-7, 2.61×10-3 and 2.36×10-3 mol/L for CA, DCIV and DCVII, respectively. These findings will be helpful for ensuring the safety and for aiding the quality assurance of cochineal dye products.


IVF results in de novo DNA methylation and histone methylation at an Igf2-H19 imprinting epigenetic switch.
Recent studies suggest that IVF and assisted reproduction technologies (ART) may result in abnormal genomic imprinting, leading to an increased frequency of Angelman syndrome (AS) and Beckwith-Weidemann syndrome (BWS) in IVF children. To learn how ART might alter the epigenome, we examined morulas and blastocysts derived from C57BL/6J X M. spretus F1 mice conceived in vivo and in vitro and determined the allelic expression of four imprinted genes: Igf2, H19, Cdkn1c and Slc221L. IVF-derived mouse embryos that were cultured in human tubal fluid (HTF) (Quinn's advantage) media displayed a high frequency of aberrant H19 imprinting, whereas in vivo and IVF embryos showed normal maternal expression of Cdkn1c and normal biallelic expression of Igf2 and Slc221L. Embryonic stem (ES) cells derived from IVF blastocysts also showed abnormal Igf2/H19 imprinting. Allele-specific bisulphite PCR reveals abnormal DNA methylation at a CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) site in the imprinting control region (ICR), as the normally unmethylated maternal allele acquired a paternal methylation pattern. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays indicate an increase of lysine 4 methylation (dimethyl Lys4-H3) on the paternal chromatin and a gain in lysine 9 methylation (trimethyl Lys9-H3) on the maternal chromatin at the same CTCF-binding site. Our results indicate that de novo DNA methylation on the maternal allele and allele-specific acquisition of histone methylation lead to aberrant Igf2/H19 imprinting in IVF-derived ES cells. We suggest that ART, which includes IVF and various culture media, might cause imprinting errors that involve both aberrant DNA methylation and histone methylation at an epigenetic switch of the Igf2-H19 gene region.


Bipolar disorder: The importance of clinical assessment in identifying prognostic factors - An Audit. Part 3: A comparison between Italian and English mental health services and a survey of bipolar disorder.
Most of the prognostic factors of bipolar disorder, which determine disease course and outcome, could be detected from simple but often-unrecorded questions asked during the psychiatric clinic assessments. In previous parts of this research, we analysed various prognostic factors and focused on mixed states and rapid cycling subsets. We now compare our sample in England with a small sample from Italy to demonstrate the utility of focused prognostic questioning and of international comparison. We collected data from the clinical notes of 70 English bipolar and 8 Italian bipolar outpatients seen at the initial psychiatric assessment clinic about socio-demographic and clinical factors to determine whether various factors had relevance to prevalence, prognosis, or outcome. The sample comprised 16 bipolar I (22.9%) and 54 bipolar II (77.1%) English outpatients and 7 bipolar I (87.5%) and 1 bipolar II (12.5%) Italian outpatients. Differences between the groups are seen mainly in terms of age of onset, duration of both depressive and hypomanic episodes, presence of psychiatric family history, incidence of mixed state features and rapid cycling, presence of elated mood in response to past antidepressant treatment, and misuse of illicit drugs and alcohol. In order to promote improved mental health primary care, mental health systems in all countries should develop standardized epidemiological tools that are shared between countries. We recommend the use of a questionnaire that reminds clinicians of potentially prognostic information and suggest that this might identify important components of a potential standardized diagnostic and prognostic tool.


[Eye stress from work with visual screens].
Four groups of office tasks were studied: Data entry terminals, conversational terminals, traditional office work and typing. Eye impairments are observed in every group of office employees, but the impairments are more frequent in VDU operators. The impairments persist during leisure time. High luminance contrasts between screen and source document are associated with an increase of eye troubles. Increased oscillating luminance of characters is associated with lower visual acuity, with a higher incidence of subjective and objective symptoms of eye irritation including more frequent use of eye drops.


Comparison of mothers of adolescents diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus and mothers of healthy adolescents in terms of difficulty in emotion regulation, depression and anxiety levels and clinical variables.
The aim of our study was to evaluate the difficulty in emotion regulation, depression and anxiety levels of mothers with a child diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) compared to mothers of the non- T1DM control group. Our study included 72 adolescents followed up with T1DM and 72 healthy adolescents and their mothers. Psychiatric evaluation of children was performed according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. All mothers were administered the `Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Brief Form (DERS-16)` and the `Hospital Anxiety-Depression Scale (HAD)`. The most common psychiatric diagnoses in the T1DM group were attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and anxiety disorders. The total and subscale scores of the DERS-16 and HAD scales of the mothers in the T1DM group were significantly higher than the control group. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the DERS-16 total score and the HAD total and subscale scores of the mothers in the T1DM group. In the multivariate model found to be significant (p < 0.001), only HbA1c levels an indicator of metabolic control, had significant and negative effects on emotion regulation, anxiety and depression (p < 0.05), while sociodemographic characteristics did not have a significant effect (p > 0.05) Conclusions. Difficulty in emotion regulation and depression-anxiety levels were found to be higher in mothers of adolescents with T1DM compared to the control group. Difficulties in emotion regulation, depression and anxiety symptoms in the parent may reduce the treatment compliance of the adolescent with T1DM, which may result in worse metabolic control. Therefore, both adolescents and their parents should be evaluated in terms of psychiatric symptoms and necessary guidance should be given.


[Gene expression and primary functional characterization of human DR5 extracellular fragment].
To acquire human DR5 extracellular fragment with bioactivity. Total RNA was prepared from Jurkat cells by Trizol. Human DR5 extracellular fragment gene was amplified by RT-PCR, cloned into pGEM-T Easy vector, and confirmed by sequence analysis. Then the gene was subcloned into expression vector pET30a with a His-tag at the amino terminus and expressed in E.coli BL21 (DE3). The products was purified by Ni-NTA chromatography column and identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. ELISA method was used to detect its binding activity to anti-DR5 monoclonal antibody (mAb) mDRA-6. Human DR5 extracellular fragment gene was successfully amplified and high level expression was obtained in E.coli BL21 (DE3) induced by 0.1 mmol/L IPTG. The DR5 extracellular fragment protein was identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis. ELISA results showed that the purified DR5 could be recognized by mDRA-6. The extracellular region of DR5 with bioactivity has been successfully expressed and purified, which lay the foundation for further study.


[Treatment of resistant arterial hypertension in the remote period after carotid endarterectomy].
The aim of the study was to determine peculiarities of the course of resistant arterial hypertension (AH) in the remote period after performing the operation of carotid endarterectomy in patients presenting with haemodynamically significant (more than 70%) stenosis of the carotid bifurcation. The study included a total of 105 patients. The course of AH was evaluated in the immediate (2-7 days) and remote (3-7 years) periods after the operation of carotid endarterectomy. Ninety-two (87.6%) patients presenting prior to the operation with resistant AH were postoperatively found to have persistent stabilization of arterial pressure and its milder course. A good clinical effect (possibility of reaching the target arterial pressure) in the remote period was noted to preserve in 65.7% of patients. The proportion of patients with grade III AH decreased from 43.8% (prior to operation) to 5.8% in the remote postoperative period (p<0.001). It was also determined that the degree of the antihypertensive effect after the performed operation of carotid endarterectomy depended upon the duration of a previous medical history of arterial hypertension before surgery: the sooner the operation is performed the more pronounced its antihypertensive effect is.


[Effect of the conditions for dynamic homogeneous batch stab cultivation on the reproductive process in Shigella sonnei bacteriophages].
The use of the bacterial population, exponentially multiplying in the newly developed cultivation process, ensures the optimum conditions for the dynamic batch cultivation of S. sonnei bacteriophages. The yield of bacteriophage biomass has been found to depend on the concentration of bacterial cells, the oxygen saturation of the medium and the concentration of glucose and amino acids in the medium.


Elemental diet and bile induced pancreatitis.
The effectiveness of an elemental diet was investigated as both a prophylactic and therapeutic agent in experimental canine pancreatitis. Pancreatitis was induced by operative injection of a bile -saline solution mixture under pressure retrograde into the main pancreatic duct. In addition to a preinjection control sample, serial biopsies were obtained at 30 minute intervals for 90 minutes after injection and fixed for light and electron microscopic examinations. In addition, preoperative and postoperative blood samples were drawn and analyzed for amylase. After operation, half of the dogs from each original group were fed Vivonex-100, the other half from each group, regular laboratory chow, yielding four ultimate groups based on preoperative and postoperative diets. Successful induction of pancreatitis was evaluated by the difference between preoperative and postoperative amylase values, all of which were significant by group at the p less than 0.01 level. No ultrastructural evidence was found for the modification of zymogen granules with the pretreatment elemental diet nor were differences evident, histologically or ultrastructurally, in the severity of pancreatitis between the pretreated and nonpretreated groups. Finally, gross mortality figures demonstrated no efficacy of elemental diet for pretreatment prophylaxis of acute pancreatitis.


Automatic and strategic representation of the self in major depression: trait and state abnormalities.
Dysfunctional negative thoughts about the self have long been hypothesized to reflect mood-independent cognitive vulnerability for major depressive disorder. These thoughts are believed to be predominantly automatic, in that they are involuntary and hard to inhibit. However, existing empirical evidence provides limited support for this theory, instead emphasizing the role of intentional ruminative (i.e., effortful) thoughts. To help clarify this theoretical controversy and investigate biased processing of emotional self-referent information in major depression, the authors utilized event-related brain potentials, which are used to index neural engagement during specific stages of cognitive processing. The P2 and late positive event-related brain components were examined during a free recall task in patients with current (N=17) or remitted (N=18) major depression and healthy comparison subjects (N=17). Participants made judgments on whether a word described them (self-referential condition) or former U.S. President Bill Clinton (other-referential condition). Healthy comparison subjects and subjects with remitted, but not current, major depression demonstrated enhanced recall of positive self-referent items. Greater component amplitudes in response to negative relative to positive self-referent items were evident in individuals with current and remitted major depression during the automatic processing stage (indexed by the P2 component) and in individuals with current depression during effortful encoding (indexed by the late positive component). Observed mood-independent abnormalities in automatic processing and mood-dependent abnormalities in effortful processing of emotional self-referent information provide direct support for an integrative theory of cognitive dysfunction in major depression, which amalgamates two main, but largely competing, theories of the disorder.


The nature of high-energy radiation damage in iron.
Understanding and predicting a material's performance in response to high-energy radiation damage, as well as designing future materials to be used in intense radiation environments, requires knowledge of the structure, morphology and amount of radiation-induced structural changes. We report the results of molecular dynamics simulations of high-energy radiation damage in iron in the range 0.2-0.5 MeV. We analyze and quantify the nature of collision cascades both at the global and the local scale. We observe three distinct types of damage production and relaxation, including reversible deformation around the cascade due to elastic expansion, irreversible structural damage due to ballistic displacements and smaller reversible deformation due to the shock wave. We find that the structure of high-energy collision cascades becomes increasingly continuous as opposed to showing sub-cascade branching as reported previously. At the local length scale, we find large defect clusters and novel small vacancy and interstitial clusters. These features form the basis for physical models aimed at understanding the effects of high-energy radiation damage in structural materials.


Pathogen Infection and MORC Proteins Affect Chromatin Accessibility of Transposable Elements and Expression of Their Proximal Genes in Arabidopsis.
To assess the role of MORC1 in epigenetics in relation to plant immunity, genome-wide chromatin accessibility was compared between mock- or Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato-inoculated wild type (WT) Arabidopsis, the morc1/2 double mutant, or both. Most changes in chromatin accessibility, scored by DNase I hypersensitive sites (DHSs), were located in the promoters of genes and transposable elements (TEs). Comparisons between morc1/2 and WT receiving the same treatment revealed differential DHSs (dDHSs) predominantly associated with heterochromatic TEs. By contrast, comparisons between mock- and P. syringae pv. tomato-inoculated plants from the same genotype showed dDHSs associated with biotic and abiotic stress-related genes; a smaller but significant population was in TEs. Moreover, many defense genes, including PR-1, PR-2, and PR-5, were proximal to P. syringae pv. tomato-induced, TE-associated dDHSs. A random subset of these defense genes showed moderately delayed or reduced expression or both in P. syringae pv. tomato-infected morc1/2 as compared with WT. MORC1 was physically bound to chromatin in a P. syringae pv. tomato infection-responsive manner at sites dispersed throughout the genome. Notably, silencing of TE-associated dDHSs proximal to these infection-induced, MORC1-interacting sites led to significant suppression of P. syringae pv. tomato-induced transcription of adjacent defense genes, including PR-1. These results provide evidence that MORC1 is associated with TEs and suggest that a subset of these TEs may help regulate their proximal defense genes.


Early optical coherence tomography evaluation of donor-transmitted atherosclerosis and cardiac allograft vasculopathy: insights from a prospective, single-center study.
The impact of donor transmitted atherosclerosis as assessed by intravascular ultrasound on development and progression of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) after heart transplantation (HT) remains poorly defined in contemporary practice. In this exploratory analysis, we sought to assess the prognostic role of early qualitative assessment of donor artery morphology using optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a more sensitive imaging modality. HT recipients were prospectively enrolled for baseline OCT imaging of the left anterior descending coronary artery. OCT findings were classified as normal, homogeneous intimal thickening, and advanced plaque characteristics. The endpoint was a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, or new angiographically detectable CAV stratified by the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation criteria up to 4 years of follow-up. A total of 35 patients underwent baseline OCT of whom 51.4% had normal OCT, 14.3% had homogenous plaque, and 34.3% had advanced characteristics. There were no significant differences in baseline demographics between patients with and without normal morphology. During a mean follow-up of 3.3 ± 0.4 years, the endpoint occurred in 11 patients including 1 death, 7 CAV1, 3 CAV2, and 1 CAV3. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a significantly higher event rate in patients with advanced characteristics (log-rank p = 0.010). In multivariate analysis, OCT-based plaque morphology was an independent predictor of clinical events (adjusted hazard ratio 4.57, 95% confidence interval 1.50-13.92, p = 0.008) while maximal intimal thickness ≥0.5 mm was not. Early qualitative OCT assessment of donor coronary artery morphology appears to be a reliable marker for predicting future cardiovascular events in HT recipients. Our findings warrant more careful study in a larger cohort.


Tomato yield heterosis is triggered by a dosage sensitivity of the florigen pathway that fine-tunes shoot architecture.
The superiority of hybrids has long been exploited in agriculture, and although many models explaining "heterosis" have been put forth, direct empirical support is limited. Particularly elusive have been cases of heterozygosity for single gene mutations causing heterosis under a genetic model known as overdominance. In tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), plants carrying mutations in SINGLE FLOWER TRUSS (SFT) encoding the flowering hormone florigen are severely delayed in flowering, become extremely large, and produce few flowers and fruits, but when heterozygous, yields are dramatically increased. Curiously, this overdominance is evident only in the background of "determinate" plants, in which the continuous production of side shoots and inflorescences gradually halts due to a defect in the flowering repressor SELF PRUNING (SP). How sp facilitates sft overdominance is unclear, but is thought to relate to the opposing functions these genes have on flowering time and shoot architecture. We show that sft mutant heterozygosity (sft/+) causes weak semi-dominant delays in flowering of both primary and side shoots. Using transcriptome sequencing of shoot meristems, we demonstrate that this delay begins before seedling meristems become reproductive, followed by delays in subsequent side shoot meristems that, in turn, postpone the arrest of shoot and inflorescence production. Reducing SFT levels in sp plants by artificial microRNAs recapitulates the dose-dependent modification of shoot and inflorescence production of sft/+ heterozygotes, confirming that fine-tuning levels of functional SFT transcripts provides a foundation for higher yields. Finally, we show that although flowering delays by florigen mutant heterozygosity are conserved in Arabidopsis, increased yield is not, likely because cyclical flowering is absent. We suggest sft heterozygosity triggers a yield improvement by optimizing plant architecture via its dosage response in the florigen pathway. Exploiting dosage sensitivity of florigen and its family members therefore provides a path to enhance productivity in other crops, but species-specific tuning will be required.


[Changes of HER2 low expression status in primary and recurrent/metastatic breast cancer].
Objective: To investigate the evolution and clinical significance of HER2 low expression status in HER2 negative patients in primary and recurrent/metastatic breast cancers. Methods: The data and archived sections of 259 breast cancer patients with recurrence/metastasis and HER2-negative primary foci were collected from January 2015 to January 2022 at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, and the HER2 status of primary and recurrence/metastasis foci was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC), among which IHC 2+patients were subject to fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The HER2 status was classified as HER2-0 group; patients with IHC 1+, IHC 2+and no FISH amplification were classified as HER2 low expression group; and patients with IHC 3+, IHC 2+and FISH amplified were classified as HER2-positive group. The changes of HER2 status in patients with HER2 low expression in primary versus recurrent/metastatic breast cancer foci were compared, and their clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis were analyzed. Results: The overall concordance rate between primary and recurrent/metastatic HER2 status in breast cancer was 60.6% (157/259, κ=0.178). A total of 102 patients (102/259, 39.4%) had inconsistent primary and recurrent/metastatic HER2 status; 37 patients (37/259, 14.3%) had HER2-0 at the primary foci and HER2-low expression at the recurrent/metastatic; and 56 patients (56/259, 21.6%) had HER2-low expression in the primary foci and HER2-0 in the recurrent/metastatic. The recurrent/metastatic foci became low-expressing compared with the recurrent/metastatic foci which remained HER2-0 patients, with longer overall survival time, higher ER and PR positivity, lower Ki-67 positivity index, and lower tumor histological grade; all with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05). In the primary HER2-low group, patients with recurrent/metastatic foci became HER2-0 while those with recurrent/metastatic foci remained low expression; there were no statistically significant differences in clinicopathological features and overall survival time (all P>0.05). Conclusions: Unstable HER2 status in patients with HER2-0 and low expression in primary versus recurrent/metastatic breast cancer foci, and HER2-0 in the primary foci but low HER2 expression status in recurrence/metastasis is associated with favourable prognosis, and testing HER2 status in recurrence/metastasis can provide more treatment options for such patients.


Current Tobacco Smoking and Desire to Quit Smoking Among Students Aged 13-15 Years - Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 61 Countries, 2012-2015.
Tobacco use is the world's leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality, resulting in nearly 6 million deaths each year (1). Smoked tobacco products, such as cigarettes and cigars, are the most common form of tobacco consumed worldwide (2), and most tobacco smokers begin smoking during adolescence (3). The health benefits of quitting are greater for persons who stop smoking at earlier ages; however, quitting smoking at any age has health benefits (4). CDC used the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) data from 61 countries across the six World Health Organization (WHO) regions from 2012 to 2015 to examine the prevalence of current tobacco smoking and desire to quit smoking among students aged 13-15 years. Across all 61 countries, the median current tobacco smoking prevalence among students aged 13-15 years was 10.7% (range = 1.7%, Sri Lanka to 35.0%, Timor-Leste). By sex, the median current tobacco smoking prevalence was 14.6% among males (range = 2.9%, Tajikistan to 61.4%, Timor-Leste) and 7.5% among females (range = 1.6%, Tajikistan to 29.0%, Bulgaria). In the majority of countries assessed, the proportion of current tobacco smokers who desired to quit smoking exceeded 50%. These findings could be used by country level tobacco control programs to inform strategies to prevent and reduce youth tobacco use (1,4).


Pediatric and neonatal intubation training gap analysis: instruction, assessment, and technology.
Summary statement: Intubating adult patients presents numerous challenges for clinicians. Procedural complexities associated with performing pediatric and neonatal intubation, along with a lower frequency of a need for intubating pediatric and neonatal patients, further amplifies the difficulties associated with acquiring and maintaining relevant clinical skills. Clinicians must develop and maintain competency through training and continuing medical education. A systematic review was conducted through June 2012 to examine current instructional methods, assessment tools, and training models in pediatric and neonatal intubation training. Variability among the included literature on instruction, assessment, and models used to support training makes direct comparison problematic. The results of this review emphasize the need for improvement of current instructional methods to promote competency acquisition; development of valid, reliable assessment tools to evaluate clinician competency; and identification of a superior training model to promote acquisition and maintenance of skills associated with intubation of pediatric patients.


Genetic engineering for haemophilia A.
At first sight, haemophilia A would appear to be an ideal candidate for treatment by gene therapy. There is a single gene defect; cells in different parts of the body, but especially the liver, produce Factor VIII, and only 5% of normal levels of Factor VIII are necessary to prevent the serious symptoms of bleeding. This review attempts to outline the status of gene therapy at present and efforts that have been made to overcome the difficulties and remaining problems that require solving. Undoubtedly, success will be achieved, but it is likely that considerably more work will be necessary before experimental models can be introduced into the clinic with any likelihood of success. The most successful results in animals that may have clinical application were from introducing the Factor VIII gene to newborn animals before antibodies are produced, presumably inducing a state of tolerance.


Heart rate response to exercise in normal women.
Heart rate is known to increase under the influence of increased sympathetic stimulation rates during exertion or stress. Few data are available regarding the rate response to exercise near the fatigue limit, for normal women. The effects on heart rate were studied of fatigue limiting exercise in 87 asymptomatic, normal female subjects employing a bicycle ergometer exercise protocol. The heart rate response to imposed exercise power closely followed a monotonic increasing, negative exponential function. Different age groups followed the same form of function but differed in parameter values. Group fitting was useful to develop parameters with which one group may be compared to another, establish referent ranges, and gain insight into cardiovascular models of exercise physiology.


Hand preference in simultaneous unimanual tasks: a preliminary examination.
The aim of the current investigation was to determine the pattern of hand use during simultaneous unimanual tasks. Two studies were conducted. The first experiment examined the pattern of hand use in a catching task, while performing a secondary writing task. Results showed that individuals had a decreased tendency to catch with their preferred hand when their preferred hand was occupied, in comparison to when the preferred hand was unoccupied. The second experiment examined the pattern of hand use during a support and reach task, where the use of both hands was required. Here, results indicated that participants preferred to support themselves with their nonpreferred hand and reach with preferred hand toward right hemispace. With respect to left hemispace, participants showed the reverse pattern. This pattern of hand use indicates an important role for the nonpreferred hand, which has been relatively unexplored by researchers.


Correlation between Oxidative Stress, Nutrition, and Cancer Initiation.
Inadequate or excessive nutrient consumption leads to oxidative stress, which may disrupt oxidative homeostasis, activate a cascade of molecular pathways, and alter the metabolic status of various tissues. Several foods and consumption patterns have been associated with various cancers and approximately 30-35% of the cancer cases are correlated with overnutrition or malnutrition. However, several contradictory studies are available regarding the association between diet and cancer risk, which remains to be elucidated. Concurrently, oxidative stress is a crucial factor for cancer progression and therapy. Nutritional oxidative stress may be induced by an imbalance between antioxidant defense and pro-oxidant load due to inadequate or excess nutrient supply. Oxidative stress is a physiological state where high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals are generated. Several signaling pathways associated with carcinogenesis can additionally control ROS generation and regulate ROS downstream mechanisms, which could have potential implications in anticancer research. Cancer initiation may be modulated by the nutrition-mediated elevation in ROS levels, which can stimulate cancer initiation by triggering DNA mutations, damage, and pro-oncogenic signaling. Therefore, in this review, we have provided an overview of the relationship between nutrition, oxidative stress, and cancer initiation, and evaluated the impact of nutrient-mediated regulation of antioxidant capability against cancer therapy.


Is photodynamic therapy a relevant therapeutic option in refractory benign familial pemphigus (Hailey-Hailey disease)? A series of eight patients.
Treatment of benign familial pemphigus or Hailey-Hailey disease (HHD), a rare inherited condition associated with a significant impairment of quality of life, is often challenging and disappointing with frequent relapses and infectious complications. Topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) may offer new perspectives in this difficult setting. Eight patients with long-lasting HHD lesions refractory to multiple treatments were treated on at least one involved site with PDT using methyl-amino levulinate with a standardized protocol of three sessions of irradiation separated by 3-week intervals. A complete or partial clearing was achieved in all treated areas, and the result was satisfactorily maintained in all cases after a follow-up period ranging from 3 to 36 months. Results were of higher quality in non-inguinal areas. Tolerance was overall acceptable with local pain during and shortly after irradiation being the main limiting factor. Our series, although limited in size, emphasizes the interest of PDT in this difficult condition even though results may be incomplete. Treatment-related pain can be adequately managed by prior analgesics, cooling with sprayed water and local tumescent anesthesia. Overall, PDT appears as a relevant option in refractory HHD management with a favorable benefit/risk ratio.


A semi-flexible model prediction for the polymerization force exerted by a living F-actin filament on a fixed wall.
We consider a single living semi-flexible filament with persistence length ℓp in chemical equilibrium with a solution of free monomers at fixed monomer chemical potential μ1 and fixed temperature T. While one end of the filament is chemically active with single monomer (de)polymerization steps, the other end is grafted normally to a rigid wall to mimic a rigid network from which the filament under consideration emerges. A second rigid wall, parallel to the grafting wall, is fixed at distance L < < ℓp from the filament seed. In supercritical conditions where monomer density ρ1 is higher than the critical density ρ1c, the filament tends to polymerize and impinges onto the second surface which, in suitable conditions (non-escaping filament regime), stops the filament growth. We first establish the grand-potential Ω(μ1, T, L) of this system treated as an ideal reactive mixture, and derive some general properties, in particular the filament size distribution and the force exerted by the living filament on the obstacle wall. We apply this formalism to the semi-flexible, living, discrete Wormlike chain model with step size d and persistence length ℓp, hitting a hard wall. Explicit properties require the computation of the mean force f̄i(L) exerted by the wall at L and associated potential f̄i(L)=-dWi(L)/dL on a filament of fixed size i. By original Monte-Carlo calculations for few filament lengths in a wide range of compression, we justify the use of the weak bending universal expressions of Gholami et al. [Phys. Rev. E 74, 041803 (2006)] over the whole non-escaping filament regime. For a filament of size i with contour length Lc = (i - 1) d, this universal form is rapidly growing from zero (non-compression state) to the buckling value fb(Lc,ℓp)=π(2)kBTℓp4Lc (2) over a compression range much narrower than the size d of a monomer. Employing this universal form for living filaments, we find that the average force exerted by a living filament on a wall at distance L is in practice L independent and very close to the value of the stalling force Fs (H)=(kBT/d)ln(ρˆ1) predicted by Hill, this expression being strictly valid in the rigid filament limit. The average filament force results from the product of the cumulative size fraction x=x(L,ℓp,ρˆ1), where the filament is in contact with the wall, times the buckling force on a filament of size Lc ≈ L, namely, Fs (H)=xfb(L;ℓp). The observed L independence of Fs (H) implies that x ∝ L(-2) for given (ℓp,ρˆ1) and x∝lnρˆ1 for given (ℓp, L). At fixed (L,ρˆ1), one also has x∝ℓp (-1) which indicates that the rigid filament limit ℓp → ∞ is a singular limit in which an infinite force has zero weight. Finally, we derive the physically relevant threshold for filament escaping in the case of actin filaments.


Unusual effect evidenced at the investigations of the mechanical behavior of composite hydrogels under cyclic compression.
An unusual type of mechanical behavior was registered while studying the swollen hydrogel compositions "cellulose-polyacrylamide" in the conditions of multiple cyclic compression tests with the broad variation of the deformation speed. While increasing the deformation rate the clearly seen inversion of the positions of compression and decompression parts of the cyclic stress-strain curves was detected. While carrying out the cyclic compression tests with relatively low deformation speed (about 100-200% of the initial sample's height per minute) the well defined hysteresis of the stress-strain curve can de seen and in these conditions the decompression part of the curve is situated inferior the part corresponding to compression. But while increasing the speed of the deformation the tendency to the progressive approach of the compression and decompression curves to each other is clearly seen. This effect results in the full disappearance of the hysteresis at some value of the deformation speed: the decompression curve coincides with the compression curve. Along with the further increase of the deformation speed the hysteresis appears again but the curve corresponding to compression process is situated inferior the curve corresponding to decompression: the "inversion" of the hysteresis was detected. The precise character of this process depends upon the stiffness of the hydrogel under study. Up to date the convincing explanation o this effect can not be put forward. The authors can only present some hypotheses to explain this phenomenon.


Diversity and Systematics of Schizomavella Species (Bryozoa: Bitectiporidae) from the Bathyal NE Atlantic.
Eight NE Atlantic and Mediterranean species, which were originally assigned to the genus Schizoporella (Family Schizoporellidae) when introduced, are redescribed and stabilized by typification. Seven of these species are transferred to the bitectiporid genus Schizomavella: S. fischeri, S. glebula, S. neptuni, S. obsoleta, S. richardi, S. triaviculata, and S. triaviculata var. paucimandibulata, which is here raised to species rank. The eighth species, Schizoporella fayalensis, is transferred to the lanceoporid genus Stephanotheca. Schizomavella obsoleta and S. glebula are considered junior subjective synonyms of S. fischeri and S. richardi, respectively. Two new species are described: Schizomavella rectangularis n. sp. from the Strait of Gibraltar, and Schizomavella phterocopa n. sp. from the Great Meteor Bank. A new subgenus, Calvetomavella n. subgen. is established as a result of a phylogenetic analysis based on morphological characters; it includes S. neptuni, S. triaviculata, S. paucimandibulata and S. phterocopa n. sp., together with Schizomavella discoidea and Schizomavella noronhai. The rest of the species remain in the nominotypical subgenus Schizomavella.


[Characteristic of disorders of motor-evacuator activities of the stomach and intestinal in chronic duodenal insufficiency].
To assess the psychoemotional status and the state of the autonomic nervous system and their importance in the violation of the motor-evacuation function of the gastrointestinal tract in chronic duodenal insufficiency (CDI). A prospective study of 40 patients with CDI was carried out. The control group consisted of 30 healthy individuals. Anamnestic and physical data, results of X-ray and endoscopic studies, and intracavitary manometry were used to verify CDI. The study of the gastrointestinal tract was carried out using the "Gastroscan-GEM". Assessment of autonomic homeostasis was carried out using cardiac rhythmographic research and analysis of heart rate variability using the "Varicard 2.51" complex. To assess personal and situational anxiety test questionnaire SpielbergerKhanin. Eysenck's test questionnaire was used to determine the type of temperament. We revealed a postprandial decrease in the contribution of the frequency spectrum of the duodenum (Pi/Ps 1.70.07; p=0.000) and the colon (Pi/Ps 39.622.45; p=0.000) in the total spectrum in comparison with the starving study, at the same time there is an aberrant significant increase in the contribution of the stomach to the total spectrum (46.55.8%; p=0.00). In patients with CDI, the prevalence of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system AMo was noted 94.0 [92.5; 97.5]% with an asymptotic type of autonomic reactivity (IN2/IN1=1.1 [1.05; 1.17]) and insufficient adaptation reserve coefficients (0.32 [0.2; 0.4]) in relation to the control group. The psychoemotional state in patients with chronic duodenal stasis is in direct correlation with changes in the postprandial ratio of the electrical activity of the stomach and duodenum (r=0.7, p=0.021), and in reverse with the coefficient of the ratio of intraduodenal pressure to intragastric pressure (r=-0,8, p=0.000). In patients with CDI, changes in the functional state of the stomach and duodenum are of a systemic nature, which is due to stimulating (parasympathetic) and inhibitory (sympathetic) effects. The relationship between the motor-evacuation activity of the stomach and duodenum and the psychoemotional state in patients with CDI was revealed.


Air-Stable Humidity Sensor Using Few-Layer Black Phosphorus.
As a new family member of two-dimensional layered materials, black phosphorus (BP) has attracted significant attention for chemical sensing applications due to its exceptional electrical, mechanical, and surface properties. However, producing air-stable BP sensors is extremely challenging because BP atomic layers degrade rapidly in ambient conditions. In this study, we explored the humidity sensing properties of BP field-effect transistors fully encapsulated by a 6 nm-thick Al2O3 encapsulation layer deposited by atomic layer deposition. The encapsulated BP sensors exhibited superior ambient stability with no noticeable degradation in sensing response after being stored in air for more than a week. Compared with the bare BP devices, the encapsulated ones offered long-term stability with a trade-off in slightly reduced sensitivity. Capacitance-voltage measurement results further reveal that instead of direct charge transfer, the electrostatic gating effect on BP flakes arising from the dipole moment of adsorbed water molecules is the basic mechanism governing the humidity sensing behavior of both bare and encapsulated BP sensors. This work demonstrates a viable approach for achieving air-stable BP-based humidity or chemical sensors for practical applications.


MassComp, a lossless compressor for mass spectrometry data.
Mass Spectrometry (MS) is a widely used technique in biology research, and has become key in proteomics and metabolomics analyses. As a result, the amount of MS data has significantly increased in recent years. For example, the MS repository MassIVE contains more than 123TB of data. Somehow surprisingly, these data are stored uncompressed, hence incurring a significant storage cost. Efficient representation of these data is therefore paramount to lessen the burden of storage and facilitate its dissemination. We present MassComp, a lossless compressor optimized for the numerical (m/z)-intensity pairs that account for most of the MS data. We tested MassComp on several MS data and show that it delivers on average a 46% reduction on the size of the numerical data, and up to 89%. These results correspond to an average improvement of more than 27% when compared to the general compressor gzip and of 40% when compared to the state-of-the-art numerical compressor FPC. When tested on entire files retrieved from the MassIVE repository, MassComp achieves on average a 59% size reduction. MassComp is written in C++ and freely available at https://github.com/iochoa/MassComp . The compression performance of MassComp demonstrates its potential to significantly reduce the footprint of MS data, and shows the benefits of designing specialized compression algorithms tailored to MS data. MassComp is an addition to the family of omics compression algorithms designed to lessen the storage burden and facilitate the exchange and dissemination of omics data.


Prepubertal testis tumors.
Because prepubertal testis tumors are rare, their management has historically been based on experience with the more common adult testis tumors. However, recent studies highlighting the natural history of these tumors and their response to therapy have resulted in a modern management algorithm that optimizes testicular preservation and minimizes the morbidity of adjuvant therapies. Many prepubertal testis tumors are benign and can be managed with testis-sparing tumor excision. Localized malignant tumors (yolk sac tumors) may be managed with excision alone. Recurrent tumors and metastatic disease can almost always be treated successfully with platinum-based chemotherapy.


Age-related muscle loss and progressive dysfunction in mechanosensitive growth factor signaling.
Loss of muscle mass and function (sarcopenia) is one of the most marked problems associated with aging because it has major healthcare as well as socioeconomic implications. The growth hormone/IGF-I axis is regarded as an important regulator of muscle mass. However, it is now appreciated that other tissues in addition to the liver express IGF-I. Also, there are local as well as systemic forms of IGF-I that have different functions. We cloned two different IGF-Is that are expressed by skeletal muscle, and both are derived from the IGF-I gene by alternative splicing. One of these is expressed in response to physical activity, which has now been called "mechanogrowth factor" (MGF). The other is similar to the systemic or liver type (IGF-IEa) and is important as the provider of mature IGF-I required for upregulating protein synthesis. MGF differs from systemic IGF-IEa in that it has a different peptide sequence that is responsible for activating muscle satellite (stem) cells. Therefore, it appears these two forms of IGF-I have different actions and that they are important regulators of muscle growth. Growth hormone treatment apparently upregulates the level of IGF-I gene expression, and when it is combined with resistance exercise more is spliced toward MGF. This results in an increase in muscle cross-sectional area in the elderly subjects who otherwise would produce less MGF. The possibility of ameliorating sarcopenia using MGF delivered as a peptide or by gene therapy will be discussed.


Curve type, flexibility, correction, and rotation are predictors of curve progression in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis undergoing conservative treatment : a systematic review.
The aim of this study was to review the current evidence surrounding curve type and morphology on curve progression risk in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). A comprehensive search was conducted by two independent reviewers on PubMed, Embase, Medline, and Web of Science to obtain all published information on morphological predictors of AIS progression. Search items included 'adolescent idiopathic scoliosis', 'progression', and 'imaging'. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were carefully defined. Risk of bias of studies was assessed with the Quality in Prognostic Studies tool, and level of evidence for each predictor was rated with the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. In all, 6,286 publications were identified with 3,598 being subjected to secondary scrutiny. Ultimately, 26 publications (25 datasets) were included in this review. For unbraced patients, high and moderate evidence was found for Cobb angle and curve type as predictors, respectively. Initial Cobb angle > 25° and thoracic curves were predictive of curve progression. For braced patients, flexibility < 28% and limited in-brace correction were factors predictive of progression with high and moderate evidence, respectively. Thoracic curves, high apical vertebral rotation, large rib vertebra angle difference, small rib vertebra angle on the convex side, and low pelvic tilt had weak evidence as predictors of curve progression. For curve progression, strong and consistent evidence is found for Cobb angle, curve type, flexibility, and correction rate. Cobb angle > 25° and flexibility < 28% are found to be important thresholds to guide clinical prognostication. Despite the low evidence, apical vertebral rotation, rib morphology, and pelvic tilt may be promising factors. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2022;104-B(4):424-432.


A new intracellular bacterium, Candidatus Similichlamydia labri sp. nov. (Chlamydiaceae) producing epitheliocysts in ballan wrasse, Labrus bergylta (Pisces, Labridae).
Certain wrasse species (Labridae) are used as cleaner fish in salmon farms on the Norwegian coast, reducing salmon louse intensities. The pathogen repertoire of wrasse in Norway is poorly known, and the objective of the present study is to describe a novel intracellular bacterium detected in Norwegian Labrus bergylta. Histological examination of gill tissues from ballan wrasse, L. bergylta, revealed epitheliocysts occurring basally to the secondary lamellae in the interlamellar epithelium. Ultrastructurally, these had bacteria-filled inclusions with thickened membranes and radiating ray-like structures (actinae). 16S rRNA gene sequences from the gill bacteria showed the highest (97.1 %) similarity to Candidatus Similichlamydia latridicola from the gills of the latrid marine fish Latris lineata in Australia and 94.9 % similarity to Candidatus Actinochlamydia clariae, causing epitheliocystis in the freshwater catfish Clarias gariepinus in Uganda. A total of 47 gill samples from L. bergylta from Western Norway were screened by real time RT-PCR with an assay targeting Candidatus Actinochlamydiaceae 16S rRNA. Prevalence was 100 %. We propose the name Candidatus Similichlamydia labri sp. nov. for this new agent producing gill epitheliocysts in L. bergylta.


Analysis of antigenic types appearing in first relapse populations of clones of Trypanosoma brucei.
Variant antigenic types (VATs) represented in a total of 47 first relapse populations of 6 clones of Trypanosoma brucei LUMP 227 were identified by immunofluorescent staining of living trypanosomes, using antiserum raised against purified surface antigens. The relative growth rates of these 6 clones were measured both individually and when grown together in a mixed population, and were found to be different under these two sets of conditions. A pattern emerged in the VATs represented in relapses of each clone, with some types being expressed more frequently than others and certain VATs being only very rarely expressed. It is suggested that new VATs are expressed according to a statistically definable order of priority which is different for each parent VAT, and that some VATs may be able to change to certain others only after passing through an intermediate VAT. The order of priority of appearance of VATs does not appear to correlate with growth rate measured either in individual clones or when clones are grown in a mixed population.


Rapid implementation of virtual neurology in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic is causing world-wide social dislocation, operational and economic dysfunction, and high rates of morbidity and mortality. Medical practices are responding by developing, disseminating, and implementing unprecedented changes in health care delivery. Telemedicine has rapidly moved to the frontline of clinical practice due to the need for prevention and mitigation strategies; these have been encouraged, facilitated, and enabled by changes in government rules and regulations and payer-driven reimbursement policies. We describe our neurology department's situational transformation from in-person outpatient visits to a largely virtual neurology practice in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two key factors enabled our rapid deployment of virtual encounters in neurology and its subspecialties. The first was a well-established robust information technology infrastructure supporting virtual urgent care services at our institution; this connected physicians directly to patients using both the physician's and the patient's own mobile devices. The second is the concept of one patient, one chart, facilitated by a suite of interconnected electronic medical record (EMR) applications on several different device types. We present our experience with conducting general teleneurology encounters using secure synchronous audio and video connections integrated with an EMR. This report also details how we perform virtual neurologic examinations that are clinically meaningful and how we document, code, and bill for these virtual services. Many of these processes can be used by other neurology providers, regardless of their specific practice model. We then discuss potential roles for teleneurology after the COVID-19 global pandemic has been contained.


Gas exchange characteristics of giant cacti species varying in stem morphology and life history strategy.
Giant cacti species possess long cylindrical stems that store massive amounts of water and other resources to draw on for photosynthesis, growth, and reproduction during hot and dry conditions. Across all giant cacti taxa, stem photosynthetic surface area to volume ratio (S:V) varies by several fold. This broad morphological diversity leads to the hypothesis that giant cacti function along a predictable resource use continuum from a "safe" strategy reflected in low S:V, low relative growth rates (RGR), and low net assimilation rates (Anet ) to a high-risk strategy that is reflected in high S:V, RGR, and Anet . To test this hypothesis, whole-plant gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, and whole-spine-tissue carbon isotope ratios (δ13 C) were measured in four giant cacti species varying in stem morphology and RGR. Measurements were conducted on five well-watered, potted plants per species. Under conditions of mild diel temperatures and low atmospheric vapor pressure deficit, Anet , transpiration (E), and stomatal conductance (Gs ) were significantly higher, and water-use efficiency (Anet : Gs ) was lower in fast-growing, multi-stemmed species compared to the slower growing, single-stemmed species. However, under warmer, less optimal conditions, gas exchange converged between stem types, and neither δ13 C nor chlorophyll fluorescence varied among species. The results add to a growing body of evidence that succulent-stemmed plants function along a similar economic spectrum as leaf-bearing plants such that functional traits including stem RGR, longevity, morphology, and gas exchange are correlated across species with varying life-history strategies.


An electric-field-driven ferroelectric nanodomain structure and its multilevel data storage application.
Solid-state multilevel data storage devices based on ferroelectric materials possess significant potential for use as artificial synapses in building biomimetic neural networks with low energy consumption and efficient data processing capabilities. To enable multilevel data storage, precise control of the ferroelectric domain through voltage pulses is essential. In this study, we investigate the manipulation of ferroelectric nanodomain structures using a nanotip and demonstrate their evolution under controlled application of electric pulses with varying strength and duration. The results highlight the differences in electric-field-driven ferroelectric nanodomain structures between (001)-/(101)- and (111)-oriented PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3 thin films. Interestingly, the latter exhibits highly anisotropic domain wall motion characteristics. The (111)-oriented PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3/SrRuO3 heterostructure demonstrates the best performance in increasing the domain radius with respect to electric pulse strength and duration. It shows at least three resistance states with a high switching ratio, making it a promising candidate for multilevel data storage applications. Additionally, the self-reversal rates of upward and downward domains differ and must be considered in designing and implementing multilevel data storage systems for stability and effectiveness. These findings reveal the potential of ferroelectric nanodomain structures for data storage and pave the way for nanotip-controlled artificial synapses.


Use of proteomic patterns as a novel screening tool in pre-eclampsia.
This pilot study aimed to use Ciphergen ProteinChip technology to determine differences in protein profiles in plasma, taken at 26 weeks, from women at risk of developing pre-eclampsia. Five proteins were found to be significantly up-regulated in samples from women who subsequently developed pre-eclampsia compared with women who remained normotensive.


Corneal endothelium and central corneal thickness changes in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
This study was conducted to compare the corneal endothelial cell density (ECD), morphological features, and central corneal thickness (CCT) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) with age-matched, nondiabetic control subjects using EM-3000 Specular Microscope. This was a prospective, hospital-based, nonrandomized, case-control, observational, and quantitative study. The study included 57 patients (57 eyes) with type 2 DM and 45 control (nondiabetic) subjects (45 eyes). The corneal endothelial structure and CCT were examined in all eyes by noncontact specular microscopy using EM-3000 Specular Microscope. The endothelial structure was studied for ECD, coefficient of variation of cell area (CV), and percentage of hexagonal cells. The study included 36 eyes without diabetic retinopathy (DR), 14 eyes with nonproliferative DR, and 7 eyes with proliferative DR. There were 26 eyes with a duration of ≤10 years and 31 eyes with a duration of >10 years. Also, there were 24 eyes with HbA1c ≤7.5% and 33 eyes with HbA1c >7.5%. ECD was significantly lower in the diabetic cornea than in control group (P=0.014). CV was higher in diabetic cornea (P=0.008). The diabetic cornea group had lower percentage of hexagonal cells than the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.603). Also, diabetic cornea was thicker than control group, but not statistically significant (P=0.301). This study documented that type 2 DM causes a significant reduction of ECD and increased CV (polymegathism). Also, diabetic cornea has increased CCT and lower percentage of hexagonal cells than normal subjects, but without statistical significance.