Diffuse reflectance FTIR study of the interaction of alumina surfaces with ozone and water vapor.
The interaction of ozone with alumina has been examined at ambient temperature as a function of ozone concentration and relative humidity. The experiments used diffuse reflectance FTIR spectroscopy in a small flow reactor, which provided control of the temperature, pressure, and composition of the gas mixture to which the sample was continuously exposed. Treatment of alumina with ozone produced a new spectroscopic feature at 1380 cm(-1), which we attribute to an aluminum oxide species formed by interaction of O3 with Lewis acid sites on the alumina surface. After exposure of the alumina sample to O3 was stopped, subsequent exposure of the sample to humidified nitrogen resulted in the slow removal of the peak at 1380 cm(-1). Simultaneously, the uptake of water by the alumina increased as indicated by the growth of the adsorbed water features which extend from approximately 3700 to 2500 cm(-1). Treatment of dry alumina with humidified ozone strongly inhibited both the rate of formation of the spectral feature at 1380 cm(-1) and its limiting extent of formation. These observations are analyzed in terms of the adsorption and surface reaction properties of ozone on alumina. The observation that the new oxide feature on alumina, produced by reaction with ozone, can be removed by water is important for assessing the ability of mineral dust aerosols to process atmospheric trace gases over a significant time scale. We believe the work reported here to be the first direct and quantitative kinetic study of the competition between O3 and water for adsorption sites on alumina.


Influence of Helminthosporium maydis, Race T, Toxin on Potassium Uptake in Maize Roots.
The effect of a toxin extract of Helminthosporium maydis, race T on K(+) ((86)Rb) uptake by excised root segments of normal (N) and Texas cytoplasmic male-sterile (T) versions of corn inbred W64A was investigated. The uptake of K(+) was inhibited in both N and T roots by the toxin. This was true for both basal (freshly excised) and augmented (pretreated with aeration) K(+) uptake. Augmented uptake was more toxin-sensitive than basal uptake (irrespective of cytoplasm type), and the augmented uptake in T roots was seven to eight times more toxin-sensitive than in N roots.Specific zones of roots differed in their basal and augmented K(+) uptake rates as well as their toxin sensitivities. The root apex of T was more sensitive to toxin than the apex of N roots when basal K(+) uptake was measured. In mature zones of the root, T was more sensitive than N when augmented rates were measured. During the development of the augmented K(+) uptake capacity in either N or T roots, the sensitivity to the toxin did not change; uptake in N roots was inhibited by 10 to 25% and uptake in T roots was inhibited by 70 to 80%.The difference in toxin sensitivity of K(+) uptake between N and T roots may be due to N possessing a protective mechanism which is deficient in T.


Multihormonal regulation of the human, rat, and bovine growth hormone promoters: differential effects of 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate, thyroid hormone, and glucocorticoids.
We have analyzed the effects of a variety of hormones on activity of the rat GH (rGH), human GH, (hGH), and bovine GH (bGH) promoters. After transient transfection of rat pituitary tumor cells, all three promoters are induced by addition of 8-bromo-cAMP. Sequences required for the cAMP responsiveness of the hGH and rGH promoter lie within 183 base pairs of the mRNA start site. Although the rGH promoter is thyroid hormone (T3) responsive in this system, a construct containing 2.7 kilobases of the hGH promoter 5'-flanking sequences is not. Since we also found that the bGH promoter is T3 responsive in these cells, the hGH results are not likely to be due to a species specific factor required for induction in rat pituitary cells. The hGH promoter is weakly induced by dexamethasone whereas the rGH promoter does not respond to glucocorticoids. The hGH and rGH promoters are not responsive to TRH. These results illustrate the potential heterogeneity in hormonal responses of the same gene in different species.


Bladder teratoma with pilimiction in a male adolescent.
Teratomas are tumors consisting of two or three germ layers, seen commonly during childhood. Mature teratomas are benign and demonstrate well differentiated tissues such as sebaceous glands, hair, and teeth. Bladder is a very rare extragonadal site for teratoma, moreover so in adults. Presentation may vary from with irritative lower urinary tract symptoms or urinary retention to pilimiction (passage of hair in the urine). We hereby present a case of mature teratoma of the urinary bladder, with a classical symptom of pilimiction, in a 22-year-old male patient, which to our knowledge is the first male case reported in the literature.


Pancreatic tuberculosis.
A 63-year-old Japanese man visited our institute with fever of unknown origin. Findings on preoperative imaging modalities were consistent with pancreatic carcinoma, but a positive tuberculin skin test indicated tuberculosis infection. Negative results for MycobacteriumDNA polymerase chain reaction from sputum and bone-marrow aspiration biopsy specimens ruled out pulmonary and miliary tuberculosis, respectively. Positron emission tomography (PET) with 2-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy- d-glucose (FDG) showed multiple labeled spots within the pancreas body and chest. Distal pancreatectomy was performed with a diagnosis of suspected pancreatic carcinoma, but the histological and microbiological diagnosis was Mycobacterium infection. A rare case of pancreatic tuberculosis evaluated by FDG PET is reported and discussed herein.


In vivo impedance evaluation of Au/PI microelectrode with surface modulated by alkanethiolate self-assembled monolayers.
The goal of this study was to verify that a fully implanted microelectrode with modulated surface may have a reduced rising rate of total impedance and a longer life time. In the previous work, alkanethiolate self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) surface as protein-resistant spacer or cell-repulsive dense-packed spacer has been verified from in vitro experiments. In this study, microelectrodes with the same surface modulation were implanted into the subcutaneous layers of Wistar rats. Nine rats were implanted with the microelectrodes and the total impedance data were measured every 24 h for 2 weeks after implantation. An equivalent electrical circuit model of the electrode-tissue interface was established and parameters were estimated by using an optimization algorithm. Four out of nine rats had manifested acute inflammation reaction and the rests revealed only slight tissue response. Histological examination for the inflammatory group showed fibroblasts, macrophages, and polymorphonuclear leukocytes in adjacent to the electrode contact surface. In the inflammatory group, no significantly difference in total impedance was found in both types of electrodes. However, the trend of total impedance of SAMs-treated electrodes could maintain a steady state value after 1 week. For the non-inflammatory group, both types of electrodes could reduce the impedance value within implanted days. The tissue resistance might be related to the thickness of cells adhered upon the electrode contacts.


Topo IIα gene alterations correlated with survival in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
Topoisomerase IIα (topo IIα) protein expression has prognostic significance in many cancers. However, it is still unclear whether topo IIα protein expression and gene alterations play roles as prognostic factors in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We selected 102 patients with DLBCL who were homogeneously treated with CHOP chemotherapy and followed up. Using tissue microarray technology, all of the cases, consisting of 25 germinal centre B-cell-like (GCB) and 77 nongerminal centre B-cell-like (non-GCB) types, were studied. Topo IIα protein expression was detected by immunohistochemistry. Gene copy number of topo IIα was analysed by chromogenic in situ hybridization. Cox regression, chi-square test and Kaplan-Meier statistics were performed using SPSS 15·0. Topo IIα protein overexpression was found in 91 (91/102, 89·2%) cases, while topo IIα gene amplification was absent in all cases. Chromosome 17 deletion was identified in 3 (3/102, 2·9%) cases, diploid in 66 (66/102, 64·7%) cases and aneuploidy in 33 (33/102, 32·4%) cases. By multivariate analysis, no significant differences in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were observed in patients with topo IIα protein overexpression (P > 0·05), while chromosome 17 aneuploidy predicted worse PFS and OS (P < 0·001). These results suggested that chromosome 17 aneuploidy, but not topo IIα protein expression, could predict worse survival in patients with DLBCL.


Phylogenetic Analysis Reveals Source Attribution Patterns for Campylobacter spp. in Tennessee and Pennsylvania.
Campylobacteriosis is the most common bacterial foodborne illness in the United States and is frequently associated with foods of animal origin. The goals of this study were to compare clinical and non-clinical Campylobacter populations from Tennessee (TN) and Pennsylvania (PA), use phylogenetic relatedness to assess source attribution patterns, and identify potential outbreak clusters. Campylobacter isolates studied (n = 3080) included TN clinical isolates collected and sequenced for routine surveillance, PA clinical isolates collected from patients at the University of Pennsylvania Health System facilities, and non-clinical isolates from both states for which sequencing reads were available on NCBI. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted to categorize isolates into species groups and determine the population structure of each species. Most isolates were C. jejuni (n = 2132, 69.2%) and C. coli (n = 921, 29.9%), while the remaining were C. lari (0.4%), C. upsaliensis (0.3%), and C. fetus (0.1%). The C. jejuni group consisted of three clades; most non-clinical isolates were of poultry (62.7%) or cattle (35.8%) origin, and 59.7 and 16.5% of clinical isolates were in subclades associated with poultry or cattle, respectively. The C. coli isolates grouped into two clades; most non-clinical isolates were from poultry (61.2%) or swine (29.0%) sources, and 74.5, 9.2, and 6.1% of clinical isolates were in subclades associated with poultry, cattle, or swine, respectively. Based on genomic similarity, we identified 42 C. jejuni and one C. coli potential outbreak clusters. The C. jejuni clusters contained 188 clinical isolates, 19.6% of the total C. jejuni clinical isolates, suggesting that a larger proportion of campylobacteriosis may be associated with outbreaks than previously determined.


Two new polyketides from endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis sp. HQD-6 isolated from the Chinese mangrove plant Rhizophora mucronata.
Mangrove endophytic fungi were proved to be a prolific resources for bioactive secondary metabolites. Two new polyketides, pestalotiopin B (1) and pestalotiopyrone N (2) were obtained from the ethyl acetate extracts of the rice solid cultures of the mangrove endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis sp. HQD-6. The structures of 1 and 2 were determined by detailed interpretation of NMR spectroscopic analysis and HR-ESIMS. All of the isolates were evaluated for their antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities.


ZD0947, a sulphonylurea receptor modulator, detects functional sulphonylurea receptor subunits in murine vascular smooth muscle ATP-sensitive K+ channels.
In order to identify functional sulphonylurea receptor (SUR.x) subunits of native ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels) in mouse portal vein, the effects of ZD0947, a SUR.x modulator, were investigated on spontaneous portal vein contractions, macroscopic membrane currents and unitary currents recorded (using patch-clamp techniques) in freshly dispersed mouse portal vein myocytes. Spontaneous contractions in mouse portal vein were reversibly reduced by ZD0947 in a concentration-dependent manner (Ki =293nM). The relaxation elicited by 3µM ZD0947 was antagonized by the additional application of glibenclamide (300nM), but not gliclazide (100-300nM). In the conventional whole-cell configuration, 100µM ZD0947 elicited inward glibenclamide-sensitive currents at a holding potential of -60mV that demonstrated selectivity for K+(i.e. KATP currents). The peak amplitude of the membrane current elicited by 30µM or 100µM ZD0947 was smaller than that elicited by 100µM pinacidil at -60mV. In the cell-attached mode, 100µM ZD0947 activated glibenclamide-sensitive K+ channels with a conductance (35 pS) similar to that of recombinant Kir6.1/SUR2B channels that were expressed in HEK293 cells and activated by 100µM ZD0947. These results demonstrate that ZD0947 caused a significant vascular relaxation through the activation of KATP channels and that SUR2B may be the major functional subunit of SUR.x in mouse portal vein KATP channels, based on its pharmacological selectivity.


Effect of progressive muscle relaxation in female health care professionals.
Increasing population, fast paced industrialization, increased, competitiveness, unanticipated problems in the work place have increased the stress among the females working in health care in recent times. The aim of the following study is to detect the stress levels among female health care professionals in the age group of 25-35 years and its impact on health. A prospective cross-sectional pilot project was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Eastern part of India, after receiving approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee and informed consent form was taken from the subjects. Stress level in the subjects was assessed according to the presumptive life event stress scale. Females with scores above 200 were selected. For these, initial assessment of anthropometric measurement, electrocardiogram and lipid profile analysis, resting pulse rate, blood pressure, physical fitness index (PFI), breath holding time (BHT), isometric hand grip (IHG) test results were evaluated and recorded. All subjects were given training of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) for 3 months. After 3 months, the lipid profile and vital parameters, Perceived Stress Scale values were re-evaluated and subjects were asked to repeat the same exercises and data thus recorded were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16 (SPSS Inc. Released 2007. SPSS for Windows, Version 16.0. Chicago, SPSS Inc.). Significant decrease in resting heart rate, blood pressure and Perceived Stress Scale levels was seen after PMR training in the subjects. Results of BHT, IHG tests and PFI were significantly increased after PMR training. There was a significant decrease in total cholesterol, triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in subjects after practicing PMR for 3 months. Increasing stress among female health care professionals is a cause for concern and there is a need to adopt early life-style modification by practicing relaxation exercises to ameliorate stress and to improve not only their quality-of-life in general, but patient care in particular.


Differential induction of peroxisomal enzymes by hypolipidaemics in human (HepG2) and rat (MH1C1) hepatoma cell lines.
Human (HepG2) and rat (MH1C1) hepatoblastoma cells were incubated with different concentrations of the hypolipidaemics cetaben, clofibrate and thyroxine. The enzymatic activities of catalase, peroxisomal bifunctional enzyme, succinate dehydrogenase, and 3-oxoacyl-CoA thiolase were measured. In order to determine the point of regulation of the enzymatic activities Northern and Slot blot experiments with probes for peroxisomal bifunctional enzyme, catalase and fatty acyl CoA oxidase were performed on total RNA. Catalase activity was enhanced in HepG2 cells treated with 3 mmol/l clofibric acid to 135% of control and the mRNA value to 2.6 fold, whereas in cetaben treated cells the enhancement (up to 119% of control) was less pronounced. In MH1C1 cells catalase activity was not changed by any of the drugs. The activity of the peroxisomal bifunctional enzyme was not affected in HepG2 cells by clofibric acid and cetaben, whereas the mRNA level was elevated to 2.3 fold by 10 micromol/l cetaben. At high concentrations of cetaben all enzyme activities were decreased in both cell lines due to its high cytotoxicity. Our data show that, due to the differences in the genomic organisation, the regulation of the enzyme activities is different in human and rat, but the results from the human and rat hepatoblastoma cells correlate with the findings in whole man and rat, so that a human in vitro system is more suitable for pharmacological tests. These results suggest that the human hepatoma cell line HepG2 may be a useful model system for studies of the influence of hypolipidaemics on the peroxisomal enzyme system.


Comparative efficacy of captopril and atenolol in moderately severe essential hypertension.
A randomized, double-blind study was undertaken to compare atenolol and captopril as second-step agents in the treatment of essential hypertension resistant to 5 mg bendrofluazide daily. Using a cross-over technique 28 patients were administered each drug sequentially for periods of 8 weeks with an intervening washout period of 2 weeks. Both drugs produced a significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P less than 0.01). Captopril was more effective than atenolol at reducing diastolic pressure (P less than 0.05), but there was no significant difference in the systolic pressure. Neither drug produced side effects of a serious nature, but untoward symptoms were more frequent with atenolol. The effect of the drugs on myocardial function was assessed by comparing pre-treatment with post-treatment left ventricular ejection fractions, both at rest and with exercise, measured by MUGA scan. The resting ejection fraction was unaffected by either drug. During exercise, on captopril, the ejection fraction showed the normal increase over the resting baseline, but on atenolol there was no such increase.


Construction and evaluation of a prognostic risk model of tumor metastasis-related genes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
Lung cancer is a high-incidence cancer, and it is also the most common cause of cancer death worldwide. 80-85% of lung cancer cases can be classified as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). NSCLC transcriptome data and clinical information were downloaded from the TCGA database and GEO database. Firstly, we analyzed and identified the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between non-metastasis group and metastasis group of NSCLC in the TCGA database, Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were consulted to explore the functions of the DEGs. Thereafter, univariate Cox regression and LASSO Cox regression algorithms were applied to identify prognostic metastasis-related signature, followed by the construction of the risk score model and nomogram for predicting the survival of NSCLC patients. GSEA analyzed that differentially expressed gene-related signaling pathways in the high-risk group and the low-risk group. The survival of NSCLC patients was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. ROC curve was plotted to evaluate the accuracy of the model. Finally, the GEO database was further applied to verify the metastasis‑related prognostic signature. In total, 2058 DEGs were identified. GO functions and KEGG pathways analysis results showed that the DEGs mainly concentrated in epidermis development, skin development, and the pathway of Neuro active ligand -receptor interaction in cancer. A six-gene metastasis-related risk signature including C1QL2, FLNC, LUZP2, PRSS3, SPIC, and GRAMD1B was constructed to predict the overall survival of NSCLC patients. The reliability of the gene signature was verified in GSE13213. The NSCLC patients were grouped into low-risk and high-risk groups based on the median value of risk scores. And low-risk patients had lower risk scores and longer survival time. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression verified that this signature was an independent risk factor for NSCLC. Our study identified 6 metastasis biomarkers in the NSCLC. The biomarkers may contribute to individual risk estimation, survival prognosis.


WEE1 inhibition induces anti-tumor immunity by activating ERV and the dsRNA pathway.
Targeted therapies represent attractive combination partners with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) to increase the population of patients who benefit or to interdict the emergence of resistance. We demonstrate that targeting WEE1 up-regulates immune signaling through the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) viral defense pathway with subsequent responsiveness to immune checkpoint blockade even in cGAS/STING-deficient tumors, which is a typical phenotype across multiple cancer types. WEE1 inhibition increases endogenous retroviral elements (ERVs) expression by relieving SETDB1/H3K9me3 repression through down-regulating FOXM1. ERVs trigger dsRNA stress and interferon response, increasing recruitment of anti-tumor T cells with concurrent PD-L1 elevation in multiple tumor models. Furthermore, combining WEE1 inhibition and PD-L1 blockade induced striking tumor regression in a CD8+ T cell-dependent manner. A WEE1 inhibition-induced viral defense signature provides a potentially informative biomarker for patient selection for combination therapy with WEE1 and ICB. WEE1 inhibition stimulates anti-tumor immunity and enhances sensitivity to ICB, providing a rationale for the combination of WEE1 inhibitors and ICB in clinical trials.


Differential regulation of leptin synthesis in rats during short-term hypoxia and short-term carbon monoxide inhalation.
Leptin is a circulating hormone that is secreted primarily by adipose tissue. However, recent studies have demonstrated leptin production by other tissues, including placenta, stomach, kidney, liver, and lung, a process not only activated by stimuli such as insulin or corticosteroids, but also by hypoxia, which is mediated by the hypoxia inducible factor-1. In contrast to this fact, smokers have lower plasma leptin levels. The purpose of this study was to determine whether tissue hypoxygenation [induced by lack of oxygen] or inhalation of carbon monoxide (CO) are sufficient to up-regulate leptin in fat cells as well as in peripheral organs such as lung, liver, and kidney of rats. In hypoxic rats, leptin expression was unchanged or even reduced in adipose tissue. In contrast, in liver, kidney, and lung we observed an increase in leptin expression compared with normoxic controls, whereas plasma levels were unchanged. When animals were exposed to CO, generating a functional anemia known to activate the HIF-1-dependent transcription, a significant decrease in leptin gene expression in adipose tissue and in all organs tested was observed. Plasma leptin concentrations after CO exposure were significantly diminished compared with those in control animals. These findings suggest that tissue hypoxygenation up-regulates leptin expression in nonadipose tissue. However, this is not sufficient to raise plasma leptin levels in rats. Inhalation of CO leads to a significant decrease in leptin mRNA and protein concentration in the plasma of the animals, suggesting a negative effect of CO on leptin transcription.


Occurrence and sorption behaviour of bisphenols and benzophenone UV-filters in e-waste plastic and vehicle fluff.
Bisphenols and benzophenone UV-filters are hazardous, high production volume chemicals. There is concern that these contaminants could leach into the environment or be recycled into new products during waste management. To investigate this, nine bisphenols and five benzophenones were quantified in Norwegian e-waste and car fluff. To understand their leachability, equilibrium passive sampling methodology, using polyoxymethylene (POM), was calibrated for these substances, many of which for the first time. This method can differentiate freely dissolved substances in the aqueous phase from those sorbed to suspended colloids and microplastics in the leachate water. Equilibrium POM partitioning was reached within 14 days of shaking; all bisphenols and benzophenone UV-filters exhibited linear isotherms (R2 ranged from 0.83 to 1.0), when deriving POM-water partition coefficients (KPOM). Bisphenol A and bisphenol F displayed the highest concentrations, with maximum levels of 246,000 and 42,400 ng g-1, respectively. Logarithms of waste-water partition coefficients (log Kwaste) ranged from 1.7 (benzophenone 2) to 4.5 (bisphenol P). The established KPOM values agreed with measured Kwaste values (within a factor of ~3), unlike octanol-water partition coefficients. This indicated that POM is a better surrogate for waste plastic partitioning than octanol. Results are discussed in the context of assessing risks from waste management in a circular economy.


An Emulation of Randomized Trials of Administrating Benzodiazepines in PTSD Patients for Outcomes of Suicide-Related Events.
Benzodiazepines is a class of medications frequently prescribed to patients with post-traumatic stress disorder. Patients with PTSD have a notable increased risk of suicide compared to the general population. These medications have been theorized to increase suicidality and pose a risk when used in this patient population. Previous research has found little utility of using benzodiazepines in the PTSD population. However, benzodiazepines are still commonly prescribed by some clinicians for their symptomatic benefit. This study aims to identify the comparative efficacy of commonly prescribed benzodiazepines including midazolam, lorazepam, alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam and temazepam in relation to suicide-related behaviors (SRBs). A total of 38,807 patients who had an ICD9 or ICD10 diagnosis of PTSD from January 2004 to October 2019 were identified through an electronic medical record database. Inclusion criteria include patients that initiated one of the above benzodiazepines after PTSD diagnosis. Exclusion criteria include previous history of benzodiazepine usage or history of SRBs within the last year prior to enrollment. For patients enrolled in this study, other concomitant drugs were not limited. The primary outcome was onset of SRBs with each respective benzodiazepine. SRBs were identified as ideation, attempt, or death from suicide. We emulated clinical trials of head-to-head comparison between two drugs by pooled logistic regression methods with the Firth option adjusting for baseline characteristics and post-baseline confounders. A total of 5753 patients were eligible for this study, with an average follow up of 5.82 months. The overall incidence for SRB was 1.51% (87/5753). Head-to-head comparisons identified that patients who received alprazolam had fewer SRBs compared to clonazepam (p = 0.0351) and lorazepam (p = 0.0373), and patients taking midazolam experienced fewer relative incidences of SRBs when compared to lorazepam (p = 0.0021) and clonazepam (p = 0.0297). After adjusting for the false discovery rate (FDR), midazolam still had fewer SRBs compared to lorazepam (FDR-adjusted p value = 0.0315). Certain benzodiazepines may provide a reduced risk of development of SRBs, suggesting careful consideration when prescribing benzodiazepines to the PTSD population.


CDKL5/Stk9 kinase inactivation is associated with neuronal developmental disorders.
X-linked cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5 or STK9) has recently been implicated in atypical Rett and X-linked West syndromes, severe neurological disorders associated with mental retardation, loss of communication and motor skills and infantile spasms and seizures in predominantly females. Besides CDKL5, these disease phenotypes are also linked to mutations in the MECP2 and ARX genes. Here, we have expressed and characterized CDKL5 and its mutant forms. CDKL5 is a 118 kDa protein that is widely distributed in all tissues, with highest levels in brain, thymus and testes. Whole mount embryo staining reveals CDKL5 to be ubiquitous. Within cells, CDKL5 is localized primarily in the nucleus. Removal of the C-terminal domain increases CDKL5 expression, enhances autophosphorylation activity and causes perinuclear localization, indicating that the C-terminus regulates CDKL5 function. Although we detect MeCP2 but not ARX binding to CDKL5, our results suggest that neither of these proteins are direct substrates of the CDKL5 kinase. Finally, the CDKL5 mutations associated with the disease phenotype cause loss of kinase activity as assessed by autophosphorylation. These results suggest that inactivation of the CDKL5 kinase can lead to severe neurodevelopmental disorders.


Surgical treatment in malignant pleural effusion.
Malignant pleural effusion can be described as the presence of exudate in the pleural space, accompanied by the detection of cancer cells in pleural fluid or tissue, which is the indicator of the disease in its advance stages, and survival time of these patients ranges between 3 and 12 months. Treatment options for malignant pleural effusion vary from observation in asymptomatic patients to pleurectomies or even extrapleural pneumonectomies in severe cases.


Effect of Particle Concentration on Surfactant-Induced Alteration of the Contact Line Deposition in Evaporating Sessile Droplets.
Controlling and suppressing the so-called "coffee-ring effect" (CRE) is an issue of cardinal importance and intense interest in many industries and scientific fields. Here, the combined effect of the particle and surfactant concentration on the CRE is investigated by gradually adding Triton X-100 surfactant to colloidal suspensions of SiO2 nanoparticles in ethanol for various particle concentrations. First, the effect of particle concentration on the contact line dynamics during the evaporation of a sessile droplet is investigated. It is shown that increasing the particle concentration leads to an increase in pinning time and ring width, whereas the droplet's initial and dynamic contact angle remains unchanged. Afterward, the effect of different concentrations of surfactant is studied for different particle concentrations. It is concluded that the surfactant concentration at which the CRE is suppressed is dependent on the initial particle concentration of the colloid, and it increases as the particle concentration increases. Furthermore, as adding surfactant with a concentration lower than this critical concentration results in an unsuppressed CRE, it is shown that surpassing this concentration will result in a depletion of particles in the contact line. Moreover, it is demonstrated that this critical surfactant concentration has no significant effect on the droplet's geometry and the total evaporation time.


A comparison of naïve and sophisticated subject behavior with game theoretic predictions.
We use an extensive form two-person game as the basis for two experiments designed to compare the behavior of two groups of subjects with each other and with the subgame perfect theoretical prediction in an anonymous interaction protocol. The two subject groups are undergraduates and advanced graduate students, the latter having studied economics and game theory. There is no difference in their choice behavior, and both groups depart substantially from game theoretic predictions. We also compare a subsample of the same graduate students with a typical undergraduate sample in an asset trading environment in which inexperienced undergraduates invariably produce substantial departures from the rational expectations prediction. In this way, we examine how robust are the results across two distinct anonymous interactive environments. In the constant sum trading game, the graduate students closely track the predictions of rational theory. Our interpretation is that the graduate student subjects' departure from subgame perfection to achieve cooperative outcomes in the two-person bargaining game is a consequence of a deliberate strategy and is not the result of error or inadequate learning.


Running mileage, movement mileage, and fitness in male U.S. Navy recruits.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between overall fitness improvement and varying amounts of running and movement mileage. Subjects were male U.S. Navy recruits (N = 1703, 25 divisions), ages 17-35 yr (mean age = 20.1 +/- 2.9 yr), who attended boot camp from April 1996 through August 1996. During the first week of training, recruits performed a 1.5-mile run to determine baseline fitness levels. The results from the initial run were compared with a final 1.5-mile run conducted 6 wk later. Based on an age-adjusted fitness scale for a 1.5-mile run time, about one third of the recruits began recruit training in "Excellent-Superior" condition (N = 558), one third began in "Good" condition (N = 582), and one third began in "Poor-Fair" condition (N = 563). Running mileage among divisions ranged from 11.5 to 43.5 miles for the entire 7-wk training period (mean = 22.7 +/- 7.2 miles; 8-22 run days, mean = 13 +/- 4 d). In addition to running, the divisions accumulated many movement miles (110-202 miles; mean = 145 +/- 26 miles) while marching in formation. Recruits who began training in Poor-Fair condition improved the most with an average decrease in run time of 1:55 +/- 1:06 min (15.6% improvement). The Good group improved by 47 +/- 37 s (7.3% improvement), and the Excellent-Superior group improved by 17 +/- 32 s (2.9% improvement). The magnitude of fitness improvement, as measured by run time improvement, was directly related to baseline fitness level but not related to movement mileage or high-intensity run mileage accrued during training.


Synthesis and photophysical properties of 1,2-diphenylindolizine derivatives: fluorescent blue-emitting materials for organic light-emitting device.
New blue-emitting materials based on 1,2-diphenylindolizine were designed and synthesized through a microwave-assisted Suzuki coupling reaction. The photophysical, electrochemical, and thermal properties of the 1,2-diphenylindolizine derivatives were investigated using UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. The 1,2-diphenylindolizine derivatives had band gaps of 3.1-3.4 eV and indicated proper emission of around 450 nm without significant difference between in solution and thin solid film. The indolizine derivatives show an enhanced thermal stability (∆Tm > 100 °C), compared with 1,2-diphenylindolizine. These results suggest the 1,2-diphenylindolizine derivatives are suitable for blue-emitting materials in organic light-emitting devices.


Signal amplification on a DNA-tile-based biosensor with enhanced sensitivity.
Herein, we report our work to improve the detection sensitivity of a DNA-tile-based and self-assembled biosensing platform. This was achieved using hybridization chain reaction (HCR) as a signal amplifier on a water-soluble self-assembled DNA nanoarray carrying detection probes. The fluorescence enhancement on the addition of specific detection targets was observed directly by confocal fluorescence microscopy. The versatility of the system was demonstrated by successful detection of SARS viral DNA and ATP. Improvement of sensitivity by two orders of magnitude was achieved for both targets, compared with our previously reported system without signal amplification. In summary, this work provides proof-of-concept that HCR can occur efficiently on DNA-tile-based nanoarrays, thus facilitating more sensitive detection. The merging of HCR with combinatorial encoding systems to realize highly sensitive and multiplexed biosensing may provide new tools for nanomedical applications.


Insulin-like growth factor-I: compartmentalization within the somatotropic axis?
Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is essential for normal growth; igf-1 gene mutations are associated with extreme growth retardation in mice and, very rarely, in humans. The relative contributions of tissue vs. endocrine (hepatic) IGF-I to the regulation of growth has been a fundamental question. New gene targeting technologies are providing answers for these questions.


You Wouldn't Sober, You Shouldn't Drunk: A Behavioural Change Approach to Changing Attitudes and Responses to Unwanted Sexual Attention in Pubs and Clubs.
The objective was to evaluate a campaign designed to influence social norms and re-establish boundaries around the issue of unwanted sexual attention in pubs and clubs. In particular, the campaign aimed to raise awareness, and reduce the acceptability, of unwanted sexual attention when drunk. A before-after-with-control group study design was used to evaluate campaign effectiveness. The data was further segmented to explore gender differences and between individuals who reported enjoying going out to get drunk and those who did not. The experimental group with campaign recall demonstrated a significant change in their attitudes to harmful drinking behaviours and unwanted sexual attention compared to the control group. A number of gender differences as well as drink-enjoyment-related differences pre- and post-campaign were observed. Female respondents who were able to recall the campaign demonstrated a significantly lower tolerance of unwanted sexual attention than those who were unable to recall it in either the experimental or control regions. The campaign had limited impact on people who enjoy drunken night outs (DNOs). However, those who do not enjoy DNOs demonstrated significantly higher negative attitudes towards harmful drinking post-campaign recall. The campaign was effective in shifting attitudes towards unwanted sexual attention and harmful drinking behaviour. This was particularly observed among female respondents and those who do not enjoy DNOs. Drinkaware's 'You Wouldn't Sober, You Shouldn't Drunk' behavioural change campaign targets young adults living in North-West England participating in 'drunken nights out'. The experimental group with campaign recall demonstrated a significant change in their attitudes to harmful drinking behaviours and unwanted sexual attention compared to the control group.


Women's advancement in medicine and academia: barriers and future perspectives.
Although women made early advancements in the field of medicine during the second half of the 19th century, they were not able to make relevant strides in both medicine and academia until the 1960s. Despite women's recent advancements, obstacles and barriers to their hope of achieving fairness and equality in their professional and academic careers still exist. These practices include professional discrimination, blatant sexism, lack of appropriate mentors, and unfair faculty promotion processes. In this article, we address the most common problems affecting women physicians' advancement in academic medicine. We also focus on the role of mentorship as a relevant and beneficial factor for progress in their medical and academic careers. Finally, we provide a perspective designed to resolve most of the barriers confronting women physicians in their quest for advancement in academic medicine.


Selenium supplementation and premature (pre-labour) rupture of membranes: a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
The aim was to determine if selenium supplementation during pregnancy reduces the occurrence of premature (pre-labour) rupture of membranes (PROM). A total of 166 primigravid pregnant women in the first trimester of pregnancy, were randomised to receive 100 microg of selenium (n = 83, drop-outs = 22) or a placebo (n = 83, drop-outs = 19) per day until delivery. The incidence of PROM, as well as serum selenium concentrations were evaluated at baseline and at the end of the study. Supplementation with selenium was associated with a significant increase in mean serum selenium concentration at term (p < 0.001). In contrast, mean serum selenium concentration remained unchanged in the control group (p > 0.05). The incidence of PROM was significantly lower in the selenium group (n = 8, 13.1%) than in the control group (n = 22, 34.4%) (p < 0.01). Our findings indicate that selenium supplementation (100 microg/day) in pregnant women effectively reduces the incidence of PROM.


Airborne severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus concentrations in a negative-pressure isolation room.
This study used a sensitive polymerase chain reaction method coupled with filter sampling to detect the presence of airborne severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus in an isolation patient room with a patient with severe acute respiratory syndrome receiving mechanical ventilatory support. Polymerase chain reaction results were negative for SARS coronavirus in room air both before and after patient extubation.


[Changes in the properties of the vaccinia virus isolated in postvaccinal encephalitis].
Properties of 6 isolates of vaccinia virus isolated from the brain and cerebrospinal fluid in postvaccination encephalitis were studied in comparison with 2 production strains of vaccinia virus with which the children had been vaccinated. Significant differences were found between the strains isolated in postvaccination encephalitis and reference virus strains. The plaques produced by the isolates from brain and CSF were larger (and in some isolates had a hemorrhagic pattern). The isolates were highly pathogenic for chick embryos, reproduced more actively in cells of the chorioallantoic membrane of chick embryos at higher temperature of incubation (40 degrees C), more intensively accumulated in the liver and brain of chick embryos at 37 degrees C and 40 degrees C, produced more intensive lesions and necroses in rabbit skin. The isolates were markedly thermostable at 56 degrees C and insensitive to interferon. It is suggested that the increased pathogenicity of the virus is manifested in the presence of altered immune responsiveness of the host.


Wedge Defects on Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography of the Peripapillary Retina in Glaucoma: Prevalence and Associated Clinical Factors.
Among subjects with glaucoma, wedge-shaped defects on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) were associated with disc hemorrhages (DH), paracentral visual field (VF) defects, increased cup-to-disc ratio (CDR), and thinner retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL). To examine determinants of wedge defects on peripapillary OCTA in glaucoma. A total of 278 eyes of 186 subjects with mild to severe primary open-angle glaucoma underwent 6×6 spectral-domain OCTA imaging of the superficial peripapillary retina from 2016 to 2020 at an academic practice. Wedge defects were defined as focal microvasculature loss that extends outward from the optic nerve in an arcuate, wedge shape. Logistic regression models controlling for intereye correlation identified variables significantly associated with wedge defects. Eyes with profound microvasculature loss in both hemispheres were excluded. Candidate variables included: age, sex, race or ethnicity, diabetes, hypertension, follow-up duration, baseline untreated intraocular pressure, intraocular pressure at time of imaging, DH history, paracentral VF defects, CDR, central corneal thickness, spherical equivalent, VF mean deviation, RNFL thickness, and glaucoma stage. Of 278 eyes, 126 (45.3%) had wedge defects in at least 1 hemisphere. In our multivariable logistic regression model, wedge defects were associated with DH history [odds ratio (OR): 3.19, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05-9.69, P=0.041], paracentral VF defects [OR: 4.38 (95% CI: 2.11-9.11), P<0.0001], larger CDR [OR: 1.27 (95% CI: 1.03-1.56), P=0.024, per 0.1 increase], and thinner RNFL [OR: 1.71 (95% CI: 1.25-2.34), P=0.0009, per 10 μm decrease]. DH history and paracentral VF defects were independently associated with wedge defects on OCTA, which was present in 45.3% of primary open-angle glaucoma patients. These findings may provide insight into glaucoma pathogenesis.


Lytic and non-lytic permeabilization of cardiolipin-containing lipid bilayers induced by cytochrome C.
The release of cytochrome c (cyt c) from mitochondria is an important early step during cellular apoptosis, however the precise mechanism by which the outer mitochondrial membrane becomes permeable to these proteins is as yet unclear. Inspired by our previous observation of cyt c crossing the membrane barrier of giant unilamellar vesicle model systems, we investigate the interaction of cyt c with cardiolipin (CL)-containing membranes using the innovative droplet bilayer system that permits electrochemical measurements with simultaneous microscopy observation. We find that cyt c can permeabilize CL-containing membranes by induction of lipid pores in a dose-dependent manner, with membrane lysis eventually observed at relatively high (µM) cyt c concentrations due to widespread pore formation in the membrane destabilizing its bilayer structure. Surprisingly, as cyt c concentration is further increased, we find a regime with exceptionally high permeability where a stable membrane barrier is still maintained between droplet compartments. This unusual non-lytic state has a long lifetime (>20 h) and can be reversibly formed by mechanically separating the droplets before reforming the contact area between them. The transitions between behavioural regimes are electrostatically driven, demonstrated by their suppression with increasing ionic concentrations and their dependence on CL composition. While membrane permeability could also be induced by cationic PAMAM dendrimers, the non-lytic, highly permeable membrane state could not be reproduced using these synthetic polymers, indicating that details in the structure of cyt c beyond simply possessing a cationic net charge are important for the emergence of this unconventional membrane state. These unexpected findings may hold significance for the mechanism by which cyt c escapes into the cytosol of cells during apoptosis.


Antifibrogenic effect of IFN-alpha2b on hepatic stellate cell activation by human hepatocytes.
Liver fibrosis commonly occurs in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection as a consequence of the chronic liver damage, thus leading to the development of liver cirrhosis. When hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) become active, they play an essential role in liver fibrogenesis. In this study, interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), commonly elevated in chronic C hepatitis, stimulate the production of matrix metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9) by human hepatocytes at a transcriptional and translational level, but the addition of recombinant interferon-alpha2b (rIFN-alpha2b) hampers this effect. Furthermore, a human HSC line is activated in vitro by incubation with human MMP-9 in the presence of collagen I, and this effect is blocked by the MMP inhibitor BB94. A similar activation was observed when incubating HSCs with conditioned medium of hepatocytes previously stimulated with IL-1beta and TNF-alpha but not when using conditioned medium of hepatocytes costimulated with IL-1beta or TNF-alpha together with rIFN-alpha2b. In conclusion, our results show that hepatocytes stimulated by inflammatory cytokines participate in the activation of HSCs via MMP-9 production and that antiviral therapy modulates such activation.


Uteroplacental insufficiency induces site-specific changes in histone H3 covalent modifications and affects DNA-histone H3 positioning in day 0 IUGR rat liver.
Uteroplacental insufficiency and subsequent intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) increase the risk of adult onset insulin resistance and dyslipidemia in humans and rats. IUGR rats are further characterized by postnatal alterations in hepatic PPAR-gamma coactivator (PGC-1) and carnitine-palmitoyl-transferase I (CPTI) expression, as well as overall hyperacetylation of histone H3. However, it is unknown whether the histone H3 hyperacetylation is site specific or relates to the changes in gene expression previously described in IUGR rats. We therefore hypothesized that uteroplacental insufficiency causes site-specific modifications in hepatic H3 acetylation and affects the association of acetylated histone H3 with PGC-1 and CPTI promoter sequences. Uteroplacental insufficiency was used to produce asymmetrical IUGR rats. IUGR significantly increased acetylation of H3 lysine-9 (H3/K9), lysine-14 (H3/K14), and lysine-18 (H3/K18) at day 0 of life, and these changes occurred in association with decreased nuclear protein levels of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and HDAC activity. Chromatin immunoprecipitation using acetyl-H3/K9 antibody and day 0 chromatin revealed that uteroplacental insufficiency affected the association between acetylated H3/K9 and the promoters of PGC-1 and CPTI, respectively, in IUGR liver. At day 21 of life, the neonatal pattern of H3 hyperacetylation persisted only in the IUGR males. We conclude that uteroplacental insufficiency increases H3 acetylation in a site-specific manner in IUGR liver and that these changes persist in male IUGR animals. The altered association of the PGC-1 and CPTI promoters with acetylated H3/K9 correlates with previous reports of IUGR altering the expression of these genes. We speculate that in utero alterations of chromatin structure contribute to fetal programming.


Prenatal assessment of a fast-growing giant epignathus.
Epignathus is a very rare fetal tumor. We report a case of fast-growing giant epignathus with severe distortion of the right part of the face and orbit. A thorough prenatal work-up was performed by the association of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Ultrasonography. A multidisciplinary approach was crucial to assess the operability and provide careful counseling to help parents understand and reach decision.


Recent Advances in Arsenic Research: Significance of Differential Susceptibility and Sustainable Strategies for Mitigation.
Arsenic contamination in drinking water and associated adverse outcomes are one of the major health issues in more than 50 countries worldwide. The scenario is getting even more detrimental with increasing number of affected people and newer sites reported from all over the world. Apart from drinking water, the presence of arsenic has been found in various other dietary sources. Chronic arsenic toxicity affects multiple physiological systems and may cause malignancies leading to death. Exposed individuals, residing in the same area, developed differential dermatological lesion phenotypes and varied susceptibility toward various other arsenic-induced disease risk, even after consuming equivalent amount of arsenic from the similar source, over the same duration of time. Researches so far indicate that differential susceptibility plays an important role in arsenic-induced disease manifestation. In this comprehensive review, we have identified major population-based studies of the last 20 years, indicating possible causes of differential susceptibility emphasizing arsenic methylation capacity, variation in host genome (single nucleotide polymorphism), and individual epigenetic pattern (DNA methylation, histone modification, and miRNA expression). Holistic multidisciplinary strategies need to be implemented with few sustainable yet cost-effective solutions like alternative water source, treatment of arsenic-contaminated water, new adaptations in irrigation system, simple modifications in cooking strategy, and dietary supplementations to combat this menace. Our review focuses on the present perspectives of arsenic research with special emphasis on the probable causes of differential susceptibility toward chronic arsenic toxicity and sustainable remediation strategies.


Internal resourcefulness, task demands, coping, and dysphoric affect among caregivers of the frail elderly.
Internal resourcefulness is defined as the repertoire of skills and behaviors individuals employ to deal with negative affective states. The relationships among caregivers' internal resourcefulness, demands of the caregiving situation, and caregivers' self-reported coping behaviors were examined relative to changes in dysphoric affect over time. Primary caregivers of the frail elderly (N = 143) completed the following measures, at two time periods, approximately four months apart: Rosenbaum's Self Control Schedule, assessing internal resourcefulness; Poulshock and Deimling's list of tasks carried out for the frail elder; Zarit et al.'s Memory and Behavior Problem Check List assessing caregiver burden; Moos et al.'s Indices of Coping; and Beck et al.'s Depression Inventory as a means of assessing dysphoric affect. Although caregivers' reactions to the care recipients' annoying behaviors predicted negative affect at time 1 and avoidant coping behavior predicted negative affect at times 1 and 2, internal resourcefulness was the only significant predictor of changes in dysphoric affect over time. Decreased dysphoric affect among caregivers was linked to possession of a larger initial set of internal resources to deal with negative internal experiences.


Postoperative atelectasis and pneumonia: risk factors.
Postoperative pulmonary complications frequently lead to increased patient morbidity and mortality, hospital length of stay, and resource utilization. Atelectasis and infectious complications account for the majority of reported pulmonary complications. Risk factors are thought to exaggerate pulmonary function deterioration, which occurs both during and after surgical procedures. This article reviews the literature and describes risk factors frequently identified in relation to pre-, intra-, and postoperative settings, impact of each risk factor on pulmonary function, and issues related to risk factor evaluation. Eighteen risk factors are reviewed regarding their pathophysiologic impact on pre-, intra-, and postoperative pulmonary function. Key issues related to risk factor evaluation are also discussed. Identification of risk factors and prediction of postoperative pulmonary complications are important. Early identification of patients at risk for postoperative pulmonary complications can guide our respiratory care to prevent or minimize these complications.


Bowen v. Kendrick, 29 June 1988.
A group of taxpayers and religious leaders challenged the constitutionality of the Adolescent Family Life Act, which authorizes federal grants to public and nonpublic private organizations for services and research in the area of premarital adolescent sexual relations and pregnancy. They claimed that the Act violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the US Constitution because the Act provides that the complexity of the problem requires the involvement of religious organizations, and funds had been given to institutions with ties to religious organizations. The Court held that the Act does not violate the Establishment Clause since 1) the passage of the Act was motivated primarily by the legitimate secular purpose of eliminating or reducing social and economic problems caused by teenage sexuality, pregnancy, and parenthood; 2) the Act does not have the primary effect of advancing religion because the services provided are not religious in character; and 3) the Act does not create excessive entanglement of church and state. It remanded the case to the lower court to determine whether the Act was unconstitutional as applied to specific organizations.


Use of the Omaha System data to validate Medicare required outcomes in home care.
Millions of dollars have been spent developing standardized terminologies for nursing. However, many nurses are unaware of them, because vendors have not incorporated them into electronic health records (EHRs), and quality assurance staff and researchers have not benefited from reuse of the data to examine practice. Government regulations require the use of particular data sets, such as OASIS in home care. Most staff and agencies are focused on government-mandated data without realizing how the nationally recognized terminologies for nursing can benefit an agency. This article seeks to demonstrate the value of using the Omaha System in an EHR for documenting care and conducting Medicare's required Outcome-Based Quality Improvement process in one home care agency.


The impact of COVID-19 on statewide EMS use for cardiac emergencies and stroke in Massachusetts.
To evaluate the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on emergency medical services (EMS) use for time-sensitive medical conditions. We examined EMS use for cardiac arrest, stroke, and other cardiac emergencies across Massachusetts during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, evaluating their relationship to statewide COVID-19 incidence and a statewide emergency declaration. A retrospective analysis of all EMS calls between February 15 and May 15, 2020 and the same time period for 2019. EMS call volumes were compared before and after March 10, the date of a statewide emergency declaration. A total of 408,758 calls were analyzed, of which 49,405 (12.1%) represented stroke, cardiac arrest, or other cardiac emergencies. Average call volume before March 10 was similar in both years but decreased significantly after March 10, 2020 by 18.7% (P < 0.001). Compared to 2019, there were 35.6% fewer calls for cardiac emergencies after March 10, 2020 (153.6 vs 238.4 calls/day, P < 0.001) and 12.3% fewer calls for stroke (40.0 vs 45.6 calls/day, P = 0.04). Calls for cardiac arrest increased 18.2% (28.6 vs 24.2 calls/day, P < 0.001). Calls for respiratory concerns also increased (208.8 vs 199.7 calls/day, P < 0.001). There was no significant association between statewide incidence of COVID-19 and EMS call volume. EMS use for certain time-sensitive conditions decreased after a statewide emergency declaration, irrespective of actual COVID-19 incidence, suggesting the decrease was related to perception instead of actual case counts. These findings have implications for public health messaging. Measures must be taken to clearly inform the public that immediate emergency care for time-sensitive conditions remains imperative.


Inferring Agronomical Insights for Wheat Canopy Using Image-Based Curve Fit K-Means Segmentation Algorithm and Statistical Analysis.
Phenomics and chlorophyll fluorescence can help us to understand the various stresses a plant may undergo. In this research work, we observe the image-based morphological changes in the wheat canopy. These changes are monitored by capturing the maximum area of wheat canopy image that has maximum photosynthetic activity (chlorophyll fluorescence signals). The proposed algorithm presented here has three stages: (i) first, derivation of dynamic threshold value by curve fitting of data to eliminate the pixels of low-intensity value, (ii) second, extraction and segmentation of thresholded region by application of histogram-based K-means algorithm iteratively (this scheme of the algorithm is referred to as the curve fit K-means (CfitK-means) algorithm); and (iii) third, computation of 23 grey level cooccurrence matrix (GLCM) texture features (traits) from the wheat images has been done. These features help to do statistical analysis and infer agronomical insights. The analysis consists of correlation, factor, and agglomerative clustering to identify water stress indicators. A public repository of wheat canopy images was used that had normal and water stress response chlorophyll fluorescence images. The analysis of the feature dataset shows that all 23 features are proved fruitful in studying the changes in the shape and structure of wheat canopy due to water stress. The best segmentation algorithm was confirmed by doing exhaustive comparisons of seven segmentation algorithms. The comparisons showed that the best algorithm is CfitK-means as it has a maximum IoU score value of 95.75.


Recurrent cervical abscess due to piriform sinus fistula.
A case of recurrent abscess on the left anterior neck due to a left piriform sinus fistula is presented. It is known that a piriform sinus fistula may cause acute suppurative thyroiditis, and also that it induces the recurrent anterior cervical abscess described in this case. Here, we suggest that barium swallow is an important aid to diagnosis cases of recurrent cervical abscess.


Psychosis and functioning as risk factors for later suicidal activity among schizophrenia and schizoaffective patients: a disease-based interactive model.
The present research explores the relationship of positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and posthospital functioning to subsequent suicidal behavior over a 7 1/2-year period, and examines whether these patterns vary with diagnosis. The results support a multifactor model of suicide risk. Both psychosis and poor functioning show some relationship to later suicidal activity for both schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients. Psychosis may remain a risk factor for suicidal activity for schizoaffective patients, even when functioning is partialed out. This is in contrast to the schizophrenia patients, for whom funtioning seems to mediate the effects of psychosis on later suicidality. In general, adequacy of overall posthospital functioning mediates the effects of some risk factors on suicidal activity within different diagnostic groups.


Predicting women's and men's reactions to geographic separation: relational interdependence matters.
Participant sex and a theorized correlate of biological sex, relational interdependence, were tested as relative predictors of the extent to which daters 1) missed and 2) used emotional support to cope when geographically separated from their dating partners. One hundred twenty-four daters completed multiple measures of missing and coping during their colleges' winter breaks. Results from regression analyses indicated that levels of missing and seeking emotional support differed as a function of biological sex. Further, relational interdependence was reliably associated with missing and seeking emotional support in theoretically consistent ways. Mediation analyses highlighted the importance of considering relational interdependence or other individual differences that covary with biological sex when studying close relationship phenomena.


Protective effects of saffron (Crocus sativus) against lethal ventricular arrhythmias induced by heart reperfusion in rat: a potential anti-arrhythmic agent.
Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) has been used as a cuisine spice in eastern and western societies for thousands of years. In traditional medicine, saffron is recommended for the treatment of various kinds of disorders including heart palpitations. We investigated the hypothesis of the protective effect of saffron on lethal cardiac arrhythmias induced by heart ischemia-reperfusion in rat. Animals were divided into a control (CTL) group that received tap water, Saf50, Saf100 and Saf200 groups that were orally treated with aqueous extracts of saffron, at dosages of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg/day, respectively, and amiodarone (Amio) group that orally received 30 mg/kg/day for seven days. On day 8, heart ischemia-reperfusion was induced by ligation and releasing of the left anterior descending coronary artery. During reperfusion, the numbers and durations of ventricular fibrillation (VF) decreased in all groups compared to the CTL group (p < 0.05). Ventricular tachycardia (VT)/VF numbers (3.2 ± 1.2), durations (4.9 ± 2.6) and also arrhythmia severity (1.9 ± 0.35) were decreased significantly in the Saf100 group versus CTL group values (18.4 ± 11.6, 52 ± 31 and 3.3 ± 0.3, respectively). The PR and QTcn intervals of ECG were significantly longer in the Saf200 group (p < 0.001 versus CTL). The other doses of saffron only significantly prolonged the QTcn interval. The results suggest that pretreatment with saffron, especially at the dosage of 100 mg/kg/day, attenuates the susceptibility and incidence of fatal ventricular arrhythmia during the reperfusion period in the rat. This protective effect is apparently mediated through reduction of electrical conductivity and prolonging the action potential duration.


Angiographic correlates of a positive troponin T test in patients with unstable angina.
To study the angiographic correlates of cardiac troponin T (cTnT)-positive and -negative patients with unstable angina pectoris. A positive cTnT test identifies a high-risk subgroup of unstable angina pectoris patients. Only the high-risk cTnT-positive patients seem to benefit from a more aggressive antithrombotic treatment regimen. The underlying coronary pathology in cTnT-positive and -negative patients that explains the predictive power of cTnT on prognosis and response to antithrombotic therapy is largely unknown. A total of 197 subsequently admitted patients with unstable angina pectoris underwent cTnT testing by a rapid bedside assay and early qualitative and quantitative angiography. Long-term follow-up was 12 months. Patients with cTnT-positive tests revealed more critical stenoses of culprit lesions (p =.041), more severe reductions of thrombolysis in myocardial infarction flow grades (p <.037), a higher prevalence of intracoronary thrombus (p =.079), and a poorer left ventricular function (p =.047). The odds ratio of cTnT was 5.8 (p <.0001) for presence of thrombus, reduced thrombolysis in myocardial infarction flow, and/or critical stenosis (>90%), and was 3.1 (p =.005) for presence of three-vessel disease, left main disease, and/or reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. Coronary bypass grafting was more frequently performed in the cTnT-positive group. However, event-free survival was not different in our cohort characterized by a high rate of percutaneous coronary interventions. A positive cTnT test in patients with unstable angina pectoris indicates presence of more severe coronary artery disease and poorer left ventricular function. This finding could explain the differences in short- and long-term outcome and treatment responses to antithrombotic regimens.


Oral beta 2-selective adrenergic bronchodilators.
Oral beta 2-agonists (carbuterol, pirbuterol, procaterol, bitolterol, clenbuterol) are drugs widely used as bronchodilators. The efficacy and selectivity of bronchodilators drugs depend on their intrinsic pharmacological properties and on the route of administration. The characteristics of the oral route are easy usage, precise dosage and assured effects. Consequently, disadvantages (delayed onset of action, more frequent side-effects) and the indications, (patients with severe chronic airways obstruction, nocturnal asthmatic attacks, and children and elderly subjects) are clearly evident. The most recent beta 2-agonists have an efficient and prolonged bronchodilating action with well-known side-effects. In order to control drug efficiency in a large population and identify type and degree of adverse reactions, a post-marketing surveillance study was programmed for clenbuterol. The results available confirms that long-term treatment with oral clenbuterol is an effective and safe therapeutical approach. During long-term treatment, tachyphylaxis (a diminished responsiveness) develops. This complex biological phenomenon can be studied, in several ways i.e. functional response of target-organ, appropriate biochemical-metabolical indices, and functional evaluation of the cellular beta-receptors in vitro. Also in the light of evaluation of serum levels of cyclic nucleotides (cyclic adenosine and guanosine monophosphates) it appears that the clinical importance of tachyphylaxis is mild and that chronic therapy with beta 2-agonists is safe and effective when used in selected patients.


Suprachoroidal triamcinolone acetonide injection: a novel therapy for serous retinal detachment due to Vogt-Koyanagi Harada disease.
To assess the efficacy and safety of Suprachoroidal triamcinolone acetonide injection [SCTA] as an adjunctive therapy in management of Vogt-Koyanagi Harada [VKH] serous retinal detachment. Prospective parallel group study. 12 eyes of 6 patients with bilateral multiple serous retinal detachment of VKH in acute phase on systemic steroids. Each patient was received single SCTA injection (SCTA group, n = 6 eyes) and the other non-injected eye (Standard treatment group, n = 6 eyes), patients were followed for 1, 3, and 6 months to assess changes in best corrected visual acuity [BCVA], central foveal thickness [CFT] and intraocular pressure [IOP] between both groups. The primary end point was changes in BCVA from baseline till 6th months follow-up. Secondary end points were changes in CFT and IOP from baseline to 6 months of follow-up. BCVA at one and three months was significantly better in eyes received SCTA than in non-injected eyes (p-value = 0.026 for each). CFT at one and three months was significantly higher in non-injected eyes than in eyes received SCTA (p-value = 0.028 for each). IOP showed no significant differences between both groups. SCTA is an effective adjuvant treatment for VKH serous retinal detachment, without any serious ocular adverse effects or increase in IOP and causing significant reduction in CFT and rapid improvement in BCVA when combined with oral steroids.


MCPH1 is essential for cellular adaptation to the G2-phase decatenation checkpoint.
Cellular checkpoints controlling entry into mitosis monitor the integrity of the DNA and delay mitosis onset until the alteration is fully repaired. However, this canonical response can weaken, leading to a spontaneous bypass of the checkpoint, a process referred to as checkpoint adaptation. Here, we have investigated the contribution of microcephalin 1 (MCPH1), mutated in primary microcephaly, to the decatenation checkpoint, a less-understood G2 pathway that delays entry into mitosis until chromosomes are properly disentangled. Our results demonstrate that, although MCPH1 function is dispensable for activation and maintenance of the decatenation checkpoint, it is required for the adaptive response that bypasses the topoisomerase II inhibition----mediated G2 arrest. MCPH1, however, does not confer adaptation to the G2 arrest triggered by the ataxia telangiectasia mutated- and ataxia telangiectasia and rad3 related-based DNA damage checkpoint. In addition to revealing a new role for MCPH1 in cell cycle control, our study provides new insights into the genetic requirements that allow cellular adaptation to G2 checkpoints, a process that remains poorly understood.-Arroyo, M., Kuriyama, R., Guerrero, I., Keifenheim, D., Cañuelo, A., Calahorra, J., Sánchez, A., Clarke, D. J., Marchal, J. A. MCPH1 is essential for cellular adaptation to the G2-phase decatenation checkpoint.


Development of a competitive exclusion product for poultry meeting the regulatory requirements for registration in the European Union.
Competitive exclusion treatment is able to increase the pathogen colonization resistance of day-old chicks by applying probiotic bacteria stabilizing the indigenous microflora. In order to develop a safe microbial feed additive, various bacterial strains were isolated out of the gastrointestinal tract of healthy chickens. One hundred twenty-one representatives were selected based on differences in whole-cell protein patterns and screened for antagonistic properties. Five effective strains (Pediococcus acidilactici, Enterococcus faecium, Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. animalis, Lactobacillus reuteri, and Lactobacillus salivarius ssp. salivarius) exhibited in vitro the ability to inhibit a range of common pathogens and were evaluated with regard to the risks associated with genetic transfer of antibiotic resistances from animals to humans via the food chain. The probiotic strains were sensitive to several clinically effective antibiotics, though some of them showed single resistances. None of the vancomycin-resistant (R) strains carried the enterococcal vanA gene. Two tetracycline R strains were shown to harbor a tet(M)-associated resistance. The strains contained no extrachromosomal DNA and were not able to transfer the resistance by means of conjugation. On basis of the collected data the presence of easy transferable resistances was excluded and the chicken strains were considered to be suitable for the use as feed additive.


Lens-specific expression of a chicken beta A3/A1-crystallin promoter fragment in transgenic mice.
Beta A3/A1-crystallin is one of the major refractive proteins of the chicken eye lens. Previously we showed that a fragment from -382 to +22 bp of the beta A3/A1-crystallin gene functions as a promoter in transfected lens cells. Here we show by use of the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene that the -143/+22 fragment is sufficient for lens-specific promoter activity in transgenic mice. DNase I footprinting shows that lens nuclear proteins protect several regions within the minimal promoter fragment.


Patterning of polymer brushes. A direct approach to complex, sub-surface structures.
We report a unique method to directly fabricate complex polymer brush structures with nanometer scale features by means of electron beam lithography. Polymer brushes for direct patterning were grown from surface-anchored initiator sites using atom transfer radical polymerization. Selected monomers (poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and poly(methyl methacrylate)) were used based on their ability to readily scission when exposed to radiation. Single step direct patterning of polymer brushes is attractive as this eliminates many process steps, reducing the possibility of contamination and possibly improving resolution. In addition, we report a method to form subsurface polymer brush channels with nanometer-scale features. With the chains tethered to a surface, a diblock copolymer brush with a negative tone upper layer (polystyrene) and a positive tone under layer (poly(methyl methacrylate)) or (poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) were patterned to create channels. In the work presented, the direct electron beam patterning behavior of the brushes was studied and fabrication of nanochannels was demonstrated. Imaging of the nanopatterned surfaces was carried out using atomic force microscopy and fluorescence microscopy.


The role of mitochondria in pulmonary vascular remodeling.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by a hyperproliferative and anti-apoptotic diathesis within the vascular wall of the resistance pulmonary arteries, leading to vascular lumen occlusion, right ventricular failure, and death. Most current therapies show poor efficacy due to emphasis on vasodilation (rather than proliferation/apoptosis) and a lack of specificity to the pulmonary circulation. The multiple molecular abnormalities described in PAH are diverse and seemingly unrelated, calling for therapies that attack comprehensive, integrative mechanisms. Similar abnormalities also occur in cancer where a cancer-specific metabolic switch toward a non-hypoxic glycolytic phenotype is thought to be not only a result of several primary molecular or genetic abnormalities but also underlie many aspects of its resistance to apoptosis. In this paper, we review the evidence and propose that a metabolic, mitochondria-based theory can be applied in PAH. A pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell mitochondrial remodeling could integrate a number of diverse molecular abnormalities described in PAH and respond by orchestrating a switch toward a cancer-like glycolytic phenotype that drives resistance to apoptosis; via redox and calcium signals, this mitochondrial remodeling may also regulate critical transcription factors like HIF-1 and nuclear factor of activated T cells that have been described to play an important role in PAH. Because mitochondria in pulmonary arteries are quite different from mitochondria in systemic arteries, they could form the basis of relatively selective PAH therapies. This metabolic theory of PAH could facilitate the development of novel diagnostic and selective therapeutic approaches in this disease that remains deadly.


Impact of some chlorinated pesticides on the haematology of the fish Cyprinus carpio and Puntius ticto.
The effects of pesticides on blood characteristics and histological changes in erythrocytes of the fish species Cyprinus carpio and Puntius ticto were studied. The fishes were exposed to sub lethal concentrations of different chlorinated pesticides namely aldrin, dieldrin, DDT, BHC and chlordane for 10, 20 and 30 d in continuous flow-through test. The LC50 values were calculated based on acute toxicity tests and the sublethal doses were arrived at for chronic bioassay studies. Results showed an increase in haemoglobin content of both Cyprinus carpio and Puntius ticto in case of aldrin and dieldrin. Haemoglobin content reduced from an initial 13 g/100 ml to 8.07 and 10.15 g/100 ml in case of Cyprinus at the end of ten days exposure to aldrin and dieldrin respectively, and gradually increased to 8.7 g/100 ml and 10.15 g/100 ml after 20 d of exposure. The haemoglobin content after 30 d exposure to aldrin and dieldrin was 10.15 g/100 ml and 11.6 g/100 ml respectively. In case of Puntius ticto, the haemoglobin content in control fishes recorded was 12.8 g/100 ml while in case of fish exposed to aldrin, the haemoglobin content reduced initially on ten days exposure to 10.15 g/100 ml and increased to 11.6 g/100 ml and 13.0 g/100 ml during twenty days and thirty days exposure respectively. This trend was also observed with dieldrin in both the fishes studied. Red blood cells were also counted in case of all the pesticides and exposure periods with respect to Cyprinus carpio and Puntius ticto. Irrespective of the species and pesticide, the RBC counts uniformly showed decreasing trend with the increase in exposure period, while packed cell volume, PCV(%) showed increasing trend with respect to increase in exposure period in case of aldrin and dieldrin in both the fishes. But DDT, BHC and chlordane showed decreasing trend in PCV(%) values with increasing periods of exposure.


In vitro antiviral activity from Acanthospermum australe on herpesvirus and poliovirus.
The Asteraceae family has been of interest to researchers due to the presence of polyphenolic compounds, mainly flavonoids, which demonstrated antiviral activity. The hydroethanol extract of the aerial parts of Acanthospermum australe (Loefl.) Kuntze (Asteraceae) and its fractions, were evaluated in vitro for their potential cytotoxic and antiviral activity against bovine herpesvirus and human poliovirus. The sulforhodamine B colorimetric assay were used to evaluate the capacity of the hydroethanol extract and fractions to inhibit the lytic activity of herpes and poliovirus in infected cell cultures and their influence on the viability of uninfected cell cultures. A progressive increase in the antiviral effect against herpesvirus was observed in the course of the purification process of the extract. The hydroethanol extract had a 50% antiviral effective concentration (EC(50)) at 70 μg/mL and 36 μg/mL for herpes and poliovirus, respectively, and it exhibited no cytotoxicity. The fractions F3 (dichloromethane) and F4 (dichloromethane: ethyl acetate (1:1 v/v)) both showed EC(50) at 6.25 μg/mL against herpesvirus, and these fractions showed cytotoxic concentrations (CC(50)) at 12.7 and 11.7 μg/mL, respectively. These fractions had no effect against poliovirus in the concentrations tested. From the bioactive F3, a diterpene lactone (acanthoaustralide-1-O-acetate) was isolated at a concentration of 0.5% and from F4 two flavonoids (quercetin and chrysosplenol D) were isolated at concentrations of 0.14 and 0.24%, respectively. The present study reports for the first time the antiviral activity of extracts and fractions from A. australe aerial parts.


Probing the active site in single-atom oxygen reduction catalysts via operando X-ray and electrochemical spectroscopy.
Nonnoble metal catalysts are low-cost alternatives to Pt for the oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs), which have been studied for various applications in electrocatalytic systems. Among them, transition metal complexes, characterized by a redox-active single-metal-atom with biomimetic ligands, such as pyrolyzed cobalt-nitrogen-carbon (Co-Nx/C), have attracted considerable attention. Therefore, we reported the ORR mechanism of pyrolyzed Vitamin B12 using operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy coupled with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, which enables operando monitoring of the oxygen binding site on the metal center. Our results revealed the preferential adsorption of oxygen at the Co2+ center, with end-on coordination forming a Co2+-oxo species. Furthermore, the charge transfer mechanism between the catalyst and reactant enables further Co-O species formation. These experimental findings, corroborated with first-principle calculations, provide insight into metal active-site geometry and structural evolution during ORR, which could be used for developing material design strategies for high-performance electrocatalysts for fuel cell applications.


Results of speech processor upgrade in a population of Veterans Affairs cochlear implant recipients.
This study aimed to evaluate the change in performance when the Speak processing strategy replaced the Mpeak strategy. Twenty-one veterans who participated in the original Department of Veterans Affairs Multicenter Cochlear Implant Study, received the Nucleus F0F1F2 processor (Cochlear Corp., Englewood, CO, U.S.A.) (WSP) and were subsequently upgraded to the Mpeak (MSP) processing strategy. Closed- and open-set speech recognition in quiet and in noise in auditory only conditions at the phoneme, word, and sentence levels were evaluated. Changes in audiologic parameters were evaluated using a paired t-test for related samples. Statistically significant improvements in mean scores were found for all tests and were greatest for the speech-in-noise conditions. An examination of individual data revealed that 61% of the subjects improved for tests administered in quiet, whereas up to 69% of the subjects had improved performance in noise. Subjects with no open set speech discrimination using the Mpeak strategy showed no improvement with the Speak strategy. Cochlear implants can provide improved performance using modifications to external speech processor hardware and software without changing the internal implant.


Chromosome-level genome of the peach fruit moth Carposina sasakii (Lepidoptera: Carposinidae) provides a resource for evolutionary studies on moths.
The peach fruit moth (PFM), Carposina sasakii Matsumura, is a major phytophagous orchard pest widely distributed across Northeast Asia. Here, we report the chromosome-level genome for the PFM, representing the first genome for the family Carposinidae, from the lepidopteran superfamily Copromorphoidea. The genome was assembled into 404.83 Mb sequences using PacBio long-read and Illumina short-read sequences, including 275 contigs, with a contig N50 length of 2.62 Mb. All contigs were assembled into 31 linkage groups assisted by the Hi-C technique, including 30 autosomes and a Z chromosome. BUSCO analysis showed that 98.3% of genes were complete and 0.4% of genes were fragmented, while 1.3% of genes were missing in the assembled genome. In total, 21,697 protein-coding genes were predicted, of which 84.80% were functionally annotated. Because of the importance of diapause triggered by photoperiod in PFM, five circadian genes in the PFM as well as in the other related species were annotated, and potential genes related to diapause and photoperiodic reaction were also identified from transcriptome sequencing. In addition, manual annotation of detoxification gene families was undertaken and showed a higher number of glutathione S-transferase (GST) gene in PFM than in most other lepidopterans, in contrast to a lower number of uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glycosyltransferase (UGT) gene, carboxyl/cholinesterases (CCE) gene and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450) gene, suggesting different detoxication pathways in this moth. The high-quality genome provides a resource for comparative evolutionary studies of this moth and its relatives within the context of radiations across Lepidoptera.


Toll-like receptor 3 expression in myeloid cells is essential for efficient regeneration after acute pancreatitis in mice.
Stringent regulation of the inflammatory response is crucial for normal tissue regeneration. Here, we analyzed the role of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) in pancreatic regeneration after acute pancreatitis (AP). AP was induced by caerulein treatment in mice with global TLR3 deficiency (TLR3OFF ) or in mice re-expressing TLR3 exclusively in the myeloid cell lineage (TLR3Mye ). Compared to WT mice, TLR3OFF mice had a markedly increased formation of acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM) that persisted until day 7 after initiation of AP. Pancreatic tissue of WT mice was completely regenerated after 5 days with no detectable ADM structures. The enhancing effect of TLR3-deficiency on ADM formation was closely linked with an increased and prolonged accumulation of macrophages in pancreata of TLR3OFF mice. Importantly, the phenotype of TLR3OFF mice was rescued in TLR3Mye mice, demonstrating the causative role of myeloid cell selective TLR3 signaling. Moreover, in vitro stimulation of macrophages through TLR3 initiated cell death by a caspase-8-associated mechanism. Therefore, these findings provide evidence that TLR3 signaling in myeloid cells is sufficient to limit inflammation and ADM formation and to promote regeneration after AP. Notably, resolution of inflammation after AP was associated with macrophage sensitivity to TLR3-mediated cell death.


Image-guided localization for video-assisted thoracic surgery.
Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has become a useful diagnostic and therapeutic tool in the management of lung, pleural, and mediatstinal disease. Preoperative image-guided localization is performed to aid the surgeon in the thoracoscopic resection of small lung lesions that would otherwise be difficult to resect. This article describes the techniques of localization and reviews our experience with this procedure. While the majority of localization procedures are performed during an immediately preoperative computed tomography (CT), the use of intraoperative lesion localization using an endosonographic probe has been reported. The need for localization before resection is dependent on the skill and experience of the thoracoscopist and the characteristics of the lung lesions.


Effects of positive end-expiratory pressure on alveolar recruitment and gas exchange in patients with the adult respiratory distress syndrome.
The effects of different levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) (zero to 15 cm H2O) on the static inflation volume-pressure (V-P) curve of the respiratory system and on gas exchange were studied in eight patients with the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Alveolar recruitment with PEEP was quantified in terms of recruited volume, i.e., as difference in lung volume between PEEP and zero end-expiratory pressure (ZEEP) for the same static inflation pressure (20 cm H2O) from the V-P curves obtained at the different PEEP levels. In addition, static compliance of the respiratory system at fixed tidal volume (0.7 L) was determined at the different PEEP levels. The results suggest that: (1) in some patients with ARDS the V-P curves determined on ZEEP exhibit an upward concavity reflecting progressive alveolar recruitment with increasing inflation volume, and PEEP results in alveolar recruitment (range of recruited volume at 15 cm H2O of PEEP: 0.11 to 0.36 L); (2) in other patients with ARDS the V-P curves on ZEEP are characterized by an upward convexity, and PEEP results in a volume displacement along this curve without alveolar recruitment and with enhanced risk of barotrauma; (3) the PEEP-induced increase in arterial oxygenation is significantly correlated to the recruited volume but not to the changes in static compliance. The shape of the static inflation V-P curves on ZEEP allows the prediction of alveolar recruitment with PEEP.


African swine fever whole-genome sequencing-Quantity wanted but quality needed.
The pandemic spread of African swine fever virus (ASFV) genotype II (GTII) has led to a global crisis. Since the circulating strains are almost identical, time and money have been mis-invested in whole-genome sequencing the last years. New methods, harmonised protocols for sample selection, sequencing, and bioinformatics are therefore urgently needed.


Particulate Alum via Pickering Emulsion for an Enhanced COVID-19 Vaccine Adjuvant.
For rapid response against the prevailing COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 19), it is a global imperative to exploit the immunogenicity of existing formulations for safe and efficient vaccines. As the most accessible adjuvant, aluminum hydroxide (alum) is still the sole employed adjuvant in most countries. However, alum tends to attach on the membrane rather than entering the dendritic cells (DCs), leading to the absence of intracellular transfer and process of the antigens, and thus limits T-cell-mediated immunity. To address this, alum is packed on the squalene/water interphase is packed, forming an alum-stabilized Pickering emulsion (PAPE). "Inheriting" from alum and squalene, PAPE demonstrates a good biosafety profile. Intriguingly, with the dense array of alum on the oil/water interphase, PAPE not only adsorbs large quantities of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) antigens, but also harbors a higher affinity for DC uptake, which provokes the uptake and cross-presentation of the delivered antigens. Compared with alum-treated groups, more than six times higher antigen-specific antibody titer and three-fold more IFN-γ-secreting T cells are induced, indicating the potent humoral and cellular immune activations. Collectively, the data suggest that PAPE may provide potential insights toward a safe and efficient adjuvant platform for the enhanced COVID-19 vaccinations.


Carotid Endarterectomy in a Patient with Posterior Cerebral Artery Infarction: Influence of Fetal Type PCA on Atypical Clinical Course.
Fetal type PCA may positively affect clinical outcome in patients with ischemic stroke such as protection of a reserve blood flow capacity as well as negative effect on clinical outcome such as certain atypical pathological manifestations. We presented a patient with a posterior cerebral artery territory infarction due to an unexpected etiology as stenosis of internal carotid artery (ICA) with existence of fetal type PCA.


Routine screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among patients newly admitted to an acute rehabilitation unit.
Following an outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in our acute rehabilitation unit in 1987, all patients except in-house transfers (because of their low prevalence of MRSA colonization) underwent MRSA screening cultures on admission. To better characterize the current profile of patients with positive MRSA screening cultures at the time of admission to our acute rehabilitation unit, and to determine the relative yield of nares, perianal, and wound screening cultures in this population. Prospective chart review with ongoing active surveillance for infections associated with the acute rehabilitation unit The rate of MRSA isolation from one or more body sites increased significantly from 5% (1987-1988) to 12% (1999-2000) (P = .0009) for newly admitted patients and from 0% to 7% (P < .0001) for in-house transfers. A negative nares culture was highly predictive (98%) of a negative perianal culture. Prior history of MRSA infection or colonization and transfer from outside sources were independently associated with positive MRSA screening cultures. The rate of MRSA isolation from screening cultures of newly admitted patients, including in-house transfers, has increased significantly during the past decade in our acute rehabilitation unit. When paired with nares cultures, perianal cultures were of limited value in this patient population.


Biology and biochemistry of glucosinolates.
Glucosinolates are sulfur-rich, anionic natural products that upon hydrolysis by endogenous thioglucosidases called myrosinases produce several different products (e.g., isothiocyanates, thiocyanates, and nitriles). The hydrolysis products have many different biological activities, e.g., as defense compounds and attractants. For humans these compounds function as cancer-preventing agents, biopesticides, and flavor compounds. Since the completion of the Arabidopsis genome, glucosinolate research has made significant progress, resulting in near-complete elucidation of the core biosynthetic pathway, identification of the first regulators of the pathway, metabolic engineering of specific glucosinolate profiles to study function, as well as identification of evolutionary links to related pathways. Although much has been learned in recent years, much more awaits discovery before we fully understand how and why plants synthesize glucosinolates. This may enable us to more fully exploit the potential of these compounds in agriculture and medicine.


Current status of pesticide effects on environment, human health and it's eco-friendly management as bioremediation: A comprehensive review.
Pesticides are either natural or chemically synthesized compounds that are used to control a variety of pests. These chemical compounds are used in a variety of sectors like food, forestry, agriculture and aquaculture. Pesticides shows their toxicity into the living systems. The World Health Organization (WHO) categorizes them based on their detrimental effects, emphasizing the relevance of public health. The usage can be minimized to a least level by using them sparingly with a complete grasp of their categorization, which is beneficial to both human health and the environment. In this review, we have discussed pesticides with respect to their global scenarios, such as worldwide distribution and environmental impacts. Major literature focused on potential uses of pesticides, classification according to their properties and toxicity and their adverse effect on natural system (soil and aquatic), water, plants (growth, metabolism, genotypic and phenotypic changes and impact on plants defense system), human health (genetic alteration, cancer, allergies, and asthma), and preserve food products. We have also described eco-friendly management strategies for pesticides as a green solution, including bacterial degradation, myco-remediation, phytoremediation, and microalgae-based bioremediation. The microbes, using catabolic enzymes for degradation of pesticides and clean-up from the environment. This review shows the importance of finding potent microbes, novel genes, and biotechnological applications for pesticide waste management to create a sustainable environment.


Berries and human health: research highlights from the Fifth Biennial Berry Health Benefits Symposium.
The fifth biennial Berry Health Benefits Symposium showcased recent research supporting the positive effects of berry consumption on human health and disease. Remarkably, the vast majority of oral papers covered data accumulated from in vivo studies, which underscores how berry health research has advanced since the inception of this symposium in 2005. Similar to the past, research presented at this meeting was primarily focused on the major commercially cultivated berries in North America, namely, blackberry, blueberry, black raspberry, cranberry, red raspberry, and strawberry. Despite this, on the basis of similar compositional chemistry, it is possible that similar biological effects may also be extended to other small soft-fleshed "berry-type" fruits popular in other parts of the world including Europe, Asia, and South America. Overall, this symposium continues to add to the growing body of data supporting the positive impact of berry fruit consumption on human health promotion and disease risk reduction.


Tumor necrosis factor production in HIV-seropositive subjects. Relationship with lung opportunistic infections and HIV expression in alveolar macrophages.
We have evaluated the TNF production by alveolar macrophages (AM) in 43 HIV-infected subjects in relation with 1) their clinical and biologic status; 2) the presence of lung opportunistic infections (OI); and 3) the expression of HIV by AM. This production was assessed in a standard chromium release test, using monocytic U937 cells as targets. The spontaneous TNF production by AM from patients without lung OI was higher than that from seronegative controls (p less than 0.02). This production by AM was similar to that of blood monocytes, suggesting that it was not related, in these subjects, to any particular lung status. The extent of TNF release by AM was correlated to the presence of a lymphocytic alveolitis (p less than 0.05), and not to the patients' clinical presentation nor to their CD4 cell count. Finally, AM from these subjects could be normally stimulated in vitro by IFN-gamma. On the other hand, it appeared that the spontaneous TNF release by AM shown in vitro to express HIV (p24+ AM) was significantly higher than that by their p24- counterparts (p less than 0.05) and by controls (p less than 0.01). In addition, contrasting with the marked increase of TNF release by p24- AM after their stimulation with IFN-gamma (p less than 0.001), p24+ AM appeared to be refractory to any stimulation by IFN, arguing for their activation in vivo. Finally, the spontaneous TNF release by AM was significantly increased during lung OI, compared with controls (p less than 0.01) as well as with AIDS patients without OI (p less than 0.01). In addition, the production of TNF by AM in these subjects was higher than that by the corresponding blood monocytes (p less than 0.02), suggesting a compartmentalization of this response within the lungs. In conclusion, it appears that the TNF production by AM of seropositive patients is highly related to the presence of lung OI as well as to the expression of HIV by these cells. In the context of the up-regulation of HIV expression induced by TNF in vitro, our data could suggest that the in vivo release of TNF by AM could participate in viral dissemination. Moreover, we hypothesize that the generation of activated AM refractory to any further stimulation could in turn lead to the development of additional pulmonary infections.


The incorporation of Mexican women in seasonal migration: a study of gender differences.
"This article compares sex differences in migratory behaviors, work patterns and conjugal relations in a cohort of male and female immigrants who move seasonally between Mexico and the United States. Gender comparisons are made using survey data and information from in-depth group interviews. The findings indicate that among Mexicans immigration to the United States reinstates men's traditional roles as providers while making women assume non-traditional roles. Female role expansion, through employment in the U.S., strongly influences conjugal relations in the direction of more equality. In contrast, failure to enter the American labor force implies a role restriction resulting in a loss of autonomy for many immigrant women." (SUMMARY IN SPA)