Validation of a clinical prediction model for early admission to the intensive care unit of patients with pneumonia.
The Risk of Early Admission to the Intensive Care Unit (REA-ICU) index is a clinical prediction model that was derived based on 4,593 patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) for predicting early admission to the intensive care unit (ICU; i.e., within 3 days following emergency department [ED] presentation). This study aimed to validate the REA-ICU index in an independent sample. The authors retrospectively stratified 850 CAP patients enrolled in a multicenter prospective randomized trial conducted in Switzerland, using the REA-ICU index, alternate clinical prediction models of severe pneumonia (SMART-COP, CURXO-80, and the 2007 IDSA/ATS minor severity criteria), and pneumonia severity assessment tools (the Pneumonia Severity Index [PSI] and CURB-65). The rate of early ICU admission did not differ between the validation and derivation samples within each risk class of the REA-ICU index, ranging from 1.1% to 1.8% in risk class I to 27.1% to 27.6% in risk class IV. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were 0.76 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.70 to 0.83) and 0.80 (95% CI = 0.77 to 0.83) in the validation and derivation samples, respectively. In the validation sample, the REA-ICU index performed better than the pneumonia severity assessment tools, but failed to demonstrate an accuracy advantage over alternate prediction models in predicting ICU admission. The REA-ICU index reliably stratifies CAP patients into four categories of increased risk for early ICU admission within 3 days following ED presentation. Further research is warranted to determine whether inflammatory biomarkers may improve the performance of this clinical prediction model.


Radiation therapy for incompletely excised grade II canine mast cell tumors.
Forty-five dogs with incompletely excised grade II mast cell tumors were treated with radiation using a cobalt 60 teletherapy unit (15 fractions of 3.2 Gy for a total of 48 Gy). Twenty-four of the dogs underwent prophylactic regional lymph node irradiation. Three (6.7%) dogs had tumor recurrence, two (4.4%) dogs developed metastasis, and 14 (31%) dogs developed a second cutaneous mast cell tumor. No difference in overall survival rate was observed between the dogs receiving and not receiving prophylactic irradiation of the regional lymph node.


The first molecular phylogeny of Strepsiptera (Insecta) reveals an early burst of molecular evolution correlated with the transition to endoparasitism.
A comprehensive model of evolution requires an understanding of the relationship between selection at the molecular and phenotypic level. We investigate this in Strepsiptera, an order of endoparasitic insects whose evolutionary biology is poorly studied. We present the first molecular phylogeny of Strepsiptera, and use this as a framework to investigate the association between parasitism and molecular evolution. We find evidence of a significant burst in the rate of molecular evolution in the early history of Strepsiptera. The evolution of morphological traits linked to parasitism is significantly correlated with the pattern in molecular rate. The correlated burst in genotypic-phenotypic evolution precedes the main phase of strepsipteran diversification, which is characterised by the return to a low and even molecular rate, and a period of relative morphological stability. These findings suggest that the transition to endoparasitism led to relaxation of selective constraint in the strepsipteran genome. Our results indicate that a parasitic lifestyle can affect the rate of molecular evolution, although other causal life-history traits correlated with parasitism may also play an important role.


β-arrestin2 Affects Cardiac Progenitor Cell Survival through Cell Mobility and Tube Formation in Severe Hypoxia.
β-arrestin2 (β-arr2) basically regulates multiple signaling pathways in mammalian cells by desensitization and internalization of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). We investigated impacts of β-arr2 on survival, mobility, and tube formation of cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) obtained from wild-type (WT) mouse (CPC-WT), and β-arr2 knock-out (KO) mouse (CPC-KO) cultured in presence or absence of serum and oxygen as non-canonical roles in GPCR system. CPCs were cultured in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium/Nutrient Mixture F-12 -based media containing fetal bovine serum and growth factors. Survival of 2 types of CPCs in hypoxia and/or serum deprivation was measured by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Wound healing ability, and tube formation ability on Matrigel of 2 kinds of CPCs were compared in normoxic and hypoxic cultures. Protein expression related to survival and mobility were measured with the Western blot for each culture conditions. CPC-KO showed significantly worse mobility in the wound healing assay and in tube formation on Matrigel especially in hypoxic culture than did the CPC-WT. Also, CPC-KO showed significantly higher apoptosis fraction in both normoxic and hypoxic cultures than did the CPC-WT. Expression of proteins associated with cell survival and mobility, e.g., protein kinase B (Akt), β-catenin, and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) was significantly worse in CPC-KO. The CPC-KO had significantly worse cell mobility, tube formation ability, and survival than the CPC-WT, especially in the hypoxic cultures. Apparently, β-arr2 is important on CPC survival by means of mobility and tube formation in myocardial ischemia.


Photoluminescence property of A9B(VO4)7 [A = Ca, Sr, Ba and B = La, Gd] phosphors.
A new efficient phosphor, A9B(VO4)7 [A = Ca, Sr, Ba and B = La, Gd] has been synthesized by the solid-state method at high temperature. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of the compound. Photoluminescence excitation measurements show that the phosphor can be efficiently excited by near-ultraviolet light from 300 nm to 400 nm to realize emission covering the 397-647 nm region of visible spectrum. Therefore, newly synthesized novel phosphor may be useful as green-emitting phosphor in solid-state lighting.


[Impact of quantitative and qualitative pathogen culture on the outcome of ventilator-associated pneumonia].
To evaluate the impact diagnostic methods with either quantitative culture (QC) or qualitative routine culture (RC) on the outcome of VAP. A prospective, controlled clinical trial in 93 consecutive VAP episodes of 31 patients receiving mechanical ventilation was conducted. VAP episodes were randomly and crossly divided into QC (43 episodes, underwent FOB-PSB-QC) and RC group (50 episodes, underwent ETA-RC). Empirical antibiotic treatment was given according to the attending physician and modified according to the results of culture and sensitivity. The outcomes of VAP were assessed. There were no differences with regard to mortality, super-infection rate, antibiotic resistance rate and cost of antibiotics when comparing QC versus RC diagnostic methods and management based on two diagnostic strategies. Inappropriate initial empirical antibiotic treatment led to a higher mortality (17.7%) when compared with those with appropriate treatment. The present study demonstrates that the outcome of VAP is probably more dependent on the adequacy of the initial antibiotic treatment than on the use of either diagnostic sampling.


The emancipation of nursing practice: applying anti-psychiatry to the therapeutic community.
This paper raises issues about the process and conduct of clinical relationships with people diagnosed as mentally ill who live in therapeutic communities. This clinical work is of particular importance in the late 1990s due to the changing socio-cultural climate of interaction with people living with mental illness. This climate has a focus of care on recovery in the community and not on long-term hospitalization. The paper takes the position of anti-psychiatry as a preferred model of intervention because it is person and not diagnosis oriented. The nature of the therapeutic community is explored in relation to its importance in the context of destigmatizing mental illness, its structure, and in its ability to empower the person from a philosophically driven and experiential perspective.


Novel parameter for cancer chemosensitivity to fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitors.
Fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitors (FGFRi) were introduced into clinical trials on several cancer types and found to be particularly efficacious on urothelial cancer and cholangiocarcinoma. Although many enrolled patients responded well in clinical trials, there were some patients who did not respond to FGFRi even though their tumors carried the genomic changes that met the enrollment criteria. As already established, fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) share the downstream signaling pathway of MAPK activation. Accordingly, it is conceivable that targeted inhibition of FGFR alone could leave the MAPK signaling unaffected when the signaling through EGFR is relatively strong. To test this hypothesis, we calculated here the FGFR to EGFR mRNA ratio (F/E for short) of biliary tract and urothelial cancer cell lines utilized in preclinical studies. In six biliary tract cancer cell lines, two responsive lines had an F/E of 9.5 and 9.0, whereas the F/E of four nonresponsive lines was 0.1-1.8. In 22 urothelial cancer cell lines, four of the five responsive lines showed an F/E of 2.8-4.9 (median, 3.6), whereas the F/E range of 17 nonresponsive lines was 0.01-2.7 (median, 0.6) (p = 0.004). We further investigated our 47 patient-derived colorectal cancer-stem cell spheroid lines. The 18 responsive lines showed relatively high F/E (median, 16.4), whereas 29 nonresponsive lines had low F/E (median, 9.2) (p = 0.0006). These results suggest that F/E is another strong predictor of responses to FGFRi that is as useful as the current genomic criteria based solely on the FGFR genomic changes.


Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2-Specific B Cell Memory Responses in Infected and Vaccinated Individuals.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), rapidly resulted in a pandemic constituting a global health emergency. As an indicator of long-term immune protection from reinfection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the presence of memory B cells (MBCs) should be evaluated. Since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, several variants of concerns have been detected, including Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1/B.126.96.36.199), Delta (B.1.617.2), and Omicron (BA.1) variants with several different mutations, causing serious concern regarding the increased frequency of reinfection, and limiting the effectiveness of the vaccine response. At this regard, we investigated SARS-CoV-2-specific cellular immune responses in four different cohorts: COVID-19, COVID-19 infected and vaccinated, vaccinated, and negative subjects. We found that MBC response to SARS-CoV-2 at more than 11 months postinfection was higher in the peripheral blood of all COVID-19 infected and vaccinated subjects respect to all the other groups. Moreover, to better characterize the differences of SARS-CoV-2 variants immune responses, we genotyped SARS-CoV-2-positive samples from the patients' cohort. We found a higher level of immunoglobulin M+ (IgM+) and IgG+ spike MBCs in SARS-CoV-2-positive patients (5-8 months after symptoms onset) infected with the SARS-CoV-2-Delta variant compared with the SARS-CoV-2-Omicron variant implying a higher immune memory response. Our findings showed that MBCs persist more than 11 months after primary infection indicating a different involvement of the immune system according to the different SARS-CoV-2 variant that infected the host.


Upper-limb spasticity during the first year after stroke: stroke arm longitudinal study at the University of Gothenburg.
The aims of this study were to describe the prevalence and the severity of upper-limb spasticity during the first year after stroke and to analyze sensorimotor function, pain, reduced range of motion, and sensibility in persons with and without spasticity. This is a longitudinal design with assessments at days 3 and 10; week 4; and mos 3, 6, and 12. A total of 117 patients with first-ever stroke and arm paresis on day 3 were consecutively included. Sixty-five percent were assessed at 12 mos. Upper-limb spasticity was assessed with the Modified Ashworth Scale, and a score of 1 or greater was considered spastic. Sensorimotor function, pain, sensibility, and joint range of motion were assessed with the Fugl-Meyer Assessment. Impairment was defined as a score of less than maximum on the motor and nonmotor domains of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment. Spasticity was present in 25% of the patients at day 3 and in 46% at 12 mos. In most patients with spasticity, the severity increased during the first year after stroke. Spasticity appeared first in the elbow flexors and later in the elbow extensors and the wrist flexors. The patients with spasticity had significantly worse sensorimotor function and more pain, reduced joint range of motion, and reduced sensibility. Spasticity developed in almost half of the assessed patients, and the severity of spasticity increased over time. Because spasticity and impairments related to spasticity, such as pain and limitation in joint range of motion, influence upper extremity function negatively, early identification and treatment of spasticity may be warranted.


A study on laboratory diagnosis of liver abscess in Pondicherry.
A study was carried out to evaluate the role of laboratory investigations for diagnosis of liver abscess from the year 1976 to 1981. Bacteriological, parasitological, serological, haematological, histopathological studies and liver function tests were carried out in 240 confirmed cases of liver abscess during the study period. Out of 219 cases, pus culture for pyogenic bacteria was positive in 68 cases (including 27 cases of secondary bacterial infection of amoebic liver abscess) and sterile in 151 cases. Ent histolytica was demonstrated in pus of 24 cases. The diagnostic titre of 1:128 and above was detected in 137 sera by isohaemagglutination test. The liver function tests were of limited value. Albumin globulin ratio was altered in 91.25% cases and there was moderate increase in the levels of alkaline phosphatase. Histopathological studies demonstrated Ent histolitica in 2 cases only. Changes characteristic of pyogenic liver abscess were observed in 6 cases. Rest showed no specific changes.


Receiver operating characteristic analysis of the performance of basal serum hormone profiles for the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome in epidemiological studies.
We have used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to determine the diagnostic performance of several serum parameters, in order to evaluate their potential usefulness in establishing the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in epidemiological studies. Prospective study. One hundred and fourteen women reporting spontaneously for blood donation were included in the study. Menopausal and oral contraceptive-treated women were excluded. Serum samples were obtained at the moment of donation, independently of fasting, time of day or day of menstrual cycle. Measurements included total testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), LH, FSH and estradiol. The free testosterone (FT) concentration and the free androgen index (FAI) were calculated from testosterone and SHBG levels. ROC curves were calculated for all these serum determinations. Eight patients were diagnosed with PCOS, according to the presence of oligomenorrhea, hirsutism, acne and/or hyperandrogenemia, and exclusion of non-classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, hypothyroidism and hyperprolactinemia. Of the parameters studied SHBG, FAI, FT and DHEAS were considered adequate measures for the diagnosis of PCOS. For example, serum SHBG levels showed an area under the ROC curve of 0.875+/-(S.E.(w))0.045 (95% confidence interval 0.800-0.929). A SHBG decision threshold <37 nmol/l had a sensitivity of 87.5%, a specificity of 86.8%, a positive likelihood ratio of 6.63, and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.14, for the diagnosis of PCOS. Our present results strongly suggest that decreased SHBG levels, and increased FAI, free testosterone concentration and DHEAS concentrations, are highly effective as single analytical procedures in epidemiological studies for the detection of PCOS in women of reproductive age.


Beyond Costs: Pragmatic Considerations for Pooling of SARS-CoV-2 Test Samples for Nursing Home Surveillance.
Pooling of samples can increase throughput and reduce costs for large-scale SARS-CoV-2 testing when incidence is low. In a cross-sectional study of serial SARS-CoV-2 sampling of staff and residents at three nursing homes, laboratory labor constraints limited the feasibility of pooling prior to the maximal incidence that favored cost savings. IMPORTANCE This study highlights the pragmatic considerations surrounding SARS-CoV-2 sample pooling beyond accuracy and costs. We performed a cost analysis to determine the percent positivity at which pooling would reduce costs versus single testing. We found that the need for a stable amount of daily work hours staffed by a highly trained workforce was a major limitation in pooling as test positivity increased. For the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemic threats, laboratories should carefully consider the thresholds at which sample pooling is beneficial, with a particular focus on the impact on laboratory staff.


Association of the genetic polymorphisms in inhibiting and activating molecules of immune system with rheumatoid arthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Several studies have demonstrated that the genetic polymorphisms in the genes encoding immune regulatory molecules, namely cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) and CD28, play a fundamental role in susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Several disperse population studies have resulted in conflicting outcomes regarding the genetic polymorphisms in these genes and RA risk. This systematic review and meta-analysis study was performed to reach a conclusive understanding of the role of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CTLA4-rs231775, CTLA4-rs5742909, and CD28-rs1980422 in susceptibility to RA. Databases (ISI Web of Science, MEDLINE/PubMed, and Scopus) were searched to find the case-control studies surveying the association of CTLA4 gene rs231775, CTLA4 gene rs5742909, and CD28 gene rs1980422 polymorphisms and RA susceptibility in different population until August 2020. Association comparison between the polymorphisms and RA proneness was assessed using pooled odds ratio (OR) and their corresponding 95% confidence interval. This study was conducted on 16 population studies, comprising 1078 RA patients and 1118 healthy controls for CTLA4-rs231775, 2193 RA patients and 2580 healthy controls for CTLA4-rs5742909, and 807 RA patients and 732 healthy controls for CD28-rs1980422. Analysis indicated that G-allele, GG and GA genotypes, and dominant model for rs231775, recessive model for rs5742909, and C-allele, CC and CT genotypes, and recessive model for rs1980422 were significantly associated with increased RA risk. This meta-analysis showed that genetic polymorphisms of both immune inhibitory and activating genes, including CTLA4-rs231775, CTLA4-rs5742909, and CD28-rs1980422 polymorphisms, may increase susceptibility to RA.


Low-intensity photosensitization may enhance RecA production.
Three bacterial strains-Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, and the A. calcoaceticus RecA- mutant-underwent photosensitization by a low-concentration (0.73 micromol/L) tetramethyl pyridyl porphine (a cationic hydrophylic photosensitizer) and a 4-J/cm2 dose of 407 to 420 nm blue light. The viability of the first two strains decreased by approximately 60%. and that of the RecA- strain decreased by 90%. Increasing the amount of photosensitizer to 14.6 micromol/L at the same dose of blue light resulted in a 95% to 98% decrease in viability of the three strains. Very little damage to the bacterial DNA was observed after this treatment. Increasing the concentration photosensitizer under the same illumination conditions also resulted in very little damage to the DNA. Western blotting demonstrated that the low photosensitization procedures enhance RecA production for mending the damaged chromosomal DNA. RecA production as a result of low-dose photosensitization was confirmed and demonstrated by immunofluorescent staining and gold immunolabeling. Although DNA is not the primary target for photosensitization, this process of RecA production may provide a certain degree of DNA mending and may also affect the survival of bacterial cells on low-intensity photosensitization.


Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Biochemical Inhibition Assays.
Disturbance of the dynamic balance between protein tyrosine phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, modulated by protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) and protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs), is known to be crucial for the development of many human diseases. The discovery of agents that restore this balance has been the subject of many drug research efforts, most of which have focused on tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), resulting in the development of more than 50 FDA-approved TKIs during the past two decades. More recently, accumulating evidence has suggested that members of the PTP superfamily are also promising drug targets, and efforts to discover tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors (TPIs) have increased dramatically. Here, we provide protocols for determining the potency of TPIs in vitro. We focus on the use of fluorescence-based substrates, which exhibit a dramatic increase in fluorescence emission when dephosphorylated by the PTP, and thus allow setting up highly sensitive and miniaturized phosphatase activity assays using 384-well or 1536-well microplates and a continuous (kinetic) assay format. The protocols cover PTP specific activity assays, Michaelis-Menten kinetics, dose-response inhibition assays, and dose-response data analysis for determining IC 50 values. Potential pitfalls are also discussed. While advanced instrumentation is utilized for compound spotting and liquid dispensing, all the assays can be adapted to existing equipment in most laboratories. Assays are described for selected PTP drug targets, including SHP2 ( PTPN11 ), PTP1B ( PTPN1 ), STEP ( PTPN5 ), and VHR ( DUSP3 ). However, all protocols are applicable to members of the PTP enzyme family in general. Graphical abstract.


An interprofessional education Russian cultural competence course: Implementation and follow-up perspectives.
Health sciences educators are faced with creating meaningful, effective and satisfying experiences in interprofessional education (IPE) and cultural competence (CC) required of both students and professionals in practice. This study evaluated the experience and attitudes of the participants in a course combining IPE and CC. A novel, interprofessional course in the Russian language and culture was developed and delivered to a group of medical, nursing, and pharmacy students. One year after the completion of the course, an anonymous, online survey was sent to the participants. Attitudes, comfort, self-efficacy in working with other cultures/healthcare professionals, and comparison of the course to other IPE activities were assessed. The survey suggested that the course was a satisfying and effective combination of IPE and CC in a pre-professional health educational setting. Further work could be undertaken to evaluate the experiences of similar activities in the professional and continuing education arenas.


Treatment of Complex Two-Vessel Coronary Heart Disease with Single Left Internal Mammary Artery as T-Graft with Itself-A Retrospective Double Center Analysis of Short-Term Outcomes.
Background and Objectives: The strategy of revascularization may be constrained in patients with insufficient bypass grafts and with increased risk of wound healing disorders. Among those with complex left-sided double-vessel disease in whom a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), as well as the surgical procedure of minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting via left minithoracotomy (MICS CABG), is not a treatment option, CABG using the left internal mammary artery as a T-graft with itself may be an effective treatment strategy. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the data from patients treated in Cologne and Tuebingen from 2019 to 2022. We included 40 patients who received left internal mammary artery (LIMA) grafting, and additional T-graft with the LIMA itself. The objective was focused on intraoperative and short-term outcomes. Results: A total of 40 patients were treated with the LIMA-LIMA T-graft procedure with a Fowler score calculated at 20.1 ± 3.0. A total of 37.5% of all patients had lacking venous graft material due to prior vein stripping, and 21 patients presented severe vein varicosis. An overall of 2.6 ± 0.5 distal anastomoses (target vessels were left anterior descending, diagonal, intermediate branch, and/or left marginal ramus) were performed, partly sequentially. Mean flow of LIMA-Left anterior descending (LAD) anastomosis was 59.31 ± 11.04 mL/min with a mean PI of 1.21 ± 0.18. Mean flow of subsequent T-Graft accounted for 51.31 ± 3.81 mL/min with a mean PI of 1.39 ± 0.47. Median hospital stay was 6.2 (5.0; 7.5) days. No incidence of postoperative wound healing disorders was observed, and all patients were discharged. There was one 30-day readmission with a diagnosis of pericardial effusion (2.5%). There was no 30-day mortality within the cohort. Conclusions: Patients requiring surgical myocardial revascularization due to complex two-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) can be easily managed with LIMA alone, despite an elevated Fowler score and a promising outcome. A prospective study needs to be conducted, as well as longer term surveillance, to substantiate and benchmark the long-term results, as well as the patency rates.


Defining target sequences of DNA-binding proteins by random selection and PCR: determination of the GCN4 binding sequence repertoire.
We developed a simple and accurate method to define the sequence recognition properties of DNA-binding proteins. The method employs polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of sequences selected from a mixture of random oligonucleotides by the gel mobility-shift assay. We used this method to define the sequence requirement of the binding domain of the yeast transcriptional activator GCN4. Using a total of 200 ng of purified protein and four cycles of binding and subsequent amplification, we identified the TGA-(C/G)TCA sequence as the binding consensus of GCN4, which is consistent with the previously reported recognition sequence. In addition, our data indicate that GCN4 can bind with lower affinity to sequences that differ from the optimal sequence in one or even two positions. The most common variation was the C to A at position +2. The majority of the substitutions that still allowed binding were 3' to the central C residue indicating that the two sides of the palindromic recognition sequence are not equivalent.


Photopatterning of ultrathin electrochemiluminescent redox hydrogel films.
Photoinitiated polymerisation is efficiently and rapidly carried out to immobilise ultrathin electrochemiluminescent redox hydrogel films. Microscale patterns are fabricated on an electrode surface by a simple photolithographic procedure and revealed by ECL imaging.


MICROWAVE RADIATION INDUCED SYNTHESIS OF HYDROXYPROPYL METHYLCELLULOSE-GRAFT- (POLYVINYLALCOHAL-CO-ACRYLIC ACID) POLYMERIC NETWORK AND ITS IN VITRO EVALUATION.
A microwave induced irradiation synthesis, was proposed for the preparation of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-graft-(polyvinylalcohal-co-acrylic acid) hydrogels. The hydrogels were separately synthesized by using microwave irradiation method and conventional water bath heating method. Moreover, the prepared hydrogels were loaded with an antihypertensive drug, captopril. Chemical groups, thermal stability and surface morphology of these hydrogels were characterized by FT-IR, DSC and SEM. Swelling ratios of the gels were measured gravimetrically at'pH 1.2 and 7.4. Results showed that micrographs obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM), revealed that gels synthesized using microwave irradiation had more uniformly porous network structures. The uniformity in porosity was due to rapid and instantaneous penetration of microwave energy throughout the surface and they had higher swelling ratios in comparison to hydrogels synthesized by water bath method. Thermal analysis (DCS and TGA) depicted that crosslinked polymers were more stable. FT-IR analysis had confirmed the formation of the new polymeric network. X-ray diffractogram revealed that crystallinity of HPMC was reduced in hydrogel prepared by microwave radiation. It had also been observed that high crosslinking density diminish swelling of hydrogel. A stable network of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), poly(vinylalcohal) (PVA) and acrylic acid was developed in shorter time period under influence of microwave radiations.


Transcription factor RD26 is a key regulator of metabolic reprogramming during dark-induced senescence.
Leaf senescence is a key process in plants that culminates in the degradation of cellular constituents and massive reprogramming of metabolism for the recovery of nutrients from aged leaves for their reuse in newly developing sinks. We used molecular-biological and metabolomics approaches to identify NAC transcription factor (TF) RD26 as an important regulator of metabolic reprogramming in Arabidopsis thaliana. RD26 directly activates CHLOROPLAST VESICULATION (CV), encoding a protein crucial for chloroplast protein degradation, concomitant with an enhanced protein loss in RD26 overexpressors during senescence, but a reduced decline of protein in rd26 knockout mutants. RD26 also directly activates LKR/SDH involved in lysine catabolism, and PES1 important for phytol degradation. Metabolic profiling revealed reduced γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in RD26 overexpressors, accompanied by the induction of respective catabolic genes. Degradation of lysine, phytol and GABA is instrumental for maintaining mitochondrial respiration in carbon-limiting conditions during senescence. RD26 also supports the degradation of starch and the accumulation of mono- and disaccharides during senescence by directly enhancing the expression of AMY1, SFP1 and SWEET15 involved in carbohydrate metabolism and transport. Collectively, during senescence RD26 acts by controlling the expression of genes across the entire spectrum of the cellular degradation hierarchy.


Purification and characterization of a novel (S)-enantioselective transaminase from Pseudomonas fluorescens KNK08-18 for the synthesis of optically active amines.
Pseudomonas fluorescens KNK08-18, showing (S)-selective transaminase activity, was isolated from soil by an enrichment culture method using (S)-7-methoxy-2-aminotetraline as the main nitrogen source. A transaminase was purified from the strain to homogeneity in seven steps. The relative mass of the enzyme was estimated to be 53 kDa on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and 120 kDa by gel filtration, suggesting a homodimeric structure. The optimal pH and temperature for enzyme activity were about 8.0-8.5 and 40 °C. The purified enzyme produced (S)-7-methoxy-2-aminotetraline, (S)-SMA, from 7-methoxy-2-tetralone (SMT) with high enantioselectivity. Although (S)-1-phenylethylamine was the best amino donor, β-alanine and 4-aminobutyric acid, which are good substrates for typical ω-amino acid transaminase (EC 184.108.40.206) and GABA transaminase (220.127.116.11), were not reacted. It aminated a broad range of carbonyl compounds containing aromatic, non-aromatic, and acidic and non-acidic substrates.


Psychometrics of the chronic liver disease questionnaire for Southern Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
To test the psychometric properties of a Chinese [(Hong Kong) HK] translation of the chronic liver disease questionnaire (CLDQ). A Chinese (HK) translation of the CLDQ was developed by iterative translation and cognitive debriefing. It was then administered to 72 uncomplicated and 78 complicated chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients in Hong Kong together with a structured questionnaire on service utilization, and the Chinese (HK) SF-36 Health Survey Version 2 (SF-36v2). Scaling success was > or = 80% for all but three items. A new factor assessing sleep was found and items of two (Fatigue and Systemic Symptoms) subscales tended to load on the same factor. Internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities ranged from 0.58-0.90 for different subscales. Construct validity was confirmed by the expected correlations between the SF-36v2 Health Survey and CLDQ scores. Mean scores of CLDQ were significantly lower in complicated compared with uncomplicated CHB, supporting sensitivity in detecting differences between groups. The Chinese (HK) CLDQ is valid, reliable and sensitive for patients with CHB. Some modifications to the scaling structure might further improve its psychometric properties.


MADS+: discovery of differential splicing events from Affymetrix exon junction array data.
The Affymetrix Human Exon Junction Array is a newly designed high-density exon-sensitive microarray for global analysis of alternative splicing. Contrary to the Affymetrix exon 1.0 array, which only contains four probes per exon and no probes for exon-exon junctions, this new junction array averages eight probes per probeset targeting all exons and exon-exon junctions observed in the human mRNA/EST transcripts, representing a significant increase in the probe density for alternative splicing events. Here, we present MADS+, a computational pipeline to detect differential splicing events from the Affymetrix exon junction array data. For each alternative splicing event, MADS+ evaluates the signals of probes targeting competing transcript isoforms to identify exons or splice sites with different levels of transcript inclusion between two sample groups. MADS+ is used routinely in our analysis of Affymetrix exon junction arrays and has a high accuracy in detecting differential splicing events. For example, in a study of the novel epithelial-specific splicing regulator ESRP1, MADS+ detects hundreds of exons whose inclusion levels are dependent on ESRP1, with a RT-PCR validation rate of 88.5% (153 validated out of 173 tested). MADS+ scripts, documentations and annotation files are available at http://www.medicine.uiowa.edu/Labs/Xing/MADSplus/.


Age-dependent sexual behaviour amongst male homosexuals and the transmission dynamics of HIV-1.
The paper describes the development of an age-structured model of the transmission dynamics of HIV-1 in a male homosexual population with age-dependent rates of sexual partner acquisition, and explores the properties of the model by means of numerical methods. Age-dependency in rates of sexual partner change acts to increase the initial growth rate of the epidemic and raises the equilibrium level of endemic infection in the population when compared with the prediction of a model without age structure but with identical initial overall population mean rate of partner acquisition. In addition, age-dependency in sexual activity acts to induce demographic changes in the population where the younger more sexually active males represent an increasing proportion of the population as the epidemic develops over time. One consequence of this is an increase in the overall population mean rate of sexual partner change as a direct result of the mortality induced by AIDS in the older less sexually active classes who acquired infection at a younger age. The results are discussed in relation to the interpretation of current patterns of HIV-1 spread and the acquisition of quantitative information on sexual behaviour.


Optimization on Personal Fall Arrest Systems. Experimental Dynamic Studies on Lanyard Prototypes.
Tens of thousands of fall-from-height accidents take place at construction sites every year. These types of accidents range from minor to fatal, causing a significant financial burden to enterprises, personal and family traumatic experiences, high medical costs, as well as hard compensation claim settlements. It makes sense then, that some sort of effective personal protective equipment (PPE) be devised to stop these types of accidents from happening. This article aims to explain how PPE can be used to minimize personal injury and the costs implied. The main contribution of this study is that the prototypes made with dynamic ropes and terminals knotted-without an energy absorber-could safely retain falls. Results show that standards EN 354 and EN 364 need to incorporate dynamic test requirements, for the reason that a high loading rate significantly reduces the resistance in static tests that manufacturing companies claim they have. Surprisingly, more than 90 percent of work at heights use PPE without any absorber. Finally, this study calls for the need to accurately determine the dynamic response of PPE in order to further advance in improvements of these fall arrest systems with no energy absorber.


[Anatomical and embryological aspects of gastric duplications].
Following study of 155 cases of gastric duplications, published up to now and examination of 22 human embryos, the authors discuss classic theories of pathogenesis. They oppose two anatomical forms: tubular forms in 23% of the cases communicating more often with the lumen of the digestive tract, and spherical forms in 77% generally closed. The site of implantation varies. ROWLING'S anatomical criteria are conserved. In embryos, the stomach appears at stage 9 of the embryonic period proper, with the ventral closure of the entoderm. Abnormal lateral longitudinal folding might explain the formation of tubular forms. In two embryos at stage 15, was found a diverticulum of the gastric lumen coated with digestive epithelium, that may explain the later formation spherical forms. No epithelialization or vacuolisation has ever been observed in the gastric wall.


Sustained activity of novel THIOMAB antibody-antibiotic conjugate against Staphylococcus aureus in a mouse model: Longitudinal pharmacodynamic assessment by bioluminescence imaging.
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections are a leading cause of death by an infectious agent. Survival within host phagocytic cells is one mechanism by which S. aureus evades antibiotic treatment. A novel THIOMAB™ antibody-antibiotic conjugate (TAC) strategy was developed to kill S. aureus intracellularly and mitigate the spread of infection. In this report, we used a longitudinal whole-body bioluminescence imaging method to study the antibacterial dynamics of TAC alone or in combination with vancomycin in a mouse infection model. Injections of stably luminescent S. aureus bacteria into mice resulted in exponential increases in whole body bioluminescence with a reduction in body weight and survival rate. Vancomycin, a standard-of-care antibiotic, suppressed bacterial growth in mice. However, bacterial growth rebounded in these animals once treatment was discontinued. In contrast, single dose of TAC showed rapid reduction of bioluminescence intensity, which persisted for up to 19 days. The combination of TAC and vancomycin achieved a more sustained and significantly greater reduction of bioluminescence compared with vancomycin alone. In summary, the present study showed an imaging method to longitudinally assess antibacterial drug dynamics in mice and demonstrated that TAC monotherapy or in combination with vancomycin had superior and sustained activity compared to vancomycin alone.


Wing and tail myology of Tyto furcata (Aves, Tytonidae).
Barn Owls (Tytonidae) are nocturnal raptors with the largest geographical distribution among Strigiformes. Several osteological, morphometrical, and biomechanical studies of this species were performed by previous authors. Nevertheless, the myology of forelimb and tail of the Barn Owls is virtually unknown. This study is the first detailed myological study performed on the wing and tail of the American Barn Owl (Tyto furcata). A total of 11 specimens were dissected and their morphology and muscle masses were described. Although T. furcata has the wing and tail myological pattern present in other species of Strigiformes, some peculiarities were observed including a difference in the attachment of m. pectoralis propatagialis due to the lack of the os prominence, and the presence of an osseous arch in the radius that seems to widen the anchorage area of the mm. pronator profundus, extensor longus alulae, and extensor longus digiti majoris. Furthermore, the m. biceps brachii has an unusual extra belly that flexes the forearm. The interosseous muscles have a small size and lacks ossified tendons. This feature may be indicative of a lower specialization in the elevation and flexion of the digiti majoris. Forelimb and tail muscle mass account for 10.66 and 0.24% of the total body mass, respectively. Forelimb muscle mass value is similar to the nocturnal (Strigiformes) and diurnal (Falconidae and Accipitridae) raptors, while the tail value is lower than in the diurnal raptors (Falconidae and Accipitridae). The myological differences with other birds of prey are here interpreted in association with their "parachuting" hunting style. This work complements our knowledge of the axial musculature of the American Barn owls, and provides important information for future studies related to functional morphology and ecomorphology.


The effects of five alkaloids from Bulbus Fritillariae on the concentration of cAMP in HEK cells transfected with muscarinic M(2) receptor plasmid.
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of five alkaloids, namely verticine, verticinone, imperialine, imperialine-3beta-D-glucoside, and puqietinone, purified from Bulbus Fritillariae and used as an antitussive drug in traditional Chinese medicine, on their antimuscarinic M(2) function and the cAMP level of HEK cells transfected with muscarinic M(2) receptor plasmid. By transfecting the HEK cells with the method of calcium phosphate co-precipitation and screening with G418, the cells stably expressing M(2) receptor were identified. The expression of M(2) receptor in HEK cells was confirmed by both RT-PCR and western blot. The cAMP level in the treated cells was analyzed with RIA method ((125)I-cAMP KIT). And the results suggested that the five alkaloids could significantly elevate the cAMP concentration in the HEK cells transfected with muscarinic M(2) receptor plasmid (p < 0.01).


Molecular phylogeny of the small carpenter bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Ceratinini) indicates early and rapid global dispersal.
The small carpenter bees (tribe Ceratinini, family Apidae) are recorded from all continents except Antarctica. The Ceratinini have a near-global distribution which contrasts strongly with their sister tribe, the Allodapini which has a largely southern Old World distribution. The Ceratinini therefore provides an excellent group to understand the factors that help determine the biogeography and radiation of the bees. This is the first molecular study of ceratinine bees covering representatives from both northern and southern hemisphere Old and New World regions. We use two mitochondrial and one nuclear marker (totalling 2807 nucleotides) to examine the age, cladogenesis and historical biogeography of this tribe. Tree topology and molecular dating support an African origin at about 47 Mya with subsequent dispersal into Eurasia 44 Mya, and followed by an American invasion 32 Mya. Concentrated African and Malagasy sampling revealed there were two or three dispersals events into Madagascar ranging from 25 to 9 Mya. Lineage through time analyses suggest higher rates of cladogenesis close to the origin of the tribe, and this corresponds to both major dispersal events and divergences of lineages leading to extant subgenera. Ceratinini have potentially great importance for future studies to understand the relative roles of dispersal ability and time of origin in determining bee biogeography.


Cephalometric analysis and long-term outcomes of orthognathic surgical treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea.
The aim of this study was to describe skeletal and posterior airway changes after orthodontic treatment and surgical jaw advancement, and to evaluate whether there is a correlation between increasing advancement and a long-term reduction in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Lateral cephalograms and polysomnography (apnoea-hypopnoea index, AHI) were collected from patients treated with bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) or maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) in combination with orthodontics. Patients completed a questionnaire and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) to assess long-term outcomes. Descriptive statistics for cephalometric measurements and linear regression were performed to find estimates of the final OSA (AHI and ESS) as a function of mandibular advancement. Forty-three patients with surgical advancement of the maxilla (5.2mm) and mandible (8.3mm) had a 4-mm increase in posterior airway. Thirty-three patients completed the long-term survey (6.3±2.6 years after treatment); 91% reported a reduction of OSA and were pleased with their facial appearance. The maxillomandibular and posterior airway increased. There was no evidence of a linear relationship between greater amounts of mandibular advancement and improvement of OSA. Patients with less than 10mm advancement had successful objective short-term and subjective long-term OSA reduction.


SecYEG assembles into a tetramer to form the active protein translocation channel.
Translocase mediates preprotein translocation across the Escherichia coli inner membrane. It consists of the SecYEG integral membrane protein complex and the peripheral ATPase SecA. Here we show by functional assays, negative-stain electron microscopy and mass measurements with the scanning transmission microscope that SecA recruits SecYEG complexes to form the active translocation channel. The active assembly of SecYEG has a side length of 10.5 nm and exhibits an approximately 5 nm central cavity. The mass and structure of this SecYEG as well as the subunit stoichiometry of SecA and SecY in a soluble translocase-precursor complex reveal that translocase consists of the SecA homodimer and four SecYEG complexes.


Lyme disease presenting with multiple cranial neuropathies on MRI.
We present the case of a 10-year old patient from southeastern Ontario with severe bilateral facial palsy. MRI was performed that showed extensive symmetric enhancement of cervical cranial nerve roots and multiple cranial nerves (III, V, VI, VII, VIII, X and XII). Lumbar puncture was performed that revealed pleocytosis and elevated proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid. Serology confirmed the diagnosis of neuroborreliosis. The patient was treated with a 4-week course of IV ceftriaxone, following which he returned to baseline.


[Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia: a clinicopathological and immunophenotypic study of 40 Chinese patients].
To investigate the clinicopathologic features of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL) with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) and to evaluate the usefulness of immunophenotype analysis in diagnosis and differential diagnosis of the tumor. A total of 40 cases of LPL with WM diagnosed according to the 2008 World Health Organization classification of tumors of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues were analyzed using immunophenotype and follow-up information. The mostly common initial clinical presentations were non-specific symptoms, such as fatigue, anemia and hemorrhage. Lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly and hepatomegaly were found in 42.5%, 20.0% and 12.5% of the patients respectively. The pattern of bone marrow involvement included mixed type (47.2%), diffuse type (41.7%) and interstitial type (11.1%). The nodal architecture was completely destroyed in one case and partially effaced with residual germinal centers and dilated sinuses in 8 cases. All of the neoplastic cells expressed CD20 and CD79a. Neoplastic plasma cells were positive for CD138 and CD79a. No cases expressed CD5. Four cases weakly expressed CD23. No significant prognosis related factors were identified in the survival analysis. LPL with WM is a rare indolent small B-cell lymphoma, which is commonly seen, in older male patients. The tumor frequently involves bone marrow and shows various clinical manifestations. Combination analyses of the bone marrow biopsy histology, immunophenotypic study and clinical data, especially the serum examination are important for the diagnosis of LPL with WM.


Oxidative stress-induced metabolic changes in mouse C2C12 myotubes studied with high-resolution 13C, 1H, and 31P NMR spectroscopy.
In this study, stress in relation to slaughter was investigated in a model system by the use of (13)C, (1)H, and (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for elucidating changes in the metabolites in C2C12 myotubes exposed to H(2)O(2)-induced stress. Oxidative stress resulted in lower levels of several metabolites, mainly amino acids; however, higher levels of alanine were apparent in the (13)C spectra after incubation with [(13)C(1)]glucose. In the (13)C spectra [(13)C(3)]lactate tended to increase after exposure to increasing concentrations of H(2)O(2); conversely, a tendency to lower levels of the unlabeled ((12)C) lactate were identified in the (1)H spectra after stress exposure. These data indicate an increase in de novo synthesis of alanine, concomitant with a release of lactate from the myotubes to the medium at oxidative stress conditions. The changes in the metabolite levels could possibly be useful as markers for meat quality traits.


Follow-up study of survivors of severe protein energy manlnutrition.
To evaluate the nutritional profile of survivors of severe protein energy malnutrition on follow-up at 1-3 years and 5-7 years. Prospective and Cross-sectional point prevalence. Group I comprised 50 severely malnourished children dischared 5-7 years from nutritional rehabilitation center and Group II comprised 50 children discharged 1-3 years ago. The nutritional status of these 100 children was compared to the nutritional status of 35 siblings who had not suffered from severe malnutrition in their earlier life (Group III). All the malnourished children showed significant improvement in weight for age. More children in Group I had better height for age compared to Group II(p>0.05). Analysis of weight for height showed that study children has better nutritional status than their siblings who had not suffered from significant malnutrition. Significant improvement in nutritional status occurs with nutritional rehabilitation. However, improvement in height for age is more difficult to obtain. Interestingly, rehabilitated malnourished children on follow up had better nutritional status as compared to their siblings.


Genetic and environmental influences on risky sexual behaviour and its relationship with personality.
Risky sexual behaviour is a major health issue in society, and it is therefore important to understand factors that may predispose individuals to such behaviour. Research suggests a link between risky sexual behaviour and personality, but the basis of this link remains unknown. Hans Eysenck proposed that personality is related to sexual behaviour via biological underpinnings of both. Here we test the viability of this perspective by analysing data from identical and non-identical twins (N = 4,904) who completed a questionnaire assessing sexual attitudes and behaviour as well as personality. Using genetic modelling of the twin data, we found that risky sexual behaviour was significantly positively correlated with Impulsivity (r = .27), Extraversion (r = .24), Psychoticism (r = .20), and Neuroticism (r = .09), and that in each case the correlation was due primarily to overlapping genetic influences. These findings suggest that the genetic influences that shape our personality may also predispose us to risky sexual behaviour.


Evaluation of health utility in trial-based cost-utility analyses for major cardiovascular disease: protocol for a systematic review.
The global incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is high, and the medical costs associated with its management have been increasing. Cost-utility analyses (CUAs) are essential for understanding the value of healthcare interventions and for decision-making. A majority of the CUAs for CVD are model based and have cited health utilities from previously published data; standard health utilities for the CUAs of CVD have not been established yet. Thus, we aim to identify the standard utilities according to the patients' condition and disease severity in patients with major CVDs. We will search Medline and Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews for trial-based CUA studies that have reported on quality-adjusted life-years using original health utilities for patients with three major forms of CVD (coronary artery disease, heart failure and atrial fibrillation). Papers on trial-based CUAs will be included, while those on model-based CUAs will be excluded. No restrictions will be made in terms of intervention type. The main outcome comprises the health utilities calculated on a scale of 0-1 (irrespective of the measurement methods) at baseline and after treatment. Two independent investigators will screen the eligibility of articles; they will extract data, including health utilities, from the eligible articles for further analysis. The quality of the included studies will be assessed using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards checklist. We will describe the means and SDs of the health utilities from all the included studies. The mean utility weights for individual studies will be combined through meta-analyses using a random-effects model to obtain the representative health utility value for each disease. Subgroup analyses will be conducted according to the severity and duration of each disease. Ethical approval is not required. The review will be submitted to an appropriate peer-reviewed journal. CRD42022316278.


Identification of protein components of Echinococcus granulosus protoscolex antigens for specific serodiagnosis of E. granulosus infection in dogs.
Proteins of Echinococcus granulosus protoscolex excretory/secretory or deoxycholate solubilized somatic antigens were radiolabelled with 125I and immunoprecipitated with sera from dogs naturally or experimentally infected with E. granulosus and various control dog sera. Analysis of immunoprecipitates was performed using one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis to identify antigenic protein components specific for E. granulosus. Using both electrophoretic techniques, a basic component of Mr 27,000 and an acidic component of Mr 94,000 were defined in both excretory/secretory and somatic protoscolex antigens, and were specifically identified by 95% and 62% of 21 sera from E. granulosus-infected dogs, respectively. An abundant component of Mr 35,000 was identified by 100% of these dogs, parts of which were E. granulosus specific. Results of this study should allow identification of specific recombinant antigens for routine serodiagnosis of E. granulosus infection in dogs.


[Pedophilia and its treatment].
Pedophilia is a frequent cause of infringement of children's sexual integrity. It's a widely spread deviant pattern of sexual arousal and behavior, which seems to be deeply rooted in human nature, as shown by impressive ethological and cultural historical evidence. Aetiology and pathogenesis of pedophilia are still not clarified, but there is a number of interesting findings suggesting multifactorial developmental disorder as the basis of pedophilia. Regarding the treatment of pedophiles, there is usually drawn a distinction between somatic and non-somatic methods. The latter aim at relapse-prevention by augmentation of self-control. The former mean drive-reduction on a hormonal basis. Antiandrogens, progestogens and LHRH-agonists have proven themselves as having significant effects on sexual drive, whereas their side effects are quite tolerable on the whole.


Microchip separations in reduced-gravity and hypergravity environments.
Microfabricated fluidics technology, e.g., lab-on-a-chip devices, offers many attractive features for performing chemistry and biochemistry on space-based platforms. We have constructed a portable, battery-operated microfluidic platform that was tested under reduced gravity and hypergravity conditions that would be experienced in space flight and launch. This device consisted of a microchip, microchip holder, two 0-8-kV high-voltage power supplies, a high-voltage switch, a solid-state diode-pumped green laser, an optical train, a channel photomultiplier, and an inertial mass measurement unit all under the control of a laptop computer and powered by 10 D-cell alkaline batteries. The unit was tested on NASA's reduced gravity research aircraft at gravity levels that are relevant to NASA's intended use of bioreporter-based microchips for environmental monitoring of space and planetary environments on manned and unmanned spacecraft. Over the course of two flights, 834 fast electrophoretic separations of four amino acids were performed under a variety of gravitational environments including zero-g, Martian-g, lunar-g, and approximately 1.8-g. All separations were performed in less than 12 s and automatically analyzed. After correction with an internal migration standard, the migration time reproducibilities were all <1% relative standard deviation.


Latent track formation and recrystallization in swift heavy ion irradiation.
Swift heavy ions (SHI) irradiation is a complex coupled multiphysics phenomenon with applications in studying the effects of fission fragments, nano-patterning, and material modification. However, existing models are oversimplified, e.g., inelastic thermal spike, or complicated with inherent size limitations, e.g., hybrid Monte Carlo molecular dynamic. Here, we present a phase-field inelastic thermal spike (PF-iTS) approach to predict the amorphization, recrystallization, and stress generation in a single-impact SHI scenario. Our model quantitatively predicts the latent track radius, which agrees with experiments. Also, the PF-iTS calculates superheating temperature, stress generation, and recrystallization that cannot be obtained with classical i-TS. The appearance of mean compressive stress at the center of the latent track explains the hillock and void formation in TiO2, showing the importance of mechanical stresses in forming latent tracks during SHI irradiation.


[Effectively extraction of flash visual evoked potential based upon wavelet transform and detection of non-invasive intracranial pressure].
The signal of flash visual evoked potential (FVEP) is very weak, and often submerges into strong noise environment, like spontaneous electroencephalogram (EEG) signal, so effective de-noising methods should be taken to extract FVEP waveform exactly. In this paper, based upon the frequency feature of FVEP, we use average technology and multi-resolution wavelet transform to filter spontaneous EEG signals, and FVEP can be extracted effectively as a result. While the potential latency corresponding to the N2 wave in the FVEP waveform picked-up is related to intracranial pressure (ICP), the Non-invasive detection of ICP can be realized.


Effect of gonadectomy on AgRP-induced weight gain in rats.
Agouti-related peptide (AgRP), the endogenous antagonist to the melanocortin 3 and 4 receptors, elicits robust hyperphagia and weight gain in rodents when administered directly into the central nervous system. The relative influence of AgRP to cause weight gain in rodents partially depends on the activity level of the melanocortin agonist-producing proopiomelanocortin neurons. Both proopiomelanocortin and AgRP neurons within the arcuate nucleus receive energy storage information from circulating peripheral signals such as leptin and insulin. Another modulator of AgRP activity includes the cell surface molecule syndecan-3. Because leptin and insulin affect food intake in a sexually dimorphic way in rodents and syndecan-3-deficient mice regulate adiposity levels through distinct physiological mechanisms, we hypothesized that AgRP-induced weight gain would also be sexually dimorphic in rats. In the present study, the behavioral and physiological effects of centrally-administered AgRP in male and female were investigated. In male rats, AgRP (1 nmol) induced 5 days (P < 0.0001) of significantly elevated feeding compared with vehicle-treated controls, while females displayed 3 days of hyperphagia (P < 0.05). However, 1 wk after the injection, both male and female rats gained the same percent body weight (6%). Interestingly, female rats exhibited a greater reduction in energy expenditure (Vo2) following AgRP compared with male rats (P < 0.05). Removal of the gonads did not alter cumulative food intake in male or female rats but did attenuate the dramatic reduction in Vo2 exhibited by females. Both intact and gonadectomized rats demonstrated significantly increased respiratory quotient supporting the anabolic action of AgRP (P < 0.01). These findings are novel in that they reveal sex-specific underlying physiology used to achieve weight gain following central AgRP in rats.


[The suspension trauma syndrome: preventive features.]
The suspension trauma syndrome is a clinical condition that could lead to death, also in short time, by coupling the suspension with loss of consciousness and multiorgan failure. Health risks linked to temporary work in suspension are characterized both by infortunistic ones (for instance: trauma, falls, etc.) and by clinical ones, like the suspension trauma syndrome or compressive issues due to different fall protection systems. This study deal with the technical and medical meseasures devoted to the prevention of the suspension trauma syndrome. Italian 81/08 and 164/56 laws prescribes that, when no collective protection systems could be used, any single worker has to used personal safety equipment like energy absorbers, anchoring devices, lanyards, retractable devices, flexible life guides or lines, guides or rigid life lines, harnesses. Persons working in height have to undergo a medical surveillance, devoted in particular to identify such illnesses (frequently cardiologic or muscleskeletal disorders, both temporary or chronical) that prevent the exposures possibly leading to the suspension syndrome. In some cases, the occupational physician could express a judgement of fitness to work in which only specific personal protection devices are allowed and/or the time to dedicate to work in suspension is limited, to efficiently protect the workers' health. Qualora emergano quadri patologici (in particolare cardiologici ed osteomuscolari) con caratteristiche di cronicità e irreversibilità, è indicato esprimere un giudizio di inidoneità permanente alle attività che prevedono il lavoro in sospensione con imbracatura. In casi specifici, è possibile formulare giudizi di idoneità con limitazioni/prescrizioni rispetto al tempo di sospensione o rispetto alla tipologia di DPI impiegati, in maniera tale da garantire lo svolgimento dell'attività in sospensione minimizzando il rischio di insorgenza della sindrome.


Hysterical psychosis.
Clinical features of 88 patients diagnosed as having hysterical psychosis are analysed and compared with those of an equal number of catatoaic schizophrenics and conversion reaction. Hysterical psychosis is characterised by acute onset. often following the occurence of an emotionally disturbing event, absence of any characteristic thought disturbance, and emotio.ial volatility. Prognosis is good. Even though physical methods of treatment like drugs and E.G.T. had to be used in many patients to control the acute disturbance, psychotherapy and family therapy were found to be essential for the abatement of presenting symptoms as well as prevention of their recurrences.


Effects of Physical Rehabilitation and Nutritional Intake Management on Improvement in Tongue Strength in Sarcopenic Patients.
The study aimed to investigate the impact of physical intervention and the amount of nutritional intake on the increase in tongue strength and swallowing function in older adults with sarcopenia. From November 2018 and May 2019, older patients with sarcopenia who were admitted for rehabilitation were analyzed. The intervention employed in the study was the usual physical and occupational therapy for two months. Tongue strength was measured before and after two months of treatment. Data on tongue strength, the amount of energy and protein intake, intervention time, and swallowing function were examined. A total of 95 sarcopenic older patients were included (mean age 83.4 ± 6.5 years). The mean tongue strength after the intervention was significantly increased from 25.4 ± 8.9 kPa to 30.5 ± 7.6 kPa as a result of the treatment (p < 0.001). After adjusting the confounding factors in the multivariable models, an energy intake of ≥30 kcal/kg/day and a protein intake of ≥1.2 g/kg/day based on the ideal body weight had a significant impact on the increase in tongue strength after the treatment (p = 0.011 and p = 0.020, respectively). Swallowing function assessed using the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability was significantly increased after the treatment (mean difference between pairs: 1.12 [0.53-1.70]; p < 0.001). Physical intervention and strict nutritional management for older inpatients with sarcopenia could be effective to improve tongue strength and swallowing function.


Differential ATP binding and intrinsic ATP hydrolysis by amino-terminal domains of the yeast Mlh1 and Pms1 proteins.
MutL homologs belong to a family of proteins that share a conserved ATP binding site. We demonstrate that amino-terminal domains of the yeast MutL homologs Mlh1 and Pms1 required for DNA mismatch repair both possess independent, intrinsic ATPase activities. Amino acid substitutions in the conserved ATP binding sites concomitantly reduce ATP binding, ATP hydrolysis, and DNA mismatch repair in vivo. The ATPase activities are weak, consistent with the hypothesis that ATP binding is primarily responsible for modulating interactions with other MMR components. Three approaches, ATP hydrolysis assays, limited proteolysis protection, and equilibrium dialysis, provide evidence that the amino-terminal domain of Mlh1 binds ATP with >10-fold higher affinity than does the amino-terminal domain of Pms1. This is consistent with a model wherein ATP may first bind to Mlh1, resulting in events that permit ATP binding to Pms1 and later steps in DNA mismatch repair.


The parameter uncertainty inflation fallacy.
Statistical estimation of the prediction uncertainty of physical models is typically hindered by the inadequacy of these models due to various approximations they are built upon. The prediction errors caused by model inadequacy can be handled either by correcting the model's results or by adapting the model's parameter uncertainty to generate prediction uncertainties representative, in a way to be defined, of model inadequacy errors. The main advantage of the latter approach (thereafter called PUI, for Parameter Uncertainty Inflation) is its transferability to the prediction of other quantities of interest based on the same parameters. A critical review of implementations of PUI in several areas of computational chemistry shows that it is biased, in the sense that it does not produce prediction uncertainty bands conforming to model inadequacy errors.


Purification and characterization of a DNase gamma-like endonuclease from Xenopus laevis liver.
We recently found that two apoptotic DNase gamma-like endonucleases (36 and 38 kDa DNases) were present in Xenopus laevis larval and adult liver cell nuclei and that their activities increased in metamorphic climax. Here, we purified the main DNase gamma-like endonuclease from Xenopus laevis liver cell nuclei and characterized its physical and enzymatic properties in detail. The molecular mass of Xenopus liver nuclear endonuclease was 38,000 daltons as determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A native molecular mass of 35,000 was estimated by gel filtration. The purified Xenopus liver endonuclease was a neutral one and required both Ca2+ and Mg2+ for DNase activity. Unlike the mammalian DNase gamma, the Ca2+/Mg2+ requirement could not be supplied by Mn2+. The inhibition profiles by aurintricarboxylic acid, sodium citrate and divalent metal ions such as Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ were similar to those of mammalian DNase gamma. These results suggest that this endonuclease is a Xenopus laevis homolog of the mammalian apoptotic endonuclease DNase gamma.


Refractory cardiac myocarditis associated with drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms syndrome due to anti-bipolar disorder drugs: a case report.
Drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome is a severe adverse drug reaction accompanied by multiple organ dysfunction. Myocarditis is a manifestation, and once acute necrotizing eosinophilic myocarditis (ANEM) develops, the mortality rate is high. We report the case of a 37-year-old man who developed myocarditis associated with DRESS syndrome after starting treatment with lithium and quetiapine for bipolar disorder. At that time, he presented with fever, morbilliform eruption, lymphadenopathy, eosinophilia with atypical lymphocytes, and liver dysfunction; bipolar drugs were discontinued and oral prednisolone begun. Four months later, he was admitted to our institution with worsening skin rash and dyspnoea. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed reduced systolic function in both ventricles, and endocardial biopsy indicated hypersensitivity myocarditis. Cardiac function was temporarily normalized by high-dose prednisolone. However, the inflammation was persistent as shown by a re-elevation of troponin T and fall of left ventricular ejection fraction several months later; in addition, 18F-fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography with chest computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) showed focal FDG uptake in the left ventricle. Despite additional treatment with mycophenolate mofetil, the cardiac function deteriorated further, and the patient eventually manifested refractory heart failure classified as New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III. Myocardial biopsy showed myocyte necrosis associated with ANEM. This is the first case report of DRESS-associated myocarditis due to treatment for bipolar disorder. Although the pathophysiology remains incompletely understood, lithium and/or quetiapine can induce refractory myocarditis in DRESS syndrome. Regular measurements of troponin T and FDG-PET/CT are useful for assessing disease progression in DRESS-associated myocarditis.


Acculturation gap conflicts and self-rated health among Hispanic emerging adults.
Emerging adulthood is a distinct and challenging developmental stage of life. It may be particularly stressful for Hispanic emerging adults due to various cultural stressors. However, there is little research on the impact of one particular cultural stressor, the acculturation gap. Therefore, this study aims to examine whether acculturation gap conflicts are associated with self-rated health. Participants were recruited in Arizona and Florida, and 200 Hispanic emerging adults (ages 18-25) completed a cross-sectional survey. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. Coefficients from a hierarchical multiple regression model indicated that higher levels of acculturation gap conflicts were associated with lower self-rated health after controlling for psychological stress and other demographic variables. This is the first study on acculturation gap conflicts and self-rated health among Hispanics. Findings from this study indicate that acculturation gap conflicts are associated with self-rated health and merit further investigation as they may have implications for health interventions targeting Hispanics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).


Nanopharmaceuticals (part 2): products in the pipeline.
In part I of this review we assessed nanoscience-related definitions as applied to pharmaceuticals and we discussed all 43 currently approved drug formulations, which are widely publicized as nanopharmaceuticals or nanomedicines. In continuation, here we review the currently ongoing clinical trials within the broad field of nanomedicine. Confining the definition of nanopharmaceuticals to therapeutic formulations, in which the unique physicochemical properties expressed in the nanosize range, when man-made, play the pivotal therapeutic role, we found an apparently low number of trials, which reflects neither the massive investments made in the field of nanomedicine nor the general hype associated with the term "nano." Moreover, after an extensive search for information through clinical trials, we found only two clinical trials with materials that show unique nano-based properties, ie, properties that are displayed neither on the atomic nor on the bulk material level.


Hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B nonnucleoside inhibitors specifically block single-stranded viral RNA synthesis catalyzed by HCV replication complexes in vitro.
Replication complexes of hepatitis C virus synthesized two major species of viral RNA in vitro, double stranded and single stranded. NS5B nonnucleoside inhibitors inhibited dose dependently the synthesis of single-stranded RNA but not double-stranded RNA. Moreover, replication complexes carrying a mutation resistant to a nonnucleoside inhibitor lost their susceptibilities to the inhibitor.


Pathophysiology of silent myocardial ischemia during daily life. Hemodynamic evaluation by simultaneous electrocardiographic and blood pressure monitoring.
The role of myocardial oxygen demand in the genesis of silent myocardial ischemia was evaluated by measuring the heart rate and blood pressure changes preceding the silent ischemic events during daily life in 25 men with proven coronary artery disease. Simultaneous 24-48-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic and blood pressure monitoring were performed during unrestricted daily activities. Of the 92 transient ischemic events recorded during monitoring, 85 (92%) were silent. Sixty-one percent of the silent events were preceded by an increase in the heart rate of 5 beats/min or more. Seventy-three percent of the silent ischemic events showed an average increase of 10 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure within 6 minutes preceding the onset of ST segment depression. The silent ischemic events showed a circadian pattern with a high density (34% of total events) between 6:00 AM and noon. The increase in heart rate and blood pressure paralleled the increase in silent ischemic events during these hours. These results showing significant (p less than 0.001 for both) increases in heart rate and blood pressure preceding a majority of silent ischemic events suggest that increase in myocardial oxygen demand plays a significant role in the genesis of silent ischemia. This pathophysiological mechanism has important therapeutic implications.


Novel Technique for Laparoscopic Common Bile Duct Exploration Using Endovascular Instrumentation.
Treatment of choledocholithiasis is sometimes a two-step process involving both surgeons and gastroenterologists. Common bile duct (CBD) exploration can be performed at the same time as cholecystectomy but often requires the use of rigid tools, increasing the risk of CBD damage. Here, we report the case of a 64-year-old man who presented with epigastric pain and a positive Murphy's sign. Ultrasonography revealed cholecystitis with cholelithiasis. Gangrenous cholecystitis was visualized upon surgical exploration, and an intraoperative cholangiogram diagnosed likely choledocholithiasis. Cholecystectomy was completed, and CBD exploration was performed by the manipulation of endovascular equipment using a trans-cystic approach through to the ampulla of Vater, and the patient made a complete recovery without complications. The substantial flexibility, gentleness, and durability of endovascular instruments allow for minimal tension on structures during the removal of gallstones from the CBD, providing safe, definitive treatment for choledocholithiasis during cholecystectomy.


Subjective and perceptive assessment of speech/voice and swallowing function before and after radiation therapy in patients of head-and-neck squamous cell cancer.
To prospectively assess subjective and perceptive speech/voice and swallowing function before and after radiation therapy (RT) in patients of head-and-neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC). The study cohort comprised eligible consecutive HNSCC patients planned for curative RT from April 2018 to July 2018 who consented for the study. Prospective evaluation of speech/voice and swallowing function was done before and after RT. For subjective and perceptive evaluation of speech/voice, speech handicap index (SHI) and Grade, Roughness, Asthenia, Breathiness, and Strain (GRABS) Scale was used, respectively. For subjective and perceptive evaluation of swallowing, M D Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) and Performance Status Scale for head and neck (PSSHN) were used, respectively. All patients were taught speech/voice and swallowing exercises before RT. Statistical analysis was performed using SYSTAT version-12 (Cranes software, Bengaluru). The study cohort comprised 30 patients of HNSCC with a median age of 57 years and male-to-female ratio of 4:1. The most common subsite was the oral cavity (43.33%) and a majority (76.66%) presented in the locally advanced stage. Post-RT there was significant improvement in speech/voice function (SHI P = 0.0006, GRABS score P = 0.003). Perceptive assessment of swallowing function by PSSHN showed significant improvement (P = 0.0032), but subjective assessment by MDADI showed no significant (P = 0.394) improvement until the first follow-up. Speech/voice function improved significantly after radiotherapy when combined with rehabilitation exercises. Swallowing function did not improve till the first follow-up. Future studies with the large number of patients and long-term follow-up are needed to document the changes in organ function.


Autogenous and reactive obsessions: further evidence for a two-factor model of obsessions.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a highly disabling anxiety disorder, characterized by occurrence of intrusive and unwanted thoughts (obsessions), which lead to performance of repetitive compulsions and/or rituals in order to reduce distress. Recently, it has been proposed that obsessions may be divided into two categories, termed autogenous and reactive obsessions [Lee, H.-J., & Kwon, S.-M. (2003). Two different types of obsessions: autogenous obsessions and reactive obsessions. Behavior Research and Therapy, 41, 11-29]. In this study, we aimed to further validate this subtyping of obsessions, and to investigate the cognitive and emotional correlates of the subtypes. Evidence was found for the division, using a confirmatory factor analysis in an analogue sample (N=372). It was found that frequency of reactive obsessions related more strongly to distress caused by overt OC symptoms (e.g., washing, checking), whereas frequency of autogenous obsessions related to distress from impulses of harm. Compared to autogenous obsessions, frequency of reactive obsessions correlated more strongly with all OC-related beliefs. Few differences were found between autogenous and reactive obsessions with respect to depression, anxiety, and view about self (self-ambivalence, self-esteem). It is suggested that existing OC-belief measures are more relevant to reactive obsessions. Implications for theory and treatment are discussed.


Functional cooperation between FACT and MCM is coordinated with cell cycle and differential complex formation.
Functional cooperation between FACT and the MCM helicase complex constitutes an integral step during DNA replication initiation. However, mode of regulation that underlies the proper functional interaction of FACT and MCM is poorly understood. Here we present evidence indicating that such interaction is coordinated with cell cycle progression and differential complex formation. We first demonstrate the existence of two distinct FACT-MCM subassemblies, FACT-MCM2/4/6/7 and FACT-MCM2/3/4/5. Both complexes possess DNA unwinding activity and are subject to cell cycle-dependent enzymatic regulation. Interestingly, analysis of functional attributes further suggests that they act at distinct, and possibly sequential, steps during origin establishment and replication initiation. Moreover, we show that the phosphorylation profile of the FACT-associated MCM4 undergoes a cell cycle-dependent change, which is directly correlated with the catalytic activity of the FACT-MCM helicase complexes. Finally, at the quaternary structure level, physical interaction between FACT and MCM complexes is generally dependent on persistent cell cycle and further stabilized upon S phase entry. Cessation of mitotic cycle destabilizes the complex formation and likely leads to compromised coordination and activities. Together, our results correlate FACT-MCM functionally and temporally with S phase and DNA replication. They further demonstrate that enzymatic activities intrinsically important for DNA replication are tightly controlled at various levels, thereby ensuring proper progression of, as well as exit from, the cell cycle and ultimately euploid gene balance.


Ovule and seed development of Lacandonia schismatica (Lacandoniaceae).
Ovule and seed development is described for Lacandonia schismatica, a species whose androecium is surrounded by the gynoecium. The ovule in each carpel is basal, anatropous, tenuinucellate, and bitegmic. The female gametophyte is formed by the micropylar megaspore cell, after a coenocytic stage of the four megaspore nuclei. The mature female gametophyte has the normal complement of seven cells and eight nuclei. We propose a new type of female gametophyte development on the basis of the coenocytic stage of the tetrad, the cellularization of the tetrad, and the survival of the micropylar spore. At seed dispersal time, the embryo has ~10-20 cells. Endosperm development is of the nuclear type. At maturity, endosperm cells show starch and protein inclusions as well as polysaccharides in their thick walls. The seed coat is formed from the outer integument; the inner one disappears. The exotesta contains tannin. The fruit (achene) wall is two-layered. The maturation of the fruits in a flower is synchronous, and they separate from the receptacle for dispersal.


Morphometric analysis of craniofacial features in mono- and dizygotic twins discordant for unilateral cleft lip and palate.
To compare craniofacial differences between twins discordant for surgically repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate (CLP) during the developmental ages and to test the effect of zygosity on the shape and size of the craniofacial skeleton of the same twins by means of thin plate spline (TPS) analysis. Lateral and posteroanterior (PA) cephalometric films from 19 sets of monozygotic (MZ) twins (15 male and 4 female) and 10 dizygotic (DZ) twins (7 male and 3 female) were analyzed. TPS analysis evaluated statistically significant differences in the craniofacial shape and size between affected and unaffected twins within MZ and DZ twin couples. No statistically significant differences in craniofacial shape or size between CLP and non-CLP MZ or DZ twins were observed. The level of morphological similarity in CLP vs non-CLP MZ twins was statistically greater than in DZ twins. Morphometric analysis showed that surgically repaired CLP does not produce significant shape or size differences in the craniofacial features of MZ or DZ twins discordant for unilateral CLP.


Angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis-implications for corneal immunity.
It is now widely acknowledged that vasculogenesis and immunogenic inflammation are intricately related in many tissues. However, less understood is to what extent blood (heme) angiogenesis (HA) and lymphangiogenesis (LG) are differentially regulated, and in turn contribute potentially to different aspects of adaptive immunity generated to corneal antigens. Herein, we will provide a brief synopsis of relevant work in this field by focusing particularly on the differential regulation of immunity by these two distinct vasculogenic processes in the cornea, illustrating that in spite of significant redundancies in the mechanisms that induce these vascular processes in the cornea, there are also important distinctions in what aspects of immunity are promoted by them.


In vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities of BMY 40062, a new fluoronaphthyridone.
The in vitro and in vivo activities of a new naphthyridone, BMY 40062, were compared with those of ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin. BMY 40062 showed about threefold more activity than ciprofloxacin showed and four- to eightfold more activity than ofloxacin showed against staphylococci, streptococci, and enterococci. BMY 40062 showed generally twofold less activity than ciprofloxacin showed against most species of the family Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter spp. but twofold more activity than ofloxacin showed against these organisms. BMY 40062 and ofloxacin were more active than ciprofloxacin against Bacteroides fragilis and Clostridium difficile. The antiureaplasmal and antichlamydial activities of BMY 40062 were similar to those of the tetracyclines and were 4- and 16-fold, respectively, higher than those of ciprofloxacin. The in vitro activities of BMY 40062 were influenced by pH and magnesium, although these factors appeared to affect the activity of BMY 40062 against P. aeruginosa to a lesser extent than those of ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin. BMY 40062 was found to be bactericidal, and cross-resistance with other fluoroquinolones was observed. In mouse protection tests, the efficacy of BMY 40062 reflected its in vitro potency. BMY 40062 exhibited longer half-life, higher maximum concentration in serum, greater area under the curve, and better bioavailability in mice after oral dosing than ciprofloxacin. Compared with ofloxacin, BMY 40062 had a lower maximum concentration in serum but a much longer half-life in mice. BMY 40062 was more effective than ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin in penetrating mouse macrophages and killing macrophage-associated Staphylococcus aureus.


Leaching of pesticides through normal-tillage and low-tillage soil--a lysimeter study. II. Glyphosate.
Glyphosate is a widely used non-selective herbicide. Leaching of glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) and/or its metabolite AMPA (aminomethylphosphonic acid) was studied in four lysimeters, two of them being replicates from a low-tillage field (lysimeter 3 and 4), the other two being replicates from a normal tillage field (lysimeter 5 and 6). In both cases the soil was a sandy loam soil with 13-14% clay. The lysimeters had a surface area of 0.5 m2 and a depth of 110 cm. Lysimeter 3 and 4 were sprayed with a mixture of 14C-labelled glyphosate and unlabelled glyphosate, while lysimeter 5 and 6 were sprayed with unlabelled glyphosate. The spraying took place September 18, 1997. The total amount of glyphosate sprayed onto each lysimeter was 40 mg, corresponding to 0.8 kg active ingredient per ha. The lysimeters were installed in an outdoor system in Research Centre Flakkebjerg and were thus exposed to normal climatic conditions of the area. A mean of 260 l drainage water were collected from lysimeter 3 and 4 and a mean of 375 litres from lysimeter 5 and 6. The mean yearly concentration of leached glyphosate and/or AMPA was significantly below 0.1 microg/l from both sets of lysimeters, and thus no significant difference between the two lysimeter sets was shown. However, in both sets of lysimeters several single findings at concentrations above 0.1 microg/l was seen, which might be due to the leaching of particle-bound compounds. A significant difference between the soil residual concencentrations of AMPA was seen, the higher concentration was found in the set of lysimeter where low-tillage had been practiced and where Round Up had been used several times in the years before sampling of the lysimeter soil.


Cellular phenotyping by RNAi.
A systematic characterization of genes with unknown function is a key challenge after the sequencing of the human genome and the genomes of many model organisms. High-throughput RNA-interference (RNAi) screenings have become a widely used approach in invertebrate model organisms and also promise to revolutionize cell biology in mammals. Genome-wide RNAi screens in Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila, and in a smaller scale in mammalian cells have proven to be a valuable and successful method for the dissection of diverse biological processes. A number of RNAi libraries have become available that rely on different technologies, such as long double-stranded (ds) RNAs, in vitro diced short-interfering (si) RNAs, synthetic siRNAs and short-hairpin (sh) RNAs, which all have specific advantages and disadvantages. In addition, progress in screening technologies and data analysis allows the adaptation of screening methods to analyse more complex cellular processes. This review will summarize strategies in combining genome-scale RNAi libraries, high-throughput screening technologies, integrated high-content data analysis and will discuss future challenges.


Effects of nonsurgical periodontal therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a prospective before and after study.
periodontal therapy has been suggested to have systemic effects. However, studies of periodontal therapy in rheumatoid arthritis patients have produced controversial results. To compare the effects of nonsurgical periodontal therapy on biochemical markers of rheumatoid arthritis and periodontal parameters in patients with and without rheumatoid arthritis. a prospective before-and-after study was conducted that included 21 participants without and 29 participants with rheumatoid arthritis. Periodontal parameters, Porphyromonas gingivalis detection, C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies were measured at baseline and three months after nonsurgical periodontal therapy and the changes were statistically assessed. In general, both groups presented statistically significant improvement in periodontal parameters (p<0.05). There was an increase in the counts of P. gingivalis in both groups at three months. In addition, there was a reduction in levels of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies and rheumatoid factor in participants with rheumatoid arthritis. In contrast, C-reactive protein levels increased in both groups but were higher in the rheumatoid arthritis group. Periodontal parameters in rheumatoid arthritis participants under disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs presented a slightly higher improvement (p <0.05). Nonsurgical periodontal therapy has similar improvements in periodontal parameters in patients with and without rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, nonsurgical periodontal therapy may benefit serum levels of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies and rheumatoid factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. NCT04658615.


Epidemiology, risk factors and characteristics of pediatric stroke: a nationwide population-based study.
Stroke, classically characterized as an acute acquired neurological deficit, is an important leading cause of death and chronic morbidity in children. This study reported the period prevalence, incidence and risk factors of pediatric stroke in Taiwan. All Taiwan inhabitants aged 1 month to 18 years registered in the National Health Insurance Research Database between 2010 and 2011 were enrolled in this study. Factors including age, sex, location and household income levels were collected. Incidence, period prevalence, mortality rate and the possible risks were completely evaluated. Outcomes and results: Hemorrhagic stroke has a significantly higher mortality rate than ischemic stroke (27.6% vs. 10.2%, P<0.05). Risk factors or underlying diseases for stroke were identified in 77.8% of the patients and 16.2% had more than one risk factor. The most common risk factors were vascular diseases (26.3%), infection (14.0%) and cardiac disorders (9.1%). Infants younger than 2 years, boys and children in lower socioeconomic status have a significantly higher risk of stroke. Hemorrhagic stroke has a significantly higher mortality rate than ischemic stroke. More than half of the children with stroke had underlying diseases and the causes of hemorrhagic stroke are significantly different from ischemic stroke.


Clinical efficacy of bone cement augmented screw fixation for the severe osteoporotic spine.
Transpedicular instrumentation of the osteoporotic spine is a challenge for the spine surgeon due to the probability of screw loosening and the potential possibility of nonunion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of bone cement augmented screw fixation in patients with severe osteoporosis. Between February 2004 and August 2007, 250 patients with severe osteoporosis (T-score on BMD < -3.0) that had screw fixation were included in this study. The patients were divided into two groups (Group I: 157 patients that underwent bone cement augmented screw fixation that had a variety of spine spinal diseases including fractures, and Group II: 93 patients with severe osteoporosis that had screw fixation without bone cement augmentation). The imaging and clinical features were analyzed, including bone cement augmented levels, fusion rate and related complications. The visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry disability questionnaire (ODI) and modified MacNab's criteria were used for the assessment of pain and functional capacity. In both groups, a significant improvement in the VAS and ODI was achieved. 146 out of 157 patients (93%) in Group I and 83 out of 93 patients (90%) in Group II were graded as an excellent or good result according to the modified MacNab's criteria. None of the patients experienced serious complications. However, there were two cases with neurological deterioration as a result of bone cement extravasation in Group I. For Group II, there were five cases of screw loosening that required re-operation for bone cement augmentation. Whether bone cement augmentation was performed or not, it was possible to achieve satisfactory results in patients with severe osteoporosis. However, if used carefully, bone cement augmented transpedicular screwing can reduce screw loosening and pullout in patients with severe osteoporosis.


Unravelling the proteome of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue.
Biofluid detectable biomarkers that originate at the site of diseased tissues would be advantageous, in that, they may provide mechanistic information concerning the manifestation and progression of the disease. Unfortunately, tissue biopsies are precious samples that can generally be acquired in small amounts due to the invasive nature of the sample collection. One of the foundations of pathological diagnosis for decades has been from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues, of which a vast archive exists worldwide. These tissues have also been widely used for immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization studies examining for expression of specific proteins or transcripts. Unfortunately, the ability to analyse FFPE tissues using mass spectrometry (MS) has been essentially non-existent until recently. In this review, methods that allow the extraction of peptides from FFPE tissues and their proteomic analysis using MS are described. The ability to identify the proteins extracted from FFPE tissues allows comparative analyses that enable the potential discovery of novel biomarkers at the site of the diseased tissue.


Bacterial Contamination and Susceptibility Pattern Among Blood and Blood Components Using Divergent and Non-Divergent Collection Methods at Armed Forces Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Understanding the proportion of blood and blood products contamination during transfusion is important in developing infection control strategy in the health system. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine bacterial contamination and susceptibility patterns among blood and blood components at Armed Forces Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was done on blood and blood components collected with both diverging and none-diverging methods. Simple random sampling method was applied to select blood and blood product units from the record form and 10 mL of sample was drawn from each blood and blood product. Culturing from collected blood and blood products and antimicrobial sensitivity tests were done. The collected data were entered and analyzed by SPSS statistical software version 20. Binary and multiple logistic regression analysis were done to see different factors and p-values less than 0.05 were taken as statistically significant. A total of three hundred seventy six (376) units of blood and blood product samples, 188 from non-diverging and 188 from diverging blood donor collection methods were included. Among different blood group types, O+ blood and the majority of components were stored from one to five days. The overall bacterial contamination among blood and blood components were n = 17 (4.5%). Among them, n = 14 (7.4%) and n = 3 (1.6%) were collected with a non-diverging and diverging method, respectively. Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most dominant isolate. Most bacterial isolates were susceptible to different antimicrobial agents; however, Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed resistance for gentamicin. The non-diverging collection units of blood and components were significantly associated with bacterial contamination. Of all, n = 5/17 (29.4%) isolated bacteria were multidrug resistant. The bacterial contamination of blood and blood components collected with diverging method was lower and recommended to use this collection method from donors.