Withanolide A prevents neurodegeneration by modulating hippocampal glutathione biosynthesis during hypoxia.
Withania somnifera root extract has been used traditionally in ayurvedic system of medicine as a memory enhancer. Present study explores the ameliorative effect of withanolide A, a major component of withania root extract and its molecular mechanism against hypoxia induced memory impairment. Withanolide A was administered to male Sprague Dawley rats before a period of 21 days pre-exposure and during 07 days of exposure to a simulated altitude of 25,000 ft. Glutathione level and glutathione dependent free radicals scavenging enzyme system, ATP, NADPH level, γ-glutamylcysteinyl ligase (GCLC) activity and oxidative stress markers were assessed in the hippocampus. Expression of apoptotic marker caspase 3 in hippocampus was investigated by immunohistochemistry. Transcriptional alteration and expression of GCLC and Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-related factor 2 (Nrf2) were investigated by real time PCR and immunoblotting respectively. Exposure to hypobaric hypoxia decreased reduced glutathione (GSH) level and impaired reduced gluatathione dependent free radical scavenging system in hippocampus resulting in elevated oxidative stress. Supplementation of withanolide A during hypoxic exposure increased GSH level, augmented GSH dependent free radicals scavenging system and decreased the number of caspase and hoescht positive cells in hippocampus. While withanolide A reversed hypoxia mediated neurodegeneration, administration of buthionine sulfoximine along with withanolide A blunted its neuroprotective effects. Exogenous administration of corticosterone suppressed Nrf2 and GCLC expression whereas inhibition of corticosterone synthesis upregulated Nrf2 as well as GCLC. Thus present study infers that withanolide A reduces neurodegeneration by restoring hypoxia induced glutathione depletion in hippocampus. Further, Withanolide A increases glutathione biosynthesis in neuronal cells by upregulating GCLC level through Nrf2 pathway in a corticosterone dependenet manner.


Segmented bimorph mirrors for adaptive optics: segment design and experiment.
We discuss the concept of lightweight segmented bimorph mirrors for adaptive optics. The segment consists of a monocrystal silicon substrate actuated by an array of in-plane piezoceramic (PZT) actuators with honeycomb electrodes. We focus on technological aspects of the segment design that are critical for space applications and describe a single segment demonstrator. The morphing capability of the segment is evaluated experimentally. We also discuss the local deformations (dimples) associated with the shape of the electrodes acting on the PZT array.


The effects of vegetation density and habitat disturbance on the spatial distribution of ixodid ticks (Acari: Ixodidae).
Larval, nymphal, and adult Amblyomma americanum (L.), and adult Dermacentor variabilis (Say) ticks were collected using timed dragging techniques, in an attempt to examine how different habitat variables affect models that describe the distribution of ticks in Virginia, USA. Tick count data were modeled using two approaches: (i) habitat and edge, and (ii) habitat, edge, vegetation density and levels of disturbance. Nymphs and adults tended to follow a forest edge distribution when analysed by habitat and edge. Using all variables, we detected a positive relationship with forest edges and negative associations with high-density vegetation. When larvae were modeled by habitat and edge, we failed to detect associations with the edges of habitats. When all variables were included in the larval analysis, disturbed meadow edges emerged as important in the first year, and the categories of disturbed and maturing habitat in the second year. Vegetation density and levels of disturbance were marginally important towards explaining the distribution of nymphs and adults; however, levels of disturbance were potentially more important to the distribution of larvae, than habitat types. Using the habitat and edge variables, and predicted mean encounter rates for all stages of A. americanum and adult D. variabilis, we successfully cross-validated our predictions of high, moderate and low tick densities in both years. The results for nymphs and adults were combined to develop a colour-coded threat assessment map. We estimated that the majority of ticks were located on approximately 20% of the landscape. The potential uses of geographical information system-based threat maps are discussed.


The clinical pathological correlates of lobar atrophy.
Three clinical syndromes associated with fronto-temporal cerebral atrophy, studied in one centre are discussed: dementia of frontal type (DFT), DFT and motor neurone disease (MND) and progressive aphasia (PA). The pathological findings in DFT (13 brains), DFT and MND (5 brains) and PA (5 brains) permit a number of clinical pathological groupings. The nosological status of fronto-temporal atrophy is discussed with reference to the literature and it is suggested that a common underlying pathology, including Picks disease as strictly defined by the presence of inclusion bodies, underlies the clinical syndromes, each being determined by the anatomical distribution of the pathology.


Long non-coding RNAs and cancer: a new frontier of translational research?
Tiling array and novel sequencing technologies have made available the transcription profile of the entire human genome. However, the extent of transcription and the function of genetic elements that occur outside of protein-coding genes, particularly those involved in disease, are still a matter of debate. In this review, we focus on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that are involved in cancer. We define lncRNAs and present a cancer-oriented list of lncRNAs, list some tools (for example, public databases) that classify lncRNAs or that scan genome spans of interest to find whether known lncRNAs reside there, and describe some of the functions of lncRNAs and the possible genetic mechanisms that underlie lncRNA expression changes in cancer, as well as current and potential future applications of lncRNA research in the treatment of cancer.


Ketamine modulates fetal hemodynamic and endocrine responses to umbilical cord occlusion.
Umbilical cord occlusion (UCO) is a hypoxic insult that has been used to model birth asphyxia and umbilical cord compression in utero. UCO triggers vigorous neural and endocrine responses that include increased plasma ACTH and cortisol concentrations, increased blood pressure (BP), and decreased heart rate (HR). We have previously reported that ketamine, a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, can modify the fetal hemodynamic and ACTH responses to ventilatory hypoxia and cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. We performed the present experiments to test the hypothesis that ketamine has similar effects on the neuroendocrine and cardiovascular responses to UCO Fetal sheep were chronically catheterized at gestational day 125. Ketamine (3 mg/kg) was administered intravenously to the fetus 10 min prior to the insult. UCO was induced for 30 min by reducing the umbilical vein blood flow until fetal PaO2 levels were reduced from 17 ± 1 to 11 ± 1 mm Hg. UCO produced an initial increase on fetal BP in both control and ketamine groups (P = 0.018 time), followed by a decrease in the control group, but values remained higher with ketamine. HR decreased after UCO (P = 0.041 stimulus*time) in both groups, but the reduction was greater initially in control compared to ketamine groups. Fetal PaCO2 levels increased after UCO (P < 0.01 stimulus*time), but values were higher in the control versus ketamine groups. UCO significantly decreased fetal pH values (P < 0.01 stimulus*time) with a greater effect on the control versus ketamine group. Ketamine delayed the cortisol responses to UCO (P < 0.001 stimulus*time), and UCO produced a robust increase in ACTH levels from 19 ± 2 to 280 ± 27 pg/mL (P < 0.001 stimulus*time), but there were no differences in ACTH levels between UCO groups. We conclude that ketamine augmented the cardiovascular response to UCO, but did not alter the ACTH response to UCO.


The nature and function of a pathological oedipal constellation in a female patient.
The first analysis of a female patient dealt essentially with separation-individuation and narcissistic issues. During the second analysis a dynamic constellation of narcissistic character pathology, some psychopathic tendencies, perverse fantasies, and enactments emerged. Prominent was an unconscious fantasy of stealing the sexual organs of one parent to sexually satisfy the other parent. The etiology of this constellation and its transmutations in analysis are described.


Effects of type of smoking (pipe, cigars or cigarettes) on biological indices of tobacco exposure and toxicity.
Although all forms of smoking are harmful, smoking pipes or cigars is associated with lower exposure to the lethal products of tobacco products and lower levels of morbidity and mortality than smoking cigarettes. Cytochrome P-450-1A (CYP1A) is a major pathway activating carcinogens from tobacco smoke. Our primary aim was to compare CYP1A2 activity in individuals smoking pipes or cigars only, cigarettes only and in non-smokers. We studied 30 smokers of pipes or cigars only, 28 smokers of cigarettes only, and 30 non-smokers male subjects matched for age. CYP1A2 activity was assessed as the caffeine metabolic ratio in plasma. One-day urine collection was used for determining exposure to products of tobacco metabolism. Nitrosamine and benzo[a]pyrene DNA adducts were measured in lymphocytes. CYP1A2 activity was greater (p<0.0001) in cigarette smokers (median: 0.61; interquartile range: 0.52-0.76) than in pipe or cigar smokers (0.27; 0.21-0.37) and non-smokers (0.34; 0.25-0.42) who did not differ significantly. Urinary cotinine and 1-hydroxypyrene levels were higher in cigarette smokers than in pipe or cigar smokers and higher in the later than in non-smokers. DNA adducts levels were significantly lower in pipe or cigar smokers than in cigarette smokers. In multivariate analysis, cigarette smoking was the only independent predictor of CYP1A2 activity (p<0.0001) and of 1-hydroxypyrene excretion in urine (p=0.0012). In this study, pipe or cigar smoking was associated with lower exposure to products of tobacco metabolism than cigarette smoking and to an absence of CYP1A2 induction. Cigarette smoking was the only independent predictor of CYP1A2 activity in smokers. However, inhalation behaviour, rather than the type of tobacco smoked, may be the key factor linked to the extent of tobacco exposure and CYP1A2 induction. Our results provide a reasonable explanation for the results of epidemiological studies showing pipe or cigar smoking to present fewer health hazards than cigarette smoking.


Transcranial magnetic stimulation and aphasia rehabilitation.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been reported to improve naming in chronic stroke patients with nonfluent aphasia since 2005. In part 1, we review the rationale for applying slow, 1-Hz, rTMS to the undamaged right hemisphere in chronic nonfluent aphasia patients after a left hemisphere stroke; and we present a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocol used with these patients that is associated with long-term, improved naming post-TMS. In part 2, we present results from a case study with chronic nonfluent aphasia where TMS treatments were followed immediately by speech therapy (constraint-induced language therapy). In part 3, some possible mechanisms associated with improvement after a series of TMS treatments in stroke patients with aphasia are discussed.


Exploring anti-corruption, transparency, and accountability in the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank Group, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Corruption is recognized by the global community as a threat to development generally and to achieving health goals, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal # 3: ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. As such, international organizations such as the World Health Organizations and the United Nations Development Program are creating an evidence base on how best to address corruption in health systems. At present, the risk of corruption is even more apparent, given the need for quick and nimble responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, which may include a relaxation of standards and the rapid mobilization of large funds. As international organizations and governments attempt to respond to the ever-changing demands of this pandemic, there is a need to acknowledge and address the increased opportunity for corruption.In order to explore how such risks of corruption are addressed in international organizations, this paper focuses on the question: How are international organizations implementing measures to promote accountability and transparency, and anti-corruption, in their own operations? The following international organizations were selected as the focus of this paper given their current involvement in anti-corruption, transparency, and accountability in the health sector: the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Program, the World Bank Group, and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Our findings demonstrate that there has been a clear increase in the volume and scope of anti-corruption, accountability, and transparency measures implemented by these international organizations in recent years. However, the efficacy of these measures remains unclear. Further research is needed to determine how these measures are achieving their transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption goals.


A resilience building collaboration: A social identity empowerment approach to trauma management in leprosy-affected communities.
Communities affected by leprosy encounter multiple traumas and adversities and are some of the poorest in the world. A diagnosis of leprosy can have catastrophic implications for peoples social, health, and economic circumstances. In this article, we describe a reciprocal collaboration with a nongovernmental organization (NGO) that supports people affected by leprosy, trauma, and adversity in rural Nepal. We offer a social identity-based empowerment approach for two reasons. We argue this approach is particularly suited to support those impacted by trauma and its psychological aftermath as those affected are disproportionately from disempowered and marginalized groups. Second, we know that people gain strength from others with whom they share experiences. We offer longitudinal data (N = 71) to support this model of a mutually respectful, participatory, and collaborative approach with the Nepal Leprosy Trust (NLT), a social development NGO. Findings of mediation analysis highlight that where a traumatic experience is highly stigmatized and isolating there is value in a group-based, self-help approach that emphasizes empowerment. A group-based approach that focuses on increasing knowledge and collective social resources is empowering for those affected by leprosy and adversity, because these resources build resilience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).


[Stanozolol activates the cross-talk of estrogen receptor alpha-insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor-extracellular-signal regulated kinase 1/2 in the growth plate chondrocytes of estrogen-inhibited adolescent rats in vitro].
To investigate the effects and the mechanisms of stanozolol (ST) on the proliferation, maturation and differentiation of in vitro cultured growth plate chondrocyte isolated from gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa)-treated adolescent rats, to study if ST mediates the proliferation of chondrocytes via the estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha), androgen receptor (AR) and/or insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) and interactions of the two receptor and IGF-1R receptor signaling pathway, to investigate the mechanism of the biological effects in ST promoting bone growth/maturity at molecular level. The rats were weaned at the end of 3 weeks and intramuscular injection of triptorelin of GnRHa preparations, qow x 2 was started. The rats were sacrificed at the end of 7 weeks, and then the tibiae growth plates were taken out with sterile procedure. The chondrocytes were obtained by two-time enzyme digestion method, and the experiments were carried out with the primary chondrocytes. Immunohistochemical staining of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Western blot analysis were applied. The results of PCNA demonstrated that stanozolol enhanced the proliferation of the chondrocytes, time-course studies showed that the proliferation were maximally stimulated by stanozolol after 2 days of incubation and decreased again after longer periods of incubation. The expression of p-ERalpha, p-IGF-1R and p-extracellular-signal regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) increased with the incubation period of ST treatment, and reached the peak value at a certain time, and then gradually decreased. The expression of p-ERalpha, p-IGF-1R and p-ERK1/2 increased with the elevation of ST concentration, and reached the peak value at 10(-9) - 10(-8) mol/L, then gradually decreased. ST induced-p-ERalpha expression was partially blocked by ERalpha and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitors. ST induced-p-IGF-1R expression was partially blocked by ERalpha and IGF-1R inhibitors. ST induced-p-ERK1/2 expression was partially blocked by mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase and IGF-1R inhibitors. As an androgen derivation, ST exerts its biological effects of promoting proliferation of the long bone growth plate chondrocytes via activating the classic ERalpha receptor pathway and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, and at the same time, by activation of IGF-1R. Both IGF-1R and ERalpha can promote "cross-talk" of two systems' receptor signal through mitogen-activated protein kinase signal pathway.


Parents' strategies to elicit autobiographical memories in autism spectrum disorders, developmental language disorders and typically developing children.
Conversations about the past support the development of autobiographical memory. Parents' strategies to elicit child's participation and recall during past event conversations were compared across three school-age diagnostic groups: autism spectrum disorder (ASD, n = 11), developmental language disorders (n = 11) and typically developing (TD, n = 11). We focused on the prevalence of directives versus enrichment of events. Groups did not differ in number of events, length, and total turns. However, parents of children with ASD produced more direct questions, corrections, and unrelated turns than parents of TD children. Results highlight how parents adjusted their conversational style to their child's communication difficulties to maximize interactions and how these strategies may affect the development of personal conversations.


Safety in fragile, conflict-affected, and vulnerable settings: An evidence scanning approach for identifying patient safety interventions.
The number of people living in fragile, conflict-affected, and vulnerable (FCV) settings is growing rapidly and attention to achieving universal health coverage must be accompanied by sufficient focus on the safety of care for universal access to be meaningful. Healthcare workers in these settings are working under extreme conditions, often with insufficient contextualized evidence to support decision-making. Recognising the relative paucity of, and methodological issues in gathering evidence from these settings, the evidence scanning described in this paper considered which patient safety interventions might offer the 'better bet', eg, the most effective and appropriate intervention in FCV settings. An evidence scanning approach was used to examine the literature. The search was limited to FCV settings and low-income settings as defined by the World Bank, but if a systematic review included a mix of evidence from FCV/low income settings, as well as low-middle income settings, it was included. The search was conducted in English and limited to studies published from 2003 onwards, utilising Google Scholar as a publicly accessible database and further review of the grey literature, with specific attention to the outputs of non-governmental organisations. The search and subsequent analysis were completed between April and June 2020. The majority of studies identified related to strengthening infection prevention and control which was also found to be the 'better bet' intervention that could generalise to other settings, be most feasible to implement, and most effective for improving patient care and associated outcomes. Other prioritized interventions include risk management, with contributing elements such as reporting, audits, and death review processes. Infection prevention and control interventions dominate in the literature for multiple reasons including strength of evidence, acceptability, feasibility, and impact on patient and health worker well-being. However, there is an urgent need to further develop the evidence base, specialist knowledge, and field guidance on a range of other patient safety interventions such as education and training, patient identification, subject specific safety actions, and risk management.


Reading and visual search: a developmental study in normal children.
Studies dealing with developmental aspects of binocular eye movement behaviour during reading are scarce. In this study we have explored binocular strategies during reading and during visual search tasks in a large population of normal young readers. Binocular eye movements were recorded using an infrared video-oculography system in sixty-nine children (aged 6 to 15) and in a group of 10 adults (aged 24 to 39). The main findings are (i) in both tasks the number of progressive saccades (to the right) and regressive saccades (to the left) decreases with age; (ii) the amplitude of progressive saccades increases with age in the reading task only; (iii) in both tasks, the duration of fixations as well as the total duration of the task decreases with age; (iv) in both tasks, the amplitude of disconjugacy recorded during and after the saccades decreases with age; (v) children are significantly more accurate in reading than in visual search after 10 years of age. Data reported here confirms and expands previous studies on children's reading. The new finding is that younger children show poorer coordination than adults, both while reading and while performing a visual search task. Both reading skills and binocular saccades coordination improve with age and children reach a similar level to adults after the age of 10. This finding is most likely related to the fact that learning mechanisms responsible for saccade yoking develop during childhood until adolescence.


The lived experience of treatment for hepatitis C.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe male patients' experiences of undergoing and completing treatment for the hepatitis C virus. A qualitative, descriptive, and phenomenological methodology was used. Eight male patients diagnosed with the hepatitis C virus, aged 41-60 years and enrolled in a health maintenance organization, were interviewed in their private residences in a community setting. In depth, semistructured, tape-recorded, and transcribed interviews were analyzed by using theme coding. Six themes emerged that described the lived experience of male patients after undergoing treatment for the hepatitis C virus: acquisition of the disease, the diagnosis, the treatment decision making, the "horror stories" regarding treatment, what helped, and feelings now.Patients who are diagnosed with the hepatitis C virus and undergo treatment face a difficult therapy regimen. All participants knew how they acquired the disease and had no sense of apology for how they attracted it. Their only goal was to achieve viral clearance of this disease. Treatment was their option. Nurses play a key role in the management of treatment for patients undergoing therapy for hepatitis C. The management of the adverse effects of therapy has a great impact on patients' quality of life and compliance with the therapy. Nurses are able to help patients by recognizing and managing the adverse effects of this therapy.


Myogenesis in the basal bilaterian Symsagittifera roscoffensis (Acoela).
In order to increase the weak database concerning the organogenesis of Acoela - a clade regarded by many as the earliest extant offshoot of Bilateria and thus of particular interest for studies concerning the evolution of animal bodyplans - we analyzed the development of the musculature of Symsagittifera roscoffensis using F-actin labelling, confocal laserscanning microscopy, and 3D reconstruction software. At 40% of development between egg deposition and hatching short subepidermal fibres form. Muscle fibre development in the anterior body half precedes myogenesis in the posterior half. At 42% of development a grid of outer circular and inner longitudinal muscles is present in the bodywall. New circular muscles either branch off from present fibres or form adjacent to existing ones. The number of circular muscles is higher than that of the longitudinal muscles throughout all life cycle stages. Diagonal, circular and longitudinal muscles are initially rare but their number increases with time. The ventral side bears U-shaped muscles around the mouth, which in addition is surrounded by a sphincter muscle. With the exception of the region of the statocyst, dorsoventral muscles are present along the entire body of juveniles and adults, while adults additionally exhibit radially oriented internal muscles in the anterior tip. Outer diagonal muscles are present at the dorsal anterior tip of the adult. In adult animals, the male gonopore with its associated sexual organs expresses distinct muscles. No specific statocyst muscles were found. The muscle mantles of the needle-shaped sagittocysts are situated along the lateral edges of the animal and in the posterior end close to the male gonopore. In both juveniles and adults, non-muscular filaments, which stain positively for F-actin, are associated with certain sensory cells outside the bodywall musculature. Compared to the myoanatomy of other acoel taxa, Symsagittifera roscoffensis shows a very complex musculature. Although data on presumably basal acoel clades are still scarce, the information currently available suggests an elaborated musculature with longitudinal, circular and U-shaped muscles as being part of the ancestral acoel bodyplan, thus increasing the possibility that Urbilateria likewise had a relatively complicated muscular ground pattern.


TGR5 Activation Ameliorates Mitochondrial Homeostasis via Regulating the PKCδ/Drp1-HK2 Signaling in Diabetic Retinopathy.
Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most important microvascular diseases of diabetes. Our previous research demonstrated that bile acid G-protein-coupled membrane receptor (TGR5), a novel cell membrane receptor of bile acid, ameliorates the vascular endothelial cell dysfunction in DR. However, the precise mechanism leading to this alteration remains unknown. Thus, the mechanism of TGR5 in the progress of DR should be urgently explored. Methods: In this study, we established high glucose (HG)-induced human retinal vascular endothelial cells (RMECs) and streptozotocin-induced DR rat in vitro and in vivo. The expression of TGR5 was interfered through the specific agonist or siRNA to study the effect of TGR5 on the function of endothelial cell in vitro. Western blot, immunofluorescence and fluorescent probes were used to explore how TGR5 regulated mitochondrial homeostasis and related molecular mechanism. The adeno-associated virus serotype 8-shTGR5 (AAV8-shTGR5) was performed to evaluate retinal dysfunction in vivo and further confirm the role of TGR5 in DR by HE staining, TUNEL staining, PAS staining and Evans Blue dye. Results: We found that TGR5 activation alleviated HG-induced endothelial cell apoptosis by improving mitochondrial homeostasis. Additionally, TGR5 signaling reduced mitochondrial fission by suppressing the Ca2+-PKCδ/Drp1 signaling and enhanced mitophagy through the upregulation of the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway. Furthermore, our result indicated that Drp1 inhibited mitophagy by facilitating the hexokinase (HK) 2 separation from the mitochondria and HK2-PINK1/Parkin signaling. In vivo, intraretinal microvascular abnormalities, including retinal vascular leakage, acellular capillaries and apoptosis, were poor in AAV8-shTGR5-treated group under DR, but this effect was reversed by pretreatment with the mitochondrial fission inhibitor Mdivi-1 or autophagy agonist Rapamycin. Conclusion: Overall, our findings indicated that TGR5 inhibited mitochondrial fission and enhanced mitophagy in RMECs by regulating the PKCδ/Drp1-HK2 signaling pathway. These results revealed the molecular mechanisms underlying the protective effects of TGR5 and suggested that activation of TGR5 might be a potential therapeutic strategy for DR.


Is colic a gastrointestinal disorder?
Infantile colic is a distinct, although poorly defined, clinical entity. Whereas a general consensus regarding its cause is lacking, it is most likely multifactorial in genesis. Possible causative factors can be divided into two main groups: gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal. Food protein hypersensitivity or allergy is the leading contender in the former group, and disturbances in parental or maternal-child interactions in the latter. In all likelihood, the various factors act in tandem, leading to disturbances in infant gastrointestinal motility that manifests clinically as colic.


Introduction of a speech-language pathology assistant role for swallow screening in a head and neck radiotherapy clinic.
Optimal care suggests that all moderate-high risk head and neck (H&N) cancer patients should receive speech pathology assessment, education and management when commencing radiotherapy. However this is not always feasible due to high patient numbers and limited staffing. The aim of this study was to investigate the implementation of a speech-language pathology assistant (SLP-A) role for swallowing screening and education in a multidisciplinary H&N treatment clinic. A detailed model of care and training module were developed to up-skill the SLP-A in the screening and education to be undertaken. A pre-test post-test design compared outcomes in two separate groups prior to and following SLP-A role implementation. Outcomes included: optimal care compliance, speech-language pathology time spent with complex patients, swallowing-related admissions and patient satisfaction. Twenty-six patients were included pre-implementation and 35 post-implementation, with 16 (46%) patients receiving SLP-A screening/education post-implementation. The proportion of eligible patients seen by speech-language pathology pre-implementation was 62%, compared to 94% seen by speech-language pathology or SLP-A post-implementation (p = 0.002). There was a (non-significant) increase in speech-language pathology time spent with complex patients post-implementation (total minutes per patient: mean 252, SD = 144 vs. 279, SD = 115). There was no increase in swallowing-related admissions, and a (non-significant) increase in patient satisfaction post-implementation, indicating no compromise to patient safety or satisfaction. Implementing a speech-language pathology assistant role for screening patients within the H&N treatment clinic allowed delivery of optimal care and increased time for speech-language pathologists to spend with complex patients, without compromising patient safety or satisfaction.


[Diversity of associated nitrogen-fixing bacteria isolated from the pioneer plants-Vetiver zizanioides].
Vetiver zizanioides is a perennial grass of the Poaceae family, known of its silage, soil and water conservation role. The aim of the study was to collect and identify the resources of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with Vetiver zizanioides. Associated nitrogen-fixing bacteria isolated from Vetiver zizanioides were studied by SDS-PAGE whole-cell protein patterns, insert sequence (IS)-PCR finger printing, utilization of sole carbon sources and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Based on the results of finger printing analysis, protein patterns and biological test, isolates were grouped into 6 clusters, except 4 single strains. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences indicated that isolates belonged to Herbaspirillum frisingense, Enterobacter ludwigii, Pseudacidovorax intermedius, Mitsuaria chitosanitabida, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Burkholderia vietnamiensis and Enterobacter cloacae. The nitrogen fixers associated with Vetiver zizanioides showed great diversity and may have a potential application for the grass forage and agriculture.


Multi-dimensional, non-contact metrology using trilateration and high resolution FMCW ladar.
Here we propose, describe, and provide experimental proof-of-concept demonstrations of a multidimensional, non-contact-length metrology system design based on high resolution (millimeter to sub-100 micron) frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) ladar and trilateration based on length measurements from multiple, optical fiber-connected transmitters. With an accurate FMCW ladar source, the trilateration-based design provides 3D resolution inherently independent of standoff range and allows self-calibration to provide flexible setup of a field system. A proof-of-concept experimental demonstration was performed using a highly stabilized, 2 THz bandwidth chirped laser source, two emitters, and one scanning emitter/receiver providing 1D surface profiles (2D metrology) of diffuse targets. The measured coordinate precision of <200 microns was determined to be limited by laser speckle issues caused by diffuse scattering of the targets.


Photophysical properties of 1,3,5-tris(2-naphthyl)benzene and related less-arylated compounds: experimental and theoretical investigations.
Recently, a growing interest has concerned compounds characterized by high chemical and photophysical stability and high quantum yield for their possible technological applications. 1,3,5-Tris(2-naphthyl)benzene (N3B), 1,3-bis(2-naphthyl)benzene (N2B), and 2-naphthyl-benzene (N1B) are promising compounds, but they needed a detailed photophysical characterization. In this context, theoretical and experimental investigations have been carried out. Steady-state and decay time fluorescence measurements indicate that the second naphthyl group, added in the meta position of N1B, perturbs the electronic levels, whereas the further naphthyl addition, leading to N3B, does not promote changes in all of the observed properties. The investigated compounds show a biexponential fluorescence decay that has been attributed to a rearrangement involving the exited states S(1) and S(2). The minimum structure corresponding to the S(1) and S(2) states has been obtained at the configuration interaction with single excitations (CIS) level of theory. For the ground-state geometry, a conformational analysis at the Hartree-Fock level has also been carried out. We have evaluated the energy gaps between electronic levels by using Zerner's intermediate neglect of differential overlap (ZINDO) method. The species involved in the fluorescence have been experimentally characterized, and the decay-associated spectra have been obtained.


Navigating the social synapse: the neurobiology of bedside manner.
This paper seeks to explore the application of neurobiology to further understanding the importance of developing, refining and modelling good bedside manner in psychiatry. The concept of a social synapse is used as a framework to understand the impact of verbal and non-verbal information that crosses between two attuned individuals. Research shows that widely distributed cortical and subcortical networks are involved in processing of social information and the perception of safety. Good bedside manner is proposed as the ability of a clinician to navigate the social synapse and make a patient feel at ease. Findings from neurobiology suggest that good bedside manner needs to be a more considered component of effective psychiatric health care.


The efficacy and safety of amifostine for the acute radiation syndrome.
Introduction: A radiation countermeasure that can be used prior to radiation exposure to protect the population from the harmful effects of radiation exposure remains a major unmet medical need and is recognized as an important area for research. Despite substantial advances in the research and development for finding nontoxic, safe, and effective prophylactic countermeasures for the acute radiation syndrome (ARS), no such agent has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Area covered: Despite the progress made to improve the effectiveness of amifostine as a radioprotector for ARS, none of the strategies have resolved the issue of its toxicity/side effects. Thus, the FDA has approved amifostine for limited clinical indications, but not for non-clinical uses. This article reviews recent strategies and progress that have been made to move forward this potentially useful countermeasure for ARS. Expert opinion: Although the recent investigations have been promising for fielding safe and effective radiation countermeasures, additional work is needed to improve and advance drug design and delivery strategies to get FDA approval for broadened, non-clinical use of amifostine during a radiological/nuclear scenario.


The role of cell adhesion in hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis.
The cells of the bone marrow microenvironment are emerging as important contributors and regulators of normal hematopoiesis. This microenvironment is perturbed during leukemogenesis, and evidence points toward a bidirectional communication between leukemia cells and the normal cells of the bone marrow, mediated by direct cell-cell contact as well as soluble factors. These interactions are increasingly appreciated to play a role in leukemogenesis and possibly in resistance to chemotherapy. In fact, several compounds that specifically target the bone marrow microenvironment, including inhibitors of cell adhesion, are being tested as adjuncts to leukemia therapy.


Heat shock protein 20-mediated force suppression in forskolin-relaxed swine carotid artery.
Increases in cyclic nucleotide levels induce smooth muscle relaxation by deactivation [reductions in myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC) phosphorylation (e.g., by reduced [Ca(2+)])] or force suppression (reduction in force without reduction in MRLC phosphorylation). Ser(16)-heat shock protein 20 (HSP20) phosphorylation is the proposed mediator of force suppression. We evaluated three potential hypotheses whereby Ser(16)-HSP20 phosphorylation could regulate smooth muscle force: 1) a threshold level of HSP20 phosphorylation could inactivate a thin filament as a whole, 2) phosphorylation of a single HSP20 could fully inactivate a small region of a thin filament, or 3) HSP20 phosphorylation could weakly inhibit myosin binding at either the thin- or thick-filament level. We tested these hypotheses by analyzing the dependence of force on Ser(16)-HSP20 phosphorylation in swine carotid media. First, we determined that swine HSP20 has a second phosphorylation site at Ser(157). Ser(157)-HSP20 phosphorylation values were high and did not change during contractile activation or forskolin-induced relaxation. Forskolin significantly increased Ser(16)-HSP20 phosphorylation. The relationship between Ser(16)-HSP20 phosphorylation and force remained linear and was shifted downward in partially activated muscles relaxed with forskolin. Neither forskolin nor nitroglycerin induced actin depolymerization as detected using the F/G-actin ratio method in smooth muscle homogenates. These results suggest that force suppression does not occur in accordance with the first hypothesis (inactivation of a thin filament as a whole). Our data are more consistent with the second and third hypotheses that force suppression is mediated by full or partial inhibition of local myosin binding at the thin- or thick-filament level.


Leadership: implications of the literature for health services administration research.
In reviewing the literature and research on leadership, as conceptualized in the rational and natural system perspectives, we identified major trends and issues in the organizational literature on leadership. Our discussion of the implications of this literature for the study of health services organizations raised several questions, and identified them for future research.


Taking Action or Thinking About It? State Orientation and Rumination Are Correlated in Athletes.
Athletic performance in competitive sports relies heavily on the ability to cope effectively with stressful situations. In contrast, some athletes report that their thoughts revolve around the future or past and not around the actual demands during competitions. In those specific stressful situations, the lack of focus like an unintended fixation on repetitive cognitions can have fatal consequences with regard to the performance. Especially when competitors are close in their athletic capabilities, differences in effectively coping with stress and mental stability may decide about winning and losing. One established factor of performing effectively under pressure is the individual tendency to either focus on taking action (i.e., action orientation) or on focusing on the own emotions (i.e., state orientation). It is widely acknowledged that state-oriented athletes have disadvantages in performing under stress. Moreover, the action control theory claims that state orientation is related to ruminative cognitions, which itself is assumed to impair performance in the long term. We tested this hypothesis in 157 competitive athletes from different sports (including individual and team sports). Regression analysis demonstrates a substantial correlation of failure-related action orientation (i.e., state orientation) with different measures of rumination (including general, clinically relevant, and competition-related rumination). In addition, general (i.e., content independent) rumination also correlated substantially with a rumination scale adapted specifically to sports-related competition. These results suggest (1) that a sports and competition-related ruminative mechanism exists and (2) that ruminative cognitions are related to the cognitive basis of state orientation. While our study does not allow for a causal interpretation, it provides an additional approach to investigate mental factors underlying inter-individual differences in athletic performance under stress and pressure.


Electron-spin dynamics in strongly correlated metals.
The temperature dependence of the electron-spin lifetime T1 and the g factor are anomalous in alkali fullerides (K,Rb)3C60, which cannot be explained by the canonical Elliott-Yafet theory. These materials are archetypes of strongly correlated and narrow band metals. We introduce the concept of a "complex electron-spin resonance frequency shift" to treat these measurables in a unified manner within the Kubo formalism. The theory is applicable for metals with nearly degenerate conduction bands and large momentum scattering even with an anomalous temperature dependence and sizable residual value.


Hyaluronan and healing of tympanic membrane perforations. An experimental study.
Hyaluronan, an extracellular high molecular weight polysaccharide, was applied onto experimentally performed tympanic membrane (TM) perforations in the rat. The hyaluronan-treated perforations closed faster than the untreated controls and showed less scar tissue. Initially the perforation became covered by a sheet of keratin and hyaluronan, which appeared to relax and orientate the retracted collagen fibres at the margin of the perforation. The hypertrophic stratified keratinizing squamous epithelium advanced within the hyaluronan-keratin cover and closed the perforation ahead of an approaching connective tissue. Three months after the closure, the hyaluronan-treated TMs appeared transparent in comparison to the opaque untreated controls. In histological sections the hyaluronan-treated TM was comparably thin and an organized collagen fibre layer was discernible. Hyaluronan of various concentrations (0.75, 1.0, 1.75 and 1.9%) and molecular weights (4 x 10(6) and 6 x 10(6)) were tested. The healing rate and degree of scar tissue was dependent on the concentration, but not on the molecular weight of the hyaluronan. Hyaluronan, at the higher concentration, healed the perforations faster and produced a less opaque TM than hyaluronan at low concentration. The number of applications of hyaluronan also influenced the healing rate; fewer applications resulted in a reduced rate. However, the quality of the healed TM was influenced to a lesser extent by the number of hyaluronan applications. Even single applications caused less scar tissue in comparison with untreated TMs. It is inferred from the study that hyaluronan, exogenously applied, might be valuable also in the clinical situation to enhance the healing of different types of TM perforation.


Chorea and community in a nineteenth-century town.
The dominant historical narrative of Huntington's disease (Huntington's chorea) has portrayed the early American sufferers from this disorder as marginalized and vilified. This article argues, however, that afflicted families in East Hampton, New York--the site of George Huntington's mid-nineteenth-century observations--were mostly accepted and integrated within the community, some of them as members of the gentry and active participants in local governance. As descendants of early English settlers in this multiracial town, these white Presbyterian families, some of whose members were afflicted with what was locally called "St. Vitus's dance" or "that disorder," were always defined as "one of ours." While this fatal inherited neurological illness became more secret and hidden toward the end of the nineteenth century, this article suggests that it was larger cultural and social changes, rather than factors intrinsic to the disease, that led to the shift. The East Hampton story suggests the ways in which specific historical circumstances in a community may shape the-social meanings of even so severe a disease as Huntington's, and that social integration of the afflicted families may have helped mitigate the suffering of the disease.


Gastrointestinal amyloidosis: A focused review.
Amyloidosis, a heterogenous group of disorders, is characterized by the extracellular deposition of autologous, insoluble, fibrillar misfolded proteins. These extracellular proteins deposit in tissues aggregated in ß-pleated sheets arranged in an antiparallel fashion and cause distortion to the tissue architecture and function. In the current literature, about 60 heterogeneous amyloidogenic proteins have been identified, out of which 27 have been associated with human disease. Classified as a rare disease, amyloidosis is known to have a wide range of possible etiologies and clinical manifestations. The exact incidence and prevalence of the disease is currently unknown. In both systemic and localized amyloidosis, there is infiltration of the abnormal proteins in the layers of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract or the liver parenchyma. The gold standard test for establishing a diagnosis is tissue biopsy followed by Congo Red staining and apple-green birefringence of the Congo Red-stained deposits under polarized light. However, not all patients may have a positive tissue confirmation of the disease. In these cases additional workup and referral to a gastroenterologist may be warranted. Along with symptomatic management, the treatment for GI amyloidosis consists of observation or localized surgical excision in patients with localized disease, and treatment of the underlying pathology in cases of systemic amyloidosis. In this review of the literature, we describe the subtypes of amyloidosis, with a primary focus on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis and treatment strategies available for GI amyloidosis.


Normalized Protein Catabolic Rate Is a Superior Nutritional Marker Associated With Dialysis Adequacy in Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Patients.
Introduction: Current knowledge of the relationship between normalized protein catabolic rate (nPCR) and dialysis adequacy is limited. Our study aimed to explore the potential relationship between nPCR and dialysis adequacy. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed the association of nPCR with peritoneal dialysis adequacy in 266 continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients (mean age 48.6 ± 13.1 years; 50.8% male). The patients were divided into two groups: a dialysis inadequacy group (total weekly Kt/V urea < 1.70) and a dialysis adequacy group (total weekly Kt/V urea≥1.70). We then analyzed the correlation between dialysis adequacy and the patients' primary cause of end-stage renal disease, nutritional and inflammatory markers, and biochemical parameters. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was also used to identify risk factors for inadequate dialysis. Results: We observed a significantly higher level of nPCR (0.98 ± 0.22 vs. 0.79 ± 0.18 g/kg/day, p < 0.001) in the dialysis adequacy group, whereas we observed no significant differences among other nutritional markers such as albumin, prealbumin, and transferrin. Correlation analyses revealed that dialysis adequacy was positively associated with residual glomerular filtration rate (rGFR), hemoglobin, serum calcium, and body mass index (BMI), while dialysis adequacy was negatively associated with leak-protein, uric acid, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and serum phosphorus. Furthermore, a logistic regression analysis revealed that gender (male), nPCR <0.815 g/kg/day, higher weight, and rGFR <2.43 mL/min/1.73 m2 were independent risk factors for inadequate dialysis. Conclusion: Nutritional status is closely associated with dialysis adequacy. Among common nutritional markers, nPCR may be superior for predicting CAPD dialysis adequacy. Gender (male), nPCR <0.815 g/kg/day, higher weight, and rGFR <2.43 mL/min/1.73 m2 are independent risk factors for dialysis inadequacy in CAPD patients.


The role of antibiotic prophylaxis with sodium ceftriaxone to prevent bacterial translocation associated with hypovolemic shock: an experimental study in rats.
One of the measures adopted to reduce or prevent intestinal bacterial translocation (BT) in patients who are in hemorrhagic shock consists of prophylactic antibiotics. This study attempted to assess the effectiveness of administering systemic antibiotic to suppress BT in rats submitted to hemorrhagic shock. Sixty-eight male Wistar rats were divided into two experiments. In experiment 1 (n = 28), the animals were randomly divided into three groups: group I (n = 7), sham operation; group II (n = 11), constituted by animals that were submitted to hemorrhagic shock by removing 40% of the volemia, and were resuscitated after 40 min of sustained shock, replacing the previously removed blood; and group III (n = 10), animals that, besides hemorrhagic shock and volemic replacement, received 50 mg/kg of sodium ceftriaxone intravenous 1 min after blood readministration. Mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) for culture tests and segments of the small bowel were removed for histopathological studies 1 day after the operation in the three groups. In experiment 2, the same procedures were performed, except the laparotomy for removing MLN and segments of jejunal and ileal bowel, but the animals were followed during 7 days, in order to evaluate the mortality rate. In the control group (group I), the bacteriological assessment of the MLN was negative in all cases. Only 40% of the animals treated with antibiotics after hypovolemic shock (group III) presented positive bacteriological exams of the MLN, and this rate was 90% in the group of animals that did not receive this substance (group II) (p < .05). Escherichia coli was the bacteria identified most frequently in culture tests (92.8%). The villosities atrophy and inflammatory infiltrate of the lamina propria were the most common histological changes in the bowel, although the intensity was similar in groups II and III (p > .05), but more intense that in group I (p < .05). The mortality rates in groups I, II, and III 7 days after hypovolemic shock were 0%, 20%, and 20%, respectively. Prophylactic antibiotics significantly reduced the presence of bacteria in the MLN in situations of hypovolemic shock, in rats. This was probably related to a lower BT. However, this aspect did not modify the mortality rate of the animals. Also, the possibility that BT may not have a significant influence in this outcome should be considered.


Gene expression profiles of breast cancer obtained from core cut biopsies before neoadjuvant docetaxel, adriamycin, and cyclophoshamide chemotherapy correlate with routine prognostic markers and could be used to identify predictive signatures.
Neoadjuvant administration of chemotherapy provides a unique opportunity to monitor response to treatment in breast cancer and assesses response exactly. Global gene expression profiling by microarrays has been used as a valuable tool for the identification of prognostic and predictive marker genes. Even though this technology is now wide spread and relatively standardized, there are only few data available which compare established parameters with expression values to determine reliability of this method. Therefore we analyzed gene expression data of pretreatment biopsies of breast cancer patients and compared them with the results of the immunohistochemical receptor expression for ER/ PR and Her-2, as well as FISH testing for HER-2 amplification. We analyzed the change of expression of these markers before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Furthermore we evaluated the predictive significance of prognostic gene signatures as described by Sorlie, van't Veer and Ahr for response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Pretherapeutic core biopsies were obtained from 70 patients undergoing neoadjuvant TAC chemotherapy within the GEPARTRIO-trial. Samples were characterized according to standard pathology including ER, PR and HER2 IHC and amount of cancer cells. Only biopsies with more than 80 % tumor cells were considered for further examination. RNA was isolated and expression profiling performed using Affymetrix Hg U133 Arrays (22 500 genes). GeneData's Expressionist software was used for bioinformatic analyses. More than two thirds of the biopsies yielded sufficient amounts (> 5 microg) of RNA for expression profiling and high quality data were obtained for 50 samples. Unsupervised clustering broadly revealed a correlation with hormone receptor status. When ER-alpha, PR and HER2 as analyzed by immunohistochemistry were compared to the corresponding mRNA data from gene chips more than 90 % concordance was observed. We could observe a switch of receptor expression for ER, PR or HER-2 from positive to negative and vice versa in 16/35 cases (45.7 %) and 5/22 cases (22.7 %) respectively. The prognostic marker sets of Sorlie, van't Veer and Ahr could not discriminate responders from non-responders in our patient group. Our results demonstrate that reliable expression profiles can be achieved by using limited amounts of tissue obtained during neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Microarray data capture conventional prognostic markers but might contain additional informative gene sets correlated with treatment outcome. Prognostic marker sets are not suitable to predict tumor response in the neoadjuvant setting, suggesting the necessity of class prediction methods to identify marker sets predictive for the type of therapy used.


Supplement use by Young Athletes.
This paper reviews studies of supplement use among child and adolescent athletes, focusing on prevalence and type of supplement use, as well as gender comparisons. Supplement use among adult athletes has been well documented however there are a limited number of studies investigating supplement use by child and adolescent athletes. A trend in the current literature revealed that the most frequently used supplements are in the form of vitamin and minerals. While health and illness prevention are the main reasons for taking supplements, enhanced athletic performance was also reported as a strong motivating factor. Generally, females are found to use supplements more frequently and are associated with reasons of health, recovery, and replacing an inadequate diet. Males are more likely to report taking supplements for enhanced performance. Both genders equally rated increased energy as another reason for engaging in supplement use. Many dietary supplements are highly accessible to young athletes and they are particularly vulnerable to pressures from the media and the prospect of playing sport at increasingly elite levels. Future research should provide more direct evidence regarding any physiological side effects of taking supplements, as well as the exact vitamin and mineral requirements for child and adolescent athletes. Increased education for young athletes regarding supplement use, parents and coaches should to be targeted to help the athletes make the appropriate choices. Key pointsSupplement use among the child and adolescent athlete population is widespread with the most frequently used supplement being a form of vitamin/mineral supplement.The effects of supplement use on the growth and development of children and adolescents remain unclear and thus use of supplements by this population should be discouraged.It is likely that there is a misunderstanding as to the role of vitamins and minerals in the diet, their function in maintaining overall health, their role in athletic performance, and how they are best obtained from the diet therefore further education for adolescent athletes and athletes in general is needed.


Changes in social-cognitive variables are associated with stage transitions in physical activity.
When it comes to the adoption or maintenance of physical activity, individuals can be placed along a continuum or into stages of change. The Health Action Process Approach proposes three such stages: non-intentional, intentional and actional. Intraindividual differences are reflected by stage transitions: either progression or regression. The present study examines social-cognitive factors of stage transitions: outcome expectancies, self-efficacy and planning. In an online study on physical activity, 660 adults completed questionnaires at baseline and approximately 3 weeks later. Social-cognitive factors were converted into standardized residual change scores to account for changes in outcome expectancies, self-efficacy and planning within the observation period. Discriminant function analyses revealed stage-specific patterns: progression out of non-intentional stage was associated with self-efficacy increases. Out of intentional stage, regression was correlated with decreases in planning, whereas progression was linked to increases in self-efficacy and planning. Regression from action stage was associated with decreases in self-efficacy. Physical activity promotion should focus on improving self-efficacy for non-intending, intending and acting individuals, whereas planning interventions are recommended for intending individuals. Interventions may be more effective by considering specific mechanisms instead of providing generic interventions for all individuals at different stages.


Study of Different Deep Learning Methods for Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic: Taxonomy, Survey and Insights.
COVID-19 has evolved into one of the most severe and acute illnesses. The number of deaths continues to climb despite the development of vaccines and new strains of the virus have appeared. The early and precise recognition of COVID-19 are key in viably treating patients and containing the pandemic on the whole. Deep learning technology has been shown to be a significant tool in diagnosing COVID-19 and in assisting radiologists to detect anomalies and numerous diseases during this epidemic. This research seeks to provide an overview of novel deep learning-based applications for medical imaging modalities, computer tomography (CT) and chest X-rays (CXR), for the detection and classification COVID-19. First, we give an overview of the taxonomy of medical imaging and present a summary of types of deep learning (DL) methods. Then, utilizing deep learning techniques, we present an overview of systems created for COVID-19 detection and classification. We also give a rundown of the most well-known databases used to train these networks. Finally, we explore the challenges of using deep learning algorithms to detect COVID-19, as well as future research prospects in this field.


Bacterial chromosome organization. II. Few special cross-links, cell confinement, and molecular crowders play the pivotal roles.
Using a coarse-grained bead-spring model of bacterial chromosomes of Caulobacter crescentus and Escherichia coli, we show that just 33 and 38 effective cross-links in 4017 and 4642 monomer chains at special positions along the chain contour can lead to the large-scale organization of the DNA polymer, where confinement effects of the cell walls play a key role in the organization. The positions of the 33/38 cross-links along the chain contour are chosen from the Hi-C contact map of bacteria C. crescentus and E. coli. We represent 1000 base pairs as a coarse-grained monomer in our bead-spring flexible ring polymer model of the DNA polymer. Thus, 4017/4642 beads on a flexible ring polymer represent the C. crescentus/E. coli DNA polymer with 4017/4642 kilo-base pairs. Choosing suitable parameters from Paper I, we also incorporate the role of compaction of the polymer coil due to the presence of molecular crowders and the ability of the chain to release topological constraints. We validate our prediction of the organization of the bacterial chromosomes with available experimental data and also give a prediction of the approximate positions of different segments within the cell. In the absence of confinement, the minimal number of effective cross-links required to organize the DNA chains of 4017/4642 monomers was 60/82 [Agarwal et al., Europhys. Lett. 121, 18004 (2018) and Agarwal et al., J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 30, 034003 (2018)].


Dynamic Effects during the Capillary Rise of Fluids in Cylindrical Tubes.
The mathematical models for the capillary-driven flow of fluids in tubes typically assume a static contact angle at the fluid-air contact line on the tube walls. However, the dynamic evolution of the fluid-air interface is an important feature during capillary rise. Furthermore, inertial effects are relevant at early times and may lead to oscillations. To incorporate and quantify the different effects, a fundamental description of the physical processes within the tube is used to derive an upscaled model of capillary-driven flow in circular cylindrical tubes. The upscaled model extends the classical Lucas-Washburn model by incorporating a dynamic contact angle and slip. It is then further extended to account for inertial effects. Finally, the solutions of the different models are compared to experimental data. In contrast to the Lucas-Washburn model, the models with dynamic contact angle match well the experimental data, both the rise height and the contact angle, even at early times. The models have a free parameter through the dynamic contact angle description, which is fitted using the experimental data. The findings here suggest that this parameter depends only on the properties of the fluid but is independent of geometrical features, such as the tube radius. Therefore, the presented models can predict the capillary-driven flow in tubular systems upon knowledge of the underlying dynamic contact-angle relation.


Exon probe sets and bioinformatics pipelines for all levels of fish phylogenomics.
Exon markers have a long history of use in phylogenetics of ray-finned fishes, the most diverse clade of vertebrates with more than 35,000 species. As the number of published genomes increases, it has become easier to test exons and other genetic markers for signals of ancient duplication events and filter out paralogues that can mislead phylogenetic analysis. We present seven new probe sets for current target-capture phylogenomic protocols that capture 1,104 exons explicitly filtered for paralogues using gene trees. These seven probe sets span the diversity of teleost fishes, including four sets that target five hyperdiverse percomorph clades which together comprise ca. 17,000 species (Carangaria, Ovalentaria, Eupercaria, and Syngnatharia + Pelagiaria combined). We additionally included probes to capture legacy nuclear exons and mitochondrial markers that have been commonly used in fish phylogenetics (despite some exons being flagged for paralogues) to facilitate integration of old and new molecular phylogenetic matrices. We tested these probes experimentally for 56 fish species (eight species per probe set) and merged new exon-capture sequence data into an existing data matrix of 1,104 exons and 300 ray-finned fish species. We provide an optimized bioinformatics pipeline to assemble exon capture data from raw reads to alignments for downstream analysis. We show that legacy loci with known paralogues are at risk of assembling duplicated sequences with target-capture, but we also assembled many useful orthologous sequences that can be integrated with many PCR-generated matrices. These probe sets are a valuable resource for advancing fish phylogenomics because targeted exons can easily be extracted from increasingly available whole genome and transcriptome data sets, and also may be integrated with existing PCR-based exon and mitochondrial data.


Clinical significance of elevated serum chromogranin A levels.
Chromogranin A (CgA) has been shown to be a useful marker in the diagnosis of neuroendocrine (NE) tumours. The clinical significance of CgA has been studied mostly in patients with known NE tumours. The diagnosis was evaluated in 153 consecutive patients in whom CgA was measured in a given time interval. CgA in serum was measured by radioimmunoassay. Immunohistochemistry with an antibody against CgA was performed in tumours from patients with adenocarcinoma and elevated CgA levels using a conventional method and the more sensitive tyramide signal amplification (TSA) technique. Elevated serum CgA levels were found in 44 patients; 19 had NE tumours and 6 had tumours classified as adenocarcinomas. With the TSA technique, a high proportion of CgA-positive cells were disclosed in five of the adenocarcinoma patients. Patients with atrophic gastritis (no. 2) and patients treated with inhibitors of gastric acid secretion (no. 6) also had elevated levels of CgA. A modest increase in CgA levels was observed in 2 patients with renal impairment, and in 9 patients without any obvious cause. The current study confirms that serum CgA is a sensitive marker for the detection of NE neoplasia. Elevated levels found in patients with adenocarcinoma may indicate NE differentiation in the tumour. CgA is a useful tool in the monitoring of enterochromaffin-like (ECL) hyperplasia secondary to treatment with acid secretion inhibitors or atrophic gastritis.


Ethnoveterinary medicines used for horses in Trinidad and in British Columbia, Canada.
This paper investigates the commonalities in ethnoveterinary medicine used for horses between Trinidad (West Indies) and British Columbia (Canada). These research areas are part of a common market in pharmaceuticals and are both involved in the North American racing circuit. There has been very little research conducted on medicinal plants used for horses although their use is widespread. The data on ethnoveterinary medicines used for horses was obtained through key informant interviews with horse owners, trainers, breeders, jockeys, grooms and animal care specialists in two research areas: Trinidad and British Columbia (BC). A participatory validation workshop was held in BC. An extensive literature review and botanical identification of the plants was also done. In all, 20 plants were found to be used in treating racehorses in Trinidad and 97 in BC. Of these the most-evidently effective plants 19 of the plants used in Trinidad and 66 of those used in BC are described and evaluated in this paper. Aloe vera, Curcuma longa and Ricinus communis are used in both research areas. More research is needed in Trinidad to identify plants that respondents claimed were used in the past. Far more studies have been conducted on the temperate and Chinese medicinal plants used in BC and therefore these ethnoveterinary remedies reflect stronger evidence of efficacy.


Postoperative Thoracic Pain Treatment: Serratus Anterior or Erector Spinae Plane Block?
Thoracic surgery is one of the most painful surgeries. Effective analgesia is important in postoperative pain management. In this study, we aimed to compare the two new fascial block techniques. A total of 107 patients who underwent thoracic surgery between October 2018 and November 2019 were retrospectively evaluated. The study included 59 patients in the serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) group and 48 patients in the erector spinae plane block (ESPB) group. Both groups were administered 30 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine and their morphine consumption was evaluated by a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) method during the 2nd, 6th, 12th, 24th, and 48th postoperative hours. Pain was measured with the visual analog scale (VAS). Intraoperative mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded. During the first 24 hours, VAS values were significantly lower in the ESPB group (p < 0.05). Moreover, morphine consumption was significantly lower in the ESPB group in the 24th and 48th hours (p < 0.05). Intraoperative remifentanil consumption was also significantly lower in the ESPB group (p < 0.05). Intraoperative MAP in the ESPB group was found to be significantly lower after the 4th hour. HR was similar in both groups. ESPB was more effective compared with SAPB in postoperative thoracic pain management.


The radionuclides contamination in eggs as an environmental marker: a systematic review.
Foods are contaminated with natural and man-made radionuclides. The aim of this systematic review was to determine the amount and type of radionuclides in eggs, as well as the biomarker capability of eggs. The research studies with keywords radionuclide, radioisotopes, contamination and egg were searched in PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct databases, regardless of publication time. A number of 70 studies were obtained and only 13 articles were finally selected according to exclusion, inclusion criteria and quality assessment results. Studies which detected radionuclide in the hen eggs were selected. The highest frequency of radionuclides belonged to Ra-226 and Cs-137. The index of natural radionuclides is Ra-226 and the index of synthetic radionuclides is Cs-137. The local eggs, in addition to determining food contamination, can also be a good biomarker for identifying environmental contamination.


Bladder substitution.
Preliminary data have shown that composite reservoirs consisting of gastric segments in combination with ileum or colon may reduce metabolic problems. Orthotopic neobladders are the most natural way to reconstruct the urinary bladder and are a safe option in selected male and female patients. Experimental and preliminary clinical data about new methods using autologous muscle transfer and tissue engineering are promising.


Understanding and controlling the enteric nervous system.
The enteric nervous system or the 'Little Brain' of the gut controls gastrointestinal motility and secretion, and is involved in visceral sensation. In this chapter, new developments in understanding the function of the enteric nervous system are described. In particular, the interaction of this system with the interstitial cells of Cajal, the pacemaker cells of the gut, is highlighted. The importance of the interaction between the enteric nervous system and the immune system is discussed, especially in relation to functional bowel disorders and post-operative ileus. Evidence is also provided that neurones can change their function and phenotype, a phenomenon called neuronal plasticity, which contributes to the pathogenesis of visceral hypersensitivity. Finally, new developments in stem cell transplantation are described. All these new insights should lead to a better understanding of the enteric nervous system and hopefully to better ways of controlling it.


Preoperative imaging of colorectal cancers. Targeting the epithelial membrane antigen with a radiation-labeled monoclonal antibody.
The epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) is expressed by the majority of colorectal cancers but has not previously been investigated as a target for radiation-labeled monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) in the imaging of patients with colorectal cancer. A rat IgG2a MoAb that recognizes EMA, ICR2, was labeled with Indium-111 (100 megabecquerel per milligram [MBq/mg]MoAb) using the bicyclic anhydride of the chelating agent diethylene triamine pentacetic acid (ccDTPA) and was administered intravenously to 22 patients known to have or thought to have colorectal cancer. Daily gamma camera imaging was performed for 3 days during the time between the administration of the radiation-labeled antibody and surgical procedure. At operation, the biopsies were done of the tumors and the normal colon, and the uptake of radiation-labeled MoAb was measured in a gamma well-counter. Immunocytochemistry for EMA expression also was done on resected tumors. Independent unblinded and blinded reporting was done on all scans. The sensitivity of 111In-ICR2 for detecting cancers preoperatively was 80% and 60%, respectively, on unblinded and blinded reporting, and the corresponding specificity 20% and 60%. The low unblinded specificity was attributable to a false-positive localization in severely dysplastic benign tumors (n = 2) and inflammatory tissue (n = 2). Liver metastases present in three patients were cold relative to normal liver. Lymph node metastases were localized in 1 of 6 patients preoperatively. The mean absolute uptake of 111In-ICR2 in tumor tissue was 7.75 +/- 3.77 x 10(-3) percent of injected dose per gram, and the ratio to normal colon was 2.10 +/- 0.92:1. On immunohistochemistry, EMA was expressed by 16 of the 17 primary cancers, both dysplastic adenomas, and all nodal metastatic deposits. EMA-negative tumors (1 cancer + 1 colonic lipoma) had negative antibody scans, and patients whose tumor was negative or only focally positive for EMA expression had lower tumor/normal colon ratios of radioactivity (1.30 +/- 0.26 versus 2.45 +/- 0.65, P = 0.005) on gamma well-counting of excised specimens. These results suggest a possible role for 111In-ICR2 in the detection of colorectal cancer and metastases but not its liver deposits.


Adults' social cues facilitate young children's use of signs and symbols.
Three experiments investigated the effect of an adult's social cues on 2- and 3-year-old children's ability to use a sign or symbol to locate a hidden object. Results showed that an adult's positive, engaging facial expression facilitated children's ability to identify the correct referent, particularly for 3-year-olds. A neutral facial expression and the presence of the adult's hand also facilitated performance, but to a lesser degree than did an engaging facial expression. The effect of the adult's social cues was greater for relatively unfamiliar signs and symbols (replica or arrow) than it was for a more familiar sign (pointing finger). These findings indicate that non-directional social cues such as facial expression help to convey communicative intent and facilitate children's comprehension of signs and symbols.


Association of HIVEP3 Gene and Lnc RNA with Femoral Neck Bone Mineral Content and Hip Geometry by Genome-Wide Association Analysis in Chinese People.
GWAS has successfully located and analyzed the pathogenic genes of osteoporosis. Genetic studies have found that heritability of BMD is 50%-85% while the other half is caused by hip geometric parameters and tissue horizontal characteristics. This study was designed to study the GWAS of osteoporosis in Shanghai Han population. We collected 1224 unrelated healthy young men (20-40 years old), young women (20-40 years old), and postmenopausal women (over 50 years old) who lived in Shanghai. BMD and hip geometric parameters were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The genomic DNA of peripheral blood was extracted and analyzed by using Illumina Human Asian Screening Array-24 + v1.0 (ASA) gene chip. Statistical analysis was carried out to evaluate the relationship between these SNPs and BMD and hip geometric parameters. A total of 1155 subjects were included. We found that one SNP rs35282355 located in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 enhancer-binding protein 3 gene (HIVEP3) and another 25 SNPs located in LINC RNA were significantly correlated with bone mineral content (BMC) in the femoral neck (P= 2.30 × 10-9, P < 5 × 10-8). We also found that the correlation between SNP rs35282355 and cross-sectional area (CSA) of hip geometry was a significant marginal statistical difference (P = 5.95 × 10-8). Through this study, we found that HIVEP3 gene and LINC RNA are potentially correlated with femoral neck BMC. These results provide important information for us to further understand the etiology and genetic pathogenesis of osteoporosis. In the future, we will expand the sample size to verify these loci and carry out molecular research.


[Acupoint combination method of five-door and ten-change and its clinical application].
According to two kinds of acupoint combination methods for Huahe and Huhe in five-door and ten-change theory proposed by the deceased Taiwanese famous acupuncturist Mr. ZHOU Zuo-yu, the origin of the change theory proposed by the deceased Taiwanese famous acupuncturist Mr. ZHOU Zuo-yu, the origin of the acupoint combination method of five-door and ten-change is introduced. This method combines traditional philosophy of Yi with medicine, which is featured with casual timing, casual pattern, capacity to be combined with TCM syndrome differentiation, specific application scope and pertinence. Some clinical cases are additionally presented to verify this method. Huhe method is mostly used for Bi-syndrome while Huahe method has better effects on internal medicine diseases. They open the new thinking methods for clinical acupoint selection.


Incremental validity of the MMPI-2 PSY-5 scales in assessing self-reported personality disorder criteria.
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) Personality Psychopathology-Five (PSY-5) scales were developed to measure abnormal personality symptomatology. The present study examines the incremental validity of the PSY-5 scales beyond the clinical and content scales in assessing criteria associated with personality disorders. The current sample includes 240 male and 407 female clients from private practice settings who completed the MMPI-2 and the Multiaxial Diagnostic Inventory (MDI), a self-report checklist of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., revised) symptoms. Six of the MDI personality disorder scales, conceptually related to the PSY-5 scales, are used as criteria. Hierarchical regression analyses determine the incremental validity of each PSY-5 scale. In most analyses, PSY-5 scales add a significant increment of variance to the clinical and content scales. Implications of the results are discussed.


Abnormalities of grey and white matter [11C]flumazenil binding in temporal lobe epilepsy with normal MRI.
In 20% of potential surgical candidates with refractory epilepsy, current optimal MRI does not identify the cause. GABA is the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, and GABA(A) receptors are expressed by most neurones. [(11)C]Flumazenil (FMZ) PET images the majority of GABA(A) receptor subtypes. We investigated abnormalities of FMZ binding in grey and white matter in 18 patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and normal quantitative MRI. Parametric images of FMZ volume of distribution (FMZ-V(d)) were calculated. Twenty-one healthy controls were scanned for comparison. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM99) was used to localize significant changes in FMZ-V(d) in individual patients and between groups, specifically including the entire white matter in all subjects through explicit masking. Sixteen of 18 patients showed single or multiple abnormalities of FMZ-V(d). Six had hippocampal decreases of FMZ-V(d). Eleven patients showed increased FMZ-V(d) in the temporal lobe white matter (TLWM). Outside the mesial temporal structures, seven showed multiple areas of increase or decrease and only one a single area of decrease. In seven of the 16 patients with abnormalities, findings were concordant with EEG and clinical data, enabling further presurgical evaluation. Group findings were: (i) decreased FMZ-V(d) in the ipsilateral (Z = 3.01) and contralateral (Z = 2.56) hippocampus; (ii) increased FMZ-V(d) in the ipsilateral (Z = 3.71) and contralateral TLWM (two clusters, Z = 3.11 and 2.79); and (iii) increased FMZ-V(d) in the ipsilateral frontal lobe white matter between the superior and medial frontal gyrus (Z = 3.80) with similar changes contralaterally (Z = 4.87). No changes were found in the thalamus and basal ganglia. Region-of-interest analyses indicated an average increase in FMZ binding of 16% in the TLWM ipsilateral to the epileptic focus. PET findings were corroborated by invasive EEG or pathology in five cases. FMZ-PET, analysed by SPM with explicit masking, was sensitive in patients with normal MRI, and hippocampal abnormalities were detected in a third of these patients. Furthermore, increases in FMZ binding in TLWM, indicating microdysgenesis, were detected in the majority of these patients and may represent the structural basis of their epilepsy.


Proximal disinsertion of the common extensor tendon for lateral elbow tendinopathy.
To evaluate surgical outcomes of disinsertion of the common extensor tendon for lateral elbow tendinopathy. Records of 277 men and 128 women who underwent surgery for lateral elbow tendinopathy were reviewed. The indication for surgery was insufficient improvement of pain and inability to return to work after 3 weeks of physiotherapy (stretching, ultrasound) and local corticosteroid injections. According to the Tavernier technique, the origin of the tendons of the extensor carpi radialis brevis and extensor digitorum communis was located, and proximal disinsertion of the common extensor tendon was performed. Outcome was excellent in 344 (85%) of the patients, good in 46 (11.5%), regular in 9 (2%), and poor in 2 (0.5%). The mean time to return to work was 29 (range, 5-93) days. Immediate complications included infection (n=1), seroma (n=1), cicatricial fibrosis (n=10), radial neuritis (sensory) [n=4], and reactive dermatitis (n=2). Late complications included Frohse's arcade syndrome (n=1) and carpal tunnel syndrome (n=2). Disinsertion of the proximal common tendon is a good option for treating lateral elbow tendinopathy.


Regulation of mitotic homeologous recombination in yeast. Functions of mismatch repair and nucleotide excision repair genes.
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae homologs of the bacterial mismatch repair proteins MutS and MutL correct replication errors and prevent recombination between homeologous (nonidentical) sequences. Previously, we demonstrated that Msh2p, Msh3p, and Pms1p regulate recombination between 91% identical inverted repeats, and here use the same substrates to show that Mlh1p and Msh6p have important antirecombination roles. In addition, substrates containing defined types of mismatches (base-base mismatches; 1-, 4-, or 12-nt insertion/deletion loops; or 18-nt palindromes) were used to examine recognition of these mismatches in mitotic recombination intermediates. Msh2p was required for recognition of all types of mismatches, whereas Msh6p recognized only base-base mismatches and 1-nt insertion/deletion loops. Msh3p was involved in recognition of the palindrome and all loops, but also had an unexpected antirecombination role when the potential heteroduplex contained only base-base mismatches. In contrast to their similar antimutator roles, Pms1p consistently inhibited recombination to a lesser degree than did Msh2p. In addition to the yeast MutS and MutL homologs, the exonuclease Exo1p and the nucleotide excision repair proteins Rad1p and Rad10p were found to have roles in inhibiting recombination between mismatched substrates.


Reciprocal interaction with G-actin and tropomyosin is essential for aquaporin-2 trafficking.
Trafficking of water channel aquaporin-2 (AQP2) to the apical membrane and its vasopressin and protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent regulation in renal collecting ducts is critical for body water homeostasis. We previously identified an AQP2 binding protein complex including actin and tropomyosin-5b (TM5b). We show that dynamic interactions between AQP2 and the actin cytoskeleton are critical for initiating AQP2 apical targeting. Specific binding of AQP2 to G-actin in reconstituted liposomes is negatively regulated by PKA phosphorylation. Dual color fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy reveals local AQP2 interaction with G-actin in live epithelial cells at single-molecule resolution. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate signaling and AQP2 phosphorylation release AQP2 from G-actin. In turn, AQP2 phosphorylation increases its affinity to TM5b, resulting in reduction of TM5b bound to F-actin, subsequently inducing F-actin destabilization. RNA interference-mediated knockdown and overexpression of TM5b confirm its inhibitory role in apical trafficking of AQP2. These findings indicate a novel mechanism of channel protein trafficking, in which the channel protein itself critically regulates local actin reorganization to initiate its movement.


The effectiveness of quality control samples in pharmaceutical bioanalysis.
The use of quality control (QC) samples in bioanalysis is well established and consistent with regulatory guidance. However, a systematic evaluation of whether QC samples serve the intended purpose of improving data quality has not been undertaken. The Translational and ADME Sciences Leadership Group (TALG) of the International Consortium for Innovation and Quality in Pharmaceutical Development (IQ) conducted an evaluation to assess whether closer agreement is observed when comparing pharmacokinetic data from two passed runs, than when comparing data from failed and passed (retest) runs. Analysis of data collected across organizations, molecular types and analytical platforms, revealed that bioanalytical methods are very reproducible; and that QC samples improve the overall quality of pharmacokinetic concentration data and justifies their continued use.


Does the nerve supply to both the superficial and deep surfaces of pectoralis major imply two separate developmental origins?
The nature of the nerve supply to the "pocket' of pectoralis major was examined on 7 randomly selected sides of 5 embalmed cadavers. The pocket was a U-shaped muscular fold, opening cranially. The anterior limb and inner surface of the fold were supplied by nerve branches that originated from the middle segment of the pectoral nerve loop and penetrated pectoralis minor. The outer surface of the posterior limb was supplied by one or two branches that extended from the caudal segment of the pectoral nerve loop. If the muscular U-shaped fold is unfolded, it becomes obvious that the posterior wall of the pocket forms the most caudal part of pectoralis major and is supplied from both the superficial (anterior) and deep (posterior) surfaces. This dual surface supply does not suggest any aspect of the developmental origin of the pocket but may simply be due to the relative positions of the pectoralis major and its nerve.


Rotationplasty Salvage Procedure as an Effective Alternative to Femoral Amputation in an Adult With a History of Osteosarcoma: A Case Report and Review.
Rotationplasty or Borggreve-Van Ness surgery is lower limb salvage surgery, indicated mainly in the management of femoral bone sarcoma and congenital femur malformations in children. It can also be an interesting surgery option for managing chronic osteoarticular infections, or in cases of non union when curative therapy is no longer an option, as an alternative to femoral amputation. The principle of this surgery is to remove the affected knee and to apply a rotation of 180° to the distal part of the lower limb in order to give the ankle the function of a neo-knee. With the help of an adapted prosthesis, the aim is to allow patients to resume their social and professional activities by keeping most of their lower limb, thus avoiding the known complications of amputation (ghost limb pain, proprioceptive deficit, psychological disorders). Nevertheless, this surgery is complex and exceptional, with vascular, infectious, and psychological risks - the chimeric aspect of the lower limb may cause significant ill-being for the patient. This article reports the case of a 38-year-old patient consulting for management of a complex septic distal femoral non-union following osteosarcoma considered as being in remission. The patient underwent rotationplasty surgery on his left lower limb, with very good functional results and no surgical revision to date. In light of this particular case, we propose a didactic overview of the literature data concerning this surgery, especially in adulthood.


Multifunctional hybrid nanogel for integration of optical glucose sensing and self-regulated insulin release at physiological pH.
Optical detection of glucose, high drug loading capacity, and self-regulated drug delivery are simultaneously possible using a multifunctional hybrid nanogel particle under a rational design in a colloid chemistry method. Such hybrid nanogels are made of Ag nanoparticle (NP) cores covered by a copolymer gel shell of poly(4-vinylphenylboronic acid-co-2-(dimethylamino)ethyl acrylate) [p(VPBA-DMAEA)]. The introduction of the glucose sensitive p(VPBA-DMAEA) gel shell onto Ag NPs makes the polymer-bound Ag NPs responsive to glucose. While the small sized Ag cores (10 +/- 3 nm) provide fluorescence as an optical code, the responsive polymer gel shell can adapt to a surrounding medium of different glucose concentrations over a clinically relevant range (0-30 mM), convert the disruptions in homeostasis of glucose level into optical signals, and regulate release of preloaded insulin. This shows a new proof-of-concept for diabetes treatment that exploits the properties from each building block of a multifunctional nano-object. The highly versatile multifunctional hybrid nanogels could potentially be used for simultaneous optical diagnosis, self-regulated therapy, and monitoring of the response to treatment.


Structure and Electrical Properties of Microwave Sintered BTS-BCT-xBF Lead-Free Piezoelectric Ceramics.
Barium titanate (BT)-based ceramics are one of the promising piezoelectric materials for environment-friendly electro-mechanical transformation. However, high performance materials are often sintered at high temperatures, resulting in volatile components and increased energy consumption. Here, 0.82Ba(Ti0.89Sn0.11)O3-(0.18-x)(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3-xBiFeO3 (BTS-BCT-xBF) piezoelectric ceramics were prepared by microwave sintering (MWS) method, and the structure and properties were emphatically studied, aiming to reveal the regulatory mechanism of MWS on the structure and properties. Compared with conventional solid sintering (CS), the phase structure presents a similar evolution in MWS ceramics as a function of BF, while the more refined grain size and the denser structure are observed in MWS ceramics. The electrical properties (e.g., d33, εr, tan δ, etc.) of MWS ceramics are superior to the CS ceramics owing to the refined grain size and denser microstructure. It is worth noting that the energy storage performance (e.g., energy storage density, energy storage efficiency) significantly outperformed expectations due to the slender hysteresis loop resulting from the smaller grain and high cubic phase. Therefore, the MWS sintering mechanism can further drive practical application of BT-based ceramics.


The importance of complete response in outcomes in myeloma.
Outcomes for patients with multiple myeloma have dramatically improved during the past 20 years as a result of improved therapeutic options and a better understanding of malignant plasma cell biology. Until the past 10 years, the major limitations on improving outcomes were related to the minimal efficacy of existing agents and balancing the toxicity of therapy in an older patient population. However, despite these limitations, there have been advances that have resulted in improvements in progression-free survival and overall survival (OS). High-dose therapy and autologous transplant were the first among therapies to demonstrate an improvement in OS; but more recent analyses have demonstrated that there can be improvement in OS, which is also associated with improvement in the complete response (CR) rate, even among nontransplant patients as well. Thus, achieving CR has been associated with improved OS and has become a therapeutic goal. In the current era of new agents, such as thalidomide, bortezomib, and lenalidomide, the fraction of patients who achieve a CR is now greater than before, and the data regarding the importance of achieving this benchmark of response have never been more benefit.


Reduced graphene oxide films used as matrix of MALDI-TOF-MS for detection of octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.
A reduced graphene oxide (rGO) film was used as the matrix in the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (MALDI-TOF-MS) for the detection of octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) with a detection weight as low as 500 pg.


Updates on hypervalent-iodine reagents: metal-free functionalisation of alkenes, alkynes and heterocycles.
Hypervalent iodine (HVI) chemistry is a rapidly growing subdomain of contemporary organic chemistry because of its enormous synthetic applications. The high nucleofugality of the phenyliodonio group (-I+Ph) and its radical nature, serving as a single-electron oxidant makes HVI compounds highly valuable in organic synthesis. Due to the feasibility and benignity, reactions that rely solely on HVI reagents as promoters have received particular interest. Considering their great influence and synthetic potential, we contribute a brief synopsis on this field with a specific emphasis on metal-free functionalisations of alkenes, alkynes and heterocycles. The discussion is divided according to the type of substrate and reaction type and elaborated with mechanism and representative examples.


Lung involvement in systemic sclerosis: role of high resolution computed tomography and its relationship with other pulmonary and clinico-serological features.
The study investigated the characteristic of interstitial lung disease in a large series of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients by means of HRCT and the correlations between functional lung parameters, serological features and the extent of lung involvement evaluated by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). One hundred and seven SSc patients, consecutively investigated by means of HRCT, standard chest X-ray, and pulmonary function tests, were retrospectively evaluated. Chest radiogram and HRCT scores were strongly associated (Pearson''s r=0.82, p < .0001); moreover, the first significantly correlated with spirometric parameters, even if weakly. Anti-Scl70 and anti-centromere antibodies were associated with higher (p=0.01) and lower HRCT score (p=0.0002), respectively. The extension of interstitial lung involvement in SSc evaluated with HRCT is directly proportional to functional lung parameters. HRCT, spirometry and DLco should be considered essential in the core-set of non-invasive diagnostic tools for the first-line assessment of scleroderma lung involvement.


Enduring effect of abuse: Childhood maltreatment links to altered theory of mind network among adults.
Childhood maltreatment (CM) confers a great risk of maladaptive development outcomes later in life, however, the neurobiological mechanism underlying this vulnerability is still unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the long-term consequences of CM on neural connectivity while controlling for psychiatric conditions, medication, and, substance abuse. A sample including adults with (n = 40) and without CM (n = 50) completed Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), personality questionnaires, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan were recruited for the current study. The whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) was evaluated using an unbiased, data-driven, multivariate pattern analysis method. Relative to controls, adults with CM suffered a higher level of temperament and impulsivity and showed decreased FC between the insula and superior temporal gyrus (STG) and between inferior parietal lobule (IPL) and middle frontal gyrus, STG, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), while increased FC between IPL and cuneus and superior frontal gyrus (SFG) regions. The FCs of IPL with dACC and SFG were correlated with the anxious and cyclothymic temperament and attentional impulsivity. Moreover, these FCs partially mediated the relationship between CM and attentional impulsivity. Our results suggest that CM has a significant effect on the modulation of FC within theory of mind (ToM) network even decades later in adulthood, and inform a new framework to account for how CM results in the development of impulsivity. The novel findings reveal the neurobiological consequences of CM and provide new clues to the prevention and intervention strategy to reduce the risk of the development of psychopathology.