Quantum tunneling dynamics in multidimensional systems: a matching-pursuit description.
Rigorous simulations of quantum tunneling dynamics in model systems with up to 20 coupled degrees of freedom are reported. The simulations implement an extension of the recently developed matching-pursuit/split-operator Fourier-transform method to complex-valued coherent-state representations. The resulting method recursively applies the time-evolution operator, as defined by the Trotter expansion to second order accuracy, in dynamically adaptive coherent-state representations generated by an approach that combines the matching-pursuit algorithm with a gradient-based optimization method.


Cardiothoracic surgery residency training: past, present, and future.
A dramatic transformation of cardiothoracic surgical education has evolved over the past few decades. We begin by presenting recognized catalysts of this change, organized by whom they primarily affect: the trainees, the trainers, and the profession as a whole. Our trainees' prior training is different, and their current demographics and priorities have changed. There is less incentive to teach, with time-honored traditions of education inadequate to meet the needs of trainees. Concurrently, our profession has to adjust to new regulations, increasing financial constraints, and an expanding body of knowledge and technology. To address these issues requires developing new models of education and assessment that can thrive in today's environment. We discuss efforts in the United States and abroad, including new training paradigms ranging from restructuring existing models to novel approaches (eg, competency-based training). Training tools are being developed, such as online instruction, simulation-based learning, and regular student-centered assessments. Finally, models that recognize and reward teaching as a scholarly activity are being implemented. Like the radical advances we have witnessed in surgical therapy, surgical education requires creative and perhaps disruptive changes if we are to continue to produce well-trained additions to our professional ranks.


Implant treatment in pharmacologically immunosuppressed liver transplant patients: A prospective-controlled study.
The main objective of this prospective study was to evaluate the long-term outcome of implant therapy in liver transplant patients (LTP). The secondary goal was to assess several implant- and patient-dependent variables, such as peri-implantitis (PI), peri-implant mucositis (PIM), bone loss (BL), and immediate postoperative complications. Two groups, including 16 pharmacologically immunosuppressed LTP and 16 matched controls, received 52 and 54 implants, respectively, between 1999 and 2008. After evaluating the postoperative healing, a mean follow-up of more than 8 years was carried out, and radiographic, clinical, and periodontal parameters were recorded to evaluate implant survival and implant- and patient-dependent outcomes. The early postsurgical complications were similar in both groups. Implant survival rate was 100% in the LTP group and 98.15% in the CG. PIM was diagnosed in 35.42% of the implants and 64.29% of the patients of LTP group (LTPG) and in 43.40% of the implants and 56.25% of the patients in the CG. PI was detected in 4.17% of the implants and 7.10% of the patients in the LTPG and in 9.43% of the implants and 18.80% of the patients in the CG. Pharmacologically immunosuppression in liver transplant patients was not a risk factor for implant failure, nor for the incidence of peri-implant diseases. Liver transplant is not a contraindication for dental implant treatment, although these patients should be carefully monitored during follow-up care.


[Daily intake of plain water and beverages of primary and middle school students in four cities of China].
To describe the daily consumption of plain water and beverages of primary and middle school students in four cities of China. A total of 5914 students from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu were selected using multiple-stage random sampling method, and 5868 students completed the study from September to October 2011. The information on amounts and types of drinking water was recorded using a 24 hour measurement for seven consecutive days. The amount of plain water and beverages was analyzed for subjects in different gender, grades and cities. The daily consumption of plain water of subjects was (744 ± 484) ml (68.3% of total drinking water) with statistically significant difference among the Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu ((869 ± 528), (818 ± 518), (702 ± 471), and (573 ± 333) ml; F = 113.74, P < 0.05). The amount of plain water in boys (809 ± 534) ml was significantly higher than in girls (683 ± 436) ml (Z = 9.58, P < 0.05) while higher in urban (792 ± 531) ml than in rural (695 ± 427) ml (Z = -6.09, P < 0.05). The consumption of plain water in high school students was the highest (829 ± 513) ml, and that in primary students was the lowest (672 ± 426) ml (F = 55.23, P < 0.05). The average daily consumption of beverages was (345 ± 287) ml (31.7% of total drinking water) and the highest in Shanghai (424 ± 304) ml, then in Beijing (347 ± 303) ml and in Guangzhou (316 ± 267) ml, the lowest in Chengdu (293 ± 255) ml (F = 58.94, P < 0.05). The consumption of beverages for students in urban areas (394 ± 301) ml was higher than that in rural areas (296 ± 264) ml (Z = -14.48, P < 0.05), but no significant difference between boys (348 ± 306) ml and girls (342 ± 269) ml (Z = -1.44, P > 0.05). The consumption of beverages of high school students (356 ± 309) ml and middle school students (360 ± 301) ml were higher than primary school students (328 ± 263) ml (F = 8.37, P < 0.05). The major drinking water of primary and middle school students in four cities of China was plain water. The amounts of consumption of plain water and beverages varied in different cities, urban and rural and levels of education.


Chronic stress alters dendritic morphology in rat medial prefrontal cortex.
Chronic stress produces deficits in cognition accompanied by alterations in neural chemistry and morphology. Medial prefrontal cortex is a target for glucocorticoids involved in the stress response. We have previously demonstrated that 3 weeks of daily corticosterone injections result in dendritic reorganization in pyramidal neurons in layer II-III of medial prefrontal cortex. To determine if similar morphological changes occur in response to chronic stress, we assessed the effects of daily restraint stress on dendritic morphology in medial prefrontal cortex. Male rats were exposed to either 3 h of restraint stress daily for 3 weeks or left unhandled except for weighing during this period. On the last day of restraint, animals were overdosed and brains were stained using a Golgi-Cox procedure. Pyramidal neurons in lamina II-III of medial prefrontal cortex were drawn in three dimensions, and the morphology of apical and basilar arbors was quantified. Sholl analyses demonstrated a significant alteration of apical dendrites in stressed animals: overall, the number and length of apical dendritic branches was reduced by 18 and 32%, respectively. The reduction in apical dendritic arbor was restricted to distal and higher-order branches, and may reflect atrophy of terminal branches: terminal branch number and length were reduced by 19 and 35%. On the other hand, basilar dendrites were not affected. This pattern of dendritic reorganization is similar to that seen after daily corticosterone injections. This reorganization likely reflects functional changes in prefrontal cortex and may contribute to stress-induced changes in cognition.


Relation between prolactin and gonadotrophin secretion in post-partum lactating rats.
In post-partum lactating rats, sucking by the young was associated with high prolactin release and maintenance of lactation but severe inhibition of LH and FSH release and suspension of oestrous cycles. Shortly after the pups were removed on day 22 post partum LH and FSH release returned to normal and oestrous cycles resumed. Twice-daily injections of ergocornine methanesulphonate (ERG) into mothers beginning at 5 or 7 days post partum, resulted in sustained inhibition of prolactin release and diminished mild secretion. By frequent exchange of pups between control and ERG-treated mothers, it was possible to maintain vigorous sucking and almost normal pup growth despite low serum prolactin levels and diminished lactation. In these rats, serum levels of LH remained low during 11 or more days of treatment with ERG, but serum FSH was consistently higher than in untreated control mothers. After 11 or more days of ERG treatment, most rats showed a return to normal LH and FSH release and resumption of oestrous cycles. These results suggest (a) that the sucking stimulus rather than high prolactin levels in the circulation is mainly responsible for inhibition of LH and FSH release during the first 11 days post partum, (b) that the sucking stimulus acts to increase prolactin and inhibit LH release by separate hypothalamic mechanisms, and (c) that administration of ERG results in diminished prolactin release and lactation, and in increased release of FSH and subsequently of LH with earlier resumption of oestrous cycles.


Mam33p, an oligomeric, acidic protein in the mitochondrial matrix of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is related to the human complement receptor gC1q-R.
Mam33p (mitochondrial acidic matrix protein) is a soluble protein, located in mitochondria of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It is synthesized as a precursor with an N-terminal mitochondrial targeting sequence that is processed on import. Mam33p assembles to a homo-oligomeric complex in the mitochondrial matrix. It can bind to the sorting signal of cytochrome b2 that directs this protein into the intermembrane space. Mam33p is encoded by an 801 bp open reading frame. Gene disruption did not result in a significant growth defect. Mam33p exhibits sequence similarity to gC1q-R, a human protein that has been implicated in the binding of complement factor C1q and kininogen.


Merger of C-F and C-N Bond Cleavage in Cross-Electrophile Coupling for the Synthesis of gem-Difluoroalkenes.
Herein we successfully applied Katritzky salts as the alkyl electrophile in the reductive allylic defluorinative cross-coupling reaction with α-trifluoromethyl alkenes. The merger of C-F and C-N bond cleavage via the synergistic effect of nickel and zinc allows the efficient synthesis of diverse gem-difluoroalkenes with a good tolerance for various functional groups.


Peripheral action of angiotensin II.
The effects of angiotensin II were studied on isolated atrial preparations of nonreserpinised and reserpinised rabbits, before and after treating the preparations by propranolol. Peripheral action of angiotensin was cardioaccelerator via direct stimulation of beta-receptors of the atria in isolated atrial preparations.


Effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on trace metal uptake by sunflower plants grown on cadmium contaminated soil.
Trace metal (TM) pollution of soil is a worldwide problem that threatens the quality of human and environmental health. Phytoremediation using plants and their associated microbes has been increasingly used as a green technology for cleaning up TM-polluted soils. In this study, we investigated the effect of inoculating two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal isolates, Rhizophagus irregularis and Funneliformis mosseae, on trace metal uptake by sunflower plants grown in soils contaminated with three different Cd concentrations in a greenhouse trial. Root colonization, plant dry mass, and plant tissue cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) concentrations in roots and shoots were determined after sunflower harvesting. We found that root mycorrhizal colonization rates were not significantly affected by Cd treatments. At low soil Cd concentration, R. irregularis-inoculated plants had significantly higher shoot Cd and Zn concentrations than plants inoculated with F. mosseae and non-inoculated plants. However, at high soil Cd concentrations, F. mosseae-inoculated plants had significantly lower shoot Cd and Zn concentrations and biological concentration factor (BCF) values than plants inoculated with R. irregularis and non-inoculated plants. Cadmium was mainly translocated in shoot tissues of R. irregularis-inoculated plants and sequestered in the rhizosphere of F. mosseae-inoculated plants. The results indicate that these AMF strains mediate different tolerance strategies to alleviate TM toxicity in their host plants and that inoculation with the R. irregularis strain can be used for Cd phytoextraction, whereas this F. mosseae strain can be useful for Cd and Zn phytostabilization of contaminated soil.


Elevated levels of erythrocyte-conjugated dienes indicate increased lipid peroxidation in schistosomiasis mansoni patients.
Schistosoma mansoni causes liver disease by inducing granulomatous inflammation. This favors formation of reactive oxygen species, including superoxide ions, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals all of which may induce lipid peroxidation. We have evaluated lipid peroxidation in 18 patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis mansoni previously treated with oxamniquine followed by splenectomy, ligature of the left gastric vein and auto-implantation of spleen tissue, by measuring levels of erythrocyte-conjugated dienes and plasma malondialdehyde (MDA). Age-matched, healthy individuals (N = 18) formed the control group. Erythrocyte-conjugated dienes were extracted with dichloromethane/methanol and quantified by UV spectrophotometry, while plasma MDA was measured by reaction with thiobarbituric acid. Patient erythrocytes contained two times more conjugated dienes than control cells (584.5 +/- 67.8 vs 271.7 +/- 20.1 micromol/l, P < 0.001), whereas the increase in plasma MDA concentration (about 10%) was not statistically significant. These elevated conjugated dienes in patients infected by S. mansoni suggest increased lipid peroxidation in cell membranes, although this was not evident when a common marker of oxidative stress, plasma MDA, was measured. Nevertheless, these two markers of lipid peroxidation, circulating MDA and erythrocyte-conjugated dienes, correlated significantly in both patient (r = 0.62; P < 0.01) and control (r = 0.57; P < 0.05) groups. Our data show that patients with schistosomiasis have abnormal lipid peroxidation, with elevated erythrocyte-conjugated dienes implying dysfunctional cell membranes, and also imply that this may be attenuated by the redox capacity of antioxidant agents, which prevent accumulation of plasma MDA.


Improvements in Negative Parenting Mediate Changes in Children's Autonomic Responding Following a Preschool Intervention for ADHD.
Abnormal patterns of sympathetic- and parasympathetic- linked cardiac activity and reactivity are observed among externalizing children, and mark deficiencies in central nervous system regulation of behavior and emotion. Although changes in these biomarkers have been observed following treatment, mechanisms remain unexplored. We used MEMORE-a new approach to analyzing intervening variable effects-to evaluate improvements in parenting as mediators of changes in SNS- and PNS-linked cardiac activity and reactivity among 99 preschoolers with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder who were treated using an empirically supported intervention. Decreases in negative parenting (criticism, negative commands, physical intrusions) were associated with increases in resting RSA and PEP reactivity to incentives from pre- to post-intervention. Increases in positive parenting were not associated with changes in autonomic function. These findings suggest socially-induced plasticity in peripheral biomarkers of behavior and emotion regulation, and underscore the importance of reducing aversive interactions between parents and children when treating externalizing behavior.


High-order harmonic generation by aligned homonuclear diatomic cations.
We introduce the theory of high-order harmonic generation by aligned homonuclear diatomic cations using a strong-field approximation. The target cation is represented as a system which consists of two atomic (ionic) centres and one active electron, while the driving field is either a monochromatic or bichromatic field. For a linearly polarised driving field, we investigate the differences between the harmonic spectra obtained with a neutral molecule and the corresponding molecular cation. Due to the larger ionisation potential, the molecular cations can withstand much higher laser-field intensity than the corresponding neutral molecule before the saturation effects become significant. This allows one to produce high-order harmonics with energy in the water-window interval or beyond. Also, the harmonic spectrum provides information about the structure of the highest-occupied molecular orbital. In order to obtain elliptically polarised harmonics, we suggest that an orthogonally polarised two-colour field is employed as a driving field. In this case, we analyse the harmonic ellipticity as a function of the relative orientation of the cation in the laser field. We show that the regions with large harmonic ellipticity in the harmonic energy-orientation angle plane are the broadest for cations whose molecular orbital does not have a nodal plane. Finally, we show that the molecular cations exposed to an orthogonally polarised two-colour field represent an excellent setup for the production of elliptically polarised attosecond pulses with a duration shorter than 100 as.


Crystals of Aliphatic Derivatives of [Cu(acac)2 ] have Distinct Atomic-Scale Mechanisms of Bending.
Molecular crystals displaying elastic flexibility have important applications in the fields of optoelectronics and nanophotonic technologies. Understanding the mechanisms by which these materials bend is critical to the design of future materials incorporating these properties. Based on the known elastic properties of bis(acetylacetonato)copper(II), a series of 14 aliphatic derivatives are synthesized and crystallized. All those which grew in a needle morphology display noticeable elasticity, with 1D chains of π-stacked molecules parallel to the long metric length of the crystal a consistent crystallographic feature. Crystallographic mapping is used to measure the mechanism of elasticity at an atomic-scale. Symmetric derivatives with ethyl and propyl side chains are found to have different mechanisms of elasticity, which are further distinguished from the previously reported mechanism of bis(acetylacetonato)copper(II). While crystals of bis(acetylacetonato)copper(II) are known to bend elastically via a molecular rotation mechanism, the elasticity of the compounds presented is facilitated by expansion of their π-stacking interactions.


Improving Calibration and Out-of-Distribution Detection in Deep Models for Medical Image Segmentation.
Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have proved to be powerful medical image segmentation models. In this study, we address some of the main unresolved issues regarding these models. Specifically, training of these models on small medical image datasets is still challenging, with many studies promoting techniques such as transfer learning. Moreover, these models are infamous for producing over-confident predictions and for failing silently when presented with out-of-distribution (OOD) test data. In this paper, for improving prediction calibration we advocate for multi-task learning, i.e., training a single model on several different datasets, spanning different organs of interest and different imaging modalities. We show that multi-task learning can significantly improve model confidence calibration. For OOD detection, we propose a novel method based on spectral analysis of CNN feature maps. We show that different datasets, representing different imaging modalities and/or different organs of interest, have distinct spectral signatures, which can be used to identify whether or not a test image is similar to the images used for training. We show that our proposed method is more accurate than several competing methods, including methods based on prediction uncertainty and image classification.


Strong Electron Acceptor of a Fluorine-Containing Group Leads to High Performance of Perovskite Solar Cells.
Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have become one of the most promising thin-film solar cell materials owing to their remarkable photovoltaic properties. However, nonradiative recombination of carriers usually leads to inferior performance of perovskite (PVK) devices. Interface modification is one of the effective ways to improve separation of charges for perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Here, a small organic molecule of tetrafluorophthalonitrile (TFPN) is used to enhance the extraction and transportation of carriers at the PVK/hole transport layer (HTL) interface. The electron-rich C-F group effectively reduces the trap state density in the perovskite through chemical combination with the empty orbital of Pb2+ or other electron traps on the PVK surface, resulting in enhanced interface contact between the PVK and HTL. Meanwhile, the C≡N group in TFPN also inactivates the defects caused by Pb2+. The Fermi level of the perovskite shifts by 0.15 eV to its valence band due to the strong electron acceptor nature of the F atom, indicating that positive dipoles and p-type doping emerge, which validly suppress the recombination of carriers for the PVK film. Therefore, the optimized PSC shows the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 22.82% compared to 19.40% for the control one. The champion FF reaches up to 81.2% (PCE 21.44%) due to the effectively enhanced carrier separation. In addition, the unencapsulated device shows enhanced stability under air conditions.


Drinking likelihood, alcohol problems, and peer influence among first-year college students.
Excessive alcohol consumption is a predominant health concern on college campuses in the United States. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to examine the predictive values of demographic factors in relation to alcohol subscales (Drinking Context Scale, College Alcohol Problems Scale-revised, and Social Modeling Scale) with the outcome of number of drinking days in the past 30 days among a sample (n = 224) of first-year college students. The final model predicted 37.5% of the variability in drinking days in the past month. All variables, except for race, were significantly associated with the outcome (p < .05).


Activity of tabanids (Insecta: Diptera: Tabanidae) attacking the reptiles Caiman crocodilus (Linn.) (Alligatoridae) and Eunectes murinus (Linn.) (Boidae), in the central Amazon, Brazil.
Tabanid females are better known as hematophagous on man and other mammals, and linked to mechanical transmission of parasites. The association between tabanids and reptiles is poorly known, but has been gaining more corroboration through experiments and occasional observation in the tropics. The present study was conducted at a military base (CIGS/BI-2), situated 54 km from Manaus, Amazonas, in a small stream in a clearing (02 degrees 45'33"S; 59 degrees 51'03"W). Observations were made monthly, from April 1997 to March 1998, during two consecutive days. At the same time, other vertebrate animals were offered, including humans. However in this paper only data obtained on a common caiman, Caiman crocodilus (Linn.), and an anaconda, Eunectes murinus (Linn.), in diurnal observations from 05:30 a.m. to 18:30 p.m., will be discussed. A total of 254 tabanid specimens were collected, 40 from the anaconda and 214 from the caiman. Four tabanid species were recorded on these two reptiles: Stenotabanus cretatus Fairchild, S. bequaerti Rafael et al., Phaeotabanus nigriflavus (Kröber) and Tabanus occidentalis Linn. Diurnal activities showed species-specific patterns. The first three species occurred only in the dry season. T. occidentalis occurred during the whole observation period, and with increased frequency at the end of the dry season. We observed preferences for body area and related behavior of the host. Observations on the attack of tabanids on one dead caiman are also presented.


The activity of JAK-STAT pathways in rheumatoid arthritis: constitutive activation of STAT3 correlates with interleukin 6 levels.
Many cytokines involved in RA activate the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) pathways. Therapeutic drugs that inhibit these pathways are being developed for RA. To investigate disease-related alterations in the activity of JAK-STAT pathways in RA, we studied the expression and activation of STAT1 and STAT3 in unstimulated and cytokine-stimulated cells and determined the levels of circulating cytokines. The expression of STAT1 and STAT3 mRNA in peripheral blood (PB) and SF T cells and monocytes was studied in RA patients and healthy volunteers by RT-PCR. Basal and cytokine (IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-10)-induced STAT phosphorylation was analysed in PB T cells and monocytes using multicolour flow cytometric analysis. STAT3 mRNA levels were up-regulated in both PB and SF T cells and monocytes from RA patients. STAT1 expression was elevated in SF monocytes. The levels of phospho-STAT3 in resting PB T cells and monocytes were significantly higher in patients with RA than in healthy volunteers. IL-6 levels were elevated in RA plasma and correlated with the level of STAT3 phosphorylation in CD4(+) T cells and monocytes. IL-6-mediated STAT3 activation was deregulated in T cells from RA patients. IL-6-induced phosphorylation of STAT3 was decreased in CD4(+) T cells from patients with high plasma IL-6 levels and constitutive STAT3 phosphorylation. The results suggest that IL-6 induces hyperactivation of STAT3 in circulating immune cells in active RA, and this subsequently desensitizes the IL-6 response in T cells.


Selenomethionine Alleviates AFB1-Induced Damage in Primary Chicken Hepatocytes by Inhibiting CYP450 1A5 Expression via Upregulated SelW Expression.
This study aims to evaluate the protective effects of selenomethionine (SeMet) on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)-induced hepatotoxicity in primary chicken hepatocytes. Cell viability and lactic dehydrogenase activity assays revealed the dose dependence of AFB1 toxicity to chicken hepatocytes. AFB1 concentrations of >0.05 μg/mL significantly reduced glutathione and total superoxide dismutase levels and increased the malondialdehyde concentration and cytochrome P450 enzyme 1A5 (CYP450 1A5) mRNA levels (P < 0.05). AFB1, however, did not affect CYP450 3A37 mRNA levels. Supplementation with 2 μM SeMet protected against AFB1-induced changes and significantly increased selenoprotein W (SelW) mRNA levels (P < 0.05). Additionally, SelW knockdown attenuated the protective effect of SeMet on AFB1-induced damage and significantly increased the level of CYP450 1A5 expression (P < 0.05). Therefore, SeMet alleviates AFB1-induced damage in primary chicken hepatocytes by improving SelW expression, thus inhibiting CYP450 1A5 expression.


Atrial fibrillation in a patient with Zika virus infection.
Zika virus is an emerging arbovirus of the family Flaviviridae and genus Flavivirus that until 2007 was restricted to a few cases of mild illness in Africa and Asia. We report a case of atrial fibrillation disclosed during an acute Zika virus infection in a 49-year-old man. Different biological samples were analyzed for the molecular diagnosis of Zika by real-time PCR, however only the saliva specimen was positive. The patient's wife tested positive in the serum sample, although she was an asymptomatic carrier. Moreover, a complete overview of patient's biomarkers, including cytokines, chemokines, and growth-factors levels, was analyzed and compared to gender and age matching non-infected controls, as well as other Zika infected patients, considering the 95%CI of the mean values. Elevated levels of CXCL8, CCL11, CCL2, CXCL10, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-17, IL-1Ra, IL-4, IL-9, FGF-basic, PDGF, G-CSF, and GM-CSF were observed in the Atrial fibrillation patient, in contrast to uninfected controls. Furthermore, increased levels of CCL5, IL-1β, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-9, G-CSF, and GM-CSF were observed only in the atrial fibrillation patient, when compared to other Zika patients. To our knowledge, this is the first description of this type of cardiac disorder in Zika patients which may be considered another atypical manifestation during Zika virus infection.


[Ophthalmotonus in patients with thyroid gland disorders of different etiology].
A study of ophthalmotone in 123 patients with thyroid gland dysfunction of various etiology and in 26 patients with the diencephalic syndrome revealed no definite dependence of the intraopthalmic pressure on the thyroid gland function. These changes were most pronounced in the diencephalic syndrome and secondary thyrotoxicosis developed against the background of infectious-toxic encephalopathy. Elevation of ophthalmotone depended on the extent of affection of the diencephalic region.


Onco-testicular sperm extraction: testicular sperm extraction in azoospermic and very severely oligozoospermic cancer patients.
An increased risk of testicular cancer in men with infertility and poor semen quality has been reported. In view of the high cure rates for testicular germ cell tumours, increasing clinical importance is being placed on the protection of fertility. High-dose cytostatic therapy may be expected to cause long-term infertility. Thus, the standard procedure for fertility protection is the cryopreservation of ejaculated spermatozoa or testicular tissue before therapy. Four male patients with azoospermia and two patients with very severe oligozoospermia underwent onco-testicular sperm extraction (TESE). We attempted onco-TESE in patients with azoospermia and very severe oligozoospermia after orchiectomy. Of the patients with testicular germ cell tumours, four had spermatozoa in their testicular tissues. Sertoli cell-only syndrome was found in one patient, and one patient showed maturation arrest without the detection of spermatozoa. Three of six showed seminomatous germ cell tumour, two of six had nonseminomatous germ cell tumour and one patient showed no malignancy. Two patients achieved clinical pregnancy. Fertility challenges in men with cancer are the most straightforward because of the relative ease of obtaining and cryopreserving sperm. Testicular sperm extraction is a useful technique for obtaining spermatozoa before cytotoxic therapy in azoospermic and very severely oligozoospermic cancer patients.


Trace Element Content of Monovarietal and Commercial Portuguese Olive Oils.
Olive (Olea europaea L.) represents one of the most important and ancient crops in the Mediterranean countries, being widely known due to the optimal organoleptic characteristics of its oil, besides the important health benefits assigned to this product in the last few years. Since olive oil composition, respecting specific trace elements, has a direct impact on the quality and safety of this product, eleven monovarietal and twelve commercial olive oils were analysed spectrometrically concerning their metal composition. Regarding quality parameters, the monovarietal olive oils display larger quantities of Mg, Fe, Mn, while the commercial samples are characterized by greater amounts of Na, Ca, Cu and Zn. In which respects to safety parameters, the commercial samples present higher values for Al and Pb, and lower quantities of Cd, respecting the monovarietal ones. The assessment of the values observed for the trace elements, resorting to multivariate statistical methods, allowed to clearly distinguish the type of olive oil production-monovarietal or commercial blend. For this purpose, besides Cluster analysis, the data have been subjected to Principal Component Analysis-undertaken for either all the evaluated parameters simultaneously, or the quality/safety parameters separately, both data sets allowing the discrimination of the samples.


Possible magnetism of Be-doped boron nitride nanotubes.
We studied the electronic and magnetic properties of pristine and Be-doped (5, 5) boron nitride (BN) nanotubes using density functional theory within a generalized gradient approximation. We found that the pristine (5, 5) BN nanotube is an indirect band gap material, which is in agreement with previous findings. Doping with Be induces spontaneous magnetization (approximately 1 microB/Be atom) in the (5, 5) BN nanotube. The defect states are not localized to the Be atoms themselves, but spread out over their neighboring B and N atoms. In particular, the system becomes a half metal when Be is substituted for B.


Short Version Dental Anxiety Inventory Score May Predict the Response in the Insular Cortex to Stimuli Mimicking Dental Treatment.
Background: Dental anxiety is a common reason for avoiding dental visits and is associated with poor dental status. The short version of Dental Anxiety Inventory (SDAxI) is an easy-to-use, multi-faceted questionnaire for assessing the level of trait dental anxiety. However, there was no neurophysiological data indicating if its score associates with the state anxiety when an individual is under real/mock dental environment. We hypothesized that there exists such an association. Materials and Methods: Twenty systemic healthy adults with dental attendance experience and self-claimed free of dental phobia were recruited in this cross-sectional study, with their dental anxiety level assessed by SDAxI. Functional magnetic resonance imaging recorded their brain signals in response to audiovisual footages resembling dental scaler or turbine in action. After the brain imaging, they gave fear ratings to the footages in visual analog scale (VAS). Results: Participants' SDAxI scores positively correlated with their responses in the insular cortex (r2 = 0.388-0.445, P < 0.005). Their SDAxI scores also positively correlated with their fear ratings of the footages (r 2 = 0.415-0.555, P < 0.005). Discussion: Our findings indicated a possible neurobiological relevance of SDAxI, and reinforced its neurobiological validity in assessing dental anxiety level of dental attenders.


Rubrisandrins A and B, lignans and related anti-HIV compounds from Schisandra rubriflora.
Bioactivity-directed fractionation of an ethanolic extract of the fruits of Schisandra rubriflora led to the isolation and identification of dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans including the new lignans rubrisandrins A (1a + 1b) and B (2) and the known lignans gomisin J (3), (+/-)-gomisin M1 (4), (+)-gomisin M2 (5), schisanhenol (6), deoxyschisandrin, schisantherin B, schisandrin, tigloylgomisin P, gomisin O, angeloylgomisin P, and epigomisin O. Their structure and stereochemistry were determined by spectroscopic methods, including 2D-NMR techniques. Compounds 1 and 3-6 were active as anti-HIV agents. (+/-)-Gomisin M1 (4) exhibited the most potent anti-HIV activity, with EC50 and therapeutic index (TI) values of <0.65 microM and >68, respectively.


Behavioral teratology of alcoholic beverages compared to ethanol.
Pregnant rats were intubated with beer, wine, whiskey, or ethanol (3 g/kg/day), twice daily, while control animals received an isocaloric solution. All animals were pair-fed to ethanol-treated animals. At birth, offspring were fostered to surrogate nondrug-treated dams. Congeners present in beverage alcohol did not exacerbate the effects of ethanol exposure. Ethanol-treated animals were less responsive than controls to a challenge dose of ethanol. Beer- and whiskey-treated animals were also less responsive than controls to ethanol challenge, but did not differ from ethanol-treated animals. Group differeces in Rotarod behavior, ambulation, rearing, or defecation in the activity box, activity wheel running, spontaneous alternation, and brain DNA, RNA, and protein content were not significant. Although beer-treated males performed better on the Rotarod than controls, beer-treated males did not differ significantly from controls on any other task.


Top-Down Thickness Reduction Synthesis of Biomass-Derived Carbon Nanosheets with Hierarchical Pore Structure for High-Performance Supercapacitors.
Carbon electrode materials with superior rate performance are highly demanded in application scenarios of high power output/input, especially when paired with organic electrolyte for extended voltage window and high energy storage. By extracting thin sheets of entangled cellulose fibers from cell wall structures, porous carbon nanosheets as templated from the cellulose sheets are synthesized. Evident thickness reduction effect has been demonstrated with thickness reduced from several micrometers to several nanometers of the obtained thickness-reduced activated carbon nanosheets (TRAC), which endow the material with a large surface area and high pore volume. The obtained TRAC exhibits significantly enhanced ion diffusion kinetics and superior rate capability thanks to the shortened diffusion pathway and suitable pore size distribution. Effects of sonication time have also been investigated, showing a trade-off between ion diffusion kinetics and pseudocapacitive contribution. This thickness-reduction method is extendable to many other biomass sources as cellulose sheets are widely existed in nature, offering a practical and easy-to-implement strategy of fabricating porous carbon nanostructures for efficient energy storage and utilization.


Association of Diet Quality Indices with Longitudinal Changes in Kidney Function in U.S. Hispanics/Latinos: Findings from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL).
Recent studies suggest an association between diet quality and incident CKD. However, Hispanics/Latinos were under-represented in these studies. We examined the relationship of diet quality with change in kidney function in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL). Individuals who participated in HCHS/SOL visits 1 (2008-2011) and 2 (2014-2017) were analyzed (n=9921). We used Alternate Healthy Eating Index 2010 (AHEI-2010), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and Mediterranean Diet (MeDS) scores as measures of dietary quality. Scores were calculated from two 24-hour dietary recalls administered at visit 1 and categorized into quartiles of each dietary score (higher quartiles correspond to a healthier diet). Kidney function was assessed at both visits using eGFR and urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR). Annualized change was computed as the difference in eGFR or UACR between visits divided by follow-up time in years. Weighted linear-regression models were used to examine the association between quartiles of each dietary quality index and annualized change in eGFR and UACR, adjusted for potential confounders. At visit 1, the mean (SD) age of participants was 41 (0.28) years, and 56% were female. The baseline mean eGFR was 107.1 ml/min per 1.73 m2, and baseline median UACR was 6.1 mg/g. On average, eGFR declined by 0.65 ml/min per 1.73 m2 per year, and UACR increased by 0.79 mg/g per year over a 6-year period. Lower AHEI-2010 quartiles were associated with eGFR decline in a dose-response manner (P trend=0.02). Higher AHEI-2010 quartiles showed a trend toward lower annualized change in UACR, but the result did not reach significance. Neither MeDS nor DASH scores were associated with eGFR decline or change in UACR. Unhealthy diet, assessed at baseline by AHEI-2010, was associated with kidney-function decline over 6 years. Improving the quality of foods and nutrients according to the AHEI-2010 may help maintain kidney function in the Hispanic/Latino community.


Does the addition of endoscopic sphincterotomy to stent insertion improve drainage of the bile duct in acute suppurative cholangitis?
The treatment of patients with bile duct stones and acute suppurative cholangitis is emergent biliary decompression either by endoscopic sphincterotomy, nasobiliary drainage, or stent insertion. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine whether endoscopic sphincterotomy, in addition to an internal endoprosthesis, improves outcome for patients with acute suppurative cholangitis. A total of 74 patients with acute suppurative cholangitis and bile duct stones were included in the study; 37 had endoscopic sphincterotomy before insertion of plastic stent (Group 1), and 37 had a plastic stent inserted through an intact papilla (Group 2). The success rates for stent insertion in Groups 1 and 2 were, respectively, 89.2% and 86.5% (p = 1.000). The complication rates in Group 1 and Group 2 were, respectively, 10.8% and 2.7% (p = 0.358). The median (interquartile range 25th-75th percentile) durations of hospital stay for patients in Group 1 and Group 2 were, respectively, 6.5 (4-11) days and 7 (5-12) days (p = 0.614). The median (interquartile range) lengths of time for resolution of jaundice in Group 1 and Group 2 were, respectively, 3 (2-6) days versus 4 (2-5) days (p = 0.981). Endoscopic sphincterotomy, in addition to biliary stent insertion, is not required for successful biliary decompression in patients with severe acute cholangitis.


A variant of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis: a case report.
The case of an elderly man with a bamboo-like spine is presented. Because the patient's osteoporosis prevented proper evaluation of the sacroiliac and apophyseal joints on plain radiographs, the case originally was misdiagnosed in an outpatient clinic as ankylosing spondylitis. A further work-up showed the integrity of the apophyseal and sacroiliac joints, as well as cortical hyperostosis of the midcervical spine consistent with the diagnosis of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH).


Ocular manifestations in a case of Wernicke's encephalopathy due to hyperemesis gravidarum.
Wernicke's Encephalopathy (WE) is a potentially devastating disorder, which if not diagnosed and treated at the earliest, could lead to dangerous neurological and ophthalmological complications. We report the ocular manifestations of WE in a pregnant woman with hyperemesis gravidarum.


[HIV and HCV infections--clinical implications].
Coexisting HIV and HCV infection involves approx. 10 million people in the world. It is most common in drug addicts taking drug injections as well as in haemophiliacs. In the research we have confronted the existing views on natural history progression in hepatitis C in HIV infected, with our own study. The existing recommendations for hepatitis C treatment have also been presented. It was pointed out that there is a possibility of interaction between the drugs applied in the treatment and the antiretrovirus therapy and what is connected with it, the possibility of potentially adverse actions. It was also shown that early treatment of hepatitis C in HIV infected slows down the progress of liver fibrosis, prevents liver failure, improves HA-Art tolerance, increases immunological reconstruction and improves the quality of the patients' lives.


The role of endocytosis in renal dopamine D1 receptor signaling.
Desensitization of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) includes receptor endocytosis. This phenomenon is suggested, at least for some receptors, to be associated with receptor resensitization. Here, we examined the role of receptor endocytosis for two different GPCR, the dopamine-1 (D1) receptor and the beta1-adrenoceptor (beta(1)-AR) in renal tissue. The functional role of receptor endocytosis was examined on Na+, K+ -ATPase activity in microdissected proximal tubules from rat kidney. The spatial regulation of endogenous D1 receptors and beta(1)-AR was examined by confocal microscopy techniques in LLCPK cells. Phenylarsine oxide (PAO) an endocytosis inhibitor, attenuated isoproterenol-induced decrease in Na+, K+ -ATPase activity but had no such effect on dopamine-induced decrease in Na+, K+ -ATPase activity. We have previously shown that isoproterenol sensitizes the renal dopamine system, by recruiting silent D1 receptors from the interior of the cell towards the plasma membrane. This effect was attenuated by PAO as well as by cytochalasin D while these substances had no effect on dopamine-induced D1 receptor recruitment. The beta(1)-AR was localized to the plasma membrane in control cells. Isoproterenol induced a rapid internalization of the beta(1)-AR; which was prevented by PAO. The results suggest that endocytosis of beta(1)-AR in renal proximal tubular cells is an important step in signal generation, while endocytosis of proximal tubular D1 receptor is not.


Popular palliative cancer treatments in 18th--mid 19th century.
In the 18th century cancer was an incurable disease and the only therapeutic approach was surgery which was accompanied with several life threatening complications. In the absence of effective cancer treatment, palliative approach was proposed by physicians. Compression, ligation, "cura famis" and treatment by cold were four popular treatments in the 18th century provoking an outbreak of therapeutic illusions in cancer patients and physicians, before being lost in oblivion.


A degenerate Fermi gas of polar molecules.
Experimental realization of a quantum degenerate gas of molecules would provide access to a wide range of phenomena in molecular and quantum sciences. However, the very complexity that makes ultracold molecules so enticing has made reaching degeneracy an outstanding experimental challenge over the past decade. We now report the production of a degenerate Fermi gas of ultracold polar molecules of potassium-rubidium. Through coherent adiabatic association in a deeply degenerate mixture of a rubidium Bose-Einstein condensate and a potassium Fermi gas, we produce molecules at temperatures below 0.3 times the Fermi temperature. We explore the properties of this reactive gas and demonstrate how degeneracy suppresses chemical reactions, making a long-lived degenerate gas of polar molecules a reality.


Genetic interactions of Arabidopsis thaliana damaged DNA binding protein 1B (DDB1B) with DDB1A, DET1, and COP1.
Damaged DNA Binding protein 1 (DDB1)-CULLIN4 E3 ubiquitin ligase complexes have been implicated in diverse biological processes in a range of organisms. Arabidopsis thaliana encodes two homologs of DDB1, DDB1A, and DDB1B. In this study we use a viable partial loss of function allele of DDB1B, ddb1b-2, to examine genetic interactions with DDB1A, DET1 and COP1. Although the ddb1b-2 ddb1a double mutant is lethal, ddb1a ddb1b-2/+ and ddb1b-2 ddb1a/+ heterozygotes exhibit few developmental phenotypes but do exhibit decreased tolerance of ultraviolet light. In addition, germination in ddb1a and ddb1a ddb1b-2/+ was found to be sensitive to salt and mannitol, and both DDB1 single mutants as well as the heterozygotes exhibited heat sensitivity. DE-ETIOLATED1 (DET1) and CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1 (COP1) are negative regulators of light development which interact with DDB1-CUL4 complexes. Although ddb1a strongly enhances det1 phenotypes in both dark- and light-grown seedlings, ddb1b-2 weakly enhanced the det1 short hypocotyl phenotype in the dark, as well as enhancing anthocyanin levels and suppressing the det1 low chlorophyll phenotype in light-grown seedlings. In adults, ddb1a suppresses det1 early flowering and enhances the det1 dwarf phenotype. A similar trend was observed in ddb1b-2 det1 double mutants, although the effects were smaller in magnitude. In cop1 mutants, ddb1b-2 enhanced the cop1-4 short hypocotyl phenotype in dark and light, enhanced anthocyanin levels in cop1-1 in the light, but had no effect in adults. Thus the requirement for DDB1B varies in the course of development, from COP1-specific effects in hypocotyls to DET1-specific in adults.


Water and Latrine Services and Associated Factors among Residents of Negele Town, Southeast Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Access to at least a basic water service, improved sanitation, and hygiene contribute to the human health and socioeconomic development of a country. This study was conducted to assess the water and latrine service coverage and related factors among dwellers of Negele town, southeast Ethiopia. Two Kebeles (small administrative units) were randomly selected from each of the three zones of the town to collect data via questionnaires from randomly selected household heads (380), interviews of purposely selected key informants (40), and personal observations employing a cross-sectional survey design from March to May 2018. A Chi-square test was conducted to examine the association between various demographic factors and having latrine/tap water. Latrine coverage of the town was low (45%) mainly due to shortage of land or funds and expansion of illegal houses. The available latrines were poor in hygiene. Water service (solely tap water) coverage was very low (7.6%) as a result of deficient water sources and nonfunctioning pipelines. The zones, age, educational status, marital status, and family size of the participants were statistically significantly associated with having latrine or tap water, p < 0.05. The administration of the town has planned to build four public toilets and raise its water supply coverage to about 70% by 2019/2020. Coverage of latrine and water services of Negele town were so low, implying that it is not on track to achieve the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goal target 6.1 and 6.2. The administration of the town should provide land to residents and search for fund sources for the construction of standardized private and public toilets. Utilizing various water sources, maintaining nonfunctional, and constructing new pipelines should be promoted to improve the water service coverage of the town targeting the national and UN sustainable development goals.


Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors: Synthesis and inhibition of the cytosolic mammalian carbonic anhydrase isoforms I, II and VII with benzene sulfonamides incorporating 4,5,6,7-tetrachlorophthalimide moiety.
A series of 4,5,6,7-tetrachloro-1,3-dioxoisoindolin-2-yl benzenesulfonamide derivatives (compounds 1-8) was synthesized by reaction of benzene sulfonamides incorporating primary amino moieties with 4,5,6,7-tetrachlorophthalic anhydride. These sulfonamides were assayed as inhibitors of the metalloenzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 126.96.36.199). Some of these compounds showed very good in vitro human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) isoforms I, II and VII inhibitory properties, with affinities in the low nanomolar range. Inhibition activities against hCA I were in the range of 159-444nM; against hCA II in the range of 2.4-4515nM, and against hCA VII in the range of 1.3-469nM. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) with this series of sulfonamides is straightforward, with the main features leading to good activity for each isoform being established.


New concepts in the pathogenesis and presentation of Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease (PD) was first described by James Parkinson in 1817. He noted the complex nature of this condition and that non-motor symptoms (NMS) underpinned the classic motor symptoms of PD. The concept of what PD is has therefore undergone substantial changes and it is now recognised that PD is a combined motor and non-motor syndrome and NMS are present during the prodromal phase of PD, starting up to 20 years before the first clinical motor signs emerge. PD may originate from pathology in the gut, olfactory bulb and lower brainstem rather than in the substantia nigra. Complex phenotypes of PD may exist where clinical NMS overshadow motor features. Therapy needs to be adjusted based on motor and non-motor loads, ideally using validated tools. Recently, a multimodal biomarker battery in PD has emerged and might play an important role in the future.


Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Risk of Ischemic Stroke.
Ischemic stroke is a major cause of death and morbidity worldwide. It has been suggested that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may be associated with a lower risk ischemic stroke, but this has been far less studied than their role for coronary heart disease. In this paper, we summarize the main findings from previous follow-up studies investigating associations between intake or biomarkers of the major PUFAs including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), marine n-3 PUFAs and linoleic acid (LA) and the development of ischemic stroke. Several follow-up studies have suggested that marine n-3 PUFAs may be associated with a lower risk of ischemic stroke although results have not been consistent and limited knowledge exist on the individual marine n-3 PUFAs and ischemic stroke and its subtypes. The role of ALA is less clear, but most studies have not supported that ALA is appreciably associated with ischemic stroke risk. Some studies have supported that LA might be associated with a lower risk of total ischemic stroke, while limited evidence exist on PUFAs and ischemic stroke subtypes. The associations may depend on the macronutrients that PUFAs replace and this substitution aspect together with focus on dietary patterns represent interesting areas for future research.


Case report: Probable toxocariasis in a Swiss adult patient with hypereosinophilic syndrome and multiorgan involvement.
Hypereosinophilic syndromes are a heterogeneous group of rare diseases characterized by eosinophil-related organ damage and peripheral blood hypereosinophilia. Hypereosinophilic syndromes may occur secondary to a variety of clinical entities, for example, drug hypersensitivity reactions, parasitic infections, autoimmune disorders, and malignancies. Toxocariasis is a parasitic infection caused by the larval stage of the Toxocara species. It is usually a childhood disease and invades organs such as the liver but can affect any organ. Hypereosinophilic syndrome and multiorgan involvement are very rare manifestations of Toxocara infection, especially in adults. However, the disease may be underdiagnosed because of different factors, including a lack of laboratory infrastructure in some countries, a lack of uniform case definitions, and limited surveillance infrastructure, with its estimation constituting a challenge. We, therefore, present a probable case of hypereosinophilic syndrome with multiorgan involvement secondary to infection with Toxocara canis in a 79-year-old Swiss female patient with a medical history of ischemic cerebrovascular insult and a curatively resected non-small-cell bronchial carcinoma, successfully treated with albendazole and steroids.


Cloning and nucleotide sequence of a novel cry gene from Bacillus thuringiensis.
A cry1Ab-type gene was cloned from a new isolate of Bacillus thuringiensis by PCR. When restriction pattern was compared with that of known genes it was found to have additional restriction site for ClaI. Nucleotide sequencing and homology search revealed that the toxin shared 95% homology with the known Cry1Ab proteins as compared to more than 98% homology among the other reported Cry1Ab toxins. The gene encoded a sequence of 1,177 amino acids compared to 1,155 amino acids encoded by all the other 16 cry1Ab genes reported so far. An additional stretch of 22 amino acids after the amino acid G793 in the new toxin sequence showed 100% homology with several other cry genes within cry1 family. Homology search indicated that the new cry1Ab-type gene might have resulted by nucleotide rearrangement between cry1Ab and cry1Aa/cry1Ac genes.


Bodily moral disgust: what it is, how it is different from anger, and why it is an unreasoned emotion.
With the recent upswing in research interest on the moral implications of disgust, there has been uncertainty about what kind of situations elicit moral disgust and whether disgust is a rational or irrational player in moral decision making. We first outline the benefits of distinguishing between bodily violations (e.g., sexual taboos, such as pedophilia and incest) and nonbodily violations (e.g., deception or betrayal) when examining moral disgust. We review findings from our lab and others' showing that, although many existing studies do not control for anger when studying disgust, disgust at nonbodily violations is often associated with anger and hard to separate from it, while bodily violations more consistently predict disgust independently of anger. Building on this distinction, we present further empirical evidence that moral disgust, in the context of bodily violations, is a relatively primitively appraised moral emotion compared to others such as anger, and also that it is less flexible and less prone to external justifications. Our review and results underscore the need to distinguish between the different consequences of moral emotions.


isa4j: a scalable Java library for creating ISA-Tab metadata.
Experimental data is only useful to other researchers if it is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR). The ISA-Tab framework enables scientists to publish metadata about their experiments in a plain text, machine-readable format that aims to confer that interoperability and reusability. A Python software package (isatools) is currently being developed to programmatically produce these metadata files. For Java-based environments, there is no equivalent solution yet. While the isatools package provides a lot of flexibility and a wealth of different features for the Python ecosystem, a package for JVM-based applications might offer the speed and scalability needed for writing very large ISA-Tab files, making the ISA framework available in an even wider range of situations and environments. Here we present a light-weight and scalable Java library (isa4j) for generating metadata files in the ISA-Tab format, which elegantly integrates into existing JVM applications and especially shines at generating very large files. It is modeled after the ISA core specifications and designed in keeping with isatools conventions, making it consistent and intuitive to use for the community. isa4j is implemented in Java (JDK11+) and freely available under the terms of the MIT license from the Central Maven Repository ( https://mvnrepository.com/artifact/de.ipk-gatersleben/isa4j). The source code, detailed documentation, usage examples and performance evaluations can be found at https://github.com/IPK-BIT/isa4j.


Identification of a thermolysin-like metalloendopeptidase in serum: activity in normal subjects and in patients with sarcoidosis.
A thermolysin-like metalloendopeptidase, optimally active at a neutral pH, was identified in human serum. The enzyme cleaves the synthetic substrate glutaryl-Ala-Ala-Phe-2-naphthylamide at the Ala-Phe bond. Activity was determined by measuring the rate of formation of Phe-2-naphthylamide in a coupled enzyme assay in the presence of excess aminopeptidase M. 2-Naphthylamine released during the reaction was determined by a diazotization procedure. Enzyme activity is not affected by inhibitors of serine, thiol, or carboxyl proteases, but is sensitive to inhibition by metal chelators such as EDTA and o-phenanthroline. Dialysis against EDTA leads to loss of activity, which can be fully restored by zinc and cobalt ions. The serum enzyme closely resembles a membrane-bound metalloendopeptidase (EC 220.127.116.11) abundant in lung, spleen, and kidney in that both enzymes are inhibited by the same active-site-directed inhibitors. In addition, an antiserum obtained against the metalloendopeptidase from rabbit kidney shows strong cross-reactivity with the serum enzyme. Metalloendopeptidase activity was measured in 150 controls and in 95 patients with sarcoidosis; the two groups had significantly different enzyme activities (p less than 0.001). The mean enzyme activity in the sarcoidosis group was more than threefold higher than that of the control group. The mean enzyme activity for patients with active disease was more than double that of patients with inactive disease and more than four times that of controls (p less than 0.001). This is noteworthy because angiotensin converting enzyme, a zinc-dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase with a mechanism of action similar to that of the metalloendopeptidase, has also been reported to be increased in the serum of patients with active sarcoidosis. Enzyme activity in patients with active tuberculosis, primary pulmonary neoplasms, and idiopathic interstitial pulmonary fibrosis did not differ significantly from that of controls.


Getting even for customer mistreatment: the role of moral identity in the relationship between customer interpersonal injustice and employee sabotage.
Research on the "dark side" of organizational behavior has determined that employee sabotage is most often a reaction by disgruntled employees to perceived mistreatment. To date, however, most studies on employee retaliation have focused on intra-organizational sources of (in)justice. Results from this field study of customer service representatives (N = 358) showed that interpersonal injustice from customers relates positively to customer-directed sabotage over and above intra-organizational sources of fairness. Moreover, the association between unjust treatment and sabotage was moderated by 2 dimensions of moral identity (symbolization and internalization) in the form of a 3-way interaction. The relationship between injustice and sabotage was more pronounced for employees high (vs. low) in symbolization, but this moderation effect was weaker among employees who were high (vs. low) in internalization. Last, employee sabotage was negatively related to job performance ratings.


Development of a new analytical method for the determination of red beetroot betalains using dispersive solid-phase extraction.
The objective of this study was to develop a method for the determination of red beetroot betalains based on the dispersive solid-phase extraction and modified QuEChERS methods followed by micro-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometer that was equipped with a quadrupole and time-of-flight detector. Currently, new techniques for the extraction of the pigments are necessary and in this study, an extraction of beetroot betalains based on the QuEChERS method was developed for the first time. Twelve variants of the methods with different sorbent combinations were tested. The extraction with 15% methanol and with 0.05% formic acid was performed as a reference method to compare the obtained results. In all of the samples with the addition of sorbents, a lower noise was demonstrated in the obtained results. The betalain concentrations obtained using the tested methods were 0.32-0.54 mg g(-1) , while the value of the reference method was 0.44 mg g(-1) . The method that used the strong ion exchange sorbent (0.44±0.05 mg g(-1) ) was the most adequate in terms of analyzed content, related standard deviation value and interference compared to the reference method. It was concluded that the properly modified QuEChERS method can be successfully applied for the determination of red beetroot betalains.


Electron capture gas-liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous analysis of 2,4-D, dicamba, and mecoprop residues in soil, wheat, and barley.
A method has been developed for the simultaneous analysis of 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxy-acetic acid), dicamba (2-methoxy-3,6-dichloro-benzoic acid), and mecoprop (MCPP; 2-[(4-chloro-o-tolyl) oxy] propionic acid) residues in soil, wheat, and barley. Soil and crop samples are extracted with acidic acetone and methanol, respectively. The extracts in diethyl ether are esterified with diazomethane and cleaned up by passing through a Florisil column. Extracts are analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography, using an electron capture detector to determine 2,4-D and dicamba residues. Mecoprop in the extract is not detected at low levels of concentration. However, bromination of the extract increases the response of the electron capture detector to mecoprop. The method is sensitive to about 0.05 ppm 2,4-D and dicamba and 0.5 ppm mecoprop. Recoveries of these 3 herbicides added to soil, wheat, and barley samples at 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 ppm levels were between 65 and 93%. The method was used for the simultaneous analysis of 2,4-D, dicamba, and mecoprop residues in wheat, barley, and soil samples obtained from fields sprayed with the herbicide formulation Kil-Mor.


Conformal electron beam radiotherapy using custom-made step bolus for postmastectomy chest wall irradiation: An institutional experience.
Postmastectomy radiation (PMRT) to the chest wall using electron beam treatment with uniform bolus was practiced at our institution. The planning target volume (PTV) included the chest wall and the internal mammary nodes (IMN) along with supraclavicular nodal regions. The varying thickness of the postmastectomy chest wall and the varying position of the IMN resulted in dose inhomogeneity in the PTV. In addition, there was the risk of increased lung and cardiac doses. In this prospective study, we report the making of a custom-made bolus using dental wax called "step bolus." From March 2010 to January 2011, 167 patients received PMRT. As conformal photon plans were not acceptable in 48 patients, they were treated with single energy electrons and custom-made bolus. Addition of the step bolus improved dose distribution to the PTV reduced the mean lung dose %, the mean heart dose % and lung dose (D10, D20, D30, D50, and D70). Forty-seven patients had Grade 2, and one patient had Grade 3 skin toxicity. Acute symptomatic radiation pneumonitis was observed in one patient. At 5 years, 29 patients were alive with a median follow-up of 32 months and no local recurrences were observed. One patient died of myocardial infarction unrelated to treatment, one patient did not come for follow-up, 22 patients had systemic metastases, and 24 patients were disease free. A custom-made step bolus using dental wax can be used for tissue compensation in electron beam therapy with resulting good local disease control and acceptable toxicity.


Management of burns in the elderly.
Burns are one of the most devastating forms of trauma worldwide. While geriatric burns are uncommon in the developing world - accounting for less than 5% of burns in South Asian and Middle Eastern countries - they account for almost 20% of burns in economically developed countries such as the USA. The elderly population in general is at higher risk for burn injury, moreover mortality rate, as well as severity of complications, is more pronounced in this group of patients. A review of the literature was conducted to evaluate risk factors as well as pathophysiological and immunological conditions that affect response to burn injury in the elderly population. Surgical and medical interventions used for the management of geriatric burns remain a field of controversy and ongoing debate. Improvement of burn management with reduction in mortality in this age group warrants addressing survivors' quality of life, with a special focus on rehabilitation and support.


Atomic scale study of corrugating and anticorrugating states on the bare Si(1 0 0) surface.
In this article, we study the origin of the corrugating and anticorrugating states through the electronic properties of the Si(1 0 0) surface via a low-temperature (9 K) scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Our study is based on the analysis of the STM topographies corrugation variations when related to the shift of the local density of states (LDOS) maximum in the [Formula: see text] direction. Our experimental results are correlated with numerical simulations using the density-functional theory with hybrid Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE06) functional to simulate the STM topographies, the projected density of states variations at different depths in the silicon surface as well as the three dimensional partial charge density distributions in real-space. This work reveals that the Si(1 0 0) surface exhibits two anticorrugating states at +0.8 and +2.8 V that are associated with a phase shift of the LDOS maximum in the unoccupied states STM topographies. By comparing the calculated data with our experimental results, we have been able to identify the link between the variations of the STM topographies corrugation and the shift of the LDOS maximum observed experimentally. Each surface voltage at which the STM topographies corrugation drops is defined as anticorrugating states. In addition, we have evidenced a sharp jump in the tunnel current when the second LDOS maximum shift is probed, whose origin is discussed and associated with the presence of Van Hove singularities.


Detection of Her-2/neu expression in gastric cancer: Quantitative PCR versus immunohistochemistry.
The aim of this study was to compare quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) with immunohistochemistry (IHC) for the detection of Her-2 in gastric cancer, and to investigate the correlation between the expression levels of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2) and clinical features. Clinical data from 426 cases of gastric cancer were collected. Her-2 expression levels in cancerous tissue were detected using IHC, and the Her-2/neu gene expression levels were determined by qPCR. The correlation between the expression level of Her-2 and clinical features was investigated. The positive expression rate of Her-2 in cancerous tissue detected using qPCR and IHC was 11.17% (46/412) and 13.38% (57/426), respectively. The positive expression of the Her-2 protein/gene was significantly correlated with the depth of invasion and lymphatic metastasis, as well as the TNM stage (P<0.05). No significant correlation was identified between positive expression of the Her-2 protein/gene and tumor location, age, gender, differentiation degree and Lauren classification (P>0.05). The diagnostic consistency was good between the two methods (κ=0.828). The results indicate that the expression of Her-2/neu is closely associated with the development of gastric cancer. qPCR is a convenient, objective and efficient method, which may be used as an alternative to IHC or fluorescence in situ hybridization for the detection of Her-2/neu gene.


Performance of dedicated emission mammotomography for various breast shapes and sizes.
We evaluate the effect of breast shape and size and lesion location on a dedicated emission mammotomography system developed in our lab. The hemispherical positioning gantry allows ample flexibility in sampling a pendant, uncompressed breast. Realistic anthropomorphic torso (which includes the upper portion of the arm) and breast phantoms draw attention to the necessity of using unique camera trajectories (orbits) rather than simple circular camera trajectories. We have implemented several novel three-dimensional (3D) orbits with fully contoured radius-of-rotation capability for compensating for the positioning demands that emerge from different breast shapes and sizes. While a general orbit design may remain the same between two different breasts, the absolute polar tilt range and radius-of-rotation range may vary. We have demonstrated that using 3D orbits with increased polar camera tilt, lesions near the chest wall can be visualized for both large and small sized breasts (325 ml to 1,060 ml), for a range of intrinsic contrasts (three to ten times higher activity concentration in the lesion than breast background). Overall, nearly complete 3D acquisition schemes yield image data with relatively high lesion SNRs and contrasts and with minimal distortion of the uncompressed breast shape.


Public knowledge of heart attack symptoms in Beijing residents.
Definitive treatment for heart attack is early reperfusion with either angioplasty or thrombolytic therapy, and the benefit is strictly time-dependent. Patient outcomes are improved with either therapy when initiated as soon as possible. Recognition of heart attack symptoms is logically tied to taking action to receive prompt emergency care. Inadequate knowledge of heart attack symptoms may prolong delay. The purpose of this study was to document knowledge about heart attack symptoms in Beijing residents and to identify the characteristics associated with increased knowledge of heart attack. A structured survey was conducted in 18 communities in Beijing from March 1 through June 10 in 2006. Addresses and participants were selected randomly following a stratification. The survey was designed to collect knowledge of heart attack symptoms from sampled adults in each community. A total of 4627 respondents completed the questionnaires correctly, and 50.29% of them were female. Totally 64.15% of the respondents reported chest pain or discomfort (common symptoms) as a symptom of heart attack; 75.38% reported at least one of the following eight symptoms as a symptom of heart attack: back pain, shortness of breath, arm pain or numbness, nausea or vomiting, neck, jaw or shoulder pain, epigastric pain, sweating, weakness (less common symptoms); 20.36% correctly reported four or more heart attack symptoms, only 7.4% knew all the correct heart attack symptoms, and 28.94% knew about reperfusion therapy for heart attack; 31.7% reported to call 120 or 999 while having a heart attack themselves; however 89.6% reported to call 120 or 999 when someone else is suffering from a heart attack. Very old persons and those with health insurance coverage, high education level, high household income, longer living in Beijing and previous experience with heart disease had greater knowledge of heart attack symptoms. Public knowledge of common heart attack symptoms as well as less common heart attack symptoms is deficient in Beijing residents. But their knowledge of calling emergency medical services when someone is having a heart attack is relatively adequate. Public health efforts are needed to increase the recognition of the major heart attack symptoms in both the general public and groups at high risk for an acute cardiac event, especially in socioeconomically disadvantaged subgroups, including persons with low education level, low household income, and no health insurance coverage.


Academy of Plant-based Physical Therapy: overdue to address a nutrition crisis with a transformative population approach.
This timely evidence synthesis supports the need for an Academy of Plant-based Physical Therapy. Given epidemiological and empirical evidence and the profession's values and practice scope, the time has come for a specialty of plant-based physical therapy based on population health principles. This review connects these factors. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are largely nutrition-related resulting from unnatural elements of our diet (i.e., heart disease, several cancers, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, obesity, gastrointestinal diseases, autoimmune diseases, renal disease, and Alzheimer's disease). Most adults, even children, have NCD risk factors or manifestations. Alternatively, plant-based nutrition can prevent, manage, as well as potentially reverse these diseases, as well as augment conventional physical therapy outcomes by reducing inflammation and pain. Proposed competencies for plant-based physical therapists include high-level competency in health and NCD risk assessments/evaluations, to establish population health-informed nutrition needs for maximal health, healing and repair, in turn, function and wellbeing; and assessment of patients' nutrition-related knowledge, beliefs/attitudes, self-efficacy, and readiness-to-change. Population-informed nutritional counseling is initiated as indicated. An Academy of Plant-based Physical Therapy could advance the profession globally at this point in history and also serve as a role model to other health professions through practicing evidence-based, plant-based nutrition built upon population health principles.


High-Performance Semi-Transparent Perovskite Solar Cells with over 22% Visible Transparency: Pushing the Limit through MXene Interface Engineering.
Semi-transparent perovskite solar cells (ST-PSCs) have attracted enormous attention recently due to their potential in building-integrated photovoltaic. To obtain adequate average visible transmittance (AVT), a thin perovskite is commonly employed in ST-PSCs. While the thinner perovskite layer has higher transparency, its light absorption efficiency is reduced, and the device shows lower power conversion efficiency (PCE). In this work, a combination of high-quality transparent conducting layers and surface engineering using 2D-MXene results in a superior PCE. In situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction provides direct evidence that the MXene interlayer retards the perovskite crystallization process and leads to larger perovskite grains with fewer grain boundaries, which are favorable for carrier transport. The interfacial carrier recombination is decreased due to fewer defects in the perovskite. Consequently, the current density of the devices with MXene increased significantly. Also, optimized indium tin oxide provides appreciable transparency and conductivity as the top electrode. The semi-transparent device with a PCE of 14.78% and AVT of over 26.7% (400-800 nm) was successfully obtained, outperforming most reported ST-PSCs. The unencapsulated device maintained 85.58% of its original efficiency after over 1000 h under ambient conditions. This work provides a new strategy to prepare high-efficiency ST-PSCs with remarkable AVT and extended stability.


Comparison of tumor growth assessment using GFP fluorescence and DiI labeling in a zebrafish xenograft model.
DiI is a lipophilic fluorescent dye frequently used to label and trace cells in cell cultures and xenograft models. However, DiI can also transfer from labeled to unlabeled cells, including host organism cells, and label dead cells obscuring interpretation of the results. These limitations of DiI labeling in xenograft models have not been thoroughly investigated. Here we labeled green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing MDA-MB-231 cells with DiI to directly compare tumor growth assessment in zebrafish xenografts using the DiI labeling and GFP fluorescence. Our results indicate that the DiI based assessment significantly overestimated tumor growth in zebrafish xenograft models compared to the GFP fluorescence based assessment. The imaging of DiI labeled GFP-expressing MDA-MB-231 cell cultures indicated that the DiI labeling of the membrane is uneven. Analysis of the DiI labeled GFP-expressing MDA-MB-231 cell cultures with flow cytometry indicated that the DiI labeling varied over time while the GFP fluorescence remained unchanged, suggesting that the GFP fluorescence is a more reliable signal for monitoring tumor progression than the DiI labeling. Taken together, our results demonstrate limitations of using DiI labeling for xenograft models and emphasize the need for validating the results based on DiI labeling with other orthogonal methods, such as the ones utilizing genetically encoded fluorophores.


Ganfule capsule alleviates bile duct ligation-induced liver fibrosis in mice by inhibiting glutamine metabolism.
Background: Liver fibrosis is a pathological outcome of a variety of liver diseases, and it can also progress into liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Specific liver antifibrotic drugs have not been clinically approved yet. Studies have demonstrated the protective effects of Ganfule capsule (GFL) on the liver and its therapeutic potential in hepatic cancer. However, the mechanism of GFL is not clear in the treatment of liver fibrosis. Objective: This article aims to study the protective effect of GFL on liver fibrosis and its possible mechanism. Methods: The cholestatic liver fibrosis model was prepared by subjecting C57BL/6 mice to bile duct ligation (BDL). The GFL groups were treated with different concentrations of GFL for 14 days. Pathological analysis, serum biochemical index detection, metabonomic analysis, immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and real-time PCR were carried out. Results: GFL could alleviate liver injury and liver fibrosis caused by BDL in mice. Metabonomic analysis of mice serum showed postoperative metabolic disorder, which could be alleviated by GFL through glutamine metabolism; valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis; aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis; and other metabolic pathways. GFL affected glutamine metabolism by inhibiting the activity of glutaminase 1 (GLS1). The activation of GLS1 is regulated by the NF-κB pathway, and experiments showed that GFL could inhibit IκB-α and NF-κB p65 phosphorylation. Conclusion: This study confirms the protective effect of GFL on liver injury and shows that GFL inhibits glutamine metabolism, which was correlated with the NF-κB pathway, and eventually alleviates liver fibrosis. These results are conducive to the development of new therapeutic drugs for liver fibrosis.


A meta-analysis of omega-3 fatty acids and incidence of atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with higher health care costs. Although omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids have been associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease, their effects on the risk of AF are inconsistent. We therefore sought to review the relation between n-3 fatty acids and the risk of AF. Using an extensive online search, we conducted a meta-analysis of new onset incident/recurrent AF following exposure to fish/fish oil or long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. A random-effect model was used and between-studies heterogeneity was estimated with I(2). The quality of studies was assessed using Jadad and United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) scoring systems. All analyses were performed with RevMan (version 5.0.20). Seven cohort studies and 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled odds ratio (OR) was 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.56-1.12; p = 0.19) for RCTs and 0.83 (95% CI = 0.59-1.16; p = 0.27) for cohort studies. On sensitivity analysis, no statistically significant difference was noted when stratified by study design or quality of the studies (as graded by Jadad or USPSTF scoring systems). This study does not suggest a major effect of fish/fish oil or n-3 fatty acids on the risk of AF.


Reversible corneal keratinization following trabeculectomy and treatment with 5-fluorouracil.
A 66-year-old pseudophakic man with primary open-angle glaucoma and ocular cicatricial pemphigoid underwent trabeculectomy and was given postoperative subconjunctival 5-fluorouracil. He developed an inferior corneal epithelial defect and, later, a well-demarcated area of inferior corneal keratinization. Since the corneal keratinization clinically improved with conservative management, surgical intervention was not required.


Retention of part-time faculty.
Part-time faculty members are a large and important part of teaching programs at dental schools across the nation. Retaining part-time faculty members is important in order to provide consistency of instruction and because training new faculty requires time and effort that otherwise would go into building a stronger teaching program. This paper discusses methods used at the University of Washington School of Dentistry department of restorative dentistry to keep the part-time faculty actively engaged in dental education year after year. These methods include involving the faculty members in the entire teaching program, providing them with inservice training, and doing some personal things for them. The methods have proved successful as shown by the retention rate in the last three years.


The pH Response of a Peptoid Oligomer.
Polypeptoids are N-substituted glycine polymers, which differ from peptides in the placement of the side chain on the amide nitrogen rather than the Cα carbon. A peptoid with a chiral side chain containing both an aromatic group and carboxylic acid has a structure that responds to pH changes. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations using a force field specifically tuned for peptoids were carried out with an advanced sampling method for the peptoid (S)-N-(1-carboxy-2-phenylethyl)glycine in the high and low pH limits. The simulations show that the structure changes from mostly cis amide bonds at low pH to mostly trans bonds at high pH. The structural changes are driven by side chain-backbone hydrogen bonds at low pH and side chain repulsions and increased water contact at high pH.


Speech intelligibility in noisy environments with one- and two-microphone hearing aids.
In this study speech intelligibility in background noise was evaluated with 10 binaural hearing-aid users for hearing aids with one omnidirectional microphone and a hearing aid with a two-microphone configuration (enabling an omnidirectional as well as a directional mode). Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measurements were carried out for three different types of background noise (speech-weighted noise, traffic noise and restaurant noise) and two kinds of speech material (bisyllabic word lists and sentences). The average SNR improvement of the directional microphone configuration relative to the omnidirectional one was 3.4 dB for noise presented from 90 degrees azimuth. This improvement was independent of the specific type of noise and speech material, indicating that one speech-in-noise condition may yield enough relevant information in the evaluation of directional microphones and speech understanding in noise.


Access strategies for revision in anterior lumbar surgery.
Sixty-two consecutive patients undergoing anterior lumbar revision surgery from February 2000 to September 2007 were evaluated for approach strategies and complications. To determine the incidence of complications in these patients and to make recommendations on future revisions based on the results obtained. Only 2 articles exist in the literature that address this situation and they have widely varying results in a small number of patients. This larger series may help give more certainty to the expectations for complications in patients undergoing revision anterior lumbar surgery. A concurrent database was maintained on these 62 consecutive patients. Preoperative strategies were evaluated and complications were tabulated as they occurred and later analyzed to arrive at recommendations for future similar cases. Twenty-three patients had the same level revised and 39 patients had adjacent levels operated on. There were 3 venous injuries (4.8%), 3 arterial injuries (4.8%), and 1 ureteral injury (1.6%). All 3 arterial injuries occurred while approaching L3-L4 after L4 to S1 prior fusion or disc replacement. All 3 venous injuries and the ureteral injury occurred while approaching a previously operated level or levels. Six of these patients had the injuries repaired and the procedures completed with full recovery. One L5-S1 revision had the procedure aborted after a venous injury. There were no deaths. Although the incidence of complications in revisions is much greater than for index cases, the actual percentage of venous, arterial, and ureteral complications is certainly acceptable for patients who must have this type of surgery. Only very experienced access surgeons should attempt revision surgery.


Nondestructive Quantification of Local Plasticizer Concentration in PVC by (1)H NMR Relaxometry.
The properties of plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) , one of the most important polymers today, are strongly dictated by the concentration of plasticizer. Yet, it has been impossible to quantify this concentration at different positions inside a PVC product without its destruction because of a lack of suitable analytical methods. Thus, this paper introduces a simple, fast, and efficient way to determine truly nondestructively the concentration of plasticizer in PVC by single-sided nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). With the help of correlation curves between the concentration of plasticizer inside nonaged PVC samples and the corresponding volume-averaged NMR parameters, single-sided NMR allows the quantification of the local concentration of plasticizer in aged PVC plates at different depths by spatially resolved relaxation measurements. The presented approach represents a fundamental step toward in situ characterization of plasticized PVC.


Fluid-like behavior of a one-dimensional granular gas.
We study the properties of a one-dimensional (1D) granular gas consisting of N hard rods on a line of length L (with periodic boundary conditions). The particles collide inelastically and are fluidized by a heat bath at temperature Tb and viscosity gamma. The analysis is supported by molecular dynamics simulations. The average properties of the system are first discussed, focusing on the relations between granular temperature Tg=mv2, kinetic pressure, and density rho=N/L. Thereafter, we consider the fluctuations around the average behavior obtaining a slightly non-Gaussian behavior of the velocity distributions and a spatially correlated velocity field; the density field displays clustering: this is reflected in the structure factor which has a peak in the k approximately 0 region suggesting an analogy between inelastic hard core interactions and an effective attractive potential. Finally, we study the transport properties, showing the typical subdiffusive behavior of 1D stochastically driven systems, i.e., </x(t)-x(0)/2> approximately Dt(1/2), where D for the inelastic fluid is larger than the elastic case. This is directly related to the peak of the structure factor at small wave vectors.


Extension for prevention: margin placement.
This article will review the concept of extension for prevention popularized by G.V. Black around the early 1900s. Concepts of extension and prevention have changed over the years with a more informed knowledge of the caries process, improved materials, cutting instruments, and techniques. The reasons for placement of the outline form relative to the tooth morphology, gingival tissue, relationship to adjacent teeth, and the choice of material will be described for all of the materials used in restorative dentistry. Research will be cited to support the scientific basis for outline form placement.


Resource and cost considerations in treating hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) was a uniformly fatal diagnosis before 1983, when surgical treatment was first undertaken with the Norwood I operation as the first of 3-staged operations. Since then, operative survival rate of stage I has risen from 53% to over 90% in the current era, not only thanks to technical advances in surgery but also through prenatal diagnosis and imaging, enhanced cardiopulmonary bypass technology, better perioperative intensive care, and closer interstage monitoring. The improvements in patient outcomes achieved through rigorous multidisciplinary teamwork have come at a tremendous cost in manpower and resources, making HLHS still a challenge to all congenital heart programs, established or emerging. We review the various surgical steps to treat HLHS and their current expected outcomes, and put into perspective cost considerations compared to other more "simple" congenital heart defects.


Inhibitory effect of combinations of caprylic acid and nisin on Listeria monocytogenes in queso fresco.
Queso fresco (QF), a fresh Hispanic cheese has been linked to outbreaks and recalls caused by Listeria contamination. The use antimicrobial treatments may be a potential solution. The goal of this research was to test the addition of nisin (N), caprylic acid (CA) and trans-cinnamaldehyde (CN) as anti-listerial ingredients in QF. QF batches were inoculated with approx. 10(4) CFU/g of 5- or 6-strain mixtures of Listeria monocytogenes and treated with antimicrobials. Samples were stored at 4 °C for three weeks and Listeria counts were determined by plating on PALCAM agar. The impact on the QF's natural indicator microorganisms was also assessed during refrigerated storage. All N and CA combinations (≥0.4 g/kg each) were effective against L. monocytogenes and reduced the final counts by at least 3 log CFU/g after 20 days of storage compared to controls. The levels of most strain mixtures were reduced immediately after treatment and their numbers remained below 10(3) CFU/g during storage. CN (1.2 g/kg) was bacteriostatic against L. monocytogenes, but it did not reduce initial counts. The addition of CN to the combination of N and CA did not enhance their antimicrobial effect. Results indicated that combinations of N and CA could control L. monocytogenes in QF with little impact on the natural flora of the cheese, providing a solution to control post processing L. monocytogenes contamination of QF.


Ontogeny of tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA signal levels in central dopaminergic neurons: development of a gender difference in the arcuate nuclei.
Using in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry, this study examined the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA signal levels and immunostaining in the arcuate nuclei of the hypothalamus, zona incerta and substantia nigra of male and female rats during neonatal, peripubertal and adult life. The catalytic activity of TH in the stalk-median eminence was also investigated using the in vitro accumulation of 3,4 dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) after inhibiting aromatic amino acid decarboxylase activity. In the arcuate nuclei, TH mRNA levels increased 3.5-fold between 5 and 15 days of age and remained at a steady level between 15 and 35 days of age in both male and female rats. Similar to TH mRNA levels in the arcuate nuclei, TH activity in the stalk-median eminence increased 2-3 fold between days 10 and 15 of age and remained at a steady level between 15 and 35 days of age in both sexes. A later increase in TH mRNA levels in the arcuate nuclei and catalytic activity in the stalk-median eminence was observed between 35 and 40 days in females, but not males. During adulthood, TH mRNA levels and enzyme activity were 2.7-fold higher in the arcuate nuclei and stalk-median eminence, respectively, of diestrous females vs males. These data suggest that the changes in TH mRNA in the arcuate nuclei may contribute to the developmental alterations, as well as the adult gender differences, in enzyme activity in the stalk-median eminence. Circulating progesterone levels were low (1-10 ng/ml) between days 5 and 25 of age and increased 6-fold between 25 and 35 days of age in both males and females. Progesterone levels increased 2-fold in females, but not males, between days 35 and 40 and were 4-fold higher in diestrous females as compared to adult males. Circulating prolactin levels were low (2-3 ng/ml) between days 5 and 15, increased 15-fold between days 15 and 25 and increased an additional 2- to 3-fold between days 35 and 70 in both males and females. TH mRNA signal levels increased between days 5 and 15 of age in dopaminergic perikarya in the zona incerta and the substantia nigra of both female and male rats. The TH mRNA levels remained constant between days 15 and 70 in the zona incerta, whereas TH mRNA levels declined with age in the substantia nigra.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


INFORMATION CONTENT OF HIGH-ORDER ASSOCIATIONS OF THE HUMAN GUT MICROBIOTA NETWORK.
The human gastrointestinal tract is an environment that hosts an ecosystem of microorganisms essential to human health. Vital biological processes emerge from fundamental inter- and intra-species molecular interactions that influence the assembly and composition of the gut microbiota ecology. Here we quantify the complexity of the ecological relationships within the human infant gut microbiota ecosystem as a function of the information contained in the nonlinear associations of a sequence of increasingly-specified maximum entropy representations of the system. Our paradigm frames the ecological state, in terms of the presence or absence of individual microbial ecological units that are identified by amplicon sequence variants (ASV) in the gut microenvironment, as a function of both the ecological states of its neighboring units and, in a departure from standard graphical model representations, the associations among the units within its neighborhood. We characterize the order of the system based on the relative quantity of statistical information encoded by high-order statistical associations of the infant gut microbiota.


[Intracerebral schwannoma: case report].
We report a well-documented case of intracerebral schwannoma, presenting as a cystic and solid parietal mass, arising in a 20-year-old woman. Possible mechanisms underlying the histogenesis of this rare lesion are discussed. The clinical, radiological and pathological features are described. The relevant literature is reviewed. The patient presented seizures and elevated intracranial pressure. Neuroradiologic findings showed a right parietal lesion with cystic and tissular components, intensely enhanced after injecting intravenous gadolinium. The tumor was removed through a right parietal craniotomy. Histological and immunochemical features confirmed the diagnostic of intracerebral schwannoma. The patient is alive without progressive local disease or metastasis. The origin of intracerebral schwannomas has been the source of much controversy. The most popular hypothesis argues that these tumors arise from the proliferation of Schwann cells in the perivascular nerve plexii. Intracerebral schwannoma is an extremely rare benign tumor. About fifty cases have been reported. The importance of recognizing this tumor is stressed, particularly in younger patients, given its benign nature, radiological resemblance to other tumors and favorable response to resection without toxic treatment.


Intrapituitary adenoviral administration of 7B2 can extend life span and reverse endocrinological deficiencies in 7B2 null mice.
The prohormone convertase PC2 requires the aid of a helper protein, known as 7B2, for production of active enzyme. Deletion of 7B2 results in a lethal phenotype resembling Cushing's disease. In this study, we have investigated the effect of a single low dose of recombinant adenovirus vector encoding 7B2 and delivered directly to the pituitary of 7B2 nulls on pituitary ACTH, plasma ACTH, corticosterone, alpha MSH and glucose, and survival time. We show that after injection of recombinant adenovirus encoding 27-kDa 7B2 into 7B2 nulls, transgene expression, as measured by RIA for 7B2, exhibits a transient elevation in the pituitary and blood, with a slight but significant elevation of PC2 activity in pituitaries of 7B2 nulls and a drop in the level of circulating ACTH concomitant with a small increase in circulating alpha MSH. The level of circulating blood glucose was increased, and that of corticosterone was decreased. Lastly, slight but significantly prolonged survival times were observed. These data showing partial rescue of 7B2 nulls support the idea that adenoviral administration of 7B2 will represent an effective means to study the role of this interesting neuroendocrine protein on endocrine function in vivo.