Laser-induced incandescence study on the metal aerosol particles as the effect of the surrounding gas medium.
The fundamental heat transfer phenomena caused by the 1064 nm pulsed laser irradiations on the molybdenum aerosol particles were investigated by monitoring the time evolutions of the incandescence spectra using an ICCD detector with a multichannel spectrograph. The particle temperatures were evaluated from the incandescence spectra with the Planck function, and the cooling processes of the laser-heated particles were investigated. By measuring the decrease in the laser-heated particle temperatures with different surrounding media, the roles of the heat transfer processes such as vaporization, thermal radiation, and heat conduction to the surrounding media were discussed. The influences of the vaporization processes on the total heat transfer phenomena were investigated by monitoring the emissions of the constituent molybdenum atoms in the laser-induced incandescence spectra of the aerosol particles and also by investigating the relationships between the intensity of the incandescence and the fluence of the 1064 nm pulsed laser. The calculations using the theory of heat conduction suggested that the diameters of the particles produced by the photolysis of Mo(CO)6 depended on the nature of the surrounding gases.


Relation of polyamine synthesis and titer to aging and senescence in oat leaves.
Polyamine biosynthesis in senescing leaves of Avena sativa L. was measured by determining the activities of arginine decarboxylase (EC 22.214.171.124), ornithine decarboxylase (EC 126.96.36.199) and S-adenosyl-l-methionine decarboxylase (EC 22.214.171.124). Polyamine content was also estimated by thin layer chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography. Arginine decarboxylase activity decreases progressively in aging attached first leaves and in senescing excised leaves in the dark. Conversely, it increases during light exposure of excised leaves, which retards senescence. Ornithine decarboxylase activity is high and constant in the attached leaf, irrespective of age; it decreases in excised leaves kept in the dark and in the light, irrespective of senescence. S-Adenosyl-l-methionine decarboxylase shows no correlation with age or senescence. Levels of putrescine, diaminopropane, agmatine, and spermidine are high in young leaves and decline with age. The best single indicator of senescence is usually spermidine, which decreases in excised leaves incubated in the dark, but increases in such leaves with time of light exposure. Spermidine generally has a reciprocal relationship with putrescine, indicating that spermidine synthase, which converts putrescine to spermidine, may exert important physiological control. These data support the view that polyamines play an important role in the regulation of plant development.


Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus endocarditis isolate interferes with coagulation and activates the contact system.
Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus, formerly classified as S. bovis biotype I, is an increasing cause of bacteremia and infective endocarditis in the elderly. The physiopathology of infective endocarditis is poorly understood and involves immune and coagulation systems. In this study, we found that S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus activates the human contact system, which in turn has two consequences: cleavage of high-molecular-weight kininogen (HK) resulting in release of the potent pro-inflammatory peptide bradykinin, and initiation of the intrinsic pathway of coagulation. S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus was found to bind and activate factors of the human contact system at its surface, leading to a significant prolongation of the intrinsic coagulation time and to the release of bradykinin. High-affinity binding of factor XII to the bacterial Pil1 collagen binding protein was demonstrated with a KD of 13 nM. Of note, Pil1 expression was exclusively found in S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus, further supporting an essential contribution of this pilus in virulence.


Shortened blood coagulation times in genetically obese rats and diet-induced obese mice.
The aim of this study was to investigate blood coagulation times in genetically obese rats and diet-induced obese (DIO) mice in order to clarify the relationship between visceral obesity and blood coagulation. WBN/Kob-Lepr(fa) (fa/fa) rats, a genetically obese model, exhibited a significantly shorter activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and prothrombin time (PT) than age-matched Wistar rats. C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet (60%), a DIO model, exhibited significantly shorter aPTT, PT and thrombin time than lean mice fed a standard diet. Higher body weight, visceral fat weight and insulin resistance were also shared by fa/fa rats and DIO mice. These results suggest that visceral obesity is related to accelerated blood coagulation in addition to disrupted metabolism of glucose and lipids.


Drowning in Uganda: examining data from administrative sources.
Drowning death rates in the African region are estimated to be the highest in the world. Data collection and surveillance for drowning in African countries are limited. We aimed to establish the availability of drowning data in multiple existing administrative data sources in Uganda and to describe the characteristics of drowning based on available data. We conducted a retrospective descriptive study in 60 districts in Uganda using existing administrative records on drowning cases from January 2016 to June 2018 in district police offices, marine police detachments, fire/rescue brigade detachments, and the largest mortuary in those districts. Data were systematically deduplicated to determine and quantify unique drowning cases. A total of 1435 fatal and non-fatal drowning cases were recorded; 1009 (70%) in lakeside districts and 426 (30%) in non-lakeside districts. Of 1292 fatal cases, 1041 (81%) were identified in only one source. After deduplication, 1283 (89% of recorded cases; 1160 fatal, 123 non-fatal) unique drowning cases remained. Data completeness varied by source and variable. When demographic characteristics were known, fatal victims were predominantly male (n=876, 85%), and the average age was 24 years. In lakeside districts, 81% of fatal cases with a known activity at the time of drowning involved boating. Drowning cases are recorded in administrative sources in Uganda; however, opportunities to improve data coverage and completeness exist. An improved understanding of circumstances of drowning in both lakeside and non-lakeside districts in Uganda is required to plan drowning prevention strategies.


Healing of abdominal incisional hernia in infant rats.
Incisional hernia following major laparotomy in adult humans occurs in 5 per cent of cases. Spontaneous healing of such hernias does not occur. We have devised a model for producing abdominal wall incisional hernia in the rat by dividing the linea alba subcutaneously through a small transverse skin incision. In adult rats (n = 17), an incisional hernia formed and progressively increased in size over 32 weeks. In 3-week-old infant rats (n = 17), all developed herniation immediately. In eight rats, these hernias progressively increased. In three, the hernias were healed at the third week, but recurred at the fourth, eighth and 12th weeks, respectively. In the remaining six animals, the hernias healed spontaneously at 3 weeks and remained healed. A similar observation of spontaneous healing of incisional hernias in children has been reported in one clinical paper. This animal model provides a useful means of studying the clinical difference between adult and infant with respect to incisional hernia.


Efficacy of the Best Possible Self protocol in diabetes self-management: A mixed-methods approach.
Recent research has demonstrated that positive affect may facilitate illness self-management. This study used a sequential exploratory mixed-methods typology to assess whether a brief writing task designed to boost positive affect (the Best Possible Self protocol) could improve aspects of diabetes self-management, specifically. A qualitative investigation explored people with diabetes' (n = 20) views regarding Best Possible Self feasibility and acceptability, while a subsequent quantitative investigation assigned people with diabetes (n = 50) to a Best Possible Self or non-Best Possible Self condition and assessed affect and self-management behaviours over a 4-week period. Findings indicated that individuals were receptive to the Best Possible Self and that it provided benefits for diabetes self-management.


Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-3 is a key inhibitor of inflammation in obesity and metabolic syndrome.
Visceral obesity is associated with the rising incidence of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Low-grade chronic inflammation and oxidative stress synergize in obesity and obesity-induced disorders. We searched a cluster of molecules that support interactions between these stress conditions in monocytes. RNA expressions in blood monocytes of two independent cohorts comprising 21 and 102 obese persons and 46 age-matched controls were determined by microarray and independently validated by quantitative RT-PCR analysis. The effect of three-month weight loss after bariatric surgery was determined. The effect of RNA silencing on inflammation and oxidative stress was studied in human monocytic THP-1 cells. Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-3 (IRAK3), key inhibitor of IRAK/NFκB-mediated chronic inflammation, is downregulated in monocytes of obese persons. Low IRAK3 was associated with high superoxide dismutase-2 (SOD2), a marker of mitochondrial oxidative stress. A comparable expression profile was also detected in visceral adipose tissue of the same obese subjects. Low IRAK3 and high SOD2 was associated with a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome (odds ratio: 9.3; sensitivity: 91%; specificity: 77%). By comparison, the odds ratio of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, a widely used marker of systemic inflammation, was 4.3 (sensitivity: 69%; specificity: 66%). Weight loss was associated with an increase in IRAK3 and a decrease in SOD2, in association with a lowering of systemic inflammation and a decreasing number of metabolic syndrome components. We identified the increase in reactive oxygen species in combination with obesity-associated low adiponectin and high glucose and interleukin-6 as cause of the decrease in IRAK3 in THP-1 cells in vitro. IRAK3 is a key inhibitor of inflammation in association with obesity and metabolic syndrome. Our data warrant further evaluation of IRAK3 as a diagnostic and prognostic marker, and as a target for intervention.


Contemporary outcomes of open complex abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.
The recent commercial availability of fenestrated stent grafts is likely to result in increasing endovascular repair of complex (juxtarenal and suprarenal) abdominal aortic aneurysms (cAAAs). Whereas most studies providing benchmarking for outcomes after open repair have been from high-volume centers, we sought to evaluate outcomes after elective open cAAA repair vs infrarenal AAA repair at a regional level. We used the Vascular Study Group of New England registry, which recorded 1875 open AAA repairs in New England from 2003 to 2011. Data from 14 hospitals performing both AAA and cAAA repair were used to assess the impact of clinical and technical factors on outcomes of cAAA repair. There were 443 patients who had elective cAAA repair as defined by use of a suprarenal (n = 340; 77%) or supraceliac (n = 103; 23%) clamp, with median survival follow-up of 35 months (interquartile range, 47 months). Compared with AAA repair, patients undergoing cAAA repair were more likely to be female; to have hypertension, congestive heart failure, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and to have a higher baseline creatinine concentration. cAAA cases were repaired through a retroperitoneal incision in 40% of cases, with hypothermic renal perfusion use in 15%, mannitol in 73%, and renal bypass in 13%, with wide variability in the application of these adjuncts. Complex aneurysm repair vs routine AAA repair was associated with a higher independent risk of 30-day mortality (3.6% vs 1.2%; P = .002), respiratory complications (19% vs 10%; P < .001), and renal complications (21% vs 8.7%; P < .001). Among all patients, the only independent clinical or technical predictors of 30-day mortality were preoperative coronary artery disease (odds ratio [OR], 2.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-5.4; P = .02) and amount of intraoperative blood transfusion (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.3-6.2; P = .01). In the subgroup undergoing cAAA repair, there were no predictors of operative mortality. Renal or visceral ischemia time was the only technical factor during cAAA repair that independently predicted cardiac (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.03; P = .04), respiratory (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04; P < .001), and renal (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.02-1.05; P < .001) complications. Long-term survival for cAAA patients was 91% ± 1% at 1 year and 71% ± 3% at 5 years and not different from that of patients undergoing infrarenal AAA repair. Risk-adjusted predictors of late mortality after cAAA repair included age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.08; 95% CI, 1.04-1.11; P < .001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (HR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.2-3.0; P = .008), and preoperative creatinine concentration (per mg/dL; HR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.05-2.9; P = .03). These data highlight excellent operative outcomes for open cAAA repair across the New England region despite significant variation in operative conduct across hospitals. Patients tolerating cAAA repair have durable long-term survival.


Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 non-structural proteins: Requirements for latent infection.
It has been more than 30 years since the discovery of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), the first human retrovirus identified. Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 infects 15-20 million people worldwide causing two major diseases: adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis. Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 establishes several decades of latent infection, during which viral-host interaction determines disease segregation. This review highlights non-structural proteins that are encoded on the viral genome and manage latent infection. Latent infection is a key in HTLV pathology, so that effective inhibition of these proteins might lead to successful disease management.


The relation between non-occupational physical activity and years lived with and without disability.
The effects of non-occupational physical activity were assessed on the number of years lived with and without disability between age 50 and 80 years. Using the GLOBE study and the Longitudinal Study of Aging, multi-state life tables were constructed yielding the number of years with and without disability between age 50 and 80 years. To obtain life tables by level of physical activity (low, moderate, high), hazard ratios were derived for different physical activity levels per transition (non-disabled to disabled, non-disabled to death, disabled to non-disabled, disabled to death) adjusted for age, sex and confounders. Moderate, compared to low non-occupational physical activity reduced incidence of disability (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.86), increased recovery (HR 1.95, 95% CI 1.32 to 2.87), and represents a gain of disability-free years and a loss of years with disability (male 3.1 and 1.2; female 4.0 and 2.8 years). Performing high levels of non-occupational physical activity further reduced incidence, and showed a higher gain in disability-free years (male 4.1; female 4.7), but a similar reduction in years with disability. Among 50-80-year-olds promoting physical activity is a fundamental factor to achieve healthy ageing.


EMG-biofeedback training in fibromyalgia syndrome.
Fifteen patients with fibromyalgia syndrome were given EMG-BFB (biofeedback) training sessions because of persistent aches after one year of monthly courses of NSAID. A long-lasting clinical benefit was observed in 56%. The improvement was found in those without overt psychopathological disturbances. In fact, a subgroup of clinically depressed patients responded poorly. Our findings were confirmed in a controlled study. Six patients were allocated into "true EMG-BFB" and 6 into "false EMG-BFB" treatment in a blinded fashion. The rheumatological assessment revealed a significant improvement in most of the variables only in the "true EMG-BFB" group.


Clostridium perfringens septicemia and acute leukemia.
Three cases of fatal clostridial septicemia in patients with acute leukemia are described. Predisposing factors and treatment are discussed. Clostridium septicemia should always be suspected when a patient with neutropenia suddenly develops diffuse abdominal pain, fever, and tachycardia over 120/min. The importance of early treatment with penicillin or another adequate antibiotic is discussed.


Behavioral analysis of Ste20 kinase SPAK knockout mice.
SPAK/STK39 is a mammalian protein kinase involved in the regulation of inorganic ion transport mechanisms known to modulate GABAergic neurotransmission in the both central and the peripheral nervous systems. We have previously shown that disruption of the gene encoding SPAK by homologous recombination in mouse embryonic stem cells results in viable mice that lack expression of the kinase. With the exception of reduced fertility, these mice do not exhibit an overt adverse phenotype. In the present study, we examine the neurological phenotype of these mice by subjecting them to an array of behavioral tests. We show that SPAK knockout mice displayed a higher nociceptive threshold than their wild-type counterparts on the hot plate and tail flick assays. SPAK knockout mice also exhibited a strong locomotor phenotype evidenced by significant deficits on the rotarod and decreased activity in open-field tests. In contrast, balance and proprioception was not affected. Finally, they demonstrated an increased anxiety-like phenotype, spending significantly longer periods of time in the dark area of the light/dark box and increased thigmotaxis in the open-field chamber. These results suggest that the kinase plays an important role in CNS function, consistent with SPAK regulating ion transport mechanisms directly involved in inhibitory neurotransmission.


Effects of intraventricular 2,4,5-trihydroxyphenylethylamine (6-hydroxydopamine) on rat behaviour and brain catecholamine metabolism.
1. 6-Hydroxydopamine (200 mug injected intraventricularly) caused depletion of noradrenaline from all regions of rat brain within 2 h after injection but depletion of dopamine in the brain was observed only from 2 days after injection. Both catecholamines remained depleted for more than 32 days.2. Rats treated with intraventricular 6-hydroxydopamine were sedated and lethargic, with reduced spontaneous and exploratory activity, for periods of up to 8 days after injection. Conditioned avoidance responding was abolished or reduced for a similar period.3. Intraventricular 6-hydroxydopamine caused a prolonged reduction in the amount of labelled catecholamines in store 4 h following an intraventricular injection of (3)H-dopamine. During the first 6 h after 6-hydroxydopamine injection, there was a marked increase in neutral and acid metabolites from the labelled catecholamines.4. A comparison of the behavioural and biochemical effects of intraventricular 6-hydroxydopamine and reserpine suggests that both drugs affect catecholamine storage mechanisms but by different mechanisms. It was not possible from these experiments to correlate behavioural changes with either catecholamine storage or metabolism.


Human organic cation transporter 1 is expressed in lymphoma cells and increases susceptibility to irinotecan and paclitaxel.
Antineoplastic agents directed at nuclear and cytoplasmic targets in tumor cells represent the current mainstay of treatment for patients with disseminated malignant diseases. Cellular uptake of antineoplastics is a prerequisite for their efficacy. Five of six lymphoma cell lines as well as primary samples from chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients demonstrated significant expression of SLC22A1 mRNA coding for organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1). Functionally, the antineoplastic agents irinotecan, mitoxantrone, and paclitaxel inhibited the uptake of the organic cation [(3)H]1-methyl-4-pyridinium iodide into OCT1-transfected Chinese hamster ovary model cells, with K(i) values of 1.7, 85, and 50 μM, respectively. Correspondingly, OCT1-positive cell lines and transfectants exhibited significantly higher susceptibilities to the cytotoxic effects of irinotecan and paclitaxel compared with those of OCT1-negative controls. We hypothesize that OCT1 can contribute to the susceptibility of cancer cells to selected antineoplastic drugs. In the future, an expression analysis of the transporters and the application of transporter-specific antineoplastic agents could help to tailor cancer therapy.


Efficient resolution of parentage in dogs by amplification of microsatellites.
Parentage control has been performed for 15 litters from 12 different dog breeds by amplification of microsatellites. As it was possible to include all putative parents in all cases, they were solved by exclusion. Discrimination between parents/non-parents was made after genotyping of 6-9 microsatellite loci. In 12 of the cases all but one of the alleged fathers were excluded while in three cases it was unambiguously shown that superfecundation had taken place. Furthermore, one inclusion case concerning disputed maternity has been investigated. Maternity indices were calculated for 12 loci and probability of maternity was estimated to be 99.99%. These results testify that microsatellites can be applied very efficiently for resolution of parentage in dogs.


Microbiome of the Skin and Gut in Atopic Dermatitis (AD): Understanding the Pathophysiology and Finding Novel Management Strategies.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a long-standing inflammatory skin disease that is highly prevalent worldwide. Multiple factors contribute to AD, with genetics as well as the environment affecting disease development. Although AD shows signs of skin barrier defect and immunological deviation, the mechanism underlying AD is not well understood, and AD treatment is often very difficult. There is substantial data that AD patients have a disturbed microbial composition and lack microbial diversity in their skin and gut compared to controls, which contributes to disease onset and atopic march. It is not clear whether microbial change in AD is an outcome of barrier defect or the cause of barrier dysfunction and inflammation. However, a cross-talk between commensals and the immune system is now noticed, and their alteration is believed to affect the maturation of innate and adaptive immunity during early life. The novel concept of modifying skin and gut microbiome by applying moisturizers that contain nonpathogenic biomass or probiotic supplementation during early years may be a preventive and therapeutic option in high risk groups, but currently lacks evidence. This review discusses the nature of the skin and gut flora in AD, possible mechanisms of skin-gut interaction, and the therapeutic implications of microbiome correction in AD.


An Evaluation of Reach for a Work Site Implementation of the National Diabetes Prevention Program Focusing on Diet and Exercise.
Our objective is to evaluate the "reach" component of the Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework by comparing prediabetics who were and were not interested in enrolling in a free work site diabetes prevention program (DPP) during the first year of the program. Reach is defined as the proportion of eligible participants who enroll in a health program. A cross-sectional study design was used. The setting was a large health system in the Midwest. Prediabetic health plan enrollees and spouses (N = 2158). An online health survey, annual voluntary biometric screenings delivered by a trained health-care professional using standardized protocols via point-of-care testing, and records from the DPP office were the sources of data for this study. Health behaviors and biometric screening results were simultaneously compared using multivariable logistic regression. The study population was 63% female, 79% white, and 16% black, and the mean age was 50.2 years (SD = 10.2). The reach of this program was 10%. Prediabetics were more likely to express interest in the DPP, if they were female (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.4; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.55-3.72; P < .001), black (AOR = 2.23; 95% CI: 1.43-3.47; P < .001), older in age (AOR: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.99-1.17; P = .05), or had a high-risk waist circumference (AOR = 1.44; 95% CI: 0.98-2.13; P = .07), lower self-efficacy to make healthy changes (AOR = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.26-0.91; P = .03), and 5 or more doctor visits in the last year (AOR = 2.13; 95% CI: 0.99-4.57; P = .05), after controlling for other covariates. Current recruitment and implementation strategies are reaching only a small group of individuals who are not representative of the larger prediabetic population. These findings inform future engagement strategies, and we recommend that public health practitioners evaluate reach to ensure that health promotion programs are of high value.


Visualizing and Profiling Lipids in the OVLT of Fat-1 and Wild Type Mouse Brains during LPS-Induced Systemic Inflammation Using AP-SMALDI MSI.
Lipids, including omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3-PUFAs), modulate brain-intrinsic inflammation during systemic inflammation. The vascular organ of the lamina terminalis (OVLT) is a brain structure important for immune-to-brain communication. We, therefore, aimed to profile the distribution of several lipids (e.g., phosphatidyl-choline/ethanolamine, PC/PE), including n-3-PUFA-carrying lipids (esterified in phospholipids), in the OVLT during systemic lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced inflammation. We injected wild type and endogenously n-3-PUFA producing fat-1 transgenic mice with LPS (i.p., 2.5 mg/kg) or PBS. Brain samples were analyzed using immunohistochemistry and high-resolution atmospheric-pressure scanning microprobe matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization orbital trapping mass spectrometry imaging (AP-SMALDI-MSI) for spatial resolution of lipids. Depending on genotype and treatment, several distinct distribution patterns were observed for lipids [e.g., lyso(L)PC (16:0)/(18:0)] proposed to be involved in inflammation. The distribution patterns ranged from being homogeneously disseminated [LPC (18:1)], absent/reduced signaling within the OVLT relative to adjacent preoptic tissue [PE (38:6)], either treatment- and genotype-dependent or independent low signal intensities [LPC (18:0)], treatment- and genotype-dependent [PC 38:6)] or independent accumulation in the OVLT [PC (38:7)], and accumulation in commissures, e.g., nerve fibers like the optic nerve [LPE (18:1)]. Overall, screening of lipid distribution patterns revealed distinct inflammation-induced changes in the OVLT, highlighting the prominent role of lipid metabolism in brain inflammation. Moreover, known and novel candidates for brain inflammation and immune-to-brain communication were detected specifically within this pivotal brain structure, a window between the periphery and the brain. The biological significance of these newly identified lipids abundant in the OVLT and the adjacent preoptic area remains to be further analyzed.


Development of a radioimmunoassay for the soybean phytoalexin glyceollin I.
A radioimmunoassay for glyceollin I, the major phytoalexin produced by soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.), has been developed. Antibodies were raised in rabbits against a glyceollin I-bovine serum albumin conjugate. The antisera were used to establish a radioimmunoassay for glyceollin I using [(125)I]glyceollin I as the tracer. A logit plot of a standard concentration series yielded a straight line in the range of 1 to 100 picomoles (0.34-34 nanograms) of glyceollin I. The structurally related pterocarpan phytoalexins, glyceollins II and III, glyceollidin II and glycinol, which also accumulate in infected soybean tissue, show a low cross-reactivity in the radioimmunoassay (0.5-5% at 50% displacement of the tracer). Two related isoflavones present constitutively in soybean tissue, daidzein and genistein, have cross-reactivities of less than 0.84% and 1.1%, respectively. The radioimmunoassay permitted the quantitative determination of glyceollin I in 15-micrometer microtome sections of soybean hypocotyl tissue infected with zoospores of Phytophthora megasperma f. sp. glycinea.


Disturbing Dreams and Psychosocial Maladjustment in Children: A Prospective Study of the Moderating Role of Early Negative Emotionality.
Although frequent disturbing dreams, including bad dreams and nightmares, have been repeatedly associated with poor psychological well-being in adults, considerably less information exists on their psychosocial correlates in children. Recent empirical and theoretical contributions suggest that the association between disturbing dream frequency and psychosocial adaptation in children may differ as a function of children's negative emotionality. The current study assessed the moderating effect of very early negative emotionality (17 months of age) in the relation between disturbing dream frequency and psychosocial maladjustment (i.e., externalizing + internalizing behaviors) in a sample of 173 11-year-old children. Mixed-model analyses revealed that disturbing dream frequency was associated with some internalizing behaviors but that the association between disturbing dream frequency and most externalizing behaviors was moderated by early negative emotionality. The latter result indicates that the relation between disturbing dream frequency and externalizing behaviors was significant in 11-year-old children showing moderate negative emotionality early in life, but particularly strong in those children with high early negative emotionality. Whereas, a moderating effect of early negative emotionality was not found between disturbing dream frequency and internalizing behaviors, the findings highlight the more specific role of early emotional negativity as a developmental moderator for the link between disturbing dreams and externalizing behaviors in children. The results are discussed in light of recent models of disturbed dreaming production.


Potency and stability of frozen urokinase solutions in syringes.
The stability and potency of frozen urokinase solutions in syringes were studied. To determine the stability and potency of compounded urokinase dilutions after multiple freeze-thaw cycles, a total of 160 syringes containing five urokinase concentrations (2,500, 5,000, 7,500, 12,500, and 25,000 IU/mL) were prepared. For each of the five concentrations tested, two syringes per concentration were reserved for baseline testing. The remaining 150 syringes were frozen at -30 degrees C. After 7 days, half of the syringes (group 1) were thawed at room temperature, tested, and left at room temperature for 12 hours before refreezing. The other half of the syringes (group 2) were kept frozen for 30 days. Thirty days after initial compounding, all syringes were thawed, and the samples' urokinase potency, pH, and physical appearance were evaluated. Syringes were visually inspected for color, clarity, and precipitation. Descriptive statistics were computed for each concentration group and testing day. The compounded dilutions were stable under each experimental condition, with no physical deterioration or loss of in vitro potency after two freeze-thaw cycles. The reduced waste associated with the ability to refreeze unused urokinase could substantially lower the cost of procedures such as thrombolysis after intraventricular hemorrhage and catheter clearance by as much as 95%. Dilutions of urokinase 2,500-25,000 IU/mL were stable in single-use syringes after being frozen for 7 days, thawed, and refrozen for another 23 days.


Scrapie infection and endogenous retroviral expression in sheep lymphoid tissues.
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, or prion diseases, are fatal neurodegenerative diseases affecting humans and animals. Although many host tissues express PrPC (essential for prion replication), relatively few cell types accumulate significant levels of infectivity, including neurons and other cell types in the nervous system, and follicular dendritic cells in secondary lymphoid organs. This suggests that tissue or cell-specific receptors or cofactors could play a role in controlling differential susceptibility to infection. Endogenous retroviruses (ERV), the remnants of ancient retroviral integration into the host germline, may represent one such cofactor. We examined the effect of scrapie infection on expression of three ovine ERV families (enJSRV/β1-OERV, γ1-OERV, γ2-OERV) in secondary lymphoid tissues of sheep at different time points following subcutaneous inoculation, using RT-qPCR. These OERVs were constitutively expressed in the prescapular lymph node and spleen of uninfected sheep. However, we were unable to find convincing evidence of specific differential expression of OERV in the same tissues following scrapie infection, in contrast to previous studies of ERV expression in brains of prion-infected mice and macaques. This study is the first to quantify the expression of potentially functional OERV transcripts in sheep lymphoid tissues, opening up interesting questions about the consequences for host immune function.


Marininema halotolerans sp. nov., a novel thermoactinomycete isolated from a sediment sample, and emended description of the genus Marininema Li et al. 2012.
A novel Gram-stain-positive bacterium, designated strain YIM M11385(T), was isolated from a marine sediment sample collected from the South Bay, Little Andaman Island, India with a salinity of 35 p.p.m., pH 8.5. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain YIM M11385(T) belongs to the genus Marininema, supported by a bootstrap value of 100 %. The taxonomic position of this organism was further established by using a polyphasic approach. Strain YIM M11385(T) grew optimally at 28 °C, pH 7.0 and in the presence of 0-5 % (w/v) NaCl. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strain YIM M11385(T) and Marininema mesophilum SCSIO 10219(T) was 98.3 %. Strain YIM M11385(T) exhibited a quinone system with only MK-7, the polar lipid profile included diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine as major components, and the major fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The level of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain YIM M11385(T) and M. mesophilum SCSIO 10219(T) was 59.36 %. On the basis of genotypic and phenotypic data, it is apparent that strain YIM M11385(T) represents a novel species of the genus Marininema, for which the name Marininema halotolerans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM M11385(T) ( = CCTCC AB 2012052(T) = DSM 45789(T)). In addition, we propose that the description of the genus Marininema should be further emended based on the results of the present study.


Assessment of ghrelin and leptin receptor levels in postmenopausal women who received oral or transdermal menopausal hormonal therapy.
In postmenopausal women, an increased leptin concentration and reduced levels of ghrelin and adiponectin were observed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of the active form of ghrelin, total ghrelin, leptin receptor, lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)), and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) in postmenopausal women who received oral or transdermal menopausal hormonal therapy (MHT). The study involved 76 healthy women: 46 women aged from 44 to 58 years who received oral (26) or transdermal (20) MHT; the control group consisted of 30 women aged from 44 to 54 years who did not receive MHT. The plasma concentrations of total ghrelin, the active form of ghrelin, Lp(a), and PAI-1:Ag were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The concentration of the leptin receptor was measured by enzyme immunometric assay (EIA). We observed a significantly higher concentration of total ghrelin and the active form of ghrelin in women who received transdermal MHT in comparison with those who took oral MHT. We also found a significantly lower concentration of total ghrelin in women who received oral MHT compared with the control group. A higher concentration of PAI-1:Ag was found in the group of women who took transdermal MHT in comparison with those who took oral MHT and with the control group. The differences were statistically significant. Additionally, we found a significant negative correlation between the concentrations of total ghrelin and PAI-1:Ag and a positive correlation between the concentrations of total ghrelin and leptin receptor in women who received transdermal MHT. The study showed that women who used transdermal MHT had higher levels of total ghrelin than women who took oral MHT. This indicates a beneficial effect of the transdermal route of MHT. However, transdermal therapy was associated with adverse effects with regard to the observed higher levels of PAI-1:Ag, which in turn, can lead to a reduction in fibrinolytic activity.


The maze of paramutation: a rough guide to the puzzling epigenetics of paramutation.
Epigenetic mechanisms maintain gene expression states through mitotic and sometimes meiotic cell divisions. Paramutation is an extreme example of epigenetic processes. Not only an established expression state is transmitted through meiosis to the following generations but also an information transfer occurs between alleles and leads to heritable changes in expression state. As a consequence the expression states can rapidly propagate in population, violating Mendelian genetics. Recent findings unraveled an essential role for siRNA-dependent processes in paramutation. Despite significant progress, the overall picture is still puzzling and many important questions remain to be answered.


Separating and reintegrating latent variables to improve classification of genomic data.
Genomic data sets contain the effects of various unobserved biological variables in addition to the variable of primary interest. These latent variables often affect a large number of features (e.g., genes), giving rise to dense latent variation. This latent variation presents both challenges and opportunities for classification. While some of these latent variables may be partially correlated with the phenotype of interest and thus helpful, others may be uncorrelated and merely contribute additional noise. Moreover, whether potentially helpful or not, these latent variables may obscure weaker effects that impact only a small number of features but more directly capture the signal of primary interest. To address these challenges, we propose the cross-residualization classifier (CRC). Through an adjustment and ensemble procedure, the CRC estimates and residualizes out the latent variation, trains a classifier on the residuals, and then reintegrates the latent variation in a final ensemble classifier. Thus, the latent variables are accounted for without discarding any potentially predictive information. We apply the method to simulated data and a variety of genomic data sets from multiple platforms. In general, we find that the CRC performs well relative to existing classifiers and sometimes offers substantial gains.


Education Solutions to the Medical-Dental Divide.
Arbitrarily cordoning off the mouth from the rest of the body is the educational approach that, since 1840, has been responsible for the medical-dental schism that persists today, preventing oral health's integration with overall health. This divide has also thwarted oral disease prevention initiatives, access to services, and health equity. This article offers an educational plan for reunifying medicine and dentistry, which involves interprofessional education, dual degree training, integrating oral health into medical education, and integrated residency training.


Dizziness, Physical Exercise, Falls, and Depression in Adults and the Elderly.
Introduction Dizziness is a symptom that can lead to falls, which, in turn, undermine onés independence and autonomy, leading to several comorbidities. The practice of physical exercise, however, can help prevent falls. Objective The objective of this study is to confirm the association between physical exercise, dizziness, probability of falling, and depressive symptoms in a group of middle-aged adults and seniors. Methods The authors evaluated subjects based on history, the Geriatric Depression Scale, and functional reach test. Results The sample consisted of 90 individuals with a mean age of 69.3 ± 6.8 years. The authors found that 37.8% had been practicing exercise, 33.7% had depressive symptoms, and their probability of falling was above average in the functional reach test. Conclusion The results of this study indicated an association between dizziness, exercise practice and depressive symptoms, indicating that physical activity is a beneficial factor for the aging population.


How personal protective equipment affects perceptions of dentists.
In this study, 248 college-educated young adults completed the Dental Fears Survey. Subjects then viewed one of two slides of a dentist. In one slide, the dentist wore no PPE at all; in the other, the dentist wore gloves, mask, glasses, face shield and lab coat. Subjects completed a 20-item semantic differential scale to assess their attitudes toward the dentist portrayed in the slide they saw.


The latent variable structure of the Compulsive Behaviour Checklist in people with Prader-Willi syndrome.
The presence and severity of compulsive behaviours may be evaluated via the Compulsive Behaviour Checklist (CBC) and this instrument has been successfully employed in people with intellectual disability. However, the applicability of the overall CBC scoring system, which entails tallying the number of behavioural categories represented (i.e. five) as well as the number of individual behaviours endorsed (i.e. 25), is not known in the population with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). The present investigation examined the latent variable structure of the CBC in people with PWS in order to identify possible population-specific scoring and interpretation considerations. The 25 behaviour-specific items of the CBC were analysed for 75 people with PWS (44 females and 31 males) aged between 4 and 41 years (mean +/- SD = 11.4+/-9.4) via factor analysis with principal component extraction and equamax rotation. The most suitable solution was determined on the basis of multiple empirical criteria: (1) the scree test; (2) eigenvalues >1.00; (3) salient loadings >0.30; (4) the clarity of item assignment to a single latent dimension; (5) the internal consistency of the latent dimension(s) (coefficient alpha > or = 0.70); and (6) item-total correlations between 0.20 and 0.79. In addition, solutions were examined with respect to psychological theory and previous research. A 'general factor' (i.e. single latent dimension) solution which adhered to all a priori criteria was indicated. Twenty-four out of 25 items achieved salient loadings ranging from 0.46 to 0.80 on the general factor. The single item which failed to achieve salience, 'deviant grooming-skin picking', exhibited both substantial unique variance (0.997) and moderate reliability (r = 0.59, P<0.001). The internal consistency of the general factor was strong (alpha = 0.93) and all salient items were suitably correlated with the unit-weighted total score (r(item-total) = 0.41-0.77). The traditional CBC scoring system, which includes tallying the number of categories represented, would not be relevant in this PWS sample. In addition, the recommended tallying of the number of individual behaviours endorsed does not reflect the empirically indicated notion of compulsive behaviour in this special population. These findings indicate that the 24 salient items should be scored as a unit-weighted composite and that the score on the substantially unique item (skin picking) should be considered a separate measure when evaluating compulsive behaviours via the CBC in people with PWS.


A novel costimulation pathway via the 4C8 antigen for the induction of CD4+ regulatory T cells.
CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells naturally occur in mice and humans, and similar Treg cells can be induced in vivo and in vitro. However, the molecular mechanisms that mediate the generation of these Treg cell populations remain unknown. We previously described anti-4C8 mAbs that inhibit the postadhesive transendothelial migration of T cells through human endothelial cell monolayers. We demonstrate in this work that Treg cells are induced by costimulation of CD4(+) T cells with anti-CD3 plus anti-4C8. The costimulation induced full activation of CD4(+) T cells with high levels of IL-2 production and cellular expansion that were comparable to those obtained on costimulation by CD28. However, upon restimulation, 4C8-costimulated cells produced high levels of IL-10 but no IL-2 or IL-4, and maintained high expression levels of CD25 and intracellular CD152, as compared to CD28-costimulated cells. The former cells showed hyporesponsiveness to anti-CD3 stimulation and suppressed the activation of bystander T cells depending on cell contact but not IL-10 or TGF-beta. The suppressor cells developed from CD4(+)CD25(-)CD45RO(+) cells. The results suggest that 4C8 costimulation induces the generation of Treg cells that share phenotypic and functional features with CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells, and that CD25(-) memory T cells may differentiate into certain Treg cell subsets in the periphery.


Amiodarone-induced lymphocyte toxicity and mitochondrial function.
Amiodarone is one of the most effective antiarrhythmic drugs available. However, its use is often limited by potentially life-threatening toxicities, including hepatotoxicity and pulmonary toxicity. We have used human lymphocytes as a system in which to study amiodarone-induced cytotoxicity. Using a tetrazolium dye reduction assay, we observed amiodarone-induced cytotoxicity with a lethal dose (LD)50 of 10.0 +/- 31.1 microM (mean +/- SD, n = 5) with a cellular concentration of 2.2 +/- 0.2 million/ml and of 55.5 and 39.2 microM with cellular concentrations of 8.9 and 7.2 million/ml, respectively, after only 2.75 h of drug exposure. Damage to mitochondria, but not other organelles, was observed with electron microscopy at an amiodarone concentration of 7.3 microM. Alterations in ATP synthesis and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release from cells had concentration-response curves similar to those for cytotoxicity. However, we did not observe extracellular accumulation of adenine nucleotides. These results suggest that amiodarone may have a direct toxic effect on mitochondria, beginning at < 10 microM, with membrane-damaging effects at higher drug concentrations.


[Scintigraphy in breast tumors].
The authors illustrate the use of nuclear medicine in tumours of the breast. The techniques can be used at various stages: 1) in the study of remote metastases (usually blood-borne)--bone and parenchymal scintigraphy; and 2) in the study of tumour spread to the lymph glands (axillary and mammary). The techniques of lymphoscintigraphy of the mammary lymphatic plexus and of axillary lymphoscintigraphy are illustrated, and scintigram readout parameters are defined. The Authors also discuss the possibility of using this examination for adequate preoperative tumour staging, as well as the possibility of obtaining even more accurate lymphoscintigraphic images, endowed with even more selective specificity, by means of the use of monoclonal antibodies labelled with radioactive substances.


Molecular studies of CGRP and the CGRP family of peptides in the central nervous system.
Calcitonin gene-related peptide is an important target for migraine and other painful neurovascular conditions. Understanding the normal biological functions of calcitonin gene-related peptide is critical to understand the mechanisms of calcitonin gene-related peptide-blocking therapies as well as engineering improvements to these medications. Calcitonin gene-related peptide is closely related to other peptides in the calcitonin gene-related peptide family of peptides, including amylin. Relatedness in peptide sequence and in receptor biology makes it difficult to tease apart the contributions that each peptide and receptor makes to physiological processes and to disorders. The focus of this review is the expression of calcitonin gene-related peptide, related peptides and their receptors in the central nervous system. Calcitonin gene-related peptide is expressed throughout the nervous system, whereas amylin and adrenomedullin have only limited expression at discrete sites in the brain. The components of two receptors that respond to calcitonin gene-related peptide, the calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor (calcitonin receptor-like receptor with receptor activity-modifying protein 1) and the AMY1 receptor (calcitonin receptor with receptor activity-modifying protein 1), are expressed throughout the nervous system. Understanding expression of the peptides and their receptors lays the foundation for more deeply understanding their physiology, pathophysiology and therapeutic use.


The emergence of geometric order in proliferating metazoan epithelia.
The predominantly hexagonal cell pattern of simple epithelia was noted in the earliest microscopic analyses of animal tissues, a topology commonly thought to reflect cell sorting into optimally packed honeycomb arrays. Here we use a discrete Markov model validated by time-lapse microscopy and clonal analysis to demonstrate that the distribution of polygonal cell types in epithelia is not a result of cell packing, but rather a direct mathematical consequence of cell proliferation. On the basis of in vivo analysis of mitotic cell junction dynamics in Drosophila imaginal discs, we mathematically predict the convergence of epithelial topology to a fixed equilibrium distribution of cellular polygons. This distribution is empirically confirmed in tissue samples from vertebrate, arthropod and cnidarian organisms, suggesting that a similar proliferation-dependent cell pattern underlies pattern formation and morphogenesis throughout the metazoa.


It Is Premature to Use Postmortem Sperm for Reproductive Purposes: a Data-Driven Opinion.
Postmortem sperm retrieval for reproductive purposes is an assisted reproduction procedure that offers women an opportunity to have a child using sperm retrieved from their deceased partners. The ethical issues of this procedure have been discussed in previous works. However, an assessment of the procedure using a scientific perspective is still lacking. Here, we aim to ascertain, using a biological standpoint, whether postmortem sperm should be rescued for reproductive purposes. Data suggest that it is premature to use postmortem sperm for reproductive purposes. This procedure should not be clinically applied until appropriate and comprehensive analyses have been completed. Such analyses should be focused not only on fertilization, embryo development, and pregnancy outcomes, but also on potential postmortem alterations of sperm DNA, RNAs, and proteins. In addition, genetic and epigenetic analyses of sperm, pre-implantation embryos, and newborns, as well as mental and physical health follow-up of the resulting offspring during a whole life cycle, using appropriate non-human mammalian models, are warranted.


Oestrogen and the differentiation of granulated metrial gland cells in chimeric mice.
The role of oestrogen in the recruitment of GMG cell precursors to the uterus has been investigated in radiation-induced chimeric mice reconstituted with rat bone marrow and maintained on a hormone regime simulating pseudopregnancy. The presence of rat GMG cells in the deciduomata in mice irradiated after oestrogen priming suggests that oestrogen priming is not an essential factor in recruiting GMG cell precursors. However, the results have led to the suggestion that in the normal, cycling mouse oestrogen may have a role in attracting GMG cell precursors to the uterus and preparing them for differentiation.


Icelandic herring-eating killer whales feed at night.
Herring-eating killer whales debilitate herring with underwater tail slaps and likely herd herring into tighter schools using a feeding-specific low-frequency pulsed call ('herding' call). Feeding on herring may be dependent upon daylight, as the whales use their white underside to help herd herring; however, feeding at night has not been investigated. The production of feeding-specific sounds provides an opportunity to use passive acoustic monitoring to investigate feeding behaviour at different times of day. We compared the acoustic behaviour of killer whales between day and night, using an autonomous recorder deployed in Iceland during winter. Based upon acoustic detection of underwater tail slaps used to feed upon herring we found that killer whales fed both at night and day: they spent 50% of their time at night and 73% of daytime feeding. Interestingly, there was a significant diel variation in acoustic behaviour. Herding calls were significantly associated with underwater tail slap rate and were recorded significantly more often at night, suggesting that in low-light conditions killer whales rely more on acoustics to herd herring. Communicative sounds were also related to underwater tail slap rate and produced at different rates during day and night. The capability to adapt feeding behaviour to different light conditions may be particularly relevant for predator species occurring in high latitudes during winter, when light availability is limited.


The Left-handed Plastic Surgery Trainee: Perspectives and Recommendations.
Left-handed surgeons experience difficulty with tools designed for use in the right hand. The purpose of this study was to examine instrument laterality and to survey the experiences of left-handed plastic surgery trainees. Count sheets for plastic surgery trays (reconstructive, microsurgery, rhinoplasty, craniofacial) were acquired from Tisch Hospital, NYU Langone Health. Instruments with right-handed laterality were tallied. A survey was also distributed to plastic surgery residents and fellows to determine hand preference for surgical tasks, and those who identified as left-handed described how handedness impacted their training. Right-handed laterality was seen in 15 (31.3%) of the 48 reconstructive instruments, 17 (22.7%) of the 75 rhinoplasty instruments, and 22 (31.0%) of the 71 craniofacial instruments. One-hundred percent of the 25 microsurgery instruments were ambidextrous. There were 97 survey responses. Trainees (17.5%) were identified as left-handed and were more likely than right-handed trainees to report operating with both hands equally or with the opposite hand (47.1% versus 1.3%; P < 0.001). Left-handed trainees were significantly more likely than right-handed trainees to use their nondominant hand with scissors (P < 0.001), electrocautery (P = 0.03), and needle drivers (P < 0.001) and when performing tissue dissection (P < 0.001) and microsurgery (P = 0.008). There was no difference in use of the nondominant hand between right and left-handed trainees for knot tying (P = 0.83) and in use of the scalpel (P = 0.41). Left-handed plastic surgery trainees frequently encounter instruments designed for the nondominant hand, with which they adaptively perform several surgical tasks. Mentoring may help trainees overcome the laterality-related challenges of residency.


Myopathy in a patient with systemic AA amyloidosis possibly induced by psoriasis vulgaris: An autopsy case.
Amyloid myopathy is a rare manifestation of primary systemic amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis, but it has not been reported to occur in secondary amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis. We describe a 46-year-old man with psoriasis vulgaris who presented with idiopathic upper and lower limb weakness and was eventually diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Muscle biopsy findings were compatible with mild inflammatory myopathy. He died of cardiopulmonary arrest, and an autopsy was performed. The autopsy revealed amyloid plaques immunopositive for AA (but not AL or transthyretin) in the perimysial, perivascular, and endomysial regions of the iliopsoas muscle. The final diagnosis was systemic AA amyloidosis with muscle amyloid angiopathy, possibly induced by psoriasis vulgaris. This is an extremely rare autopsy case of myopathy in a patient with systemic AA amyloidosis. The reason for the unusually large amount of amyloid deposition in muscle blood vessel walls remains unclear.


Management of the Uncommon Bladder Cancers: A Single-Center Experience over 10 Years.
Under the name of uncommon bladder cancers are gathered rare histological entities which represent less than 5% of bladder tumors. There is not a clear and consensual therapeutic management for these entities. To review a single-institution 10-year experience with rare form of bladder cancers detailing the diagnosis, treatment, and patient outcome. We performed a retrospective review of 27 medical records of rare bladder cancer form treated at our center between February 2006 and February 2015. The clinicopathologic features are reported with emphasis on treatment and survival. Mean patient age was 65.5 ± 20 yr and 70% of patients were males. Smoking background was found in 16 cases, chronic bladder irritation factors were found in 12 cases, and past urinary tract infection was found in 11 cases. The main symptom was total hematuria (93%) causing an anemia in 16 cases. The two mean histological forms were epidermoid carcinoma (37%) and adenocarcinoma (22%). 26% of patients were found to have extended invasive tumors (T4) at diagnosis. Metastatic disease was confirmed in 8 cases. Our patients were managed by a wide range of therapeutic modalities as total cystectomy with bilateral lymph node dissection (63%), palliative chemotherapy (30%), or concomitant radiochemotherapy (7%). 55.6% of patients were alive one year after diagnosis. Epidermoid carcinoma has the best prognosis followed by leiomyosarcoma and sarcomatoid carcinoma. Neuroendocrine carcinoma has the worst outcome. The overall 5-year survival rate is 33.3%. The rarity and small size of these tumors justify the absence of clear and consensual therapeutic management. No role of total cystectomy concerning the conclusions could be drawn but elements suggest this may be the treatment of choice. The highly aggressive nature of those lesions justifies an aggressive and fast therapy when feasible which gives the best outcomes.


Epicardial 10-MHz ultrasound in off-pump coronary bypass surgery: a clinical feasibility study using a minitransducer.
In off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery, both plaque and calcifications and torrential back flow from side branches in the isolated coronary segment may hamper coronary anastomosis suturing. The epicardial application of an ultrasonographic minitransducer with color Doppler scanning modality was studied in off-pump coronary surgery to detect septal perforating side branches; to assess the location, size, and quality of the coronary vessel; and to visualize the anastomotic orifice before chest closure. Thirteen patients were selected for multivessel off-pump bypass. The investigation was limited to the left anterior descending coronary artery. The anastomotic target site was chosen on preoperative and intraoperative findings. The conventionally designated site was scanned with a novel 10-MHz ultrasonographic miniprobe (15 x 6 x 9 mm) that fitted in between the cardiac stabilizer pods. In 11 of the 13 cases, the course of the left anterior descending coronary artery could be properly identified. In 3 cases detection of perforating side branches caused a change in anastomotic site. A sufficiently dry field was obtained in all 13 cases. In 11 cases the anastomotic orifice was adequately visualized. During off-pump coronary surgery, 10-MHz ultrasonographic images from a minitransducer aided in the intraoperative choice of anastomotic site.


Real-Time Measurement of SO2, H2S, and CS2 Mixed Gases Using Ultraviolet Spectroscopy and a Least Squares Algorithm.
Sulfur dioxide, carbon disulfide, and hydrogen sulfide are important decomposition products of insulating gas sulfur hexafluoride, and their types and contents are of great significance for the fault diagnosis of SF6 insulated equipment. In this paper, a method of combining ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy and least squares fitting is proposed for the quantitative calculation of sulfur dioxide, carbon disulfide, and hydrogen sulfide mixed gases. All three gases have absorption peaks in the ultraviolet band and they overlap with each other which makes it hard to determinate the concentrations of the three gases directly. During the experiment, we found that high concentrations of sulfur dioxide and carbon disulfide interfered with the hydrogen sulfide calculation and the magnitude of this interference was positively correlated with these two gas concentrations. Therefore, we found a modified equation for the correction of hydrogen sulfide. Combined with this equation, accurate quantitative detection of three gases can be achieved. The detection ranges are 0.5-10 parts per million for sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, and 10-300 parts per billion for carbon disulfide. This paper provides a simple and efficient detection method, which is convenient for integration into detection equipment and it provides a support method for the diagnosis of sulfur hexafluoride decomposition gases.


Imaging techniques and histology in the evaluation of liver fibrosis in hepatosplenic schistosomiasis mansoni in Brazil: a comparative study.
Few publications have compared ultrasound (US) to histology in diagnosing schistosomiasis-induced liver fibrosis (LF); none has used magnetic resonance (MR). The aim of this study was to evaluate schistosomal LF using these three methods. Fourteen patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis admitted to hospital for surgical treatment of variceal bleeding were investigated. They were submitted to upper digestive endoscopy, US, MR and wedge liver biopsy. The World Health Organization protocol for US in schistosomiasis was used. Hepatic fibrosis was classified as absent, slight, moderate or intense. Histology and MR confirmed Symmers' fibrosis in all cases. US failed to detect it in one patient. Moderate agreement was found comparing US to MR; poor agreement was found when US or MR were compared to histology. Re-classifying LF as only slight or intense created moderate agreement between imaging techniques and histology. Histomorphometry did not separate slight from intense LF. Two patients with advanced hepatosplenic schistosomiasis presented slight LF. Our data suggest that the presence of the characteristic periportal fibrosis, diagnosed by US, MR or histology, associated with a sign of portal hypertension, defines the severity of the disease. We conclude that imaging techniques are reliable to define the presence of LF but fail in grading its intensity.


Site-specific conjugation of metal carbonyl dendrimer to antibody and its use as detection reagent in immunoassay.
We describe here the conjugation of polyclonal goat anti-rabbit antibody to generation 4 polyamidoamine (G4-PAMAM) dendrimers carrying (i) (η(5)-cyclopentadienyl) iron dicarbonyl succinimidato complexes as infrared (IR) probes, (ii) nitroaniline entities as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) probes, (iii) acetamide groups for surface neutralization, and (iv) hydrazide-terminated spacer arms for the reaction with aldehyde. To preserve a high binding affinity, the conjugation was performed on the carbohydrate moieties located on the Fc fragment. The resulting conjugates were characterized by Fourier transform-IR, ultraviolet (UV), and high-mass matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. On the basis of relative concentration ratios of IR probes and antibody, an average labeling of 30 IR probes per antibody was reached (i.e., more than twice the value obtained with our previous strategy that generated no spacer arm). Immunoassays revealed that the antibody-dendrimer conjugates retained 55.1% of immunoreactivity on average with respect to underivatized antibody. Finally, the conjugates were used to quantify their antigen by solid-phase carbonyl metallo immunoassay (CMIA). Results showed a significant enhancement of the IR signal, demonstrating the efficiency of the new conjugation strategy and the potential of the new antibody-dendrimer conjugates as universal immunoanalytical reagents.


Update on the Clot Waveform Analysis.
The activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT)-clot waveform analysis (CWA) was previously reported to be associated with the early detection of disseminated intravascular coagulation and was also reported to be able to measure very low levels of coagulation factor VIII activity. The software program for the analysis for the APTT-CWA allows the associated first and second derivative curves (first and second DCs) to be displayed. The first and second DC reflect the velocity and acceleration, respectively. The height of the first DC reflects the "thrombin burst" and bleeding risk, while that of the second DC is useful for detecting any coagulation factor deficiency and abnormal enhancement of coagulation by phospholipids. Activated partial thromboplastin time-CWA aids in making a differential diagnosis which is difficult to do using only the routine APTT. The CWA is currently used for many applications in the clinical setting, including the monitoring of hemophilia patients and patients receiving anticoagulant therapy and the differential diagnosis of diseases.


Adolescents anticipated experience of screening for genital herpes.
Screening asymptomatic adolescents for genital herpes will require sensitivity to adolescents' developmental needs. Twenty-four adolescents (age range 1619 years) were interviewed to explore their perceptions of screening. In general, adolescents thought screening for genital herpes would be viewed as taking care of themselves, although there were concerns that their peers might view getting screened as implying that the adolescent was infected or sexually promiscuous. Most adolescents expected their parents to respond positively, but typically thought that younger adolescents should obtain parental consent for screening, and that adolescents should inform their parents of positive test results. Adolescents wanted to be screened in settings that provided confidentiality and by non-judgemental care providers, but they differed on the setting which they believed would accomplish this. Some recommended mass screening (for example, screening all of those in a certain year at school), presumably as a way to reduce embarrassment and/or stigma. Screening programmes that are adolescent-friendly and accessible, and address adolescents' specific concerns regarding managing the information, can be created.


Analysis and Testing of Bisphenol A-Free Bio-Based Tannin Epoxy-Acrylic Adhesives.
A tannin-based epoxy acrylate resin was prepared from glycidyl ether tannin (GET) and acrylic acid. The influence of the reaction condition for producing tannin epoxy acrylate was studied by FT-MIR, 13C-NMR, MALDI-TOF spectroscopy and shear strength. The best reaction conditions for producing tannin epoxy acrylate resin without bisphenol A was by reaction between GET and acrylic acid in the presence of a catalyst and hydroquinone at 95 °C for 12 h. FT-MIR, 13C-NMR and MALDI-TOF analysis have confirmed that the resin has been prepared under these conditions. The joints bonded with this resin were tested for block shear strength. The results obtained indicated that the best strength performance was obtained by the bioepoxy-acrylate adhesive resin prepared at 95 °C for a 12-h reaction.


Cytopathology of Pulmonary Lesions: A Tertiary Care Center Experience.
Cytological evaluation of specimens from respiratory tract is the initial investigation in patients suspected to have pulmonary diseases. The various cytological specimens submitted for analysis include bronchoalveolar lavage, bronchial wash, brush smears, transbronchial needle aspiration, guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) smears and pleural fluid. Present study was undertaken to study the spectrum of lesions diagnosed by cytomorphological analysis of various cytological specimens. Centrifuged and direct smears from received samples were stained with MGG and PAP stain. Special stains (ZN and PAS) were used wherever required. Cytohistological correlation was done wherever biopsy was available. This study included 671 samples from 583 patients suspected clinicoradiologically of having a respiratory pathology. A male preponderance (65.87%) was noted with 73.59% of patients in age group 40-80 years. Cytological diagnoses were classified as non-diagnostic (14.90%), negative for malignancy (59.76%), specific benign lesions (5.22%), positive for atypical cells (3.87%) and malignant (16.25%). Tuberculosis (TB) was found in 17 cases. Adenocarcinoma (both primary and metastatic) was the commonest malignancy of the 99 cases positive for malignancy. Incidence of primary lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma were found to be equal. Lung carcinoma is presently the leading cause of cancer deaths while TB is still a common cause of death in developing countries. Cytopathology has a definite role in diagnosis of malignant lesions and also contributes in diagnosis of unsuspected chronic infections. Cytological diagnosis is fairly accurate if the specimen obtained is adequate and representative.


Partial subclavian artery coverage in TEVAR patients for acute type B aortic dissections: an alternative solution.
Acute type B aortic dissection with origin of the left subclavian artery (LSA) is generally managed with endovascular therapy for acute coverage of the LSA with: 1) no revascularization; 2) revascularization with open methods; or 3) endovascular revascularization. To identify an alternative solution, we critically evaluated a small cohort of patients who had partial coverage of their LSA. Three thoracic endovascular repairs were performed from January-March 2015. Patients were deemed eligible for endovascular repair after they had failed conservative management. Indications included acute type B dissection with lower extremity ischemia, ruptured dissection, and persistent symptoms of dissection after medical therapy. Technical success was achieved in all three patients, and all procedures were performed percutaneously. The mean distance between the ostium of the LSA and the entry point of dissection was 11.1±3.4 mm. Within the 30-day postoperative period, there were no deaths, aortic ruptures, myocardial infarctions, or conversions to open repair. Freedom from re-intervention was noted in all 3 patients. There was no spinal cord ischemia. There is no strong evidence to support the current optimal approach for treatment of the thoracic aorta. Partial coverage of LSA in patients with <2 cm seal zones may be considered as an alternative. However, due to our small sample size, limited follow-up, and lack of comparison cohort, further investigation is necessary.


Magnetic resonance imaging for disorders of liver vasculature.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a noninvasive technique to evaluate the hepatic vasculature. Angiographic and flow-based techniques include intrinsic properties of MRI as well as those that use contrast media. Clinical and technical perspectives of a wide range of vascular disorders affecting the liver, particularly cirrhosis and portal hypertension, portal vein obstruction, as well as imaging of the vasculature prior to and postliver transplantation are presented in this article.


Effects of Dicyclohexyl Phthalate Exposure on PXR Activation and Lipid Homeostasis in Mice.
Exposure to plastic-associated endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in humans. However, the underlying mechanisms for this association are unclear. Many EDCs have been shown to function as ligands of the nuclear receptor pregnane X receptor (PXR), which functions as xenobiotic sensor but also has pro-atherogenic effects in vivo. We sought to investigate the contribution of PXR to the adverse effects dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP), a widely used phthalate plasticizer, on lipid homeostasis and CVD risk factors. Cell-based assays, primary organoid cultures, and PXR conditional knockout and PXR-humanized mouse models were used to investigate the impact of DCHP exposure on PXR activation and lipid homeostasis in vitro and in vivo. Targeted lipidomics were performed to measure circulating ceramides, novel predictors for CVD. DCHP was identified as a potent PXR-selective agonist that led to higher plasma cholesterol levels in wild-type mice. DCHP was then demonstrated to activate intestinal PXR to elicit hyperlipidemia by using tissue-specific PXR-deficient mice. Interestingly, DCHP exposure also led to higher circulating ceramides in a PXR-dependent manner. DCHP-mediated PXR activation stimulated the expression of intestinal genes mediating lipogenesis and ceramide synthesis. Given that PXR exhibits considerable species-specific differences in receptor pharmacology, PXR-humanized mice were also used to replicate these findings. Although the adverse health effects of several well-known phthalates have attracted considerable attention, little is known about the potential impact of DCHP on human health. Our studies demonstrate that DCHP activated PXR to induce hypercholesterolemia and ceramide production in mice. These results indicate a potentially important role of PXR in contributing to the deleterious effects of plastic-associated EDCs on cardiovascular health in humans. Testing PXR activation should be considered for risk assessment of phthalates and other EDCs. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9262.


Among the twenty classical L-amino acids, only glutamate directly activates metabotropic glutamate receptors.
Under pathophysiological conditions, cellular amino acids can be profusely released from cells into the cerebral interstitial space. Because several class-C G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) display a broad natural ligand spectrum, being sensitive to more than one endogenous ligand, we wondered whether the related metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors could be modulated by various types of L-amino acids, allowing them to sense large increase in extracellular amino acid concentration. Here, the agonist, antagonist and allosteric effects of the twenty classical L-amino acids were evaluated on the eight mGlu receptor subtypes. We show that, in addition to glutamate (Glu), cysteine, aspartate and asparagine also lead to the activation of mGlu3, 4 and 5. Interestingly, our data demonstrate that the effect of these three amino acids did not result from a direct activation of the receptors, but from an indirect action involving Glu-transporters/exchangers. These data first demonstrate that mGlu receptors, unlike other class-C GPCRs, display an extremely high selectivity towards one ligand. Moreover, our results also show that Glu transport systems allow mGlu receptors to sense large increase in the extracellular concentration of some amino acids. Such a system will certainly lead to a large increase in some mGlu receptor activity under pathological conditions, such as seizure, ischemia or other brain injuries.


Uninfected random walkers in one dimension.
We consider a system of unbiased diffusing walkers (A(Phi)<-->(Phi)A) in one dimension with random initial conditions. We investigate numerically the relation between the fraction of walkers U(t) which have never encountered another walker up to time t, calling such walkers "uninfected" and the fraction of sites P(t) which have never been visited by a diffusing particle. We extend our study to include the A+B--> Phi diffusion-limited reaction in one dimension, with equal initial densities of A and B particles distributed homogeneously at t=0. We find U(t) approximately [P(t)]gamma, with gamma approximately 1.39, in both models, though there is evidence that a smaller value of gamma is required for t-->infinity.


Acute and Persistent Symptoms in Children With Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-Confirmed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection Compared With Test-Negative Children in England: Active, Prospective, National Surveillance.
Most children recover quickly after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but some may have ongoing symptoms. Follow-up studies have been limited by small sample sizes and lack of appropriate controls. We used national testing data to identify children aged 2-16 years with a SARS-CoV-2 PCR test during 1-7 January 2021 and randomly selected 1500 PCR-positive cases and 1500 matched PCR-negative controls. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire about the acute illness and prespecified neurological, dermatological, sensory, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, mental health (including emotional and behavioral well-being), and other symptoms experienced ≥5 times at 1 month after the PCR test. Overall, 35.0% (859/2456) completed the questionnaire, including 38.0% (472/1242) of cases and 32% (387/1214) of controls, of whom 68% (320/472) and 40% (154/387) were symptomatic, respectively. The most prevalent acute symptoms were cough (249/859, 29.0%), fever (236/859, 27.5%), headache (236/859, 27.4%), and fatigue (231/859, 26.9%). One month later, 21/320 (6.7%) of symptomatic cases and 6/154 (4.2%) of symptomatic controls (P = .24) experienced ongoing symptoms. Of the 65 ongoing symptoms solicited, 3 clusters were significantly (P < .05) more common, albeit at low prevalence, among symptomatic cases (3-7%) than symptomatic controls (0-3%): neurological, sensory, and emotional and behavioral well-being. Mental health symptoms were reported by all groups but more frequently among symptomatic cases than symptomatic controls or asymptomatic children. Children with symptomatic COVID-19 had a slightly higher prevalence of ongoing symptoms than symptomatic controls, and not as high as previously reported. Healthcare resources should be prioritized to support the mental health of children.


Immune properties of human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly-derived cells.
Cells isolated from Wharton's jelly, referred to as umbilical cord matrix stromal (UCMS) cells, adhere to a tissue-culture plastic substrate, express mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) surface markers, self-renew, and are multipotent (differentiate into bone, fat, cartilage, etc.) in vitro. These properties support the notion that UCMS cells are a member of the MSC family. Here, the immune properties of UCMS cells are characterized in vitro. The overall hypothesis is that UCMS cells possess immune properties that would be permissive to allogeneic transplantation. For example, UCMS cells will suppress of the proliferation of "stimulated" lymphocytes (immune suppression) and have reduced immunogenicity (e.g., would be poor stimulators of allogeneic lymphocyte proliferation). Hypothesis testing was as follows: first, the effect on proliferation of coculture of mitotically inactivated human UCMS cells with concanavalin-A-stimulated rat splenocytes was assessed in three different assays. Second, the effect of human UCMS cells on one-way and two-way mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assays was determined. Third, the expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G was examined in human UCMS cells using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, since HLA-G expression conveys immune regulatory properties at the maternal-fetal interface. Fourth, the expression of CD40, CD80, and CD86 was determined by flow cytometry. Fifth, the cytokine expression of UCMS cells was evaluated by focused gene array. The results indicate that human UCMS cells inhibit splenocyte proliferation response to concanavalin A stimulation, that they do not stimulate T-cell proliferation in a one-way MLR, and that they inhibit the proliferation of stimulated T cells in a two-way MLR. Human UCMS cells do not inhibit nonstimulated splenocyte proliferation, suggesting specificity of the response. UCMS cells express mRNA for pan-HLA-G. UCMS cells do not express the costimulatory surface antigens CD40, CD80, and CD86. UCMS cells express vascular endothelial growth factor and interleukin-6, molecules previously implicated in the immune modulation observed in MSCs. In addition, the array data indicate that UCMS cells make a cytokine and other factors that may support hematopoiesis. Together, these results support previous observations made following xenotransplantation; for example, there was no evidence of frank immune rejection of undifferentiated UCMS cells. The results suggest that human UCMS will be tolerated in allogeneic transplantation. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.


Allozyme variation in populations, full-sib families and selfed lines in Betula pendula Roth.
Changes in genetic variability in populations (stand origins), full-sib (FS) families and three generations of selfed lines of Betula pendula were observed based on 15 allozyme loci. Growth vigour, measured as stem volume, and its relationship with heterozygosity was studied to determine the effect of inbreeding. Pooled FS families showed a higher percentage of polymorphic loci (P) and allelic numbers per locus (A) than those of natural populations, but no difference in heterozygosity. There was no difference in allozyme variability between fast-and slow-growing family groups, and heterozygosity was not correlated with stem volume among FS families. Allozyme variability was significantly decreased in advancing generations of selfing, and the further the selfing generation, the lower the heterozygosity and the slower the growth. Observed heterozygosity after advancing generations of inbreeding was increasingly higher than expected, indicating overdominance effects or, alternatively, selection against deleterious homozygotes.


Integrated Genomic Characterization of the Human Immunome in Cancer.
Alterations in immune-related pathways are common hallmarks of cancer. A comprehensive understanding of how cancer mutations rewire immune signaling networks and functional output across cancer types is instrumental to realize the full potential of immunotherapy. Here, we systematically interrogated somatic mutations involved in immune signaling that alter immune responses in patients with cancer. To do so, we developed a Network-based Integrative model to Prioritize Potential immune respondER genes (NIPPER). Identified mutations were enriched in essential protein domains and genes identified by NIPPER were associated with responsiveness to multiple immunotherapy modalities. These genes were used to devise an interactome network propagation framework integrated with drug-associated gene signatures to identify potential immunomodulatory drug candidates. Together, our systems-level analysis results help interpret the heterogeneous immune responses among patients and serve as a resource for future functional studies and targeted therapeutics. SIGNIFICANCE: This study demonstrates that integration of multi-omics data can help identify critical molecular determinants for effective targeted therapeutics.


Subtropical and flower crops breeding at the Subtropical Scientific Centre.
This paper presents the results on the breeding work carried out by the Subtropical Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Currently, the Centre's breeders are doing a lot of work aimed at breeding new fine yielding cultivars of subtropical and flower crops that will be resistant to growing conditions; they include kaki persimmon, feijoa, mandarin, freesia, crown anemone, pelargonium and chrysanthemum. The sources of high-level priority traits in flower crops that are valuable for further breeding in order to improve decorative (colour, flower shape, inflorescence), economic and biological traits (flowering period, a large number of flowers in the inflorescence, storage period of cut flowers, disease resistance, high reproduction coefficient) were recorded. The aim of the research is to improve the subtropical and flower crops assortment. The objects of the research were 989 hybrid forms: 136 citrus crops, 56 persimmon, 36 feijoa, 38 tea plant, 11 pear, 24 hazel, 108 freesia, 398 crown anemone, 120 pelargonium and 62 chrysanthemum hybrids. New cultivars with a complex of valuable traits have been created as a result of the scientific work. Over the past five years, FRC SSC of RAS has created 50 new cultivars: 26 pelargonium, 15 anemone, 5 freesia, 2 chrysanthemum, 1 persimmon and 1 apple and submitted them to the State Cultivar Commission. The "State Register of Selection Achievements Authorized for Use for Production Purposes" has included 63 cultivars developed by FRC SSC RAS, including 26 pelargonium, 13 anemone, 9 chrysanthemum, 7 freesia, 4 hazel, 3 feijoa and 1 tea plant cultivars. 46 patents for breeding achievements have been obtained.


[Demographic variables and social dependency: annual and intergenerational comparisons].
"Drawing on a profile of age-specific expenditures for selected [Canadian] Government programmes (services and transfers), we examine the effect of demographic changes and labour force participation on social expenditures in the upcoming decades. In terms of cross-sectional analysis, increased activity rates and particularly a postponed retirement age would exercise a major impact.... Using a different approach, it is possible to distinguish for each generation the social benefits received and corresponding contributions. Whereas the amount of benefits received by a specific cohort essentially depends on its size, contributions vary according to annual social expenditures. The demographic structures are such that the generations born before 1991 will profit from an excess in benefits...while for the following generations the situation will be reversed.... For all scenarios with negative population growth, future generations may expect to incur a deficit in terms of social expenses." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA)


Radiobiological results of the Biostack experiment on board Apollo 16 and 17.
After penetrating the Biostack capsule, some of the HZE particles hit the biological objects carried: bacterial spores (Bacillus subtilis), seeds (Arabidopsis thaliana and Vicia faba), and shrimp eggs (Artemia salina). The different biological objects were affected by heavy ions in widely varying ways. A broad range of radiobiological investigations has been carried out in regard to the objects' response to HZE particles. The most sensitive biological objects in the Biostack experiments proved to be the shrimp eggs. The development of 500 eggs hit by heavy cosmic ions was investigated. This differed significantly from the flight controls (eggs flown in the Biostack but not hit by heavy ions) and from the ground controls. From this it has been concluded that penetration on the part of a single heavy ion may injure the encysted blastula. This damage was found to influence gastrula formation and even the hatching process of the nauplius. Abnormalities (increased by a factor of 10) in the orthonauplius were observed during the development of the hit eggs; they consisted, for example, of shortened extremities or an abnormal thorax or abdomen. In addition, eggs of Tribolium confusum and Carausius morosus, which were included in Biostack 2 (Apollo 17), have been investigated, and the influence of single heavy ions on the development process of these highly organized insects has been studied.


Interaction of aquaporin 4 and N-methyl-D-aspartate NMDA receptor 1 in traumatic brain injury of rats.
methyl-D-aspartate NMDA receptor (NMDAR) and aquaporin 4 (AQP4) are involved in the molecular cascade of edema after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and are potential targets of studies in pharmacology and medicine. However, their association and interactions are still unknown. We established a rat TBI model in this study. The cellular distribution patterns of AQP4 after inhibition of NMDAR were determined by Western blotting and immunoreactive staining. Furthermore, the regulation of NMDA receptor 1 by AQP4 was studied by injection of a viral vector targeting AQP4 by RNAi into the rat brain before TBI. The results suggest that AQP4 protein expression increased significantly (P<0.05) after TBI and was down-regulated by the NMDAR inhibitor MK801. This decrease could be partly reversed using the NMDAR agonist NMDA. This indicated that AQP4 mRNA levels and protein expression are regulated by the NMDA signaling pathway. By injection of AQP4 RNAi viral vector into the brain of TBI rat models, we found that the mRNA and protein levels of NMDAR decreased significantly (P<0.05). This suggested that NMDAR is also regulated by AQP4. These data suggested that the inhibition of AQP4 down-regulates NMDAR expression, which might be one of the mechanisms involved in edema after TBI.


The Role of Dystroglycan and Its Ligands in Physiology and Disease.
Dystroglycan contributes to the formation of basement membrane during embryonic development and enforces cell membrane integrity by bridging cytoskeleton and components of the extracellular matrix. In several forms of muscle disease, dystroglycan is reduced in abundance. Moreover, human viral and bacterial pathogens use dystroglycan as their cellular entry point.


Assessment of the analgesic effects of ketoprofen in ducks anesthetized with isoflurane.
To determine whether administration of ketoprofen would have analgesic effects in spontaneously breathing ducks anesthetized with isoflurane. 13 healthy adult wild-strain Mallard ducks. Each duck was anesthetized twice in a crossover study design with 6 days between randomized treatments. Ducks were given ketoprofen (5 mg/kg, IM) or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution after a constant plane of anesthesia was established. Analgesia was assessed by measuring heart and respiratory rates and duration of application of a noxious stimulus. The noxious stimulus was applied 30, 50, and 70 minutes after drug administration and was maintained until gross purposeful movements were seen or for a maximum of 5 seconds. At all 3 evaluation times, heart rate increases in response to the noxious stimulus were greater when ducks were given saline solution than when they were given ketoprofen. The increase in respiratory rate in response to the noxious stimulus was greater when ducks were given saline solution than when they were given ketoprofen only 70 minutes after drug administration. When ducks were given ketoprofen, duration of the noxious stimulus was significantly longer 50 and 70 minutes, but not 30 minutes, after drug administration. Ketoprofen reduced the increases in heart and respiratory rates associated with application of a noxious stimulus in spontaneously breathing adult Mallard ducks anesthetized with isoflurane delivered at approximately 2.9%, suggesting that ketoprofen had analgesic effects in these ducks. The onset of analgesic effects may be longer than 30 minutes in some ducks.


An evaluation of lifestyle risk factors and absenteeism after two years in a worksite health promotion program.
Abstract The purpose of this article is to compare health risk factors and rates of absenteeism of employees at General Mills, Inc. after participating for two years in a voluntary, self-directed health promotion program, called the "TriHealthalon." Twelve hundred field sales employees were initially targeted to participate in this program, which focused on improving participants' physical, mental, and social well-being. Participants were asked to fill out a computerized lifestyle appraisal form before they started the program in 1985, and again in 1986. The rates of absenteeism were monitored for each individual in the participant and nonparticipant groups for the years 1984 (before the program started), 1985, and 1986. T-tests were performed to compare the rate of absenteeism between the two groups. Observations show that after two years in the TriHealthalon program, there was an increase in healthy lifestyle behaviors in the participant group, with a five percent decrease in the number of smokers, a 37 percent increase in the number of people who use their seat belts, and a 23 percent increase in the number of people who exercise three times a week. There was no significant difference in absenteeism between the groups in 1984, before the program began. Absenteeism was significantly (p < .05) less in the participant group during 1985 and 1986 after the initiation of the program.


Learning from a case of right ventricular outflow tract stenting in tricuspid atresia with critical pulmonary stenosis.
Tricuspid valve atresia with severe pulmonary stenosis is one of the common cyanotic diseases in neonate. Child can succumb due to profound cyanosis and arterial hypoxaemia after closure of patent ductus arteriosus. Evolving procedure of right ventricular outflow tract stenting may be considered as a palliative procedure in such vulnerable group, destined for a later definitive management. The right ventricular outflow tract stenting is described essentially for tetralogy of Fallot physiology with a catheter course across tricuspid valve. We describe a case of successful right ventricular outflow tract stenting in a 5-day-old symptomatic neonate. We discuss the possible routes and the tips to facilitate right ventricular outflow tract stenting in such a case. This happens to be the first reported case description with successful stenting of neonate with tricuspid atresia with critical pulmonic stenosis.


Dual role of prostratin in inhibition of infection and reactivation of human immunodeficiency virus from latency in primary blood lymphocytes and lymphoid tissue.
To design strategies to purge latent reservoirs of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), we investigated mechanisms by which a non-tumor-promoting phorbol ester, prostratin, inhibits infection of CD4(+) T lymphocytes and at the same time reactivates virus from latency. CD4(+) T lymphocytes from primary blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and in blocks of human lymphoid tissue were stimulated with prostratin and infected with HIV-1 to investigate the effects of prostratin on cellular susceptibility to the virus. The capacity of prostratin to reactivate HIV from latency was tested in CD4(+) T cells harboring preintegrated and integrated latent provirus. Prostratin stimulated CD4(+) T cells in an aberrant way. It induced expression of the activation markers CD25 and CD69 but inhibited cell cycling. HIV-1 uptake was reduced in prostratin-stimulated CD4(+) T PBMC and tissues in a manner consistent with a downregulation of CD4 and CXCR4 receptors in these systems. At the postentry level, prostratin inhibited completion of reverse transcription of the viral genome in lymphoid tissue. However, prostratin facilitated integration of the reverse-transcribed HIV-1 genome in nondividing CD4(+) T cells and facilitated expression of already integrated HIV-1, including latent forms. Thus, while stimulation with prostratin restricts susceptibility of primary resting CD4(+) T cells to HIV infection at the virus cell-entry level and at the reverse transcription level, it efficiently reactivates HIV-1 from pre- and postintegration latency in resting CD4(+) T cells.


Abuse of flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) and other benzodiazepines in Austin and south Texas.
Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) is a benzodiazepine sedative-hypnotic that has generated significant media attention in the United States because of its abuse and its association with "date rape." A field investigation was conducted in south Texas to ascertain the nature and consequences of the abuse of flunitrazepam. In semistructured interviews, 66 subjects identified as flunitrazepam users were asked about their use of alcohol and other drugs and their sexual behaviors. Many subjects identified the drugs they had used as "roches" and gave descriptions of tablets of other benzodiazepines that were not consistent with flunitrazepam. Almost all subjects used other drugs, primarily alcohol and marijuana. Adverse consequences included amnesia, discoordination, automobile accidents, sexual assault, and respiratory depression or arrest. A significant proportion of the subjects reported that continued use was unappealing to them. The abuse of sedative-hypnotics in southeast Texas involves several benzodiazepines and is not limited to flunitrazepam.


Patient-therapist interaction in the behavioral treatment of panic disorder with agoraphobia.
Although effective behavioral techniques have been developed, what aspects of the patient-therapist interaction affect treatment outcome remain largely unknown. This study hypothesized that the interaction between patient and therapist develops over several phases. Further, the association between behavior modes and treatment outcome was expected to alter as that interaction developed. Thirty patients diagnosed with panic disorder with agoraphobia were treated with a standardized behavioral treatment program of 12 sessions. The interpersonal verbal therapist and patient behavior modes were studied at Sessions 1, 3, and 10, using an observational instrument. It was found that behavior modes change over the course of treatment, in line with predictions derived from social-psychological models. The hypothesis that establishing a therapeutic relationship requires an empathic and nondirective stance by the therapist in Session 1 was partly confirmed.