Tunable Three-Body Interactions in Driven Two-Component Bose-Einstein Condensates.
We propose and demonstrate the appearance of an effective attractive three-body interaction in coherently driven two-component Bose-Einstein condensates. It originates from the spinor degree of freedom that is affected by a two-body mean-field shift of the driven transition frequency. Importantly, its strength can be controlled with the Rabi-coupling strength and it does not come with additional losses. In the experiment, the three-body interactions are adjusted to play a predominant role in the equation of state of a cigar-shaped trapped condensate. This is confirmed through two striking observations: a downshift of the radial breathing mode frequency and the radial collapses for positive values of the dressed-state scattering length.


Resting calcium influx in airway smooth muscle.
Plasma membrane Ca2+ leak remains the most uncertain of the cellular Ca2+ regulation pathways. During passive Ca2+ influx in non-stimulated smooth muscle cells, basal activity of constitutive Ca2+ channels seems to be involved. In vascular smooth muscle, the 3 following Ca2+ entry pathways contribute to this phenomenon: (i) via voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels, (ii) receptor gated Ca2+ channels, and (iii) store operated Ca2+ channels, although, in airway smooth muscle it seems only 2 passive Ca2+ influx pathways are implicated, one sensitive to SKF 96365 (receptor gated Ca2+ channels) and the other to Ni2+ (store operated Ca2+ channels). Resting Ca2+ entry could provide a sufficient amount of Ca2+ and contribute to resting intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), maintenance of the resting membrane potential, myogenic tone, and sarcoplasmic reticulum-Ca2+ refilling. However, further research, especially in airway smooth muscle, is required to better explore the physiological role of this passive Ca2+ influx pathway as it could be involved in airway hyperresponsiveness.


Disposition of metronidazole and its effects on sulphasalazine metabolism in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
The pharmacokinetics of metronidazole were studied after oral and intravenous administration to seven patients with Crohn's disease and five patients with ulcerative colitis. The oral/intravenous availability ratio was 0.97 +/- 0.2 in the Crohn's patients and 0.90 +/- 0.1 in the colitics (mean +/- s.e. mean). Plasma clearance was 3.24 +/- 0.2 l h-1 and 4.1 +/- 0.5 l h-1, respectively. These differences were not statistically significant. Ten of the patients on long term sulphasalazine were studied to observe the effect of 2 weeks metronidazole therapy on plasma sulphapyridine concentration. The sulphapyridine concentration changed from 22.1 +/- 2.0 micrograms ml-1 to 15.95 +/- 4.5 micrograms ml-1 in the Crohn's patients and 26.0 +/- 6.0 micrograms ml-1 to 36.4 +/- 8.5 micrograms ml-1 in the colitis group, pre- and post-metronidazole. These differences were not statistically significant. These results suggest that metronidazole does not interfere with diazo-link splitting of sulphasalazine and that patients with Crohn's disease handle metronidazole in a similar manner to patients with colitis.


Systematic identification and functional analysis of long noncoding RNAs involved in indoxacarb resistance in Spodoptera litura.
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are noncoding transcripts that are more than 200 nucleotides long. They play essential roles in regulating a variety of biological processes in many species, including insects, and some lncRNAs have been found to be associated with insecticide resistance. However, the characteristics and biological functions of lncRNAs involved in indoxacarb resistance are unknown in Spodoptera litura. We performed RNA sequencing in the SS, InRS, and FInRS of S. litura and identified 11 978 lncRNAs, including 3 136 intergenic lncRNAs, 7 393 intronic lncRNAs, and 1 449 anti-sense lncRNAs. Compared with the SS, 51 lncRNAs were upregulated and 134 lncRNAs were downregulated in the two resistant strains, and 908 differentially expressed mRNAs were predicted as the target genes of the 185 differentially expressed lncRNAs. Further analysis showed that 112 of differentially expressed lncRNAs may be associated with indoxacarb resistance by regulating the expression of 14 P450s, seven CCEs, one GST, six UGTs, five ABC transporters, and 24 cuticle protein genes, and 79 of differentially expressed lncRNAs may regulate the expression of 14 detoxification genes and 19 cuticle protein genes to participate in indoxacarb resistance by sponging 10 microRNAs. Interestingly, 47 of differentially expressed lncRNAs may mediate indoxacarb resistance through both lncRNA-mRNA and lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory pathways. Furthermore, quantitative PCR, RNA interference, and indoxacarb bioassay analyses indicated that overexpressed LNC_004867 and LNC_006576 were involved in indoxacarb resistance. This study provides comprehensive information for lncRNAs of S. litura, and presents evidence that lncRNAs have key roles in conferring insecticide resistance in S. litura.


Spectroscopic evidence for ternary complex formation between arsenate and ferric iron complexes of humic substances.
Formation of ternary complexes between arsenic (As) oxyanions and ferric iron (Fe) complexes of humic substances (HS) is often hypothesized to represent a major mechanism for As-HS interactions under oxic conditions. However, direct evidence for this potentially important binding mechanism is still lacking. To investigate the molecular-scale interaction between arsenate, As(V), and HS in the presence of Fe(III), we reacted fulvic and humic acids with Fe(III) (1 wt %) and equilibrated the Fe(III)-HS complexes formed with As(V) at pH 7 (molar Fe/As ~10). The local (<5 Å) coordination environments of As and Fe were subsequently studied by means of X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Our results show that 4.5-12.5 μmol As(V)/g HS (25-70% of total As) was associated with Fe(III). At least 70% of this As pool was bound to Fe(III)-HS complexes via inner-sphere complexation. Results obtained from shell fits of As K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra were consistent with a monodentate binuclear ((2)C) and monodentate mononuclear ((1)V) complex stabilized by H-bonds (R(As-Fe) = 3.30 Å). The analysis of Fe K-edge EXAFS spectra revealed that Fe in Fe(III)-HS complexes was predominantly present as oligomeric Fe(III) clusters at neutral pH. Shell-fit results complied with a structural motif in which three corner-sharing Fe(O,OH)(6) octahedra linked by a single μ(3)-O bridge form a planar Fe trimer. In these complexes, the average Fe-C and Fe-Fe bond distances were 2.95 Å and 3.47 Å, respectively. Our study provides the first spectroscopic evidence for ternary complex formation between As(V) and Fe(III)-HS complexes, suggesting that this binding mechanism is of fundamental importance for the cycling of oxyanions such as As(V) in organic-rich, oxic soils and sediments.


Treatment strategies for cystic fibrosis: what's in the pipeline?
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited disease, characterised by pancreatic malabsorption (with poor growth) and impaired mucociliary clearance (leading to recurrent pulmonary infection). The prognosis has markedly improved over the last 40 years. This was achieved initially by improving pancreatic enzyme supplements and more recently through drugs designed to treat pulmonary infection, reduce inflammation and enhance mucociliary clearance. The CF gene has been sequenced, allowing new therapeutic targets to be identified. Currently the greatest therapeutic challenges are to correct the biochemical defect of CF and to identify effective treatments for chronic respiratory infection. This review provides an overview of CF, the treatment strategies currently used, and new drugs undergoing clinical trials.


Decreased Functional Connectivity in Insular Subregions in Depressive Episodes of Bipolar Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder.
Objective: Clinically, it is very difficult to distinguish between major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) in the period of depression. Increasing evidence shows that the insula plays an important role in depression. We aimed to compare the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of insular subregions in patients with MDD and BD in depressive episodes (BDD), who had never experienced manic or hypomanic episodes when they were scanned to identify biomarkers for the identification of two diseases. Methods: We recruited 21 BDD patients, 40 MDD patients and 70 healthy controls (HC). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) was performed. BDD patients had never had manic or hypomanic episodes when they were scanned, and the diagnoses were determined by follow-up. We divided the insula into three parts including the ventral anterior insular cortex (v-AIN), dorsal anterior insular cortex (d-AIN), and posterior insula (PI). The insular-based rsFC was compared among the three groups, and an analysis of the correlation between the rsFC value and Hamilton depression and anxiety scales was carried out. Results: BDD and MDD patients demonstrated decreased rsFC from the v-AIN to the left superior/middle frontal gyrus compared with the HC group. Versus MDD and HC groups, BDD patients exhibited decreased rsFC from the v-AIN to the area in the left orbital frontal gyrus and left superior temporal gyrus (included temporal pole), from the PI to the right lateral postcentral gyrus and from all three insular subregions to the somatosensory and motor cortex. Meanwhile, a correlation between the rsFC value of the PI-right lateral postcentral gyrus and anxiety score was observed in patients. Conclusion: Our findings show BDD and MDD patients have similar decreases in insular connectivity in the dorsal lateral frontal regions, and BDD patients have specific decreased insular connectivity, especially in the somatosensory and motor cortex, which may be used as imaging evidence for clinical identification.


FimH alleles direct preferential binding of Salmonella to distinct mammalian cells or to avian cells.
This study aimed to determine whether allelic variants of the FimH adhesin from Salmonella enterica confer differential bacterial binding to different types of mammalian cells [murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs) and HEp-2 cells] and chicken leukocytes. Although the type 1 fimbriated S. enterica serovar Typhimurium strains AJB3 (SR-11 derivative) and SL1344 both aggregated yeast cells, only the former bound efficiently to DCs and HEp-2 cells. Type 1 fimbriae-mediated binding to DCs having previously been shown to require the FimH adhesin and to be inhibited by mannose, FimH sequences from strains SL1344 and AJB3 were compared and found to differ by only one residue, asparagine 158 in SL1344 being replaced by a tyrosine in AJB3. The importance of residue 158 for FimH-mediated binding was further confirmed in recombinant Escherichia coli expressing S. enterica type 1 fimbriae with a variety of substitutions engineered at this position. Additional studies with the 'non-adhesive' FimH of a type 2 fimbriated S. enterica serovar Gallinarum showed that this FimH did not mediate bacterial binding to murine DCs or HEp-2 cells. However, the type 2 FimH significantly improved bacterial adhesion to chicken leukocytes, in comparison to the type 1 FimH of strain AJB3, attributing for the first time a function to the type 2 fimbriae of S. enterica. Consequently, our data show that allelic variation of the S. enterica FimH adhesin directs not only host-cell-specific recognition, but also distinctive binding to mammalian or avian receptors. It is most relevant that this allele-specific binding profile parallels the host specificity of the respective FimH-expressing pathogen.


The influence of molecular structure on the affinity and efficacy of some beta-adrenoceptor agonists.
The affinity and efficacy of a number of sympathomimetic amines structurally related to prenalterol and the selective beta 1-adrenoceptor agonist RO363 were determined using a combination of radioligand binding and organ bath techniques. Affinity of the molecules (pKD) was calculated from their ability to displace the radioligand [125I]iodocyanopindolol ([125I]CYP) from beta-adrenoceptor sites in left atrial (beta 1) and uterine (beta 2) membrane homogenates. These pKD values were used to calculate efficacy from the positive inotropic and uterine relaxant responses elicited by the drugs in organ bath experiments. The drugs studied were either arylethanolamines i.e., (-)-isoprenaline (ISO), p-hydroxyisoprenaline (pOH-ISO), compounds XIV and XVI or aryloxypropanolamine-derivatives, i.e., oxymethylene-isoprenaline (OM-ISO), prenalterol and Compound XI which possessed a p-phenol or catechol ring and an isopropyl or a homoveratryl amine substituent. Only ISO, OM-ISO, pOH-ISO and Compound XVI were active as agonists in both tissue preparations. These drugs were partial agonists which exhibited a wide range of pD2 values and did not display any marked selectivity for either beta-adrenoceptor subtype. Compound XI and prenalterol were inactive as agonists and together with the partial agonists behaved as competitive antagonists to ISO in the two preparations. All drugs tested displaced [125I]CYP from beta-adrenoceptor sites, however, there was also a wide range of potency amongst the drugs. Analysis of the structure-affinity and structure-efficacy relationships indicated that removal of the 3-hydroxyl group from the catechol ring reduces both affinity and efficacy without altering the selectivity of the drug for either beta-adrenoceptor subtype.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Identification of Ipaf, a human caspase-1-activating protein related to Apaf-1.
Procaspase-9 contains an NH2-terminal caspase-associated recruitment domain (CARD), which is essential for direct association with Apaf-1 and activation. Procaspase-1 also contains an NH2-terminal CARD domain, suggesting that its mechanism of activation, like that of procaspase-9, involves association with an Apaf-1-related molecule. Here we describe the identification of a human Apaf-1-related protein, named Ipaf that contains an NH2-terminal CARD domain, a central nucleotide-binding domain, and a COOH-terminal regulatory leucine-rich repeat domain (LRR). Ipaf associates directly and specifically with the CARD domain of procaspase-1 through CARD-CARD interaction. A constitutively active Ipaf lacking its COOH-terminal LRR domain can induce autocatalytic processing and activation of procaspase-1 and caspase-1-dependent apoptosis in transfected cells. Our results suggest that Ipaf is a specific and direct activator of procaspase-1 and could be involved in activation of caspase-1 in response to pro-inflammatory and apoptotic stimuli.


Cognitive, Parent and Teacher Rating Measures of Executive Functioning: Shared and Unique Influences on School Achievement.
Very little is known about the relative influence of cognitive performance-based executive functioning (EF) measures and behavioral EF ratings in explaining differences in children's school achievement. This study examined the shared and unique influence of these different EF measures on math and spelling outcome for a sample of 84 first and second graders. Parents and teachers completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), and children were tested with computer-based performance tests from the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks (ANT). Mixed-model hierarchical regression analyses, including intelligence level and age, showed that cognitive performance and teacher's ratings of working memory and shifting concurrently explained differences in spelling. However, teacher's behavioral EF ratings did not explain any additional variance in math outcome above cognitive EF performance. Parent's behavioral EF ratings did not add any unique information for either outcome measure. This study provides support for the ecological validity of performance- and teacher rating-based EF measures, and shows that both measures could have a complementary role in identifying EF processes underlying spelling achievement problems. The early identification of strengths and weaknesses of a child's working memory and shifting capabilities, might help teachers to broaden their range of remedial intervention options to optimize school achievement.


How to test different density-dependent fecundity hypotheses in an increasing or stable population.
1. We report on a simulation study of increasing and stable populations working under two different hypotheses of density dependence of fecundity: the habitat heterogeneity hypothesis (HHH) and the individual adjustment hypothesis (IAH). Our aim is to find critical differences between the two regulatory hypotheses in natural populations. 2. Populations under HHH show a strong negative relationship between fecundity and the coefficient of variation of fecundity. We also found a strong negative relationship between fecundity and skewness, demonstrating that, as fecundity decreases, the form of the distribution of brood sizes changes, being more left-skewed due to more territories failing to produce any offspring. 3. This strong relationship was found only in the simulations of populations under HHH; whether increasing or stable, and under different ratios of good: poor territories and different population sizes. In contrast, no relationship between mean fecundity and skewness was found among simulations under IAH. 4. Populations under IAH also showed a significant relationship between mean fecundity and the coefficient of variation of fecundity, but with a lower slope than in populations under HHH. 5. In conclusion, skewness was found to be an adequate critical test that showed significant and strong relationships with mean fecundity only in populations under HHH, whether increasing or stable. This test is useful for species with a discrete distribution of offspring with a small number of integer categories, including most of the bird and mammal species.


Long-term diet quality is associated with lower obesity risk in young African American women with normal BMI at baseline.
The prevalence of obesity [body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2] is high among African American women, with most weight gain occurring before middle age. We assessed diet quality, as measured by the Alternate Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI-2010) and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet score in relation to incident obesity in the Black Women's Health Study. Prospective data were collected via biennial questionnaires from 1995 to 2011. AHEI-2010 and DASH scores were calculated from food-frequency questionnaire data collected in 1995 and 2001. We restricted the analysis to 19,885 nonobese women aged 21-39 y at baseline. Multivariable Cox regression was used to estimate HRs and 95% CIs. Among women with consistent diet scores in 1995 and 2001, higher diet quality scores were inversely associated with obesity incidence: the multivariable HRs comparing highest with lowest quintiles of the AHEI-2010 and DASH scores were 0.76 (95% CI: 0.58, 0.98) and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.88), respectively, among women with a BMI in the normal range (18.5-24.9 kg/m2) at baseline. There were no significant associations among women who were overweight at baseline. The findings suggest that a high-quality diet that is sustained over time is associated with reduced obesity risk among young African American women with a normal BMI at baseline.


Comparative field performances between conventional combine and mid-size combine in wetland rice cultivation.
In paddy cultivation, harvesting is the most important operation, which needs suitable machinery. Thus, this study was carried out to compare field performances and energy and environmental effect between the conventional 5 m cutting width NEW HOLLAND CLAYSON 8080, 82 kW@2500 rpm combine harvester running on a total net area of 42.78 ha of plots for two rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation seasons and the new mid-size 2.7 m cutting width WORLD STAR WS7.0, 76 kW@2600 rpm combine harvester running on a total net area of 16.95 ha of plots for two rice cultivation seasons. The conventional combine as compared to mid-size combine showed 14.4% greater mean fuel consumptions (21.13 versus 18.46 l/ha), 31.1% greater mean effective field capacity (0.69 versus 0.53 ha/h), 5.23% greater cornering time (turning time) percentage of total time (8.28% versus 3.05%) and 1.41% greater reversing time percentage of total time (7.2% versus 5.79%) but 20.90% lesser mean operational speed (3.24 versus 4.10 km/h), 11.69% lesser effective time percentage of total time (60.0%versus 71.69%h/ha), 10.8% lesser mean field efficiency (64.3% versus 72.1%). In terms of total energy use the conventional combine showed 24.64% greater mean total energy use in the harvesting operation (1445.81 versus 1160.00 MJ/ha), 14.46% greater mean fuel energy (1010.014 versus 882.39 MJ/ha), 56.47% greater mean machinery energy (431.32 versus 275.65 MJ/ha) and 59.25% greater mean human energy (3.48 and 2.18 MJ/ha), this cause 26.12% greater mean total Green House Gas emission (GHG) than the mid-size combine. The results revealed that the mid-size combine is more suitable in conducting the harvest operation in rice field in Malaysia than the conventional combine.


Wilms tumor with dilated cardiomyopathy: A case report.
Wilms tumor is the most common renal malignancy in childhood. It occurs primarily between the ages of 2 and 5 years. The usual manifestations are abdominal mass, hypertension, and hematuria. The case presented here had an unusual presentation, with dilated cardiomyopathy and hypertension secondary to the Wilms tumor. A 3-year-old boy presented with a 5-d history of irritability, poor appetite, and respiratory distress. His presenting clinical symptoms were dyspnea, tachycardia, hypertension, and a palpable abdominal mass at the left upper quadrant. His troponin T and pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels were elevated. Echocardiography demonstrated a dilated hypokinetic left ventricle with an ejection fraction of 29%, and a suspected left renal mass. Computed tomography scan revealed a left renal mass and multiple lung nodules. The definitive diagnosis of Wilms tumor was confirmed histologically. The patient was administered neoadjuvant chemotherapy and underwent radical nephrectomy. After surgery, radiotherapy was administered, and the adjuvant chemotherapy was continued. The blood pressure and left ventricular function normalized after the treatments. Abdominal mass, dilated cardiomyopathy and hypertension can indicate Wilms tumor in pediatric patients. Chemotherapy and tumor removal achieve successful treatment.


[Treatment of a depressive disorder according to Functional Analytic Psychotherapy].
Treatment of a depressive disorder according to Functional Analytic Psychotherapy. This paper presents the analysis and treatment of a depressive disorder according to Functional Analytic Psychotherapy. This form of psychotherapy, which is based on the principles of radical behaviorism, makes functional use of verbal behavior, and is structured upon a therapeutic relationship that pays special attention to natural reinforcement and emphasises the events that may arise in the clinical context, and relates them to a natural context, shaping, and functional equivalence. The paper describes the case of a 40-year-old woman with major depressive disorder, and the functional conceptualization of the case according to this psychotherapy. The different phases of the treatment are described (17 sessions in total), with examples of the therapeutic relationship and of how the results were maintained in the long term. In addition to solving problems and making changes in the patient's daily life, the initial BDI-II score (29) dropped to 6 points after seven months, and remained at 8 points in the follow-up after 17 months.


[Investigation of the nutritional status of the elderly for the development of guidelines for nutritional management in the ultra-aged society].
This study was conducted to evaluate the nutrient intake and the nutritional state of elderly people who live independently in a region with an aging rate (percentage of the elderly 65 or above to the entire population) of 50% and to develop guidelines for nutritional improvement to extend the healthy lifespan in the upcoming ultra-aged society in which, by definition, aging rate exceeds 21%. The study investigated the diet, physical constitution and blood biochemistry of 38 elderly people living in a region with an aging rate of 50% and compared the results with 23 elderly people living in a region with an aging rate of 18%. In the ultra-aged region the elderly people had a tendency for serum, triglyceride to be high and calcium to be low. The rate of the elderly living alone was high and the solitary elderly tended to have poor intake of vegetable fats, albumin, iron and zinc. The elderly men in the ultra-aged region had the lowest rate of recommended dietary intakes of calcium and vitamin B1. The results indicated that extending a healthy lifespan in an ultra-aged society requires less intake of animal fats and more intake of vitamin B1 and calcium and a close assessment of the nutritional state of zinc, iron, and selenium. In order to prevent lifestyle-related diseases and to extend healthy life expectancy, the nutrition management of the elderly living alone is particularly important


Living conditions and psychosomatic complaints in Swedish schoolchildren.
The proportion of Swedish schoolchildren that reports psychosomatic complaints has increased during recent decades, parallel to major structural changes in Swedish society. To investigate the association of psychosomatic complaints in relation to household socio-economic conditions. Cross-sectional study based on data from child supplements linked to nationally representative household surveys in Sweden during 2000-2003, covering a sample of 5390 children aged 10-18 y. Symptom variables were based on child interviews, while data from parental interviews were used to create socio-economic variables. Girls more often reported headache and recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) than boys, and these differences became more pronounced with age. Economic stress in the household was associated with headache (OR 1.21, p<0.05), RAP (OR 1.46, p<0.001) as well as difficulties falling asleep (OR 1.35, p<0.01), while there were no consistent associations between symptoms and social class or unemployed parents. Children in single-parent families consistently reported somewhat more symptoms than children in two-parent families (OR 1.26 for at least two of the three symptoms, p<0.05). Economic stress, but not social class, was a significant but moderate risk factor for all three psychosomatic symptoms. It is possible that a growing proportion of families in economic stress has contributed to the parallel increase in reported psychosomatic complaints among Swedish schoolchildren. Further studies are needed to clarify the relation between lack of money, relational strain/support and psychosomatic complaints.


GJB2 and GJB6 Genetic Variant Curation in an Argentinean Non-Syndromic Hearing-Impaired Cohort.
Genetic variants in GJB2 and GJB6 genes are the most frequent causes of hereditary hearing loss among several deaf populations worldwide. Molecular diagnosis enables proper genetic counseling and medical prognosis to patients. In this study, we present an update of testing results in a cohort of Argentinean non-syndromic hearing-impaired individuals. A total of 48 different sequence variants were detected in genomic DNA from patients referred to our laboratory. They were manually curated and classified based on the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics/Association for Molecular Pathology ACMG/AMP standards and hearing-loss-gene-specific criteria of the ClinGen Hearing Loss Expert Panel. More than 50% of sequence variants were reclassified from their previous categorization in ClinVar. These results provide an accurately interpreted set of variants to be taken into account by clinicians and the scientific community, and hence, aid the precise genetic counseling to patients.


Optical response and multi-exciton effects in 2D PTCDA aggregates with local excitation.
3,4,9,10-Perylenetetracarboxylic-dianhydride (PTCDA) aggregates have unique optical properties and are model materials for studying exciton energy transfer (EET) in planar stacked molecular aggregates. In the framework of density matrix theory, a hierarchy of molecular transition operator expectation values could be constructed to derive the equations of motion of multi-exciton states. Realistic parameters for PTCDA molecules are used to study EET and the optical response of two-dimensional aggregates upon local excitation. Our simulations show that information about the dark state can be obtained with local field excitation and the inter-chain coupling results in a red-shift of the lowest excitonic energy level. Configuration effects, inter-chain detuning and multi-exciton states are discussed. The calculated lowest excitonic energy level of a 2D PTCDA aggregate is qualitatively consistent with the lowest experimental absorption peak of a PTCDA film. The obtained results are valuable for the study of aggregates in optical nanocavities and for the design of photoelectric devices.


Men's perceptions of prostate cancer diagnosis and care: insights from qualitative interviews in Victoria, Australia.
The Victorian Prostate Cancer Registry (Australia) revealed poorer rates of survival for men diagnosed with prostate cancer in one Victorian regional area than for men in metropolitan Melbourne. We sought to explore the perceptions and experiences of prostate cancer diagnosis, treatment, and care of men diagnosed with prostate cancer who lived in regional or metropolitan areas and of men who had not been so diagnosed. Our goal was to contribute to the evidence from which can be built continuing improvements in prostate health care. Using the qualitative method of in-depth interviews to gain access to explanation and meaning, we interviewed 21 men: 10 recruited through the Prostate Cancer Outcome Registry-Victoria and 11 from the community. Transcripts were analysed thematically. We identified four main themes within which men discussed prostate cancer: Case-finding, Diagnosis, Treatment and Care, and Spreading the Word. Contrasts revealed between regional and metropolitan areas related mostly to the more limited supportive care in regional areas. It is evident from the perspectives of these men that every aspect of prostate cancer care would benefit from attention: publicising the need to check prostate health, treatment, and supporting men in the years after treatment. Continuing to work on systemic improvements is an important goal for all those committed to men's health.


Kernig's and Brudzinski's signs revisited.
Although meningitis has been recognized since antiquity, the clear description of signs of meningeal irritation is relatively recent. Kernig's sign is described in physical diagnosis texts; however, the test for Kernig's sign as currently performed differs from Kernig's original description. Brudzinski described several signs of meningitis; his "nape of the neck" sign is the best known. The contralateral leg signs described by Brudzinski are unfamiliar to most clinicians. Brudzinski believed that knowledge of all the meningeal signs was of use because some may be present while others are absent. Since outcome in meningitis is dependent on early treatment--and therefore early diagnosis--familiarity with all the meningeal signs is desirable.


Neuroendocrine tumour in a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1 and HIV.
We report the case of an HIV-positive female patient with neurofibromatosis type 1 who was treated for recurrent peptic ulcer disease and later developed diabetes mellitus and chronic diarrhoea. A metastasising somatostatinoma was histologically proven and evidence of a concomitant gastrin-producing neuroendocrine tumour was found. Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are very rare neoplasms originating from a wide variety of endocrine and nervous system tissue with the ability to produce different hormones. A somatostatin- and gastrin-secreting NET in a patient with HIV has not been reported in the literature, to the best of our knowledge. We discuss oncogenic pathomechanisms related to the underlying conditions and propose stringent monitoring for tumours in HIV-positive patients with phakomatoses as well as initiation of antiretroviral therapy.


Long-term effects of corticosterone on behavior, oxidative and energy metabolism of parietotemporal cerebral cortex and hippocampus of rats: comparison to intracerebroventricular streptozotocin.
We studied the effect of long-term application of corticosterone (CORT) s.c. the equivalent of cortisol in rats, on behavior, oxidative and energy metabolism in brain parietotemporal cortex and hippocampus of 1-year-old male Wistar rats. The data were compared with results derived from long-term and low dose intracerebroventricular application of the diabetogenic drug streptozotocin (STZ) known to inhibit the function of the neuronal insulin receptor and generating an insulin resistant brain state. CORT reduced both working and reference memory increasingly with time and running parallel to the STZ-induced deficit. The effect of CORT on the activities of the glycolytic enzymes hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphodehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase and, in tricarboxylic acid cycle, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase equaled in both experimental conditions and in both regions studied: significant decreases of all enzyme activities except lactate dehydrogenase which increased between three and fourfold of normal. The CORT- and STZ-induced marked fall in ATP was in the same range in the regions studied. Differences became obvious in the concentration of creatine phosphate in parietotemporal cerebral cortex showing no decrease after CORT obviously due to a different susceptibility of the CORT-receptor. It is discussed that both CORT and STZ may act on the neuronal insulin receptor in a similar way. However, further studies are needed on the gene expression of insulin and the insulin receptor and its protein levels to clarify the exact action of CORT on the neuronal insulin receptor function.


[Ventral hernia associated with morbid obesity--when is surgery indicated?].
The authors refer results of surgical treatment of incarcerated ventral hernias in patients with morbid obesity. In the 3rd Department of Surgery of the Comenius University Medical Faculty in Bratislava, 4 obese patients (BMI over 40) were operated for incarcerated ventral hernias in 2007. Based on a follow up analysis, the authors recommend a proactive approach to elective surgical therapy.


[[The study of socio-demographic behavior relevant to "Hinoe-uma" in 1966]].
Aspects of the fall in the number of births occurring in Japan in 1966 are explored. "The studies of 'Hinoe-uma' seem to have lacked...three perspectives; (1) the scope of demographic influence of 'Hinoe-uma', (2) demographic characteristics from the viewpoint of children who were born in the year 'Hinoe-uma', (3) socio-demographic influence of 'Hinoe-uma'. So we explored the various data regarding the three points in 1966 'Hinoe-uma'.... We confirmed by macro data that both Koreans and Chinese in Japan, Japanese in foreign countries and parents who had [an] illegitimate child in 'Hinoe-uma' were also influenced by superstitions [about] 'Hinoe-uma'." (SUMMARY IN ENG)


Nigropedunculopontine projection in the rat: an anterograde tracing study with phaseolus vulgaris-leucoagglutinin (PHA-L).
The termination of the substantia nigra pars reticulata efferents in the nucleus tegmenti pedunculopontinus was studied in the rat by using the anterograde tracer Phaseolus vulgaris-leucoagglutinin (PHA-L). Both large and small injections of PHA-L in various portions of the substantia nigra pars reticulata labeled varicose fibers in the ipsilateral and contralateral nucleus tegmenti pedunculopontinus, subnucleus dissipatus as well as in the ipsilateral nucleus tegmenti pedunculopontinus, subnucleus compactus. However, the bulk of the nigral fibers appeared to terminate in the medial two-thirds of the ipsilateral subnucleus dissipatus of the pedunculopontine nucleus and exhibited a discrete dorsoventral topographical pattern. The terminal plexus displayed patches of uneven density, which was partly due to the numerous fiber bundles passing through the pedunculopontine nucleus, but also to an obvious preference of nigral fibers for some cells. Electron microscopic examination confirmed that nearly all of the varicosities observed in the light microscope contained synaptic vesicles and represented either terminal boutons or boutons en passant. The labeled boutons were elongated (average length: 1.5 microns) and consistently contained a prominent group of mitochondria. The results suggest that the nigral input to the nucleus tegmenti pedunculopontinus may be directed toward specific subpopulation(s) of pedunculopontine neurons and may influence not only cells in the subnucleus dissipatus, but also in the subnucleus compactus.


Atrial fibrillation and heart rate independently correlate to microalbuminuria in hypertensive patients.
To investigate the relationship between microalbuminuria (MAU) and atrial fibrillation (AF) and to further evaluate whether the heart rate dependency of MAU in patients without AF is maintained in patients with a history of AF. The International Survey Evaluating Microalbuminuria Routinely by Cardiologists in patients with Hypertension (I-SEARCH) included 18,900 patients without and 1705 patients with a history of AF suffering from hypertension and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease in 26 countries worldwide from September 2005 to March 2006. Heart rate, blood pressure, urinary albumin excretion, and an estimated glomerular filtration rate were determined among other parameters. The prevalence of MAU was higher at higher heart rate in both patients with and without a history of AF. Prevalence of MAU was about 10% higher in patients with a history of AF (P < 0.001). Male gender, the presence of diabetes mellitus, a higher heart rate, and a higher diastolic blood pressure were independently associated with increased odds for MAU in patients without and with a history of AF. The prevalence of MAU in hypertensive patients with cardiovascular risk factors is related to heart rate and significantly higher in patients with a history of AF.


Barriers to end-of-life discussion with advanced cancer patient as perceived by oncologists, certified/specialized nurses in cancer nursing and medical social workers.
The objectives of this study were to identify barriers to end-of-life discussion with advanced cancer patients and their families as perceived by oncologists, certified/specialized nurses in cancer nursing (hereafter, collectively referred to as 'nurses') and medical social workers, as well as to clarify their opinions about effective strategies to facilitate end-of-life discussion. A questionnaire survey was distributed to 4354 medical professionals working at 402 designated regional cancer hospitals in Japan. Responses were obtained from 494 oncologists (valid response rate 30.7%), 993 nurses (46.7%) and 387 medical social workers (48.1%). Among the barriers to end-of-life discussion with advanced cancer patients, factors related to patients and families, such as 'Family members' difficulty accepting loved one's poor prognosis', were recognized as the most important issues, which was the common view shared across the three types of medical professionals who participated in this study. Nurses and medical social workers were significantly more likely than oncologists to recognize as important issues 'Health care team disagreement about goals of care' and 'Lack of training to have conversations for end-of-life discussion'. To facilitate end-of-life discussion, 'providing mental and emotional support for the patients and their families after end-of-life discussion' was needed most as perceived by the respondents regardless of their profession. Barriers impeding end-of-life discussion were factors related to patients and their families, and oncologists' close cooperation with nurses and medical social workers is important in providing emotional support for patients and families. To facilitate end-of-life discussion, it is important to share information on patients' prognosis and goals for treatment among oncologists and other medical professionals, as well as strengthen communication skill of these medical professions.


Nonsuppurative myocarditis associated with so-called fowl glioma.
C/O specific pathogen-free White Leghorn chickens were intracerebrally inoculated at one day of age with a brain homogenate of Japanese bantams (Gallus gallus domesticus) affected with fowl glioma. Histologically, six of eight inoculated chickens developed nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis in cerebrum and two of them had the characteristic lesions of fowl glioma. Hyperplastic lymphoid foci concomitantly developed in many organs of these birds, especially in the heart. Apart from these lymphoid foci, lymphocytic myocarditis was observed in all inoculated birds. Matrix inclusions were also noted in myocardial cells. Immunohistochemically, avian leukosis virus antigens were detected in reticular cells in the lymphoid foci, mesangial cells of the kidney, smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels, and myocardial cells. Of these tissues, the myocardium of all inoculated birds consistently showed strong reactivity for this antigens. The matrix inclusions were also positive for the antigens. These results suggest that the causal virus of fowl glioma has a high propensity to replicate, especially in myocardium and nonsuppurative myocarditis occurs associated with so-called fowl glioma.


Surveillance and molecular typing of Cronobacter spp. in commercial powdered infant formula and follow-up formula from 2011 to 2013 in Shandong Province, China.
Infection with Cronobacter spp. leads to neonatal meningitis, necrotizing enterocolitis and bacteremia. Cronobacter spp. are reported to comprise an important pathogen contaminating powdered infant formula (PIF) and follow-up formula (FUF), although little is known about the contamination level of Cronobacter spp. in PIFs and FUFs in China. In total, 1032 samples were collected between 2011 and 2013. Forty-two samples were positive, including 1.6% in PIFs and 6.5% in FUFs. The strains were susceptible to most antibiotics except for cefoxitin. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis after XbaI digestion produced a total of 36 banding patterns. The 38 strains were found in 27 sequence types (STs), of which nine types (ST454 to ST462) had not been reported in other countries. The clinically relevant strains obtained from the 38 isolates in the present study comprised three ST3, two ST4, two ST8 and one ST1. The contamination rate in the PIF and FUF has stayed at a relatively high level. The contamination rate of PIF was significantly lower than FUF. The isolates had high susceptibility to the antibiotics tested, except cefoxitin. There were polymorphisms between the Cronobacter spp. as indicated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing. Therefore, contamination with Cronobacter spp. remains a current issue for commercial infant formulas in China. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.


Ethnic differences in cardiovascular responses to laboratory stress: a comparison between asian and white americans.
Compared to other ethnic groups, Asian Americans show significantly lower rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We tested the hypothesis that Asian Americans would show reduced cardiovascular responses to laboratory stressors than Caucasians. Forty-three Asians (18 men, 25 women) and 77 Caucasians (36 men, 41 women) with a mean age of 24 years (SD = 3.93) participated in a stress reactivity protocol consisting of four tasks (speech, serial subtraction, mirror tracing, handgrip) while heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured. Asian Americans demonstrated overall lower reactivity across tasks for SBP F(1,117 = 7.48, p < .01) and a trend toward lower HR response F(1,117 = 3.18, p < .10). A significant ethnicity by task interaction was observed for HR reactivity F(3,351 = 2.94, p < .05) such that Caucasians showed greater responses for the subtraction task.


Rate of publication in predatory journals by orthopedic surgeons members of the French orthopedic and traumatology society (SOFCOT): A follow-up note.
France ranks 9th worldwide for scientific publication in orthopedics and the increase in both the quantity and the quality of its scientific production has been described in detail. On the other hand, publishing by French orthopedic surgeons in predatory journals is more obscure. The journals in question are difficult to identify but are based on an open-access model with article processing charges (APC), except in rare cases that are difficult to specify, as they are not stated at the time of submission. The increase in the number of predatory journals over the last 10 years led us to attempt to assess the rate at which French orthopedic surgeons publish in them, as revealed by investigation of the SIGAPS bibliometric database. Over the period 2008-2017, the rate of publications by French orthopedic surgeons in predatory journals was less than 5%. The SIGAPS database contains the detail of publications by French orthopedic surgeons members of the French Society of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology (SoFCOT) and was used to analyse all such articles (journal article, review or editorial) so as to isolate articles with PubMed-Not-MEDLINE status falling in the SIGAPS non-classified (NC) category and to determine the predatory status of the journal using established lists, such as Beall's list or that drawn up by StopPredatoryJournals. In case of difficulty in determining predatory status, we applied the criteria defined by Beall and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Out of 6056 articles in the SIGAPS database published by French orthopedic surgeons between 2008 and 2017, 323 could be suspected of being published in a predatory journal, but only 33 were so confirmed: i.e., 0.55% of French orthopedic scientific output over the study period. Eleven appeared in journals whose publishers were listed as predatory by Beall, 21 appeared in journals whose publishers had been listed as predatory on Beall's list in 2012 with the dubious editorial practices defined by Beall, and one article appeared in a journal found to be predatory on analysis of its editorial board. More than half of these articles (58%) were subject to APCs averaging $400. Despite a strong increase in the number of predatory journals over the last decade, very few French orthopedic surgeons resort to them to publish their work. Difficulty of identification and authors' lack of knowledge about this type of journals may account for some of these submissions. Scientific teams need to check certain criteria before submitting to a journal: short time to publication and low APC should be taken as warning signs, and any demand for payment after acceptance certainly raises the question of the journal's predatory nature. IV; retrospective study without control group.


Perlecan proteolysis induces an alpha2beta1 integrin- and Src family kinase-dependent anti-apoptotic pathway in fibroblasts in the absence of focal adhesion kinase activation.
Dysregulation of apoptosis in endothelial cells (EC) and fibroblasts contributes to fibrosis. We have shown previously that apoptosis of EC triggers the proteolysis of extracellular matrix components and the release of a C-terminal fragment of perlecan, which in turn inhibits apoptosis of fibroblasts. Here we have defined the receptors and pathways implicated in this anti-apoptotic response in fibroblasts. Neutralizing alpha2beta1 integrin activity in fibroblasts exposed to either medium conditioned by apoptotic EC (SSC) or a recombinant perlecan C-terminal fragment (LG3) prevented resistance to apoptosis and is associated with decreased levels of Akt phosphorylation. Co-incubation of fibroblasts for 24 h with SSC or LG3 in the presence of PP2 (AG1879), a biochemical inhibitor of Src family kinases (SFKs) and focal adhesion kinase, showed a significantly decreased anti-apoptotic response. However, focal adhesion kinase gene silencing with RNA interference did not inhibit the anti-apoptotic response in fibroblasts. Src phosphorylation was increased in fibroblasts exposed to SSC, and transfection of fibroblasts with constitutively active Src mutants induced an anti-apoptotic response that was not further increased by SSC. Also, Src(-/-)Fyn(-/-) fibroblasts failed to mount an anti-apoptotic response in presence of SSC for 24 h but developed a complete anti-apoptotic response when exposed to SSC for 7 days. These results suggest that extracellular matrix fragments produced by apoptotic EC initiate a state of resistance to apoptosis in fibroblasts via an alpha2beta1 integrin/SFK (Src and Fyn)/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent pathway. In the long term, additional SFK members are recruited for sustaining the anti-apoptotic response, which could play crucial roles in abnormal fibrogenic healing.


Nutrition interventions to address cardiovascular outcomes in chronic kidney disease.
The high mortality in chronic kidney disease has been linked to cardiovascular risk and these patients are considered at high risk. Dietary intervention can directly address nutritional risk factors in lipid management, calcium-phorphorus balance, and body composition to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease. Nutrient intake can also indirectly address less overt risks of dental health, nutritional supplements, and compliance issues.


Recovery of diaphragmatic function in awake sheep after two approaches to thoracic surgery.
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is replacing thoracotomy, but no study has addressed the extent or duration of VATS-induced diaphragmatic alteration. We hypothesized that VATS would impair diaphragmatic function less and return diaphragmatic function faster than thoracotomy. In eight sheep, sonomicrometers were randomly implanted on the right costal diaphragm via VATS or thoracotomy. Diaphragmatic resting length, shortening fraction, and respiratory function were measured weekly during quiet breathing (QB) and CO2 rebreathing for 4 wk. For VATS, shortening fraction was smallest on postoperative days 1 (POD 1) (6.4 +/- 3.4 and 12.9 +/- 8.7% during QB and 10% CO2 rebreathing, respectively) and 7 (6.3 +/- 3.4 and 16.9 +/- 4.0% during QB and 10% CO2 rebreathing, respectively) and recovered by 3 wk (13.2 +/- 1.8 and 28.9 +/- 8.0% during QB and 10% CO2 rebreathing, respectively). For thoracotomy, shortening fraction at 10% CO2 rebreathing was smaller on PODs 1, 7, 14 (15.9 +/- 7.1, 13.6 +/- 5.4, and 19.0 +/- 6.9%) than on POD 28 (29.9 +/- 8.2%), but not during QB on POD 1 or 7 (7.5 +/- 3.8 and 3.4 +/- 2.6%) compared with POD 28 (10.7 +/- 8.7%). Shortening fraction did not differ between surgeries. There was no group difference in minute ventilation, respiratory rate, transdiaphragmatic pressure, or esophageal and gastric pressures. In conclusion, although shortening fraction recovered faster for VATS, this translated into insignificant functional differences.


Photoperiod-Specific Expression of Eyes Absent 3 Splice Variant in the Pars Tuberalis of the Japanese Quail.
The molecular mechanism underlying photoperiodic response in seasonal breeding animals such as the Japanese quail, red jungle fowl, sheep, mouse, and hamster involves thyroid-stimulating hormone beta subunit (TSHβ) mRNA expression in the pars tuberalis stimulated by the extension in day length. Furthermore, this mechanism is regulated by eyes absent 3 (Eya3) in mammals. Even in birds, the expression of both TSHβ and EYA3 is induced in the pars tuberalis by the extension in day length; however, the relationship between the two genes is unknown. To clarify the function of EYA3 in quail photoperiodism, in the present study, we performed mRNA structure analysis of the Japanese quail EYA3 mRNA using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Southern blot analysis. The results revealed that there are four types of splice variants within regions of exons 7, 8, and 9 of quail EYA3 mRNA. Among the four splice variants of quail EYA3, the splice variant containing exon 7 was expressed in the pars tuberalis on the first long day, when quails were transferred from the short-day condition to the long-day condition. The results indicate that EYA3 splice variant containing exon 7 is involved in the photoperiodic response of the pars tuberalis in the Japanese quail.


Faked headaches becoming real.
In the gangster movie White Heat, the main character, Cody (played by James Cagney), suffers from 2 headache attacks. Here, I analyze these attacks by using the International Headache Society criteria, but an unequivocal diagnosis is not possible. Nevertheless, the attacks play an important role in the narrative and--as representation of something between "real" (mimesis) and not real--provide a ground for reflection on how to think of headache in general.


MMP9 variation after thrombolysis is associated with hemorrhagic transformation of lesion and death.
Experimentally, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a detrimental role related to hemorrhagic transformation and severity of an ischemic brain lesion. Tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) enhances such effects. This study aimed to expand clinical evidence in this connection. We measured MMPs 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases 1, 2, 4 circulating level in blood taken before and 24 hours after tPA from 327 patients (mean age, 68.9±12.1 years; median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, 11) with acute ischemic stroke. Delta median values ([24 hours post tPA-pre tPA]/pre tPA) of each MMP or tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase were analyzed across subgroups of patients undergoing symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, 3-month death, or 3-month modified Rankin Scale score 3 to 6. Adjusting for major clinical determinants, only matrix metalloproteinase-9 variation proved independently associated with death (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 1.58 [1.11-2.26]; P=0.045) or symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 1.40 [1.02-1.92]; P=0.049). Both matrix metalloproteinase-9 and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-4 changes were correlated with baseline, 24 hours, and 7 days National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (Spearman P from <0.001 to 0.040). Our clinical evidence corroborates the detrimental role of matrix metalloproteinase-9 during ischemic stroke treated with thrombolysis, and prompts clinical trials testing agents antagonizing its effects.


Metabolic phenotypes associated with high-temperature tolerance of Porphyra haitanensis strains.
Colored mutants of Porphyra haitanensis have superior production and quality characteristics, with two mutants, Shengfu 1 (SF-1) and Shengfu 2 (SF-2), having good high-temperature tolerances. To understand the molecular aspects of high-temperature tolerance, this study comprehensively investigated the metabolic differences between the high-temperature tolerant strains and wild type. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods identified 35 algal metabolites, including sugars, amino acids, carboxylic acids, aldehydes, amines, and nucleotides. The results indicated that the high-temperature tolerant strains had significantly different metabolic phenotypes from the wild type. The high-temperature tolerant mutants had significantly higher levels in a set of osmolytes consisting of betaine, taurine, laminitol, and isofloridoside than the wild type, indicating the particular importance of efficient osmoregulation for high-temperature resistance. These findings provided essential metabolic information about high-temperature adaptation for P. haitanensis and demonstrated NMR-based metabolomics as a useful tool for understanding the metabolic features related to resistance to stressors.


A Realtime, Open-Source Speech-Processing Platform for Research in Hearing Loss Compensation.
We are developing a realtime, wearable, open-source speech-processing platform (OSP) that can be configured at compile and run times by audiologists and hearing aid (HA) researchers to investigate advanced HA algorithms in lab and field studies. The goals of this contribution are to present the current system and propose areas for enhancements and extensions. We identify (i) basic and (ii) advanced features in commercial HAs and describe current signal processing libraries and reference designs to build a functional HA. We present performance of this system and compare with commercial HAs using "Specification of Hearing Aid Characteristics," the ANSI 3.22 standard. We then describe a wireless protocol stack for remote control of the HA parameters and uploading media and HA status for offline research. The proposed architecture enables advanced research to compensate for hearing loss by offloading processing from ear-level-assemblies, thereby eliminating the bottlenecks of CPU and communication between left and right HAs.


Selective effects of cyclodiene insecticides on dopamine release in mammalian synaptosomes.
Cyclodiene insecticides release labeled neurotransmitter in striatal and cortical synaptosome preparations under nondepolarizing conditions, typically showing half-maximal potencies for release in the low micromolar range. This level of potency is similar to those reported for inhibition of 36Cl- influx at the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)(A) receptor, their consensus target site. A wide variety of other GABA(A) antagonists, including picrotoxinin and bicuculline, did not cause significant dopamine release, which obviated direct involvement of the GABA(A) receptor as a possible site of action. Release assays with different transmitters indicated that striatal dopaminergic terminals are severalfold more sensitive to release than other neurotransmitter types. The selective sensitivity of nigrostriatal dopaminergic nerve terminals to insecticidal organochlorines provides biochemical evidence supporting an epidemiological linkage between exposure to environmental toxicants and Parkinsonism.


Evaluating performance of the operational managers of obstetrics and gynecology service providing wards.
The goal of hospitals, as the most important health care providing centers, is to improve the health level of the society. Achieving this goal is directly related with performance of the managers. This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of operational managers of obstetrics and gynecology service providing wards from the point of view of the staff at educational hospitals of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2015. In this descriptive study, target population comprised all supervisors and the staff working at obstetrics and gynecology and maternity wards. Data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire after evaluation of its reliability and validity using questions on managerial performance (planning, organizing, leadership, and control dimensions) and demographic characteristics of the managers and staff. Data were analyzed using independent t-test, one sample t-test, Spearman and Pearson coefficient tests, and one-way analysis of variance. The total mean score of staff's point of view toward performance of managers' performance was significantly higher than the average level (P < 0.001, t = 13.2). In addition, mean scores of managerial performance in planning (P < 0.001, t = 14.93), organizing (P < 0.001, t = 11.64), leadership (P < 0.001, t = 11.16), and control (P < 0.001, t = 13.75) dimensions were significantly higher than the moderate level. With respect to the fact that maintaining and improving the health of mothers and neonates depends on the management and managers' performance in obstetrics and gynecology service providing wards, more than moderate managers' performance need to be improved. It is recommended that higher-level managers pay special attention to the empowerment of managerial skills among operational managers.


Polygonatum odoratum lectin promotes BECN1 expression and induces autophagy in malignant melanoma by regulation of miR1290.
Autophagy is not only a survival response to growth-factor or nutrient deprivation but also an important mechanism for tumor-cell suicide, including melanoma. Polygonatum odoratum lectin (POL) displays apoptosis- and autophagy-inducing effects in many human tumors. POL also inhibits the growth of melanoma cells, but its role and molecular mechanism in malignant melanoma remain unclear. In this study, we found that POL suppressed proliferation and induced autophagy in melanoma cells. miR1290 was upregulated and inhibited autophagy in melanoma. BECN1 is the direct functional effector of miR1290. Furthermore, we found that POL promoted BECN1 expression though inhibition of miR1290, thus inducing melanoma-cell autophagy. This finding elucidates a new role and mechanism for POL in melanoma, and provides a potential antineoplastic agent for melanoma treatment.


Quality assurance: measures of maternal knowledge and satisfaction.
This paper reviews the introduction and results of an Outcome Assessment system developed to determine if all women delivering at the Royal Women's Hospital, Brisbane were receiving an acceptable level of care. The system involves measurement of four outcome variables: nosocomial infection rate; medication error rate; accident rate; and a comprehensive patient questionnaire. Scores are combined and a monthly Quality of Care Score, and other information including the Caesarean delivery rate, bed occupancy rate, number of primiparas in the ward and percentage of women who failed to achieve a minimum acceptable score, is prepared for each ward. On another level, the system allows midwives to objectively evaluate the care provided in their ward by involving each patient's primary midwife, clinical nurse consultant and unit manager in the collection and review of data. The monthly feedback to wards, the Director of Nursing, Chief Executive Officer, Dietitian and Senior Domestic Supervisor has resulted in changes which had previously been difficult to achieve.


An overview on natural polysaccharides with antioxidant properties.
Pharmacotherapy using natural substances can be currently regarded as a very promising future alternative to conventional therapy. With the rapid development of biotechnologies and analytical techniques, a great number of methods have been developed for the identification and quantification of the material, extracts, and products of natural ingredients. The advances available today. The need for safer drugs without side effects has led to the use of natural ingredients with proven safety. In recent years, some bioactive polysaccharides isolated from natural sources have attracted much attention in the field of biochemistry and pharmacology. As an example, polysaccharides or their glycoconjugates were shown to exhibit multiple biological activities including anticarcinogenic, anticoagulant, immunostimulating, antioxidant, etc. During the last several years, we have witnessed a steady expansion in the number of publications that focus in antioxidant polysaccharides. This review presents current findings on the latest advancements and trends in antioxidant polysaccharides isolated from the following: plants, fungi, bacteria, animal sources, and algae. Some interesting studies focus on investigation of the relationship between their structure and antioxidant activity, elucidation of their antioxidant mechanism at the molecular level, and improvement of their various biological activities by chemical modifications. Although the mechanism of their antioxidant action is still not completely clear, these polysaccharides are suggested to enhance cell-mediated immune responses in vivo and in vitro and act as biological response modifiers.


Diffuse abdominal splenosis mimicking peritoneal metastases in a 35-year-old man with a resectable carcinoma of the ampulla of vater.
A 35-year-old man with a history of blunt abdominal trauma and splenic rupture was diagnosed with an ampullary adenocarcinoma. At workup, a CT scan showed multiple intra-abdominal lesions similar to peritoneal carcinosis, and the patient was referred for palliative chemotherapy. On clinical suspicion, however, a biopsy was performed on an intra-abdominal lesion, establishing the diagnosis of abdominal splenosis. A radical pancreaticoduodenectomy ad modum Whipple was performed, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine. At the 18-month follow-up, the patient was free from recurrent disease. We conclude that splenosis should be considered as a differential diagnosis of peritoneal metastases in cancer patients with a history of abdominal trauma and/or splenectomy. Other reports on splenosis in cancer patients and diagnostic workup are discussed.


Effect of Holding Conditions on the Detection of Chikungunya and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Viruses in Mosquito Pools.
Emerging and re-emerging arboviruses continue to be a threat to global public health, and viral surveillance of mosquito populations is critical for mosquito control operations. Due to the tropical climate of many of the affected areas, it may be difficult to maintain a cold chain as the samples travel from collection sites to laboratories for testing. We determined how suboptimal holding temperatures affected the ability to detect viruses in pools of mosquitoes. Adult female Aedes albopictus and Ae. taeniorhynchus individuals were inoculated with chikungunya virus or Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus suspensions, respectively, and placed at 26°C for 8 days. One infected mosquito was then added to a vial of 24 negative mosquitoes and held at -80°C, -20°C, 4°C, 22°C, or 35°C for up to 14 days. Mosquito pools were analyzed for both infectious virus by plaque assay and for viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) with reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). At higher temperatures, the amount of infectious virus decreased rapidly, but viruses in samples held at 4°C or lower remained relatively stable. In contrast, viral RNA was detectable from pools held at all temperatures and holding times by RT-qPCR. Cycle threshold (Ct) values increased as temperatures and holding times increased. These findings suggest that if viral RNA detection is the goal of surveillance efforts, then mosquito pools do not require storage at ≤4°C. This enhances the feasibility of field-based arbovirus surveillance programs in which maintaining a cold chain may not be a possibility.


Enhancement of camptothecin-induced topoisomerase I cleavage complexes by the acetaldehyde adduct N2-ethyl-2'-deoxyguanosine.
The activity of DNA topoisomerase I (Top1), an enzyme that regulates DNA topology, is impacted by DNA structure alterations and by the anticancer alkaloid camptothecin (CPT). Here, we evaluated the effect of the acetaldehyde-derived DNA adduct, N2-ethyl-2'-deoxyguanosine (N2-ethyl-dG), on human Top1 nicking and closing activities. Using purified recombinant Top1, we show that Top1 nicking-closing activity remains unaffected in N2-ethyl-dG adducted oligonucleotides. However, the N2-ethyl-dG adduct enhanced CPT-induced Top1-DNA cleavage complexes depending on the relative position of the N2-ethyl-dG adduct with respect to the Top1 cleavage site. The Top1-mediated DNA religation (closing) was selectively inhibited when the N2-ethyl-dG adduct was present immediately 3' from the Top1 site (position +1). In addition, when the N2-ethyl-dG adduct was located at the -5 position, CPT enhanced cleavage at an alternate Top1 cleavage site immediately adjacent to the adduct, which was then at position +1 relative to this new alternate Top1 site. Modeling studies suggest that the ethyl group on the N2-ethyl-dG adduct located at the 5' end of a Top1 site (position +1) sterically blocks the dissociation of CPT from the Top1-DNA complex, thereby inhibiting further the religation (closing) reaction.


Primary non-compliance with prescribed medication in primary care.
To determine the rate of patients not redeeming their prescriptions (primary noncompliance) and assess the factors influencing this. Observational study comparing copies of prescriptions written by general practitioners with those dispensed by pharmacists and subsequent case record review. A large rural general practice in Tayside. All 4854 patients who received prescriptions (20,921) written between January 1989 and March 1989. The rate of non-redemption of prescriptions. Seven hundred and two patients (14.5%) did not redeem 1072 (5.2%) prescriptions during the study period, amounting to 11.5% of men and 16.3% of women. Non-redemption was highest in women aged 16-29 (27.6% of women) and men aged 40-49 (18.3% of men). Of prescriptions issued to women for oral contraceptives 24.8% were not redeemed during the study period. In those who redeemed prescriptions 17% were not exempt from prescription charges compared with 33% of patients who failed to redeem them. The non-redemption rate was highest for prescriptions issued at the weekends, although this was a small proportion of all prescribing. Prescriptions issued by trainee general practitioners were also less likely to be redeemed. Non-redemption varies with age, sex, general practitioner, exemption status, and with day of the week the prescription was written. Observational studies of drug exposure can be more accurately estimated from dispensing rather than prescribing data.


Butanol Tolerance of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum: A Transcriptome Study.
Biobutanol is a promising alternative fuel with impaired microbial production thanks to its toxicity. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) is among the few bacterial species that can naturally tolerate 3% (v/v) butanol. This study aims to identify the genetic factors involved in the butanol stress response of L. plantarum by comparing the differential gene expression in two strains with very different butanol tolerance: the highly resistant Ym1, and the relatively sensitive 8-1. During butanol stress, a total of 319 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found in Ym1, and 516 in 8-1. Fifty genes were upregulated and 54 were downregulated in both strains, revealing the common species-specific effects of butanol stress: upregulation of multidrug efflux transporters (SMR, MSF), toxin-antitoxin system, transcriptional regulators (TetR/AcrR, Crp/Fnr, and DeoR/GlpR), Hsp20, and genes involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis. Strong inhibition of the pyrimidine biosynthesis occurred in both strains. However, the strains differed greatly in DEGs responsible for the membrane transport, tryptophan synthesis, glycerol metabolism, tRNAs, and some important transcriptional regulators (Spx, LacI). Uniquely upregulated in the butanol-resistant strain Ym1 were the genes encoding GntR, GroEL, GroES, and foldase PrsA. The phosphoenolpyruvate flux and the phosphotransferase system (PTS) also appear to be major factors in butanol tolerance.


Correlation between high Choline metabolite signal in spectroscopy and sperm retrieval chance at micro-TESE.
To determine the relationship between choline (Cho) signal intensity measured before micro-dissection testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE) and sperm retrieval rates in mTESE in non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) patients. A total of 20 patients who underwent testicular MR spectroscopy were included in the study. Participants consisted of 10 patients diagnosed with NOA and 10 fertile cases with normal sperm counts. Both groups of participants underwent bilateral testis MR spectroscopy. Ten patients in the NOA group underwent mTESE after spectroscopy. The signal intensities of Cho, creatine (Cr), lactate, and lipids were analyzed and compared with the results of fertile control. Cho signal intensity detected before mTESE in the NOA group and sperm retrieval rates were compared. Sperm was found in 5 of 10 patients who underwent mTESE. No sperm was found in five NOA cases. The main metabolites detected in NOA cases with sperm in mTESE were Cho and Cr. Cho and Cr signals were found to be significantly lower in NOA cases where no sperm could be found in mTESE. Cho and Cr signal intensities of the fertile group were similar to NOA patients with sperm in mTESE but were significantly higher than those with NOA without sperm. While the cut-off value of Cho was 1.24 ppm (AUC 0.665, p = 0.01 [95% CI: 0.722-1.00]) the cut-off value of Cr was 1.18 ppm (AUC 0.887, p = 0.02 [95% CI]): 0.620-1.00]) for positive sperm retrieval. Detection of high Cho metabolite in the spectra before TESE in NOA patients increases sperm retrieval rates in mTESE.


The probability and chromosomal extent of trans-specific polymorphism.
Balancing selection may result in trans-specific polymorphism: the maintenance of allelic classes that transcend species boundaries by virtue of being more ancient than the species themselves. At the selected site, gene genealogies are expected not to reflect the species tree. Because of linkage, the same will be true for part of the surrounding chromosomal region. Here we obtain various approximations for the distribution of the length of this region and discuss the practical implications of our results. Our main finding is that the trans-specific region surrounding a single-locus balanced polymorphism is expected to be quite short, probably too short to be readily detectable. Thus lack of obvious trans-specific polymorphism should not be taken as evidence against balancing selection. When trans-specific polymorphism is obvious, on the other hand, it may be reasonable to argue that selection must be acting on multiple sites or that recombination is suppressed in the surrounding region.


Multispectral Near-Infrared Imaging of Composite Restorations in Extracted Teeth.
One major advantage of composite restoration materials is that they can be color matched to the tooth. However, this presents a challenge when composites fail and they need to be replaced. Dentists typically spend more time repairing and replacing composites than placing new restorations. Previous studies have shown that near-infrared imaging can be used to distinguish between sound enamel and decay due to the differences in light scattering. The purpose of this study was to use a similar approach and exploit differences in light scattering to attain high contrast between composite and tooth structure. Extracted human teeth with composites (n=16) were imaged in occlusal transmission mode at wavelengths of 1300-nm, 1460-nm and 1550-nm using an InGaAs image sensor with a tungsten halogen light source with spectral filters. All samples were also imaged in the visible range using a high definition 3D digital microscope. Our results indicate that NIR wavelengths at 1460-nm and 1550-nm, coincident with higher water absorption yield the highest contrast between dental composites and tooth structure.


Otosclerosis: a perilabyrinthine threshold phenomenon.
This paper is a review of our most recent findings concerning the osteo-dynamics of the bony otic capsule and pathogenesis of otosclerosis. By exploring the spatial relationship between normal perilabyrinthine bone remodeling, the viability and spatial distribution of labyrinthine osteocytes, and the location of otosclerosis, a unique spatial pattern emerged. Bone remodeling is highly inhibited around the inner ear space. Most likely, inner ear anti-resorptive signals enter the bony otic capsule through the lacuno-canalicular porosity. The patency of this signaling pathway depends on the viability of individual osteocytes. In the young otic capsule the density of viable osteocytes is high and centripetally distributed. This arrangement may sustain a life-long osseus pathway for anti-resorptive signals even within a bone where a considerable loss of viable osteocytes must be expected, as demonstrated by a centripetal accumulation of dead osteocytes with age. The spatial distribution of dead osteocytes follows the same general pattern as otosclerosis. We suggest that clustering of dead osteocytes may impede the transmission of anti-resorptive signals locally, leaving such ghost regions susceptible to focal bone remodeling as in human otosclerosis. The preserved network of viable osteocytes around the depleted ghost regions may contain the process and distort the structure of bone remodeling into an abnormal otosclerotic pattern.


Molecular biology applied to the laboratory diagnosis of bacterial endophthalmitis.
Bacterial endophthalmitis is a serious but uncommon intraocular infection which frequently results in vision loss. Early diagnosis and appropriate therapy are associated with better visual outcome. Conventional microbiological methods are currently used for microbiological characterization of eyes with suspected endophthalmitis. However, the sensitivity of bacterial detection from aqueous and vitreous humor using microbiology techniques is poor, and time-consuming to confirm the results. The application of molecular methods enhances significantly laboratory confirmation of bacterial endophthalmitis, demanding a shorter time to draw a definitive result and thereby promoting the early initiation of a more specific therapy to limit the empirical or unnecessary use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. PCR-based techniques, including post-PCR methods such RFLP, DNA probe hybridization and DNA sequencing have been successfully used for the diagnostic elucidation of clinically suspected bacterial endophthalmitis cases, showing promising application in the routine practice of ocular microbiology laboratories.


Hormonal control of orthophosphate incorporation into phospholipids of barley aleurone layers.
Gibberellic acid added to isolated barley aleurone layers enhances orthophosphate incorporation into chloroform-methanol-soluble compounds. The effect is measurable at 4 to 6 hours after the addition of gibberellic acid and reaches a maximum after 8 to 12 hours. The increase in the rate of orthophosphate incorporation is 3- to 5-fold over the rate in control layers incubated without gibberellic acid.The gibberellic acid enhancement of the rate of phospholipid labeling is inhibited within 1 to 2 hours by cycloheximide, 6-methylpurine, and abscisic acid.The increase in labeling of phospholipids occurs throughout the subcellular fractions rather than being restricted to a specific fraction or organelle. The increase in radioactivity in phospholipids as shown by thin layer chromatography is due to a proportional increase in all phospholipids.The enhancement by gibberellic acid of the rate of phospholipid labeling may be required for the subsequent production of gibberellic acid-induced hydrolases.


Electron-vibration coupling induced renormalization in the photoemission spectrum of diamondoids.
The development of theories and methods devoted to the accurate calculation of the electronic quasi-particle states and levels of molecules, clusters and solids is of prime importance to interpret the experimental data. These quantum systems are often modelled by using the Born-Oppenheimer approximation where the coupling between the electrons and vibrational modes is not fully taken into account, and the electrons are treated as pure quasi-particles. Here, we show that in small diamond cages, called diamondoids, the electron-vibration coupling leads to the breakdown of the electron quasi-particle picture. More importantly, we demonstrate that the strong electron-vibration coupling is essential to properly describe the overall lineshape of the experimental photoemission spectrum. This cannot be obtained by methods within Born-Oppenheimer approximation. Moreover, we deduce a link between the vibronic states found by our many-body perturbation theory approach and the well-known Jahn-Teller effect.


Molecular analysis of constitutively expressed erm(C) genes selected in vitro by incubation in the presence of the noninducers quinupristin, telithromycin, or ABT-773.
A Staphylococcus aureus strain that harbored a plasmid-borne inducibly expressed erm(C) gene was cultivated in the presence of the noninducers quinupristin, telithromycin, and ABT-773. After overnight incubation, 78 mutants that displayed combined resistance to macrolides, lincosamides, streptogramin B antibiotics, and ketolides were analyzed for the genetic basis of this altered resistance phenotype. Because this resistance phenotype is indicative for constitutively expressed erm(C) genes, the erm(C) regulatory regions of all mutants were sequenced. All 78 mutants showed sequence alterations in the erm(C) translational attenuator. Seventeen different types of sequence deletions ranging from 5 bp to 121 bp and nine different types of tandem duplications of 13-100 bp, all causing constitutive erm(C) gene expression, were detected. These sequence deletions or tandem duplications either favored the formation of mRNA secondary structures in the erm(C) translational attenuator, which did not inhibit translation of the erm(C) transcripts, or completely prevented the formation of any mRNA secondary structures in the erm(C) translational attenuator. The mean frequencies of 10-6 to 10-8 by which constitutive mutants were obtained, strongly suggest that telithromycin and ABT-773 not be recommended for the treatment of staphylococci that exhibit the inducible MLSB phenotype.


Eruptive keratoacanthoma en plaque in an immunosuppressed patient.
Immunosuppressive therapy predisposes to the development of a variety of neoplasms. A 63-year-old man developed multiple eruptive epithelial tumors 15 years after renal transplantation. The tumors included what had been diagnosed as squamous cell carcinomas, Bowen's disease, and solitary and eruptive keratoacanthomas. In addition, he developed a large plaque studded with small nodules that had the histologic features of keratoacanthoma. To our knowledge, this is the first example of acquired eruptive keratoacanthoma forming a large plaque.


Integrating Illness Management Into Identity Verification Processes.
Individuals living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) or type 2 diabetes (T2D) can experience conflict between self-presentation and their symptoms or management regimens. In this article, I explain how these individuals might use their illness management techniques to aid in successfully self-presenting or having their identities verified. Interview respondents associate conflicts brought on by symptoms or management regimens with identity processes and report some instances when illness management enables them to successfully perform identities. Researchers have previously found ways that individuals work to renegotiate or preserve their identities by suppressing or hiding their illnesses. I additionally highlight instances where individuals embrace illness management to successfully perform identities, a process I call integrating illness management into the identity verification process. The importance of research on access to illness management tools and education is emphasized, as researchers aid individuals not only in maintaining good health but also being their best social selves.


Remote fiber-optic chemical sensing using evanescent-wave interactions in chalcogenide glass fibers.
An infrared-transmitting chalcogenide fiber was used as an optical probe to analyze qualitatively and quantitatively various chemical substances in aqueous solutions. An unclad fiber with 380-microm diameter was combined with a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer to monitor the concentration of the analytes in solutions by measuring the changes in the absorbance of their fundamental vibration peaks. A linear relationship was observed between the absorption by the vanescent field and concentrations of various analytes. For this study low concentrations of acetone, ethyl alcohol, and sulfuric acid were detected in aqueous solutions. The minimum detection limit for these three chemical substances was 5, 3, and 2 vol. %, respectively, with a sensor length of 15 cm. It was also demonstrated that the same sensor design is capable of monitoring gaseous species such as dichlorodifluoromethane.


Cortical columns: a multi-parameter examination.
Columnar structure in the cerebral cortex has been demonstrated in numerous studies. However, in the visual system, it is not clear from imaging, basic physiological and anatomical approaches how multiple stimulus parameters are related within columns. We have analyzed recordings from pairs of neurons in the striate cortex of the cat using various spatial and temporal parameters. We find that most parameters are clustered within inferred columns with the exception of spatial phase. Diversity of phase could be useful for serial processing in central visual pathways.


Successful use of acitretin in conjunction with narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy in a child with severe pustular psoriasis, von Zumbusch type.
Severe pustular psoriasis von Zumbusch type is a therapeutic challenge not only in adults, but even more in children. We report a 3(1/2)-year-old boy who developed a generalized flare of diffusely scattered pustules on erythematous skin which rapidly progressed to large exuding areas. The clinical presentation and investigations including histopathological examination of a biopsy and negative bacterial cultures were consistent with the diagnosis of pustular psoriasis von Zumbusch type. Upon initial treatment with methylprednisolone, acitretin and antibiotics the extent of the disease declined. However, several attempts to reduce the dose of the oral corticosteroid were followed by immediate severe flares. Additional treatment with narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB, 311-313 nm UVB) resulted in a rapid arrest of disease activity and allowed the corticosteroid to be tapered off. After 10 irradiations the patient was both off steroid and disease free. NB-UVB therapy was subsequently reduced to twice-weekly exposures and acitretin gradually diminished to a maintenance dose of 0.3 mg kg(-1) daily. We conclude that NB-UVB in conjunction with acitretin is a potent therapeutic regimen for the treatment of severe pustular psoriasis von Zumbusch type in childhood.


Spine Conditions: Cervical Spine Conditions.
There are a variety of causes of neck pain, including trauma and degenerative changes. The history of onset helps to direct evaluation, including the need for imaging or ancillary testing. Patterns of pain, weakness, and other specific physical examination findings also aid in diagnosis. Management of most soft tissue injuries involves early mobilization, whereas fractures are managed based on patterns of instability. Acute spinal cord injury requires emergent care, to include possible decompressive surgery. The role of hypothermia and corticosteroids in these patients remains unclear. Cervical radiculopathy (eg, disk herniation, arthritic changes) can be managed conservatively in most patients. Central cord compression, or myelopathy, often is overlooked but is a common condition among older patients. Although certain patients may benefit from surgery, many have a stable course or slow progression that can be managed nonsurgically. Rheumatoid arthritis can have significant effects on the cervical spine. Patients with inflammatory conditions may improve with steroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or biologic drugs, but these drugs rarely have lasting benefit in degenerative conditions. Stretching, strengthening, and other physical therapy modalities have been shown to be helpful for patients with chronic and acute but stable neck conditions.


CLCF1 Is a Novel Potential Immune-Related Target With Predictive Value for Prognosis and Immunotherapy Response in Glioma.
Cardiotrophin-like cytokine factor 1 (CLCF1) has been described as an oncogene and a potential therapeutic target in a variety of cancers, but its role in glioma remains unknown. Based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we conducted a bioinformatics analysis to investigate the clinical significance and biological functions of CLCF1 in glioma at the transcriptional level and predicted the response to immunotherapy of glioma patients with different CLCF1 expression levels. All the results were further verified in Chinese Glioma Genome Altas(CGGA) Data processing and figure generating were performed with R language. Elevated CLCF1 expression was common in cancers and usually predicted poor prognosis, which was also consistent with gliomas. In Univariate Cox Regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, tumor patients with higher CLCF1 expression tended to experience a worse prognosis. In the multivariate Cox proportional hazard model, the expression of CLCF1 was an independent prognostic factor in gliomas. The biological function analysis of CLCF1 in glioma showed that CLCF1 was closely associated with immune signatures, including immune-related pathways, immune cell infiltration, and immune checkpoints. Moreover, glioma patients with low CLCF1 expression showed a greater tendency to respond to anti-PD1/PD-L1 immunotherapy, indicating CLCF1 also had potential clinical significance in guiding immunotherapy. And CLCF1 as a member of the IL6 family had a better predictive value for prognosis and immunotherapy response in glioma than that of IL6 and other IL6 family members. CLCF1 expression is an independent prognosticator and a promising therapeutic target correlated with immunotherapy in glioma.


Novel putative drivers revealed by targeted exome sequencing of advanced solid tumors.
Next generation sequencing (NGS) is becoming increasingly integrated into oncological practice and clinical research. NGS methods have also provided evidence for clonal evolution of cancers during disease progression and treatment. The number of variants associated with response to specific therapeutic agents keeps increasing. However, the identification of novel driver mutations as opposed to passenger (phenotypically silent or clinically irrelevant) mutations remains a major challenge. We conducted targeted exome sequencing of advanced solid tumors from 44 pre-treated patients with solid tumors including breast, colorectal and lung carcinomas, neuroendocrine tumors, sarcomas and others. We catalogued established driver mutations and putative new drivers as predicted by two distinct algorithms. The established drivers we detected were consistent with published observations. However, we also detected a significant number of mutations with driver potential never described before in each tumor type we studied. These putative drivers belong to key cell fate regulatory networks, including potentially druggable pathways. Should our observations be confirmed, they would support the hypothesis that new driver mutations are selected by treatment in clinically aggressive tumors, and indicate a need for longitudinal genomic testing of solid tumors to inform second line cancer treatment.


[Genetic transformation of Pinellia ternata with Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated sHSP genes].
To establish an efficient genetic transformation system of Pinellia ternata. With petioles from test-tube seedlings of P. ternata as explants, Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediation method was adopted to explore the effect of phenolic substances, A. tumefaciens's concentration, infection time, pre-incubation time and co-cultivation time on genetic transformation efficiency of P. ternata. The genetic transformation efficiency could be effectively enhanced by infecting in A. tumefaciens culture containing AS 40 mg x L(-1) for 15 min for three days. The petioles were put into the differentiation medium containing 150 mg x L(-1) Kan and 350 mg x L(-1) Carb to screening and cultivation. After around 30 days, microtubers could be observed at both sides of the petioles. Gus staining and PCR verification on the regenerated plants showed that the exogenous gene sHSP had been integrated into genome of P. ternata.


Evidence for two domains of growth temperature for the psychrotrophic bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens MF0.
The variations in the maximal specific growth rate of the psychrotrophic bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens MF0 with respect to temperature were studied between 0 and 30 degrees C (optimal for growth). The Arrhenius plot showed a drastic change in slope at the intermediate temperature of 17 degrees C. Over the cold domain from 0 to 17 degrees C, the temperature characteristic was twofold higher than over the suboptimal domain from 17 to 30 degrees C. The macromolecular composition of exponentially growing cells was invariant over the entire range from 0 to 30 degrees C. Variations of temperature and growth rate were independently investigated through chemostat experiments in order to characterize their respective effects on cell macromolecular composition and size. The effect of growth rate in this psychrotrophic strain is identical to that of all other bacteria assayed so far. In contrast, an original biphasic variation of total protein concentration was demonstrated in strain MF0 with respect to temperature, with a maximum at 17 to 20 degrees C. Indeed, increasing the temperature in the chemostat resulted in a biphasic decrease in the net protein production rate: a very slight decrease below 17 degrees C and a much larger decrease from 17 to 28 degrees C. These results could signify an increase in the cellular protein degradation rate with increasing temperature, especially above 17 degrees C.


Application of an integrated Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)/CALPUFF modeling tool for source apportionment of atmospheric pollutants for air quality management: A case study in the urban area of Benxi, China.
In this study, the authors endeavored to develop an effective framework for improving local urban air quality on meso-micro scales in cities in China that are experiencing rapid urbanization. Within this framework, the integrated Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)/CALPUFF modeling system was applied to simulate the concentration distributions of typical pollutants (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm [PM10], sulfur dioxide [SO2], and nitrogen oxides [NOx]) in the urban area of Benxi. Statistical analyses were performed to verify the credibility of this simulation, including the meteorological fields and concentration fields. The sources were then categorized using two different classification methods (the district-based and type-based methods), and the contributions to the pollutant concentrations from each source category were computed to provide a basis for appropriate control measures. The statistical indexes showed that CALMET had sufficient ability to predict the meteorological conditions, such as the wind fields and temperatures, which provided meteorological data for the subsequent CALPUFF run. The simulated concentrations from CALPUFF showed considerable agreement with the observed values but were generally underestimated. The spatial-temporal concentration pattern revealed that the maximum concentrations tended to appear in the urban centers and during the winter. In terms of their contributions to pollutant concentrations, the districts of Xihu, Pingshan, and Mingshan all affected the urban air quality to different degrees. According to the type-based classification, which categorized the pollution sources as belonging to the Bengang Group, large point sources, small point sources, and area sources, the source apportionment showed that the Bengang Group, the large point sources, and the area sources had considerable impacts on urban air quality. Finally, combined with the industrial characteristics, detailed control measures were proposed with which local policy makers could improve the urban air quality in Benxi. In summary, the results of this study showed that this framework has credibility for effectively improving urban air quality, based on the source apportionment of atmospheric pollutants. The authors endeavored to build up an effective framework based on the integrated WRF/CALPUFF to improve the air quality in many cities on meso-micro scales in China. Via this framework, the integrated modeling tool is accurately used to study the characteristics of meteorological fields, concentration fields, and source apportionments of pollutants in target area. The impacts of classified sources on air quality together with the industrial characteristics can provide more effective control measures for improving air quality. Through the case study, the technical framework developed in this study, particularly the source apportionment, could provide important data and technical support for policy makers to assess air pollution on the scale of a city in China or even the world.


[The phylogenetic role of ontogenies (recapitulation and morphogenesis)].
Different approaches to evolutionary interpretation of ontogenies are compared, with special emphasis on the evolutionary role of morphogenetic mechanisms (construction technologies) substantially affecting the structure of definitive forms: they largely determine the structural characteristics of organs, types of anatomical and histological systems, and specificity of symmetry of organisms and their parts. The role of cellular morphogenesis inherited from protozoic ancestors in the morphogenesis of multicellular organisms is demonstrated. Two main ways of improving morphogeneses are considered, based on epithelial morphogenesis and early determined few-celled primordial. On the one hand, the phylogenetic role of archallaxes and deviations is emphasized, these events often switching evolution to a fundamentally new direction. On the other hand, many characteristics of developmental stages are explainable by rationalization of morphogeneses and do not recapitulate ancestral forms, which should be taken into consideration in phylogenetic interpretation of embryogeneses; in particular, this applies to interpretation of axial relationships.