Aortic Root Thrombosis on ECMO-A Novel Management Strategy.
A 15-year-old presented in cardiogenic shock secondary to viral myocarditis requiring venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. He developed large thrombi of the left ventricle and aortic root. Anticoagulation was increased, and medications were initiated to decrease the likelihood of aortic valve opening. He underwent balloon atrial septostomy followed by placement of a left atrial vent. A pigtail catheter was placed in the ascending aorta for direct heparin infusion. Serial echocardiograms showed progressive resolution of the thrombi. He was successfully weaned from ECMO and discharged home without neurological deficits.


Combined Anterior and Posterior Decompression With Fusion for Cervical Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament.
Cervical myelopathy caused by ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is not uncommon among Asian ethnic groups. Despite reports comparing the pros and cons of anterior- and posterior-only approaches, the optimal management remains debatable. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients who underwent a combined anterior and posterior approach, simultaneous circumferential decompression and fixation, for cervical OPLL. The study retrospectively reviewed patients with OPLL and who underwent circumferential decompression and fixation, combined anterior corpectomy and posterior laminectomy. The clinical outcomes were evaluated by the Visual Analog Scale of neck and arm pain, the Japanese Orthopedic Association scores, Neck Disability Index, and Nurick scores at each time-point of evaluation. Radiological evaluations included plain and dynamic radiographs and computed tomography for every patient within 2 years post-operation. Subgroup analyses were further performed between the groups, with and without intra-operative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage. A total of 41 patients completed the follow-up for more than 2 years (mean = 39.8 months) and were analyzed. Continuous-type OPLL was the most common (44%), followed by segmental (27%), mixed (22%), and localized types (7%) in the cohort. Myelopathy and all other functional outcomes improved significantly at 2 years post-operation (all p < 0.05). There were 13 (32%) patients who had intra-operative CSF leakage. At 2 years post-operation, there were no differences in the demographics, functional outcomes, and complication rates between the CSF-leakage and no-leakage groups. The CSF-leakage group had more patients with continuous-type OPLL than the no-leakage group (77 vs. 29%, p = 0.004 < 0.05). During the follow-up, there was no secondary or revision surgery for pseudomeningocele, pseudarthrosis, or other surgery-related complications. Simultaneous circumferential decompression and fixation combine the surgical benefits of sufficient decompression by the posterior approach and direct decompression of OPLL by the anterior approach. It is an effective surgical option for patients with cervical myelopathy caused by OPLL, given that myelopathy unanimously improved without neurological complications in this study. The fusion rates were high, and reoperation rates were low. Despite higher rates of CSF leakage, there were no related long-term sequelae, and minimal wound complications.


Universal Dimerized Quantum Droplets in a One-Dimensional Lattice.
The ground-state properties of two-component bosonic mixtures in a one-dimensional optical lattice are studied both from few- and many-body perspectives. We rely directly on a microscopic Hamiltonian with attractive intercomponent and repulsive intracomponent interactions to demonstrate the formation of a quantum liquid. We reveal that its formation and stability can be interpreted in terms of finite-range interactions between dimers. We derive an effective model of composite bosons (dimers) which correctly captures both the few- and many-body properties and validate it against exact results obtained by the density matrix renormalization group method for the full Hamiltonian. The threshold for the formation of the liquid coincides with the appearance of a bound state in the dimer-dimer problem and possesses a universality in terms of the two-body parameters of the dimer-dimer interaction, namely, scattering length and effective range. For sufficiently strong effective dimer-dimer repulsion we observe fermionization of the dimers which form an effective Tonks-Girardeau state and identify conditions for the formation of a solitonic solution. Our predictions are relevant to experiments with dipolar atoms and two-component mixtures.


Specific circulating phospholipids, acylcarnitines, amino acids and biogenic amines are aerobic exercise markers.
Regular aerobic exercise provides beneficial effects on human health and reduces all-cause mortality. Aerobic exercise has profound metabolic effects, and specific metabolites may reflect physiological changes. We aimed to identify endogenous metabolites that distinguish the trained from the untrained state to increase the spectrum of analytes amenable for hypothesis testing and to expand understanding of putative beneficial pathways. Cross sectional laboratory repeated measures study. Exercise testing was performed in 37 healthy male participants and serum samples were obtained before and after completion of a ten-week standardized exercise program. Samples were analyzed for routine clinical parameters and for 188 endogenous metabolites by LC-MS/MS. Indicating the effectiveness of the intervention program, parameters of sport physiology were different after training. After correcting for multiple testing, serum concentrations of several metabolites differed between the trained and untrained state. Serine and glutamate decreased in response to exercise, whereas sarcosine and kynurenine increased. Phosphatidylcholines showed a mixed response in that four species increased and three decreased. However, all seven lysophosphatidylcholines and all four plasmalogens that differed between the trained and untrained state, increased. One short-chain acylcarnitine also decreased. In receiver operator characteristics analyses, sarcosine displayed the highest AUC value (0.839; 95% CI: 0.734-0.926) in discriminating the pre- from the post-trained state. Our study detected metabolites that clearly differentiate the trained from the untrained state. These metabolites may be targeted in mechanistic studies to understand underlying biochemical pathways and could serve to improve the design, monitoring and individualization of training programs.


Women's satisfaction with maternity care during preterm birth.
Women's satisfaction with maternity care is strongly influenced by their sociodemographic characteristics, values, and attitudes. The arrival of a preterm baby is often a traumatic time, with unique factors involved. The Spanish Preterm Birth Experience and Satisfaction Scale (P-BESS) is a robust instrument capable of assessing women's satisfaction during preterm birth. The purpose of this study was to assess women's satisfaction with maternity care during labor and birth with preterm babies in a Spanish-speaking population. This is a cross-sectional study. Participants were 182 women who gave birth within 37 weeks' gestation. Factors associated with satisfaction were studied through univariate and bivariate analyses and through multiple linear regression using the backward elimination method. Women reported high satisfaction with maternity care overall (average score of 84 out of 95). Women with a university education were generally less satisfied. Women were more satisfied if they were pregnant for the first time. Women who reported a previous premature birth or neonatal death were more satisfied, and women who had prior miscarriages were less satisfied compared with women without these experiences. The analysis confirmed that the majority of women surveyed were very satisfied with their childbirth experience. The Spanish P-BESS can be a useful way of prioritizing intervention measures, focusing on those aspects lowest scored by women, such as "information and explanations" and "confidence in staff," to improve maternity services for families experiencing preterm birth.


Superoxide Dismutase in the Symbiont Anabaena azollae Strasb.
Superoxide dismutase was investigated in the symbiont Anabaena azollae Strasb. living in Azolla filiculoides Lam. In vegetative cells, three isoenzymatic forms of superoxide dismutase, containing manganese, iron, and the hybrid iron-manganese, respectively, were present. Hybrid superoxide dismutase, detected for the first time in cyanobacteria, was 7% of the total superoxide dismutase present in vegetative cells. All three superoxide dismutase forms increased in the Anabaena vegetative cells obtained from irradiated plants grown in winter. In heterocysts, only an iron superoxide dismutase was present, which amounted to 25% of total vegetative cell superoxide dismutase activity. Hybrid superoxide dismutase appeared in heterocysts after irradiation. In vegetative cells of Anabaena from plants grown in summer, the basal level of total superoxide dismutase increased by 60% as compared with winter, and was unaffected by irradiation. The levels of superoxide dismutase in heterocysts from control and exposed plants grown in summer were comparable to those observed in heterocysts obtained from the plants grown during winter. No direct correlation was found between nitrogenase activity and superoxide dismutase in heterocysts. The presence of cyanophycin granules, either within the heterocyst pore channel or close to the transversal septum of vegetative cells, suggested a mechanism to stop communications between vegetative cells and heterocysts.


A closer look at combining data among a small number of binomial experiments.
In a regulatory environment, the regulators and the regulated may not be able to agree on the use of subjective prior information for a clinical trial. The use of a data-based prior offers a greater possibility for agreement, however, the degree of importance given to the prior data may still be contentious. The use of a hierarchical model to link the prior data and the current trial is shown to provide a relatively objective method for assigning weight to the prior data. Using a series of examples combining two binomial experiments, the effect of a hierarchical model on estimating rates, on the degree to which data is combined and on hypothesis testing is illustrated. In addition, the phenomenon in which combining data reduces the precision is explained. Simpler models based on finite mixtures of beta distributions are shown to work as well as the more computationally intensive, continuous mixtures. Lastly, an example combining three concurrent studies is illustrated. Published in 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Parental practices, body dissatisfaction and weight control practices in female adolescents from public schools in southern Brazil.
The objective was to verify the association between body dissatisfaction (BD) - constituted by the desire to lose weight - with family and personal aspects related to the shape of the body and weight control practices in female adolescents. A cross-sectional, observational epidemiological study with adolescents aged 12-19 years, enrolled in classes of the 8th and 9th years of public schools belonging to the urban area of the city of Caxias do Sul/Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, was conducted. A self-applicable questionnaire was used. BD was assessed using a silhouette scale. Multivariate regression was performed using Poisson regression with robust variation, hierarchically using a pre-established conceptual model, using the prevalence ratio (PR) adjusted with 95 % CI as a measure of effect. A significance level of 5 % (P ≤ 0·05) was considered. Among the 685 female students, 77·2 % had BD. The father's incentive to diet sometimes (PR 1·19; 95 % CI 1·07, 1·32; P ≤ 0·001) and always (PR 1·15; 95 % CI 1·03, 1·28; P ≤ 0·001), trying to lose weight (PR 1·63; 95 % CI 1·33, 1·99; P ≤ 0·001), dieting five times or more (PR 1·22; 95 % CI 1·09, 1·36; P ≤ 0·001) and skipping meals less than once a week (PR 1·16; 95 % CI 1·04, 1·29; P = 0·026) increased the chances of having BD. In conclusion, among the investigated parents' behaviours, only the father's incentive to go on a diet was associated with BD. Adolescent weight control practices increased the chances of having BD. Thus, it facilitates the identification of this condition at an early stage, enabling adequate treatment and prevention of health complications.


Classification of protein-protein interaction full-text documents using text and citation network features.
We participated (as Team 9) in the Article Classification Task of the Biocreative II.5 Challenge: binary classification of full-text documents relevant for protein-protein interaction. We used two distinct classifiers for the online and offline challenges: 1) the lightweight Variable Trigonometric Threshold (VTT) linear classifier we successfully introduced in BioCreative 2 for binary classification of abstracts and 2) a novel Naive Bayes classifier using features from the citation network of the relevant literature. We supplemented the supplied training data with full-text documents from the MIPS database. The lightweight VTT classifier was very competitive in this new full-text scenario: it was a top-performing submission in this task, taking into account the rank product of the Area Under the interpolated precision and recall Curve, Accuracy, Balanced F-Score, and Matthew's Correlation Coefficient performance measures. The novel citation network classifier for the biomedical text mining domain, while not a top performing classifier in the challenge, performed above the central tendency of all submissions, and therefore indicates a promising new avenue to investigate further in bibliome informatics.


A Master-Slave control system with workspaces isomerism for teleoperation of a snake robot.
Snake robots can be used to assist experts during surgical operations on internal organs via natural orifices. However, real-time control of such robot in Mater Slave (MS) teleoperation is a major challenge. Inverse kinematics solution of snake robots has being a key challenge towards real time control especially if the robot is hyper-redundant. This paper proposes a method that can achieve fast and precise inverse kinematics solution for real time control MS teleoperation. Monte Carlo method is applied to determine possible positions needed to reach a given target point, while best position is chosen based on the optimization algorithm. For workspace isomerism, the proposed method automatically determines appropriate kinematics mapping for the robots. Experimental results show that the method can achieve accurate position tracking in MS teleoperation.


Physiological properties of Saccharomyces cerevisiae from which hexokinase II has been deleted.
Hexokinase II is an enzyme central to glucose metabolism and glucose repression in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Deletion of HXK2, the gene which encodes hexokinase II, dramatically changed the physiology of S. cerevisiae. The hxk2-null mutant strain displayed fully oxidative growth at high glucose concentrations in early exponential batch cultures, resulting in an initial absence of fermentative products such as ethanol, a postponed and shortened diauxic shift, and higher biomass yields. Several intracellular changes were associated with the deletion of hexokinase II. The hxk2 mutant had a higher mitochondrial H(+)-ATPase activity and a lower pyruvate decarboxylase activity, which coincided with an intracellular accumulation of pyruvate in the hxk2 mutant. The concentrations of adenine nucleotides, glucose-6-phosphate, and fructose-6-phosphate are comparable in the wild type and the hxk2 mutant. In contrast, the concentration of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate, an allosteric activator of pyruvate kinase, is clearly lower in the hxk2 mutant than in the wild type. The results suggest a redirection of carbon flux in the hxk2 mutant to the production of biomass as a consequence of reduced glucose repression.


Ghrelin and muscle metabolism in chronic uremia.
Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are prone to nutritional complications with negative prognostic impact. In particular, protein-energy wasting is a major CKD-associated clinical burden, and emerging evidence indicates that clustered metabolic alterations, including inflammation, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance, contribute to loss of skeletal muscle mass. Ghrelin is a gastric hormone discovered in its acylated form and extensively studied for its appetite-stimulating effect. Further studies have shown that ghrelin may positively modulate systemic inflammation and insulin action. In addition, a role of ghrelin in the regulation of redox state has been described in vitro. Ghrelin treatment could therefore represent a potential comprehensive therapeutic approach for CKD-related metabolic and nutritional complications, and evidence supporting this hypothesis has emerged in clinical and experimental CKD. Clinical trials of ghrelin administration are needed to test the hypothesis that ghrelin may chronically improve nutritional status and outcome in CKD patients.


Statistical estimation of dietary parameters: implications of patterns in within-subject variation--a case study of sampling strategies.
Patterns within intraindividual variation in energy intake were described previously. Using case studies based on the same Beltsville One-Year Dietary Intake Study data set, we examined the interaction between random and nonrandom variation and the choice of sampling strategy in estimation of individuals' usual intakes over 1 y. Mean intake estimates derived from adjacent-day samples were less reliable and more likely to be biased than were those based on randomly selected days. A finite adjacent-day sample fails to encompass longer-term trends. Because adjacent-day samples underestimate true within-subject variation, by customary tests they appear more reliable. This may present an interpretational problem. Comparisons of random weekend and week-day samples confirm that failure to proportionately sample both will bias the estimation of the usual (1-y mean) intake and the within-subject variance.


[Nutritional risk factors for gallstones. Epidemiological analysis].
This article reviews the role of nutrition in the incidence of gallstones. The epidemiological situation of gallbladder disease has wide worldwide geographical variations, being Pima Indians and the Chileans the most affected populations. The main nutritional risk factor is obesity. Other risk are serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels, unbalanced and excessive caloric intake, fasting periods of more than eight hours, hypocaloric diets of less than 700 Kcal/day, specially in obese subjects and parenteral nutrition lasting more than two weeks. The main conclusion of this revision is that nutritional behaviors of the population must be improved through public health programs, to reduce the incidence of obesity and related nutritional imbalances.


Phenotypic Variability of MEGF10 Variants Causing Congenital Myopathy: Report of Two Unrelated Patients from a Highly Consanguineous Population.
Congenital myopathies are rare neuromuscular hereditary disorders that manifest at birth or during infancy and usually appear with muscle weakness and hypotonia. One of such disorders, early-onset myopathy, areflexia, respiratory distress, and dysphagia (EMARDD, OMIM: 614399, MIM: 612453), is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by biallelic mutations (at homozygous or compound heterozygous status) in MEGF10 (multiple epidermal growth factor-like domains protein family). Here, we report two unrelated patients, who were born to consanguineous parents, having two novel MEGF10 deleterious variants. Interestingly, the presence of MEGF10 associated EMARDD has not been reported in Saudi Arabia, a highly consanguineous population. Moreover, both variants lead to a different phenotypic onset of mild and severe types. Our work expands phenotypic features of the disease and provides an opportunity for genetic counseling to the inflicted families.


Pharmacological properties of two amino esters of diphenylpropanoic acid.
N, N-Diethylaminoethyl ester and 3-quinuclidinyl ester of 2, 2-diphenylpropanoic acid (compound 1 and 2, respectively) were prepared and pharmacologically evaluated in vitro and in the intact animal. Both compounds attenuated the effects of increasing doses of ACh in the isolated rat ileum (pA2 = 8.40 and 8.55, respectively). These effects were comparable to that of atropine (pA2 = 8.73). The duration of methacholine-induced salivation in male Swiss-Webster mice was significantly decreased by compound 2 but not by compound 1. Cardiorespiratory studies in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats revealed that both compounds shifted the dose-response curves to methacholine in terms of arterial blood pressure, heart rate and respiration upwards; indicative of cholinergic blockade. The observed pharmacological differences between the two compounds may be attributed to apparent in vivo hydrolysis of compound 1 by esterases.


Fluctuation of an ion beam extracted from an AC filament driven Bernas-type ion source.
Argon ion beam fluctuation from an AC filament driven Bernas-type ion source is observed. The ion beam was measured by an 8 measurement elements beam profile monitor. The amplitude of the beam current fluctuation stayed in the same level from 100 Hz to 1 kHz of the filament heating frequency. The beam current fluctuation frequency measured by the beam profile monitor was equal to the frequency of the AC filament operation. The fluctuation amplitudes of the beam current by AC operation were less than 7% and were in the same level of the DC operation.


Postabortion Contraceptive Acceptance Rate and Its Determinants among Women Receiving Abortion Service before Discharge from the Health Facilities in Harar, Eastern Ethiopia.
Annually, around 121 million unintended pregnancies occur in the world and more than 73 million encountered abortion. Ethiopia is also losing 19.6% of mothers due to unsafe abortion. Despite that postabortion contraceptive service is a climactic entry point for the prevention of unwanted pregnancy and associated deaths, the service magnitude and determinants immediately before discharge are not characterized well in Ethiopia. Hence, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of postabortion contraceptive utilization and associated factors among women receiving abortion care service before being discharged from health facilities in Harar, Eastern Ethiopia. A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 390 women receiving abortion care services. At discharge, data about contraceptive acceptance and related maternal characteristics were collected. A binary logistic regression model was used to assess the association between independent and dependent variables (postabortion contraceptive utilization). Analysis was done with SPSS 22. Statistical significance was considered at P < 0.05. The overall prevalence of postabortion contraceptive utilization was 81.5% (95% CI: 77.9, 85.4). Being unmarried (AOR, 0.05; 95% CI (0.02, 0.16)), having no history of previous abortion (AOR, 0.11; 95% CI (0.04, 0.34)), being multigravida (AOR 8.1; 95% CI (2.20, 13.40), lacking desire to have an additional child (AOR, 6.3; 95% CI (2.65, 15.34), and history of family planning use (AOR, 17.20; 95% CI (6.5, 38.60)) were determinants of postabortion contraceptive utilization before being discharged from the health facilities. Postabortion contraceptive utilization in Harar health facilities still needs improvement as per the WHO and national recommendations. Therefore, the family planning provision strategies should be convincing and friendly, especially for unmarried mothers, and those who had no history of abortion should be counseled in friendly and systematically convincing schemes for enabling them to take the service before discharge from the health facility.


[Gallbladder carcinoma and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma].
Gallbladder carcinoma and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma Abstract. In this article, we focus on three entities of malignant biliary tumors: gallbladder carcinoma, distal and perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. Those are rare malignant tumors which require an extensive interdisciplinary expertise in the treatment of hepato-pancreato-biliary conditions in order to provide an appropriate diagnostic work-up, correctly assess resectability and come up with a clear-cut multimodal treatment plan. Perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (Klatskin-tumour) usually requires the most complex evaluation of resectability, which involves not only the assessment of vascular in- and outflow and an adequate biliary drainage, but also aims to ensure that enough functional liver tissue is left after resection. To this end, preoperative portal vein embolization may be used to increase the size the future liver remnant. In highly selected, unresectable cases of perihilar cholangiocarinoma, or if a primary sclerosing cholangitis is present, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by liver transplantation can be evaluated as a curative option. Distal cholangiocarcinomas usually are treated by a partial pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple operation). The surgical treatment of gallbladder cancer ranges from simple cholecystectomy to major liver resection with complex biliary and vascular reconstruction, dependent on tumour stage. The surgical treatment is usually followed by an adjuvant regimen of Capecitabine which can significantly improve survival, while a combination Cisplatin and Gemcitabine is used in the palliative setting.


Occurrence of co-infection with dengue viruses during 2014 in New Delhi, India.
Dengue fever is an arthropod-borne viral infection that has become endemic in several parts of India including Delhi. We studied occurrence of co-infection with dengue viruses during an outbreak in New Delhi, India in 2014. For the present study, blood samples collected from symptomatic patients were analysed by RT-PCR. Eighty percent of the samples were positive for dengue virus. The result showed that DENV-1 (77%) was the predominant serotype followed by DENV-2 (60%). Concurrent infection with more than one serotype was identified in 43% of the positive samples. Phylogenetic analysis clustered DENV-1 strains with the American African and DENV-2 strains in Cosmopolitan genotypes. Four common amino-acid mutations were identified in the envelope gene of DENV-1 sequences (F337I, A369T, V380I and L402F) and one common mutation (N390S) in the DENV-2 sequences. Further analysis revealed purifying selection in both the serotypes. A significant number of patients were co-infected with DENV-1 and DENV-2 serotypes. Although we do not have direct evidence to demonstrate co-evolution of these two stereotypes, nonetheless their simultaneous occurrence does indicate that they are favoured by evolutionary forces. An ongoing surveillance and careful analysis of future outbreaks will strengthen the concept of co-evolution or otherwise. Whether the concurrent dengue viral infection is correlated with disease severity in a given population is another aspect to be pursued. This study is envisaged to be useful for future reference in the context of overall epidemiology.


Morphological differences between lens fibers in albino and pigmented rats.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the morphological characteristics of lens fibers in albino and pigmented rats by scanning electron microscopy. In addition to the ubiquitous interdigitating edge protrusions many ball-and-socket junctions were found on the lateral surfaces of lens fibers in pigmented rats. Notable differences in density, shape and size between superficial and deep cortical layers were observed. Especially, in the intermediate equatorial cortex large ball-and-socket junctions were found. In contrast, only few and small ball-and-socket junctions were observed in albino rats and many ruptures of lens fiber membranes were present in the anterior, superficial and intermediate equatorial cortex. The present observations show that different strains of rats have a different morphology of lens fibers. In view of a postulated role of ball-and-socket junctions in calcium homeostasis in the lens this may account for differences in cataractogenesis between albino and pigmented rats.


Catalytic non-conventional trans-hydroboration: a theoretical and experimental perspective.
We have studied the non-conventional trans-hydroboration reaction of alkynes both experimentally and theoretically. A catalytic system based on the in situ mixture of [{Rh(cod)Cl}(2)]/PCy(3) (cod=1,5-cyclooctadiene, Cy=cyclohexyl) has been able to activate pinacolborane and catecholborane and transfer boryl and hydride groups onto the same unhindered carbon atom of the terminal alkynes. The presence of a base (Et(3)N) favored the non-conventional trans-hydroboration over the traditional cis-hydroboration. Varying the substrate had a significant influence on the reaction, with up to 99% conversion and 94% regioselectivity observed for para-methyl-phenylacetylene. Both DFT and quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical ONIOM calculations were carried out on the [RhCl(PR(3))(2)] system. To explain the selectivity towards the (Z)-alkenylboronate we explored several alternative mechanisms to the traditional cis-hydroboration, using propyne as a model alkyne. The proposed mechanism can be divided into four stages: 1) isomerization of the alkyne into the vinylidene, 2) oxidative addition of the borane reagent, 3) vinylidene insertion into the Rh-H bond, and finally 4) reductive elimination of the C-B bond to yield the 1-alkenylboronate. Calculations indicated that the vinylidene insertion is the selectivity-determining step. This result was consistent with the observed Z selectivity when the sterically demanding phosphine groups, such as PCy(3) and PiPr(3), were introduced. Finally, we theoretically analyzed the effect of the substrate on the selectivity; we identified several factors that contribute to the preference for aryl alkynes over aliphatic alkynes for the Z isomer. The intrinsic electronic properties of aryl substituents favored the Z-pathway over the E-pathway, and the aryl groups containing electron donating substituents favored the occurrence of the vinylidene reaction channel.


Glucose transporter protein 1 expression in mucoepidermoid carcinoma of salivary gland: correlation with grade of malignancy.
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC), the most common primary salivary malignancy, shows great variability in clinical behaviour, thus demanding investigation to identify of prognostic markers. Since Warburg's studies, unrestricted cell growth during tumorigenesis has been linked to altered metabolism, implying hypoxic stimulation of glycolysis and diminished contribution of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to cellular ATP supply. Hypothesizing that the study of MEC metabolic status could lead to the discovery of prognostic markers, we investigated by immunohistochemistry the expression of glucose transporter 1 (Glut-1), mitochondrial antigen and peroxiredoxin I (Prx I) in samples of MEC from different histological grades. Our results showed that mitochondrial antigen and Prx I were expressed in the majority of the MEC cases independent of the histological grade. In contrast Glut-1 expression increased significantly as the tumours became more aggressive. These results suggested that oxidative phosphorylation may contribute to ATP supply in all stages of MEC progression, and that the relative contribution of glycolysis over mitochondria for cellular ATP supply increases during MEC progression, favouring growth under low oxygen concentration. In addition, the observed high Prx I protein levels could provide protection to tumour cells against reactive oxygen species generated as a consequence of mitochondrial function and hypoxia-reoxygenation cycling. Altogether our findings suggest that upregulation of Glut-1 and Prx I constitute successful adaptive strategies of MEC cells conferring a growth advantage over normal salivary gland cells in the unstable oxygenation tumour environment.


Robust Spin Interconnect with Isotropic Spin Dynamics in Chemical Vapor Deposited Graphene Layers and Boundaries.
The utilization of large-area graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is crucial for the development of scalable spin interconnects in all-spin-based memory and logic circuits. However, the fundamental influence of the presence of multilayer graphene patches and their boundaries on spin dynamics has not been addressed yet, which is necessary for basic understanding and application of robust spin interconnects. Here, we report universal spin transport and dynamic properties in specially devised single layer, bilayer, and trilayer graphene channels and their layer boundaries and folds that are usually present in CVD graphene samples. We observe uniform spin lifetime with isotropic spin relaxation for spins with different orientations in graphene layers and their boundaries at room temperature. In all of the inhomogeneous graphene channels, the spin lifetime anisotropy ratios for spins polarized out-of-plane and in-plane are measured to be close to unity. Our analysis shows the importance of both Elliott-Yafet and D'yakonov-Perel' mechanisms with an increasing role of the latter mechanism in multilayer channels. These results of universal and isotropic spin transport on large-area inhomogeneous CVD graphene with multilayer patches and their boundaries and folds at room temperature prove its outstanding spin interconnect functionality, which is beneficial for the development of scalable spintronic circuits.


The inhibitory effects of jujuboside A on rat hippocampus in vivo and in vitro.
Jujuboside A (JuA) is a glycoside extracted from the seed of Ziziphus jujuba Mill var. spinosa (Bunge) Hu ex H F Chou, a Chinese herbal medicine, which has long been known as a sedative-hypnotic drug. The present study used the method of intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) JuA in vivo to detect the effect of JuA on paired-pulse responses of dentate gyrus granule cells in urethane-anaesthetized rats, and the method of hippocampal slice bathing in JuA in vitro to detect the effects of JuA on the responses of CA1 pyramidal cells. The results showed that JuA significantly decreased the slopes of excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) and the amplitudes of population spike (PS) in the first responses of granule cells and significantly decreased EPSP and PS in the responses of CA1 pyramidal cells. The good quantitative correspondence between in vitro and in vivo results indicates that studies using hippocampal formation allow research on the inhibitory effects of JuA in the rat central nervous system (CNS). In conclusion, our study accessed the inhibitory effects of JuA on hippocampal formation in vivo and in vitro, which contributed to the further research on the mechanism of its effects on CNS.


Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing of a Deafness Gene Panel (MiamiOtoGenes) Analysis in Families Unsuitable for Linkage Analysis.
Hearing loss (HL) is a common sensory disorder in humans with high genetic heterogeneity. To date, over 145 loci have been identified to cause nonsyndromic deafness. Furthermore, there are countless families unsuitable for the conventional linkage analysis. In the present study, we used a custom capture panel (MiamiOtoGenes) to target sequence 180 deafness-associated genes in 5 GJB2 negative deaf probands with autosomal recessive nonsyndromic HL from Iran. In these 5 families, we detected one reported and six novel mutations in 5 different deafness autosomal recessive (DFNB) genes (TRIOBP, LHFPL5, CDH23, PCDH15, and MYO7A). The custom capture panel in our study provided an efficient and comprehensive diagnosis for known deafness genes in small families.


In vitro synthesis of rat brain hexokinase.
Hexokinase (ATP:D-hexose 6-phosphotransferase, EC 126.96.36.199) has been synthesized in the rabbit reticulocyte lysate system directed by poly(A)+ mRNA isolated from rat brain. Identification of the in vitro synthesis product as hexokinase was based on its immunoprecipitation with anti-hexokinase serum as well as the generation of identical peptide maps after partial cleavage of the in vitro product and authentic hexokinase with Staphylococcus aureus V8 proteinase or chymotrypsin. The in vitro product and authentic hexokinase were indistinguishable in molecular weight (SDS-gel electrophoresis); thus, despite the fact that, in situ, much of the hexokinase in brain is found in association with mitochondria, it is not synthesized in the form of a higher molecular weight precursor as is characteristic of other mitochondrial proteins. This is in accord with the view that hexokinase is best considered as a classical 'soluble' enzyme which is capable of exhibiting reversible association with mitochondria. The in vitro product cochromatographs (during anion-exchange HPLC) with authentic hexokinase previously shown to have a blocked (presumably acetylated) N-terminus; this procedure is capable of resolving the N-terminally blocked form of the enzyme from a partially proteolyzed form having a free N-terminal amino group. Thus the in vitro product is apparently N-acetylated by an enzyme system previously shown to be present in reticulocyte lysates. A significant fraction of the in vitro synthesized hexokinase attained a conformation characteristic of the native enzyme as judged by the observations that it could be immunoprecipitated by monoclonal antibodies recognizing the native enzyme but not by antibodies recognizing denatured hexokinase, and limited tryptic cleavage of the in vitro product gave fragments identical to those seen with the native enzyme and thought to reflect the organization of structural domains in that enzyme. However, based on these same criteria, the majority of the hexokinase synthesized in vitro appears to exist in a folding state that is not identical to that of either the fully denatured or native enzyme.


Mechanistic basis of oxygen sensitivity in titanium.
One of the most potent examples of interstitial solute strengthening in metal alloys is the extreme sensitivity of titanium to small amounts of oxygen. Unfortunately, these small amounts of oxygen also lead to a markedly decreased ductility, which in turn drives the increased cost to purify titanium to avoid this oxygen poisoning effect. Here, we report a systematic study on the oxygen sensitivity of titanium that provides a clear mechanistic view of how oxygen impurities affect the mechanical properties of titanium. The increased slip planarity of Ti-O alloys is caused by an interstitial shuffling mechanism, which is sensitive to temperature, strain rate, and oxygen content and leads to the subsequent alteration of deformation twinning behavior. The insights from our experimental and computational work provide a rationale for the design of titanium alloys with increased tolerance to variations in interstitial content, with notable implications for more widespread use of titanium alloys.


Prevalence, Severity, and Prognostic Value of Sleep Apnea Syndromes in Cardiac Amyloidosis.
To assess prevalence, severity, and prognostic value of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), in the three main cardiac amyloidosis (CA) types, i.e., light-chain (AL), transthyretin-related familial (m-TTR), or senile (WT-TTR). Patients consecutively referred for CA diagnosis work-up underwent cardiac assessment and nocturnal polygraphy. SDB was defined as apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥ 5/h. Multivariate analysis was used to identify predictors of a major adverse cardiac event (MACE) defined as death, heart transplantation and acute heart failure. Seventy CA patients were included (31 AL, 22 m-TTR, 17 WT-TTR). The mean ± standard deviation age and left ventricular ejection fraction were 71 ± 12 years and 49% ± 13% and median (interquartile range) N terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was 3,932 (1,607; 7,028) pg/mL. The prevalence of SDB was 90% without difference between amyloidosis types. SDB was central in 27% and obstructive in 73%. AL had less frequent severe SDB compared to m-TTR and WT-TTR (P = 0.015) but longer time with peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2) < 90% (P = 0.037). After a median follow-up of 7.5 (2.8; 14.9) months, 49% patients experienced MACE. Time with nocturnal SpO2 < 90% was the only independent predictor of MACE. The best-identified threshold was 30 min. Values > 30 min were associated with bad prognosis (Log-rank χ(2): 8.01, P value = 0.005). Using binomial logistic regression, determinants of time with nocturnal SpO2 < 90% were New York Heart Association class (P = 0.011), and log-NT-proBNP (P = 0.04) but not AHI. In CA population, prevalence of SDB is high (90%) and dominated by the obstructive pattern. Bad prognosis in this population was driven by nocturnal desaturation, reflecting heart failure severity and respiratory involvement.


Titamium oxide (TiO2) assisted photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue.
The aqueous solution of methylene blue (MB) has been subjected to Photocatalytic degradation by UV radiation in presence of TiO2 photo-catalyst containing different concentrations of H2O2. The experiments conducted at different dye concentrations (12 and 20 ppm), catalyst loading, pH and H2O2 dosage (1-10 ml l(-1)), revealed that the degradation rate is strongly influenced by respective experimental parameters. However the influence of catalyst alone is not predominant in degradation. The decolorization of dye proceed to near completeness when H2O2 is used. The best degradation results are observed at 0.1 wt% of catalyst loading at pH 2 for TiO2/UV system. It has been found that the optimum concentration of H2O2 for 12 ppm and 20 ppm amount of the dye was 2 ml l(-1) for UV/H2O2 system. The kinetic of degradation of the dye followed the pseudo first order rate. The degradation studies using TiO2/UV/H2O2 system, indicates enhancement in the degradation rate of the dye compared to that of UV/H2O2 system alone.


Use of bacteriophage to inactivate pathogenic bacteria from wastewater.
The aim of this study was to enhance the rhizobacterium potential in horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (CW) system planted by Phragmites australis using specific and lytic phages. The bioinoculation of specific bacteriophage for target bacteria; Salmonella typhi, and the monitoring of bacterial inactivation under different conditions showed the effectiveness of this methodology to enhance bacteria reduction and consequentially ameliorate purification performance of this studied biological treatment system. The injection of the phage at a concentration equal to 103 UFP/mL within the rhizosphere of the inoculated filter (F) was allowed 1 U-Log10 of improvement of bacterial inactivation compared to the control filter (T) nearly 1 logarithmic unit thus, a 90% improvement of bacteria reduction. When we increased the phage titer (105 UFP/mL), the bacterial reduction equal to 2.75 U-Log10 (N/N0) was registered that corresponds to a decrease of nearly 99.9%. According to the first-order model, the inactivation coefficient is equal to 2.29 min-1 (0.88 min-1 for the first experiment) and the bacterial reduction rate is 5 times higher than that determined for the control filter. This results show the positive impact of the phage in the bacterial inactivation and the improvement of water treatment of the biofilter C.


Myristate is selectively incorporated into surfactant and decreases dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine without functional impairment.
Lung surfactant mainly comprises phosphatidylcholines (PC), together with phosphatidylglycerols and surfactant proteins SP-A to SP-D. Dipalmitoyl-PC (PC16:0/16:0), palmitoylmyristoyl-PC (PC16:0/14:0), and palmitoylpalmitoleoyl-PC (PC16:0/16:1) together comprise 75-80% of surfactant PC. During alveolarization, which occurs postnatally in the rat, PC16:0/14:0 reversibly increases at the expense of PC16:0/16:0. As lipoproteins modify surfactant metabolism, we postulated an extrapulmonary origin of PC16:0/14:0 enrichment in surfactant. We, therefore, fed rats (d19-26) with trilaurin (C12:0(3)), trimyristin (C14:0(3)), tripalmitin (C16:0(3)), triolein (C18:1(3)) or trilinolein (C18:2(3)) vs. carbohydrate diet to assess their effects on surfactant PC composition and surface tension function using a captive bubble surfactometer. Metabolism was assessed with deuterated C12:0 (ω-d(3)-C12:0) and ω-d(3)-C14:0. C14:0(3) increased PC16:0/14:0 in surfactant from 12 ± 1 to 45 ± 3% and decreased PC16:0/16:0 from 47 ± 1 to 29 ± 2%, with no impairment of surface tension function. Combined phospholipase A(2) assay and mass spectrometry revealed that 50% of the PC16:0/14:0 peak comprised its isomer 1-myristoyl-2-palmitoyl-PC (PC14:0/16:0). While C12:0(3) was excluded from incorporation into PC, it increased PC16:0/14:0 as well. C16:0(3), C18:1(3), and C18:2(3) had no significant effect on PC16:0/16:0 or PC16:0/14:0. d(3)-C14:0 was enriched in lung PC, either via direct supply or via d(3)-C12:0 elongation. Enrichment of d(3)-C14:0 in surfactant PC contrasted its rapid turnover in plasma and liver PC, where its elongation product d(3)-C16:0 surmounted d(3)-C14:0. In summary, high surfactant PC16:0/14:0 during lung development correlates with C14:0 and C12:0 supply via specific C14:0 enrichment into lung PC. Surfactant that is high in PC16:0/14:0 but low in PC16:0/16:0 is compatible with normal respiration and surfactant function in vitro.


[The role of T-wave alternans in prognosis of risk of sudden cardiac death].
The literature review contains data dedicated to one of tools of stratification of risk of fatal arrhythmia - detection of T-wave alternans (TWA). Methods of determination of TWA, problems of results interpretation, mechanism of the TWA genesis, and its clinical meaning in different cardiovascular diseases are considered. Special attention is paid to the role of TWA in the identification of the patients who require cardioverter-defibrillator implantation.


Association of novel domain in active site of archaic hyperthermophilic maltogenic amylase from Staphylothermus marinus.
Staphylothermus marinus maltogenic amylase (SMMA) is a novel extreme thermophile maltogenic amylase with an optimal temperature of 100 °C, which hydrolyzes α-(1-4)-glycosyl linkages in cyclodextrins and in linear malto-oligosaccharides. This enzyme has a long N-terminal extension that is conserved among archaic hyperthermophilic amylases but is not found in other hydrolyzing enzymes from the glycoside hydrolase 13 family. The SMMA crystal structure revealed that the N-terminal extension forms an N' domain that is similar to carbohydrate-binding module 48, with the strand-loop-strand region forming a part of the substrate binding pocket with several aromatic residues, including Phe-95, Phe-96, and Tyr-99. A structural comparison with conventional cyclodextrin-hydrolyzing enzymes revealed a striking resemblance between the SMMA N' domain position and the dimeric N domain position in bacterial enzymes. This result suggests that extremophilic archaea that live at high temperatures may have adopted a novel domain arrangement that combines all of the substrate binding components within a monomeric subunit. The SMMA structure provides a molecular basis for the functional properties that are unique to hyperthermophile maltogenic amylases from archaea and that distinguish SMMA from moderate thermophilic or mesophilic bacterial enzymes.


Path Planning of Unmanned Autonomous Helicopter Based on Human-Computer Hybrid Augmented Intelligence.
Unmanned autonomous helicopter (UAH) path planning problem is an important component of the UAH mission planning system. The performance of the automatic path planner determines the quality of the UAH flight path. Aiming to produce a high-quality flight path, a path planning system is designed based on human-computer hybrid augmented intelligence framework for the UAH in this paper. Firstly, an improved artificial bee colony (I-ABC) algorithm is proposed based on the dynamic evaluation selection strategy and the complex optimization method. In the I-ABC algorithm, the following way of on-looker bees and the update strategy of nectar source are optimized to accelerate the convergence rate and retain the exploration ability of the population. In addition, a space clipping operation is proposed based on the attention mechanism for constructing a new spatial search area. The search time can be further reduced by the space clipping operation under the path planning result within acceptable changes. Moreover, the entire optimization process and results can be feeded back to the knowledge database by the human-computer hybrid augmented intelligence framework to guide subsequent path planning issues. Finally, the simulation results confirm that a feasible and effective flight path can be quickly generated by the UAH path planning system based on human-computer hybrid augmented intelligence.


Complex Soft Tissue Defects in Operative Urology: Pedicled Perforator Flaps of the Anterior Lateral Thigh for Tissue Reconstruction of the Lower Trunk.
Complex soft tissue defects involving the lower abdomen, perineum, and groin (LAPG) represent reconstructive challenges following urologic surgery. Consequently, these often require an interdisciplinary approach involving plastic surgery. While pedicled flaps from the lower abdomen are a reliable option, previous placement of colostomies and urinary urostomies renders these flap types unavailable. Here, the pedicled anterolateral thigh perforator (ALT) flap represents a reliable pedicled alternative which can harvest from the thigh. A retrospective data analysis of pedicled perforator flaps harvested from the thigh to reconstruct soft tissue defects was conducted. Seven patients treated in the urology department with soft tissue defects following tumor resection, infection, and dehiscence were included. In all patients, the ALT flap was utilized successfully to reconstruct soft tissue defects up to 450 cm2 in size. All flaps survived. In 1 case, prolonged wound healing was observed. All defects were adequately addressed with no recurrence of dehiscence or fistula formation. Pedicled perforator flaps represent a valid option for the soft tissue reconstruction of the lower abdomen and perineum when a pedicled rectus abdominis flap is no longer available. This flap is, therefore, a good option in an interdisciplinary approach to soft tissue reconstruction, especially following urologic surgery, which is predominantly performed in the LAPG region.


Ki-67 expression in anal intraepithelial neoplasia in AIDS.
AIDS is one of the most important risk factors for progression and recurrence of anogenital condyloma. In a previous work, we observed that patients with warts and high-grade AIN (HAIN) had recurrences more frequently than did patients with warts without AIN. The mechanisms of this increased incidence of high-grade lesions in AIDS are not known. We studied the expression of the proliferative marker Ki-67 by immunohistochemical methods, in specimens of anal condyloma from HIV+ patients to clarify whether its expression can be associated to the grade of AIN. A retrospective study of histological specimens. University referral unit. 34 patients were divided into two groups: (1) condylomas with low grade AIN (LAIN), with 25 patients; and (2) condylomas with HAIN, with 9 patients. In this latter group we examined two areas: 2A (HAIN area) and 2B (LAIN area). The immunohistochemical reaction for Ki-67 was done on histological sections. Slices were lightly stained with hematoxylin, to help us in Ki-67 positive cell counting. The percentage of Ki-67 marked nuclei was calculated. We applied one-way variance analysis for statistics. The mean number of Ki-67 positive cells in group 1 was 19.68 +/- 10.99; in group 2 (area A) it was 46.73 +/- 10.409; and in area B it was 36.43 +/- 14.731. There were statistical differences between groups 1 and 2A and between groups 1 and 2B. Ki-67 positive cells predominated in the lower layer in LAIN. Positive Ki-67 cells were found in all layers in group 2A, and in group 2B they predominated in the two lower or in all layers of the epithelium. Our results suggest that LAIN areas (using routine staining techniques) in HAIN can have a biological behavior more similar to HAIN.


Cow and Human Milk-Derived Exosomes Ameliorate Colitis in DSS Murine Model.
The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of cow and human milk derived exosomes (MDEs) on colitis. We used gavage administration of fluorescent labeled MDEs to track their localization patterns in vivo and studied their therapeutic effect on colitis in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model. MDEs attenuated the severity of colitis induced by DSS and statistically reduced the histopathological scoring grade and shortening of the colon. Likewise, treatment with MDEs reduced the expression of interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor-α. Moreover, miRNAs highly expressed in milk, such as miRNA-320, 375, and Let-7, were found to be more abundant in the colon of MDE-treated mice compared with untreated mice; contrastingly, the expression of their target genes, mainly DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and DNMT3 were downregulated. Furthermore, the level of TGF-β was upregulated in the colon of MDE-treated mice. We demonstrated that MDEs have a therapeutic and anti-inflammatory effect on colitis, involving several complementary pathways in its mechanism of action. The therapeutic effects of MDEs might have implications for the possible addition of MDEs as a nutrient in enteral nutrition formulas for patients with inflammatory bowel disease.


A novel transdermal ketoprofen formulation for analgesia in cattle.
Ketoprofen is registered in many countries for injectable administration in cattle. Because it is soluble in a wide range of excipients, development of a novel transdermal (TD) ketoprofen formulation was pursued to provide a convenient and pain-free route of administration in cattle. One hundred and six excipient combinations were screened using in vitro techniques (Franz diffusion cells), with a 20%(w/v) ketoprofen formulation dissolved in a combination of 45%:45%(v/v) ethanol and isopropyl myristate (IPM) and 10%(v/v) eucalyptus oil achieving maximal penetration of ketoprofen through bovine skin. A bioavailability study was then conducted using a randomized cross-over design (n = 12), including IV, IM (both 3 mg/kg) and TD (10 mg/kg) ketoprofen formulations administered with a one-week washout period between administrations. The IV and IM formulation pharmacokinetic results were as expected. The CMAX , Tmax and AUC0-Last were significantly higher (arithmetic mean ± SD) after TD administration (20.0 ± 6.5 μg/ml, 115 ± 17 min and 3940 ± 1324 μg*min/ml, respectively), compared to IM (11.0 ± 4.0 μg/ml, 74 ± 43 min and 2376 ± 738 μg*min/ml, respectively), although there were no significant differences for T½β . However, dose corrected values CMAX and AUCinf were significantly higher for IM compared to TD. The arithmetic mean bioavailability (F) of the transdermal formulation was 50%. The plasma concentration of the TD formulation at a dose of 10 mg/kg was similar to the IM formulation at 3 mg/kg by 30 min post-dosing with an arithmetic mean ± SD of 7.97 ± 4.38 vs. 8.02 ± 3.55 μg/ml, respectively. The TD formulation was generally well tolerated by cattle, although some local irritation along the site of application was noted after 12 h of exposure during the bioavailability study. Results indicate that this novel TD formulation provides a substantial improvement in administration convenience, may improve animal welfare and end-user safety through needle-free administration, and achieves similar plasma pharmacokinetics to the IM product when administered at 10 mg/kg.


All in the Family: Child and Adolescent Weight Loss Surgery in the Context of Parental Weight Loss Surgery.
Bariatric surgery is the most effective current treatment option for patients with severe obesity. More children and adolescents are having surgery, many whose parents have also had surgery. The current study examines whether parental surgery status moderates the association between perceived social support, emotional eating, food addiction and weight loss following surgery, with those whose parents have had surgery evidencing a stronger relationship between the psychosocial factors and weight loss as compared to their peers. Participants were 228 children and adolescents undergoing sleeve gastrectomy between 2014 and 2019 at one institution. Children and adolescents completed self-report measures of perceived family social support, emotional eating, and food addiction at their pre-surgical psychological evaluation. Change in body mass index (BMI) from pre-surgery to 3, 6, and 12 months post-surgery was assessed at follow-up clinic visits. Parents reported their surgical status as having had surgery or not. There were no differences in perceived family support, emotional eating, or food addiction symptoms between those whose parents had bariatric surgery and those whose parents did not. There were some moderating effects of parent surgery status on the relationship between social support, emotional eating/food addiction, and weight loss following surgery. Specifically, at 3 months post-surgery, higher change in BMI was associated with lower perceived family support only in those whose parents had not had surgery. More pre-surgical food addiction symptoms were associated with greater weight loss at 3 months for those whose parents had not had surgery, whereas this finding was true only for those whose parents had surgery at 12 months post-surgery. Children and adolescents whose parents have had bariatric surgery may have unique associations of psychosocial factors and weight loss. More research is needed to determine mechanisms of these relationships.


Clinical predictors of delayed cerebral ischemia after subarachnoid hemorrhage: first experience with coil embolization in the management of ruptured cerebral aneurysms.
The purpose of this study was to clarify the clinical predictors of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). 102 patients with ruptured cerebral aneurysms were treated (77 by clipping and 25 by coiling). 40 patients were male and 62 were female. Median age was 59 years (range 31-88). The modified Rankin Scale was used to assess functional outcomes 3 months after treatment or at discharge. The associations between potential clinical risk factors and DCI after SAH were assessed using the χ(2) test. 52 patients (51.0%) had a good outcome and 13 patients (12.7%) died despite treatment. DCI was observed in 26 patients and hydrocephalus was observed in 37 patients. There were marginal differences in clinical outcomes between the treatment groups (p=0.053), mainly because functional outcomes were significantly superior in the coiling group (p=0.04) in patients with severe SAH. DCI was seen less frequently in the coiling group than in the clipping group (4.0% vs 32.4%, p=0.001). The presence of hydrocephalus was significantly associated with the occurrence of DCI (p<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis also showed that the treatment modality and the presence of hydrocephalus were independent risk factors for DCI. DCI was less frequently observed in the coiling group, and clinical outcomes were also superior in the coiling group, especially for patients with severe SAH. The results showed a significant correlation between DCI and hydrocephalus.


Surgery and risk for multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies.
Although the precise etiology of multiple sclerosis is largely unknown, there is some speculation that a prior history of surgery may be associated with the subsequent risk for developing the disease. Therefore, we aimed to examine surgery as a risk factor for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. We searched for observational studies that evaluated the risk for developing multiple sclerosis after surgery that occurred in childhood (≤ 20 years of age) or "premorbid" (> 20 years of age). We specifically included surgeries classified as: tonsillectomy, appendectomy, adenoidectomy, or "surgery". We performed a systematic review and meta-analyses and calculated odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a random effects model. We identified 33 case-control studies, involving 27,373 multiple sclerosis cases and 211,756 controls. There was a statistically significant association between tonsillectomy (OR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.08-1.61; 12 studies, I(2) = 44%) and appendectomy (OR = 1.16, 95% CI 1.01-1.34; 7 studies, I(2) = 0%) in individual's ≤ 20 years of age and the subsequent risk for developing multiple sclerosis. There was no statistically significant association between risk for multiple sclerosis and tonsillectomy occurring after age 20 (OR = 1.20, 95% CI 0.94-1.53; 9 studies, I(2) = 32%), in those with appendectomy at > 20 years (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 0.92-1.72; 5 studies, I(2) = 46%), and in those with adenoidectomy at ≤ 20 years of age (OR = 1.06, 95% CI 0.68-1.68; 3 studies, I(2) = 35%). The combined OR of 15 studies (N = 2,380) looking at "surgery" before multiple sclerosis diagnosis was not statistically significant (OR = 1.19, 95% CI 0.83-1.70; I(2) = 71%). We found a small but statistically significant and clinically important increased risk for developing multiple sclerosis, in those with tonsillectomy and appendectomy at ≤ 20 years of age. There was no convincing evidence to support the association of other surgeries and the risk for multiple sclerosis. Well-designed prospective etiological studies, pertaining to the risk for developing multiple sclerosis, ought to be conducted and should include the examination of various surgeries as risk factors.


[Diabetic nephropathy: significance of microalbuminuria and proteinuria in Type I and Type II diabetes mellitus].
Diabetic nephropathy is a progressive renal disease and represents a serious late complication of diabetes. There are familial clustering and huge ethnic differences in the occurrence of diabetic nephropathy, which point to a genetic predisposition. Diabetic nephropathy is defined by persistent albuminuria (albumin excretion rate [AER] > 300 mg/day), declining glomerular filtration rate and rising blood pressure. Several years of incipient nephropathy, characterized by worsening microalbuminuria (AER 30 to 300 mg/day or 20 to 200 micrograms/min), which is Albustix-negative and detectable by special assays only, are followed by established nephropathy. The natural history of nephropathy differs between insulin-dependent (IDDM) and non-insulin-dependent (NIDDM) diabetes mellitus. In IDDM, nephropathy develops in 30 to 40% of cases. The incidence peaks after 15 to 16 years of diabetes. In NIDDM, estimates of prevalence range from 15 to 20%, and nephropathy often supervenes after a shorter known duration of diabetes than in IDDM. GFR is often increased above normal (hyperfiltration) from the onset of IDDM due to increased renal blood flow, glomerular capillary hypertension and increased filtration surface. The glomeruli are hypertrophied and the kidneys enlarged. In both IDDM and NIDDM, GFR begins to decline irreversibly, when AER has risen to 100 to 300 mg/day at an average rate of 10 ml/min. per year. This is due to progressive reduction of the filtration surface area through mesangial expansion. Serum creatinine levels begin to rise when GFR falls below 50 ml/min, and then end-stage renal failure follows after an average of five years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Sample size determination for confidence intervals of interaction effects in moderated multiple regression with continuous predictor and moderator variables.
Moderated multiple regression (MMR) has been widely employed to analyze the interaction or moderating effects in behavior and related disciplines of social science. Much of the methodological literature in the context of MMR concerns statistical power and sample size calculations of hypothesis tests for detecting moderator variables. Notably, interval estimation is a distinct and more informative alternative to significance testing for inference purposes. To facilitate the practice of reporting confidence intervals in MMR analyses, the present article presents two approaches to sample size determinations for precise interval estimation of interaction effects between continuous moderator and predictor variables. One approach provides the necessary sample size so that the designated interval for the least squares estimator of moderating effects attains the specified coverage probability. The other gives the sample size required to ensure, with a given tolerance probability, that a confidence interval of moderating effects with a desired confidence coefficient will be within a specified range. Numerical examples and simulation results are presented to illustrate the usefulness and advantages of the proposed methods that account for the embedded randomness and distributional characteristic of the moderator and predictor variables.


A school based study of psychological disturbance in children following the Omagh bomb.
To assess the extent and nature of psychiatric morbidity among children (aged 8 to 13 years) 15 months after a car bomb explosion in the town of Omagh, Northern Ireland. A survey was conducted of 1945 school children attending 13 schools in the Omagh district. Questionnaires included demographic details, measures of exposure, the Horowitz Impact of Events Scale, the Birleson Self-Rating Depression Scale, and the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale. Children directly exposed to the bomb reported higher levels of probable PTSD (70%), and psychological distress than those not exposed. Direct exposure was more closely associated with an increase in PTSD symptoms than in general psychiatric distress. Significant predictors of increased IES scores included being male, witnessing people injured and reporting a perceived life threat but when co-morbid anxiety and depression are included as potential predictors anxiety remains the only significant predictor of PTSD scores. School-based studies are a potentially valuable means of screening and assessing for PTSD in children after large-scale tragedies. Assessment should consider type of exposure, perceived life threat and other co-morbid anxiety as risk factors for PTSD.


Date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera Linn): an emerging medicinal food.
Date palm is one of the oldest trees cultivated by man. In the folk-lore, date fruits have been ascribed to have many medicinal properties when consumed either alone or in combination with other herbs. Although, fruit of the date palm served as the staple food for millions of people around the world for several centuries, studies on the health benefits are inadequate and hardly recognized as a healthy food by the health professionals and the public. In recent years, an explosion of interest in the numerous health benefits of dates had led to many in vitro and animal studies as well as the identification and quantification of various classes of phytochemicals. On the basis of available documentation in the literature on the nutritional and phytochemical composition, it is apparent that the date fruits are highly nutritious and may have several potential health benefits. Although dates are sugar-packed, many date varieties are low GI diet and refutes the dogma that dates are similar to candies and regular consumption would develop chronic diseases. More investigations in these areas would validate its beneficial effects, mechanisms of actions, and fully appreciate as a potential medicinal food for humans all around the world. Therefore, in this review we summarize the phytochemical composition, nutritional significance, and potential health benefits of date fruit consumption and discuss its great potential as a medicinal food for a number of diseases inflicting human beings.


Collaboration to transform care.
Transforming Care is an improvement initiative introduced at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in October 2010. The health board collaborated with a university to develop a degree module to support its implementation. This article describes the delivery and evaluation of the module, and how Transforming Care is helping to unite a newly formed organisation.


Septicemia, Meningitis and Bilateral Subdural Empyema in an Infant Caused by Staphylococcus aureus.
Staphylococcus aureus is a global bacterial pathogen. It is an uncommon pathogen causing central nervous system infections, accounting for <1% cases of bacterial meningitis. Sinusitis, trauma and presence of an intracranial device have been reported as risk factors for developing meningitis and brain abscesses. A previously healthy 5-month-old female infant presented to a hospital in North-Eastern India in February 2018 with Staphylococcus aureus sepsis and meningitis and was subsequently detected to have developed bilateral subdural empyema on computed tomography scan of the brain. Burr hole evacuation procedure of subdural empyema was done on day-18 subsequent to which inflammatory markers and temperature gradually normalized. Prolonged course of intravenous antibiotics (5-weeks) and anticonvulsants were needed. This case highlights the importance of considering brain abscess and empyema in a child with meningitis whose temperature do not settle down after being treated appropriately and adequately with intravenous antibiotics and features such as seizures develop. It also reflects the challenges that may be faced by clinicians in resource-limited settings both during acute and follow-up stages.


Association of Rev-erbα in adipose tissues with Type 2 diabetes mellitus amelioration after gastric bypass surgery in Goto-Kakizaki rats.
We estimated the key molecules related to Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in adipose, liver, and muscle tissues, from nonobese diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats and their Wistar controls, by computationally analyzing the expression profiles in open source data. With the aid of information from previous reports, Rev-erbα in adipose tissue emerged as one of the most plausible candidates. Here, in animal models, including GK rats surgically treated to ameliorate T2DM, we examined the association of Rev-erbα in adipose tissue with T2DM progression. After analyses of the Rev-erbα mRNA expression in the adipose tissue of our animal models, we compared the Rev-erbα protein expression levels in the adipose, liver, and muscle tissues of GK and Wistar controls at the ages of 1 mo (M), 3M, and 6M. The Rev-erbα protein levels in adipose tissue showed a distinctive pattern, with the negative correlation of an increasing trend in GK rats, and a decreasing trend in Wistar rats during aging, from those in liver and muscle tissues. Moreover, dysregulation of the circadian Rev-erbα expression in the adipose tissue of 6-mo-old GK rats was also observed. In particular, we ameliorated T2DM in GK rats by gastric bypass surgery, and revealed that T2DM amelioration in diabetic GK rats was associated with improved circadian Rev-erbα expression, in a comparison between the surgically treated and untreated GK rats. The roles of Rev-erbα in adipose tissue were further investigated by observations of Rev-erbα-related molecules, with reference to previous reports.


Differences between low and high grade fetal adenocarcinoma of the lung: a clinicopathological and molecular study.
Fetal adenocarcinoma of the lung (FLAC) is a rare entity of lung cancer. It is classified into low-grade fetal adenocarcinoma (L-FLAC) and high-grade fetal adenocarcinoma (H-FLAC). We aim to report the clinicopathological and molecular features of FLAC in Chinese patients. FLACs were screened from a consecutive lung adenocarcinoma series comprising 920 cases. The clinicopathological features L-FLAC and H-FLAC were retrospectively reviewed via immunohistochemical study and mutation analysis. Three L-FLAC and five H-FLAC cases were identified. L-FLAC mainly occurred in young patients and was predominantly in stage I upon diagnosis and conferred favorable outcomes. L-FLAC tumors were characterized by the glycogen-rich columnar cells lining the complex glandular structures, with low nuclear atypia, morule formation, and mainly nuclear- and cytoplasmic-localized β-catenin expression. In contrast, H-FLAC predominantly occurred in elderly men with a history of smoking. The stage of H-FLAC was often advanced at presentation and had a poor prognosis. H-FLAC tumors exhibited more prominent atypia of the nucleus, the absence of morule formation, and largely membrane-localized β-catenin. All 5 H-FLACs were immunohistochemically characterized by overexpression of the p53 protein; the L-FLAC tumors were negative for p53. Two cases of H-FLAC were positive for AFP. No Her-2 or ALK-D5F3 overexpression was observed in any of the tumors. EGFR L858R point mutation was identified in one of the H-FLAC cases. EGFR T790M mutation was detected in one of the L-FLAC cases. No mutations in KRAS, PIK3CA or BRAF were detected. L-FLAC and H-FLAC exhibited distinctive clinicopathological, immunophenotypic and molecular features with potential prognostic value.


Synthesis of corroles bearing up to three different meso substituents.
[reaction: see text] We have developed a new method that affords regioisomerically pure corroles possessing up to three different substituents at the meso positions. The corrole formation reaction involves the acid-catalyzed condensation of a dipyrromethane-dicarbinol with pyrrole followed by oxidation with DDQ. ABC-Type corroles were synthesized for the first time according to this procedure.


Phyllodes Tumor as a Secondary Neoplasm in Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Tertiary Care Cancer Centre Experience.
Secondary neoplasms (SNs) are being increasingly identified in long-term survivors of childhood cancer. Phyllodes tumor (PT) form a distinctly uncommon SN. We report a series of 6 female childhood cancer survivors who developed PT as SN. The median age at primary diagnosis was 13 years. Their primary tumors were bone sarcoma (4) and acute leukemia (2), and all were treated with chemotherapy, predominantly with alkylating agents and/or anthracyclines. None had received direct radiotherapy to the chest wall. Subsequently, PT were detected after a median interval of 7.5 years, with 2 patients developing bilateral and malignant PT. The series highlights a rare SN in childhood cancer survivors, underscoring the importance of regular long-term follow-up.


Extended thymectomy by a cervical incision additional to bilateral VATS approach.
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in thymectomy has shown safe and effective with many advantages in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with or without thymoma than transsternal approach. This video aims to show the procedure of extended thymectomy via a cervical incision additional to bilateral VATS approach in a MG patient with an early stage thymoma. The patient was a 46-year-old male who had onset of symptoms of blurred vision, dysarthria and dysphagia for 10 months before administration. A diagnosis of MG was then confirmed using anticholinesterase test and electromyography test by neurologists. A CT scan showed enlarged thymus and a mass close to the left innominate vein in the anterior mediastinum with a size of 12 mm × 13 mm. Without any contradictions, the patient was planned to receive a procedure of extended thymectomy. The patient recovered with no complications and was discharged on the 8th postoperative day. Histological pathology examination revealed a type B3 thymoma of Masaoka stage II. Oncological principles and immunological considerations are equally important in surgery for the MG patients with thymoma. All the thymus gland in the mediastinum including ectopic thymic tissue in the cervical region should be removed in the procedure. In conclusion, we suggest this approach to be safe and feasible for thymoma surgery in patients with MG.


[Clinical imaging and bodily invasive techniques. From fantasy to reality].
Patients must cope with intrusive medical investigations, endoscopic exams, open methods in intensive care unit which all disturb body boundaries and body image. Reality and fantasies ares mixed. Psychodynamic way-out are discussed.


Long-term outcome after ruptured lateral ankle ligaments. A prospective study of three different treatments in 79 patients with 11-year follow-up.
In a prospective study of 79 patients with arthrographically verified acute ruptured lateral ankle ligaments we have evaluated the long-term results of 3 different treatments: operation and walking-cast for 5 weeks, walking-cast alone, and elastic bandage. The follow-up period was 11 (9-13) years. Residual disabilities and late complications, such as instability, pain on activity, and the number of ligament reconstructions and talocrural arthroses were equally low in all 3 groups. We conclude that nonoperative treatment seems adequate.


Application of shear wave elastography for the gastrocnemius medial head to tennis leg.
Muscle strain of the gastrocnemius medial head mainly occurs at the musculotendinous junction (MTJ), and stiffness is a risk factor. Shear wave elastography (SWE) measures elasticity by determining the propagation velocity. The aim of this study was to measure the elasticity of the normal muscle and aponeurosis in the MTJ of the gastrocnemius medial head using SWE, thus obtaining information relevant to muscle strain at this point. Forty-one volunteers (82 legs) were recruited and the gastrocnemius medial heads were examined at four points: three on the aponeurosis, namely at the center of the MTJ (Central), 10 mm proximal to it (Proximal) and 10 mm distal to it (Distal); and at one on the muscle belly (Muscle). The measurements were compared among the points, between males and females, and between younger and middle-aged subjects. Correlations between the elastic modulus and age were also examined. The elastic moduli at Proximal, Central, Distal, and Muscle were 2.82 ± 0.53 m/s, 3.43 ± 0.83 m/s, 4.83 ± 1.56 m/s, and 2.25 ± 0.43 m/s, respectively. These values differed significantly among the points of the aponeurosis, Distal having the highest modulus followed by Central. The elastic moduli were significantly greater in males than females at Distal and Muscle and in younger subjects than middle-aged subjects at Muscle. No significant correlations between elastic modulus and age were observed for any point. SWE could be a feasible method for quantifying the elasticity of muscle and aponeurosis in the MTJ of the gastrocnemius medial head. Clin. Anat. 30:114-119, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Circumstances in which colonoscopy misses cancer.
Colonoscopy is associated with a varying risk of missing colorectal cancer (CRC). The objective of this paper was to review the existing evidence that indicates when colonoscopy may miss cancer in usual clinical practice and to provide information that would be helpful to endoscopists in their daily practice. CRC is diagnosed within 3 years in about 5% of persons with CRC who undergo colonoscopy in whom the cancer is not detected. Future research should be directed at disentangling the relative contributions of tumour biology and colonoscopy quality in explaining this result. When consent is obtained for colonoscopy, patients must be informed of the small risk that a cancer may not be detected. Steps that can be taken to address colonoscopy quality include formal training in colonoscopy and polypectomy technique, coupled with maintenance of skills by performing at least 300 colonoscopies per year. The use of split dose bowel preparation is advised. Colonoscopy should be completed to the caecum with documentation of landmarks (ileocaecal valve; appendiceal orifice). Careful colonoscopy technique includes examining the proximal sides of flexures and folds, washing and suctioning debris and ensuring adequate colonic distension. Caecal intubation and adenoma detection rates should be reported and reviewed. Lesions should be completely removed at polypectomy and attention given to appropriate surveillance.


Effects of Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation on Manual Dexterity and Motor Imagery in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Quasi-Experimental Controlled Study.
Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is a repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) protocol that influences cortical excitability and motor function recovery. This study aimed to investigate the effects of iTBS on manual dexterity and hand motor imagery in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Thirty-six MS patients were non-randomly assigned into sham (control) or iTBS groups. Then, iTBS was delivered to the primary motor cortex for ten days over two consecutive weeks. The patients' manual dexterity was assessed using the nine-hole peg test (9HPT) and the Box and Block Test (BBT), while the hand motor imagery was assessed with the hand mental rotation task (HMRT). iTBS group showed a reduction in the time required to complete the 9HPT (mean difference = -3.05, P = 0.002), and an increase in the number of blocks transferred in one minute in the BBT (mean difference = 8.9, P = 0.001) when compared to the control group. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the reaction time (P = 0.761) and response accuracy rate (P = 0.482) in the HMRT. When iTBS was applied over the primary motor cortex, it significantly improved manual dexterity, but had no significant effect on the hand motor imagery ability in MS patients.


Microscopic calculation of absorption spectra of macromolecules: An analytic approach.
We develop a cross-disciplinary approach to analytically compute optical response functions of open macromolecular systems by exploiting the mathematical formalism of quantum field theory (QFT). Indeed, the entries of the density matrix for the electronic excitations interacting with their open dissipative environment are mapped into vacuum-to-vacuum Green's functions in a fictitious relativistic closed quantum system. We show that by re-summing appropriate self-energy diagrams in this dual QFT, it is possible to obtain analytic expressions for the response functions in Mukamel's theory. This yields physical insight into the structure and dynamics of vibronic resonances, since their frequency and width is related to fundamental physical constants and microscopic model parameters. For illustration, we apply this scheme to compute the linear absorption spectrum of the Fenna-Matthews-Olson light harvesting complex, comparing analytic calculations, numerical Monte Carlo simulations, and experimental data.


Verification of tomotherapy dose delivery.
Seventy-one patient-specific delivery quality assurance (DQA) plans for the Tomotherapy HI-ART II helical tomotherapy system (TomoTherapy, Inc., Madison, WI, USA) were measured using film and ion chamber. The agreement in absolute point dose was 1.19 +/- 0.79%, 1.91 +/- 1.39%, 2.14 +/- 1.3%, 1.3 +/- 0.73% and 1.67 +/- 1.5% for head and neck, prostate, pelvis-abdomen sites, and for all other sites. The spatial agreement between the calculated and the measured film dose distributions was evaluated using the gamma metric distribution. The average frequency versus gamma interval was plotted as a bar graph to quantify the gamma index variation inside the region of interest for each body site.


SERENADE: the Study Evaluating Rimonabant Efficacy in Drug-naive Diabetic Patients: effects of monotherapy with rimonabant, the first selective CB1 receptor antagonist, on glycemic control, body weight, and lipid profile in drug-naive type 2 diabetes.
The purpose of this study was to assess the glucose-lowering efficacy and safety of rimonabant monotherapy in drug-naive type 2 diabetic patients. The Study Evaluating Rimonabant Efficacy in Drug-Naive Diabetic Patients (SERENADE) was a 6-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 20 mg/day rimonabant in drug-naive patients with type 2 diabetes (A1C 7-10%). The primary end point was A1C change from baseline; secondary end points included body weight, waist circumference, and lipid profile changes. A total of 281 patients were randomly assigned; 278 were exposed to treatment, and 236 (84.9%) completed the study. Baseline A1C (7.9%) was reduced by -0.8% with rimonabant versus -0.3% with placebo (Delta A1C -0.51%; P = 0.0002), with a larger rimonabant effect in patients with baseline A1C >or=8.5% (Delta A1C -1.25%; P = 0.0009). Weight loss from baseline was -6.7 kg with rimonabant versus -2.8 kg with placebo (Delta weight -3.8 kg; P < 0.0001). Rimonabant induced improvements from baseline in waist circumference (-6 vs. -2 cm; P < 0.0001), fasting plasma glucose (-0.9 vs. -0.1 mmol/l; P = 0.0012), triglycerides (-16.3 vs. +4.4%; P = 0.0031), and HDL cholesterol (+10.1 vs. +3.2%; P < 0.0001). Adverse events of interest that occurred more frequently with rimonabant versus placebo were dizziness (10.9 vs. 2.1%), nausea (8.7 vs. 3.6%), anxiety (5.8 vs. 3.6%), depressed mood (5.8 vs. 0.7%), and paresthesia (2.9 vs. 1.4%). Rimonabant monotherapy resulted in meaningful improvements in glycemic control, body weight, and lipid profile in drug-naive type 2 diabetic patients. Further ongoing studies will better establish the benefit-to-risk profile of rimonabant and define its place in type 2 diabetes management.


[Determination of medium-weight molecules in the plasma and urine of neonatal infants with ischemic nephropathy].
To ascertain the level of medium-weight molecules in the plasma and urine in critically ill neonatal infants with varying ischemic nephropathy, the authors determined the content of medium-weight molecules by N. I. Gabrielyan's procedure modified by M. Ya. Malakhova. Within the first 24 hours of life, the newborn infants with ischemic nephropathy had high plasma levels of medium-weight proteins. The high plasma levels of medium-weight molecules were attended by their urinary elimination in first- and second-grade ischemic nephropathy and these were not compensated for by their elimination in third-grade nephropathy, which was linked to decreased renal excretory function. The determination of medium-weight molecules in the plasma and urine permits identification of acute renal failure in the newborn.


[Appropriate sample size and molecular marker loci in the study of genetic diversity of Ocomelania hupensis].
To explore the reasonable sample size and the number of molecular marker loci in the study of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) being used to analyze the genetic diversity of Ocomelania hupensis. The ribbed-shelled snails coming from Yueyang, Hunan province, were selected to analyze the relationship of the number of AFLP molecular marker loci and sample size with the reliability of information on genetic variation for Ocomelania hupensis by AFLP method. Correlations found among the numbers of AFLP molecular marker loci and the sample size with reliable information on genetic variation for Ocomelania hupensis. When sample size was less than 7 individuals, the total number of AFLP loci, the number of polymorphic loci, Nei's gene diversity and Shannon's information index appeared great changes. However, when sample size was bigger than 30 individuals, the values of these indices tended to be stabilized. When the number of AFLP loci was less than 128, the frequency of polymorphic loci, Nei's gene diversity, Shannon's information index and the standard deviation of these two indices changed greatly. Again, when the number of loci was bigger than 338, the values of these indices tended to be stabilized. When the genetic diversity of Ocomelania hupensis were analyzed by AFLP method, the sample size coming from each snail population should not be less than 30 individuals and the number of molecular loci analyzed not less than 338.


[Experimental factors influencing the growth of the jaws].
An experimental study evaluated the effect of various surgical procedures on maxillary growth. Raising and excision of palatine muco-periosteum did not modify facial or palatine growth. Resection of the bony palate showed the non-essential nature of the medial palaxine suture during normal growth, even in the transverse direction. Coagulation of the two posterior palaxine arteries disturbed palaxine growth, but ligature of the external carotid artery failed to alter facial growth. Several tests were carried out to determine the importance of functional matrices: excision of facial nerve trunk did not affect bone growth, destruction of the trigeminal provoked obvious disturbance of craniofacial growth while obturation of a nasal fossa produced no observable anomaly. Enucleation demonstrated the need for an intact globe for normal orbital growth, and resection of the mandibular condyle showed the primordial role of cartilaginous centers in mandibular growth.


Cellular entry and nuclear targeting by a highly anionic molecular umbrella.
A fluorescently labeled, persulfated molecular umbrella ( 1) has been synthesized from cholic acid, lysine, spermine, and Coumarin 343 and found capable of entering live HeLa cells. The distributions of 1 throughout the cytoplasm and the nucleus were diffuse and punctate, respectively. This finding, together with its ability to cross liposomal membranes by passive diffusion, suggests that passive diffusion plays a significant role in the ability of 1 to enter cells. The fact that 1 is concentrated at the nucleus raises the possibility that molecular umbrellas of this type could be used for the nuclear targeting of drugs.


Structure-activity relationships of trans-3,4-dimethyl-4-(3-hydroxyphenyl)piperidine antagonists for mu- and kappa-opioid receptors.
A series of racemic N-substituted trans-3,4-dimethyl-4-(3-hydroxyphenyl)piperidines were evaluated for opioid agonist and antagonist activity at mu and kappa receptors. Several highly potent mu and kappa antagonists were discovered; however, no compounds with high selectivity for either the mu or kappa receptor were identified. Importantly, no derivative was found to have significant opioid agonist activity. Two derivatives were resolved, and the activities of the enantiomers were investigated. Only a limited stereochemical effect on opioid receptor selectivities was observed. The structure-activity relationships described establish the existence of an important lipophilic binding site distal to the nitrogen for both mu and kappa receptors and confirm the pure opioid antagonist pharmacophore nature of the trans-3,4-dimethyl-4-(3-hydroxyphenyl)piperidine structure.


Covalent crosslinking of von Willebrand factor to fibrin.
Factor XIIIa crosslinks a limited number of substrates via epsilon(gamma-glutamyl)-lysyl bond formation. It crosslinks fibrin to itself, alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor and fibronectin to fibrin, and fibronectin to collagen. Results presented here show that plasma von Willebrand factor (vWF) is a substrate for factor XIIIa and can be crosslinked to fibrin during gel formation. vWF-fibrin crosslinking was studied in purified systems and in plasma with 125I-vWF and 131I-fibrinogen. vWF incorporation into fibrin increased with time or increasing factor XIIIa. After electrophoresis of dissolved clots, distribution of 125I and 131I was measured and showed that vWF was crosslinked to the alpha chain of fibrin and entered the high-mol-wt alpha polymer. vWF-fibrin crosslinking decreased the initial rate of alpha polymer formation. Crosslinking of vWF polymer to itself could not be demonstrated under physiologic conditions but occurred if vWF was reduced first. Factor XIIIa catalyzed incorporation of putrescine into both monomeric and polymeric vWF. Altogether, these studies indicate that factor XIIIa can readily form covalent bonds between glutamine in vWF and lysine in fibrin alpha chains. This reaction occurs readily in vitro when plasma clotting is slow and may occur in vivo under similar conditions.


[Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Assessment of activity during a 3-month period: clinical problems, diagnostic and therapeutic consequences].
All patients referred to upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, during a period of three months, were recorded prospectively. In connection with the endoscopy, the investigator completed a questionnaire, related to demographic data, results of endoscopy and therapeutic suggestions. Six weeks later the general practitioner received a second questionnaire concerning diagnostic and therapeutic consequences. At the same time the patient received a third questionnaire, concerning therapeutic and psychological consequences. In all, 200 endoscopies were performed; 147 diagnostic and 53 controls. Of the former, 65 were open access and 82 were admitted to a medical department. We found that the endoscopies were well founded. There was a great diagnostic yield and the patients, in general, followed the therapeutic aim. Furthermore we found a noticeable psychologic effect, independent of endoscopic findings.


Detection of Escherichia coli in drinking water using T7 bacteriophage-conjugated magnetic probe.
In this study, we demonstrate a bacteriophage (phage)-based magnetic separation scheme for the rapid detection of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in drinking water. T7 phage is a lytic phage with a broad host range specificity for E. coli. Our scheme was as follows: (1) T7 bacteriophage-conjugated magnetic beads were used to capture and separate E. coli BL21 from drinking water; (2) subsequent phage-mediated lysis was used to release endemic β-galactosidase (β-gal) from the bound bacterial cells; (3) the release of β-gal was detected using chlorophenol red-β-d-galactopyranoside (CRPG), a colorimetric substrate which changes from yellow to red in the presence of β-gal. Using this strategy, we were able to detect E. coli at a concentration of 1 × 10(4) CFU·mL(-1) within 2.5 h. The specificity of the proposed magnetic probes toward E. coli was demonstrated against a background of competing bacteria. By incorporating a pre-enrichment step in Luria-Bertani (LB) broth supplemented with isopropyl β-d-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG), we were able to detect 10 CFU·mL(-1) in drinking water after 6 h of pre-enrichment. The colorimetric change can be determined either by visual observation or with a reader, allowing for a simple, rapid quantification of E. coli in resource-limited settings.


Single-Step Direct Growth of Graphene on Cu Ink toward Flexible Hybrid Electronic Applications by Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition.
Highly customized and free-formed products in flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) require direct pattern creation such as inkjet printing (IJP) to accelerate product development. In this work, we demonstrate the direct growth of graphene on Cu ink deposited on polyimide (PI) by means of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), which provides simultaneous reduction, sintering, and passivation of the Cu ink and further reduces its resistivity. We investigate the PECVD growth conditions for optimizing the graphene quality on Cu ink and find that the defect characteristics of graphene are sensitive to the H2/CH4 ratio at higher total gas pressure during the growth. The morphology of Cu ink after the PECVD process and the dependence of the graphene quality on the H2/CH4 ratio may be attributed to the difference in the corresponding electron temperature. Therefore, this study paves a new pathway toward efficient growth of high-quality graphene on Cu ink for applications in flexible electronics and Internet of Things (IoT).


Photochemistry and DNA-affinity of some pyrimidine-substituted styryl-azinium iodides.
The relaxation properties of the excited states of three iodides of trans-1,2-diarylethene analogues (where one aryl group is a methylpyridinium, methylquinolinium or dimethylimidazolium group and the other one is a phenyl ring para-substituted by a pyrimidine ring) have been investigated in buffered (pH = 7) aqueous solution. As found in previous works for several analogues, these quaternized salts undergo efficient trans→cis photoisomerization while the yield of the radiative deactivation is very small at room temperature. The solvent effect on the spectral behaviour indicates the occurrence of intramolecular charge transfer which can induce interesting non-linear optical properties. The results of a study of the interactions of these salts with DNA, which might affect the cell metabolism, showed a relatively modest binding affinity for the pyridinium and imidazolium salts and a more substantial affinity for the quinolinium analogue. The formation of ligand-DNA complexes affects only slightly the radiative relaxation yield while leading to a relevant reduction of the isomerization yield. Measurements of the linear dichroism behaviour of the three compounds and comparison with three analogues bearing furan or thienyl groups, which have been found to display different affinity with DNA in previous works, gave interesting information on the nature of the ligand-DNA binding of these compounds.


Effect of hepatic drug transporter polymorphisms on the pharmacokinetics of mycophenolic acid in patients with severe renal dysfunction before renal transplantation.
1. The objective of this study was to examine the association of UGT1A9, SLCO, and ABCC polymorphisms with mycophenolic acid (MPA) pharmacokinetics in ABO blood type (ABO) incompatible patients with severe renal dysfunction pre-transplantation. 2. In all patients, on day 14 after beginning mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) treatment (1 week before transplantation) and on day 28 after renal transplantation, samples were collected just prior to and 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, and 12 h after oral MMF administration. 3. The median dose-adjusted AUC0-12 of MPA after renal transplantation was significantly lower than before transplantation (57.9 versus 76.5 μg h/mL, respectively, p = 0.002). 4. Although the enterohepatic circulation of MPA pre-transplantation was extremely high (57.6%), this level was significantly reduced after renal transplantation (34.6%). 5. In the multivariate analysis, pre-transplantation, patients with the SLCO1B3 334T allele (p = 0.003), higher alanine aminotransferase (p = 0.002), and lower body weight were independently predictive for a higher dose-adjusted AUC0-12 of MPA. 6. In patients with severe renal dysfunction pre-transplantation, MPA is excreted mainly to bile from the liver, and as a consequence, the SLCO1B3 334T > G polymorphism was found to be significantly associated with MPA exposure.