Adaptive Radiation from a Chromosomal Perspective: Evidence of Chromosome Set Stability in Cichlid Fishes (Cichlidae: Teleostei) from the Barombi Mbo Lake, Cameroon.
Cichlid fishes are the subject of scientific interest because of their rapid adaptive radiation, resulting in extensive ecological and taxonomic diversity. In this study, we examined 11 morphologically distinct cichlid species endemic to Barombi Mbo, the largest crater lake in western Cameroon, namely Konia eisentrauti, Konia dikume, Myaka myaka, Pungu maclareni, Sarotherodon steinbachi, Sarotherodon lohbergeri, Sarotherodon linnellii, Sarotherodon caroli, Stomatepia mariae, Stomatepia pindu, and Stomatepia mongo. These species supposedly evolved via sympatric ecological speciation from a common ancestor, which colonized the lake no earlier than one million years ago. Here we present the first comparative cytogenetic analysis of cichlid species from Barombi Mbo Lake using both conventional (Giemsa staining, C-banding, and CMA3/DAPI staining) and molecular (fluorescence in situ hybridization with telomeric, 5S, and 28S rDNA probes) methods. We observed stability on both macro and micro-chromosomal levels. The diploid chromosome number was 2n = 44, and the karyotype was invariably composed of three pairs of meta/submetacentric and 19 pairs of subtelo/acrocentric chromosomes in all analysed species, with the same numbers of rDNA clusters and distribution of heterochromatin. The results suggest the evolutionary stability of chromosomal set; therefore, the large-scale chromosomal rearrangements seem to be unlikely associated with the sympatric speciation in Barombi Mbo.


Role of Piezo Channels in Ultrasound-stimulated Dental Stem Cells.
Piezo1 and Piezo2 are mechanosensitive membrane ion channels. We hypothesized that Piezo proteins may play a role in transducing ultrasound-associated mechanical signals and activate downstream mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling processes in dental cells. In this study, the expression and role of Piezo channels were investigated in dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) after treatment with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS). Cell proliferation was evaluated by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation. Western blots were used to analyze the proliferating cell nuclear antigen as well as the transcription factors c-fos and c-jun. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting were used to determine the activation of MAPK after LIPUS treatment. Ruthenium red (RR), a Piezo ion channel blocker, was applied to determine the functional role of Piezo proteins in LIPUS-stimulated cell proliferation and MAPK signaling. Western blotting showed the presence of Piezo1 and Piezo2 in both dental cell types. LIPUS treatment significantly increased the level of the Piezo proteins in DPSCs after 24 hours; however, no significant effects were observed in PDLSCs. Treatment with RR significantly inhibited LIPUS-stimulated DPSC proliferation but not PDLSC proliferation. Extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) 1/2 MAPK was consistently activated in DPSCs over a 24-hour time period after LIPUS exposure, whereas phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase MAPK were mainly increased in PDLSCs. RR affected MAPK signaling in both dental cell types with its most prominent effects on ERK1/2/MAPK phosphorylation levels; the significant inhibition of LIPUS-induced stimulation of ERK1/2 activation in DPSCs by RR suggests that stimulation of DPSC proliferation by LIPUS involves Piezo-mediated regulation of ERK1/2 MAPK signaling. This study for the first time supports the role of Piezo ion channels in transducing the LIPUS response in dental stem cells.


Progress in rare-earth-doped mid-infrared fiber lasers.
The progress, and current challenges, in fabricating rare-earth-doped chalcogenide-glass fibers for developing mid-infrared (IR) fiber lasers are reviewed. For the first time a coherent explanation is forwarded for the failure to date to develop a gallium-lanthanum-sulfide glass mid-IR fiber laser. For the more covalent chalcogenide glasses, the importance of optimizing the glass host and glass processing routes in order to minimize non-radiative decay and to avoid rare earth ion clustering and glass devitrification is discussed. For the first time a new idea is explored to explain an additional method of non-radiative depopulation of the excited state in the mid-IR that has not been properly recognized before: that of impurity multiphonon relaxation. Practical characterization of candidate selenide glasses is presented. Potential applications of mid-infrared fiber lasers are suggested.


Association between hypoxia-inducible factor-1a levels in serum and synovial fluid with the radiographic severity of knee osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is primarily characterized by articular cartilage degradation. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1a (HIF-1a), a subunit of the basic helix-loop-helix-containing PER-ARNT-SIM (PAS) domain transcription factors, plays a vital role in the survival of articular chondrocytes to the hostile hypoxic microenvironment and complicates the progression of OA. In this study, we examined whether HIF-1a levels in the serum and synovial fluid (SF) of patients with knee OA were increased and whether the increase was correlated with the radiographic severity of the disease. A total of 278 knee OA patients and 203 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Knee OA radiographic grading was performed according to Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grading system by evaluating X-ray changes observed on anteroposterior knee radiography. HIF-1a levels in the serum and SF were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum HIF-1a levels in patients with knee OA were higher than those in healthy controls. Knee OA patients with KL grade 4 showed significantly elevated HIF-1a levels in the serum and SF compared with those with KL grades 2 and 3. Knee OA patients with KL grade 3 showed significantly higher SF levels of HIF-1a than those with KL grade 2. HIF-1a levels in the serum and SF of knee OA patients were significantly correlated with disease severity according to KL grading criteria. HIF-1a levels in the serum and SF were closely related to the radiographic severity of OA and may serve as an alternative biomarker for the progression and prognosis of knee OA.


Coiling of the brachial artery: an uncommon cause of difficult thrombectomy.
Coiling (or looping) of the artery is a rare morphologic entity, most frequently described in the internal carotid artery. In other arteries, coiling is rarely reported because it remains asymptomatic and without clinical relevance unless inadvertently injured, as for diagnostic or monitoring purposes. We present a case of an unusually difficult thrombectomy of the brachial artery after occlusion following withdrawal of the arterial cannula placed for monitoring during cardiac surgery owing to coiling of the distal part of the artery, which produced the "spring-squeeze phenomenon" during balloon catheter thrombectomy.


Surgical management of penetrating thoracic injuries during the Paris attacks on 13 November 2015.
The Paris terrorist attacks on 13 November 2015 caused 482 casualties, including 130 deaths and 352 wounded. Facing these multisite terrorist attacks, Parisian public and military hospitals simultaneously managed numerous patients with penetrating thoracic injuries. The aim of this study was to analyse this cohort, the injury patterns, and assess the results of this mobilization. The clinical records of all patients admitted to Parisian public and military hospitals with a penetrating thoracic injury related to the Paris 13 November terrorist attacks were reviewed. The study group included 25 patients (7% of the casualties) with a mean age of 34 ± 8 years and a majority of gunshot wounds ( n = 20, 80%). Most patients presented with severe thoracic injury (Abbreviated Injury Score Thorax 3.3 ± 1.2), and also associated non-thoracic injuries in 21 cases (84%). The mean Injury Severity Score was 26.8 ± 9.4. Eight patients (32%) were managed with chest tube insertion and 17 (68%) required thoracic surgery. Lung resection, diaphragmatic repair, and lung suture were performed in 6 (36%), 6 (35%), and 5 cases (29%), respectively. Extra-thoracic surgical procedures were performed in 16 patients, mostly for injuries to the extremities. Postoperative mortality was 12% ( n = 3) and postoperative morbidity was 60% ( n = 15). The coordination of Parisian military and civilian hospitals allowed the surgical management of 25 patients. The mortality is high but consistent with what has been reported in previous series. The current times expose us to the threat of new terrorist attacks and require that the medical community be prepared.


Detection of antibodies to hepatitis E virus in patients with autoimmune chronic active hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis.
Viral hepatitis E (HIV) frequently causes epidemic outbreaks in many developing countries. It is also present in developed countries as imported cases. The role of hepatitis A virus as trigger for autoimmune chronic hepatitis has been demonstrated, and it has been suggested that this may also apply to HEV. The presence of anti-HEV antibodies in serum samples from patients with autoimmune chronic active hepatitis (n = 52) and with primary biliary cirrhosis (n = 25) was investigated using an Abbott assay and a peptide-based test. Anti-HEV antibodies were detected with the Abbott test in 13% (7 of 52) of the patients with autoimmune chronic active hepatitis, but not of these were positive in the synthetic peptide-based test. These findings indicate the HEV is not associated with primary biliary cirrhosis but may be implicated in some cases of autoimmune chronic active hepatitis.


Long-term supplementation with a cystine-based antioxidant delays loss of muscle mass in aging.
Oxidative stress increases with age and is postulated to be a major causal factor for sarcopenia in aging. Here, we examined whether the administration of a cystine-based antioxidant (F1) can alleviate/delay age-specific changes in skeletal muscles. C57BL6 male mice aged 17 months (middle aged) were fed with normal diet with or without supplementation of F1 (3 mg/kg food) for 6 months. Compared with young (5 months old) mice old mice exhibited increased markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, and muscle cell apoptosis and decreased muscle weight. These age-related changes were further associated with inactivation of adenosine-5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), increased lipogenesis, activation of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase, and decreased expression of Delta 1, phospho-Akt, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen in aged skeletal muscle. Such alterations were significantly prevented by F1. These results demonstrate the beneficial effects of F1 to attenuate loss of muscle mass associated with aging.


Linear array genotyping and hybrid capture II assay in detecting human papillomavirus genotypes in women referred for colposcopy due to abnormal Papanicolaou smear.
The main objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotyping in women referred for colposcopy due to abnormal Papanicolaou (Pap) smear. A series of 248 women referred for colposcopy due to an abnormal Pap smear were analysed with the Roche Linear Array HPV genotyping test detecting 37 most frequent HPV types, and compared with hybrid capture II (HCII) assay for oncogenic (high-risk [HR] HPV) types as well as for p16INK4a expression using immunocytochemistry. All tests were performed in cervical samples collected in PreservCyt liquid media for liquid-based cytology (ThinPrep), and colposcopic biopsy and/or loop electro excision procedure cone biopsy was used as the gold standard. HPV16 was the single most frequent genotype (29/258; 11.7%), followed by HPV51 (4.4%), HPV66 (3.6%), HPV42, 52 and 56 (3.2% for all). Linear array genotyping test significantly predicts both abnormal colposcopy (odds ratio [OR] = 9.0; 3.12-25.93), high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (OR = 9.6; 1.26-74.17) and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 3+ (OR = 29.3; 3.95-218.06). In detecting CIN3, linear array was equivalent (97.6%) to colposcopy in sensitivity (SE), both being superior to HCII (92.7%). Concordance between linear array and HCII was moderate (Cohen's kappa kappa = 0.547; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.435-659). Specificity (SP) and positive predictive value (PPV) of linear array were significantly improved, if only HPV16 genotype was considered. Performance in the best balance is obtained, when linear array and colposcopy are combined, giving 82.9% SE, 93.9% SP, 73.9% PPV and 96.3% negative predictive value (NPV) as predictor of CIN3+ (OR 74.5; 95% CI: 27.36-202.72). In conclusion, linear array for HR-HPV is a highly sensitive test (97.6%) with high NPV (98.9%) in detecting CIN3+ lesions. HPV16 genotyping alone significantly improves SP and PPV of this test in management of women with abnormal cytology.


Effect of cold acclimation on glucagon receptors of rat white adipocytes.
In order to determine the role of glucagon in cold acclimation, the changes in glucagon receptor were investigated in white adipocytes from cold-acclimated rats by establishing a glucagon radioreceptor assay method for isolated white adipocytes. The following conditions were found to be appropriate for specific glucagon receptor binding assay; cell concentration of about 1 X 10(5) cells/ml, 15 min preincubation with glucagon and 30 min-reaction at 25 degrees C in the presence of bacitracin (1 mg/ml). Cold acclimation decreased the size and increased the number of epididymal white adipocytes. Cold acclimation increased the number of glucagon receptors of white adipocytes, resulting in 140% in terms of unit cell, and 260% increase per unit surface area and 210% increase per whole tissue. However, the affinity of the binding site for glucagon was not affected. The results suggested that an enhanced metabolic response of cold-acclimated rats to glucagon could be partly explained by the increased number of glucagon receptor in white adipocytes.


Implementation research on community health workers' provision of maternal and child health services in rural Liberia.
To assess changes in the use of essential maternal and child health services in Konobo, Liberia, after implementation of an enhanced community health worker (CHW) programme. The Liberian Ministry of Health partnered with Last Mile Health, a nongovernmental organization, to implement a pilot CHW programme with enhanced recruitment, training, supervision and compensation. To assess changes in maternal and child health-care use, we conducted repeated cross-sectional cluster surveys before (2012) and after (2015) programme implementation. Between 2012 and 2015, 54 CHWs, seven peer supervisors and three clinical supervisors were trained to serve a population of 12 127 people in 44 communities. The regression-adjusted percentage of children receiving care from formal care providers increased by 60.1 (95% confidence interval, CI: 51.6 to 68.7) percentage points for diarrhoea, by 30.6 (95% CI: 20.5 to 40.7) for fever and by 51.2 (95% CI: 37.9 to 64.5) for acute respiratory infection. Facility-based delivery increased by 28.2 points (95% CI: 20.3 to 36.1). Facility-based delivery and formal sector care for acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea increased more in agricultural than gold-mining communities. Receipt of one-or-more antenatal care sessions at a health facility and postnatal care within 24 hours of delivery did not change significantly. We identified significant increases in uptake of child and maternal health-care services from formal providers during the pilot CHW programme in remote rural Liberia. Clinic-based services, such as postnatal care, and services in specific settings, such as mining areas, require additional interventions to achieve optimal outcomes.


Increasing 13C CP-MAS NMR resolution using single crystals: application to model octaethyl porphyrins.
Octaethyl porphyrin (OEP) and its Ni and Zn derivatives are considered as model compounds in biochemical, photophysical, and fossil fuel chemistry. They have thus been investigated by high-resolution solid-state (13)C NMR using powders, but peak assignment has been difficult because of large line widths. Arguing that a significant cause of broadening might be the anisotropic bulk magnetic susceptibility, we utilized single crystals in our (13)C cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CP-MAS) measurements and observed a nearly 2-fold line narrowing. This enhanced resolution enabled us to assign chemical shifts to each carbon for all the three compounds. The new assignments are now in agreement with X-ray structural data and allowed us to probe the motional dynamics of the methyl and methylene carbons of the OEP side chains. It is apparent that the use of single crystals in (13)C CP-MAS measurements has a significantly wider impact than previously thought.


Alternative Splicing and Protein Diversity: Plants Versus Animals.
Plants, unlike animals, exhibit a very high degree of plasticity in their growth and development and employ diverse strategies to cope with the variations during diurnal cycles and stressful conditions. Plants and animals, despite their remarkable morphological and physiological differences, share many basic cellular processes and regulatory mechanisms. Alternative splicing (AS) is one such gene regulatory mechanism that modulates gene expression in multiple ways. It is now well established that AS is prevalent in all multicellular eukaryotes including plants and humans. Emerging evidence indicates that in plants, as in animals, transcription and splicing are coupled. Here, we reviewed recent evidence in support of co-transcriptional splicing in plants and highlighted similarities and differences between plants and humans. An unsettled question in the field of AS is the extent to which splice isoforms contribute to protein diversity. To take a critical look at this question, we presented a comprehensive summary of the current status of research in this area in both plants and humans, discussed limitations with the currently used approaches and suggested improvements to current methods and alternative approaches. We end with a discussion on the potential role of epigenetic modifications and chromatin state in splicing memory in plants primed with stresses.


The effect of hydrochlorothiazide and amiloride administered together on muscle electrolytes in normal subjects.
Hydrochlorothiazide, 150 mg daily, and amiloride, 15 mg daily, have been administered together to 10 normal subjects during one week. Muscle biopsies were performed before and after the period of administration of the diuretics and the material was analysed for water and electrolytes. The body weight decreased by 1.9 kg. The serum sodium, chloride and potassium concentrations decreased significantly and standard bicarbonate and blood pH increased. In muscle tissue, extracellular water, chloride and sodium contents and intracellular sodium concentration decreased but the muscle potassium content, the intracellular potassium concentration and the muscle magnesium content were unchanged. A comparison with the results of an earlier study, in which hydrochlorothiazide was given without amiloride, showed that the intracellular potassium depletion and the increase in intracellular sodium concentration, observed with the benzothiazide diuretic, could be fully prevented by simultaneous administration of amiloride. The degree of hypokalemia and alkalosis was also smaller with hydrochlorothiazide + amiloride than with hydrochlorothiazide alone.


Every day I'm rufflin': Calcium sensing and actin dynamics in the growth factor-independent membrane ruffling of professional phagocytes.
Professional phagocytes continuously extend dynamic, actin-driven membrane protrusions. These protrusions, often referred to as membrane ruffles, serve a critical role in the essential phagocyte processes of macropinocytosis and phagocytosis. Small GTPases, such as RAC1/2, spatially and temporally regulate membrane ruffle formation. We have recently shown that extracellular calcium regulates the elaboration of membrane ruffles primarily through the synthesis of phosphatidic acid (PtdOH) at the plasma membrane. RAC1/2 guanine nucleotide exchange factors harbouring polybasic stretches are recruited by PtdOH to sites of ruffle formation. Here we discuss our findings and offer perspectives on how the regulation of dynamic actin structures at the plasma membrane by small GTPases is a critical component of phagocyte function.


Altered expression of immune defense genes in pilocytic astrocytomas.
Pilocytic astrocytoma (WHO grade I) is a circumscribed, slowly growing, benign astrocytoma that most frequently develops in the cerebellar hemispheres and in midline structures and occurs predominantly in childhood and adolescence. In contrast to diffusely infiltrating gliomas in adults (e.g. grade II astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas), survival of patients with pilocytic astrocytoma is excellent after surgical intervention. To search for potential molecular mechanisms underlying its benign biologic behavior, we compared gene expression profiles of pilocytic astrocytomas (8 cases) with those of normal cerebellum (4 cases), low-grade astrocytomas (WHO grade II; 15 cases), and oligodendrogliomas (WHO grade II; 17 cases) by cDNA array analysis. A number of immune system-related genes such as HLA-DRalpha, HLA-DPB1, HLA-DQB1, IgG3, IgGK, FCER1G, A2M, FCRN, IFI-56K, and DAP12 were upregulated in pilocytic astrocytomas relative to normal cerebellum, grade II astrocytomas, and oligodendrogliomas. Genes expressed at higher levels in pilocytic astrocytomas than in grade II astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas include HLA-DRalpha, HLA-DPA1, HLA-DPB1, HLA-DQB1, A2M, TIMP1, TIMP2, CDKN1A, and SOCS3 and those expressed at lower levels include EGFR and PDGFRA. Hierarchical clustering analysis using the entire set of 1176 genes distinguished pilocytic astrocytomas from grade II astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas. Clustering analysis using selected subgroups of genes based on their molecular functions revealed that immune system-related genes (75 genes) or cell adhesion, migration, and angiogenesis-related genes (69 genes) showed similar power to the entire gene set for separation of pilocytic astrocytomas from diffusely infiltrating low-grade gliomas. Immunohistochemistry revealed that HLA-DRalpha is expressed diffusely in neoplastic cells in pilocytic astrocytomas, whereas in oligodendrogliomas, expression was limited to scattered reactive astrocytes. These results suggest that gene expression profiles of pilocytic astrocytomas differ significantly from those of diffusely infiltrating low-grade gliomas and that their benign biologic behavior may be related to upregulation of immune defense-associated genes.


Photoinduced Copper-Catalyzed Asymmetric Three-Component Coupling of 1,3-Dienes: An Alternative to Kharasch-Sosnovsky Reaction.
Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction is one of the most powerful methods for allylic oxidation of alkenes. However, the inherent radical mechanism and use of peroxides as both oxidants and oxygen nucleophiles render dearth of universal catalytic systems for highly enantioselective variants and limited scope. Herein, an alternative to the asymmetric Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction that utilized a chiral copper catalyst and purple-LED irradiation to enable the three-component coupling of 1,3-dienes, oxime esters, and carboxylic acids is reported. This protocol features mild conditions, remarkable scope and functional group tolerance as evidenced by >80 examples and utility in the late-stage modification of pharmaceuticals and natural products. Detailed mechanistic studies provide evidences for the radical-based reaction pathway.


Variation in duration of respiratory support among Australian and New Zealand pediatric intensive care units.
To test if there was significant variation of mean adjusted duration of respiratory support (RS) at the site level among Australian and New Zealand pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) and to determine whether the pattern of variation differed from the site-level pattern of variation in length of stay (LoS). Separate outcome prediction models for estimating PICU LoS and duration of RS were constructed, using patient data collected between 2002 and 2007. Gamma regression was used to model LoS for all admissions included in the study population, and log normal regression was used to model duration of RS for the subset of patients receiving RS. For both models, case-mix adjustment was achieved by entering patient risk factors as fixed effects, and the PICU or site of care was entered as a random effect. Data for 31,358 admissions were collected from nine specialist PICUs in Australia and New Zealand. Average risk-adjusted duration of RS and LoS for each PICU. There was significant unit-level variation in the adjusted mean LoS and duration of RS among PICUs in Australia and New Zealand. One site had a mean duration of RS that was significantly longer than expected, whereas two sites had a mean duration of RS that was significantly shorter than expected at the 95% level. Unit-level variation in duration of RS is consistent with unit-level variation in LoS for six PICUs and significantly different in two units. There is unit-level variation in LoS and duration of RS, not accounted for by case-mix. Concurrent analysis of unit-level variation in LoS and duration of RS can help to identify differences in discharge practice and provide direction for improvements in clinical or administrative efficiency.


Specialization: species property or local phenomenon?
Many herbivorous insects have generalized diets over the species' entire geographical ranges but they function as specialists with restricted diets in local communities. Local feeding specialization can be produced by biochemical, behavioral, ecological, and evolutionary processes. Much evidence is incompatible with the widely held assumptions that diet breadth is a species characteristic and that specialization among herbivorous insects implies greater efficiency and less niche overlap.


Myeloperoxidase-generated phenothiazine cation radicals inactivate Trypanosoma cruzi dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase.
Peroxidase/H2O2/phenothiazine systems irreversibly inhibit Trypanosoma cruzi dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (LADH). Inactivation of the parasite enzyme depended on (a) phenothiazine structure; (b) peroxidase nature; (c) incubation time and (d) the presence of a cation radical scavenger. With the myeloperoxidase/H2O2/system, promazine, trimeprazine, thioridazine, promethiazine, prochlorperazine, chlorpromazine and perphenazine were the most effective derivatives out of twelve phenothiazines studied. An electronegative substituent at position 2 of the phenothiazine ring such as Cl, or trifluoromethyl, propionyl and nitrile groups decreased or nullified phenothiazine activity. Myeloperoxidase/H2O2/, horseradish peroxidase/H2O2/, and myoglobin/H2O2/systems activated phenothiazines producing the corresponding cation radicals, myeloperoxidase being the most selective one with respect to phenothiazine structure. The myoglobin/H2O2/system activated phenothiazines that were scarcely active or inactivate with the MPO/H2O2/system, such as the trifluoromethyl derivatives. Production of phenothiazine cation radicals was demonstrated by optical spectroscopy. Phenothiazine cation radical stability depended on their structure as illustrated by promazine and thioridazine. Thiol compounds (GSH, N-acetyl-cysteine and penicillamine), aromatic aminoacids (L-tyrosine, L-tryptophan, and the corresponding peptides) and ascorbate scavenged phenothiazine cation radicals, thus preventing LADH inactivation. Comparison of the summarized phenothiazine effects with those of phenothiazines on T. cruzi suggest the role of cation radicals in phenothiazines chemotherapeutic actions.


Therapeutic Effects of Horseback Riding Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Equine-assisted therapies, such as therapeutic riding and hippotherapy, are believed to have positive physical and emotional effects in individuals with neuromotor, developmental, and physical disabilities. The purpose of this review was to determine whether therapeutic riding and hippotherapy improve balance, motor function, gait, muscle symmetry, pelvic movement, psychosocial parameters, and the patients' overall quality of life. In this study, a literature search was conducted on MEDLINE, CINAHL, MBASE, SportDiscus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, PEDro, DARE, Google Scholar, and Dissertation Abstracts. Only studies with a control/comparison group or self-controlled studies performing preintervention and postintervention assessment were included. Excluded were (1) studies not providing data on baseline score or end-point outcome, (2) single-subject studies, (3) studies providing only qualitative data, and (4) studies that used a mechanical horse. Sixteen trials were included. The methodologic quality of each study was evaluated using Downs and Black quality assessment tool. Most of the studies showed a trend toward a beneficial effect of therapeutic riding and hippotherapy on balance and gross motor function. The meta-analysis showed improvement in both the Berg Balance Scale and the Gross Motor Function Measure in therapeutic riding and hippotherapy programs. Programs such as therapeutic riding and hippotherapy are a viable intervention option for patients with balance, gait, and psychomotor disorders.


Epithelioid angiomyolipoma of the liver: a case report.
Epithelioid angiomyolipoma (EAML) of liver is a rare neoplasm. Hepatic EAML is often misdiagnosed as other neoplasms such as hepatocellular carcinoma due to non-specific clinical and radiologic features. The morphologic features under microscope and immunohistochemistry staining profile are important in the diagnosis EAML. Here, we report a case of 52-year-old man who found 1.2 cm mass in liver by routine checkup. On the impression of hepatocellular carcinoma, lateral sectionectomy of the liver was done. Microscopically, the tumor is composed of predominant epithelioid cells with vascular component and foamy cells. These cells were positive for HMB45, MelanA, and smooth muscle actin and negative for epithelial membrane antigen. The final diagnosis was hepatic EAML.


Selective Hypochlorous Acid Detection by Electronic Tuning of Platinum-4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)acridine-Thiolate Complexes.
Four [Pt(PNP)(L)]+ pincer complexes (PNP = 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)acridine; L = Cl- (1), CN- (2), benzenethiolate -SPh (3), and 4-thiolatobenzoic acid -SPhCO2H (4)) were synthesized and structurally characterized. The oxidation of 3 and 4 by HOCl gave the corresponding sulfinate complexes 3″ (L = -SO2Ph) and 4″ (L = -SO2PhCO2H), which were characterized by X-ray crystallography. All of the complexes show intense acridine-based π → π* absorption at λmax = 398-430 nm, but the spectra of 3 and 4 display low-energy absorptions at 525 and 482 nm, respectively, which are predominantly ligand (3p of S)-to-ligand (π* of acridine) charge transfer (CT) in nature. 1, 2, 3″, and 4″ exhibit 1ππ* fluorescence, which is quenched by internal conversion to the dark CT excited state in 3 and 4. This photophysical property of 3 and 4 was harnessed for the detection of hypochlorous acid HOCl and peroxynitrite ion (ONOO-). The cyclic voltammetry (CV) of the complexes is consistent with the notion that 3 is more prone to oxidation than 4, as the CV of the former exhibits an irreversible S oxidation at +0.68 V vs Fc+/Fc, which is anodically shifted to +0.79 V in the CV of 4. The addition of HOCl or ONOO- to a solution of 3 promptly switches on its emission as the complex is oxidized to 3″. The emission intensity reaches its maximum at a [HOCl]/[3] ratio of 2. On the contrary, 4, because its thiolate S atom is less electron-rich, responds only to HOCl, indicating that electronic tuning of the auxiliary ligand can lead to different selectivities. Our findings show that 3 and 4 are fast responding probes for HOCl or ONOO- with reasonably good detection limits.


Vibrational frequencies of CO bound to all three low-index cerium oxide surfaces: A consistent theoretical description of vacancy-induced changes using density functional theory.
The facet-dependent adsorption of CO on oxidized and reduced CeO2 single crystal surfaces is reviewed, with emphasis on the effect of CO coverage and the ability of state-of-the-art quantum-mechanical methods to provide reliable energies and an accurate description of the IR vibrational frequency of CO. Comparison with detailed, high-resolution experimental infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy data obtained for single crystal samples allows the assignment of the different CO vibrational bands observed on all three low-index ceria surfaces. Good agreement is achieved with the hybrid density functional theory approach with the HSE06 functional and with saturation coverage. It is shown that CO is very sensitive to the structure of cerium oxide surfaces and to the presence of oxygen vacancies. The combined theoretical-experimental approach offers new opportunities for a better characterization of ceria nanoparticles and for unraveling changes occurring during reactions involving CO at higher pressures.


Resource Reallocation during the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Suburban Hospital System: Implications for Outpatient Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.
The COVID pandemic of 2020 has emerged as a global threat to patients, health care providers, and to the global economy. Owing to this particular novel and highly infectious strain of coronavirus, the rapid community spread and clinical severity of the subsequent respiratory syndrome created a substantial strain on hospitals and health care systems around the world. The rapid surge of patients presenting over a small period for emergent clinical care, admission to the hospital, and intensive care units with many requiring mechanically assisted ventilators for respiratory support demonstrated the potential to overwhelm health care workers, hospitals, and health care systems. The purpose of this article is to describe an effective system for redeployment of health care supplies, resources, and personnel to hospitals within a suburban academic hospital system to optimize the care of COVID patients, while treating orthopedic patients in an equally ideal setting to maximize their surgical and clinical care. This article will provide a particular focus on the current and future role of a specialty hip and knee hospital and its partnering ambulatory surgery center in the context of an outpatient arthroplasty program.


[High-throughput Sequencing Analysis of Soil Bacterial Community in the Grain for Green Project Areas of the Loess Plateau].
This study analyzed the characteristics of the soil bacterial community under different types of vegetation restoration, and explored the role of microorganisms in the vegetation restoration process, within the soil ecosystem of Grain for Green areas of the Loess Plateau. Typical artificial forest (artificial Robinia pseudoacacia forest, Pinus tabulaeformis forest), natural secondary forest, and grassland were selected as the research objects. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to analyze the α diversity and community structure of soil bacteria, and the correlation between soil environmental factors and bacterial communities. The Chinese National Ecosystem Research Network in Jixian County Station was chosen as the research area. The results showed that the bacterial communities of the five types of forest restoration comprised 25 phyla, 66 classes, 129 orders, 240 families, 392 genera, 760 species, and 2213 OTUs. There were significant differences in the abundance of bacterial communities, which could be ranked as follows: CD > CSL > CH2 > CH1 > YS. The dominant bacteria phyla in the different vegetation restoration types were Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Chloroflexi. The relative abundances of natural secondary forest, grassland, and plantation were different, but not significantly. The relative abundances of α-Proteobacteria, β-Proteobacteria, and δ-Proteobacteria were higher in natural secondary forest soilthan in the soil of the other four restoration models, and the relative abundance was the lowest in grassland soil. The dominant bacteria were significantly correlated with soil pH and TN. Among them, TN was significantly positively correlated with Actinobacteria, pH was significantly positively correlated with Proteobacteria and negatively correlated with Actinobacteria, while Acidobacteria was significantly negatively correlated with soil pH and TN. PICRUSt analysis showed that the functional gene families were mainly related to 24 sub-functions, including cell motility, signal transduction mechanisms, amino acid transport and metabolism, as well as coenzyme transport and metabolism. These results can provide a good foundation for the evaluation of vegetation restoration in the Loess Plateau, as well as a scientific basis for the rational management of plantations.


[Drug use on admission and discharge in a geriatric department of a psychiatric hospital].
Change in medication use was studied in patients admitted to a short-stay geriatric ward of a psychiatric hospital. One hundred ten patients were followed up until discharge from the short-stay ward, or, after transfer, until discharge from the medium-stay ward to home or to a nursing-home. Mean drug use on admission was 2.6 drugs; at discharge mean use was 2.1 drugs. Drugs most prescribed at admission were neuroleptics (41%) and benzodiazepines (39%). At discharge 15% used neuroleptics and 22% benzodiazepines. A reduction in use of cardiovascular drugs, and especially of digoxin, was found. Prescription of laxatives and vitamins, especially folic acid and vitamin B12, increased. In comparison with studies on two other geriatric wards in general hospitals in The Netherlands the most marked difference was a reduction of 17% in this study of the number of patients using benzodiazepines on discharge in contrast to an increase of 18 and 3% in the two other studies. The number of patients using neuroleptics on discharge decreased in the present study with 26%; in the two other studies respectively a decrease of 7% and a constant prescription level was found.


Nomogram for predicting overall survival in patients with large (>5 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma based on real-world practice.
Patients with large (>5 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have limited treatment options, thus necessitating the identification of prognostic factors and the development of predictive tools. This study aimed to identify prognostic factors and to construct a nomogram to predict survival outcomes in patients with large HCC. A cohort of 438 patients, who were diagnosed with large HCC at a tertiary hospital between 2015 and 2018, was analyzed. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify key prognosticators of overall survival (OS), and an independent set of prognostic factors was used to develop a nomogram. The discrimination and calibration abilities of the nomogram were assessed and internal validation was performed using cross-validation and bootstrapping methods. During a median follow-up of 9.3 months, the median OS was 9.9 months, and the 1-year OS rate was 43.9%. Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that performance status, modified albumin-bilirubin grade, tumor size, extent of portal vein tumor thrombosis, and initial treatment significantly affected OS. The newly developed nomogram incorporating these variables demonstrated favorable accuracy (Harrell's concordance index, 0.807). The newly developed nomogram facilitated the estimation of individual survival outcomes in patients with large HCC, providing an acceptable level of accuracy.


Pharmacotherapy for obesity.
Obesity is a serious, chronic, relapsing disease of energy regulation, with strong genetic and early-life environmental determinants. Pharmacotherapy can be a useful adjunct to lifestyle intervention in effecting and maintaining clinically meaningful weight loss. The aim of this article is to discuss the role of pharmacotherapy in obesity management. The efficacy, side effects and contraindications of available weight-loss medications are reviewed. Long-term pharmacotherapy options, which can be effective in providing moderate weight loss, are available to treat obesity. Pharma-cotherapy should be considered an adjunct to lifestyle intervention in those with a body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m30 kg/m2, or in those with a BMI of 27-30 kg/m2 and obesity-related complications. Safety and efficacy should be monitored closely on commencement, and the medication should be discontinued if there are safety or tolerability issues, or if.


[Attempts to improve hybridoma technology for the production of human monoclonal antibodies].
The technology for producing hybridomas secreting human monoclonal antibodies has not been well established, contrary to the situation for mouse monoclonal antibodies. Therefore, we attempted to find better fusion partners using two EBV-transformed human B cell lines, C5TK1 and TAPC-30 (anti-SRBC IgM and anti-HBs IgG secretors, respectively; provided by Prof. Y. Ono, Nihon Univ. School of Med.). Fifteen partner cell lines available were fused with either of these lines by conventional PEG technique, and their fusion frequencies, cloning efficiencies, and levels and stabilities of specific antibody secretion were examined. Among the fusion partners tested, KR-12, SHM-D33 and 3HL3-6J lines appeared to be the best. Hybridomas with the KR-12 line were easily cloned and produced stable specific antibodies, although the level of Ig secretion was almost the same as the antibody-producing parental B-cell lines. SHM-D33 cells efficiently formed hybrids but the stability of their Ig production was low and cloning was laborious. Although the fusion frequency of 3HL3-6J cells was not so high, some hybrids were good producers of antibodies, and the levels of specific antibody reached levels greater than 10 micrograms/ml. Their cloning was relatively easy. Therefore, the 3HL3-6J line seemed to be the best fusion partner for EBV-transformed B cells. With regard to the low fusion frequency of human cells, we attempted to improve the efficiency using the electrofusion technique. Three to 10 times more hybridomas were obtained by this technique than by the conventional PEG method. Further investigations are under way.


Novel structure of hepatic extracellular matrices containing arylsulfatase A.
Arylsulfatase A (ArsA) has been regarded as a lysosomal enzyme involved in the degradation of sulfolipids. We previously reported the colocalization of non-enzymatic ArsA with heparan sulfate proteoglycan on cell surfaces in the mouse liver using tissues processed with phosphate-buffered saline containing Ca2+ and Mg2+. In vitro analysis also revealed the tight binding of ArsA to heparin. These results suggest that ArsA functions as a component of the extracellular matrix (ECM). To characterize ArsA as a component of ECMs, we extended our comparison to the distribution patterns of ArsA and the major hepatic ECM components (types I, III, IV and V collagen, fibronectin, and laminin) in the mouse liver at the ultrastructural level under the same conditions that allow the detection of ArsA. Here, we show that ArsA is distributed not only on the cell surfaces of endothelial cells and hepatocytes, but also on the collagen fibrils in the space of Disse. ArsA is additionally colocalized with these major hepatic ECM components on both the luminal and abluminal sides of sinusoidal endothelial cells as well as in the space of Disse. These findings reveal a novel structure of hepatic ECMs containing ArsA.


[No/PgE1. A new combination in the treatment of erectile dysfunctions].
2 endothelial factors seem to operate in the physiology of cavernosum corpus. NO is likely to represent the myorelaxant factor responsible of erection. We have experimented NO separately, then in association with Pg E1, in 50 patients suffering from erectile importance. This association has been efficacious.


Spectinomycin resistance and associated DNA amplification in Streptomyces achromogenes subsp. rubradiris.
Streptomyces achromogenes subsp. rubradiris plated at low density on 1,000 micrograms of spectinomycin per ml initially produces slow-growing, bald colonies from which arise, in a spatially and temporally random fashion, foci of rapidly growing aerial mycelium-forming cells whose DNA contains an approximately 200- to 300-fold amplification of an 8-kilobase (kb) sequence. This sequence was cloned in Escherichia coli on pBR322 and physically characterized. It was separately cloned also in Streptomyces lividans as a BglII fragment and shown to impart high-level resistance to spectinomycin in an orientation-independent manner when present in either the high-copy-number vector pIJ702 or the unit-copy-number vector pIJ943. A spectinomycin resistance determinant was shown to reside on a 1.7-kb SphI-BglII subfragment. Analysis of Southern blots of restriction enzyme digests of wild-type S. achromogenes DNA probed with the labeled 8-kb DNA sequence resulted in the identification and subsequent cloning in S. lividans of a 10.4-kb BamHI fragment which probably includes the complete 8.8-kb amplifiable unit of DNA. This unit is present in wild-type S. achromogenes and in the initially slow-growing, bald colonies arising on 1,000 micrograms of spectinomycin per ml as a single copy. It carries two 0.8-kb direct repeats at its termini as well as the spectinomycin resistance determinant close to one of these termini. About 5% of protoplast regenerants from wild-type S. achromogenes and 77% of protoplast regenerants from the rapidly growing strains lost both the ability to grow on spectinomycin at 10 micrograms/ml and the sequences that hybridize with the 8-kb probe DNA. The 1.7-kb Bg/II-SphI resistance fragment, when introduced via the vector pIJ702 into an S. achromogenes strain sensitive to 10 microgram of spectinomycin per ml, permitted its vigorous growth on 1,000 micrograms of the antibiotic per ml.


Primary hepatic large B-cell lymphoma following direct-acting antiviral treatment for hepatitis C.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major public health concern worldwide, raising important medical and economic issues. HCV-related end-stage liver disease is one of the most common indications for hepatic transplantation. Chronic hepatitis C is also assimilated to a systemic disease because of multiple extrahepatic manifestations, including lymphoproliferative disorders. The revolution of HCV treatment with the advent of direct-acting antivirals has significantly improved the management with high antiviral efficacy and good safety profile compared with old regimens, thus allowing good outcomes on hepatic and extrahepatic symptoms. However, with the widespread use of these new agents, controversial concerns about unexpected increasing cases of hepatocellular carcinoma were reported. We now report the case of a patient presenting with HCV-related cirrhosis, treated with direct-antiviral therapy and diagnosed with primary hepatic lymphoma shortly after the end of the treatment.


USF1 regulated circPRDM4 modulates tumorigenesis and immune escape in chemoresistant cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer (CC) represents a major global health concern, characterized by chemoresistance and immune evasion mechanisms. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), which play a crucial role in cancer pathogenesis, particularly in the case of CC, have gained significant attention. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the functional significance of circRNAs in chemoresistant CC. A significant upregulation of circPRDM4 expression in chemoresistant CC cells. To investigate the functional consequences, we conducted circPRDM4 knockdown experiments, which resulted in the effective blockade of immune escape mechanisms employed by chemoresistant CC cells. Furthermore, circPRDM4 knockdown demonstrated a significant suppression of tumorigenesis in CC cells, highlighting its contribution to the oncogenic potential of CC. Investigating the regulatory mechanisms involved, we found that the transcriptional factor upstream stimulatory factor 1 (USF1) acts as an inducer of circPRDM4 expression. Remarkably, USF1 was found to effectively modulate CC cell immune escape via its interaction with circPRDM4. Moreover, our results revealed that USF1 is intricately involved in CC cell tumorigenesis through the regulation of circPRDM4. Collectively, our study elucidates the significant roles of circPRDM4 and its upstream regulator USF1 in chemoresistant CC cells. These findings underscore the importance of circRNAs in CC pathogenesis and provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying immune escape and tumorigenesis.


Stimulation of neovascularization by the anti-angiogenic factor PEDF.
Examine the effect of (pigment epithelium-derived growth factor; PEDF) on laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Adult C57Bl/6 mice were anesthetized and four laser spots were placed in each quadrant of the fundus with a krypton red laser (614 nm, 50 microm, 0.05 second, 200 mW). Animals were treated with various doses of PEDF administered with miniosmotic pumps implanted subcutaneously. Seven days after laser treatment, mice were perfused with 3% FITC high-molecular-weight dextran, the eyes enucleated, and neovascularization analyzed by confocal microscopy. Data were recorded as the volume of the neovascular complex. The effect of PEDF on endothelial cell migration, vascular tube formation in synthetic basement membrane, and VEGF production was also determined. Mice receiving a lower dose of PEDF (90 microg/mL) had significantly decreased areas of CNV. A high dose of PEDF (360 microg/mL) significantly increased CNV, whereas an intermediate dose (180 microg/mL) of PEDF had no effect. PEDF inhibited endothelial cell migration and vascular tube formation at lower doses (0.5-5 microg/mL). High doses of PEDF (25-50 microg/mL) stimulated endothelial cell migration, enhanced vascular tube formation in vitro, and stimulated VEGF production from endothelial cells. Neutralizing anti-VEGF antibody completely reversed the stimulatory effects of high doses of PEDF on CNV in vivo. PEDF demonstrates opposing effects on CNV and endothelial cell function. Whereas low doses are inhibitory, high doses can augment the development of the neovasculature. These results suggest that the effects of PEDF on neovascularization are more complex than originally believed and that caution should be exercised when PEDF therapies are considered.


Catalytic Synthesis of Silanols by Hydroxylation of Hydrosilanes: From Chemoselectivity to Enantioselectivity.
As a crucial class of functional molecules in organosilicon chemistry, silanols are found valuable applications in the fields of modern science and will be a potentially powerful framework for biologically active compounds or functional materials. It has witnessed an increasing demand for non-natural organosilanols, as well as the progress in the synthesis of these structural features. From the classic preparative methods to the catalytic selective oxidation of hydrosilanes, electrochemical hydrolysis of hydrosilanes, and then the construction of the most challenging silicon-stereogenic silanols. This review summarized the progress in the catalyzed synthesis of silanols via hydroxylation of hydrosilanes in the last decade, with a particular emphasis on the latest elegant developments in the desymmetrization strategy for the enantioselective synthesis of silicon-stereogenic silanols from dihydrosilanes.


Risk factors and recurrence patterns in 203 patients with hemoptysis.
Management of hemoptysis requires prompt diagnosis and patient stabilization especially in massive hemoptysis as a potentially life-threatening condition. This retrospective study was designed to determine the etiologic distribution of hemoptysis, the role of the fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) as a diagnostic tool, and to clarify potential risk factors for massive hemoptysis and recurrences. A total of 203 patients (181 male, 22 female) with hemoptysis admitted to our hospital were evaluated retrospectively. Tuberculosis was the leading cause of hemoptysis (n = 89; 43.8%) followed by lung cancer (21.7%) and chronic bronchitis (n = 11; 5.5%). FOB plays an essential role for localization of bleeding and diagnosis, although no bronchoscopic abnormality was found in our 31 patients (15.3%). Twenty-nine of the patients (14.3%) had recurrent hemoptysis and hemoptysis lasting longer than five days was found as a risk factor for recurrences (p = 0.02). Having lung cancer was an independent negative risk factor for recurrent hemoptysis using multivariate analysis (n = 44; p = 0.034). Twenty two of the patients (10.8%) had severe hemoptysis and managed medically. In our study, tuberculosis, lung cancer and heavy cigarette smoking were revealed as independent predictors of massive hemoptysis (p = 0.016, 0.001, 0.041 respectively). Hemoptysis is a common respiratory symptom that always requires investigation by using FOB and radiography in order to determine exact site of bleeding and etiology. Hemoptysis continuing more than five days and lung cancer diagnosis may indicate recurrent bleeding and need more attention.


Prognostic relevance of Ki-67 antigen expression in 329 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma.
Prognostic relevance of Ki-67 staining in oral squamous cell carcinomas was investigated by immunohistochemical expression in 329 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity due to a formamide pretreatment. The growth fraction (Ki-67 labelling index, LI) was correlated to histopathological grading, lymphocytic reaction, stroma/tumour proportion, pattern of invasion, mitotic rate, degree of keratinisation, tumour size, thickness of tumor, depth of invasion, lymph node involvement and five-year survival rate. Highly significant inverse correlation was found between the Ki-67 LI, the stroma/tumour proportion and the degree of keratinisation whereas no correlation could be established between the Ki-67 LI and all the other histological and clinical paramters. Ki-67 staining alone has no prognostic relevance in oral cancer.


Bioactivity of essential oils in phytopathogenic and post-harvest fungi control.
Commercial thyme and lavender essential oils were analysed by GC/MS. Sixty-six compounds accounting for 98.6-99.6% of total essential oil were identified. Thymol (52.14 ± 0.21%), followed by p-cymene (32.24 ± 0.16%), carvacrol (3.71 ± 0.01%) and γ-terpinene (3.34 ± 0.02%), were the main compounds in thyme essential oil, while large amounts of oxygenated monoterpenes linalool acetate (37.07 ± 0.24%) and linalool (30.16 ± 0.06%) were found in lavender one. In vitro antifungal activity of the essential oils was evaluated at 200 and 300 μg/mL against 10 phytopathogenic and post-harvest fungi, which significantly affect agriculture. Micelial growth inhibition was calculated for each tested fungus and dose. Thyme essential oil showed satisfactory results with 90-100% growth inhibition in almost all the assayed fungi at 300 μg/mL, while lavender essential oil showed no noteworthy inhibition data at either dose, and its growth was even enhanced. Thyme essential oil represents a natural alternative to control harvest and post-harvest fungi, and to extend the shelf-life of agriculture products.


Psychometric differentiation of mild senile dementia of the Alzheimer type.
A brief (ten-minute), easily administered battery of four psychological tests was developed to classify successfully 98% of patients with mild dementia of the Alzheimer's type and healthy older persons matched for age, sex, and social position. Only two of 84 persons (one demented, one healthy) were misclassified. The four tests are the logical memory and mental control subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale, Form A of the Trailmaking Test, and word fluency for letters S and P.


Knowledge and attitudes about oral cancer among dentists in Spain.
Detecting oral cancer (OC) at an early stage is the most effective means of improving survival and reducing morbility from disease. The objective was to study the knowledge, opinions and attitudes held by general dentists in Spain regarding aspects of OC in general clinic practice. A 44-item questionnaire relating to OC was randomly distributed by email to 1000 dentists in the different autonomous communities in Spain. The response rate was 42.7%. Only 49.7% of the dentists who replied considered themselves to have up-to-date knowledge on OC. A total of 94.7% of those interviewed hold the opinion that it is the dentists who are qualified to carry out the oral examination. In addition, 41.8% felt that family doctors and 13.8% that dental hygienists were also capable of making this examination. We should highlight that dentists who rated their undergraduate OC training favourably were more likely to agree that their OC knowledge was current than those who rated their undergraduate training unfavourably [odds ratio (OR) = 4.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.1-4.2, P = 0.019). Respondents who performed oral cancer examinations on all patients 40 years of age or older were 1.8 times more likely to agree that their OC knowledge was current; however, the differences were not significant (OR = 1.3, 95% CI = 0.6-2.7, P = 0.392). Gaps in knowledge exist, strongly suggesting the need for continued courses of education detection and prevention of OC.


Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase promotes cell proliferation and suppresses cell death in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and colorectal carcinoma.
Ferroptosis is defined as an iron-dependent non-apoptotic form of programmed cell death. Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is a newly discovered anti-ferroptosis molecule independent from the well-known GPX4 and AIFM2. However, the expression pattern and especially the functional roles of DHODH during cancer cell death are generally unknown. The databases of Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), Kaplan-Meier Plotter, and Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER), and methods of colony formation, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) detection, RNA-seq, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and western blotting were used to analyze the expression level, prognostic role, and oncogenic roles of DHODH in cancers. DHODH overexpression was identified in many types of cancers including esophageal carcinoma (ESCA), colon adenocarcinoma (COAD), rectum adenocarcinoma (READ), and so on. Silence and inactivation of DHODH decreased the abilities of cell proliferation, colony formation, and cellular ATP levels both in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Z-VAD-FMK (an apoptosis inhibitor) partially rescued blockade of DHODH-induced death of ESCC cells, and ferroptosis inhibitors (ferrostatin-1 and liproxstatin-1) together with the necroptosis inhibitor (necrostatin-1) partially rescued inhibition of DHODH-induced death of CRC cells, respectively. Pathways including rheumatoid arthritis, salmonella infection, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, pertussis, and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) were enriched in DHODH-silenced ESCC cells. Overexpression of DHODH augments cell proliferation and suppresses cell death in ESCC and CRC, and DHODH might be developed as a potential anticancer target.


Formal Allylic C(sp3)-H Bond Activation of Alkenes Triggered by a Sodium Amide.
The catalytic use of a sodium amide has been exploited for formal allylic C(sp3)-H bond activation of alkenes under mild conditions. Subsequent C-C bond formations with imines have proceeded in high yields with complete regioselectivity and excellent geometric selectivity. Aromatic cyano, chloro, and bromo functionalities are tolerated by the transition metal-free catalyst. Complex amines bearing a C═C double bond and distinct heteroaromatic units have been prepared in a single step. The critical importance of sodium versus other s-, p-, d-, and f-block metals as well as metal-free systems has been revealed. In addition, two catalytically active sodium-based intermediates were detected by NMR and HRMS analyses.


Trends in hospitalizations among children with type 1 diabetes in Spain, 2001-2009.
To examine the trends in the incidence of hospital discharges among children between 0 and 14 years with type 1 diabetes in Spain (2001-2009). We identified all hospital discharges with a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, using national hospital discharge data. A total of 22,955 type 1 diabetes discharges to Spanish hospitals were recorded. The discharge incidence per year increased from 39.6 in 2001 to 40.02 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2009. There was no significant change in hospital discharge rates for children 0-14 years old. In the 0-4 years group, the incidence increased significantly over the study period (incidence rate ratio, 1.031; 95% confidence interval, 1.017-1.045). Hospitalization trends in children 0-4 years old with type 1 diabetes has increased over the study period, consistent with an increase in the incidence of diabetes in Spain. The stable rate for those aged 10-14 years may indicate that the control of these patients in specialized outpatient settings is preventing the expected increase in hospitalizations.


Mapping of the CYP2J cytochrome P450 genes to human chromosome 1 and mouse chromosome 4.
CYP2J subfamily cytochromes P450 catalyze the NADPH-dependent oxidation of arachidonic acid to several unique eicosanoids that possess numerous biological activities including modulation of ion transport, control of bronchial and vascular smooth muscle tone, and stimulation of peptide hormone secretion. We have identified sequence variants in the 3' untranslated regions of two mouse Cyp2j genes (Cyp2j5 and Cyp2j6) and used a PCR-based oligonucleotide hybridization assay to map both genes to the central region of chromosome 4 distal to the Jun oncogene. The corresponding human CYP2J gene (CYP2J2) has been assigned to human chromosome 1 on a panel of somatic hybrid cell lines and to 1p31.3-p31.2 by fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis. The proximity of the Cyp2j cluster to the Cyp4a cluster suggests that these genes may be part of a cassette of P450 genes involved in the oxidation of fatty acids.


Norfloxacin for prevention of bacterial infections during severe granulocytopenia after bone marrow transplantation.
48 patients treated with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) received the quinolone norfloxacin (NOR) in a total decontamination (TD-NOR, n = 36) or selective decontamination (SD-NOR, n = 12) regimen and were compared with a historical control group of 48 BMT patients receiving oral non-absorbable antibiotics (TD-NAA, n = 31 and SD-NAA, n = 17). 17/36 patients (47%) of group TD-NOR and 16/31 patients (52%) of group TD-NAA remained free of febrile episodes and infections. 4/12 patients (33%) of group SD-NOR and only 1/17 patients (6%) of group SD-NAA remained free of fever and infections. The use of norfloxacin in selective decontamination resulted in a statistically significant lower incidence of fever days than in patients receiving SD-NAA (p less than 0.001). These data suggest that norfloxacin may replace non-absorbable antibiotics in total and in selective decontamination regimens used for infection prophylaxis in BMT recipients.


Laterally π-Extended Dithia[6]helicenes with Heptagons: Saddle-Helix Hybrid Molecules.
A laterally π-extended dithia[6]helicene 1, representing an interesting saddle-helix hybrid molecule containing an unusual heptagon, has been synthesized by MoCl5-mediated oxidative stitching of tetrakis(thienylphenyl)naphthalene precursor 2 involving reactive-site capping by chlorination and subsequent Pd-mediated dechlorination of tetrachlorinated intermediate 1-Cl4. Highly distorted, wide helical structures of dithia[6]helicenes (1 and 1-Cl4) were clarified by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses where heterochiral slipped π-π stacking was displayed in a one-dimensional fashion. Notably, theoretical studies on the thermodynamic behavior of 1 predicted an extraordinarily high isomerization barrier of 49.7 kcal·mol-1, which enabled optical resolution and chiroptical measurements. Electronic structures of these huge helicenes were also examined by photophysical and electrochemical measurements.


Polymeric Nanoparticles to Combat Squamous Cell Carcinomas in Patients with Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa.
Skin cancer is the leading cause of malignancy in the United States, with Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma , and Melanoma being the three most common diagnoses, respectively. Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) is a particular concern for patients suffering from Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (DEB), a disease that affects the production and function of collagen VII, a protein that forms the anchoring fibrils which bind the epidermis to the dermis. Patients with DEB suffer from chronic blistering and wounds that have impaired healing capabilities, often leading to the development of SCC and eventual mortality. Nanomedicine is playing an increasing role in the delivery of effective therapeutics to combat a wide range of diseases, including the imaging and treatment of SCC. In this review, we discuss the role of nanoparticles in the treatment of SCC with an emphasis on PLGA nanoparticles and SCCs found in patients suffering from DEB, and address recent patents that are pertinent to the development of novel nanomedical therapeutics.


The effects of CO2 on the components of breathing pattern.
Experiments were performed on 12 rabbits in 4 experimental groups: A. breathing spontaneously; B. nonparalysed and ventilated by means of a pump driven by the integrated phrenic nerve activity; C. paralysed and ventilated as mentioned above; D. like in the group C, but subjected to bilateral vagotomy. The relationships were investigated between the chosen basic parameters describing the rhythm and depth of respiration in steady states during exposure to hypercapnic mixtures. A high correlation was found between the amplitude of the integrated phrenic nerve activity and the time of inspiration which is modified by the afferent activities from the lungs and thorax TI and TE seem to be controlled by different mechanisms, and the contribution of TE to the control of the cycle duration is greater than that of TI.


The Effect of Therapeutic Hypothermia on Prognosis in Patients Receiving Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy.
Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is a commonly used therapeutic modality in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for the treatment of severe acute kidney injury, as well as for addressing metabolic abnormalities, fluid-electrolyte imbalances, and acid-base disorders. According to reports, therapeutic hypothermia treatment has demonstrated the ability to decrease cellular metabolism, oxygen consumption, formation of free radicals, cell death, and inflammatory signals. The study encompassed all individuals who underwent CRRT at both Manisa City Hospital and Manisa Celal Bayar University Hospital throughout the period from February 2021 to November 2022. A total of 14 patients who received CRRT were subjected to a warming procedure utilizing an external blanket and an external heater attached to the CRRT venous return line, resulting in the attainment of a body temperature exceeding 36°C. Therapeutic hypothermia was implemented on 12 patients to maintain their body temperature within the range of 32-35°C. The study population exhibited a median age of 24.5 months, with males comprising 61.5% of the sample. A therapeutic hypothermia treatment was administered to a cohort of 12 patients. The patients who had therapeutic hypothermia exhibited a significantly reduced vasoactive-inotropic score (p = 0.038). Patients who did not receive therapeutic hypothermia exhibited a prolonged need for mechanical ventilation (p = 0.020). The duration of stay in the PICU for patients who underwent therapeutic hypothermia was shown to be considerably shorter compared to those who did not receive therapeutic hypothermia (p = 0.047). The potential efficacy of moderate therapeutic hypothermia appears promising, particularly in the context of patients who are receiving CRRT for severe sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome. This is attributed to the anti-inflammatory properties and hypometabolic effects associated with this intervention. To the best of our current understanding, this study represents the initial investigation showcasing the effectiveness of combining therapeutic hypothermia with CRRT in the pediatric population.


Mortality Due to Toxoplasmosis in Suburban Eastern Fox Squirrels ( Sciurus niger) in Michigan, USA.
Three separate mortality events affecting wild eastern fox squirrels ( Sciurus niger) were investigated in suburban areas within southeastern Michigan, US over a 3-yr period from the summer of 2015 through the winter of 2017. A total of seven squirrels were submitted for investigation. The squirrels were generally in fair to good body condition with moderate fat deposits. The tissues that most commonly exhibited gross or histologic lesions included the lungs, liver, and heart, whereas spleen and brain exhibited lesions less frequently. Lung lesions in all seven squirrels consisted of moderate interstitial pneumonia with necrosis and moderate to high numbers of protozoal organisms. Livers in four out of seven squirrels had multifocal necrosis associated with low to moderate numbers of protozoal organisms. Three out of seven brains examined had mild nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis with widely scattered protozoal cysts. Protozoal organisms observed in various tissues were strongly immunoreactive to Toxoplasma gondii antibody by immunohistochemical staining. Other primary disease conditions tested for included West Nile virus infection, pesticides, and anticoagulants. Toxoplasma gondii can cause disease and mortality in a variety of wild squirrel species, especially near human settlements, and would merit more attention.


Retrospective study of hepatic enzyme elevations in children treated with olanzapine, divalproex, and their combination.
To evaluate hepatic enzyme elevations during treatment with olanzapine, divalproex, and their combination. Fifty-two children, aged 4 to 18 years, with hepatic enzyme levels measured during treatment with olanzapine (n = 17), divalproex (n = 23), or their combination (n = 12), were identified in the computerized records at a pediatric medical center. Clinical characteristics as well as serial alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase levels were collected. Mean and peak hepatic enzyme levels were significantly higher for the combined treatment group compared to the olanzapine or divalproex groups. All 12 patients who received combined treatment had at least one peak enzyme elevation during the treatment. For 42% of these patients, at least one enzyme level remained elevated during the time for which values were available (mean 8 +/- 6 months). For those treated with divalproex either alone or in combination, the findings were not explained by variations in divalproex plasma levels. Two patients receiving combined treatment had the combination treatment discontinued because of medical complications (pancreatitis in one and steatohepatitis in the other). Combined treatment with olanzapine and divalproex was associated with more elevations of hepatic enzymes than treatment with either agent alone. The long-term significance of this is unknown but warrants study.


Toe grip strength in middle-aged individuals as a risk factor for falls.
Toe grip strength is the force of a toe on a surface. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between falls in middle-aged individuals and physical strength factors such as toe grip strength and knee extension strength. The subjects were 194 middle-aged individuals (388 feet) who were independent in daily life, received no nursing care, and participated in a health sports event organized by a sports club. We evaluated the body composition, blood pressure, vascular age, systemic response, bone density, knee extension strength, and toe grip strength, and examined their relationship using a self-administered questionnaire survey. The fall, near-fall, and no fall groups included 7, 36, and 151 subjects, respectively; the high and low risk groups included 43 and 151 subjects, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was performed with risk of falls as the dependent variable, and factors that showed a significant difference in the comparison of the high and low risk groups as independent variables. In this analysis, toe grip strength and diastolic blood pressure were identified as independent risk factors for a fall. Toe grip strength is an independent risk factor for falls, and improvement of toe grip strength might prevent falls.


Synthesis and characterization of a fluorene-quinoxaline copolymer for light-emitting applications.
A conjugated copolymer based on 9,9-dioctyl-fluorene and 2,3-bis(4-(hexyloxy)phenyl) quinoxaline has been synthesized by the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki coupling reaction. The synthesized polymer was soluble in common organic solvents such as chloroform, THF, and toluene and had good film properties. The polymer was analyzed by 1H-NMR spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, GPC, TGA, DSC, and cyclic voltammetry. It had very good thermal properties with high decomposition and glass transition temperatures, 420 degrees C and 159 degrees C respectively, and a low band gap of 2.51 eV. The polymer LEDs (ITO/PEDOT:PSS/polymer/LiF/Ca/Al) showed pure green light emission with maximum peaks at 502 nm and CIE coordinates of x = 0.28 and y = 0.55. The turn-on voltage of the polymer device was 7 V and the maximum brightness was 10.16 cd/m2 at 14 V. The maximum luminescence efficiency of the polymer was 0.0011 cd/A at 11 V.


Discordant anencephaly in a set of triplets.
A 38-year-old woman, gravida 5, para 3, with a triplet pregnancy discordant for anencephaly, is reported. The diagnosis was made prenatally by ultrasound. Autopsy of the anencephalic member revealed small adrenal glands with absent fetal cortex, and a coincidental tetralogy of Fallot. Studies of the histocompatible lymphocyte antigens of both parents were performed and they failed to demonstrate HLA B-27. The literature on anencephaly in triplets is summarized. The association of congenital heart disease and HLA B-27 with anencephaly is discussed.


Working Memory and Consciousness: The Current State of Play.
Working memory (WM), an important posit in cognitive science, allows one to temporarily store and manipulate information in the service of ongoing tasks. WM has been traditionally classified as an explicit memory system-that is, as operating on and maintaining only consciously perceived information. Recently, however, several studies have questioned this assumption, purporting to provide evidence for unconscious WM. In this article, we focus on visual working memory (VWM) and critically examine these studies as well as studies of unconscious perception that seem to provide indirect evidence for unconscious WM. Our analysis indicates that current evidence does not support an unconscious WM store, though we offer independent reasons to think that WM may operate on unconsciously perceived information.


Labelling of histones and nonhistones in lung nuclear matrix and chromatin fractions.
Rat lung tissue is labelled in vitro with [3H]leucine and nuclei are prepared. They are digested with deoxyribonuclease II and four subfractions are isolated after differential centrifugation: MgCl2-soluble (active) and MgCl2-insoluble (inactive) chromatin, nuclear matrix sediment and matrix extract using 2M NaCl. The matrix extract fraction is found to be enriched in radioactive DNA after a short pulse of [3H]thymidine. The labelling kinetics of histones are similar in each subfraction, suggesting that histones are not preferentially incorporated onto nascent DNA. Nonhistones isolated from the subfractions, except for the matrix sediment fraction, also follow closely similar incorporation kinetics with [3H]-leucine. The matrix sedimnent fraction is three times more actively labelled than nonhistones of the other fractions and displaying a unique protein composition, suggesting distinct functional properties.


Decision-making, professional discipline, and program affiliation: selection of an inpatient treatment alternative.
Used a hypothetical case history to examine the clinical decision-making of a group of 75 mental health practitioners representing the disciplines of alcohol/drug counseling, nursing, psychiatry, psychology, and social work. The variables of professional discipline, program affiliation, work setting, and influential case history items were studied in relation to clinicians' selection of an inpatient treatment alternative. All clinicians, including para-professionals, performed similarly in that they followed an internally consistent process of reasoning in identifying influential case history items and using them in decision-making. Program affiliation and work setting had no biasing effect on decision-making, and only social workers showed a clear indication of a "set" related to their professional discipline. The implications of these findings for multi-disciplinary settings are discussed.


Facile synthesis of a family of H8BINOL-amine compounds and catalytic asymmetric arylzinc addition to aldehydes.
A family of optically active H(8)BINOL-AM compounds containing 3,3'-bis-tertiary amine substituents are synthesized by using a one-step reaction of H(8)BINOL with amino methanols that were in situ generated from various cyclic or acyclic secondary amines and paraformaldehyde. The H(8)BINOL-AM compounds are used to catalyze the reaction of functional arylzincs, in situ prepared from the reaction of aryliodides with ZnEt(2), with aldehydes to produce chiral diaryl carbinols and a few arylalkyl carbinols. Through this study, highly enantioselective catalysts were identified. It was found that the H(8)BINOL-AM compounds with sterically less congested cyclic or acyclic amino methyl substituents were more enantioselective than those with more bulky substituents. The pyrrolidinyl derivative (S)-12 in most cases showed greater enantioselectivity than other H(8)BINOL-AM compounds, especially for the challenging ortho-substituted aromatic aldehydes. A H(8)BINOL-AM with 3,3'-bis-sec-amine substituents, prepared by a multistep method, was also used to catalyze the arylzinc addition to aldehydes, but it showed enantioselectivity lower than that of the compounds with tertiary amine groups. It was found for the first time that an aryl bromide, 2-bromothiophene, could be used to prepare an arylzinc reagent by reaction with ZnEt(2). The addition of this heteroarylzinc reagent to an aldehyde in the presence of (S)-12 proceeded with good enantioselectivity.


[Comparative study on the genotoxicity of gasoline-fueled vehicle exhaust and methanol-fueled vehicle exhaust].
Comparing the genotoxicity of gasoline-fueled vehicle exhaust (gasoline exhaust for short) with that of methanol-fueled vehicle exhaust (methanol exhaust for short) so as to provide a scientific basis for replacement of gasoline by methanol as fuel in vehicle. The MTT method was used first to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the two kinds of vehicle exhausts, and the concentration that had no obvious cytotoxicity would be used as the highest dose in the experiments. The A549 cells micronucleus test and single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay (comet assay) in vitro were applied to compare the genotoxicity of gasoline exhaust and methanol exhaust. The MTT results showed that the gasoline-fueled vehicle exhaust exerted stronger cytotoxicity to A549 cells in both 2 h and 24 h exposure times, compared with the methanol exhaust. In A549 cells micronucleus test in vitro, at doses 0.025, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 L/ml, the micronucleated cell (MNC) rates were 2.65%, 4.35%, 4.95% and 5.85% respectively, which were higher than those (1.30% and 1.35%) of controls (P<0.01). For the methanol-fueled vehicle exhaust, there was no significant difference in the rate of A549 cells micronucleus between the test groups and control group. In the comet assay, gasoline-fueled vehicle exhaust could induce A549 cells DNA damage. The rate of caudate cell and the length of DNA migration increased with the escalation of dosing level. However, the methanol-fueled vehicle exhaust did not show any DNA damage to A549 cells. The results demanstrate that gasoline-fueled vehicle exhaust can induce DNA and chromosome damage, it has a distinct genotoxicity, whereas the methanol-fueled vehicle exhaust does not show any potential genotoxicity in both tests.


A survey of awareness of radiation dose among health professionals in Northern Ireland.
Increasing concern has recently been expressed in the literature that the referring doctor's knowledge of radiation doses incurred during radiological procedures is inadequate. Such information may be particularly relevant when the expansion of imaging technology is considered. To assess this, a survey was conducted of the awareness of radiation dose and risk among health professionals in Northern Ireland. A questionnaire was circulated to 300 consultants and 200 junior doctors selected randomly from a range of specialties. Participants were asked about the radiation dose from a chest radiograph, the annual dose from background radiation, and to estimate the radiation dose and cancer risk from several common radiological procedures. In total, 153 questionnaires were returned. A mean score of 7.1 out of 18 was achieved (39%). 26% of doctors achieved a score of 50% or more, and 20% of respondents knew the effective dose of a chest radiograph. 52 doctors had received formal training about ionizing radiation, and these participants scored more highly than those with no previous training in this area (p = 0.003). Our survey confirmed that clinician awareness of radiation doses imparted during common radiological procedures, and the consequent risk to the individual patient, is poor. It identified that training does increase awareness about radiation dose. There is a need to educate clinicians about (i) ionizing radiation relevant to medical imaging, given their legal responsibility as referrers under the Ionizing Radiation (Medical Exposure) regulations in the UK, and (ii) their clinical role to provide accurate information to their patients.


An efficient one-pot, three-component synthesis of indeno[1,2-b]quinoline-9,11(6H,10H)-dione, acridine-1,8(2H,5H)-dione and quinoline-3-carbonitrile derivatives from enaminones.
An efficient one-pot, three-component method for the preparation of indeno[1,2-b]quinoline-9,11(6H,10H)-dione, acridine-1,8(2H,5H)-dione and various multi-substituted quinoline-3-carbonitrile derivatives has been developed through the Michael addition to enaminones, which was achieved by both microwave irradiation and conventional heating.


Arthroscopic reattachment of osteochondritis dissecans lesions using resorbable polydioxanone pins.
Debridement of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) cartilage lesions results in fibrocartilage and imperfect hyaline repair tissue, and forms a permanent irregularity to the subchondral bone plate. To evaluate the clinical, radiographic and outcome effects of OCD cartilage flap reattachment for select lesions as an alternative to OCD debridement. Separated cartilage flaps resulting from OCD lesions may be re-incorporated into the hyaline cartilage surface by reattachment rather than debridement and removal. Resorbable polydioxanone pins were used to reattach OCD flap lesions in 16 joints of 12 horses. Criteria for attachment, rather than removal, included an unmineralised cartilage flap on preoperative radiographs and a relatively smooth surface with some residual perimeter attachment at surgery. There were 12 subjects, 6 males and 6 females, 7 Thoroughbred or Standardbred weanlings, 3 Warmbloods, 1 Arabian and 1 Quarter Horse, mean age at surgery 6.8 months. All horses had effusion of the affected femoropatellar joint (n = 9), tarsocrural joint (n = 1) or fetlock (n = 2). Radiographic lesions varied in length between 1.8-6.3 cm; reattachment was used in 16 of 18 affected joints and the OCD cartilage was not satisfactory for salvage in 2 stifles. Number of pins required was 2-10. One horse was subjected to euthanasia due to a tendon laceration 8 weeks after surgery; of the remaining 11 horses, mean duration of follow-up was 3.9 years (range 4 months-8 years). Nine of these were sound and had entered work, while 2 were sound but remained unbroken 4 and 6 months post operatively, respectively. Radiographic resolution of the OCD lesion occurred in 14 of 16 pinned joints in the 9 horses with long-term follow-up. The 2 remaining joints had a 3 and a 5 mm mineralised flap in the original defect sites. This study indicated cartilage flap reattachment was an alternative to removal in selected OCD lesions. Relatively smooth OCD cartilage flaps may be salvaged by reattachment and can result in normal radiographic subchondral contour and a high likelihood of athletic performance. Further case numbers are required to determine which lesions are too irregular or contain too much mineral for effective incorporation after reattachment.


Maintenance of Relationship and Individual Functioning Gains Following Online Relationship Programs for Low-Income Couples.
Initial evidence suggests that gains in relationship functioning from brief, web-based programs are maintained through one year following the intervention; however, whether these results generalize to a low-income sample is unclear. Furthermore, previous research from in-person couple therapy suggests there may be different shapes of maintenance slopes for behavioral versus acceptance-based techniques. This study contacted 668 individuals who enrolled in online behavioral (ePREP) or acceptance-based (OurRelationship) programs one year following completion of the program. Multilevel modeling was used to examine linear and quadratic rates of change in the year following the online intervention as well as total amount of change from pretreatment to 12-month follow-up for both relationship and individual functioning. The majority of couples who responded continued to be in a relationship with the same partner (68.3%). Examinations of relationship functioning indicated couples in both programs maintained their gains over follow-up (i.e., no significant linear or quadratic changes), with medium-to-large within-group effect sizes from pre- to one-year follow-up. There were no significant differences in relationship outcomes between OurRelationship and ePREP. Similarly, examinations of individual functioning outcomes indicated couples maintained their gains over follow-up or continued to improve. In total, couples experienced small-to-medium within-group effect sizes from pretreatment to one-year follow-up, with larger effects for individuals who were initially distressed. These results suggest that online programs create lasting change for low-income couples in relationship and individual functioning, with minimal differences between behavioral and acceptance-based orientations.


Sunxiuqinia dokdonensis sp. nov., isolated from deep sub-seafloor sediment.
A novel facultatively anaerobic strain DH1(T) was isolated from deep sub-seafloor sediment at a depth of 900 m below the seafloor off Seo-do (the west part of Dokdo Island) in the East Sea of the Republic of Korea. The new strain was characterized using polyphasic approaches. The isolate was Gram-stain-negative, motile by gliding, non-spore-forming rods, oxidase-negative, and catalase-positive; and formed colonies of orange-red color. The NaCl range for growth was 0.5-7.0% (w/v) and no growth was observed in the absence of NaCl. The isolate grew optimally at 30°C, with 2% (w/v) NaCl and at pH 7. The cell-wall hydrolysates contained ribose as a major sugar. The DNA G+C content was 40.8 mol%. The closest related strains are Sunxiuqinia faeciviva JAM-BA0302(T) and Sunxiuqinia elliptica DQHS-4(T) (97.9 and 96.3% sequence similarity, respectively). The level of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain DH1(T) and S. faeciviva JAM-BA0302(T) was around 41% (but only 6% between DH1T and S. elliptica DQHS-4(T)). The major cellular fatty acids of the isolate were contained iso-C15:0 (25.9%), anteiso-C15:0 (16.7%), and summed feature 9 (comprising C16:0 3-OH and/or unknown fatty acid of dimethylacetal ECL 17.157; 13.2%). The predominant menaquinone was MK-7. On the basis of polyphasic evidence from this study, the isolate was considered to represent a novel species of the genus Sunxiuqinia, for which the name Sunxiuqinia dokdonensis sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is DH1(T) (=KCTC 32503(T) =CGMCC 1.12676(T) =JCM 19380(T)).


Population structure of Cynara cardunculus complex and the origin of the conspecific crops artichoke and cardoon.
Globe artichoke and leafy cardoon, two crops within the same species Cynara cardunculus, are traditionally cultivated in the Mediterranean region and play a significant role in the agricultural economy of this area. The two cultigens have different reproductive systems: artichoke is generally vegetatively propagated, while leafy cardoon is seed propagated. The domestication events underlying the origin of both artichoke and cultivated cardoon from their wild relative and the area of occurrence are not yet fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate population structure in wild cardoon, globe artichoke and leafy cardoon material and infer domestication events. Thirty-five microsatellite (simple sequence repeat) markers, distributed in the C. cardunculus genome, and a large geographical and numerical sampling in southern Europe and North Africa were used to assess population structure and diversity. The results suggest the presence of two distinct domestication events for artichoke and leafy cardoon, and also suggest a new possible scenario, with western wild cardoon having originated from cultivated cardoon escaped from cultivation. Evidence was found for a demographic bottleneck in the past history of globe artichoke. The results shed new light on the relationships between the three taxa of C. cardunculus and highlight relevant aspects on the evolution of domestication of two crops with a different reproductive system within the same species. It is proposed that the probable centre of origin of artichoke is located in southern Italy, probably Sicily.


Diabetes and its impact on health-related quality of life: a life table analysis.
To investigate the health burden of diabetes and determine its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a population with a high prevalence of chronic conditions. A representative sample of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) was used to estimate prevalence of diabetes and mean health utility index (HUI), a utility-based measure of HRQOL. Diabetes-deleted life expectancy (LE) and health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) were derived to measure HRQOL. Diabetic individuals comprised 6.8% of the sample and accounted for 14% of total deaths from 2001 to 2005. Life Expectancy at age 15 was 61.3 years for men and 66.7 years for women, of which 53.0 and 57.0 years, respectively, were spent with perfect health (86.4 and 85.5%). Eliminating diabetes would extend both the overall LE and HALE for men by 1.3 and 1.4 years, and women by 2.0 and 1.7 years, respectively. People with diabetes had a significantly lower HRQOL than people without diabetes (mean HUI: 0.78 vs. 0.88, P < 0.01). The burden of illness from diabetes in NL is considerable. Using cause-eliminated LE and HALE provides a robust approach for assessing HRQOL that may have important implications for diabetes surveillance, prevention, and management strategies.


Investigation of Polyaniline and a Functionalised Derivative as Antimicrobial Additives to Create Contamination Resistant Surfaces.
Antimicrobial surfaces can be applied to break transmission pathways in hospitals. Polyaniline (PANI) and poly(3-aminobenzoic acid) (P3ABA) are novel antimicrobial agents with potential as non-leaching additives to provide contamination resistant surfaces. The activity of PANI and P3ABA were investigated in suspension and as part of absorbent and non-absorbent surfaces. The effect of inoculum size and the presence of organic matter on surface activity was determined. PANI and P3ABA both demonstrated bactericidal activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in suspension and as part of an absorbent surface. Only P3ABA showed antimicrobial activity in non-absorbent films. The results that are presented in this work support the use of P3ABA to create contamination resistant surfaces.


P-glycoprotein retains function when reconstituted into a sphingolipid- and cholesterol-rich environment.
P-glycoprotein (P-gp) appears to be associated within specialized raftlike membrane microdomains. The activity of P-gp is sensitive to its lipid environment, and a functional association in raft microdomains will require that P-gp retains activity in the microenvironment. Purified hamster P-gp was reconstituted in liposomes comprising sphingomyelin and cholesterol, both highly enriched in membrane microdomains and known to impart a liquid-ordered phase to bilayers. The activity of P-gp was compared with that of proteoliposomes composed of crude egg phosphatidylcholine (unsaturated) or dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (saturated) in the presence or absence of cholesterol. The maximal rate of ATP hydrolysis was not significantly altered by the nature of the lipid species. However, the potencies of nicardipine and XR9576 to modulate the ATPase activity of P-gp were increased in the sphingolipid-based proteoliposomes. The drug-P-gp interaction was investigated by measurement of the rates of [(3)H]XR9576 association and dissociation from the transporter. The lipid environment of P-gp did not affect these kinetic parameters of drug binding. In summary, P-gp retains function in liquid-ordered cholesterol and sphingolipid model membranes in which the communication between the transmembrane and the nucleotide binding domains after drug binding to the protein is more efficient.


[Influence of Nagoya Protocol on traditional Chinese medicine].
The three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of benefit sarising from the utilization of genetic resources.The Nagoya Protocol significantly advances the CBD's third objective by providing a strong basis for greater legal certainty and transparency for both providers and users of genetic resources.In June 2016, the Chinese government approved the accession to the Nagoya Protocol. The implementation of the Nagoya Protocol is bound to greatly influence the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as its development relies on medical biological genetic resources.Both the protection and access of medical biological genetic resources and its related traditional knowledge and the introduction, breeding, biosynthesis and the extraction and modification of effective components of medicinal organism are with the prescribed scope of the Nagoya Protocol. In this study, we simply introduce the background and main contents of the Nagoya Protocol in first. We then explore the relationship between the Nagoya Protocol and the TCM.We also analyze the positive effects on the TCM for China to be one of the parties of the Nagoya Protocol and finally make some proposals for better implementation of the Nagoya Protocol.This study has certain reference significance to the resource economy and management of TCM.


Multiple parasitism reduces egg rejection in the host (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) of a mimetic avian brood parasite (Cuculus canorus).
A host that has been targeted by an avian brood parasite can recover most of its potential fitness loss by ejecting the foreign egg(s) from its nest. The propensity for some hosts to engage in egg rejection behavior has put selective pressure on their parasites to evolve mimetic eggshells resembling the host's own shell colors and maculation. In turn, hosts have counterevolved increasingly more sophisticated detection methods such as narrowing visual egg acceptance thresholds or using social cues to recognize parasitism. However, multiple cognitive mechanisms acting simultaneously could theoretically interfere with one another and ultimately decrease egg rejection accuracy, especially if these heuristics yield differing targets for rejection. By painting hosts own eggs, we studied a host species of the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus, the great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus, and tested its responses to the presence of "foreign" eggs of varying quantity, colors, and uniformity. Using reflectance spectra of egg background coloration and avian perceptual modeling, we then estimated the sensory thresholds triggering egg rejection by this host for each treatment. As previously reported, rejection rates were positively related to the perceptual distance between own and foreign eggs in the nests in all treatments. However, rejection thresholds were more permissive (error prone) both with greater proportions of foreign eggs per clutch and/or when the suite of foreign eggs was perceptually more variable within the nest. These results suggest that parasites, through multiple parasitism, can partially overcome the evolution of hosts' recognition of mimetic parasite eggs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).