Return to sport activity after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in skeletally immature athletes with manual drilling original all inside reconstruction at 8 years follow-up.
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are common injuries in adolescent athletes, especially in those who bear high stress on their knees due to shearing forces. The goal of the surgical procedures in skeletally immature patients is to restore joint stability avoiding the adverse effects on the growth process. The aim of this study was to verify the return of the skeletally immature professional athletes to sports in the long-term, following ACL reconstruction with the original all-inside technique and with manual drilling. This study included 24 athletes (14 boys, 10 girls; mean age: 13.15 years, range: 9-14 years) who had radiographic evidence of open physes, were less than 14 years of age at the time of surgery and those with a minimum follow-up of eight years. All patients completed a questionnaire, the IKDC subjective knee evaluation form, and Tegner Activity Scale. Biomechanical outcomes of the KT-1000 arthrometer, gait analysis, and stabilometric and isokinetic results were also evaluated. A plain radiograph of both lower limbs was taken to obtain a precise measurement of the limb length and mechanical axis angles. The patients returned to sport activities in a mean time of 6.43 months. No rerupture or resurgery due to growth abnormalities was observed. The mean difference in length between the operated and contralateral legs was 0.4 (range: -0.2 to 0.7) cm. The mean side-to-side difference measured with the KT-1000 arthrometer was 5.2 (range: 3.5 to 7) mm in the preoperative and 0.8 (range: 0 to 2.5) mm in the postoperative measurements. In conclusion, the original all-inside technique with manual drilling with a half tunnel and short graft seems to be a very effective technique for the surgical management of ACL injuries in pediatric/adolescent athletes. A good rate of return to sports at pre-injury levels or higher, high patient satisfaction and a decent motor and proprioceptive function is possible as shown by our analysis. Level IV, Therapeutic study.


Reporting on the Role of miRNAs and Affected Pathways on the Molecular Backbone of Ovarian Insufficiency: A Systematic Review and Critical Analysis Mapping of Future Research.
Ovarian insufficiency is identified as a perplexing entity in the long list of pathologies impairing fertility dynamics. The three distinct classifications of ovarian insufficiency are poor ovarian response, premature ovarian insufficiency/failure, and advanced maternal age, sharing the common denominator of deteriorated ovarian reserve. Despite efforts to define clear lines among the three, the vast heterogeneity and overlap of clinical characteristics renders their diagnosis and management challenging. Lack of a consensus has prompted an empirically based management coupled by uncertainty from the clinicians' perspective. Profiling of patients in the era of precision medicine seems to be the way forward, while the necessity for a novel approach is underlined. Implicating miRNAs in the quest for patient profiling is promising in light of their fundamental role in cellular and gene expression regulation. To this end, the current study sets out to explore and compare the three pathophysiologies-from a molecular point of view-in order to enable profiling of patients in the context of in vitro fertilization treatment and enrich the data required to practice individualized medicine. Following a systematic investigation of literature, data referring to miRNAs were collected for each patient category based on five included studies. miRNA-target pairs were retrieved from the DIANA-TarBase repository and microT-CDS. Gene and miRNA annotations were derived from Ensembl and miRbase. A subsequent gene-set enrichment analysis of miRNA targets was performed for each category separately. A literature review on the most crucial of the detected pathways was performed to reveal their relevance to fertility deterioration. Results supported that all three pathophysiologies share a common ground regarding the affected pathways, naturally attributed to the common denominator of ovarian insufficiency. As evidenced, miRNAs could be employed to explore the fine lines and diverse nature of pathophysiology since they constitute invaluable biomarkers. Interestingly, it is the differentiation through miRNAs and not through the molecular affected pathways that corresponds to the three distinctive categories. Alarming discrepancies among publications were revealed, pertaining to employment of empirical and arbitrary criteria in categorizing the patients. Following bioinformatic analysis, the final step of the current study consisted of a critical analysis of the molecular data sourced, providing a clear and unique insight into the physiological mechanisms involved. It is our intention to contribute to mapping future research dedicated to ovarian insufficiency and to help researchers navigate the overwhelming information published in molecular studies.


Providing the Best Parenteral Nutrition before and after Surgery for NEC: Macro and Micronutrients Intakes.
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the main gastrointestinal emergency of preterm infants for whom bowel rest and parenteral nutrition (PN) is essential. Despite the improvements in neonatal care, the incidence of NEC remains high (11% in preterm newborns with a birth weight <1500 g) and up to 20−50% of cases still require surgery. In this narrative review, we report how to optimize PN in severe NEC requiring surgery. PN should begin as soon as possible in the acute phase: close fluid monitoring is advocated to maintain volemia, however fluid overload and electrolytes abnormalities should be prevented. Macronutrients intake (protein, glucose, and lipids) should be adequately guaranteed and is essential in each phase of the disease. Composite lipid emulsion should be the first choice to reduce the risk of parenteral nutrition associated liver disease (PNALD). Vitamin and trace elements deficiency or overload are frequent in long-term PN, therefore careful monitoring should be planned starting from the recovery phase to adjust their parenteral intake. Neonatologists must be aware of the role of nutrition especially in patients requiring long-term PN to sustain growth, limiting possible adverse effects and long-term deficiencies.


Topographic control of open-access microcavities at the nanometer scale.
Open-access optical microcavities are emerging as an original tool for light-matter studies thanks to their intrinsic tunability and the direct access to the maximum of the electric field along with their small mode volume. In this article, we present recent developments in the fabrication of such devices demonstrating topographic control of the micromirrors at the nanometer scale as well as a high degree of reproducibility. Our method takes into account the template shape as well as the effect of the dielectric mirror growth. In addition, we present the optical characterization of these microcavities with effective radii of curvature down to 4.3 µm and mode volume of 16×(λ/2)(3). This work opens the possibility to fully engineer the photonic potential depending on the required properties.


Magnetic properties of 2D nickel nanostrips: structure dependent magnetism and Stoner criterion.
We have investigated different geometries of two-dimensional (2D) infinite length Ni nanowires of increasing width using spin density functional theory calculations. Our simulations demonstrate that the parallelogram motif is the most stable and structures that incorporate the parallelogram motif are more stable as compared to rectangular structures. The wires are conducting and the conductance channels increase with increasing width. The wires have a non-linear behavior in the ballistic anisotropic magnetoresistance ratios (BAMR) with respect to the magnetization directions. All 2D nanowires as well as Ni (1 1 1) and Ni (1 0 0) monolayer investigated are ferromagnetic under the Stoner criterion and exhibit enhanced magnetic moments as compared to bulk Ni and the respective Ni monolayers. The easy axis for all nickel nanowires under investigation is observed to be along the wire axis. The double rectangular nanowire exhibits a magnetic anomaly with a smaller magnetic moment when compared to Ni (1 0 0) monolayer and is the only structure with an easy axis perpendicular to the wire axis. The Stoner parameter which has been known to be structure independent in bulk and surfaces is found to vary with the structure and the width of the nanowires. The less stable rectangular and rhombus shaped nanowires have a higher ferromagnetic strength than parallelogram shaped nanowires.


From Erythromycin to Azithromycin and New Potential Ribosome-Binding Antimicrobials.
Macrolides, as a class of natural or semisynthetic products, express their antibacterial activity primarily by reversible binding to the bacterial 50S ribosomal subunits and by blocking nascent proteins' progression through their exit tunnel in bacterial protein biosynthesis. Generally considered to be bacteriostatic, they may also be bactericidal at higher doses. The discovery of azithromycin from the class of macrolides, as one of the most important new drugs of the 20th century, is presented as an example of a rational medicinal chemistry approach to drug design, applying classical structure-activity relationship that will illustrate an impressive drug discovery success story. However, the microorganisms have developed several mechanisms to acquire resistance to antibiotics, including macrolide antibiotics. The primary mechanism for acquiring bacterial resistance to macrolides is a mutation of one or more nucleotides from the binding site. Although azithromycin is reported to show different, two-step process of the inhibition of ribosome function of some species, more detailed elaboration of that specific mode of action is needed. New macrocyclic derivatives, which could be more potent and less prone to escape bacterial resistance mechanisms, are also continuously evaluated. A novel class of antibiotic compounds-macrolones, which are derived from macrolides and comprise macrocyclic moiety, linker, and either free or esterified quinolone 3-carboxylic group, show excellent antibacterial potency towards key erythromycin-resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains, with possibly decreased potential of bacterial resistance to macrolides.


How to combine independent data sets for the same quantity.
This paper describes a new mathematical method called conflation for consolidating data from independent experiments that measure the same physical quantity. Conflation is easy to calculate and visualize and minimizes the maximum loss in Shannon information in consolidating several independent distributions into a single distribution. A formal mathematical treatment of conflation has recently been published. For the benefit of experimenters wishing to use this technique, in this paper we derive the principal basic properties of conflation in the special case of normally distributed (Gaussian) data. Examples of applications to measurements of the fundamental physical constants and in high energy physics are presented, and the conflation operation is generalized to weighted conflation for cases in which the underlying experiments are not uniformly reliable.


The architectural design of the gluteal muscle group: implications for movement and rehabilitation.
The organization of fibers within a muscle (architecture) defines the performance capacity of that muscle. In the current commentary, basic architectural terms are reviewed in the context of the major hip muscles and then specific illustrative examples relevant to lower extremity rehabilitation are presented. These data demonstrate the architectural and functional specialization of the hip muscles, and highlight the importance of muscle physiology and joint mechanics when evaluating and treating musculoskeletal disorders.


Surface Properties of the Hydrogen-Titanium System.
Titanium is an excellent getter material, catalyzes gas-solid reactions such as hydrogen absorption in lightweight metal hydrides and complex metal hydrides and has recently been shown as a potential ammonia synthesis catalyst. However, knowledge of the surface properties of this metal is limited when it absorbs large quantities of hydrogen at operation conditions. Both the conceptual description of such a surface as well as the experimental determination of surface hydrogen concentration on hydride-forming metals is challenging due to the dynamic bulk properties and the incompatibility of traditional surface science methods with the hydrogen pressure needed to form the metal hydride, respectively. In this paper, the surface pressure-composition isotherms of the titanium-hydrogen system are measured by operando reflecting electron energy loss spectroscopy (REELS). The titanium thin films were deposited on and hydrogenated through a palladium membrane, which provides an atomic hydrogen source under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. The measurements are supported by density functional theory calculations providing a complete picture of the hydrogen-deficient surface of TiH2 being the basis of its high catalytic activity.


Repeated administration of escalating high doses of dexfenfluramine does not produce morphological evidence for neurotoxicity in the cortex of rats.
Rats were treated for 28 days with increasing doses of dexfenfluramine (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4 and 5 mg/kg bid ip, each dose given for 4 days before being increased) and subsequently studied at intervals between 1 and 60 days following the cessation of treatment. Control rats received vehicle and were allowed food ad libitum or were pair fed with dexfenfluramine-treated animals. Immediately following drug treatment 5-HT immunoreactivity was increased in cortical areas compared to control animals. Subsequently, there was a persistent decrease in fine fibre density and the appearance of coarse truncated fibres. 5-HT levels in cortex were decreased 1 day following dexfenfluramine treatment but recovered to control values by 15 days. GFAP and GAP 43 immunoreactivity was unaffected by dexfenfluramine treatment compared to control animals, indicating a lack of evidence for neuronal degeneration and regeneration. Dexfenfluramine treatment decreased the density of 5-HT uptake sites in the cortex, labelled with [3H]-citalopram, but this partially recovered towards control values at 60 days. These alterations in 5-HT terminal networks conflict with the return of 5-HT levels to normal and the lack of evidence for degenerative changes or neuronal regrowth. On the basis of these results, it cannot be concluded that dexfenfluramine is neurotoxic.


Comparison of dexmedetomidine and meperidine for the prevention of shivering following coronary artery bypass graft: study protocol of a randomised controlled trial.
Shivering is a common complication in the postoperative period. The incidence of shivering has been reported to range from 5% to 65% under general anaesthesia and as 33% during epidural anaesthesia. Shivering can increase perioperative risk in patients. Both dexmedetomidine and meperidine are effective agents for the prevention of postanaesthetic shivering. However, few studies have compared the anti-shivering effects of different agents following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). This study aims to compare the effects of dexmedetomidine and meperidine on the incidence of shivering in patients undergoing CABG. A total of 180 patients aged 18-75 years, with an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade of II-IV, undergoing elective CABG will be enrolled and randomly assigned to the dexmedetomidine, meperidine and control groups (placebo) in an intended 1:1:1 allocation ratio. The patients will be followed up for 7 days after surgery. The primary outcome is the incidence of shivering within 24 hours postoperatively. The secondary outcomes are the number of remedial drugs used after surgery, the incidence of postoperative hypotension and bradycardia, sedation scores, endotracheal extubation time, intensive care unit length of stay, incidence of postoperative delirium within 7 days after surgery, incidence of postoperative arrhythmias, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, average hospital length of stay and mortality rate 30 days after surgery. The study protocol was approved by the ethics committee of The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University on 20 January 2021 (YXLL-KY-2021(002)) and registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. The results of this study will be presented at national and international scientific meetings and conferences. We plan to publish the data in peer-reviewed international scientific journals. NCT04735965.


[Clinico-laboratory characteristics and treatment of patients with trichinosis].
The severity of clinical features of trichinosis and cardiac involvement incidence were examined in the study. The values of eosinophiles, serum enzymes and serologic response to T. spiralis were determined in relation to the disease severity. Twenty-nine patients, of mean age from 24 to 29 years treated in the Clinic in the period from January to April 1995 were presented-7 with severe form of trichinosis, 10 with moderately severe and 12 with light. The fever was noticed in 93.1% of patients, gastrointestinal disorders in 65.5%, myalgias in 96.6%, facial edema in 79.3%, cardiac disorders in 31% and rash in 20.7%. Positive IIF test result was found in 100% of patients with severe clinical features, and only in 58.3% of patients with light clinical features. The patients were treated with mebendazole in the dose of 25 mg/kg BM a day during 14 days. It was concluded that severe trichinosis forms were frequently followed by myocardial damage, that severe forms responded faster and better serologically to trichinella and those patients should be treated with high mebendazole doses.


FGANet: fNIRS-Guided Attention Network for Hybrid EEG-fNIRS Brain-Computer Interfaces.
Non-invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have been widely used for neural decoding, linking neural signals to control devices. Hybrid BCI systems using electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) have received significant attention for overcoming the limitations of EEG- and fNIRS-standalone BCI systems. However, most hybrid EEG-fNIRS BCI studies have focused on late fusion because of discrepancies in their temporal resolutions and recording locations. Despite the enhanced performance of hybrid BCIs, late fusion methods have difficulty in extracting correlated features in both EEG and fNIRS signals. Therefore, in this study, we proposed a deep learning-based early fusion structure, which combines two signals before the fully-connected layer, called the fNIRS-guided attention network (FGANet). First, 1D EEG and fNIRS signals were converted into 3D EEG and fNIRS tensors to spatially align EEG and fNIRS signals at the same time point. The proposed fNIRS-guided attention layer extracted a joint representation of EEG and fNIRS tensors based on neurovascular coupling, in which the spatially important regions were identified from fNIRS signals, and detailed neural patterns were extracted from EEG signals. Finally, the final prediction was obtained by weighting the sum of the prediction scores of the EEG and fNIRS-guided attention features to alleviate performance degradation owing to delayed fNIRS response. In the experimental results, the FGANet significantly outperformed the EEG-standalone network. Furthermore, the FGANet has 4.0% and 2.7% higher accuracy than the state-of-the-art algorithms in mental arithmetic and motor imagery tasks, respectively.


Renal citrate metabolism and urinary citrate excretion in the infant rat.
Although hypercalciuria has the same prevalence in children as adults, children rarely develop renal stones. This may be explained by a greater urinary citrate excretion in infants compared with adults. The present study examines the renal excretion of citrate and renal cortical citrate metabolism in infant and adult rats. Adult male and newly weaned infant rats were acclimated to metabolic cages and fed synthetic diets. Urine was collected after two days, and renal cortical citrate metabolism was assayed. Infant rats had a lower plasma [HCO3-] and higher plasma [K+] and had a fourfold higher urinary citrate:creatinine ratio and a twofold higher concentration of citrate in their urine compared with adult rats. This higher urinary citrate excretion was not due to a difference in renal proximal tubular Na/citrate cotransporter activity, nor renal cortical citrate synthase or ATP citrate lyase activities in infants as compared with adults. However, infant rat kidneys had significantly lower mitochondrial aconitase (m-aconitase) activity. Renal cortical citrate concentrations were comparable in infant and adult rats. Manipulation of plasma [K+] to adult levels did not affect the higher urinary citrate excretion in infant rats. Urinary citrate excretion in infant rats is greater than in adults but does not parallel tissue [citrate]. Thus, this higher urinary citrate is likely due to maturational differences in the proximal tubule, other than Na/citrate cotransport, that directly affect citrate transport.


The minimum clinically important difference in physician-assigned visual analog pain scores.
To determine the minimum clinically important difference in physician-assigned visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores. Physicians attending emergency medicine didactic conferences were enrolled in this descriptive study. The subjects sequentially reviewed 11 written scenarios describing patients in moderate to severe pain. The subjects rated their perceptions of each patient's pain on a 100-mm VAS, then contrasted this pain with that of the previous patient scenario. For these contrasts, the subjects chose one of five responses: "much less," "a little less," "about the same," "a little more," or "much more" pain. The minimum clinically important difference was defined as the difference between scores for scenario pairs in which one patient's pain was rated "a little less" or "a little more" severe. There were 230 comparisons by 23 health professionals. Of these, 64 were judged "a little less," and 56 "a little more," painful. These 120 comparisons, with their pain score differences, were used to determine the minimum clinically important difference. Pain judged to be "a little less" or "a little more" severe was associated with a mean difference in VAS scores of 18 mm (95% CI 16-20 mm), corresponding to a decrement of 23% (95% CI 20-26%) from the more painful scenario. Pain research outcomes involving a < 18-mm difference, or a 23% decrement in physician-assigned VAS pain scores, although statistically significant, may have little clinical importance.


Zinc-Mediated Reductive Cyclization of [60]Fullerene with Enones and Subsequent Dehydration under Solvent-Free and Ball-Milling Conditions.
The zinc-mediated solvent-free reaction of [60]fullerene with enones and water and the subsequent treatment of a base afford various [60]fullerene-fused cyclopentanols using the ball-milling technique. A plausible reaction mechanism is proposed on the basis of control experiments. In addition, the formed [60]fullerene-fused cyclopentanols can be further dehydrated to provide [60]fullerene-fused cyclopentenes.


Quantitation of 1,4-Benzoxazin-3-ones in Maize by Gas-Liquid Chromatography.
A gas-liquid chromatographic (GLC) procedure is reported for the quantitation of the trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives of substituted 2-hydroxy-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-ones (2-hydroxy-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one[HBOA]; 2-hydroxy-7-methoxy-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one[HMBOA];2,4- dihydroxy-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one[DIBOA]; 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one[DIMBOA]; and 2,4-dihydroxy-7,8-dimethoxy-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one[DIM (2)BOA]) found in maize (Zea mays L.) extracts. Derivatized samples were chromatographed on columns with liquid phases of 2% DC-11 and 3% OV-17 and detected by flame ionization. Internal standards were methyl palmitate and methyl stearate on DC-11 and methyl behenate on OV-17. Detector response was linear to at least 5 nanomoles for TMS(2)-HBOA and TMS(2)-DIBOA and to 19 nanomoles for TMS(2)-DIMBOA. Standard errors of 2% or less were obtained when four replicate samples were analyzed. For each of the 15 maize lines examined, the amount of DIMBOA determined by GLC was directly proportional to the amount of ferric chloride-reactive material determined colorimetrically.


Hypophosphatemia on the intensive care unit: individualized phosphate replacement based on serum levels and distribution volume.
Hypophosphatemia occurs in about 25% of patients admitted to the intensive care unit. To date, a safe and validated phosphate replacement protocol is not available. To evaluate an individualized phosphate replacement regimen. Fifty consecutive intensive care unit patients with a serum phosphate level<0.6 mmol/L were treated with sodium-potassium-phosphate intravenously at a rate of 10 mmol/h. The dose was calculated according to the following equation: Phosphate dose in mmol=0.5×Body Weight×(1.25-[serum Phosphate]). Phosphate levels were measured immediately upon completion of the infusion, as well as the next morning at 8 am. Post-infusion phosphate levels were >0.6 mmol/L in 98% of the patients. Hyperphosphatemia, hyperkalemia or a decrease in serum calcium were not observed. In about a third of patients serum phosphate decreased to <0.6 mmol/L within the next 24 hours after infusion. The phosphate distribution volume calculated from the results of infusion and corrected for renal phosphate loss during the infusion period was 0.51 L/kg (95% CI 0.42-0.61 L/kg). This study shows that phosphate replacement with dose calculation based on serum phosphate levels and a Vd of 0.5 L/kg is effective and safe.


[Bladder tumor in pregnancy].
Diagnosis of tumours during pregnancy is quite unusual, considering the low frequency of neoplasias in this period (1/1000 pregnancies) as well as the low incidence of bladder cancer in patients under 30, which makes the coincidence of both phenomena quite uncommon. The paper contributes the case of a 28-year old female diagnosed with bladder cancer during her pregnancy.


Mapping cell fate decisions that occur during soybean defense responses.
The soybean defense response to the soybean cyst nematode was used as a model to map at cellular resolution its genotype-defined cell fate decisions occurring during its resistant reactions. The defense responses occur at the site of infection, a nurse cell known as the syncytium. Two major genotype-defined defense responses exist, the G. max ([Peking])- and G. max ([PI 88788])-types. Resistance in G. max ([Peking]) is potent and rapid, accompanied by the formation of cell wall appositions (CWAs), structures known to perform important defense roles. In contrast, defense occurs by a potent but more prolonged reaction in G. max ([PI 88788]), lacking CWAs. Comparative transcriptomic analyses with confirmation by Illumina® deep sequencing were organized through a custom-developed application, Pathway Analysis and Integrated Coloring of Experiments (PAICE) that presents gene expression of these cytologically and developmentally distinct defense responses using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) framework. The analyses resulted in the generation of 1,643 PAICE pathways, allowing better understanding of gene activity across all chromosomes. Analyses of the rhg1 resistance locus, defined within a 67 kb region of DNA demonstrate expression of an amino acid transporter and an α soluble NSF attachment protein gene specifically in syncytia undergoing their defense responses.


[The risk factors related to esophageal squamous cell cancer in Feicheng county, China].
To investigate the risk factors related to the esophageal squamous cell cancer in Feicheng county in Shandong province. A case-control study was carried out in Feicheng county. There were two parts consisted in the cases. 253 cases, aged from 40 to 69 years old, were recruited from the screened endoscopic survey program from January 2004 to December 2006. The other part of cases was recruited from the people's Hospital of Feicheng city. 8159 subjects whose had normal endoscope test result were recruited as the control group. Besides cardiograph and ventral ultrasound examination the screening program also included an endoscope test during which mucosal stain with 1.2% iodine solution. The biopsies were taken from the screen and underwent pathologic evaluation by two pathologists; A self-administrative questionnaire survey was conducted in all the subjects to collect information about smoking, alcohol consumption and dietary. The binary Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). The study protocol was approved by the local ethics committee and the study was conducted with the informed consents of all the study subjects. There were 235 esophageal cancers cases (70 identified in screening program, 183 were hospitalized patients) and 8159 controls in the case-control study. Three potential confounders were detected after univariate analysis. After adjusted the three confounders, age, sex and education, we found, smoking, alcohol drinking were the top ranked risk factors for esophageal cancer. When combing smoking and alcohol drinking, the or was 2.73 (95% CI: 1.54 - 4.82) for male, and the proportional attribute relative risk was 51.47%. We also observed that more dietary cellulose and vitamin C intake have protective effects. Smoking and alcohol drinking could increase the risk of esophageal cancer, and taking more dietary cellulose and vitamin C might decrease the risk.


Giant Hepatic Cyst: A Possible Cause of Inferior Vena Cava Syndrome.
An 80-year-old man was transferred to our institution with lower limb edema and worsening dyspnea following the administration of diuretic medication. Transthoracic echocardiography and computed tomography revealed a giant hepatic cyst (176×190 mm) compressing his right atrium and inferior vena cava (IVC). Laparoscopic cyst deroofing combined with omental packing and subsequent tube drainage immediately alleviated all his symptoms. The procedure was uneventful, and he was discharged without any complications on postoperative day 9; he had no recurrent symptoms or hepatic cysts at the postoperative 2-month follow-up. Therefore, a giant hepatic cyst can cause IVC syndrome, and laparoscopic deroofing is a beneficial approach for the treatment of accessible cysts.


Reproduction of Black Soldier Fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) Under Different Adult Densities and Light Regimes.
The black soldier fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) has been recognized as a promising insect species for sustainable management of organic waste and by-products. Indoor breeding of BSF with artificial lighting has been proved successful, but efforts are still needed to optimize BSF reproductive output. Increasing adult density seems an option to exploit space, whereas decreasing artificial lighting duration may reduce unnecessary power consumption. This study aimed at investigating the effects of adult density (10, 25, and 50 pairs per 30 × 30 × 30 cm cage; i.e., 370, 926, and 1,852 pairs/m3), light regime (8:16, 12:12, and 16:8 [L:D] h), and their possible interactions, on some BSF life history traits relevant to reproduction. The results show that the overall BSF reproductive output increased with increasing adult density but was not affected by light regimes per se. With the highest BSF adult density tested, an average of more than 20,000 neonate larvae were produced from a cage within 10 d. At this density, increasing photoperiod increased neonate production, but also decreased the number of neonates per watt used for artificial illumination. The temporal oviposition patterns, mean individual female reproductive output, mating success, egg hatching rate, and insect survival rate were not affected by adult density or light regime as simple effects. However, the interaction between adult density and light regime was significant for the first oviposition peak, mean individual female reproductive output, and insect survival rate. The possible mechanisms behind our results are discussed.


Loss of miR-31-5p drives hematopoietic stem cell malignant transformation and restoration eliminates leukemia stem cells in mice.
Leukemia stem cells (LSCs) propagate leukemia and are responsible for the high frequency of relapse of treated patients. The ability to target LSCs remains elusive, indicating a need to understand the underlying mechanism of LSC formation. Here, we report that miR-31-5p is reduced or undetectable in human LSCs compared to hematopoietic stem progenitor cells (HSPCs). Inhibition of miR-31-5p in HSPCs promotes the expression of its target gene FIH, encoding FIH [factor inhibiting hypoxia-inducing factor 1α (HIF-1α)], to suppress HIF-1α signaling. Increased FIH resulted in a switch from glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) as the predominant mode of energy metabolism and increased the abundance of the oncometabolite fumarate. Increased fumarate promoted the conversion of HSPCs to LSCs and initiated myeloid leukemia-like disease in NOD-Prkdcscid IL2rgtm1/Bcgen (B-NDG) mice. We further demonstrated that miR-31-5p inhibited long- and short-term hematopoietic stem cells with a high frequency of LSCs. In combination with the chemotherapeutic agent Ara-C (cytosine arabinoside), restoration of miR-31-5p using G7 poly (amidoamine) nanosized dendriplex encapsulating miR-31-5p eliminated LSCs and inhibited acute myeloid leukemia (AML) progression in patient-derived xenograft mouse models. These results demonstrated a mechanism of HSC malignant transformation through altered energy metabolism and provided a potential therapeutic strategy to treat patients with AML.


[Quality control of echocardiographic examination in a central hospital].
The purpose of this consecutive retrospective study of echocardiographic descriptions and matching case reports was to examine the number of echocardiographic examinations and their consequences for the treatment of the patients. This study was performed in a district hospital in Svendborg, Denmark, during the period from 1.12.93 to 31.03.94 (n = 195). We found that more women than men in the over 69 age group were examined with echocardiographic examination whereas fewer women than men were examined in the 59-69 year-old age group. In 48% of the cases, the actual clinical suspicion was verified by echocardiography; in 40% the echocardiography did not show anything abnormal and in 12% a different diagnosis was found. The echocardiographic examination had a consequence for 29% of the patients regardless the actual clinical suspicion. The frequency of a consequence was the same for the expected and the unexpected finding by echocardiography. Conclusively, this massive rise in the number of performed echocardiographies (n = 51 in 1983; n = 595 in 1993) cannot be reduced by being more restrictive in performing echocardiography for any single clinical suspicion, because all indications for performing echocardiography seem to have equal therapeutic consequences.


Healthy Growth: project description and baseline findings.
The purpose of the study was to describe the physical activity, blood pressure, and body fat patterns of sixth-grade, African-American girls (N = 82), who participated in the Healthy Growth Study. The purpose of the primary study questions was to determine which sets of variables best predict blood pressure, physical activity, and body fat. This paper is a cross sectional analysis of the first assessment of a 5-year longitudinal project. Standard procedures were used to assess height, weight, skinfolds, blood pressure, physical activity, predictors of physical activity, maturation, dietary intake, fitness level, and health behaviors. The average age of the subjects was 12.3 years; almost two-thirds of the girls had reached menarche. Fifty-two percent of the 13-year-olds had body mass index (BMI) values greater than the 85th percentile for their age and sex compared to 32% of the 12-year-olds. None of the variables were significantly related to diastolic or systolic blood pressure. Physical activity was significantly and negatively related to total percent of calories from fat and to breast stages and positively related to waist/thigh ratio. Body mass index (BMI) was significantly and positively related to breast stages. Important developmental differences between 12- and 1 3-year-olds were evident. Body mass index (BMI) was mainly dependent on physical maturity. No relationship was found between BMI and blood pressure. The relationship between physical activity and waist/thigh ratio merits further study. The importance of BMI and physical inactivity as potential indicators of cardiovascular risk in adolescent girls is discussed. Developmentally appropriate and culturally competent interventions are recommended to increase physical activity and healthy eating behaviors among adolescents.


Pancreatic involvement in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia: assessment with multidetector helical CT.
To evaluate and describe pancreatic involvement by using multidetector computed tomography (CT) in patients with a diagnosis of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). Institutional review board approval was obtained, and all patients provided informed consent. Across 12 months, all consecutive adult patients with a confirmed diagnosis of HHT referred to our pluridisciplinary HHT center for evaluation were enrolled prospectively in the study and underwent contrast material-enhanced multidetector CT of the abdomen. Pancreatic telangiectases and arteriovenous fistulas were noted, and their characteristics were described. Genetic mutation was also investigated. Thirty-five patients (19 women, 16 men; mean age, 48.4 years) were included. All patients were asymptomatic. A genetic mutation was identified in 28 (80%) patients, including endoglin in 16 (57%), activin type-II-like receptor kinase 1 (ALK1) in 11 (39%), and SMAD4 in one (4%). Eleven (31%) patients exhibited pancreatic involvement. Fifty-four percent of patients with ALK1 mutation had pancreatic involvement. Twenty-three pancreatic telangiectases were identified during the arterial phase in nine patients. Seven pancreatic arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) were identified in four patients. Pancreatic involvement commonly is found in patients with HHT (31% in our study), mainly in patients with ALK1 mutation; pancreatic telangiectases or AVMs are only diagnosed duringthe arterial phase at multidetector CT.


A real-time adaptive ultrasonic imaging system.
The performance of an experimental, adaptive, phased array imaging system in improving the quality of abdominal organ images in healthy volunteers was assessed. Trials were conducted under usual clinical imaging conditions and when phase aberrators of known shape and magnitude were introduced into the imaging system. The system, which uses local target brightness as a quality factor, was able to improve clinical image quality when aberrators introduced externally were present and had a negligible effect on image quality when they were not. On several of the volunteers, the phase aberrations were measured directly across the abdomen. The implications of these results for the future clinical application of adaptive imaging systems and the future system modifications are reported.


Amino acid sequence of human plasma galactoglycoprotein: identity with the extracellular region of CD43 (sialophorin).
The amino acid sequence of galactoglycoprotein purified from human plasma was elucidated to 75% completeness by using chemical degradation of peptides and glycopeptides derived from digests of the protein with seven specific proteases. This sequence represents a polypeptide chain of approximately 220 amino acid residues including a high content of serine, threonine, alanine, and proline with one N-linked and multiple O-linked glycans. Comparison of peptide sequences from the native galactoglycoprotein and the deglycosylated derivative demonstrated the locations of 25 sites of O-glycosylation and three serine sites that are not glycosylated. The homogeneous N terminus was established as serine. C-terminal analysis revealed multiple C-terminal residues, suggesting that galactoglycoprotein molecules are of varying lengths. A search of a protein data base revealed that the galactoglycoprotein polypeptide is identical to the N-terminal (extracellular) polypeptide region of the blood-cell surface molecule CD43 (sialophorin, leukosialin). Further support of the relatedness of these molecules was obtained by immunoprecipitation of 125I-labeled galactoglycoprotein by monoclonal anti-CD43 antibodies. The composition and properties of the molecules together with the known structure of the gene encoding CD43 suggest that galactoprotein is derived by proteolytic cleavage from transmembrane "hexasaccharide CD43," known to be expressed on neutrophils, activated T lymphocytes, and platelets.


Viral load is strongly associated with length of stay in adults hospitalised with viral acute respiratory illness.
Respiratory viruses are detectable in a large proportion of adults hospitalised with acute respiratory illness. For influenza and other viruses there is evidence that viral load and persistence are associated with certain clinical outcomes but it is not known if there is an association between viral load and hospital length of stay. 306 adults hospitalised with viral acute respiratory illness were studied. Associations between viral load and length of stay were examined. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to control for age, comorbidity, influenza vaccine status, duration of illness prior to hospitalisation, bacterial co-infection, clinical group and virus subtype. High viral load was associated with a longer duration of hospitalisation for all patients (p < 0.0001). This remained significant across all virus types and clinical groups and when adjusted for age, comorbidity, duration of illness prior to hospitalisation, bacterial co-infection and other factors. High viral loads are associated with prolonged hospital length of stay in adults with viral acute respiratory illness. This further supports existing evidence demonstrating that viral acute respiratory illness is a viral load driven process and suggests that viral load could be used in clinical practise to predict prolonged hospitalisation and prioritise antivirals. International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN): 21521552.


RANKL increases the level of Mcl-1 in osteoclasts and reduces bisphosphonate-induced osteoclast apoptosis in vitro.
Bisphosphonates are the most widely used class of drug for inhibiting osteoclast-mediated bone loss, but their effectiveness at preventing joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis has generally been disappointing. We examined whether the ability of bisphosphonates to induce osteoclast apoptosis and inhibit bone resorption in vitro is influenced by the cytokine receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL), an important mediator of inflammation-induced bone loss. Rabbit osteoclasts were treated with the bisphosphonates clodronate or alendronate for up to 48 hours in the absence or presence of RANKL. Changes in cell morphology and induction of apoptosis were examined by scanning electron microscopy, whilst resorptive activity was determined by measuring the area of resorption cavities. Changes in the level of anti-apoptotic proteins, including Mcl-1, Bcl-2, and Bcl-x>L, were determined in rabbit osteoclasts and in cytokine-starved mouse osteoclasts by Western blotting. RANKL significantly attenuated the ability of both clodronate and alendronate to induce osteoclast apoptosis and inhibit bone resorption. Treatment of rabbit osteoclasts with RANKL was associated with an increase in the anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1 but not Bcl-2. A role for Mcl-1 in osteoclast survival was suggested using osteoclasts generated from mouse bone marrow macrophages in the presence of RANKL + macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) since cytokine deprivation of mouse osteoclasts caused a rapid loss of Mcl-1 (but not Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL), which preceded the biochemical and morphological changes associated with apoptosis. Loss of Mcl-1 from mouse osteoclasts could be prevented by factors known to promote osteoclast survival (RANKL, M-CSF, tumour necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alpha], or lipopolysaccharide [LPS]). RANKL protects osteoclasts from the apoptosis-inducing and anti-resorptive effects of bisphosphonates in vitro. The ability of RANKL (and other pro-inflammatory factors such as TNF-alpha and LPS) to increase the level of Mcl-1 in osteoclasts may explain the lack of effectiveness of some bisphosphonates in preventing inflammation-induced bone loss.


Revascularization of immature permanent teeth with apical periodontitis.
The aim of this minireview was to identify and review the scientific evidence regarding regenerative endodontic protocols claiming to revascularize permanent immature teeth with apical periodontitis. The literature was identified using the PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Scirus, EMBASE and Cochrane databases up to February 2013. Studies were selected independently by two different researchers (kappa index: 0.88), based on established inclusion/exclusion criteria. The methodological quality of the reviewed papers was classified as high, medium or low (HQ, MQ, LQ). The search strategy identified 285 titles. Nine studies, both human and animal based, were selected after application of the criteria (LQ:5; MQ:4). In most of these studies (seven of nine), the revascularization protocol included a triple antibiotic combination as canal disinfectant for a period of 1-4 weeks after blood clot formation (LQ:5; MQ:4), although there is no clear consensus about the treatment protocol. Two studies reported tooth discoloration after the revascularization process (LQ:2), and only three (LQ:1; MQ:2) reported a success rate of 54.9% in dogs and 73.6% and 80% in humans, respectively. Revascularization of immature permanent teeth with apical periodontitis is possible and preferable to apexification. Nevertheless, there is a widespread lack of randomized clinical trials and blinded measures. In addition, the small sample sizes that are common in these studies as well as the generally low quality of the analysed publications require the results to be viewed with caution. There is a high risk of bias, with a low quality of available information, for developing clinical guidelines for regenerative endodontic protocols; rigorous randomized clinical trials are therefore needed.


Complete Genome Sequence of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Strain MacIntyre.
Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) strain MacIntyre has a severe defect in the anterograde spread after replication in the nucleus. To better understand and identify the genetic determinants that lead to the unique phenotypes of the MacIntyre strain, we sequenced its genome with PacBio single-molecule real-time sequencing technology and resolved the complete sequence.


Latent class growth analysis identified different trajectories in cognitive development of extremely low birthweight children.
Recent longitudinal studies suggest stable cognitive development in preterm children, although with great individual variation. This prospective neurocognitive follow-up study of extremely low birthweight (ELBW, <1000 g) children aimed to characterise groups with different developmental trajectories from preschool to preteen age. ELBW children (n=115) born in Finland in 1996-1997 participated in cognitive assessments at a median age of 5.0 years and 11.3 years. A standardised test of intelligence (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised or Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-third edition) was administered at both ages. Three ELBW groups with different developmental trajectories over time were identified with latent class growth analysis. Children with average (Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ): 85-115) and below average (FSIQ: <85) intelligence at 5 years of age had significant decreases in intelligence scores by 11 years of age (-11.7 points and -14.9 points, respectively, both p<0.001), while those with above average intelligence (FSIQ: >115) showed stable development (-3.2 points, p=0.250). Multiple linear regression showed that neonatal complications (intraventricular haemorrhage grade 3-4 and blood culture positive sepsis) and maternal education significantly predicted lower intelligence at the second assessment (F(3,106)=7.27, p<0.001, adjusted R2=0.147). ELBW children represent a heterogeneous patient population in which groups with different cognitive trajectories can be detected. Deterioration may occur particularly in children with initial average or below average cognitive performance at 5 years of age, with neonatal complications and lower maternal education presenting as risk factors. Catch-up in cognitive functions seems more uncommon in the ELBW population, which should be noted in clinical work.


[Functional analysis of peritoneal lymphoid tissues by GFP expression in mice--possible application for targeting gene therapy against peritoneal dissemination].
It is important to develop an efficient adjuvant therapy for the prevention of the postoperative peritoneal recurrence of gastrointestinal cancers such as gastric cancer or pancreatic cancer. Milky sports (MS) are peritoneal lymphoid tissues broadly distributed on the peritoneal tissues such as the omentum, mesentery, or Douglas pouch, and are the selective implantation sites of disseminated cancer cells. In this study, we introduced GFP gene into various cancer cell lines and host-derived cells such as peritoneal macrophages and dendritic cells by adenovirus vetor and injected them i.p. into mice. We then investigated the sites of GFP expression on the peritoneum by fluorescence microscopy. The results showed that green fluorescence was detected specifically for the MS sites that stained black with activated carbon particles (CH40), despite the differences in the cell type injected. These findings indicate that 1) the physioanatomical characteristics of MS may play an essential role in the formation of the initial disseminated lesions at MS, and 2) the host-derived cells accumulating near MS may be available as carriers of a therapeutic gene in intraperitoneal gene therapy against peritoneal dissemination.


Immunohistochemical study of metallothionein in normal and benign prostatic hyperplasia of human prostate.
Metallothionein (MT) in the human prostate gland was examined. Prostatic tissues were obtained from patients of urinary bladder cancer who had received radical cystoprostatectomy. MT content was 99.3 micrograms/g wet tissue (w.t.) in the peripheral zone (PZ), 12.0 micrograms/g w.t. in the preprostatic region (PR), 7.3 micrograms/g w.t. in the central zone (CZ), 6.8 micrograms/g w.t. in the anterior fibromuscular stroma, and 29.5 micrograms/g w.t. in benign nodular hyperplasia (adenoma) by radioimmunoassay. Immunohistochemical study demonstrated that MT was localized in the cytoplasm, nuclei of glandular epithelia, and secretory products. In general, a positive immunoreaction was strong in PZ and weak in CZ. It is considered that glandular epithelial cells in PZ, PR, CZ, and adenoma may react differently to heavy metals, e.g., zinc and cadmium.


Expression of a Hox gene, Cnox-2, and the division of labor in a colonial hydroid.
We report the isolation and expression of the Hox gene, Cnox-2, in Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus, a hydrozoan displaying division of labor. We found different patterns of aboral-to-oral Cnox-2 expression among polyp polymorphs, and we show that experimental conversion of one polyp type to another is accompanied by concordant alteration in Cnox-2 expression. Our results are consistent with the suggestion that polyp polymorphism, characteristic of hydractiniid hydroids, arose via evolutionary modification of proportioning of head to body column.


Histochemical technique: densitometry of nanogram quantities of proteins separated in one-dimensional microslab gels.
We describe methods for densitometry of electrophoretically separated proteins in 25-millimeter microslab gels. The methods are sufficiently sensitive to use with several individually excised plant cells, for which we describe an extraction procedure. In brief, submicrogram samples are excised from freeze-dried plant tissue. Extraction takes place under oil in microliter droplets of detergent. Proteins are separated by one-dimensional microelectrophoresis (HM Poehling, V Neuhoff 1980 Electrophoresis 1: 90-102) and then stained by a sensitive Coomassie procedure (V Neuhoff, R Stamm, E Hansjorg 1985 Electrophoresis 6: 427-448). The resulting profile is scanned by a computerized densitometer based on the Leitz Diavert MPV Microphotometer. Evaluations and typical data demonstrate the high performance of this system.


Pilot study of fluorescence imitating brightfield imaging for rapid, slide-free dermatopathology.
Fluorescence imitating brightfield imaging (FIBI) is a novel alternative microscopy method that can image freshly excised, non-sectioned tissue. We examine its potential utility in dermatopathology by examining readily available specimens embedded in paraffin blocks. Nine skin samples embedded in paraffin blocks were superficially deparaffinized using xylene and ethanol and stained with H&E. FIBI captured tissue surface histopathology images using simple microscope optics and a color camera. We then applied deep-learning-based models to improve resemblance to standard H&E coloration and contrast. FIBI images were compared with corresponding standard H&E slides and concordance was assessed by two dermatopathologists who numerically scored epidermal and dermal structure appearance and overall diagnostic utility. Dermatopathologist scores indicate that FIBI images are at least equivalent to standard H&E slides for visualizing structures such as epidermal layers, sweat glands, and nerves. Images acquired with FIBI are comparable to traditional H&E-stained slides, suggesting that this rapid, inexpensive, and non-destructive microscopy technique is a conceivable alternative to standard histopathology processes especially for time-sensitive procedures and in settings with limited histopathology resources.


Use of human chorionic gonadotropin in a male Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) to induce rut and achieve a pregnancy in a nulliparous female.
Walrus in US zoos have a very low reproductive rate of 11 births in 80 years, and little is known about Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) reproductive biology. To address this, we initiated a program in which detailed biological data were recorded on captive walrus. As part of a 7-year study, 1 male and 1 female 16-year-old captive Pacific walrus were carefully monitored with weekly serum hormone analysis, daily glans penis smears for spermatozoa, and abdominal ultrasound for pregnancy. The female ovulated once annually from late December through mid-January and then exhibited 9 months of sustained elevated progesterone. This nonconceptive estrous cycle profile is consistent with reports from wild walrus females. In contrast, the male's seasonal rut routinely occurred in late February through May with a serum testosterone peak in March. This profile differed from the reported adult male cycle in wild walrus of November through March. During the period of the female's ovulation, the male had nadir testosterone levels and was consistently azoospermic. Likewise, during the male's spermatogenic rut in the spring, the female was anovulatory with elevated progesterone. On this basis, the male was treated for 14 weeks with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in an attempt to increase testosterone levels in synchrony with the female's annual ovulation. The treatment successfully induced rut characterized by sustained elevated serum testosterone levels and production of spermatozoa. The male and female successfully bred, and the female became pregnant. Upon discontinuation of hCG treatment, the male resumed baseline testosterone levels. We theorize that the lack of synchronization of rut and ovulatory cycles is a primary reason for reproductive failure in these captive walrus.


Relatives' perceptions of side rail use on the older person in hospital.
With an increasing emphasis on improving standards in the care of older people, the use of physical restraints has received growing attention in the nursing literature. Physical restraint use has been likened to abuse as it impedes the movement of a person, encourages dependence on staff and denies autonomy. Side rails (cot sides, bed rails) can be considered as a physical restrain device. The therapeutic use of restraint has not previously been adequately explained. Furthermore, there is a dearth of literature examining the personal experience of physical restraint use. The Family Interview Guide (Strumpf and Evans, 1988) was used to explore perceptions of nine relatives whose family had side rails used during their care in an older person ward. The findings of the study suggest that while families place value on the perceived safety function of side rails, they nonetheless have worries about their use. These pertain to the risk of patient entrapment and possible injury. Patients' relatives associated side rails with ritualized practice in gerontology and make suggestions for the re-design of side rails. The study also highlights the potential for increased family participation in the decision to use side rails.


Modeling of tungsten filament in gas discharge in H- ion source.
Sources of negative ions such as H- are essential elements of proton accelerators and tokamaks. They have limited lifetime. The replacement of an ion source is a costly process causing delays in the operation of the entire machine. The hot tungsten filament is the key element that limits the lifetime of the H- ion source at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) facility. An accurate model, which describes the filament physics and provides a reliable estimate on its lifetime, may significantly improve the operation of the facility. Here, we describe such a model, including a comprehensive list of relevant physical processes from first principles. The model can be used to describe different regimes of operation using diagnostics data as input parameters. It has been benchmarked against the data collected during the production cycle at LANSCE and shows good agreement with experimental data.


Preventive Effects of Fermented Brown Rice and Rice Bran on Spontaneous Lymphomagenesis in AKR/NSlc Female Mice
Fermented brown rice and rice bran with Aspergillus oryzae (FBRA) is known to possess potentials to prevent chemical carcinogenesis in multiple organs of rodents. In the present study, possible chemopreventive effect of FBRA against spontaneous occurrence of lymphomas was examined using female AKR/NSlc mice. Four-week-old female AKR/ NSlc mice were divided into three groups, and fed diets containing FBRA for 26 weeks at a dose level 0% (Group 1), 5% (Group 2) or 10% (Group 3). At the termination of experiment, the incidence of thymic malignant lymphoma of Group 3 was significantly lower than of Group 1 (p < 0.05). The average number of apoptotic cells of the thymic lymphoma of Group 3 was significantly larger than that of Group 1 (p < 0.05). In addition, the incidences of malignant lymphoma arising from body surface and abdominal lymph nodes, and the frequencies of lymphoma cell invasion to liver, kidney, spleen, and ovary of Group 3 were relatively lower than those of Group 1. These results indicate that FBRA inhibits spontaneous development of the lymphoma in female AKR/NSc mice and the inhibition of lymphomagenesis may relate to the induction of apoptosis by exposure of FBRA, suggesting that FBRA could be a protective agent against development of human lymphoma.


MtDNA: The small workhorse of evolutionary studies.
The double-stranded, circular mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is present in all eukaryotic life forms, was initially discovered and characterized in the last century and has been widely used in evolutionary studies. Since then, a large number of studies have taken advantage of the genetic information encoded in this genome. Because of its small size in animals (in general), the technical ease of manipulating mitochondrial genome and the dynamics of its evolutionary change, this genome has been the workhorse of evolutionary studies over the past three decades. However, the ease with which nuclear DNA can be manipulated due to next generation sequencing (NGS) methods, has recently caused an expected dip in the use of mtDNA in evolutionary studies. This review examines the future of mitochondrial DNA as a useful tool in studies centered around evolution.


Speciation in Daphnia.
The microcrustacean Daphnia is arguably one of the most studied zooplankton species, having a well understood ecology, life history, and a relatively well studied evolutionary history. Despite this wealth of knowledge, species boundaries within closely related species in this genus often remain elusive and the major evolutionary forces driving the diversity of daphniids remain controversial. This genus contains more than 80 species with multiple cryptic species complexes, with many closely related species able to hybridize. Here, we review speciation research in Daphnia within the framework of current speciation theory. We evaluate the role of geography, ecology, and biology in restricting gene flow and promoting diversification. Of the 253 speciation studies on Daphnia, the majority of studies examine geographic barriers (55%). While evidence shows that geographic barriers play a role in species divergence, ecological barriers are also probably prominent in Daphnia speciation. We assess the contribution of ecological and nonecological reproductive isolating barriers between closely related species of Daphnia and found that none of the reproductive isolating barriers are restricting gene flow completely. Research on reproductive isolating barriers has disproportionally focused on two species complexes, the Daphnia pulex and Daphnia longispina species complexes. Finally, we identify areas of research that remain relatively unexplored and discuss future research directions that build our understanding of speciation in daphniids.


Immunohistochemical properties of human optic nerve glioma. Evidence of type 1 astrocyte origin.
The peroxidase-antiperoxidase method was used to study ten surgically obtained human optic nerve gliomas (pilocytic astrocytomas). All tissues were formalin fixed and paraffin embedded. Primary antisera included glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), HNK-1 (type 1 astrocyte precursor marker), A2B5 (type 2 astrocyte precursor marker), S-100, vimentin, myelin basic protein (MBP), laminin, keratin, cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), and neuron-specific enolase (NSE). Neoplastic astrocytes in optic nerve gliomas stained with GFAP, HNK-1, S-100, and vimentin. Oligodendrocytes and myelin sheaths stained for MBP, and NSE stained surviving axons in the tumors. Neoplastic astrocytes did not stain for A2B5, keratin, cytokeratin, EMA, or laminin. These results suggest that human optic nerve gliomas (pilocytic astrocytomas) arise from type 1 astrocytes.


Designing of an intensification process for biosynthesis and recovery of menaquinone-7.
A nutritional food rich in menaquinone-7 has a potential in preventing osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases. The static fermentation of Bacillus subtilis natto is widely regarded as an optimum process for menaquinone-7 production. The major issues for the bulk production of menaquinone-7 are the low fermentation yield, biofilm formation and the use of organic solvents for the vitamin extraction. In this study, we demonstrate that the dynamic fermentation involving high stirring and aeration rates enhances the yield of fermentation process significantly compared to static system. The menaquinone-7 concentration of 226 mg/L was produced at 1,000 rpm, 5 vvm, 40 °C after 5 days of fermentation. This concentration is 70-fold higher than commercially available food products such as natto. Additionally, it was found that more than 80% of menaquinone-7 was recovered in situ in the vegetable oil that was gradually added to the system as an anti-foaming agent. The intensification process developed in this study has a capacity to produce an oil rich in menaquinone-7 in one step and eliminate the use of organic solvents for recovery of this compound. This oil can, therefore, be used for the preparation of broad range of supplementary and dietary food products rich in menaquinone-7 to reduce the risk of osteoporotic fractures and cardiovascular diseases.


Prodigiosin - A Multifaceted Escherichia coli Antimicrobial Agent.
Despite a considerable interest in prodigiosin, the mechanism of its antibacterial activity is still poorly understood. In this work, Escherichia coli cells were treated with prodigiosin to determine its antimicrobial effect on bacterial physiology. The effect of prodigiosin was concentration dependent. In prodigiosin treated cells above MIC value no significant DNA damage or cytoplasmic membrane disintegration was observed. The outer membrane, however, becomes leaky. Cells had severely decreased respiration activity. In prodigiosin treated cells protein and RNA synthesis were inhibited, cells were elongated but could not divide. Pre-treatment with prodigiosin improved E. coli survival rate in media containing ampicillin, kanamycin and erythromycin but not phleomycin. The results suggest that prodigiosin acts as a bacteriostatic agent in E. coli cells. If prodigiosin was diluted, cells resumed growth. The results indicate that prodigiosin has distinct mode of antibacterial action in different bacteria.


Factors Associated with Inadequate Tissue Yield in EUS-FNA for Gastric SMT.
Aims. Our aim was to identify the factors that made the specimens inadequate and nondiagnostic in endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) biopsy of suspected submucosal tumors (SMTs). Methods. From August 2001 to October 2009, 47 consecutive patients with subepithelial hypoechoic tumors originating in the fourth sonographic layer of the gastric wall suspected as GIST by standard EUS in Chiba University hospital underwent EUS-FNA for histologic diagnosis. We evaluated patient age, sex, location of lesion, size, pattern of growth in a stomach, and pattern of echography retrospectively. We defined a case of gaining no material or an insufficient material for immunohistological diagnosis as nondiagnostic. Results. The diagnostic yield of EUS-FNA for the diagnosis of gastric SMTs was 74.5%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that age of under 60 years (compared with patients older than 60 years: odds ratio [OR] = 11.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.761-80.48) and location of SMT at lower third area (compared with upper or middle third area: OR = 10.62, 95% CI = 1.290-87.42) were the predictive factors for inadequate tissue yield in EUS-FNA. Conclusions. The factors associated with inadequate tissue yield in EUS-FNA were younger age and the location of lesion at lower third area in stomach.


[A new technique for esophagojejunostomy or esophagogastrostomy after laparoscopic gastrectomy].
To report the newly developed reconstruction technique after laparoscopic total gastrectomy: intracorporeal circular stapling esophagojejunostomy using the transorally inserted anvil (OrVil; Covidien), and evaluate its feasibility, safety, and clinical outcomes. After LTG (3 patients with gastric carcinoma in the body) or LPG (2 patients with gastric carcinoma in the cardiac and fundus, respectively, and 1 with cardiac stromal tumor), the anvil was then inserted transorally into the esophagus by using the OrVil system. Double-stapling esophagojejunostomy or esophagogastrostomy with a circular stapler was performed intracorporeally. The operations were uneventful. The operative time was (183.3+/-25.8) min, and blood loss was (128.3+/-90.2) ml. Postoperative fluorography revealed no anastomotic leakage or stenosis. Patients resumed an oral liquid diet on postoperative day (4.0+/-1.1), and were discharged on day (9.0+/-2.6). Patients were followed at 28 days and no complications were reported. LTG with Roux-en-Y reconstruction or LPG with esophagogastrostomy using the OrVil system appear to be safe and reliable with satisfactory short-term outcomes.


Migration of eosinophils through basement membrane components in vitro: role of matrix metalloproteinase-9.
In general, inflammatory cells cross basement membranes by producing proteinases. To investigate the role of proteinases in eosinophil basement membrane migration, we studied peripheral blood eosinophils in Matrigel-coated chemotaxis chambers. Electron microscopy showed degradation of the Matrigel layer when eosinophils, added to the upper chamber, transmigrated the membrane in the presence of both platelet-activating factor (PAF) in the lower chamber and interleukin (IL)-5 in both chambers. In the absence of either or both PAF and IL-5, no changes occurred in the Matrigel layer. Matrigel transmigration of eosinophils induced by PAF and IL-5 was inhibited by 1,10-phenanthroline, batimastat, 3,4-dichloroisocoumarin, chymostatin, and a neutralizing antibody for the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, indicating that serine proteinase(s) and MMP, specifically MMP-9, were involved in the transmigration of eosinophils through Matrigel. In contrast, eosinophil migration through a bare membrane was not affected by batimastat. Using gelatin zymography and immunoblotting, MMP-9 was detected in the migration upper chamber supernatant of the eosinophil transmigration assay and in the conditioned medium of eosinophils. Release of MMP-9 by eosinophils was increased by IL-5, PAF, or both, but the substrate-degrading activity of MMP-9 was increased only in the presence of both IL-5 and PAF, indicating that the releasing and activating mechanisms of MMP-9 are involved in eosinophil basement membrane migration. This study implicates MMP-9 in basement membrane migration of eosinophils and suggests its involvement in inflammatory diseases where tissue eosinophilia plays a role.


Why worry about how many species and their loss?
We are astonishingly ignorant about how many species are alive on earth today, and even more ignorant about how many we can lose yet still maintain ecosystem services that humanity ultimately depends upon. Mora et al.'s paper is important in offering an imaginative new approach to assessing total species numbers, both on land and in the sea.


Transcription Factor Action Orchestrates the Complex Expression Pattern of CRABS CLAW in Arabidopsis.
Angiosperm flowers are the most complex organs that plants generate, and in their center, the gynoecium forms, assuring sexual reproduction. Gynoecium development requires tight regulation of developmental regulators across time and tissues. How simple on and off regulation of gene expression is achieved in plants was described previously, but molecular mechanisms generating complex expression patterns remain unclear. We use the gynoecium developmental regulator CRABS CLAW (CRC) to study factors contributing to its sophisticated expression pattern. We combine in silico promoter analyses, global TF-DNA interaction screens, and mutant analyses. We find that miRNA action, DNA methylation, and chromatin remodeling do not contribute substantially to CRC regulation. However, 119 TFs, including SEP3, ETT, CAL, FUL, NGA2, and JAG bind to the CRC promoter in yeast. These TFs finetune transcript abundance as homodimers by transcriptional activation. Interestingly, temporal-spatial aspects of expression regulation may be under the control of redundantly acting genes and require higher order complex formation at TF binding sites. Our work shows that endogenous regulation of complex expression pattern requires orchestrated transcription factor action on several conserved promotor sites covering almost 4 kb in length. Our results highlight the utility of comprehensive regulators screens directly linking transcriptional regulators with their targets.


Conducting Bayesian-Classical Hybrid Power Analysis with R Package Hybridpower.
There are several approaches to incorporating uncertainty in power analysis. We review these approaches and highlight the Bayesian-classical hybrid approach that has been implemented in the R package hybridpower. Calculating Bayesian-classical hybrid power circumvents the problem of local optimality in which calculated power is valid if and only if the specified inputs are perfectly correct. hybridpower can compute classical and Bayesian-classical hybrid power for popular testing procedures including the t-test, correlation, simple linear regression, one-way ANOVA (with equal or unequal variances), and the sign test. Using several examples, we demonstrate features of hybridpower and illustrate how to elicit subjective priors, how to determine sample size from the Bayesian-classical approach, and how this approach is distinct from related methods. hybridpower can conduct power analysis for the classical approach, and more importantly, the novel Bayesian-classical hybrid approach that returns more realistic calculations by taking into account local optimality that the classical approach ignores. For users unfamiliar with R, we provide a limited number of RShiny applications based on hybridpower to promote the accessibility of this novel approach to power analysis. We end with a discussion on future developments in hybridpower.


Oral health education for pediatric nurse practitioner students.
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether an interdisciplinary, multifaceted oral health education program delivered to pediatric nurse practitioner students at the University of California, San Francisco, would improve their knowledge, confidence, attitudes, and behaviors regarding the provision of oral health assessments, consultations, referrals, and services to young children during well-child visits. Thirty pediatric nurse practitioner students were included in the study. Participants completed a written survey before and after receiving an interdisciplinary educational intervention that included didactic education, simulation exercises, and clinical observation by a pediatric dental resident. Between pre-intervention and post-intervention, a significant improvement was seen in the pediatric nurse practitioners' knowledge of oral health topics (p<0.001), confidence when providing oral health counseling (p<0.001), and attitudes about including oral health counseling in their examinations (p=0.006). In the post-intervention survey, 83 percent of the subjects reported having incorporated oral examinations into their well-child visits. Our study suggests that providing an interdisciplinary oral health educational program for pediatric nurse practitioner students can improve their knowledge, confidence, attitudes, and behaviors regarding the incorporation of oral health care services during routine well-child visits.


Novel Route to 2,3-Substituted Benzo[b]thiophenes via Intramolecular Radical Cyclization.
A novel route to 2,3-substituted benzo[b]thiophenes by intramolecular radical cyclization of polarized ketene dithioacetals derived from o-bromoarylacetonitriles or the corresponding 3-(methylthio)-3-alkyl/aryl/heteroaryl analogues has been reported.


Dermatologic side effects of psychopharmacologic agents.
Exanthematous eruptions, urticaria, photosensitivity, pigmentary problems, acne, alopecia, fixed drug eruptions, and lichenoid reactions are the most common dermatologic side effects associated with the administration of psychopharmacologic agents. The cutaneous findings associated with the various eruptions and the most common inciting psychiatric medications are discussed.


[Fatal poisoning caused by aconite monk's hood (Aconitum napellus)].
Severe intoxications after ingestion of monk's hood are rare in childhood. We report a case of fatal intoxication in a 20 months old child. There is no specific therapy available. A review of the literature is added.


Hypothesis: Trans-splicing Generates Evolutionary Novelty in the Photosynthetic Amoeba Paulinella.
Plastid primary endosymbiosis has occurred twice, once in the Archaeplastida ancestor and once in the Paulinella (Rhizaria) lineage. Both events precipitated massive evolutionary changes, including the recruitment and activation of genes that are horizontally acquired (HGT) and the redeployment of existing genes and pathways in novel contexts. Here we address the latter aspect in Paulinella micropora KR01 (hereafter, KR01) that has independently evolved spliced leader (SL) trans-splicing (SLTS) of nuclear-derived transcripts. We investigated the role of this process in gene regulation, novel gene origination, and endosymbiont integration. Our analysis shows that 20% of KR01 genes give rise to transcripts with at least one (but in some cases, multiple) sites of SL addition. This process, which often occurs at canonical cis-splicing acceptor sites (internal introns), results in shorter transcripts that may produce 5'-truncated proteins with novel functions. SL-truncated transcripts fall into four categories that may show: (i) altered protein localization, (ii) altered protein function, structure, or regulation, (iii) loss of valid alternative start codons, preventing translation, or (iv) multiple SL addition sites at the 5'-terminus. The SL RNA genes required for SLTS are putatively absent in the heterotrophic sister lineage of photosynthetic Paulinella species. Moreover, a high proportion of transcripts derived from genes of endosymbiotic gene transfer (EGT) and HGT origin contain SL sequences. We hypothesize that truncation of transcripts by SL addition may facilitate the generation and expression of novel gene variants and that SLTS may have enhanced the activation and fixation of foreign genes in the host genome of the photosynthetic lineages, playing a key role in primary endosymbiont integration.


Autoimmunity in 2009.
The number of 2009 publications in indexed journals dealing with 'autoimmunity' has maintained its increasing trend compared to the previous five years. Numerous developments have been proposed in our understanding of systemic and organ-specific autoimmune diseases (particularly multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis) and of basic autoimmunity mechanisms (particularly Th17, T regulatory cells, and autoantibodies). Both these lines of evidence share a significant potential to be translated into new therapeutic options to impact clinical practice. This article will discuss selected publications from prominent scientific journals dedicated to immunology and autoimmunity and ultimately include some expectations in branches of autoimmunity that appear promising for future developments.


Local impact of the NHMRC early breast cancer guidelines: where to from here?
To determine clinicians' recall of the National Health and Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) Clinical practice guidelines for the management of early breast cancer six months after publication, and their reactions to its content and potential dissemination and implementation strategies. Greater Western Region of Sydney, May 1996. Self-administered survey of clinicians with an involvement or interest in the management of women with breast cancer. Of the 69 respondents to the questionnaire (77% response rate), 20% did not recall ever seeing the guidelines. Although most agreed with the defined parameters of potential strengths of the guidelines, there was less agreement as to their medicolegal implications. The four treatment sections of the guidelines were the most highly rated, followed by the sections on communication skills and investigations. Education programs, including college-based programs, as well as endorsement of the guidelines by the learned colleges and respected colleagues, were rated highly as dissemination strategies, far outranking Internet availability. Local revision of the guidelines was considered important as an implementation strategy by three-quarters of respondents. Only 20% indicated that the guidelines had influenced clinical practice, although 46% agreed that they would improve outcomes for women with early breast cancer. The NHMRC early breast cancer guidelines have been relatively well received in the Greater Western Region of Sydney, although local activities within public institutions and private practice will be needed to achieve implementation.


Ecology of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever endemic area in Albania.
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is endemic in Albania. Ticks collected from cattle grazing in the endemic areas of Albania were tested for presence of CCHFV RNA, while serum samples collected from goats, cattle, hares, and birds were tested for the presence of specific IgG antibodies to CCHFV. One of the 31 pools prepared, consisting of four female Hyalomma spp. ticks, was found to carry CCHFV RNA with 99.2-100% homology to sequences detected in patients from the same region. Antibodies were not detected in cattle, hares, and birds, but 2/10 goats presented high titers of IgG antibodies. The shepherd of that flock was a member of a family affected by CCHF 10 days before the collection of goats' sera, and he presented a mild form of the disease.


Improving morale from the ground up. Grassroots tips to make your workplace better.
In our profession, where we help people every single day, there's no reason to not enjoy coming to work Remind yourself of that as long as it takes to feel it inherently. Keep a positive attitude and make sure you don't feed the workplace morale problem yourself. By keeping an eye on your own needs and making sure you're keeping yourself happy, maintaining this positive attitude can be effortless. Setting the example by your own behavior will induce change in the moods of those around you, whether you know it or not. Good luck, stay safe and have fun out there.


Synthesis and biological evaluation of new acinetoferrin homologues for use as iron transport probes in mycobacteria.
Four new acinetoferrin homologues were synthesized using a modular synthetic approach. Two linear and two cyclic imide derivatives were generated and evaluated for growth stimulating behavior in Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis. The yield for the tandem coupling of a functionalized aminohydroxamic acid motif (2 equiv) to a tert-butyl citrate derivative was significantly improved using DCC and N-hydroxysuccinimide. (1)H NMR spectroscopy (CD(3)OD) provided a convenient method for monitoring the final imidization step in TFA using the doublet patterns between 2.5 and 3.06 ppm. New protocols demonstrated that only a 20% growth enhancement was observed with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis using the imide of acinetoferrin. Last, a siderophore from Streptomyces pilosus, deferrioxamine B, was shown to cross-feed M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis with the same efficiency as the more costly, native chelator, mycobactin J.


Use of murine monoclonal antibodies for laboratory diagnosis of varicella-zoster virus infection.
The laboratory diagnosis of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection was reevaluated by direct immunofluorescent-antibody staining (DFA) and centrifugation culture with newly available murine monoclonal antibodies. Specimen smears were examined by DFA using monoclonal antibodies to VZV and to herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2. Specimens were also inoculated into shell vials for centrifugation culture and into standard tube cell culture. Of 68 specimens tested from 60 patients, 39 (57%) were positive for VZV by at least one method. DFA was positive in 36 of 39 (92%); centrifugation culture was positive at 24 h in 23 of 39 (59%) and at 48 h in 31 of 39 (79%); and standard culture was positive in 25 of 39 (64%). Twenty-three of the 39 positive specimens (59%) were positive by all three techniques. Forty-three of the 60 patients were considered to have VZV by clinical criteria, and 35 of these 43 (81%) had laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis. These data confirm that DFA is the method of choice for the rapid laboratory confirmation of VZV infection. The centrifugation culture assay can provide an alternative method to DFA for the laboratory diagnosis of VZV infection.


Improving Skin Cancer Classification Using Heavy-Tailed Student T-Distribution in Generative Adversarial Networks (TED-GAN).
Deep learning has gained immense attention from researchers in medicine, especially in medical imaging. The main bottleneck is the unavailability of sufficiently large medical datasets required for the good performance of deep learning models. This paper proposes a new framework consisting of one variational autoencoder (VAE), two generative adversarial networks, and one auxiliary classifier to artificially generate realistic-looking skin lesion images and improve classification performance. We first train the encoder-decoder network to obtain the latent noise vector with the image manifold's information and let the generative adversarial network sample the input from this informative noise vector in order to generate the skin lesion images. The use of informative noise allows the GAN to avoid mode collapse and creates faster convergence. To improve the diversity in the generated images, we use another GAN with an auxiliary classifier, which samples the noise vector from a heavy-tailed student t-distribution instead of a random noise Gaussian distribution. The proposed framework was named TED-GAN, with T from the t-distribution and ED from the encoder-decoder network which is part of the solution. The proposed framework could be used in a broad range of areas in medical imaging. We used it here to generate skin lesion images and have obtained an improved classification performance on the skin lesion classification task, rising from 66% average accuracy to 92.5%. The results show that TED-GAN has a better impact on the classification task because of its diverse range of generated images due to the use of a heavy-tailed t-distribution.


Comparison of two assays measuring human chorionic gonadotrophin serum concentrations in pregnancy termination and trophoblastic or non-trophoblastic tumours.
Differences in human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) results provided by the commercial immunoassays reflect the heterogeneity of antibodies and the use of suboptimal standards. As a consequence, the principal forms of hCG and metabolites are differentially detected and the hCG tests are not suited for the same clinical applications. Conflicting results are available in the literature regarding which hCG variants are recognized by the Roche Elecsys hCG + β test. The aim of our study was to compare the hCG concentrations provided by the Siemens Immulite 2000 test and the Roche test as well as to assess the concordance between both assays. In this purpose, 152 samples obtained from women and 44 samples from men were analysed by both tests during the follow-up of pregnancy termination, gestational trophoblastic disease and malignancies. The intermediate precision of the Roche test was also investigated on a pool with a low hCG concentration. The hCG concentrations measured with the Roche test were slightly lower compared with the Siemens assay; mean biases of -34.2% and -8% were respectively obtained for hCG values ≤100 UI/L and higher than 100 UI/L. The overall agreement between both assays was 96.1% for women and 97.7% for men. By using an upper reference limit of 3.2 UI/L for women and 1.6 UI/L for men, the Roche test demonstrated a respective concordance of 98.7% and 100%. This test also yielded an excellent precision with a coefficient of variation of 2.8% at a mean hCG concentration of 7 UI/L.


Exact Calculation of Noise Maps and ${g}$ -Factor in GRAPPA Using a ${k}$ -Space Analysis.
Characterization of the noise distribution in magnetic resonance images has multiple applications, including quality assurance and protocol optimization. Noise characterization is particularly important in the presence of parallel imaging acceleration with multi-coil acquisitions, where the noise distribution can contain severe spatial heterogeneities. If the parallel imaging reconstruction is a linear process, an accurate noise analysis can be carried out by taking into account the correlations between all the samples involved. However, for -space-based techniques such as generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisition (GRAPPA), the exact analysis has been considered computationally prohibitive due to the very large size of the noise covariance matrices required to characterize the noise propagation from -space to image space. Previously proposed methods avoid this computational burden by formulating the GRAPPA reconstruction as a pixel-wise linear operation performed in the image space. However, these methods are not exact in the presence of non-uniform sampling of -space (e.g., containing a calibration region). For this reason, in this paper, we develop an accurate characterization of the noise distribution for self-calibrated parallel imaging in the presence of arbitrary Cartesian sampling patterns. By exploiting the symmetries and separability in the noise propagation process, the proposed method is computationally efficient and does not require large matrices. Under the assumption of a fixed reconstruction kernel, this method provides the precise distribution of the noise variance for each coil's image. These coil-by-coil noise maps are subsequently combined according to the coil combination approach used in image reconstruction, and therefore can be applied with both complex coil combination and root-sum-of-squares approaches. In this paper, we present the proposed noise characterization method and compare it to previous techniques using Monte Carlo simulations as well as phantom acquisitions.


Coming therapies: adefovir.
Adefovir dipivoxil, an acyclic nucleotide phosphonate analogue, demonstrates a potent and sustained antiviral activity. Its long half-life allows once daily administration and due to the observed reduction in L-carnitine plasma levels, supplementation with L-carnitine is required. Clinical evidence indicates adefovir dipivoxil can be used as first-line therapy. In addition, due to the sensitivity of drug resistant strains to adefovir dipivoxil, it also has a role in second-line or multi-drug salvage regimens. Adefovir dipivoxil is safe and well tolerated for only short periods of treatment.


Serial correlation in neural spike trains: experimental evidence, stochastic modeling, and single neuron variability.
The activity of spiking neurons is frequently described by renewal point process models that assume the statistical independence and identical distribution of the intervals between action potentials. However, the assumption of independent intervals must be questioned for many different types of neurons. We review experimental studies that reported the feature of a negative serial correlation of neighboring intervals, commonly observed in neurons in the sensory periphery as well as in central neurons, notably in the mammalian cortex. In our experiments we observed the same short-lived negative serial dependence of intervals in the spontaneous activity of mushroom body extrinsic neurons in the honeybee. To model serial interval correlations of arbitrary lags, we suggest a family of autoregressive point processes. Its marginal interval distribution is described by the generalized gamma model, which includes as special cases the log-normal and gamma distributions, which have been widely used to characterize regular spiking neurons. In numeric simulations we investigated how serial correlation affects the variance of the neural spike count. We show that the experimentally confirmed negative correlation reduces single-neuron variability, as quantified by the Fano factor, by up to 50%, which favors the transmission of a rate code. We argue that the feature of a negative serial correlation is likely to be common to the class of spike-frequency-adapting neurons and that it might have been largely overlooked in extracellular single-unit recordings due to spike sorting errors.


A rare case of extramedullary-intradural hemangioblastoma in the thoracic spine.
STUDY DESIGN.: Case report. OBJECTIVE.: To present a rare case of extramedullary-intradural hemangioblastoma in the thoracic spine and to review the literature on this condition. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA.: Spinal hemangioblastoma is rare, and moreover, there is seldom purely extramedullary-intradural hemangioblastoma of the spinal cord and there are few reports on histopathological features of spinal hemangioblastoma. METHODS.: A 65-year-old Japanese woman presented with gait disturbance and numbness below the trunk that had gradually worsened, and finally she was unable to walk by herself. Physiologic and neurologic examinations at admission revealed severe transverse neurologic defects, with no sign of von Hippel-Lindau's disease. Radiologic methods showed an extramedullary-intradural mass at Th4-5. A diagnosis of extramedullary-intradural spinal tumor was done, total tumorectomy was performed with recapped laminoplasty. RESULTS.: The patient's neurologic condition gradually improved after the operation. The immunohistopathological findings revealed the diagnosis of hemangioblastoma. CONCLUSION.: A rare case of extramedullary-intradural spinal hemangioblastoma was reported. The immunohistopathological findings were helpful for making a final diagnosis.


[Value and limitations of urinary cytology in the diagnosis of bladder tumors].
There were studied 222 patients with bladder tumors, 64 with operated transitional cell carcinoma and 166 with non-malignant diseases from cytologic and histologic point of view. Each patient was investigated by urinary cytology, endoscopy, and during the intervention biopsies were taken, which helped us to establish the histological form, the degree of differentiation and "T" element, using TNM system. All smears were stained by blue polychrome-tannin Dragan method and correlated with histological results which allowed us to appreciate cytodiagnostic as real positives, false negatives, real negatives and false positives. We signalled out some morphological aspects of malignant cells revealed by blue polychrome-tannin Dragan stain, which identified malignant elements in 87% tumors of the bladder G1, in 91.5% in G2 and 93.5% in G3; results were enhanced using washings of the bladder. There was some causes for false negatives results: a calcified tumor in its surface, tumors developed in vesical diverticulum, a limited exfoliation and a wrong interpretation of exfoliated cells. In patients transurethrally operated for tumors of the bladder the urinary cytology identified malignant elements in 22 of them; four presented tumors in the moment of endoscopic examination and 18 were considered as "apparently false-positive"; eleven of them developed tumors in the next 6-24 months from the intervention. In patients with non-malignant diseases false positives results were related specially to urinary lithiasis and chronic renal failure. Results of initial and survey cytodiagnosis allowed us to increase the period between traditional cystoscopies.


Subdural hematomas during CML therapy with imatinib mesylate.
Seven of one hundred twenty-one patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treated with imatinib mesylate developed subdural hematomas. All had advanced disease and were treated initially at a dose of 600 mg per day. Three patients had thrombocytopenia (platelet < 10 x 10(9)/l), one had leukocytosis (white blood cell count > 150 x 10(9)/l) and three had neither around the time of diagnosis of the subdural hematomas. Four patients required surgical evacuation. One patient, in blast crisis, died as a consequence of the subdural hematoma. Three patients survived but died of progressive CML. The remaining three patients having recommenced imatinib, are alive and well, and one has achieved a major cytogenetic response. Subdural hematomas must be considered even in mildly symptomatic patients receiving imatinib regardless of their peripheral blood counts. Patients who survive can be cautiously restarted on imatinib. Further studies are required to study the potential relationship between imatinib mesylate and subdural hematomas.


Recent Progress in Technetium-99m-Labeled Nanoparticles for Molecular Imaging and Cancer Therapy.
Nanotechnology has played a tremendous role in molecular imaging and cancer therapy. Over the last decade, scientists have worked exceptionally to translate nanomedicine into clinical practice. However, although several nanoparticle-based drugs are now clinically available, there is still a vast difference between preclinical products and clinically approved drugs. An efficient translation of preclinical results to clinical settings requires several critical studies, including a detailed, highly sensitive, pharmacokinetics and biodistribution study, and selective and efficient drug delivery to the target organ or tissue. In this context, technetium-99m (99mTc)-based radiolabeling of nanoparticles allows easy, economical, non-invasive, and whole-body in vivo tracking by the sensitive clinical imaging technique single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Hence, a critical analysis of the radiolabeling strategies of potential drug delivery and therapeutic systems used to monitor results and therapeutic outcomes at the preclinical and clinical levels remains indispensable to provide maximum benefit to the patient. This review discusses up-to-date 99mTc radiolabeling strategies of a variety of important inorganic and organic nanoparticles and their application to preclinical imaging studies.