Extremity fractures in children: a hospital based study in Tehran.
Although long bone fracture in children is not life-threatening, it may cause major disability, loss of working days and severe psychological distress. We conducted this study to determine the pattern of extremity fracture due to trauma in children. During one year in six general hospitals in Tehran, trauma patients who were hospitalized for more than 24 hours and sustained injuries within seven days before admission were included in the study. The records of children (< or = 16 years old) hospitalized in six general hospitals in Tehran due to trauma were reviewed prospectively. During the study period, 1 274 children had sustained extremity fractures. Male to female ratio was 3.6/1, with the mean age of (10.3+/-4.2) years. Falls and traffic crashes were the main causes of injuries, with the percentages of 57.3% and 37.1%, respectively. Simple fall (falling on the ground) consisted 60% of patients that sustained fall-related injuries. Pedestrians and bicycle riders comprised most of the cases that were injured due to traffic crashes. Of our cases, 56.8% sustained fractures in the upper extremities and 43.2% in the lower extremities. Forearm was the most common fracture site (34.1%). Comparing our results in preschool and school-age children, falls were the main cause of injuries in both groups, but fractures of lower extremities were significantly more common in preschool children. Improvement of physical condition of sidewalks and crossings in roads will be necessary for prevention of injuries. More attention to safety of home environment should be paid for control of preschools'injury at home. Education of children and adults is necessary to reduce injuries resulting from road traffic crashes.


Paecilomyces variotii contamination in the lumen of a saline-filled breast implant.
This report describes a case of gross contamination with the filamentous fungus P. variotii cultured from an intraluminal saline breast implant removed from a patient 14 months after implantation because of severe capsular contracture. We suspect the fungal contamination occurred when a container of saline was left open in the operating room prior to filling and placement of the implant. This case may be the first documented report of microbial growth and reproduction in the internal environment of a saline implant. We assume that organisms such as P. variotii can survive--and accumulate biomass--on the minute amounts of substrates that diffuse across an implant envelope.


Single step transformation of sulphur to Li2S2/Li2S in Li-S batteries.
Lithium-sulphur batteries have generated tremendous research interest due to their high theoretical energy density and potential cost-effectiveness. The commercial realization of Li-S batteries is still hampered by reduced cycle life associated with the formation of electrolyte soluble higher-order polysulphide (Li2Sx, x = 4-8) intermediates, leading to capacity fading, self-discharge, and a multistep voltage profile. Herein, we have realized a practical approach towards a direct transformation of sulphur to Li2S2/Li2S in lithium-sulphur batteries by alteration of the reaction pathway. A coconut shell derived ultramicroporous carbon-sulphur composite cathode has been used as reaction directing template for the sulphur. The lithiation/delithiation and capacity fading mechanism of microporous carbon confined sulphur composite was revealed by analyzing the subsurface using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. No higher-order polysulphides were detected in the electrolyte, on the surface, and in the subsurface of the cathode composite. The altered reaction pathway is reflected by a single-step profile in the discharge/charge of a lithium-sulphur cell.


Zellweger syndrome with severe malnutrition, immunocompromised state and opportunistic infections.
Peroxisome biogenesis disorders are related to a spectrum of genetic diseases that range from severe Zellweger syndrome to milder infantile Refsum disease. Zellweger syndrome is characterised by dysmorphic features, severe hypotonia, seizures, failure to thrive, liver dysfunction and skeletal defects. Increased levels of very long chain fatty acids are the biochemical hallmark and the most common mutations found in the PEX1 gene. We report an unusual presentation of Zellweger syndrome in a 2-month-old female infant with severe malnutrition, opportunistic infections, lymphopaenia and a small thymic shadow on chest radiography. With this clinical picture, an initial hypothesis of primary immunodeficiency was considered. It was later confirmed to not be the case. On follow-up, global developmental delay, bilateral optic nerve atrophy and moderate bilateral sensorineural deafness grade II were documented. There were no further infectious complications and we concluded malnutrition was the cause of the infant's immunocompromised state.


New insights into uremia-induced alterations in metabolic pathways.
This article summarizes recent studies on uremia-induced alterations in metabolism, with particular emphasis on the application of emerging metabolomics technologies. The plasma metabolome is estimated to include more than 4000 distinct metabolites. Because these metabolites can vary dramatically in size and polarity and are distributed across several orders of magnitude in relative abundance, no single analytical method is capable of comprehensive metabolomic profiling. Instead, a variety of analytical techniques, including targeted and nontargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, have been employed for metabolomic analysis of human plasma. Recent efforts to apply this technology to study uremia have reinforced the common view that end-stage renal disease is a state of generalized small molecule excess. However, the identification of precursor depletion and downstream metabolite excess - for example, with tryptophan and downstream kynurenine metabolites, with low molecular weight triglycerides and dicarboxylic acids, and with phosphatidylcholines, choline, and trimethylamine-N-oxide - suggest that uremia may directly modulate these metabolic pathways. Metabolomic studies have also begun to expand some of these findings to individuals with chronic kidney disease and in model systems. Uremia is associated with diverse, but incompletely understood metabolic disturbances. Metabolomic approaches permit higher resolution phenotyping of these disturbances, but significant efforts will be required to understand the functional significance of select findings.


[Effect of different intensities of electroacupuncture stimulation on expression of SOCS-3 and PPAR-gamma mRNA in adipose tissues of obesity rats].
To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on the expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS-3) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma genes in the epididymis adipose tissue of obesity rats so as to explore its mechanism underlying weight reduction. SD rats were randomized into normal control, obesity model, EA-5 mA and EA-1 mA groups (10 rats/group). EA stimulation (6 Hz/20 Hz, 5 mA or 1 mA) was delivered to the bilateral "Zusanli" (ST 36) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) for 15 min, once everyday for two weeks. The expression of SOCS-3 mRNA and PPAR-gamma mRNA in the epididymis adipose tissue was detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Compared with the normal group, the body weight and expression of SOCS-3 and PPAR-gamma mRNA in the model group were up-regulated obviously (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, the body weight and expression of SOCS-3 and PPAR-gamma mRNA were significantly decreased in the EA group, with the effects of EA-5 mA being better than those of EA-1 mA. EA stimulation of ST 36-SP 6 can reduce body weight in rats with simple obesity, and the effect of higher intensity of EA is apparently better. Accordingly, EA intervention induces down-regulation of SOCS-3 and PPAR-gamma mRNA expression in the epididymis adipose tissue.


Carbon nanotube buckypaper reinforced acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene composites for electronic applications.
Novel acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) nanocomposites reinforced with pristine or functionalized single- or multiwalled carbon nanotube buckypaper (BP) sheets were manufactured via hot-compression and vacuum infiltration. Their morphology, thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties were comparatively investigated. Scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis showed that the infiltration process leads to better BP impregnation than the hot-press technique. BPs made from functionalized or short nanotubes form compact networks that hamper the penetration of the matrix chains, whereas those composed of pristine tubes possess large pores that facilitate the polymer flow, resulting in composites with low degree of porosity and improved mechanical performance. Enhanced thermal and electrical properties are found for samples incorporating functionalized BPs since dense networks lead to more conductive pathways, and a stronger barrier effect to the diffusion of degradation products, thus better thermal stability. According to dynamic mechanical analysis these composites exhibit the highest glass transition temperatures, suggesting enhanced filler-matrix interactions as corroborated by the Raman spectra. The results presented herein demonstrate that the composite performance can be tailored by controlling the BP architecture and offer useful insights into the structure-property relationships of these materials to be used in electronic applications, particularly for EMI shielding and packaging of integrated circuits.


Prostatic biopsies in selected men aged 75 years and older guide key clinical management decisions.
Increasing life expectancy and PSA testing has increased the number of men over the age of seventy-five presenting for investigation of potential prostate malignancies. Prostatic biopsies provide diagnostic information; however, they are invasive and may not alter management decisions. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether prostate biopsies in this age group were justified. All men aged 75 years and older who underwent prostatic biopsies between January 2010 and November 2011 at Bedford Hospital were identified and the indication for the biopsies, histopathological results and subsequent management plan investigated. One hundred and thirty-eight (138) prostatic biopsies were undertaken and malignancies identified in 60/138 (43 %) cases. Prebiopsy PSA and examination findings had a poor positive predictive value of 54 %. Fifty-five out of sixty (92 %) cancers were classified as high or medium risk disease with 30/60 (50 %) patients commencing radiotherapy treatment with curative intent. In selected patients aged 75 years or over, prostatic biopsies provide important diagnostic information which directly impacts on clinical decisions, supporting their use in this age group.


Induction of proliferation of basal epidermal keratinocytes by cold atmospheric-pressure plasma.
Over the past few decades, new cold plasma sources have been developed that have the great advantage of operating at atmospheric pressure and at temperatures tolerable by biological material. New applications for these have emerged, especially in the field of dermatology. Recently it was demonstrated that cold atmospheric-pressure plasma positively influences healing of chronic wounds. The potential of cold plasma lies in its capacity to reduce bacterial load in the wound while at the same time stimulating skin cells and therefore promoting wound closure. In recent years, there have been great advances in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms triggered by cold plasma involving signalling pathways and gene regulation in cell culture. To investigate cold plasma-induced effects in ex vivo treated human skin biopsies. Human skin tissue was exposed to cold plasma for different lengths of time, and analysed by immunofluorescence with respect to DNA damage, apoptosis, proliferation and differentiation markers. After cold plasma treatment, the epidermal integrity and keratin expression pattern remained unchanged. As expected, the results revealed an increase in apoptotic cells after 3 and 5 min of treatment. Strikingly, an induction of proliferating basal keratinocytes was detected after cold plasma exposure for 1 and 3 min. As these are the cells that regenerate the epidermis, this could indeed be beneficial for wound closure. We investigated the effect of cold plasma on human skin by detecting molecules for growth and apoptosis, and found that both processes are dependent on treatment time. Therefore, this approach offers promising results for further applications of cold plasma in clinical dermatology.


Effect of stanozolol on delta-aminolaevulinic acid synthase and hepatic monooxygenase activity in man and rat.
Stanozolol is an anabolic steroid which is used in the treatment of aplastic anaemia and has been recently advocated for the prophylaxis of vascular thrombosis. Similar steroid substances stimulate the activity of delta-aminolaevulinic acid synthase (ALA S), the rate limiting enzyme of haem biosynthesis, in rat hepatocytes and chick embryo liver cell cultures and activate acute hepatic porphyria. In the present study stanozolol (10 mg daily for 14 days) has been shown to increase significantly leucocyte ALA S activity in 9 healthy male subjects. There was a concomitant rise in urinary ALA and total porphyrin excretion but no change in antipyrine kinetics or urinary 6 B hydroxycortisol excretion. In a complementary study in male Sprague Dawley rats, stanozolol administered intraperitoneally, produced a dose-dependent increase in hepatic ALA S activity without changing hepatic cytochrome P 450 content. Stanozolol has been clearly shown to elevate ALA S activity, probably directly, and thereby, porphyrin production without affecting hepatic monooxygenase activity. This porphyrinogenic effect may be relevant to the successful treatment of aplastic anaemia with anabolic steroids. Leucocyte ALA S activity may provide a human system for the study of drug porphyrinogenicity in vivo.


Regional patterns of risk for sexually transmitted infections in British Columbia.
Although rates of sexually transmitted infection (STI) tend to be higher in urban Canada, the province of British Columbia has recently seen above-average rates in the northern health regions. Data from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey were used to examine sexual behaviour risks by geography and age in British Columbia. Two outcomes were investigated: ever diagnosed with an STI, and did not use a condom during last sexual intercourse. Region was categorized as metropolitan and non-metropolitan (Northern, representing more rural and remote communities, and Southern). Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine associations between the two outcomes and region, age, and other socio-demographic variables. Normalized weights accounted for sampling design. In adjusted analysis, older age (25 to 49) and being female were significantly associated with previously having an STI and not using a condom during last sex. Being a non-drinker was inversely associated with the former outcome, and being an occasional drinker was inversely associated with both outcomes, compared with being a regular drinker. When stratified by region, the relationship between older age and not using a condom was particularly strong in Northern non-metropolitan regions. The results highlight the importance of considering older individuals in the design of STI preventive interventions, particularly in non-metropolitan and rural and remote regions, where access to testing and treatment may be limited.


Pigmented villonodular synovitis of the elbow with a fenestrated fossa: a case report.
We report a case of pigmented villonodular synovitis of the elbow in a 55-year-old woman. Its radiological feature, the fenestrated fossa, may be characteristic of the advanced stage of this disorder.


Calcium signals in prostate cancer cells: specific activation by bone-matrix proteins.
Cancer of the prostate commonly metastasizes to bony sites where cells acquire an aggressive, rapidly proliferating, androgen-independent phenotype. The interaction between bone and prostate, thus, becomes a key factor in disease progression. Fluctuations in intracellular ionized Ca2+ [Ca2+]i are rapid, regulated signal transduction events often associated with cell proliferation. Hence, Ca2+ signals provide a convenient measure of early events in cancer cell growth. This study developed single cell fluorescent imaging techniques to visualize Ca2+ signals in Fura-2 loaded prostatic cancer cell lines of various metastatic phenotypes. Solubilized bone fractions containing extracellular matrix and associated proteins were tested for the ability to trigger Ca2+ signals in prostate cancer cell lines. Fractions representing the complete repertoire of non-collagenous proteins present in mineralized bone were tested. Results demonstrated that two bone fractions termed D3b- and D4a-triggered Ca2+ signals in prostate cancer cells derived from bone (PC-3), but not brain (DU-145) metastases of prostate cancer. Lymph-node derived LNCaP cells also did not produce a Ca2+ signal in response to addition of soluble bone matrix. No other bone fractions produced a Ca2+ signal in PC-3 cells. It is of interest that bone fractions D3b and D4a contain a number of non-collagenous matrix proteins including osteonectin (SPARC) and osteopontin (OPN), as well as prothrombin. Moreover, antibody LM609 that recognizes the alpha v beta 3 integrin, blocks the ability of OPN to trigger a Ca2+ transient in PC-3 cells. These studies support a conclusion that bone-matrix proteins play a role in the growth and progression of metastatic prostate cancer, and that prior growth in bone may be associated with development of a bone-matrix-responsive phenotype.


Effect of sacroiliac manipulation on postural sway in quiet standing: a randomized controlled trial.
Sacroiliac joint manipulation can alter joint and muscle control mechanisms through local and remote effects. Postural balance is controlled by supraspinal (rambling) and spinal-peripheral (trembling) mechanisms. A manipulation may interfere with postural control in quiet standing. To evaluate the immediate effects of sacroiliac joint manipulation on postural control in patients with (1) sacroiliac dysfunction and (2) to determine whether rambling and trembling are affected by sacroiliac joint manipulation. 32 patients aged between 20 and 50 years old were selected by convenience after confirmation of sacroiliac joint dysfunction by clinical examination. These patients were randomly allocated either to manipulation or sham manipulation group. Displacement, velocity and frequency of the center of pressure, rambling and trembling in the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions were our primary outcomes and analyzed immediately before and after the intervention in quiet standing. The physical therapists who performed the physical, biomechanical and statistical examinations, were all blinded to the patients' grouping. No differences were found between the two groups but trembling velocity (0.14 and -0.11 for intervention and sham group, respectively) and frequency (0.17 and 0.11 for intervention and sham group respectively) increased after intervention in the treatment group in the anterior-posterior direction. Generally, sacroiliac joint manipulation had no superiority than sham treatment regarding postural control as measured by rambling-trembling analysis of center of pressure. Manipulation may increase muscle activation in the treatment group due to increased trembling parameters. Trial number: IRCT2014072715932N8 - http://www.irct.ir/searchresult.php?keyword=%D8%B3%D9%88%DB%8C%D9%87&id=15932&field=&number=8&prt=13&total=10&m=1.


An Ensemble Classifier with Case-Based Reasoning System for Identifying Internet Addiction.
Internet usage has increased dramatically in recent decades. With this growing usage trend, the negative impacts of Internet usage have also increased significantly. One recurring concern involves users with Internet addiction, whose Internet usage has become excessive and disrupted their lives. In order to detect users with Internet addiction and disabuse their inappropriate behavior early, a secure Web service-based EMBAR (ensemble classifier with case-based reasoning) system is proposed in this study. The EMBAR system monitors users in the background and can be used for Internet usage monitoring in the future. Empirical results demonstrate that our proposed ensemble classifier with case-based reasoning (CBR) in the proposed EMBAR system for identifying users with potential Internet addiction offers better performance than other classifiers.


Channeling of carbamoyl phosphate to the pyrimidine and arginine biosynthetic pathways in the deep sea hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus abyssi.
The kinetics of the coupled reactions between carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase (CPSase) and both aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATCase) and ornithine transcarbamoylase (OTCase) from the deep sea hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus abyssi demonstrate the existence of carbamoyl phosphate channeling in both the pyrimidine and arginine biosynthetic pathways. Isotopic dilution experiments and coupled reaction kinetics analyzed within the context of the formalism proposed by Ovádi et al. (Ovádi, J., Tompa, P., Vertessy, B., Orosz, F., Keleti, T., and Welch, G. R. (1989) Biochem. J. 257, 187-190) are consistent with a partial channeling of the intermediate at 37 degrees C, but channeling efficiency increases dramatically at elevated temperatures. There is no preferential partitioning of carbamoyl phosphate between the arginine and pyrimidine biosynthetic pathways. Gel filtration chromatography at high and low temperature and in the presence and absence of substrates did not reveal stable complexes between P. abyssi CPSase and either ATCase or OTCase. Thus, channeling must occur during the dynamic association of coupled enzymes pairs. The interaction of CPSase-ATCase was further demonstrated by the unexpectedly weak inhibition of the coupled reaction by the bisubstrate analog, N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate (PALA). The anomalous effect of PALA suggests that, in the coupled reaction, the effective concentration of carbamoyl phosphate in the vicinity of the ATCase active site is 96-fold higher than the concentration in the bulk phase. Channeling probably plays an essential role in protecting this very unstable intermediate of metabolic pathways performing at extreme temperatures.


Heart rate variability in schizophrenic patients switched from typical antipsychotic agents to amisulpride and olanzapine. 3-month follow-up.
Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that requires lifelong treatment, and therefore information on the cardiovascular safety and tolerance of antipsychotics is of significant clinical importance. Atypical antipsychotics have been used to treat schizophrenia patients since the 1990s, and more and more patients have been switched to these from typical antipsychotics; however, there is still no accessible evaluation tool for assessing cardiovascular safety. In this study, we used a computer-assisted 5-min measurement of resting heart rate variability (HRV) in schizophrenia patients who were switched to atypical antipsychotic agents (amisulpride and olanzapine) due to severe side effects (tardive dyskinesia). In 15 patients who switched to amisulpride and 18 to olanzapine, HRV was evaluated before the medication was switched, and patients were followed up every month for 3 months after the switch. Frequency-domain analyses of short-term and stationary respiratory rate (RR) intervals were performed to evaluate low-frequency power (LF; 0.04-0.15 Hz), high-frequency power (HF; 0.15-0.40 Hz), the ratio of LF to HF (LF/HF), and LF in normalized units (LF%). Our results showed significant increases in the mean, variance and HF of RR intervals in the amisulpride group, but not in the olanzapine group. These results indicate that amisulpride has a more vagotonic effect, suggesting greater cardiovascular safety as compared with olanzapine when subjects are switched from typical antipsychotic agents.


Human Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields from Parallel Wireless Power Transfer Systems.
The scenario of multiple wireless power transfer (WPT) systems working closely, synchronously or asynchronously with phase difference often occurs in power supply for household appliances and electric vehicles in parking lots. Magnetic field leakage from the WPT systems is also varied due to unpredictable asynchronous working conditions. In this study, the magnetic field leakage from parallel WPT systems working with phase difference is predicted, and the induced electric field and specific absorption rate (SAR) in a human body standing in the vicinity are also evaluated. Computational results are compared with the restrictions prescribed in the regulations established to limit human exposure to time-varying electromagnetic fields (EMFs). The results show that the middle region between the two WPT coils is safer for the two WPT systems working in-phase, and the peripheral regions are safer around the WPT systems working anti-phase. Thin metallic plates larger than the WPT coils can shield the magnetic field leakage well, while smaller ones may worsen the situation. The orientation of the human body will influence the maximum magnitude of induced electric field and its distribution within the human body. The induced electric field centralizes in the trunk, groin, and genitals with only one exception: when the human body is standing right at the middle of the two WPT coils working in-phase, the induced electric field focuses on lower limbs. The SAR value in the lungs always seems to be greater than in other organs, while the value in the liver is minimal. Human exposure to EMFs meets the guidelines of the International Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), specifically reference levels with respect to magnetic field and basic restrictions on induced electric fields and SAR, as the charging power is lower than 3.1 kW and 55.5 kW, respectively. These results are positive with respect to the safe applications of parallel WPT systems working simultaneously.


The Sense of Sounds: Brain Responses to Phonotactic Frequency, Phonological Grammar and Lexical Meaning.
Two outstanding questions in spoken-language comprehension concern (1) the interplay of phonological grammar (legal vs. illegal sound sequences), phonotactic frequency (high- vs. low-frequency sound sequences) and lexicality (words vs. other sound sequences) in a meaningful context, and (2) how the properties of phonological sequences determine their inclusion or exclusion from lexical-semantic processing. In the present study, we used a picture-sound priming paradigm to examine the ERP responses of adult listeners to grammatically illegal sound sequences, to grammatically legal sound sequences (pseudowords) with low- vs. high-frequency, and to real words that were either congruent or incongruent to the picture context. Results showed less negative N1-P2 responses for illegal sequences and low-frequency pseudowords (with differences in topography), but not high-frequency ones. Low-frequency pseudowords also showed an increased P3 component. However, just like illegal sequences, neither low- nor high-frequency pseudowords differed from congruent words in the N400. Thus, phonotactic frequency had an impact before, but not during lexical-semantic processing. Our results also suggest that phonological grammar, phonotactic frequency and lexicality may follow each other in this order during word processing.


A communication system supporting simultaneous planning and execution in cranio-maxillo-facial surgery.
This paper describes the development of a system for simultaneous planning and execution of surgical operations in the cranio-maxillo-facial area. Simultaneous planning and execution is the process of taking an implicit task description, planning a sequence of explicit execution commands (e.g. for robots) and monitoring their execution. As the execution planning process is run completely on-line, during the execution of the assembly task, the planning process is highly reactive, based on sensor information about the robot's present environment. In order to meet the problem that medical data are usually complex and need time-consuming preprocessing, an appropriate architecture for evaluating sensor data has been developed. In this paper, a detailed presentation of the phases of execution planning and sensor data evaluation is given. As an example, the execution of a LeFort I osteotomy is presented.


In vitro antitumor activity of TAS-103 against freshly-isolated human colorectal cancer.
DNA topoisomerases (Topo) are enzymes that relieve the secondary twist on the DNA strand in the process of DNA synthesis and transcription; therefore they are unique targeting molecules for the chemotherapy of colorectal cancer. TAS-103 (6-[[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]amino]-3-hydroxy-7H-in-deno [2,1-c]quinolin-7-one dihydrochloride, MW; 406.31), a novel quinoline derivative, has recently been established as a Topo I and Topo II inhibitor. The aim of the present study was to investigate the antitumor activity of TAS-103 by the MTT assay in human highly-purified and freshly-isolated colorectal cancer cells. To our knowledge, this is the first data concerning the antitumor activity of TAS-103 in highly-purified and isolated human colorectal cancer cells. TAS-103 showed the strongest antitumor activity among the conventional anticancer agents for colorectal cancer (p<0.05). The combination with CDDP augmented the antitumor activity of TAS-103 (p<0.05), indicating that CDDP is one of the most potent candidates to be used in combination with TAS-103. To predict the clinical effect of TAS-103, the expressions of Topo I and Topo II were measured by quantitative PCR. However, a correlation between the expression of Topo and the antitumor activity of TAS-103 was not established. In conclusion, according to this data, TAS-103 may be useful in the chemotherapy of colorectal cancer.


Colorectal cancer. Risk factors and screening strategies.
Colorectal cancer is common in the United States and frequently discovered too late for cure. Epidemiologic studies suggest a complex relationship between animal fat intake, fecal flora, and risk of development of colorectal cancer, but the actual mechanism of carcinogenesis is still unknown. Early detection might increase the proportion of patients who could be cured of the disease. Screening of asymptomatic subjects over the age of 40 years for fecal occult blood seems to detect cancers before they become invasive. Efforts are needed to ensure that all subjects with positive tests for occult blood are completely examined. We prefer colonoscopy as a single test in that it is both diagnostic and curative early in the disease. The cost-effectiveness of mass screening and its ability to reduce colorectal cancer mortality in our society require further prospective study.


Neuropsychological study of frontal lobe function in psychotropic-naive children with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The authors' goal was to evaluate cognition in children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) early in their illness. They administered neuropsychological tests to 21 pediatric patients with OCD and 21 healthy children matched for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and intelligence. The children with OCD were not depressed, and none had ever received psychotropic medication. The neuropsychological tests were used to assess the relationship between psychiatric symptoms and cognitive function. The children with OCD performed as well as the healthy children on the neuropsychological tests. Psychiatric symptoms and cognitive performance were not related. Nondepressed children with recently diagnosed OCD who had never received psychotropic medication demonstrated no cognitive impairment according to their performance on neuropsychological tests. The authors conclude that OCD symptoms may not interfere with cognitive abilities early in the illness.


Potential movements of capital and labor in northeast Asia.
"This paper provides background information for potential movements of capital and labor within Northeast Asia. First, it reviews recent geopolitical changes...and the current state of capital and labor movements between the countries of Northeast Asia along the broad theme of regional cooperation. Second, the paper assesses potential movements of capital and labor in the near future based on planned or anticipated development projects in the region. Finally, political and social barriers to movements of capital and labor and some measures to facilitate such...movements are discussed."


NK cells contribute to the skin graft rejection promoted by CD4+ T cells activated through the indirect allorecognition pathway.
Rejection of solid organ allografts is promoted by T cells. Recipient T cells can directly recognize intact allo-MHC molecules on donor cells and can also indirectly recognize processed donor-derived allo-peptides presented by recipient antigen-presenting cells in the context of self-MHC molecules. Although CD4(+) T cells primed through the indirect allorecognition pathway alone are sufficient to promote acute allograft rejection, it is unknown how they can mediate graft destruction without cognate recognition of donor cells. In this study, we analyzed the indirect effector mechanism of skin allograft rejection using a mouse model in which SCID recipients bearing MHC class II-deficient skin allografts were adoptively transferred with CD4(+) T cells. Histologically, entire graft necrosis was preceded by mononuclear cell infiltration in the graft epithelia with epithelial cell apoptosis, indicating cell-mediated cytotoxicity against donor cells as an effector mechanism. Beside CD4(+) T cells and macrophages, NK cells infiltrated in the rejecting grafts. Depletion of NK cells as well as blocking of the activating NK receptor NKG2D allowed prolonged survival of the grafts. Expression of NKG2D ligands was up-regulated in the rejecting grafts. These results suggest that NK cells activated through NKG2D contribute to the skin allograft rejection promoted by indirectly primed CD4(+) T cells.


[Magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopic metabolites assessment in brain cryptococcosis].
Cryptococcus neoformans is the causative agent of cryptococcosis and cryptococcal meningitis, which are serious pathological conditions affecting up to 10% of patients with AIDS. In this paper we present results magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopic metabolites (1H MR) in brain cryptococcosis. In 1 HMR spectroscopy we find decreased metabolic ratios to nonsaturated water (H2O) signal N-acetylaspartate (NA/H2O, creatine (Cr/H20), choline (Cho/H2O). We show increased mioinositol to H2O ratio. Spectroscopy results suggest about massive neuronal injury and accompanying gliosis in brain cryptococcosis.


Expression levels of genes involved in cell adhesion and motility correlate with poor clinicopathological features of epithelial ovarian cancer.
Changes in the expression levels of genes involved in cancer cell adhesion and motility have been reported to have an important role in tumor progression. In this study, we aimed to investigate the clinical significance of ITGAV and CALD1 gene expression in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), the most lethal gynecological malignancy. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate ITGAV and CALD1 expression levels in 47 EOC and 19 benign formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples. We used Spearman's test to determine the association between ITGAV and CALD1 expression and Wilcoxon test to compare expression levels between malignant and benign ovarian tumor specimens as well as to determine their association with clinicopathological characteristics of EOC. Survival analysis was done by the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. CALD1 and ITGAV showed significantly lower expression in EOC than in benign ovarian samples (p<0.001). Furthermore, CALD1 was significantly lower expressed in high-grade tumors (p=0.037) while there was a trend for a lower expression of ITGAV in tumors with high histological grade (p=0.043), in tumors with ascites (p=0.055), and in tumors of patients who relapsed (p=0.083). We also found a significant positive association between ITGAV and CALD1 expression (ρ=0.640, p<0.001) in EOC samples. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no significant impact of ITGAV and CALD1 expression levels on overall survival of EOC patients (p=0.149 and p=0.430, respectively). Our findings indicate that CALD1 and ITGAV gene expression levels correlate with poor clinicopathological features of the EOC.


Accidental carbon monoxide poisoning during yagya for faith healing--a case report.
A 20-year-old female and a 45-year-old male were found lying dead on the floor with frothand vomitus stain present over mouth, nose and face in a closed room. An earthen bowl with incomplete burnt woods, flowers, food materials, agarbati, etc, was also found lying near the body of the two deceased. The cause of death, established by autopsy and toxicological examination was carbon monoxide poisoning in both victims. The source of carbon monoxide was incomplete burnt woods used for yagya during puja (a faith healing practice) for bearing children.


Computer and Internet Utilization among the Medical Students in Qassim University, Saudi Arabia.
Computer-based training (CBT) and internet-based training (IBT) have become a vital part of the Medical Education. A cross-sectional study was carried out in Qassim University-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), with the objective of assessing the pattern of the computer and Internet utilization among both male and female medical students. A total of 500 medical students from 4 different medical colleges of Qassim University participated in this study. A semi-structured, pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect the data and the data analysis was done by using SPSS, Version 17. Forty two percent female and twenty four percent male students used computers to get general information, 80% of the students reported using computers for academic activities and 52% females and 22% males used computers for entertainment. Most of the females preferred using computers at home (84%), while 54% males used computers at cyber cafés. For the information retrieval, 84% males used the internet, followed by journals/library (36%) and textbooks (35%), while the females preferred textbooks (75%) and the internet (14%). Google was found to be most commonly used search engine. The internet creates an educational delivery system; it is highly needed to increase the credit hours for the university requirement courses in computer application and the internet use for both among the male and female students.


Association of CYP19 and ESR1 pleiotropic genes with human longevity.
Aromatase (CYP19) and estrogen receptor-alpha (ESR1) are involved in the metabolism of estrogens, which have a relevant role in female and male aging. Moreover, due to their influence on fertility, both genes may be part of the longevity-fertility trade-off mechanism. This investigation examines the association of ESR1 (PvuII and XbaI) and CYP19 (rs4646) polymorphisms with longevity. A sample of 258 individuals (mean age = 83.1 ± 5.7 years) was recruited in 2000. Based on mortality data collected in 2009, the sample was divided into two groups of participants surviving more than 90 years or not. The analysis showed that ESR1 PP (odds ratio = 2.2) and CYP19 genotypes carrying the T allele (odds ratio = 1.9) were significantly associated with longevity (survival to age more than 90 years). As the ESR1 PP genotypes were found associated with reduced fertility in the same sample, we may infer that ESR1 genotypes could exert an antagonistic pleiotropic effect on longevity and fertility.


[Preoperative diagnosis for stage II endometrial carcinoma using endocervical conization].
It is generally difficult to identify stage II endometrial carcinoma correctly. To differentiate cervical involvement, endocervical conization was performed on 31 patients with endometrial cancer between May 1982 and September 1983. The preoperative diagnosis of stage II endometrial carcinoma was confirmed by postoperative histologic examination. In stage I patients, there was no microscopic cervical involvement after the operation. Fractional curettage and hysteroscopy are commonly used to detect stage II endometrial carcinoma. However, these examinations may overlook cervical stromal invasion. Endocervical conization is a simple procedure and highly useful to detect cervical stromal involvement. We recommend the of endocervical conization combined with hysteroscopy to diagnose stage II endometrial carcinoma.


Positive Effects of Kangaroo Mother Care on Long-Term Breastfeeding Rates, Growth, and Neurodevelopment in Preterm Infants.
Background and Objectives: Kangaroo mother care (KMC) benefits preterm infants' health through increasing breastfeeding, but the longitudinal effects of KMC remain unknown. This study investigates the impact of KMC on breastfeeding and health outcomes in Chinese preterm infants. Methods: A longitudinal randomized controlled study was conducted with 79 preterm infant-mother dyads. The KMC group (n = 36) was provided 2.5 hours/day KMC during the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization, while the control group (n = 43) received standard care. Infant's feeding regimens and physical growth were documented daily at NICU. Physical growth and Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment were measured at 40 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months of corrected age (CA). Breastfeeding outcomes were documented at 6 months of CA. Results: Compared with the control group, KMC infants received higher mothers' milk proportion during hospitalization (B = 0.16, confidence interval [CI] = [0.11-0.21]) and less feeding intolerance at discharge (odds ratio [OR] = 0.11, CI = [0.02-0.43]); and higher exclusive breastfeeding proportion (OR = 14.6, CI = [3.5-60.9]) at 6 months CA. KMC infants also had significant increased body weight and body length at hospital discharge; and more increases of body weight, body length, and head circumference in follow-ups. The neurobehavioral score was also higher in the KMC group compared to the control group over time. Conclusions: Longitudinal KMC effects are significant in promoting preterm infants' breastfeeding outcomes, growth, and neurodevelopment. Early initiation of KMC practice is highly recommended to the parent-infant population in Chinese NICUs to promote breastfeeding and developmental outcomes.


Photopyroelectric ac calorimetric study of the nematic-smectic-A phase-transition line in binary liquid crystal mixtures with injected smectic-A phases.
Using a recently developed photopyroelectric ac calorimetric technique we investigate two binary liquid crystal mixtures with so-called injected smectic-A phases. Characteristic of these systems is the occurrence of nematic-to-smectic-A transition lines in the phase diagram of mixtures of pure compounds having only a nematic phase. The two binary systems are pentylcyanobiphenyl with either 4-n-propylcyclohexyl-carboxylate or 4-n-pentylphenyl 4(')-n-pentyloxybenzoate. Both these systems have domelike smectic-A ranges with narrow nematic ranges at the top. Near the top the N-SmA transitions are of first order and are crossing over to second order at a tricritical point on either side of the top with the increasing width of the nematic range. The obtained critical exponents are almost completely Fisher renormalized because of the strong concentration dependence of the nematic-to-smectic-A transition temperatures.


A new in vitro model for the study of pancreatic A and B cells.
A method is developed for the preparation of single, pure, and viable rat pancreatic A and B cells in numbers sufficient for in vitro analysis. Islet isolation and dissociation techniques have been modified to increase the yield in islet cells per pancreas and per experiment. Islet cells are separated on the basis of their light scatter activity and flavin adenine dinucleotide autofluorescence into single non-B cells, single B cells, and structurally coupled B cells. Islet non-B cells are further purified into single A cells by autofluorescence-activated sorting according to the cellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate content at 20 mM glucose. Apart from offering the advantage of separating cells according to their functional characteristics, this procedure succeeds in the simultaneous isolation of 95-100% pure A and B cells. More than 50% of the cells in the initial islet preparation are recovered as single purified cells which can be maintained in culture. The isolated pancreatic A and B cells have been defined in terms of their cell volume, DNA and hormone content, and ultrastructural characteristics. The availability of pure pancreatic A and B cells is expected to contribute to our understanding of the regulation of glucagon and insulin release.


Norepinephrine transporter expression in cholinergic sympathetic neurons: differential regulation of membrane and vesicular transporters.
Sympathetic neurons that undergo a noradrenergic to cholinergic change in phenotype provide a useful model system to examine the developmental regulation of proteins required to synthesize, store, or remove a particular neurotransmitter. This type of change occurs in the sympathetic sweat gland innervation during development and can be induced in cultured sympathetic neurons by extracts of sweat gland-containing footpads or by leukemia inhibitory factor. Sympathetic neurons initially produce norepinephrine (NE) and contain the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), which packages NE into vesicles, and the norepinephrine transporter (NET), which removes NE from the synaptic cleft to terminate signaling. We have used a variety of biochemical and molecular techniques to test whether VMAT2 and NET levels decrease in sympathetic neurons which stop producing NE and make acetylcholine. In cultured sympathetic neurons, NET protein and mRNA decreased during the switch to a cholinergic phenotype but VMAT2 mRNA and protein did not decline. NET immunoreactivity disappeared from the developing sweat gland innervation in vivo as it acquired cholinergic properties. Surprisingly, NET simultaneously appeared in sweat gland myoepithelial cells. The presence of NET in myoepithelial cells did not require sympathetic innervation. VMAT2 levels did not decrease as the sweat gland innervation became cholinergic, indicating that NE synthesis and vesicular packaging are not coupled in this system. Thus, production of NE and the transporters required for noradrenergic transmission are not coordinately regulated during cholinergic development.


The use of voiding studies (flowmetry and urodynamics) in the assessment and follow-up of patients.
The role of urinary flow measurement and pressure-flow studies in the diagnostic work-up of men presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic obstruction is still an unresolved issue. In this paper, evidence from the peer-reviewed literature of the last 12 months is critically reviewed in the light of the recent recommendations of the 4th International Consultation on benign prostatic hyperplasia.


Secreted arginases from phylogenetically farrelated lichen species act as cross-recognition factors for two different algal cells.
Purified arginases secreted from Evernia prunastri and Xanthoria parietina thalli hydrolyze arginine in a Mn2+ -dependent reaction. Ca2+ cannot replace Mn2+, but its addition to reaction mixtures in the presence of Mn2+ significantly inhibited arginase activity. Arginases from both lichen species also show lectin function, binding to the cell wall of both homologous and heterologous algae. Such binding is enhanced by both Ca2+ and Mn2+ and results in cytoagglutination, which is counteracted by alpha-D-galactose. A putative ligand for these lectins consists of a glycosylated urease, the polysaccharide moiety of which is uniquely composed of alpha-D-galactose. Binding of lectins inhibits its enzymatic activity, which is recovered after desorption of the lectin with alpha-D-galactose. Urease is also eluted from arginase-agarose columns by using alpha-D-galactose as eluent. Data demonstrate ligand-dependent retention of the fungal lectin on the algal cell surface and this is consistent with a model of recognition of compatible algae, through which algal cells would form a lichen with a lectin-secreting fungus only when these cells contain the specific ligand for the lectin in their cell walls. This is, lectin binding is used as a mechanism for ensuring specificity in the association.


Epidemiological profile of children and adolescents with COVID-19: a scoping review.
to map the epidemiological profile of children and adolescents with COVID-19 in the world literature. a scoping review systematized by the Joanna Briggs Institute protocol in the PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, Science direct and Google Scholar databases. Articles with children and/or adolescents with laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19 were used. thirty-two articles were included in the review. Most children and adolescents were male, with contamination by family transmission. The most frequent clinical manifestations were fever, cough and diarrhea. Ten studies cited pre-existing condition/disease, and hospital length ranged from one to twenty days. Three deaths were reported and no study presented race/color, education and socioeconomic conditions. it was possible to screen the epidemiological profile with information about age group, sex, probable contamination of the disease, clinical manifestations, presence of pre-existing disease/condition, hospitalization and deaths among children and adolescents with COVID-19.


Phase shift in leaf movements of xanthium attributed to age and rhythm patterns.
Leaves of cockelbur (Xanthium strumarium L.) have been reported to be in either an upright or downward position during the dark span (night) of a 24-hour cycle. Results from our studies clearly indicate that such differences in leaf position are not related to differences in ecotypes but can be attributed to age of the leaf, pattern of the waveform of the rhythm at various stages of the light-dark synchronizer regimen, and the statistical model used for the analysis of the waveform. Younger leaves reached a maximum upright position closer to the middle of the dark span, whereas older leaves reached this position closer to the end of the dark span. A phase shift of up to 6 to 10 hours may occur as the leaf ages. Results from the examination of the pattern of the waveform at four different times showed that the pattern of a younger leaf was different from that of an older leaf during the middle of the dark span, during the light-to-dark transition, and during the middle of the light span, but not during the dark-to-light transition. Linear regression, statistical analyses, and the fitting of harmonics clearly indicate that it is the trough, more than the peak, that differs with the age of the leaf.


Testicular toxicity and mechanisms of chlorotoluron compounds in the mouse.
ABSTRACT Previous studies have reported that chlorotoluron has adverse effects on male mice. Few studies, however, have investigated the mechanism of the action of these herbicides. The study of the effects of chlorotoluron and atrazine ingestion on male mice reproductive function during a critical developmental period, the peripubertal period, is reported here. Chlorotoluron and/or atrazine were administered by PO gavage to mice from day 27 to day 52. The decreased weight ratio of mouse testis to body weight resulted in a reduction in the relative testis weight. Histological study of testis showed that the seminiferous epithelium arrayed loosely and disorderedly, spermatogenic cells became shed, and fewer layers were formed. With the use of an electron microscope, it was noted that mitochondria in the seminiferous epithelium appeared vacuolated; karyotheca swelled and bent. In addition, the number of Sertoli cells was reduced, and part of the tight junction was destroyed. The results of the present study demonstrated that herbicides in all administrated doses caused detrimental changes in mice. The toxic effects of chlorotoluron were more potent than those of atrazine when administrated alone. Moreover, the two compounds have synergistic toxic effects with combination use. All dose paradigms induced degeneration and severe pathological changes in a manner of dose response.


Pathway engineering results the altered polyhydroxyalkanoates composition in recombinant Escherichia coli.
To efficiently produce short-chain-length-medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates copolymer from substrate mixture containing sugars and/or fatty acids, fadA gene mutant was constructed in Escherichia coli DH5α phosphotransferase system (PTS) disrupted strain. Plasmids pCJY02, pBHR68 and pBHR71 were separately introduced into E. coli DH5α (ΔptsG, ΔFadA) by transformation, then the recombinants were cultivated in the medium containing glucose and/or decanoate as carbon resource, respectively. When cultivated in the medium containing decanoate, only pCJY02-harboring recombinant was able to accumulate SCL-MCL PHAs consisting of 3HB, 3HHx, 3HO and 3HD with mol ratios: 43.2:12.8:10.3:33.6. The copolymer content was 1.90wt% with 2.69gL(-1) cell dry weight. When cultivated in the medium containing both decanoate and glucose, the recombinant was found to utilize the mixture of glucose and fatty acids and accumulate SCL-MCL PHAs copolymer consisting of 3HB, 3HHx, 3HO and 3HD with mol ratios: 83.4:4.0:5.6:7.0. About 4.90gL(-1) cell dry weight was harvested and total PHAs content was 7.3wt% of CDW. This result indicated that the low-substrate-specificity PHA synthase PhaC2(Ps) endued hosts with the capability of synthesizing PHA copolymers, and the monomer composition of the synthesized PHA could be modulated by controlling the addition of carbon sources and by modifying metabolic pathways in the hosts.


A platinum-ruthenium dinuclear complex bridged by bis(terpyridyl)xanthene.
4,5-Bis(terpyridyl)-2,7-di-tert-butyl-9,9-dimethylxanthene (btpyxa) was prepared to serve as a new bridging ligand via Suzuki coupling of terpyridin-4'-yl triflate and 2,7-di-tert-butyl-9,9-dimethylxanthene-4,5-diboronic acid. The reaction of btpyxa with either 1 equiv or an excess of PtCl(2)(cod) (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) followed by anion exchange afforded mono- and dinuclear platinum complexes [(PtCl)(btpyxa)](PF(6)) ([1](PF(6))) and [(PtCl)(2)(btpyxa)](PF(6))(2) ([2](PF(6))(2)), respectively. The X-ray crystallography of [1](PF(6)).CHCl(3) revealed that the two terpyridine units in the ligand are nearly parallel to each other. The heterodinuclear complex [(PtCl)[Ru((t)Bu(2)SQ)(dmso)](btpyxa)](PF(6))(2) ([4](PF(6))(2)) (dmso = dimethyl sulfoxide; (t)Bu(2)SQ = 3,5-di-tert-butyl-1,2-benzosemiquinone) and the monoruthenium complex [Ru((t)Bu(2)SQ)(dmso)(trpy)](PF(6)) ([5](PF(6))) (trpy = 2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine) were also synthesized. The CV of [2](2+) suggests possible electronic interaction between the two Pt(trpy) groups, whereas such an electronic interaction was not suggested by the CV of [4](2+) between Pt(trpy) and Ru((t)Bu(2)SQ) frameworks.


Continuous voltage tunability of intersubband relaxation times in coupled SiGe quantum well structures using ultrafast spectroscopy.
We demonstrate continuous voltage control of the nonradiative transition lifetime in semiconductor heterostructures. The results were obtained by picosecond time-resolved experiments on biased SiGe valence band quantum well structures using a free electron laser. By varying the applied voltage, the intersubband hole relaxation times for quantum well structures were varied by a factor of 2 as the wave functions and their overlaps were tuned. The range of magnitudes for the lifetime indicates a possible route to silicon-based quantum cascade lasers.


Experimental Perturbations Modify the Performance of Early Warning Indicators of Regime Shift.
Ecosystems may shift abruptly between alternative states in response to environmental perturbations. Early warning indicators have been proposed to anticipate such regime shifts, but experimental field tests of their validity are rare. We exposed rocky intertidal algal canopies to a gradient of press perturbations and recorded the response of associated assemblages over 7 years. Reduced cover and biomass of algal canopies promoted the invasion of algal turfs, driving understory assemblages toward collapse upon total canopy removal. A dynamic model indicated the existence of a critical threshold separating the canopy- and turf-dominated states. We evaluated common indicators of regime shift as the system approached the threshold, including autocorrelation, SD, and skewness. These indicators captured changes in understory cover due to colonization of algal turfs. All indicators increased significantly as the system approached the critical threshold, in agreement with theoretical predictions. The performance of indicators changed when we superimposed a pulse disturbance on the press perturbation that amplified environmental noise. This treatment caused several experimental units to switch repeatedly between the canopy- and the turf-dominated state, resulting in a significant increase in overall variance of understory cover, a negligible effect on skewness and no effect on autocorrelation. Power analysis indicated that autocorrelation and SD were better suited at anticipating a regime shift under mild and strong fluctuations of the state variable, respectively. Our results suggest that regime shifts may be anticipated under a broad range of fluctuating conditions using the appropriate indicator.


Derivatives form better lipoxygenase inhibitors than piperine: in vitro and in silico study.
Piperine is a secondary metabolite of black pepper. Its uses in medicine were already studied. However, its derivatives have not gained considerable attention. In the presented study, the Lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibitory activity of piperine and its derivatives, piperonylic acid, piperic acid, and piperonal have been assessed and compared by enzyme kinetics, ITC and molecular modeling experiments. The presented investigations expressed that all the studied compounds inhibited LOX by binding at its active site. The IC(50) values of these compounds were deduced from the kinetics data and found to be 85.79, 43.065, 45.17, and 50.78 μm for piperine, piperonylic acid, piperic acid, and piperonal, respectively. The binding free energies obtained from ITC experiments were -7.47, -8.33, -8.09, and -7.86 kcal/mol for piperine, piperonylic acid, piperic acid, and piperonal, respectively. Similarly, the glide scores obtained for piperine, piperonylic acid, piperic acid, and piperonal were -7.28, -10.32, -10.72, and -9.57 kcal/mol, respectively. The results of ITC and molecular modeling experiments suggested that piperonylic acid and piperonal exhibit stronger binding at the active site than piperine does. From the presented studies, it could be concluded that derivatives of piperine may be of higher significance than piperine for certain medicinal applications, implicating (Ayurvedic) fermented herbal drugs with piperine in them.


Four new glycosides from the fruit of Xanthium sibiricum Patr.
Four new glycosides, namely 3β-norpinan-2-one 3-O-β-d-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)-β-d-glucopyranoside (1), (6Z)-3-hydroxymethyl-7-methylocta-1,6-dien-3-ol 8-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (2), (6E)-3-hydroxymethyl-7-methylocta-1,6-dien-3-ol 8-O-β-d-gluco-pyranoside (3), and 7-[(β-d-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)-β-d-glucopyranosyl)oxymethy]-8,8-dimethyl-4,8-dihydrobenzo[1,4]thiazine-3,5-dione (4), were isolated from the fruits of Xanthium sibiricum Patr together with three known compounds, xanthiside (5), adenosine (6), and 2,3-dihydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-propan-1-one (7). The structures of the new compounds were determined on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analyses.


Chlorinated hydrocarbons in human bone marrow of healthy individuals and leukemia patients.
In this pilot study, concentrations of chlorinated hydrocarbons in bone marrow were determined by capillary-column gas chromatography. Bone marrow was obtained from a total of 29 healthy adults and from patients with leukemia or lymphoma. The chlorinated hydrocarbons in adults that occurred in the highest concentrations were dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its derivatives (mean = 129 mg/g DNA). Hexachlorobenzene, the hexachlorohexane isomers, and dieldrin were also found, but in reduced concentrations (i.e., mean concentrations: 49.5 mg/g DNA, 14.9 mg/g DNA, and 5.9 mg/g DNA, respectively). Patients who had leukemia and lymphoma did not have significantly increased concentrations of chlorinated hydrocarbons.


Practical round-robin differential phase-shift quantum key distribution.
Recently, a novel protocol named round-robin differential phase-shift (RRDPS) quantum key distribution [Nature 509, 475(2014)] has been proposed. It can estimate information leakage without monitoring bit error rate. In this paper, we study the performance of RRDPS using heralded single photon source (HSPS) without and with decoy-state method, then compare it with the performance of weak coherent pulses (WCPs). From numerical simulation, we can see that HSPS performs better especially for shorter packet and higher bit error rate. Moreover, we propose a general theory of decoy-state method for RRDPS protocol based on only three decoy states and one signal state. Taking WCPs as an example, the three-intensity decoy-state protocol can distribute secret keys over a distance of 128 km when the length of pulses packet is 32, which confirms great practical interest of our method.


The role of control technologies in preventing occupational disease.
There has been little past emphasis on determining the impact of control technologies on health. Compliance with legally mandated standards has received the greatest emphasis, certainly since passage of the OSHA of 1970. Risk assessment focuses on needed data to estimate risk and can be used for estimates of workplace impacts before and after adoption of control technologies. Two possible approaches to workplace improvements are suggested for estimating impacts on worker health. Persons removed from risk can be used where workers' exposures to hazardous agents are reduced from above to below a TLV. Second, for carcinogens the percent reduction in exposure can be used as a surrogate for reduction in future cancer incidence. Both measures suffer from a host of assumptions required by the user. There may be better measures for estimating today the reductions in chronic disease which control technologies will bring about. These measures are desperately needed to establish priorities and to guide installation of control technologies. Finally, research in control technologies is needed to improve effectiveness and to lower costs. However, it is widely accepted by engineers in this field that while improved methods are always welcome, current available technologies are under-utilized in practice.


Surface Functionalization of Rod-Shaped Viral Particles for Biomedical Applications.
While synthetic nanoparticles play a very important role in modern medicine, concerns regarding toxicity, sustainability, stability, and dispersity are drawing increasing attention to naturally derived alternatives. Rod-shaped plant viruses and virus-like particles (VLPs) are biological nanoparticles with powerful advantages such as biocompatibility, tunable size and aspect ratio, monodispersity, and multivalency. These properties facilitate controlled biodistribution and tissue targeting for powerful applications in medicine. Ongoing research efforts focus on functionalizing or otherwise engineering these structures for a myriad of applications, including vaccines, imaging, and drug delivery. These include chemical and biological strategies for conjugation to small molecule chemical dyes, drugs, metals, polymers, peptides, proteins, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. Many strategies are available and vary greatly in efficiency, modularity, selectivity, and simplicity. This review provides a comprehensive summary of VLP functionalization approaches while highlighting biomedically relevant examples. Limitations of current strategies and opportunities for further advancement will also be discussed.


Nodule-specific polypeptides from effective alfalfa root nodules and from ineffective nodules lacking nitrogenase.
In addition to leghemoglobin, at least nine nodule-specific polypeptides from the alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)-Rhizobium meliloti symbiosis were identified by immune assay. Some of these polypeptides may be subunits of larger proteins but none appeared to be subunits of the same multimeric protein. All nine of the nodule-specific polypeptides were localized to within the plant cytosol; they were not found in extracts of bacteroids or in the peribacteroid space. At least one of these nodule-specific polypeptides was found to be antigenically related to nodule-specific polypeptides in pea and/or soybean. Ineffective nodules elicited by R. meliloti strains containing mutations in four different genes required for nitrogenase synthesis contained reduced concentrations of leghemoglobin and of several of the nodule-specific polypeptides. Other nodule-specific polypeptides were unaltered or actually enriched in the ineffective nodules. Many of the differences between the ineffective and effective nodules were apparent in nodules harvested shortly after the nodules became visible. These differences were greatly amplified in older nodules. When the four ineffective nodule types were compared to one another, there were clear quantitative differences in the concentrations of several of the nodule-specific polypeptides. These differences suggest that lack of a functional nitrogenase does not have a single direct effect on nodule development.


Prospective assessment of integrating the existing emergency medical system with automated external defibrillators fully operated by volunteers and laypersons for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: the Brescia Early Defibrillation Study (BEDS).
There are few data on the outcomes of cardiac arrest (CA) victims when the defibrillation capability of broad rural and urban territories is fully operated by volunteers and laypersons. In this study, we investigated whether a programme based on diffuse deployment of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) operated by 2186 trained volunteers and laypersons across the County of Brescia, Italy (area: 4826 km(2); population: 1 112 628), would safely and effectively impact the current survival among victims of out-of-hospital CA. Forty-nine AEDs were added to the former emergency medical system that uses manual EDs in the emergency department of 10 county hospitals and in five medically equipped ambulances. The primary endpoint was survival free of neurological impairment at 1-year follow-up. Data were analysed in 692 victims before and in 702 victims after the deployment of the AEDs. Survival increased from 0.9% (95% CI 0.4-1.8%) in the historical cohort to 3.0% (95% CI 1.7-4.3%) (P=0.0015), despite similar intervals from dispatch to arrival at the site of collapse [median (quartile range): 7 (4) min vs. 6 (6) min]. Increase of survival was noted both in the urban [from 1.4% (95% CI 0.4-3.4 %) to 4.0% (95% CI 2.0-6.9 %), P=0.024] and in the rural territory [from 0.5% (95% CI 0.1-1.6%) to 2.5% (95% CI 1.3-4.2%), P=0.013]. The additional costs per quality-adjusted life year saved amounted to euro39 388 (95% CI euro16 731-49 329) during the start-up phase of the study and to euro23 661 (95% CI euro10 327-35 528) at steady state. Diffuse implementation of AEDs fully operated by trained volunteers and laypersons within a broad and unselected environment proved safe and was associated with a significantly higher long-term survival of CA victims.


The forces that position a mitotic spindle asymmetrically are tethered until after the time of spindle assembly.
Regulation of the mitotic spindle's position is important for cells to divide asymmetrically. Here, we use Caenorhabditis elegans embryos to provide the first analysis of the temporal regulation of forces that asymmetrically position a mitotic spindle. We find that asymmetric pulling forces, regulated by cortical PAR proteins, begin to act as early as prophase and prometaphase, even before the spindle forms and shifts to a posterior position. The spindle does not shift asymmetrically during these early phases due to a tethering force, mediated by astral microtubules that reach the anterior cell cortex. We show that this tether is normally released after spindle assembly and independently of anaphase entry. Monitoring microtubule dynamics by photobleaching segments of microtubules during anaphase revealed that spindle microtubules do not undergo significant poleward flux in C. elegans. Together with the known absence of anaphase A, these data suggest that the major forces contributing to chromosome separation during anaphase originate outside the spindle. We propose that the forces positioning the mitotic spindle asymmetrically are tethered until after the time of spindle assembly and that these same forces are used later to drive chromosome segregation at anaphase.


Interleukin-2 treatment for persistent cryptococcal meningitis in a child with idiopathic CD4(+) T lymphocytopenia.
We report a 16-year-old male patient who presented with headache, behavior changes, and fever. His cerebral spinal fluid and blood cultures grew Cryptococcus neoformans. His laboratory evaluation was negative for human immunodeficiency virus infection but flow cytometry revealed low CD4(+) count of 39 cells/mm(3) and CD4:CD8 ratio of 0.43. He was initially treated with antifungal agents with only partial clinical improvement, and he was discharged to home on oral fluconazole and prophylactic co-trimoxazole. After discharge, he continued to have persistent headache and recurrent episodes of vomiting. He was readmitted several times because of worsening of meningitis symptoms and received prolonged courses of multiple antifungal therapy, with clearance of infection from the central nervous system. He was subsequently placed on prophylactic therapy with fluconazole. His peripheral CD4(+) cell count remained low after resolution of his meningitis. Eight months after the initial diagnosis, recombinant IL-2 therapy was initiated and within a few months, his CD4(+) cell count started to increase. Treatment with rIL-2 and prophylactic antifungal therapy continued and he has been asymptomatic for almost 20 months so far. This case is the first reported pediatric idiopathic CD4(+) T-lymphocytopenia case with cryptococcal meningitis that was successfully treated by the addition of rIL-2 therapy to antifungal therapy.


NANOG changes in mouse kidneys with age.
NANOG is essential for mouse and human embryonic stem cell (ESC) pluripotency and selfrenewal. It is also expressed in several adult murine tissues as shown by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. However, human NANOG transcripts have been isolated from adult bone marrow (EST; GenBank accession no. BF893620). Here, we study the NANOG gene expression profile in isolated mouse renal papillary cells by Northern blot and RT-PCR. The whole RNA of mouse renal cells was obtained from fresh renal tissues, renal tissues infused by phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and isolated renal papillary cells of mouse, respectively, as well as the renal papillary tissue from 18.5 days postcoitum (d.p.c.; fetal), 1-2-week-old (young), 1-8-month-old (adult), and 24-month-old (aging) mice. Our analysis shows that a very low expression level was detected in mouse renal tissues, and the renal papillary cells express more than other tissues as determined with Northern blot and RT-PCR. These data suggest that the kidney has its own cells expressing NANOG, and loss of NANOG expression occurs in an age-dependent manner in the kidney, either due to developmental factors or aging, particularly in renal papillary tissue.


Scoping Review and Bibliometric Analysis of the Term "Planetary Health" in the Peer-Reviewed Literature.
Background: Planetary health is an emerging holistic health field to foster interdisciplinary collaborations, integrate Indigenous knowledge, facilitate education, and drive public and policy engagement. To understand to what extent the field has successfully met these goals, we conducted a scoping review and bibliometric analysis. Methods: We searched 15 databases from 2005 to 2019 for peer-reviewed publications with the term "planetary health" in the title, abstract and/or keywords, with no language or geographical location limitations. We classified results into four categories (commentaries, comprehensive syntheses, educational material, and original research) and categorized original research according to expert-derived planetary health themes. Our bibliometric analysis highlighted publications over time, collaborations, and networks of keywords. Findings: Only 8.1% (n = 22) were research articles. Publications rose rapidly from 8 to 64 publications per year in 2015-2018. The top five author affiliation countries for most publications were the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, and the top five collaborations were a subset of pairwise combinations between the US, UK, Australia, and Canada. The most common author keywords were the following: planetary health, climate change, ecology, and non-communicable diseases. Keyword co-occurrences clustered around high-level concepts (e.g., Anthropocene) and food system-related topics; two clusters lacked a theme. Interpretation: We show that the term planetary health is used mainly in commentary-like publications, not original research. Additionally, more global collaborations are lacking. Interdisciplinary work, as represented by keyword co-occurrence networks, is developing but could potentially be extended. The planetary health community should promote more worldwide research and interdisciplinary collaborations.


Traumatic diaphragmatic hernias: a report of 26 cases.
Traumatic diaphragmatic hernias, when diagnosed many years after the traumatic event, are observed in about 10% of diaphragmatic injuries. Due to coexisting injuries and the silent nature of diaphragmatic injuries, the diagnosis is easily missed or difficult. The medical records of 26 patients, who were treated for diaphragmatic hernias during the last 20 years, were analysed retrospectively. The patients were divided into acute phase and late-presenting groups, in whom emergency surgery and elective intervention were performed respectively. Chest radiography was diagnostic in 34.6% (n = 9) of patients. 92.3% of the hernias were on the left side, while the most common herniated organs were the stomach (31.8%) and the colon (27.2%). Coexisting injuries were recorded in 38.4% (n = 10) of the patients. Primary repair was predominantly used (92.3%). The hospitalisation period was longer in the late-presenting group (24.1 +/- 18.8 vs. 14.3 +/- 7.7 days). Two deaths occurred in the late-presenting group. Diaphragmatic hernia should be suspected in all blunt abdominal trauma patients. Prompt surgical repair is the treatment of choice in all traumatic diaphragmatic hernias.


Thermodynamics and diffusion in size-symmetric and asymmetric dense electrolytes.
MD simulation results for model size-symmetric and asymmetric electrolytes at high densities and temperatures (well outside the liquid-gas coexistence region) are generated and analyzed focusing on thermodynamic and diffusion properties. An extension of the mean spherical approximation for electrolytes originally derived for charged hard sphere fluids is adapted to these systems by exploiting the separation of short range and Coulomb interaction contributions intrinsic to these theoretical models and is found to perform well for predicting equation of state quantities. The diffusion coefficients of these electrolytes can also be reasonably well predicted using entropy scaling ideas suitably adapted to charged systems and mixtures. Thus, this approach may provide an avenue for studying dense electrolytes or complex molecular systems containing charged species at high pressures and temperatures.


Induction of labour practices at Botshabelo District Hospital: Assessing the institutional guidelines.
Induction of labour (IOL) is defined as an artificial stimulation administered to initiate the delivery process before the onset of spontaneous labour. Setting-adapted guidelines need to be developed to promote safe maternal and neonatal care in line with the needs of a specific institution. This study aimed to describe and assess the current IOL practices at Botshabelo District Hospital, focusing on incidence, indications, induction methods, complications, and outcomes. A retrospective-descriptive study included all relevant data from IOL cases over six months between July and December 2017. From 168 attempted inductions of labour, 153 files were retrieved. The majority of cases (69.7%) were for post-dates. Normal vaginal delivery (NVD) was achieved in most patients (69.3%), while one patient had an assisted delivery. Thus, 30.1% of inductions failed and required caesarean sections. The incidence, indications, methods of induction, complications, and outcomes of IOL in BDH are in line with international guidelines; however, including the sweeping of membranes at term and balloon catheters as methods could improve the current guidelines.


Flight and Vibration Control of Flexible Air-Breathing Hypersonic Vehicles Under Actuator Faults.
The issue of modeling and fault-tolerant control (FTC) design for a class of flexible air-breathing hypersonic vehicles (FAHVs) with actuator faults is investigated in this article. Different from previous research, the shear deformation of the fuselage is considered, and an ordinary differential equations-partial differential equations (ODEs-PDEs) coupled model is established for the FAHVs. A feedback control is proposed to ensure flight stable and an adaptive FTC method is designed to deal with actuator faults while suppressing the system's vibrations. Besides, the stability analysis of the closed-loop system is given via the Lyapunov direct method and an algorithm that transfers the bilinear matrix inequalities (BMIs) feasibility problem to the linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) feasibility problem is provided for determining the control gains. Finally, the numerical simulation results show that the proposed controller can stabilize the flight states and suppresses the vibration of the fuselage efficiently.


Complexity analysis of resting state fMRI signals in depressive patients.
Analysis of brain signal complexity reveals the intrinsic network dynamics and is widely utilized in the investigation of mechanisms in mental disorders. In this study, the complexity of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals was explored in patients with depression using multiscale entropy (MSE). Thirty-five patients diagnosed with depression and 22 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were considered. The MSE profiles in five brain networks of the two participant groups were evaluated and analyzed. The results showed that depressive patients exhibited higher complexity in the left frontoparietal network than that seen in healthy controls, which is known to be critical for executive control functions. Through this study, the efficacy of MSE in identifying and understanding the mental disorders was also demonstrated.


Tobacco advertising through French TV in 2005: frequent illicit broadcasting; its impact on teenagers and young adults.
Sports sponsorship is one of the tobacco industry's main strategies to recruit new smokers among teenagers and young adults. Monitoring Motor sports illicit broadcasting based on six channels in 2005; Dakar Rally (DR) and China Grand Prix impact evaluated with a one on one questionnaire administered on 12-24-year-old males and females (n = 805). 75,000 TV tobacco sponsoring appearances (90 h) were observed, total value: euro200.10(6); Mild Seven, Marlboro, West, Lucky Strike, Gauloises Blondes accounted for 92% appearances and 95% of euro values, with illegal broadcasting value worth euro19.10(6). A high interest in DR (71%) and Formula One (F1) (66%) was observed among males (versus females; P < 0.001), increasing with age (P < 0.05). Levels of spontaneous and assisted recall of cigarette brands were high among individuals interested in DR and F1, with better recall of brand names (versus non interested; P < 0.01); all individuals made correct associations between tobacco brands and car colors (P < 0.01). A non-significant higher percentage of daily smokers was observed among respondents interested in DR (34 versus 21%; P < 0.01) and F1 (30 versus 24%; P = 0.10). This high level of indirect advertising for tobacco through motor sport sponsoring confirms the urgent need for a worldwide absolute ban on tobacco advertising in motor sports.


Identification and characterization of gamma-glutamylamine cyclotransferase, an enzyme responsible for gamma-glutamyl-epsilon-lysine catabolism.
Gamma-glutamylamine cyclotransferase (GGACT) is an enzyme that converts gamma-glutamylamines to free amines and 5-oxoproline. GGACT shows high activity toward gamma-glutamyl-epsilon-lysine, derived from the breakdown of fibrin and other proteins cross-linked by transglutaminases. The enzyme adopts the newly identified cyclotransferase fold, observed in gamma-glutamylcyclotransferase (GGCT), an enzyme with activity toward gamma-glutamyl-alpha-amino acids (Oakley, A. J., Yamada, T., Liu, D., Coggan, M., Clark, A. G., and Board, P. G. (2008) J. Biol. Chem. 283, 22031-22042). Despite the absence of significant sequence identity, several residues are conserved in the active sites of GGCT and GGACT, including a putative catalytic acid/base residue (GGACT Glu(82)). The structure of GGACT in complex with the reaction product 5-oxoproline provides evidence for a common catalytic mechanism in both enzymes. The proposed mechanism, combined with the three-dimensional structures, also explains the different substrate specificities of these enzymes. Despite significant sequence divergence, there are at least three subfamilies in prokaryotes and eukaryotes that have conserved the GGCT fold and GGCT enzymatic activity.


How Income Inequality and Race/Ethnicity Drive Obesity in U.S. Adults: 1999-2016.
Obesity is a major public health problem both globally and within the U.S. It varies by multiple factors, including but not limited to income and sex. After controlling for potential covariates, there is little evidence to determine the association between income and obesity and how obesity may be moderated by sex and family income. We examined the association between income and obesity in U.S. adults aged 20 years and older, and tested whether this relationship differs by race or ethnicity groups. For this analysis, we used data from the 1999-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). Obesity was determined using Body Mass Index ≥ 30 kg/m2; the Gini coefficient (GC) was calculated to measure income inequality using the Poverty Income Ratio (PIR). We categorized the PIR into five quintiles to examine the relationship between income inequality and obesity. For the first set of analyses, we used a modified Poisson regression in a sample of 36,665 adults, with an almost equal number of men and women (women's ratio was 50.6%), including 17,303 white non-Hispanics (WNH), 7475 black non-Hispanics (BNHs), and 6281 Mexican Americans. The models included age, racial/ethnic groups, marital status, education, health behaviors (smoking and drinking status and physical activities), health insurance coverage, self-reported health, and household structure (live alone and size of household). Adjusting for potential confounders, our findings showed that the association between PIR and obesity was positive and significant more frequently among WNH and BNH in middle and top PIR quintiles than among lower-PIR quintiles; this association was not significant in Mexican Americans (MAs). Results of GC in obese women showed that in comparison with WNHs (GC: 0.34, S.E.: 0.002), BNHs (GC: 0.38, S.E.: 0.004) and MAs (GC: 0.41, S.E.: 0.006) experienced higher income inequality, and that BNH obese men experienced the highest income inequality (GC: 0.45, S.E.: 0.011). The association between PIR and obesity was significant among WNHs and BNHs men in the 3rd, 4th and 5th PIR quintiles. The same association was not found for women. In treating obesity, policymakers should consider not only race/ethnicity and sex, but also strategies to reduce inequality in income.


The effects of repeated opioid administration on locomotor activity: II. Unidirectional cross-sensitization to cocaine.
Sensitization refers to an increase in sensitivity to the effects of a drug and is believed to play a role in the etiology of substance use disorders. Cross-sensitization has been observed between drugs from different pharmacological classes and may play a role in the escalation of drug use in polydrug-abusing populations. The purpose of this study was to examine cross-sensitization between opioids and cocaine and to determine the extent to which cross-sensitization is mediated by an opioid's selectivity for mu, kappa, and delta receptors. Separate groups of rats were treated with opioid receptor agonists and antagonists every other day for 10 days, and the locomotor effects of cocaine were tested 8 days later. The mu agonists, morphine and buprenorphine, and the delta agonist, BW373U86 [(+/-)-4-[(R(*))-[(2S(*),5R(*))-2,5-dimethyl-4-(2-propenyl)-1-piperazinyl]-(3-hydroxyphenyl)methyl]-N,N-diethylbenzamide hydrochloride], produced cross-sensitization to cocaine, such that repeated administration of these drugs over a 10-day period significantly enhanced cocaine's locomotor effects when tested later. Coadministration of the opioid antagonist naltrexone prevented morphine and buprenorphine from producing cross-sensitization. Coadministration of naltrexone, but not the delta antagonist naltrindole, also prevented BW373U86 from producing cross-sensitization. The kappa agonist spiradoline failed to produce cross-sensitization, but coadministration of spiradoline prevented morphine and buprenorphine from producing cross-sensitization. The ability of spiradoline to block cross-sensitization was itself blocked by the kappa antagonist nor-binaltorphimine. The mixed mu/kappa opioids butorphanol, nalbuphine, and nalorphine did not produce cross-sensitization under any condition examined. These data indicate that agonist activity at mu receptors positively modulates cross-sensitization between opioids and cocaine, whereas agonist activity at kappa receptors negatively modulates this effect.


Endoscopic gastritis, serum pepsinogen assay, and Helicobacter pylori infection.
Endoscopic findings of the background gastric mucosa are important in the Helicobacter pylori-seroprevalent population. It is strongly correlated not only with the risk of gastric cancer, but also with the excretion ability of gastric mucosa cells. In noninfected subjects, common endoscopic findings are regular arrangement of collecting venules, chronic superficial gastritis, and erosive gastritis. In cases of active H. pylori infection, nodularity on the antrum, hemorrhagic spots on the fundus, and thickened gastric folds are common endoscopic findings. The secreting ability of the gastric mucosa cells is usually intact in both noninfected and actively infected stomachs, and the intragastric condition becomes hyperacidic upon inflammation. Increased serum pepsinogen II concentration correlates well with active H. pylori infection, and also indicates an increased risk of diffuse-type gastric cancer. In chronic inactive H. pylori infection, metaplastic gastritis and atrophic gastritis extending from the antrum (closed-type chronic atrophic gastritis) toward the corpus (open-type chronic atrophic gastritis) are common endoscopic findings. The intragastric environment is hypoacidic and the risk of intestinal-type gastric cancer is increased in such conditions. Furthermore, there is a decrease in serum pepsinogen I concentration when the secreting ability of the gastric mucosa cells is damaged. Serologic and endoscopic changes that occur upon H. pylori infection are important findings for estimating the secreting ability of the gastric mucosa cells, and could be applied for the secondary prevention of gastric cancer.


Feasibility analysis for medical services.
Feasibility analysis is an important aspect of business planning. A feasibility study is a study of the impacts of revenues, cost, and returns on a decision. It helps answer the questions of "What share of total sales can be attained?" "What revenues will be generated?" "What costs will be incurred?" "What will be the return on investment?" The discipline of going through a systematic approach to analyze market demand, cost requirements, and return on investment will improve business decisions by eliminating risk and increasing the possibility of successful ventures.


Biphasic function of TLR3 adjuvant on tumor and spleen dendritic cells promotes tumor T cell infiltration and regression in a vaccine therapy.
Successful cancer immunotherapy necessitates T cell proliferation and infiltration into tumor without exhaustion, a process closely links optimal maturation of dendritic cells (DC), and adjuvant promotes this process as an essential prerequisite. Poly(I:C) has contributed to adjuvant immunotherapy that evokes an antitumor response through the Toll-loke receptor 3 (TLR3)/TICAM-1 pathway in DC. However, the mechanism whereby Poly(I:C) acts on DC for T cell proliferation and migration remains undetermined. Subcutaneous injection of Poly(I:C) regressed implant tumors (WT1-C1498 or OVA-EG7) in C57BL/6 mice, which coincided with tumor-infiltration of CD8(+) T cells. Epitope-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) were increased in spleen by challenge with Poly(I:C)+Db126 WT-1 peptide but not Poly(I:C) alone, suggesting the need of an exogenous Ag density for cross-priming. In tumor, CXCR3 ligands were upregulated by Poly(I:C), which facilitated recruitment of CTL to the tumor. Thus, Poly(I:C) acts on splenic CD8α(+) DC to cross-prime T cells and on intratumor cells to attract CTLs. Besides CD8(+) T cell cross-priming, T cell recruitment into tumor was significantly dampened in Batf3 (-/-) mice, reflecting the importance of tumor Batf3-dependent DC rather than macrophages in T cell recruitment. Poly(I:C)-induced XCR1(hi) CD8α(+) DC with high TLR3 levels were markedly decreased in Batf3 (-/-) mice, which hampered the production of IL-12 and IL-12-mediated CD4(+)/CD8(+) T cell proliferation. Subcutaneous administration of Poly(I:C) and adoptive transfer of wild-type CD8α(+) DC largely recovered antitumor response in those Batf3 (-/-) mice. Collectively, Poly(I:C) tunes up proper maturation of CD8α(+) DC to establish TLR3-mediated IL-12 function and cross-presentation in spleen and lymphocyte-attractive antitumor microenvironment in tumor.


Novel analgesic/anti-inflammatory agents: diarylpyrrole acetic esters endowed with nitric oxide releasing properties.
The design of compounds that are able to inhibit cyclooxygenase (COX) and to release nitric oxide (NO) should give rise to drugs endowed with an overall safer profile for the gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems. Herein we report a new class of pyrrole-derived nitrooxy esters (11a-j), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) selective inhibitors endowed with NO releasing properties, with the goal of generating new molecules able to both strongly inhibit this isoform and reduce the related adverse side effects. Taking into account the metabolic conversion of nitrooxy esters into corresponding alcohols, we also studied derivatives 12a-j. All compounds proved to be very potent and selective COX-2 inhibitors; nitrooxy derivatives displayed interesting ex vivo NO-dependent vasorelaxing properties. Compounds 11c, 11d, 12c, and 12d were selected for further in vivo studies that highlited good anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities. Finally, two selected compounds (11c and 12c) tested in human whole blood (HWB) assay proved to be preferential inhibitors of COX-2.


[Protective effect of mitochondria-targeted antioxidant peptide SS-31 in sepsis-induced acute kidney injury].
To study the effect and mechanism of mitochondria-targeted antioxidant peptide SS-31 on sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (AKI). Sixty adult male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups according to the random number table method: sham group (10 mice), positive control group (10 mice), sepsis model group (20 mice), and SS-31 peptide group (20 mice). The sepsis-induced AKI mouse model was reproduced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). The sham group only received laparotomy. SS-31 peptide (5 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected in SS-31 peptide group and positive control group 30 minutes after the operation, while an equivalent amount of normal saline was given in sham group and sepsis model group for 7 days. The blood samples were collected 24 hours after the operation from orbit, and the serum was collected to test the serum creatinine (SCr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). The mice were sacrificed 7 days after surgery. The kidney tissues were collected to observe the pathologic structure changes under the hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining by light microscope. And the mitochondrial ultrastructure was checked under the transmission electron microscope. Cell apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling method (TUNEL). The expression level of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptorγ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and cleaved caspase-3 protein were tested by Western blotting. Compared with sham group, the levels of SCr and BUN were significantly increased in sepsis model group [SCr (μmol/L): 93.12±11.80 vs. 32.94±3.37, BUN (mmol/L): 41.36±6.48 vs. 9.49±3.58, both P < 0.05]. The expression levels of AMPK, PGC-1α and cleaved caspase-3 protein increased (AMPK/β-actin: 0.30±0.02 vs. 0.12±0.01, PGC-1α/β-actin: 0.38±0.03 vs. 0.16±0.02, cleaved caspase-3/β-actin: 0.20±0.01 vs. 0.11±0.02, all P < 0.05). HE staining showed that inflammatory cell was infiltrated, glomerular basement membrane was exposed and vacuole-like transparent casts were found in the lumen. Mitochondria were damaged under electron microscope with swelling, ridge disappearance and ruptured membranes, with increasing of apoptotic cells [cells: 24.00 (18.75, 31.00) vs. 2.00 (0.72, 3.25), P < 0.05]. Meanwhile, compared with sepsis model group, the levels of SCr, BUN and the expressions of AMPK, PGC-1α, cleaved caspase-3 protein were significantly decreased in the SS-31 peptide group [SCr (μmol/L): 71.33±10.14 vs. 93.12±11.80, BUN (mmol/L): 27.00±5.52 vs. 41.36±6.48, AMPK/β-actin: 0.23±0.01 vs. 0.30±0.02, PGC-1α/β-actin: 0.27±0.02 vs. 0.38±0.03, cleaved caspase-3/β-actin: 0.13±0.01 vs. 0.20±0.01, all P < 0.05]. HE staining showed that cell swelling reduced, the mitochondrial structure was intact, the ridge swelling was also reduced, and the membrane structure was relatively intact, the number of apoptotic cells was significantly reduced [cells: 13.00 (9.00, 16.50) vs. 24.00 (18.75, 31.00), P < 0.05]. The protective effect of SS-31 peptide on organ dysfunction induced by sepsis-induced AKI is related to maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and inhibiting cell apoptosis.


Coxiella burnetii penetration into the reproductive system of male mice, promoting sexual transmission of infection.
Coxiella burnetii bacteria penetrate different host organs via the bloodstream. In infected mice, bacteremia was observed during the first week of infection: later, bacteria were cultured from the spleens, livers, testes, epididymes, prostate, and semen; bacteriuria developed beginning from the second week of infection. On day 21 of infection, degenerative changes with aggregated macrophages containing bacteria were observed in capillary blood vessels and the surrounding tissues of the adipose envelope of the epididymis. C. burnetii was shed to semen from the urogenital tract, probably from an abscess in the epididymis. There they were bound to the surface of spermatozoal cells, mainly to their heads, suggesting specific adhesion. Bacteria shed to semen were transmitted to female mice by sexual contact; this was demonstrated by the detection of antibodies against C. burnetii antigens in the blood of females and later by the cultivation of bacteria from the spleens, livers, and amniotic fluids of female mice.


Putrescine transport in a cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.
The transport of putrescine into a moderately salt tolerant cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was characterized by measuring the uptake of radioactively-labeled putrescine. Putrescine transport showed saturation kinetics with an apparent K(m) of 92 +/- 10 microM and V(max) of 0.33 +/- 0.05 nmol/min/mg protein. The transport of putrescine was pH-dependent with highest activity at pH 7.0. Strong inhibition of putrescine transport was caused by spermine and spermidine whereas only slight inhibition was observed by the addition of various amino acids. These results suggest that the transport system in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is highly specific for polyamines. Putrescine transport is energy-dependent as evidenced by the inhibition by various metabolic inhibitors and ionophores. Slow growth was observed in cells grown under salt stress. Addition of low concentration of putrescine could restore growth almost to the level observed in the absence of salt stress. Upshift of the external osmolality generated by either NaCl or sorbitol caused an increased putrescine transport with an optimum 2-fold increase at 20 mosmol/kg. The stimulation of putrescine transport mediated by osmotic upshift was abolished in chloramphenicol-treated cells, suggesting possible involvement of an inducible transport system.