Protection of internal (TTAGGG)n repeats in Chinese hamster cells by telomeric protein TRF1.
Chinese hamster cells have large interstitial (TTAGGG) bands (ITs) which are unstable and should be protected by an unknown mechanism. Here, we expressed in Chinese hamster V79 cells green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged human TRF1, and found that a major fraction of GFP-TRF1 bound to ITs is diffusionally mobile. This fraction strongly decreases after treatment of cells with wortmannin, a protein kinase inhibitor, and this drug also increases the frequency of chromosome aberrations. Ionizing radiation does not induce detectable translocation of GFP-TRF1 to the sites of random double-strand breaks visualized using antibodies against histone gamma-H2AX. TRF1 is known to be eliminated from telomeres by overexpression of tankyrase 1 which induces TRF1 poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation. We transfected V79 cells by plasmid encoding tankyrase 1 and found that the frequency of chromosome rearrangements is increased in these cells independently of their treatment by IR. Taken together, our results suggest that TRF1 is involved in sequence-specific protection of internal nontelomeric (TTAGGG)n repeats.


How low is too low, revisited: sentence repetition and AVLT-recognition in the detection of malingering.
Sentence Repetition (SR) and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test-Recognition Task (AVLT-R) scores of 5 groups of examinees (severe traumatic brain injury [TBI], mild TBI nonlitigants, normal controls, mild TBI litigants, and actors) were compared with the intent of determining cutoffs for the detection of malingering. Cutoff scores were set below the minimum of the severe TBI group, resulting in a specificity of 100% for both tests. At this level of specificity, the AVLT-R detected 10 of the 20 known actors (50% sensitivity), whereas SR correctly identified 14 of the 20 actors (70% sensitivity). Among litigants with mild injury, 12.24% were identified by the AVLT-R and 6.12% by SR as malingerers. These findings are similar to those found utilizing a variety of other common neuropsychological instruments. Employing commonly used neuropsychological tests as measures of motivation is both practical and clinically useful.


Low-risk dentistry using additive-only ("no-prep") porcelain veneers.
"No-prep" porcelain veneers have been effectively in use for more than two decades, and the bonding of porcelain to 100% enamel has enjoyed extraordinary success. Today's refined techniques, new and improved materials, and better training in emulating nature have enabled additive-only veneers to rival, or in some cases even exceed, the results of traditionally prepared veneers. In this case presentation, the author uses conservative, additive-only dentistry to enhance a young woman's smile by creating improved anterior esthetics.


Assessing the clinical utility of Wnt pathway markers in colorectal cancer.
β-catenin and AXIN2 play an important role in the Wnt signaling pathway. The aim of this study was to investigate β-catenin and AXIN2 expression in colorectal cancer (CRC) and relate these findings with patients' clinicopathological features and prognosis. 57 consecutive patients with surgically treated CRC were included in this study. Quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses were performed to characterize the expression of the aforementioned markers in CRC tissues. β-catenin overexpression in the nucleus was associated with advanced N stage CRCs (p=0.04). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that β-catenin overexpression is an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (OS). A positive correlation between β-catenin location and AXIN2 mRNA was observed. Nuclear β-catenin is a valuable prognostic factor. AXIN2 is a component of the "Destruction Complex" and also a Wnt target gene. However, the clinical importance of AXIN2 expression in CRC remains unclear.


Brief report: pulmonary auscultation in the operating room: a prospective randomized blinded trial comparing electronic and conventional stethoscopes.
We compared the subjective quality of pulmonary auscultation between 2 acoustic stethoscopes (Holtex Ideal® and Littmann Cardiology III®) and an electronic stethoscope (Littmann 3200®) in the operating room. A prospective double-blind randomized study with an evaluation during mechanical ventilation was performed in 100 patients. After each examination, the listeners using a numeric scale (0-10) rated the quality of auscultation. Auscultation quality was compared in patients among stethoscopes with a multilevel mixed-effects linear regression with random intercept (operator effect), adjusted on significant factors in univariate analysis. A significant difference was defined as P < 0.05. One hundred comparative evaluations of pulmonary auscultation were performed. The quality of auscultation was rated 8.2 ± 1.6 for the electronic stethoscope, 7.4 ± 1.8 for the Littmann Cardiology III, and 4.6 ± 1.8 for the Holtex Ideal. Compared with Holtex Ideal, auscultation quality was significantly higher with other stethoscopes (P < 0.0001). Compared with Littmann Cardiology III, auscultation quality was significantly higher with Littmann 3200 electronic stethoscope (β = 0.9 [95% confidence interval, 0.5-1.3]). An electronic stethoscope can provide a better quality of pulmonary auscultation than acoustic stethoscopes in the operating room, yet with a magnitude of improvement marginally higher than that provided with a high performance acoustic stethoscope. Whether this can translate into a clinically relevant benefit requires further studies.


[Peculiarities of physical therapy in endangiitis obliterans].
The particularities of the physiotherapy in the obliterating endangiitis in the framework of the treatment of arterial occlusive diseases consist in the differentiated selection of the remedies of physiotherapy and their adequate, i.e. often slight dosage. The interval at stage I and II after Fontaine free of inflammation should be used. The physiotherapy of the obliterating endangiitis possesses adjuvant character and thus supplements the reasonable polypragmasy of the whole concept of therapy.


Hormone replacement therapy alone or in combination with tamoxifen in women with thin endometrium undergoing frozen-thawed embryo transfer: A retrospective study.
To investigate the effects of two protocols (hormone replacement therapy (HRT) alone or in combination with tamoxifen) on the endometrium and pregnancy outcome of patients with thin endometrium in frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles. A total of 465 infertile patients with thin endometrium who underwent FET between January 2020 to June 2021 at the Drum Tower Hospital affiliated with Nanjing University Medical School were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 187 patients were given tamoxifen in addition to HRT (TMXF-HRT group), whereas 278 patients were given only HRT (HRT group). Clinical data were compared between the two groups, including general characteristics, endometrial thickness, and clinical pregnancy outcomes. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics of all enrolled patients between two groups. Serum progesterone (P) was higher in HRT group than in the TMXF-HRT group (0.28 ± 0.53 ng/mL vs. 0.15 ± 0.25 ng/mL, P = 0.002). There was a significant increase in endometrial thickness in the TMXF-HRT group compared with the HRT group (OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.32-1.75, P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the clinical pregnancy rate, embryo implantation rate, early miscarriage rate, or live birth rate between these two groups. Although tamoxifen when used in combination with hormone replacement therapy can significantly increase endometrial thickness, it may not have a role in improving the pregnancy outcomes of patients with thin endometrium undergoing FET cycles.


Effects of predicted future and current atmospheric temperature and [CO2] and high and low soil moisture on gas exchange and growth of Pinus taeda seedlings at cool and warm sites in the species range.
Predicted future changes in air temperature and atmospheric CO(2) concentration ([CO(2)]), coupled with altered precipitation, are expected to substantially affect tree growth. Effects on growth may vary considerably across a species range, as temperatures vary from sub-optimal to supra-optimal for growth. We performed an experiment simultaneously at two locations in the current range of loblolly pine, a cool site and a warm site, to examine the effect of future climate conditions on growth of loblolly pine seedlings in contrasting regions of the species range. At both sites 1-year-old loblolly pine seedlings were grown in current (local ambient temperature and [CO(2)]) and predicted future atmospheric conditions (ambient +2 °C temperature and 700 μmol mol(-1) [CO(2)]). Additionally, high and low soil moisture treatments were applied within each atmospheric treatment at each site by altering the amount of water provided to the seedlings. Averaged across water treatments, photosynthesis (A(net)) was 31% greater at the cool site and 34% greater at the warm site in elevated temperature and [CO(2)] compared with ambient temperature. Biomass accumulation was also stimulated by 38% at the cool site and by 24% at the warm site in that treatment. These results suggest that a temperature increase of 2 °C coupled with an increase in [CO(2)] (predicted future climate) will create conditions favorable for growth of this species. Reduced soil moisture decreased growth in both current and predicted atmospheric conditions. Biomass accumulation and A(net) were reduced by ∼39 and 17%, respectively, in the low water treatment. These results suggest that any benefit of future atmospheric conditions may be negated if soil moisture is reduced by altered precipitation patterns.


Non-operative breast pathology: lobular neoplasia.
Lobular neoplasia is a relatively uncommon lesion, which is frequently diagnosed in biopsy specimens taken for other reasons. Although the histological features of this lesion are well known, its biological significance as a "risk indicator" or "breast cancer precursor" has been a matter of debate. This review provides an update on recent clinicopathological and molecular data on lobular neoplasia and how these have changed the way these lesions are perceived and, most importantly, managed. Furthermore, the current recommendations for the management of lobular neoplasia diagnosed on core needle biopsies proposed in the National Health Service Breast Cancer Screening guidelines are discussed.


Decreasing attrition rates across the generations through values alignment.
As evidenced by high attrition rates and a national nursing shortage, growing numbers of nurses are expressing dissatisfaction with their jobs. Employing institutions and schools of nursing must redefine the nursing profession to attract and retain nurses. Better placement of nurses into the subspecialty that best aligns with personal and professional values will help decrease the attrition rate by enhancing career satisfaction, increase motivation of employees, increase overall performance, and increase productivity.


[Effect in vitro of albendazole on the kinetics of cytosolic glutathione transferase from the rat liver].
Since the idea of multifunctional mode of action of anthelmintics is considered and in experimental trichinellosis in vivo albendazole seems to act as an allosteric activator of cytosolic GST from mice muscles, in this study a termosensitivity after in vitro incubation with albendazole of purified commercial cytosolic glutathione transferase (GST) from the rat liver was investigated. Two extremal temperatures: -80 degrees C and +30 degrees C were used to destroy the dimer in quaternary structure of this enzyme. In control preparations both extremal temperatures destroy this structure, so the Michaelis-Menten kinetic curves of substrate saturation show the typical hyperbolic shape. After a long (15 h) freezing at -80 degrees C or heating (up to 14 h at +30 degrees C) the kinetics of substrate saturation of GST after incubation with albendazole show the sigmoidal or "double sigmoidal" shape, pointing out the quaternary GST structure as a complex of "frozen subunits". Drug inhibits about 6-times the total activity of GST after incubation at +30 degrees C. We conclude that albendazole in vitro influences the structure of cytosolic GST from the rat liver and inhibits its activity, but, in opposite to in vivo study in mouse muscles infected with Trichinella spiralis larvae, does not act as an activator of this enzyme.


Tonsillitis and chronic psoriasis.
Although the relationship between streptococcal tonsillitis and acute guttate psoriasis is well recognized, its relationship to chronic forms of psoriasis is less established. In order to explore this further, the authors questioned 35 patients with severe psoriasis and 35 age-matched eczema controls about their history of significant sore throats (i.e. requiring a GP visit) and any resultant worsening of the skin condition. A third of the psoriasis patients reported recurrent sore throats which worsened their skin condition. This was true of only one (3%) of the 35 eczema controls. The authors discuss these findings in the context of recent laboratory work on the association between streptococcal infection and psoriasis.


Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase during cisplatin-based chemotherapy for gastric cancer.
Nitric oxide (NO) has been reported to protect cells from apoptosis during chemotherapy. In this study, the protective role of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) against cisplatin (CDDP)-induced apoptosis was evaluated in a cell line and in patients with gastric cancer. MKN-45 cells were incubated with CDDP and the correlation between the occurrence of apoptotic cells (evaluated by flow cytometry) and the expression of iNOS messenger RNA (mRNA) in cells was analyzed. In 15 patients with advanced gastric cancer, CDDP-based preoperative chemotherapy was introduced. The expression levels of iNOS mRNA were compared between tumor samples before and after treatment with CDDP. Moreover, the iNOS protein expression and the percentage of apoptotic cancer cells (apoptotic index: AI) were analyzed immunohistochemically in 15 CDDP-treated tumors and in 50 untreated advanced gastric cancers. High AI was detected after 24 hours of treatment with high-dose CDDP in MKN-45, while the iNOS mRNA expression levels did not change before and after treatment. In 15 patients treated with CDDP, the percentage of iNOS mRNA-positive cases increased from 20% (pretreatment tumors) to 40% (resected tumors). However, the mean AI of iNOS-positive tumors was not different from that of iNOS-negative tumors. Also, in 50 untreated patients, iNOS protein expression did not correlate with the AIs of the tumors. Our results demonstrate that iNOS expression may not correlate with the occurrence of apoptosis during CDDP treatment in gastric cancer.


Logistic Regression Likelihood Ratio Test Analysis for Detecting Signals of Adverse Events in Post-market Safety Surveillance.
The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and other product surveillance systems compile reports of product-associated adverse events (AEs), and these reports may include a wide range of information including age, gender, and concomitant vaccines. Controlling for possible confounding variables such as these is an important task when utilizing surveillance systems to monitor post-market product safety. A common method for handling possible confounders is to compare observed product-AE combinations with adjusted baseline frequencies where the adjustments are made by stratifying on observable characteristics. Though approaches such as these have proven to be useful, in this article we propose a more flexible logistic regression approach which allows for covariates of all types rather than relying solely on stratification. Indeed, a main advantage of our approach is that the general regression framework provides flexibility to incorporate additional information such as demographic factors and concomitant vaccines. As part of our covariate-adjusted method, we outline a procedure for signal detection that accounts for multiple comparisons and controls the overall Type 1 error rate. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, we illustrate our method with an example involving febrile convulsion, and we further evaluate its performance in a series of simulation studies.


Cortical thickness and subcortical gray matter reductions in neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus.
Within systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients can be divided into groups with and without central nervous system involvement, the latter being subcategorized as neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE). While a number of research groups have investigated NPSLE, there remains a lack of consistent application of this diagnostic criteria within neuroimaging studies. Previous neuroimaging research suggests that SLE patients have reduced subcortical and regional gray matter volumes when compared to controls, and that these group differences may be driven by SLE patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms. The current study sought to compare measures of cortical thickness and subcortical structure volume between NPSLE, SLE, and healthy controls. We hypothesized that patients with NPSLE (N = 21) would have thinner cortex and reduced subcortical gray matter volumes when compared to SLE (N = 16) and control subjects (N = 21). All subjects underwent MRI examinations on a 1.5 Tesla Siemens Sonata scanner. Anatomical reconstruction and segmentation were performed using the FreeSurfer image analysis suite. Cortical and subcortical volumes were extracted from FreeSurfer and analyzed for group differences, controlling for age. The NPSLE group exhibited decreased cortical thickness in clusters of the left frontal and parietal lobes as well as in the right parietal and occipital lobes compared to control subjects. Compared to the SLE group, the NPSLE group exhibited comparable thinning in clusters of the frontal and temporal lobes. Controlling for age, we found that between group effects for subcortical gray matter structures were significant for the thalamus (F = 3.06, p = .04), caudate nucleus (F = 3.19, p = .03), and putamen (F = 4.82, p = .005). These results clarify previous imaging work identifying cortical atrophy in a mixed SLE and NPSLE group, and suggest that neuroanatomical abnormalities are specific to SLE patients diagnosed with neuropsychiatric symptoms. Future work should help elucidate the underlying mechanisms underlying the emerging neurobiological profile seen in NPSLE, as well as clarify the apparent lack of overlap between cortical thinning and functional activation results and other findings pointing to increased functional activation during cognitive tasks.


SERS study of the controllable release of nitric oxide from aromatic nitrosothiols on bimetallic, bifunctional nanoparticles supported on carbon nanotubes.
A hybrid system comprising bimetallic nanoparticles supported on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was engineered to maximize the surface-enhanced Raman scattering signal from solution by generating a high density of hot spots with reproducible enhancing activity and long-term colloidal and optical stability. CNT@AgAu was employed as a bifunctional material to catalyze and monitor the controlled release of nitric oxide from aromatic nitrosothiols, as a function of the gold content.


Absence of pituitary prolactin epitopes in immunoreactive prolactin of rat brain.
Immunoreactive prolactin (ir-PRL) in rat brain has been consistently documented. However, the identity of this ir-PRL is controversial. Ir-PRL is defined by its ability to bind to PRL antibodies. All previous studies of brain ir-PRL have used polyclonal antibodies, at least one of which apparently crossreacts with a portion of the proopiomelanocortin molecule. To begin to define the epitopes comprising ir-PRL in the brain, we utilized two monoclonal antibodies (MAb) that recognize pituitary PRL in a variety of species, including rat. Immunocytochemistry was performed on rat brains and pituitary glands using two monoclonal and one polyclonal PRL antibody. Although both MAb immunostained lactotrophs of the rat pituitary gland, neither antibody immunostained cell bodies or neuronal processes in the brain. However, the polyclonal antiserum immunostained lactotrophs and a system of neuronal cell bodies and processes in the brain. Thus, epitopes found in pituitary PRL from several species are not found in ir-PRL in rat brain.


Accidental Choking in Children: An Area To Be Focused on.
Choking is one of the important modes of death in young children who are dying of unintentional injuries. Anatomical and physiological characteristics while eating could increase the incidence of choking in children under four years. Here, we have described two classical cases of choking in young children and discussed the important areas to be addressed. Parental awareness and education will be the important strategy that can prevent the incidence of choking.


Cohesion proteins are present in centromere protein bodies associated with avian lampbrush chromosomes.
Proteins of sister chromatid cohesion are important for maintenance of meiotic chromosome structure and retention of homologous chromosomes in bivalents during diplotene. Localization of the cohesion proteins within nuclei of growing oocytes merits special attention, particularly in avian oocytes, in which diplotene chromosomes assume the form of lampbrush chromosomes (LBCs). We performed indirect immunostaining using antibodies against cohesins SMC1alpha, SMC1beta, SMC3, Rad21, and the SA/STAG family on chaffinch, pigeon and duck LBCs spreads, and frozen ovary sections. On LBCs spreads, antibodies to the majority of cohesins showed punctate staining on chromosome axes. LBC lateral loops, where sister chromatids are separated, did not show cohesin components. The spherical entities attached to the LBCs centromeres in avian germinal vesicles, the so-called protein bodies (PBs), were enriched in SMC1alpha, SMC3, Rad21, STAG1 and STAG2. The synaptonemal complex component SYCP3, which also participates in cohesion, was detected in the axes of avian lampbrush bivalents and, to a greater degree, in the PBs. In vitellogenic oocytes, cohesion proteins persist in the PBs associated with condensing bivalents when they concentrate into the karyosphere. These results indicate that cohesion proteins accumulate in centromere PBs in avian oocytes and are involved into structural maintenance of lampbrush chromosome axes.


Effects of several anthracycline antitumor antibiotics on the transcriptional activity of isolated nucleoli.
The class II anthracycline antitumor antibiotics musettamycin, rudolfomycin, aclacinomycin and marcellomycin, which were shown in earlier studies to preferentially inhibit the synthesis of nucleolar RNA in intact tumor cells, were studied in an isolated nucleolar transcriptional assay. Their effects were compared with those of the nucleolar non-selective anthracyclines adriamycin, carminomycin and pyrromycin, as well as with the 10-descarbomethoxy-analogs of marcellomycin and rudolfomycin. The isolated nucleolar transcriptional assay was found to have linear activity for 30 minutes at 30 degrees C. At increasing concentrations of alpha-amanatin up to 200 micrograms/ml, the maximum degree of inhibition of transcriptional activity was found to be 6 approximately 7%. The ranking of nucleolar RNA synthesis inhibitory potencies of the class I and II anthracyclines and the 10-descarbomethoxy-analogs obtained previously in intact cells was reproduced in the isolated nucleoli assay system described here. Thus, evidence for the use of this assay as a screen for nucleolar active antitumor agents is presented.


Intercellular crosstalk mediated by tunneling nanotubes between central nervous system cells. What we need to advance.
Long-range intercellular communication between Central Nervous System (CNS) cells is an essential process for preserving CNS homeostasis. Paracrine signaling, extracellular vesicles, neurotransmitters and synapses are well-known mechanisms involved. A new form of intercellular crosstalk mechanism based on Tunneling Nanotubes (TNTs), suggests a new way to understand how neural cells interact with each other in controlling CNS functions. TNTs are long intercellular bridges that allow the intercellular transfer of cargoes and signals from one cell to another contributing to the control of tissue functionality. CNS cells communicate with each other via TNTs, through which ions, organelles and other signals are exchanged. Unfortunately, almost all these results were obtained through 2D in-vitro models, and fundamental mechanisms underlying TNTs-formation still remain elusive. Consequently, many questions remain open, and TNTs role in CNS remains largely unknown. In this review, we briefly discuss the state of the art regarding TNTs identification and function. We highlight the gaps in the knowledge of TNTs and discuss what is needed to accelerate TNTs-research in CNS-physiology. To this end, it is necessary to: 1) Develop an ad-hoc TNTs-imaging and software-assisted processing tool to improve TNTs-identification and quantification, 2) Identify specific molecular pathways involved into TNTs-formation, 3) Use in-vitro 3D-CNS and animal models to investigate TNTs-role in a more physiological context pushing the limit of live-microscopy techniques. Although there are still many steps to be taken, we believe that the study of TNTs is a new and fascinating frontier that could significantly contribute to deciphering CNS physiology.


Carbon sequestration is related to mycorrhizal fungal community shifts during long-term succession in boreal forests.
Boreal forest soils store a major proportion of the global terrestrial carbon (C) and below-ground inputs contribute as much as above-ground plant litter to the total C stored in the soil. A better understanding of the dynamics and drivers of root-associated fungal communities is essential to predict long-term soil C storage and climate feedbacks in northern ecosystems. We used 454-pyrosequencing to identify fungal communities across fine-scaled soil profiles in a 5000 yr fire-driven boreal forest chronosequence, with the aim of pinpointing shifts in fungal community composition that may underlie variation in below-ground C sequestration. In early successional-stage forests, higher abundance of cord-forming ectomycorrhizal fungi (such as Cortinarius and Suillus species) was linked to rapid turnover of mycelial biomass and necromass, efficient nitrogen (N) mobilization and low C sequestration. In late successional-stage forests, cord formers declined, while ericoid mycorrhizal ascomycetes continued to dominate, potentially facilitating long-term humus build-up through production of melanized hyphae that resist decomposition. Our results suggest that cord-forming ectomycorrhizal fungi and ericoid mycorrhizal fungi play opposing roles in below-ground C storage. We postulate that, by affecting turnover and decomposition of fungal tissues, mycorrhizal fungal identity and growth form are critical determinants of C and N sequestration in boreal forests.


Ophryocystis anatoliensis sp. nov., a new neogregarine pathogen of the chrysomelid beetle Chrysomela populi.
Chrysomela populi (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is the most abundant and most important pest species that causes damage to poplar trees. Members of the family Chrysomelidae are frequently infected by protist pathogens but no neogregarine has been reported to date at the species level. In the present study we identify a new neogregarine pathogen from the chrysomelid C. populi. The infection was observed in the Malpighian tubules of adult beetles. A reddening of the Malpighian tubules was the most distinctive symptom of the infection. Single fusiform oocysts (9.8×4.7μm) were formed within a gamontocyst. The polar plugs were very thin, varying from 380 to 525nm in thickness. The oocyst wall was smooth and also quite thin (90-120nm). Morphological and ultrastructural characteristics of the pathogen indicate that the described neogregarine in C. populi is clearly different from known Ophryocystis species which infect coleopterans. Therefore, the neogregarine pathogen was determined to be a newly discovered species and named Ophryocystis anatoliensis sp. nov.


Musculoskeletal symptoms among commercial fishers in North Carolina.
Musculoskeletal symptoms were reported by 215 fishermen followed at 6-month intervals over 18 months. Exposure information was collected through field observation and in-depth ethnographic interviews allowing potential ergonomic stressors to be identified and catalogued by task and stage of work. Symptoms causing work interference in the last 12 months were reported by 38.5% of the cohort at baseline. Low back symptoms were the most common cause of work impairment (17.7%), followed equally by pain in the hands or wrists and shoulders (7%). Symptoms in any body region were more likely to have been reported among individuals who did not fish full-time and those who worked other jobs part or all year had significantly lower symptom prevalence; both likely reflect a healthy worker effect. A number of ergonomic stressors were identified in all stages of fishing with exposure variability dictated by some unpredictable factors such as weather; but also by type of boat, gear, crew size, and level of experience. Reducing ergonomic exposures associated with work among these traditional workers is important, regardless of whether they directly cause or contribute to their musculoskeletal symptoms, or aggravate existing pathology.


PARP2 downregulation in T cells ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation of the large intestine.
T cell-dependent inflammatory response with the upregulation of helper 17 T cells (Th17) and the downregulation of regulatory T cells (Treg) accompanied by the increased production of tumor necrosis alpha (TNFa) is characteristic of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Modulation of T cell response may alleviate the inflammation thus reduce intestinal damage. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-2 (PARP2) plays role in the development, differentiation and reactivity of T cell subpopulations. Our aim was to investigate the potential beneficial effect of T cell-specific PARP2 downregulation in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced inflammatory response of the cecum and the colon. Low-dose LPS was injected intraperitoneally to induce local inflammatory response, characterized by increased TNFa production, in control (CD4Cre; PARP2+/+) and T cell-specific conditional PARP2 knockout (CD4Cre; PARP2f/f) mice. TNFa, IL-1b, IL-17 levels were measured by ELISA, oxidative-nitrative stress was estimated by immunohistochemistry, while PARP1 activity, p38 MAPK and ERK phosphorylation, and NF-kB expression in large intestine tissue samples were examined by Western-blot. Systemic & local T cell subpopulation; Th17 and Treg alterations were also investigated using flowcytometry and immunohistochemistry. In control animals, LPS induced intestinal inflammation with increased TNFa production, while no significant elevation of TNFa production was observed in T cell-specific PARP2 knockout animals. The absence of LPS-induced elevation in TNFa levels was accompanied by the absence of IL-1b elevation and the suppression of IL-17 production, showing markedly reduced inflammatory response. The increase in oxidative-nitrative stress and PARP1-activation was also absent in these tissues together with altered ERK and NF-kB activation. An increase in the number of the anti-inflammatory Treg cells in the intestinal mucosa was observed in these animals, together with the reduction of Treg count in the peripheral circulation. Our results confirmed that T cell-specific PARP2 downregulation ameliorated LPS-induced colitis. The dampened TNFa production, decreased IL-17 production and the increased intestinal regulatory T cell number after LPS treatment may be also beneficial during inflammatory processes seen in IBD. By reducing oxidative-nitrative stress and PARP1 activation, T cell-specific PARP2 downregulation may also alleviate intestinal tissue damage.


The Contributions of Arterial Cross-Sectional Area and Time-Averaged Flow Velocity to Arterial Blood Flow.
Ultrasound has been used for noninvasive assessments of endothelial function in both clinical and athletic settings and to identify changes in muscle blood flow in response to exercise, nutritional supplementation, and occlusion. The purposes of the present study were to examine the reliability and relative contributions of arterial cross-sectional area and time-averaged flow velocity to predict muscle blood flow as a result of fatiguing exercise in men and women. Eighteen healthy men and 18 healthy women performed 50 consecutive eccentric repetitions of the elbow flexors at 60% of their pretest eccentric peak torque at a velocity of 180° s-1. Test-retest reliability and stepwise linear regression analyses were performed to determine the ability of arterial cross-sectional area and time-averaged flow velocity to predict brachial artery muscle blood flow for the men, women, and combined sample. There was no systematic test versus retest mean differences (P > 0.05) for any of the ultrasound determined variables. The two-variable regression models significantly improved the ability to predict muscle blood flow and were associated with smaller standard error of the estimates (3.7%-10.1% vs. 16.8%-37.0% of the mean baseline muscle blood flow values) compared to the one-variable models. The findings of the present study supported the use of ultrasound for reliable assessments of arterial diameter, arterial cross-sectional area, time-averaged flow velocity, and muscle blood flow from the brachial artery in men and women. Furthermore, time-averaged flow velocity was a more powerful predictor of muscle blood flow than arterial cross-sectional area.


Photopatternable source/drain electrodes using multiwalled carbon nanotube/polymer nanocomposites for organic field-effect transistors.
We fabricated photopatternable and conductive polymer/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) composites by dispersing MWNTs with poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid) (PSS) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) in water. PAA enables photo-cross-linking in the composite by adding ammonium dichromate, and PSS assists the dispersion of MWNTs in the composites, leading to higher conductivity. Composite films of PAA/PSS-MWNTs were characterized by conductivities of 1.4-210 S/cm and a work function of 4.46 eV, which could be increased to 4.76 eV during UV photo-cross-linking. By using PAA/PSS-MWNT composites as source/drain electrodes, 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene field-effect transistors (FET) exhibited a field-effect mobility of 0.101 +/- 0.034 cm(2)/(V s), which is 9 times higher than that of FETs fabricated with gold as source/drain electrodes (0.012 +/- 0.003 cm(2)/(V s)).


GangliosideGM1 expression during human spinal cord and neural crest development.
GangliosideGM1 represents a widespread component of the neural cell plasma membranes. Cholera toxin-B subunit binds selectively to GM1. Human spinal cords at post-conception (PC) weeks 6 to 11 were examined and early GM1 expression shown on the cell plasma membrane in the developing grey matter at PC week 6. GM1 was demonstrated also in the marginal layer (white matter); on neural crest derivative plasma membrane, i.e. dorsal root (DRG) and sympathetic ganglia; along emerging fibres from DRG and neurite terminals innervating skeletal muscle. GangliosideGM1 is highly expressed in spinal cord primary cultures and is a stringent neural cell marker. GangliosideGM1 represents an early marker of neural differentiation in both spinal cord and neural crest derivatives.


Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: current management practices.
A national survey of training programs in neonatal-perinatal medicine was undertaken to determine neurologic management practices in dealing with the asphyxiated, term newborn. Seventy-two of 105 responses (68.6 per cent) were returned. Commonly used diagnostic tests include routine electroencephalography, cranial sonography, and determinations of arterial blood gases and serum calcium. Fluid restriction and treatment of seizures with phenobarbital are widely used therapies. Many available techniques for both diagnosis and treatment show wide variability in utilization. These results demonstrate a lack of a "standard" approach to the problem and suggest the need for well-designed clinical trials to assess efficacy and safety of treatment measures inconsistently applied to the asphyxiated, term newborn.


Formalin dab for treatment of haemorrhagic radiation proctitis.
The authors present a case of a 75-year-old man who underwent 2 months of radiotherapy for prostate cancer. He developed rectal bleeding 6 months later. A colonoscopy showed radiation proctitis with no other abnormalities up to the caecum. He was treated with a variety of medical therapies and argon beam laser with minimal effect. He was treated with epinephrine injection after a subsequent flexible sigmoidoscopy. He required multiple blood transfusions because of the resulting anaemia. He was finally treated with topical formalin dab therapy over three sessions, after which his rectal bleeding subsided and haemoglobin levels eventually reached normal levels.


[Features of vertebral pain syndromes in older women depending on the duration of postmenopausal period and bone mineral density indices].
We have analyzed the vertebral pain syndrome (VPS) rate in 2 844 women aged 40-89 years, divided into groups according to the period of life (reproductive, perimenopausal and postmenopausal (PMP)) and evaluated the relationship between VPS frequency and indices of bone mineral density (BMD). It was found that the frequency of VPS during different physiological periods of woman life ranges from 84,1 to 94,4 %, with significant increase when the PMP period is more than 20 years compared with women in reproductive and early postmenopausal periods. The significant increase of the VPS frequency in thoracic and lumbar spines starts from 1-3 years of PMP and is retained at higher level for all subsequent periods of PMP. In postmenopausal women, a significant increase of the relative risk of VPS in the thoracic (in 1,3-1,4 times) and the lumbar (1,2-1,3 times) spines was found. In patients with osteoporosis with duration of PMP for 1-3 years, the frequency of VPS in thoracic spine was significantly higher than the indices in women with osteopenia, while patients with duration of PMP of 7-9 years had significantly higher frequency comparing to groups with osteopenia and norms. In patients without vertebral fractures and osteoporosis VPS frequency in the thoracic spine was significantly higher during periods of 4-6 and 7-9 years of PMP compared with women in reproductive period and compared with the women with normal BMD indices. The revealed features of the VPS should be considered while planning therapeutic interventions in women of older age groups.


Risk Factors Associated with Peer Victimization and Bystander Behaviors among Adolescent Students.
Despite the prevalence of the phenomena of peer victimization and bystander behaviors, little data has generated to describe their relationships and risk factors. In this paper, a self-administered survey using a cross-sectional cluster-random sampling method in a sample of 5450 participants (2734 girls and 2716 boys) between 4th and 11th grades was conducted at six schools (two primary schools and four middle schools) located in Shantou, China. Self-reported peer victimization, bystander behaviors and information regarding parents' risky behaviors and individual behavioral factors were collected. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was applied to evaluate risk factors affecting peer victimization and bystander behaviors. The results indicated that urban participants were more likely to become bullying victims but less likely to become passive bystanders. Contrarily, bullying victimization was related to the increasing of passive bystander behaviors. Father drinking and mother smoking as independent factors were risk factors for peer victimization. Participants who were smoking or drinking had a tendency to be involved in both peer victimization and passive bystander behaviors. This study suggested that bystander behaviors, victims' and parents' educations play a more important role in peer victimization than previously thought.


Effects of EGCG on proliferation and apoptosis of gastric cancer SGC7901 cells via down-regulation of HIF-1α and VEGF under a hypoxic state.
To investigate the effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on proliferation and apoptosis of human gastric cancer SGC7901 cells under a hypoxic state. Human gastric cancer SGC7901 cells were sub-cultured, and the cobalt chloride (CoCl2) hypoxia model was established. The blank control group (normoxia group), hypoxia control group (hypoxia group) and hypoxia + different concentrations of EGCG subgroups (20, 40, 60, 80, 100 μg/mL EGCG) were set up. Cell viability was detected via methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay, apoptosis was detected via flow cytometry, and expressions of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were detected via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting. Relatively low concentrations of EGCG (20-80 μg/mL) presented no significant inhibiting effect on SGC7901 cell growth within a short time (24 h) (p>0.05). The increasing concentration of EGCG inhibited cell proliferation under a hypoxia state (p<0.05). EGCG induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner under hypoxia (p<0.05). EGCG could significantly impede expressions of HIF-1α and VEGF proteins (p<0.05), and down-regulate the level of VEGF mRNA (p<0.05), but it showed no significant effect on the HIF-1α mRNA expression (p>0.05). EGCG inhibited cell proliferation under hypoxia via the downregulation of HIF-1α and its downstream target gene VEGF levels, providing a theoretical basis for the early diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer in clinic.


Isolation and characterization of an N-linked oligosaccharide that is increased in glioblastoma tissue and cell lines.
We have isolated and characterized N-linked oligo-saccharides that are significantly increased in glioblastoma tissue and cell lines. The structures of N-linked oligosaccharides present in 3 human normal brain tissues, 15 patients with glio-blastoma and 3 glioma cell lines were analyzed by partially automated technique for the isolation and fluorescent labeling of N-linked sugar chains from glycoproteins. Characterization of the sugar chains was achieved with the use of a combination of HPLC columns and a highly sensitive fluorescence detector at femtomole levels. By collecting peaks which accounted for 0.1% or more, sixteen different oligosaccharide structures were characterized from glioblastoma tissue and cell lines. The 16 oligosaccharide structures accounted for 48.9% of the total N-linked oligosaccharides present in glioblastoma tissue. The major components of total oligosaccharides were similar to those of normal brain tissue. The amount of a biantennary bigalactosylated structure with one core fucosylation (A2G2F) was present in increased levels in glioblastoma tissue (mean = 2.90%) and glioma cell lines (mean = 5.60%), while being less than 0.1% in normal brain tissue. Expression of highly branched tetra-antennary N-glycans that are usually detected in lungs or hepatocellular cancer was not observed. Tissue glioma cells and cultured cells also displayed strong LCA-lectin binding, which binds to sugar chains with core fucose (including A2G2F), while normal brain tissue did not. Moreover, LCA lectin inhibited proliferation of glioma cells through induction of apoptosis. A2G2F on glioma specimens may provide a novel marker and target for the diagnosis and treatment of glioblastoma, respectively.


Effectiveness of technology-enhanced learning in Endodontic education: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The aim of the present systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of technology-enhanced learning (TEL) in the field of Endodontics to improve educational outcomes compared to traditional learning methods. Randomized controlled studies published in English were identified from two electronic databases (PubMed and Scopus) up to May 2018. Two authors independently performed study selection, data extraction and assessed the risk of bias (ROB). Any teaching method using TEL was considered as the intervention, and this was compared to traditional methods. The outcome measuring the effectiveness of learning activities was evaluated by Kirkpatrick's four-level training evaluation model. The four levels of training outcomes are as follows: Reaction, Learning, Behaviour and Results. A meta-analysis was performed to estimate the standardized mean difference (SMD) by the random effects model. In total, 13 studies were included in the systematic review. Only three studies were assessed as 'low' ROB. A meta-analysis could not be performed in the domains of Reaction and Behaviour. No significant difference was observed in knowledge gain (Learning domain) between TEL and traditional methods (SMD, 0.14 (95% CI -0.10 to 0.39) I2 = 62.7%). Similarly, no difference was observed in performance (Behaviour domain). A variable response was found in attitude (Reaction domain). From the available evidence, it can be concluded that TEL is equally as effective as traditional learning methods.


Sequence of Escherichia coli O128 antigen biosynthesis cluster and functional identification of an alpha-1,2-fucosyltransferase.
O128 is one of the most common atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from diarrhea patients worldwide. The primary structure of E. coli O128 repeat units has previously been determined as -->3)-beta-D-GalNAc-(1-->4)-alpha-D-Gal-(1-->3)-beta-D-GalNAc-(1-->6)-[alpha-L-Fuc-(1-->2)]-beta-D-Gal-(1--> pentasaccharide. Here we report the complete sequencing of E. coli O128 antigen biosynthesis gene cluster and its flanking regions. Comparative sequence analysis revealed the expected O128 antigen process genes, GDP-fucose biosynthesis genes and four potential glycosyltransferase genes responsible for the assembly of E. coli O128 antigen repeats. WbsJ was shown to encode an alpha-1,2-fucosyltransferase by enzymatic assays and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy analysis.


Image Segmentation under the Optimization Algorithm of Krill Swarm and Machine Learning.
This study aims to improve the efficiency and accuracy of image segmentation, and to compare and study traditional threshold-based image segmentation methods and machine learning model-based image segmentation methods. The krill herb optimization algorithm is combined with the traditional maximum between-class variance function to form a new graph segmentation algorithm. The pet dataset is used to train the algorithm model and build an image semantic segmentation system. The results show that when the traditional Ostu algorithm performs image single-threshold segmentation, the number of iterations is about 256. When double-threshold segmentation is performed, the number of iterations increases exponentially, and the execution time is about 2 s. The number of iterations of the improved Krill Herd algorithm in single-threshold segmentation is 6.95 times, respectively. The execution time for double-threshold segmentation is about 0.24 s. The number of iterations is only improved by a factor of 0.19. The average classification accuracy of the Unet network model and the SegNet network model is 86.3% and 91.9%, respectively. The average classification accuracy of the DC-Unet network model reaches 93.1%. This shows that the proposed fusion algorithm has high optimization efficiency and stronger practicability in multithreshold image segmentation. The DC-Unet network model can improve the image detail segmentation effect. The research provides a new idea for finding an efficient and accurate image segmentation method.


Comparative assessment of cytokines and other inflammatory markers for the early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis-a case control study.
Cytokines (IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α), sCD163, and C-reactive protein were serially measured in an attempt to identify a set of tests which can reliably confirm or refute the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis at an early stage. One hundred neonates suspected to have sepsis on clinical grounds and who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled for the study. Based on the positive or negative blood culture reports they were classified as infected (n=50) and non-infected (n=50) neonates respectively. Fifty healthy neonates without any signs of sepsis were also included in the study as control group. The initial blood sample was taken on day 0 (at the time of sepsis evaluation) and two further samples were taken on days 1 and 2 for monitoring the clinical progress and response to treatment. In the control group the cord blood and 48 hours venous sample was collected. Plasma CRP (ng/ml), IL-6 (pg/ml), IL-8 (pg/ml), TNF-α (ng/ml) and sCD163 (ng/ml) were determined by double antibody method Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay in all the three blood samples. The cut of levels for CRP at >19,689 ng/ml had a sensitivity of 68%, specificity of 92%, for IL-6 at >95.32 pg/ml had a sensitivity of 54%, specificity of 96%, for IL-8 at >70.86 pg/ml had a sensitivity of 78%, specificity of 70%, for sCD163 at >896.78 ng/ml had a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 88% for the diagnosis of infection before antibiotics. TNF-α levels of >12.6 ng/ml showed 100% sensitivity and 72% specificity for the diagnosis of inflammation. The most powerful predictor to differentiate between the non-infected and infected neonates before antibiotics was sCD163. The most powerful indicator for evaluation of prognosis is IL-6. sCD163 can be used alone to screen for sepsis in neonates before the results of blood culture are received.


The pathology of americium 241.
Male CBA-mice were injected intraperitoneally with different doses of 241Am-citrate (16, 8, 0.4, 0.2, 0.04 muCi/kg). The two highest doses were highly destructive of the haematopoietic tissues, testes and bone tissue. The highest frequency of induced tumours of the skeleton and haematopoietic tissue was found in the 8 muCi group. In the liver, adrenal glands, kidney and heart degenerative lesions were found mainly in the higher dose groups. In the lower dose groups degenerative lesions seemed to appear earlier and at a higher frequency than in the control group.


Inclusion body myositis presenting as treatment-resistant polymyositis.
Inclusion body myositis (IBM) has been viewed as a distinct and rare form of inflammatory myopathy. Previously reported findings from series of IBM patients have suggested that clinical and pathologic features are present which readily distinguish it from idiopathic polymyositis. We report 4 cases of IBM presenting clinically and pathologically as polymyositis, each of which was refractory to therapy. Our data suggest that IBM may be a more common and heterogeneous form of inflammatory myopathy than has been previously suggested. Furthermore, IBM may be clinically and electrophysiologically indistinguishable from polymyositis. Reasons for failing to recognize IBM by pathologic studies appear to include: the skip lesion nature of the pathologic findings, failure to examine tissues by electron microscopy, and a low level of suspicion or lack of recognition. Because of its insidious clinical course and its failure to respond to immunosuppressive therapy, IBM may be an important variant of treatment-resistant polymyositis.


Uncertainty-aware refinement framework for ovarian tumor segmentation in CECT volume.
Ovarian cancer is a highly lethal gynecological disease. Accurate and automated segmentation of ovarian tumors in contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) images is crucial in the radiotherapy treatment of ovarian cancer, enabling radiologists to evaluate cancer progression and develop timely therapeutic plans. However, automatic ovarian tumor segmentation is challenging due to factors such as inhomogeneous background, ambiguous tumor boundaries, and imbalanced foreground-background, all of which contribute to high predictive uncertainty for a segmentation model. To tackle these challenges, we propose an uncertainty-aware refinement framework that aims to estimate and refine regions with high predictive uncertainty for accurate ovarian tumor segmentation in CECT images. To this end, we first employ an approximate Bayesian network to detect coarse regions of interest (ROIs) of both ovarian tumors and uncertain regions. These ROIs allow a subsequent segmentation network to narrow down the search area for tumors and prioritize uncertain regions, resulting in precise segmentation of ovarian tumors. Meanwhile, the framework integrates two guidance modules that learn two implicit functions capable of mapping query features sampled according to their uncertainty to organ or boundary manifolds, guiding the segmentation network to facilitate information encoding of uncertain regions. Firstly, 367 CECT images are collected from the same hospital for experiments. Dice score, Jaccard, Recall, Positive predictive value (PPV), 95% Hausdorff distance (HD95) and Average symmetric surface distance (ASSD) for the testing group of 77 cases are 86.31%, 73.93%, 83.95%, 86.03%, 15.17 mm and 2.57 mm, all of which are significantly better than that of the other state-of-the-art models. And results of visual comparison shows that the compared methods have more mis-segmentation than our method. Furthermore, our method achieves a Dice score that is at least 20% higher than the Dice scores of other compared methods when tumor volumes are less than 20 cm3 , indicating better recognition ability to small regions by our method. And then, 38 CECT images are collected from another hospital to form an external testing group. Our approach consistently outperform the compared methods significantly, with the external testing group exhibiting substantial improvements across key evaluation metrics: Dice score (83.74%), Jaccard (69.55%), Recall (82.12%), PPV (81.61%), HD95 (12.31 mm), and ASSD (2.32 mm), robustly establishing its superior performance. Experimental results demonstrate that the framework significantly outperforms the compared state-of-the-art methods, with decreased under- or over-segmentation and better small tumor identification. It has the potential for clinical application.


Drinking and Neighborhood Contexts of Alcohol's Harms from Others.
Negative consequences of alcohol (or secondhand effects) extend beyond drinkers to affect other people, including both known others (friends, family members, spouses/partners) and strangers. Secondhand effects of alcohol manifest across various social environments, including the places where people drink and the neighborhoods where they live. These neighborhoods are characterized by different levels of alcohol availability and degrees of residential social cohesion. Hence, social environments may confer risk or protect from harms from others' drinking. The current study explores: (a) how drinking venues and neighborhood contexts relate to harms from other people's drinking (both known others and strangers), and (b) whether these associations vary by gender. Using pooled data from the National Alcohol Survey and National Alcohol's Harms to Others Survey (N = 5425), we regressed harms from various drinking others on social environment characteristics (drinking venues, alcohol availability and social cohesion) for the full sample and separately by gender. We used the false discovery rate method to adjust for multiple testing. Overall, greater neighborhood social cohesion was associated with lower odds of harm from drinking others and, specifically, harm from drinking strangers. The effect of social cohesion was most pronounced for men. Social cohesion was the most salient neighborhood factor associated with reduced alcohol-related harms from strangers. Directions for future research and policies to mitigate these harms are discussed.


A rare interstitial duplication of 8q22.1-8q24.3 associated with syndromic bilateral cleft lip/palate.
We present a rare case of 8q interstitial duplication derived from maternal balanced translocations in a patient with bilateral cleft lip and palate in syndromic form associated with other congenital malformations. G-banding cytogenetic analysis revealed a chromosomal abnormality in the form of the karyotype 46,XX der(22)t(8;22)(q22.1;p11.1)mat. Chromosome microarray analysis evidenced a 49 Mb duplicated segment of chromosome 8q with no pathogenic imbalances on chromosome 22. Two siblings also carry the balanced translocation. We have compared this case with other "pure" trisomies of 8q patients reported in the literature and with genome wide association studies recently published. This work highlights the involvement of chromosome 8q in orofacial clefts.


[Food allergy: the celery-mugwort-spice syndrome. Association with mango allergy?].
Celery allergies are commonly observed in mugwort pollen-allergic patients. This situation is frequently associated with an allergy to spices of the umbelliferous family. Thus a "celery-mugwort-spice syndrome" has been established. In 31 patients (27 females, 4 males) allergy to celery was diagnosed between 1978 and 1982. They were followed up in 1983 and complementary tests (skin and RAST) with various raw vegetables, spices and mugwort pollen were done. For specific diagnosis of allergy to celery skin testing (scratch or prick) with fresh celery bulb was reliable. In contrast, RAST was not sufficiently sensitive, 87% of patients allergic to celery had pollinosis in the form of mugwort pollen sensitisation established by skin testing and RAST. Allergy to carrots was clinically and by testing currently associated in 52%. In contrast, a clinically relevant hypersensitivity to caraway (26%), parsley (16%), fennel (13%), green pepper (10%) and aniseed (3%) was found less frequently although these allergens showed a much larger positivity in skin testing. This signifies group sensitisation within the umbelliferous plants. The association of celery-mugwort allergy with allergy to mango fruit described here for the first time cannot be explained as group sensitisation within a botanic relation, as mango, and pistachio-nut, belong to the family of anacardiaceae.


Treatment of duodenal ulcer with sucralfate.
Sucralfate attains a healing rate of about 79% for duodenal ulcer in 4 weeks, which is similar to the effects of cimetidine and ranitidine. Whereas cigarette smoking significantly affects duodenal ulcer healing by acid-reducing agents, the healing rates of smokers and non-smokers treated with sucralfate or colloidal bismuth are indistinguishable, suggesting an inherent advantage through the cytoprotective mechanisms of these agents. The 12-month relapse curves for duodenal ulcers initially healed with sucralfate and colloidal bismuth subcitrate closely overlap each other and are significantly lower than the curves for the histamine H2-receptor antagonists. These findings cannot be accounted for by clearance of Helicobacter pylori, on which sucralfate has little effect. Preliminary evidence suggests that the use of acid-reducing agents results in up-regulation of the parietal cells and may help to explain the differences in relapse rates. Sucralfate is superior to placebo and comparable to H2 antagonists in the prevention of duodenal ulcer recurrence.


[FACTORS AFFECTING SHORT-TERM RENAL FUNCTION AFTER PARTIAL NEPHRECTOMY].
(Objectives) Recently, partial nephrectomy has been recommended for patients with T1 renal cell carcinoma to preserve renal function. In this study, we retrospectively investigated the factors that affect renal function after laparoscopic or robotic partial nephrectomy using cold or warm ischemia. (Patients and methods) We reviewed 105 patients who underwent laparoscopic or robotic partial nephrectomy between March 2006 and July 2016. Patients who had a single kidney were excluded. Thirty-nine patients were managed with cold ischemia, and 66 were managed with warm ischemia. Renal function was assessed using the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) categories of the stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD). (Results) In the cold and warm ischemia groups, the duration of ischemia was significantly correlated with deterioration of the eGFR at 12 months postoperatively, but the duration of ischemia was not significantly correlated with exacerbation of the GFR categories for the stage of CKD in multivariate analyses. (Conclusions) These results suggest that the ischemia time may not have an impact on prognosis. However, due to the lack of deaths from renal carcinoma or cardiovascular events postoperatively in this study, the influence of each factor on overall survival or cardiovascular events could not be evaluated. More investigations are necessary to discern the acceptable level of deterioration and the corresponding clinical implications for postoperative eGFR.


Promise of Mobile Health Technology to Reduce Disparities in Patients With Cancer and Survivors.
Despite recent advances in cancer control, numerous disparities exist in the areas of patient access to care, self-management, and quality of life. However, mobile health technology shows promise as a tool to reduce disparities among patients with cancer and cancer survivors by overcoming such barriers as limited access to providers, difficulty communicating with providers, and inadequate communication between patients and providers regarding symptoms. This narrative review draws on the literature in cancer and noncancer populations to identify factors that create or maintain disparities and to describe opportunities for mobile health technology to reduce disparities.


Regulation of cell arrangement using a novel composite micropattern.
Micropatterning technique has been used to control single cell geometry in many researches, however, this is no report that it is used to control multicelluar geometry, which not only control single cell geometry but also organize those cells by a certain pattern. In this work, a composite protein micropattern is developed to control both cell shape and cell location simultaneously. The composite micropattern consists of a central circle 15 μm in diameter for single-cell capture, surrounded by small, square arrays (3 μm × 3 μm) for cell spreading. This is surrounded by a border 2 μm wide for restricting cell edges. The composite pattern results in two-cell and three-cell capture efficiencies of 32.1% ± 1.94% and 24.2% ± 2.89%, respectively, representing an 8.52% and 9.58% increase, respectively, over rates of original patterns. Fluorescent imaging of cytoskeleton alignment demonstrates that actin is gradually aligned parallel to the direction of the entire pattern arrangement, rather than to that of a single pattern. This indicates that cell arrangement is also an important factor in determining cell physiology. This composite micropattern could be a potential method to precisely control multi-cells for cell junctions, cell interactions, cell signal transduction, and eventually for tissue rebuilding study. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 3093-3101, 2017.


Investigation of the Protective Function of a Lignin Coating of Natural Fiber Geotextiles against Biodegradation.
Natural fibers do not have a long life in soil; therefore, they cannot replace synthetic textiles in many applications. However, in order to solve ever-increasing global environmental problems due to microplastics, more and more natural polymers must be used, creating a need for research into the sustainable life extension of natural fibers. Lignin is, along with cellulose, a main component of wood, and is produced in large quantities as waste during paper production. With appropriate processing, lignin can be exploited/used as a textile auxiliary to combine the strength-enhancing properties of textiles made from natural fibers with the protective properties of a lignin coating. However, there is not yet sufficient research on how to integrate lignin into textile applications. For this purpose, in this study, we have investigated whether thermoplastic lignin can be processed as a surface protective coating. We tested lignin as a yarn coating to extend the service life of cellulosic textiles. Cotton yarns have been coated with lignin in variations of coating mass, characterized and investigated by means of soil burial tests. As the soil burial tests conducted in climate chamber and outdoor field environments showed, the lifespan of textiles made from natural fibers can be significantly extended with a lignin coating. Long-term resilience has been demonstrated in standard burial tests. In the outdoor tests, the lignin coating was still fully intact, even after about 160 days of burial. The textile materials coated in this way enable sustainable applications, especially for geotextiles. They have an adjustable, sufficiently long service life; however, they are still biodegradable, and can therefore replace some applications, such as vegetating trench/brook slopes, with synthetic materials. Lignin-coated textiles have the potential to significantly reduce the carbon footprint, reduce not only the dependence on petroleum-based products but also the amount of microplastics entering the environment. Further research can be conducted to improve lignin compounding in terms of other interesting properties for specific textile applications. Process optimization could increase the protective effect and further extend the life of useful textiles in soil.


Factors Affecting Initiation of Voice Therapy for Paradoxical Vocal Fold Motion Disorder.
To investigate patient-level predictors of initiation of voice therapy for paradoxical vocal fold motion disorder (PVFM). Prospective outcomes database study. Patients consented to the University of Wisconsin Voice and Swallow Clinics Outcomes Database between March 2010 and November 2016 who were diagnosed with PVFM and recommended for voice therapy were eligible. Patients who attended at least one voice therapy session were considered to have initiated therapy. Analyzed variables included age, gender, distance to the clinic, insurance status, socioeconomic factors, comorbidity score, spirometry results, presence of asthma and/or dysphonia diagnoses, length of evaluation and evaluation model, and patient scores on the Voice Handicap Index and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale. One-hundred seventy-eight patients met inclusion criteria. Of these, 118 initiated voice therapy as recommended (66.29%). The majority of patients were female (n = 127; 71.35%). Age was the only factor significantly associated with therapy initiation in both univariate (P = 0.0359) and multivariable (P = 0.0295) analyses, with patients aged 30-39 least likely to attend compared with other age groups. Multivariable analysis also showed that patients evaluated by a speech-language pathologist alone were an estimated three times as likely to initiate therapy compared to patients evaluated by speech-language pathologist and otolaryngologist (ENT) together (P = 0.0407). Other variables were not statistically significant for prediction of therapy initiation. This study suggests that age group and evaluation model are associated with initiation of voice therapy for PVFM. Further study is needed to investigate social-cognitive and quality-of-life factors in predicting therapy initiation.


The relationship between two scales measuring aggressive behavior among continuing-care psychogeriatric inpatients.
Aggressive behavior among the elderly is a neglected area of research. An 18-week prospective study of aggressive behavior on a continuing-care psychogeriatric ward provided data to examine the relationship between two aggression scales (SOAS and RAGE). There was a strong and significant correlation between the SOAS and RAGE scales for the total and the subscale scores. Both these scales appear useful in measuring aggressive behavior among continuing-care psychogeriatric inpatients. Also, the nursing staff can be trained to complete these scales effectively.


[Correlation of thalamic aphasia and cerebral blood flow].
Relations between linguistic deficits and cerebral blood flow (CBF) were studied in 20 cases of thalamic aphasia due to hemorrhage. Language analysis was based on BDAE, verbal intelligence quotient and verbal subtest of the memory quotient (Wechsler). CBF analysis (and of asymmetry index: AI) was done with 133 Xenon by SPECT technique in tomographic slices and in 15 areas of interest, i.e. cortical and deep areas. Relationships were analyzed by multiple correlations procedure and stepwise regression. Significant correlations were observed between linguistic results and AI of cortical but also deep areas (lenticular). Dynamic anomalies (fluency) were correlated with the IA and/or CBF of the frontal cortex. Verbal comprehension, naming and paraphasia were related to the AI of deep structures (insula and lenticular nucleus) and the AI of posterior cortex (temporo-occipital). Several correlations were found significant between results on verbal IQ of the WAIS and IA of the insula and lenticular nucleus.


FSH-regulated gene expression profiles in ovarian tumours and normal ovaries.
Development, growth and function of the ovary are controlled by endocrine and paracrine signals. These may also influence the development of ovarian cancer. The aim of this study was to identify the key molecular markers of the unregulated growth and hormone synthesis seen in ovarian tumours, particularly in granulosa cell tumours (GCT). Genes used in this study were chosen on the basis of our understanding of growth and differentiation in the normal ovary. We sought to define the patterns of gene expression in a panel of epithelial and stromal ovarian tumours. Expression was determined by RT-PCR using gene-specific primers for the FSH receptor (FSHR); the FSH early response genes: regulatory subunit of protein kinase A (RII-beta), cyclin D2 (cycD2) and sgk; and late response markers: cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and the LH receptor (LHR). The GCT had high expression of FSHR compared with normal ovaries and the other tumours. cycD2 and RII-beta and COX-2 genes were also highly expressed in the GCT. sgk and LHR expression was lower in all of the tumours than in normal ovaries. Serous cystadenocarcinomas also had an unexpectedly high expression of COX-2. Comparison of the gene expression profiles between each tumour group suggests a molecular phenotype for GCT that is similar to that reported for FSH stimulated pre-ovulatory granulosa cells.


Novel insights into the antioxidant role of tauroursodeoxycholic acid in experimental models of Parkinson's disease.
Impaired mitochondrial function and generation of reactive oxygen species are deeply implicated in Parkinson's disease progression. Indeed, mutations in genes that affect mitochondrial function account for most of the familial cases of the disease, and post mortem studies in sporadic PD patients brains revealed increased signs of oxidative stress. Moreover, exposure to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), a mitochondrial complex I inhibitor, leads to clinical symptoms similar to sporadic PD. The bile acid tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) is an anti-apoptotic molecule shown to protect against MPTP-induced neurodegeneration in mice, but the mechanisms involved are still incompletely identified. Herein we used MPTP-treated mice, as well as primary cultures of mice cortical neurons and SH-SY5Y cells treated with MPP+ to investigate the modulation of mitochondrial dysfunction by TUDCA in PD models. We show that TUDCA exerts its neuroprotective role in a parkin-dependent manner. Overall, our results point to the pharmacological up-regulation of mitochondrial turnover by TUDCA as a novel neuroprotective mechanism of this molecule, and contribute to the validation of TUDCA clinical application in PD.


Functional Characterization of an Exopolysaccharide Produced by Bacillus sonorensis MJM60135 Isolated from Ganjang.
The present study focused on the production, characterization, and in vitro prebiotic evaluation of an exopolysaccharides (EPS) from Bacillus sonorensis MJM60135 isolated from ganjang (fermented soy sauce). Strain MJM60135 showed the highest production (8.4 ± 0.8 g/l) of EPSs compared with other isolates that were screened for EPS production based on ropy culture morphology. Furthermore, MJM60135 was cultured in 5 L of medium and the EPS was extracted by ethanol precipitation. The emulsification activity of the EPS was higher in toluene than in o-xylene. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis showed the presence of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups and glycosidic linkages. The isolated EPS contained mannose and glucose, as observed by thin-layer chromatography analysis of the EPS hydrolysate. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and pathogenic E. coli K99 and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium were tested for their growth utilizing the EPS from B. sonorensis MJM60135 as the sole carbon source for its possible use as a prebiotic. All the tested LAB exhibited growth in the EPS-supplied medium compared with glucose as carbon source, whereas the pathogenic strains did not grow in the EPS-supplied medium. These findings indicate that the EPS from B. sonorensis MJM60135 has potential application in the bioremediation of hydrocarbons and could also be used as a prebiotic.


Focus-drift correction in time-lapse confocal imaging.
In long-term time-lapse imaging of living cells, where recording takes several minutes or longer, a drift of focus may be significant. Focus-drift is due to the slippage in the microscope focus mechanism and/or the thermal gradients in the microscope. Software and hardware solutions may be introduced to correct for the focus-drift. Some autofocus techniques measure position of the specimen by sensing the light or sound reflected from a well-defined surface, such as the microscope slide. An autofocusing approach, where a focus measure is computed for images acquired at different objective positions is less appropriate in confocal microscopy, since more than one section is in focus. To correct for the focal-drift in long-term time-lapse confocal imaging, we acquired an image stack of the specimen periodically. The software calculated Pearson's correlation coefficient between each image in the z-stack and the reference image in the stack, which was selected at the beginning of the experiment. The maximal correlation coefficient of pixel intensities was taken to identify the image, which corresponded to the focal plane of the reference image. To test our approach, we used confocal images of living rat lactotroph cells, which discharged preloaded green fluorescent probe from a single secretory granule. Simultaneously, an extracellularly applied FM 4-64 red fluorescent probe loaded the discharging vesicle and the plasma membrane. We show that our approach is appropriate to correct for focal-drift in long term time-lapse imaging and analysis of living cells.


Leukaemic conversion of non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphomata.
In 143 patients with poorly differentiated lymphosarcoma, leukaemic conversion has been observed in 25. The cytological type was prolymphocytic or lymphoblastic or lymphoblastoid (immunoblastic ?). Twenty-five patients were treated with chemo-radiotherapy, followed by active immunotherapy as if they had primary acute lymphoid leukaemia. A complete remission was obtained in 11. Four are still in first complete remission after 4 1/2 years. Among 136 patients suffering from so-called "poorly differentiated reticulosarcoma", 17 became leukaemic. The cells are cytologically very dystrophic and unidentifiable. A remission was obtained in 7 patients but it was of short duration (median 1 1/2 months, longest 7 months).


Physiological hypercortisolemia increases proteolysis, glutamine, and alanine production.
Physiological elevations of plasma cortisol levels, as are encountered in stress and severe trauma, were produced in six normal subjects by infusing them with 140 micrograms.kg-1.h-1 of hydrocortisone for 64 h. Amino acid kinetics were measured in the postabsorptive state using three 4-h infusions of L-[1-13C]leucine, L-[phenyl-2H5]-phenylalanine, L-[2-15N]glutamine, and L-[1-13C]alanine tracers 1) before, 2) at 12 h, and 3) at 60 h of cortisol infusion. Before and throughout the study, the subjects ate a normal diet of adequate protein (0.8 g.kg-1.day-1) and energy intake. The cortisol infusion raised plasma cortisol levels significantly from 10 +/- 1 to 32 +/- 4 micrograms/dl, leucine flux from 83 +/- 3 to 97 +/- 3 mumol.kg-1.h-1, and phenylalanine flux from 34 +/- 1 to 39 +/- 1 (SE) mumol.kg-1.h-1 after 12 h of cortisol infusion. These increases were maintained until the cortisol infusion was terminated (64 h). These nearly identical 15% increases in two different essential amino acid appearance rates are reflective of increased whole body protein breakdown. Glutamine flux rose from 325 +/- 28 to 453 +/- 28 mumol.kg-1.h-1 by 12 h of cortisol infusion and remained elevated at the same level at 64 h. The increase in flux was primarily due to a 55% increase in glutamine de novo synthesis. Alanine flux increased from 207 +/- 13 to 285 +/- 23 mumol.kg-1.h-1 with acute hypercortisolemia and increased further to 475 +/- 59 mumol.kg-1.h-1 at 60 h of cortisol infusion, a result primarily of increased alanine de novo synthesis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


One Step Toward a New Generation of C-MOS Compatible Oxide P-N Junctions: Structure of the LSMO/ZnO Interface Elucidated by an Experimental and Theoretical Synergic Work.
Heterostructures formed by La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/ZnO (LSMO/ZnO) interfaces exhibit extremely interesting electronic properties making them promising candidates for novel oxide p-n junctions, with multifunctional features. In this work, the structure of the interface is studied through a combined experimental/theoretical approach. Heterostructures were grown epitaxially and homogeneously on 4″ silicon wafers, characterized by advanced electron microscopy imaging and spectroscopy and simulated by ab initio density functional theory calculations. The simulation results suggest that the most stable interface configuration is composed of the (001) face of LSMO, with the LaO planes exposed, in contact with the (112̅0) face of ZnO. The ab initio predictions agree well with experimental high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy images and confirm the validity of the suggested structural model. Electron energy loss spectroscopy confirms the atomic sharpness of the interface. From statistical parameter estimation theory, it has been found that the distances between the interfacial planes are displaced from the respective ones of the bulk material. This can be ascribed to the strain induced by the mismatch between the lattices of the two materials employed.


Effects of dietary powdered green tea and theanine on tumor growth and endogenous hyperlipidemia in hepatoma-bearing rats.
The effects of dietary powdered green tea (PGT) and theanine on in vivo hepatoma growth and cancerous hyperlipidemia were investigated in rats that had been implanted with a rat ascites hepatoma cell line of AH109A cells. The hepatoma-bearing rats were fed with a 20% casein diet (20C), 20C containing 2% PGT, or 20C containing 0.1% theanine for 14 days. Dietary PGT significantly and time-dependently reduced the solid tumor volume and weight as did dietary theanine. The hepatoma-induced endogenous hyperlipidemia, which was characterized by rises in the serum cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) and triglyceride (hypertriglyceridemia) levels, was significantly suppressed by PGT and theanine supplementation. Bile acid excretion into the feces was significantly higher in the PGT- and theanine-fed rats than in the control rats. This inhibition of hypercholesterolemia may have resulted from tumor growth suppression as well as increased excretion of steroids from the body. These results suggest that PGT had both anti-proliferative activity toward hepatoma cells and hypolipidemic activity in the hepatoma bearing rats. They also suggest that theanine was, at least in part, responsible for the PGT actions.


Performance comparison between infiltration and non-infiltration type of structural stormwater treatment systems.
The study was constructed to monitor representative inflow and outflow from infiltration and non-infiltration type best management practice (BMP) sites developed at a university campus, allowing the determination of overall performance efficiency in terms of runoff reduction and pollutant removal. Based on the monitored storm events, the runoff and discharged volume and flow rates exhibited high positive correlations with total rainfall depth (p<0.001). Findings revealed that as the total rainfall increases, the amount of volume reduction and pollutant removal decreases for both types of BMP. Infiltration BMP showed a higher ability in treatment performance especially during small storm events than non-infiltration type; however, the differences were not significant. Pollutant removal rates of infiltration type were in the range of 70-90% while between 35 and 80% for the non-infiltration type for storm events with less than 10 mm rainfall depth. Average volume reductions were 71 ± 33% and 32 ± 32% for the infiltration and non-infiltration type, respectively. The ratio of the discharge volume was significantly greater than the ratio of discharge pollutant load indicating a high potential for water quality improvement. Design recommendations were provided considering sizing and cost for on-site application of similar BMP designs in the future.


Cross-phenotype analysis of Immunochip data identifies KDM4C as a relevant locus for the development of systemic vasculitis.
Systemic vasculitides represent a heterogeneous group of rare complex diseases of the blood vessels with a poorly understood aetiology. To investigate the shared genetic component underlying their predisposition, we performed the first cross-phenotype meta-analysis of genetic data from different clinically distinct patterns of vasculitis. Immunochip genotyping data from 2465 patients diagnosed with giant cell arteritis, Takayasu's arteritis, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis or IgA vasculitis as well as 4632 unaffected controls were analysed to identify common susceptibility loci for vasculitis development. The possible functional consequences of the associated variants were interrogated using publicly available annotation data. The strongest association signal corresponded with an intergenic polymorphism located between HLA-DQB1 and HLA-DQA2 (rs6932517, P=4.16E-14, OR=0.74). This single nucleotide polymorphism is in moderate linkage disequilibrium with the disease-specific human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class II associations of each type of vasculitis and could mark them. Outside the HLA region, we identified the KDM4C gene as a common risk locus for vasculitides (highest peak rs16925200, P=6.23E-07, OR=1.75). This gene encodes a histone demethylase involved in the epigenetic control of gene expression. Through a combined analysis of Immunochip data, we have identified KDM4C as a new risk gene shared between systemic vasculitides, consistent with the increasing evidences of the crucial role that the epigenetic mechanisms have in the development of complex immune-mediated conditions.


Adiponectin attenuates high glucose-induced apoptosis through the AMPK/p38 MAPK signaling pathway in NRK-52E cells.
Excessive apoptosis of proximal tubule cell is closely related to the development of diabetes. Recent evidence suggests that adiponectin (ADPN) protects cells from high glucose induced apoptosis. However, the precise mechanisms remain poorly understood. We sought to investigate the role of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK) in anti-apoptotic of adiponectin under high glucose condition in rat tubular NRK-52E cells. Cells were cultured in constant and oscillating high glucose media with or without recombinant rat adiponectin for 48 h. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to detect cell viability, flow cytometry and Hoechst Staining were applied to investigate cell apoptosis, and western blotting was used to examine protein expression, such as phospho-AMPK and phospho-p38MAPK. Exposure to oscillating high glucose exerted lower cell viability and higher early apoptosis than constant high glucose, which were both partially prevented by adiponectin. Further studies revealed that adiponectin suppressed p38MAPK phosphorylation, but led to an increase in AMPK α phosphorylation. Compared to stable high glucose group, blockage of p38MAPK cascade with SB203580 attenuated apoptosis significantly, but failed to affect the phosphorylation level of AMPK. While AMPK inhibitor, Compound C, increased apoptosis and remarkably inhibited the p38MAPK phosphorylation. Adiponectin exert a crucial protective role against apoptosis induced by high glucose via AMPK/p38MAPK pathway.


The predictive role of amylase and lipase levels on pancreas injury diagnosis in patients with blunt abdominal trauma.
Objectives Despite the low incidence of pancreatic injury in the abdominal blunt trauma (BTA), its early diagnosis is very important; since pancreatic injury is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. However, due to the high association of pancreatic injury with injury of other abdominal organs, its diagnosis may be delayed and complicated. The use of imaging modalities is also subject to limitations for reasons such as cost, unavailability, and harmfulness. Consequently, the present study aimed to investigate the predictive role of amylase and lipase enzyme levels in the final diagnosis of pancreatic injury in patients with BTA. Methods In a prospective diagnostic study, 384 patients with BTA referring to Imam Khomeini hospital of Sari (north of Iran) were enrolled according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Initial patient data including age and sex were recorded. Blood samples were analyzed in the laboratory to measure complete blood count (CBC), amylase and lipase enzyme levels. Patients were followed up during hospitalization and focal ultrasound for abdominal trauma (FAST), CT-Scan and laparotomy results were recorded. Finally, the data was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results The level of amylase enzyme was significantly higher in males (p = 0.04), but the level of lipase enzyme was not significantly different between two genders (p > 0.05). The most common symptoms and signs in patients were pain, tenderness, and hematoma, respectively. The frequency of pancreatic injury in all patients with blunt abdominal trauma was 7.5% based of FAST, 7% based on CT-Scan and 12.4% based on laparotomy. Comparison of laboratory findings based on FAST, CT-Scan and laparotomy results showed that the level of amylase and lipase enzymes in patients with internal organ and pancreatic damage were higher than in patients without internal organ injury (p < 0.05). But based on FAST results; patients with pancreatic injury and injury of other organs had no significant difference (p > 0.05). However, comparison of laboratory findings based on CT-Scan and laparotomy results showed a significant increase in the level of amylase and lipase enzymes in patients with pancreatic trauma compared to patients with injury of other organs (p < 0.001). Conclusions The results of this study showed that pancreatic injury in blunt trauma is associated with a significant increase in levels of amylase and lipase enzymes. In addition, an increase in levels of amylase and lipase enzymes is associated with internal organ damage. Serum amylase and lipase levels can be used as useful biomarkers to decide whether to perform CT-Scan or laparotomy.


The distribution of G (VP7) and P (VP4) serotypes among human rotaviruses recovered from Japanese children with diarrhea.
Both the G (VP7) and P (VP4) serotypes of human rotaviruses collected over a 10-year period from Japanese children with diarrhea were determined by recently-developed polymerase chain reaction-based typing assays. The combination of G1 and P8 was found in 65.2% and the combination of G2 and P4 was found in 15.2%. For the rest of the specimens, only a few other combinations occurred and their relative frequencies were less than 10%. The viruses carrying P9 were always associated with G3 as is the prototype strain AU-1.


The different expression of proteins recognized by monoclonal anti-heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) antibody in human colonic diseases.
Analysis of the expression of hsp70 (70 kDa heat-shock proteins) in normal and pathological tissues might prove their potential diagnostic and prognostic values. In the present study, we combined high-resolution two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with immunoblotting to study hsp70 expression in normal, preneoplastic and neoplastic colonic mucosa. By monoclonal anti-hsp70 antibody, recognizing both the constitutive and inducible forms of hsp70, we have detected six charge isoforms localized in the pH 5.1-5.3 range and in the molecular mass range of 68-69 kDa in normal colonic mucosa. Immunostaining of hsp70 in polypous and malignant tissues revealed qualitative as well as quantitative changes in the expression of more acidic isoforms of hsp70 in comparison with normal tissue. Furthermore, the different basic isoforms of hsp70 were detected in chronically inflamed colonic mucosa from patients suffering from ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD). Besides the standard hsp70 protein pattern, additional proteins with molecular masses of about 39, 40, 74 and 75 kDa were variably immunostained in normal and pathological specimens. These observations suggest that hsp70 expression may be closely linked to disease etiology and/or pathophysiology.


Gonadotrophin surge-induced upregulation of mRNA for plasminogen activator inhibitors 1 and 2 within bovine periovulatory follicular and luteal tissue.
The serine proteinases, tissue-type (tPA) and urokinase (uPA) plasminogen activator, are implicated in the ovulatory processes via their ability to convert plasminogen to its active form, plasmin. One mechanism for regulation of plasmin-directed ovarian extracellular matrix remodelling during follicle rupture and corpus luteum formation is through inhibition of plasminogen activation by the plasminogen activator inhibitors (PAI-1 and PAI-2). The effect of the preovulatory gonadotrophin surge on the temporal and spatial regulation of expression of PAI-1 and PAI-2 mRNA and PAI activity in preovulatory bovine follicles and new corpora lutea collected at 0, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 48 h after a GnRH-induced gonadotrophin surge was examined. Both PAI-1 and PAI-2 mRNAs were upregulated markedly after the gonadotrophin surge, with the highest expression observed in follicles collected at about the time of ovulation (24 h) and in corpora lutea (48 h). PAI-1 mRNA was localized primarily to the thecal layer of preovulatory follicles. In contrast, PAI-2 mRNA was localized specifically to the granulosa cell layer. Significant PAI activity was detected in follicle extracts, but temporal or spatial differences in PAI activity were not detected in response to the gonadotrophin surge. These results indicate that PAI-1 and PAI-2 mRNAs are upregulated in preovulatory bovine follicles after the gonadotrophin surge in a cell-specific way. Regulation of PAI-1 and PAI-2 may help to control plasminogen activator activity associated with ovulation and early corpus luteum formation.


Calibration of Holzapfel-Gasser-Ogden collateral ligament properties in a hybrid post-arthroplasty knee joint model for laxity testing.
Knee collateral ligaments play a vital role in providing frontal-plane stability in post-total knee arthroplasty (TKA) knees. Finite element models can utilize computationally efficient one-dimensional springs or more physiologically accurate three-dimensional continuum elements like the Holzapfel-Gasser-Ogden (HGO) formulation. However, there is limited literature defining subject-specific mechanical properties, particularly for the HGO model. In this study, we propose a co-simulation framework to obtain subject-specific material parameters for an HGO-based finite element ligament model integrated into a rigid-body model of the post-TKA knee. Our approach achieves comparable accuracy to spring formulations while significantly reducing coefficient calibration time and demonstrating improved correlation with reference knee kinematics and ligament strains throughout the tested loading range.


Alcohol Induced Hepato Cardiotoxicity and Oxidative Damage in Rats: The Protective Effect of n-butanol Extract of Green Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze).
The principal aim of this study was to investigate the oxidative effects of acute alcohol consumption on the functions of the heart and the liver and the possible modification of this effect by phenolic compounds from n-butanol extract of Camellia sinensis supplementation. Three experimental groups of rats were used: control, ethanol-exposed (40% v/v, 5 g/kg per oral every 12 hours for 3 doses, binge model), and ethanol-exposed plus n-butanol extract of Camellia sinensis (100 mg/kg once a day for three days before and simultaneously with ethanol administration). Serum transaminases, cholesterol, triglycerides, lipid peroxidation (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were estimated to assess organs damage. n-butanol extract of Camellia sinensis at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight exhibited a significant reversal effect in all biochemical parameters measured such as extent of lipid peroxidation, GSH, lipid profile, and serum aminotransferase activities. These results suggest that n-butanol extract of Camellia sinensis protected the heart and the liver from binge ethanol induced injury through attenuating oxidative stress.


The telecanthus-hypospadias syndrome.
The telecanthus-hypospadias (BBB) syndrome is characterised by widely spaced inner ocular canthi and hypospadias of variable degree. Heterozygous females have telecanthus. We have summarised the historical and phenotypic findings of 21 patients in seven previous publications. We have also had the opportunity to evaluate personally 12 families with a total of 18 affected males. The most frequent anomalies in patients previously reported are telecanthus 21/21, hypospadias 19/21, cleft lip/palate or uvula 7/21, high, broad nasal bridge 15/15, cranial abnormality 6/21, congenital heart defect 5/21, cryptorchidism 9/21, and mental retardation 11/17. In our series, the most frequent anomalies include telecanthus 18/18, hypospadias 18/18, cleft lip/palate or uvula 8/18, high, broad nasal bridge 10/11, cranial abnormality 12/18, congenital heart defect 3/18, upper urinary tract anomaly 4/9, and mental retardation 10/12. There is also an increased incidence of like-sex twinning, 11/18 in our families. This syndrome must be more common than reflected in published reports. Based upon the observation that males are much more severely affected than females and the lack of male to male transmission, it appears that this condition is most likely to be inherited in an X linked fashion. Further elucidation of the phenotype and documentation of the inheritance is needed. The distinction between the telecanthus-hypospadias syndrome and the G syndrome also needs further clarification.


[Radiographic aspects of aseptic osteonecrosis following renal transplantation. Apropos of 65 localizations in 30 patients].
The authors report 30 cases of aseptic osteonecrosis in 65 different bones, including 37 hips, 13 knees, 5 taluses, 1 cuboid, 8 shoulders, 1 humeral condyle, following renal transplantation. One patient had osteonecrosis in six different bones. In 24 cases, the necrosis occurred before the end of the 18th month following the graftmin 21 cases, radiodiagnosis of the first localisation was made before the end of the first month following the first clinical sign. The usual presenting symptom of osteonecrosis is a clear, sub-chondral crescent. In 2/3rds of cases of osteonecrosis of the femoral neck, there is a rapidly destructive form often well tolerated clinically. In 1/3rd of cases, the course was slow with mainly osteocondensation. The course is particularly destructive when, following failure of the graft, the transplanted patient is submitted to periodic hemodialysis. In 8 cases, the femoral condyles were involved, and in 4, the tibial condylesm the appearance may be that of osteochondritis dissecans, but more often the course resembles the destructive form of aseptic necrosis of the femoral head. Shoulder involvement leads to a radiological picture identical with that of the hips. One transplanted patient out of 5, has a chance to develop osteonecrosis within two years following the graft.


Characteristic physical traits of first-grade children in the United States with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and associated alcohol and drug exposures.
We compared growth, physical features, and minor anomalies in 131 first-grade children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) to those of a representative comparison group of typically developing children from the same populations (n = 1212). The data were collected from three regional sites in the NIAAA-funded Collaboration on FASD Prevalence (CoFASP). Dysmorphology examinations were performed by a team of expert clinical geneticists, and FASD diagnoses were assigned according to the Revised Institute of Medicine Guidelines, which include assessments of growth, dysmorphology, neurobehavior, and maternal risk interviews. We present detailed data on 32 physical traits, minor anomalies, and a summary dysmorphology score for children within each of the four diagnostic categories in the continuum of FASD. There were few differences in the frequency of FASD diagnoses by race or Hispanic ethnicity. Children with FASD were born to mothers who reported using alcohol, tobacco (28.3%), and other drugs (14.2%) during pregnancy. Controlling for tobacco and other drug use, risk analysis indicated that women with a drinking pattern of 3 drinks per drinking day prior to pregnancy were 10 times more likely (p < 0.001, OR = 9.92, 95% CI: 4.6-21.5) to bear a child with FASD than those who reported abstinence prior to pregnancy.