Layered copper compounds based on 4-(3-bromothienyl)phosphonate (BTP): weak ferromagnetism observed in [Cu2(4,4'-bpy)0.5(BTP)2].H2O.
Two copper phosphonates based on 4-(3-bromothienyl)phosphonic acid (BTPH2) with formula Cu(H2O)(BTP) (1) and [Cu2(4,4'-bpy)0.5(BTP)2].H2O (2) are reported. Compound 1 has a layered structure in which dimers of {Cu2O2}, made up of edge-sharing {CuO6} octahedra, are bridged by both the {PO3C} tetrahedra through corner-sharing and the water molecules. Compound 2 exhibits a novel layered structure where the {Cu2(BTP)2} columns, containing {Cu4O6} tetrameric cores and O-P-O linkages, are connected by 4,4'-bipyridine. In both cases, the 3-bromothienyl groups are grafted on the two sides of the layers. Magnetic studies reveal that antiferromagnetic interactions are mediated between the Cu(II) centers in 1, while for 2, weak ferromagnetism resulted from spin canting is observed. Electrochemical properties of compounds 1-2 are also investigated.


Stepping to stability and fall prevention in adult psychiatric patients.
Fall prevention is a major area of concern in inpatient settings. This article reports on the feasibility of implementing a daily exercise program that features line dancing to promote stability, balance, and flexibility in adult psychiatric patients and describes the impact of that program. Six hundred sixty-five patient charts drawn from before and after the practice change were reviewed. The fall rate after the introduction of line dancing was 2.8% compared with 3.2% before implementation. In a setting that treats both men and women of many ages and with varying levels of mobility, line dancing offers a viable approach to exercise in a secure setting.


Energy transfer in self-assembled [N]-acene fibers involving > or =100 donors per acceptor.
Anthracene derivatives self-assemble into fibers with a high molecular order, as is evidenced by probing the structure with energy-trapping tetracene analogues. Efficient energy transfer processes involving tens to hundreds of donors per acceptor and high emission quantum yields are outstanding characteristics displayed in these self-assembled fibers.


Clinical experience with isolated hyperbilirubinemia.
Experience from 73 consecutive patients with non-hemolytic, isolated hyperbilirubinemia indicates that such patients almost without exception have increased serum levels of unconjugated bilirubin (greater than 17 mumol/l) and a conjugated bilirubin of less than 30% of total. Normal total bilirubin values were observed in 15% of 500 determinations, although some subjects never had normal values. The reduced caloric intake test had a low 'sensitivity' as a test for diagnosing Gilbert's syndrome, particularly in females. Long-term (9-29 years) follow-up study demonstrated that hyperbilirubinemia is lifelong and not associated with increased morbidity or deficiency of coagulation factors II, VII, and X. The data suggest that no further medical study is necessary in subjects with moderate isolated hyperbilirubinemia and normal blood reticulocyte count.


Ripples make waves: binding structured activity and plasticity in hippocampal networks.
Establishing novel episodic memories and stable spatial representations depends on an exquisitely choreographed, multistage process involving the online encoding and offline consolidation of sensory information, a process that is largely dependent on the hippocampus. Each step is influenced by distinct neural network states that influence the pattern of activation across cellular assemblies. In recent years, the occurrence of hippocampal sharp wave ripple (SWR) oscillations has emerged as a potentially vital network phenomenon mediating the steps between encoding and consolidation, both at a cellular and network level by promoting the rapid replay and reactivation of recent activity patterns. Such events facilitate memory formation by optimising the conditions for synaptic plasticity to occur between contingent neural elements. In this paper, we explore the ways in which SWRs and other network events can bridge the gap between spatiomnemonic processing at cellular/synaptic and network levels in the hippocampus.


How can we improve latent tuberculosis infection management using behaviour change wheel: a systematic review.
To ensure the effective delivery of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) care, it is vital to overcome potential challenges in LTBI management. This systematic review aims to identify the barriers and interventions to improve LTBI management using the Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model and Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW). A systematic literature search was performed on five electronic databases from database inception to 3 November 2021. A two-step technique was used in the data synthesis process: (i) the barriers of LTBI management were identified using the COM-B model, followed by (ii) mapping of intervention functions from BCW to address the identified barriers. Forty-seven eligible articles were included in this review. The findings highlighted the need for a multifaceted approach in tackling the barriers in LTBI management across the public, provider and system levels. The barriers were summarized into suboptimal knowledge and misperception of LTBI, as well as stigma and psychosocial burden, which could be overcome with a combination of intervention functions, targeting education, environment restructuring, persuasion, modelling, training, incentivization and enablement. The remedial strategies using BCW to facilitate policy reforms in LTBI management could serve as a value-added initiative in the global tuberculosis control and prevention program.


Three-Dimensional Printed Model of Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return with Biatrial Connection.
Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly that can be difficult to detect and often remains undiagnosed. PAPVR is diagnosed using non-invasive imaging techniques such as echocardiography, CT, and MRI. Image data are reviewed on a 2-dimensional (D) monitor, which may not facilitate a good understanding of the complex 3D heart structure. In recent years, 3D printing technology, which allows the creation of physical cardiac models using source image datasets obtained from cardiac CT or MRI, has been increasingly used in the medical field. We report a case involving a 3D-printed model of PAPVR with a biatrial connection. This model demonstrated separate drainages of the right upper and middle pulmonary veins into the lower superior vena cava (SVC) and the junction between the SVC and the right atrium, respectively, with biatrial communication through the right middle pulmonary vein.


Towards the Development of Global Nano-Quantitative Structure-Property Relationship Models: Zeta Potentials of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles.
Zeta potential indirectly reflects a charge of the surface of nanoparticles in solutions and could be used to represent the stability of the colloidal solution. As processes of synthesis, testing and evaluation of new nanomaterials are expensive and time-consuming, so it would be helpful to estimate an approximate range of properties for untested nanomaterials using computational modeling. We collected the largest dataset of zeta potential measurements of bare metal oxide nanoparticles in water (87 data points). The dataset was used to develop quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) models. Essential features of nanoparticles were represented using a modified simplified molecular input line entry system (SMILES). SMILES strings reflected the size-dependent behavior of zeta potentials, as the considered quasi-SMILES modification included information about both chemical composition and the size of the nanoparticles. Three mathematical models were generated using the Monte Carlo method, and their statistical quality was evaluated (R² for the training set varied from 0.71 to 0.87; for the validation set, from 0.67 to 0.82; root mean square errors for both training and validation sets ranged from 11.3 to 17.2 mV). The developed models were analyzed and linked to aggregation effects in aqueous solutions.


Lung cancer and urban air-pollution in Dublin: a temporal association?
In 1990, the sale, marketing and distribution of bituminous coal, primarily used for domestic heating, were banned across Dublin. This study exploits the potential of a 'natural experiment' to assess a temporal association between adjusted annual lung cancer death rates and the changing annual mean urban air-pollution concentrations in Dublin from 1981 to 2000. Annual mean 'black smoke' (BS) concentration was used as an indicator variable for the urban air-pollution mixture. Log-linear Poisson regression model (with an offset) was used to estimate adjusted rate ratios of lung cancer death rates between two periods (1981-1990 and 1991-2000) relative to the year 1990. A significant (p<0.0001) two-third decline in BS concentration (28.2 microg/m(3)) was seen between the two periods [pre-ban (46.4 microg/m(3)) vs. post-ban (18.2 microg/m(3))]. Relative to 1990 (rate ratio= 1 ), a slightly greater decline (2%) in death rates was achieved in the pre-ban period (1981-1990) when mean annual BS concentrations were very high, but a lower decline (1%) was seen in the post-ban period (1991-2000) corresponding to very low mean annual BS concentrations. In other words, a further fall in adjusted rates in lung cancer was achievable both in the pre-ban and the post-ban periods when simultaneously controlling for BS and smoking. A temporal association thus observed between lung cancer death rates and the changing BS concentrations suggests that control of particulate air-pollution could further reduce lung cancer rates, irrespective of smoking patterns.


Interscan registration using navigator echoes.
A common problem in clinical MRI is anatomic misalignment of imaging slices across successive examinations. This unnecessarily complicates the radiologic assessment of anatomic change over time on serial MRI studies. To address this problem, spherical navigator echoes, which can detect rigid body motion in all six degrees of freedom, were used to guide spatial location and orientation adjustments to an exam prescription to match the reference frame of images acquired in an earlier exam. An initial linear navigator echo is also necessary to effect coarse Z translation adjustments prior to fine six degrees of freedom adjustment with a spherical navigator echo. Results of this technique are presented for head image volumes of five volunteers. Each volunteer was imaged on two scanners. In all cases, the reference frame adjustments provided by the navigator echoes substantially improved the alignment of the latter exam and performed well compared to retrospective image-based registration.


Many ways to TOPLESS - manipulation of plant auxin signalling by a cluster of fungal effectors.
Plant biotrophic pathogens employ secreted molecules, called effectors, to suppress the host immune system and redirect the host's metabolism and development in their favour. Putative effectors of the gall-inducing maize pathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis were analysed for their ability to induce auxin signalling in plants. Using genetic, biochemical, cell-biological, and bioinformatic approaches we functionally elucidate a set of five, genetically linked effectors, called Topless (TPL) interacting protein (Tips) effectors that induce auxin signalling. We show that Tips induce auxin signalling by interfering with central corepressors of the TPL family. CRISPR-Cas9 mutants and deletion strain analysis indicate that the auxin signalling inducing subcluster effectors plays a redundant role in virulence. Although none of the Tips seem to have a conserved interaction motif, four of them bind solely to the N-terminal TPL domain and, for Tip1 and Tip4, we demonstrate direct competition with auxin/indole-3-acetic acid transcriptional repressors for their binding to TPL class of corepressors. Our findings reveal that TPL proteins, key regulators of growth-defence antagonism, are a major target of the U. maydis effectome.


[Difficult diagnosis in pulmonary hydatidosis].
Echinococcosis is a disease caused by a small taenid-tape of Echinococcus granulosus, a parasite that lives in the intestine of canines. Occasionally the intermediate host is the human being and it is located especially in the liver and in the lung having the shape of cysts. The diagnosis is often difficult because of the radiological aspect of the cysts, which are very much alike some tumor. The abstract contains two cases of pulmonary hydatid cyst and its steps towards the final diagnosis.


The Systematic Workplace-Improvement Needs Generation (SWING): Verifying a Worker-Centred Tool for Identifying Necessary Workplace Improvements in a Nursing Home in Japan.
This study developed and tested a new measurement instrument, the Systematic Workplace-Improvement Needs Generation (SWING), to identify workplace-improvement needs. The participants were 53 workers in a Japanese nursing home for the elderly. The respondents used the SWING questionnaire to self-generate five 'cues' they considered important to improve the workplace. The workers determined each cue's sufficiency level and weight balance (importance), and then we summarised the 265 cues into 21 categories for workplace improvements. The respondents identified the following items as the most important and the least sufficiently provided areas for workplace improvement: 'interaction with customers', 'physical and psychological harassment', 'rewarding and challenging work', and 'sharing goals and objectives'. Although the workplace-improvement recommendations differed greatly from person to person, SWING prioritised the items by weight (importance) and sufficiency (current status), allowing organisations to address the needed improvements systematically. The SWING tool effectively elicited and prioritised respondents' recommendations for improving the workplace. Because its items are self-generated by the respondents, SWING can be used for any occupation or workplace. Visualisation with bubble plots to clarify the improvement needs is incorporated into SWING.


Effects of somatostatin on the behavior of thromboxane B2 and B-thromboglobulin in type 1 diabetes.
Somatostatin, as an adjunct to insulin in the treatment of poorly controlled type 1 diabetes, has been recently suggested. However, some authors, after injection of the polypeptide, detected a reduction in number and aggregation of platelets, others instead, reported a proaggregatory effect of the drug. To answer these questions, the plasma levels of proaggregatory thromboxane A2 and of B-thromboglobulin, marker of the platelet activation, were studied in nine control subjects and in thirteen insulin dependent diabetic patients before and during the endovenous injection, for three hours, of somatostatin (250 micrograms in bolus followed by infusion of 100 micrograms/h). In both groups, 30 min after the infusion of somatostatin, a fall of thromboxane B2, stable metabolite of thromboxane A2 and an increase of B-thromboglobulin were respectively observed. Their greatest figure was reached after 120 min and their levels did not return to basal values within the end of the observation. In diabetics, during the infusion of somatostatin, thromboxane B2 presented normal percentual falls while B-thromboglobulin showed increases which were lower than controls. In conclusion, the effect of somatostatin implied in the relative lower increase of B-thromboglobulin, seems connected to the precedent continuous activation of circulating platelets, the one, responsible for the decrease of thromboxane B2, instead, seems linked to a direct action of somatostatin, independently on the deranged metabolic conditions found in diabetic patients.


Effect of natural and modified zeolite addition on anaerobic digestion of piggery waste.
The effect of natural and modified zeolites on the anaerobic degradation of acetate and methanol was evaluated by the determination of specific methane productivity (SMP) in batch minidigesters of 50 mL at doses of 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1 g of zeolite/g of VSS. The effects of the different zeolite concentrations were determined by the results of the SMP. A kinetic characterization with data of accumulated methane gas volume was also carried out. In the second phase of the study, the effects of natural and nickel zeolite concentrations were tested with piggery waste in laboratory scale digesters of 2.5 L operating at semi continuous mode, by increasing the organic load applied from 0.2 to 22.0 g TCOD/d corresponding to organic loading rates (OLR) of 0.1-8.8 g TCOD/l x d. A greater effect of modified zeolite on SMP was observed, with an increase of 8.5 times with magnesium zeolite, 4.4 times with cobalt zeolite and 2.8 times with nickel zeolite. Two phases were defined in the kinetic study and an increase of more than 2 times the apparent constant of digesters with modified zeolites was observed in the second phase when compared to unmodified natural zeolite. Modified natural zeolite addition to digesters can allow an increase in the potential biodegradability of piggery waste solid fraction and/or a considerable reduction of digestion volume.


Subcutenous xenografts of human T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia Jurkat cells in nude mice.
Human T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) Jurkat cells are often used for in vitro screening of anticancer compounds; however, in vivo models employing Jurkat cells have not yet been sufficiently described. In this report, the growth characteristics and histology of tumor masses developed following subcutaneous (s.c.) implantation of Jurkat cells into nude mice are presented. Five million Jurkat cells in Matrigel™ were injected s.c. into female CrTac:Ncr-Foxn1(nu) mice. Serial tumor volumes were determined and tumor sections were stained with hematoxylin/eosin and examined histologically. Tumors developed in 86.4% of the mice at a median of 39 days post-implantation. Tumor regressions and small stationary tumors were observed in 47.4% of the tumor-bearing animals. The remaining animals displayed progressive tumor growth reaching a volume of 1000 mm(3) at median day 48 post-implantation. The tumor histology was consistent with lymphoblastic lymphoma. Due to frequent spontaneous regressions, this model is not appropriate for evaluation of T-ALL targeting therapeutics.


Borderline personality features as a predictor of forms and functions of aggression during middle childhood: examining the roles of gender and physiological reactivity.
The present longitudinal investigation examined borderline personality features as a predictor of aggression 1 year later. Moderation by physiological reactivity and gender was also explored. One hundred ninety-six children (M = 10.11 years, SD = 0.64) participated in a laboratory stress protocol in which their systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and skin conductance reactivity to recounting a relational stressor (e.g., threats to relationships or exclusion) were assessed. Teachers provided reports on subtypes of aggressive behavior (i.e., reactive relational, proactive relational, reactive physical, and proactive physical), and children completed a self-report measure of borderline personality features. Path analyses indicated that borderline personality features predicted increases in reactive relational aggression and proactive relational aggression among girls who evinced heightened physiological reactivity to interpersonal stress. In contrast, borderline personality features predicted decreases in proactive physical aggression in girls. Findings suggest that borderline personality features promote engagement in relationally aggressive behaviors among girls, particularly in the context of emotional dysregulation.


Missed sclera buckle as a cause of recurrent conjunctivitis.
A 63-year-old woman was referred to the eye clinic with a 2-year history of unresolving right eye discomfort, irritation and recurrent conjunctivitis, managed by her general practitioner, where frequent use of topical antibiotics and ocular lubricants provided little and transient relief. The right eye was blind following a complicated retinal detachment surgery 30 years ago. Examination revealed an extruding silicone sponge scleral buckle from a previous retinal detachment surgery in the superior conjunctival fornix, under the right upper lid. This was subsequently surgically removed and her symptoms resolved.


Effect of nonsupplemented low-protein diet on very late stage CRF.
There are few reports of the effect of a low-protein diet on very late-stage chronic renal failure (CRF), eg, serum creatinine level greater than 10 mg/dL (884 micromol/L). In this retrospective study, we examined the effects of a very low-protein diet in patients with very late-stage CRF. A very low-protein diet (0.25 to 0.54 g/kg body weight/d [0.39 +/- 0.01g/kg body weight/d]) without supplementation of essential amino acids or keto analogues was administered to 76 patients with very late-stage CRF who had serum creatinine levels greater than 10 mg/dL (884 micromol/L). Twenty-one patients with the same serum creatinine level and protein intake of 0.55 to 1.2 g/kg body weight/d (0.68 +/- 0.03 g/kg body weight/d) were observed in lieu of controls. Blood urea nitrogen was significantly suppressed to 43.1 +/- 1.9 g/dL (15.4 +/- 0.7 mmol/L) in the low-protein group compared with 111.2 +/- 7.0 mg/dL (39.7 +/- 2.5 mmol/L; P < 0.001) in the control group. The rate of decline in glomerular filtration rate (creatinine clearance) was 36-fold slower with the low-protein diet (-7.1 +/- 1.0 versus -0.2 +/- 0.4 mL/mon, respectively; P < 0.001). Nutritional state in the low-protein group exceeded that of the control group. Consequently, the renal survival rate improved significantly (P < 0.0001). All patients in the control group were initiated on dialysis treatment within 6 months from a serum creatinine level of 10 mg/dL (884 micromol/L). Conversely, 58% of the low-protein group are still on predialysis treatment. A severe low-protein diet is effective not only in preventing deterioration in renal function, but also in maintaining nutritional state despite no supplementation of essential amino acids or keto analogues, even as serum creatinine level is more than 10 mg/dL (884 micromol/L).


Insulin receptor studies of erythrocytes and mononuclear leucocytes in phasic insulin diabetes mellitus.
This study was designed to investigate any differences in cellular binding of insulin between phasic insulin-dependent (malnutrition-related) diabetes mellitus (PIDDM) and insulin-dependent, non-insulin-dependent, and normal controls. Isolated, washed red and white blood cells obtained after 12-14 hr fast, were separately incubated with varying concentrations of non-radioactive insulin, and a fixed quantity of radioactively labelled insulin. After the 3-hr incubation, cells were washed with buffer, and radioactivity determined on an autogamma counter. Percentage binding, receptor sites number and affinity were all determined by linear regression of the Scatchard plot. Fasting plasma insulin and glucose levels were also assayed. The results obtained show decreased binding of insulin in red blood cells [11.3 +/- 1.3%) and white blood cells 2.9 +/- 0.5%) in PIDDM. This was due to decreased receptor sites (red blood cells 39 +/- 11; white blood cells 0.5 +/- 0.11 x 10(4] as well as decreased affinity (red blood cells 0.14 +/- 0.03 x 10(9) M-1; white blood cells 0.17 +/- 0.04 x 10(9) M-1) when compared to the normal and diabetic (both insulin and non-insulin-dependent) controls. Phasic insulin-dependent diabetes (malnutrition-related diabetes mellitus) is characterized by decreased red and white cellular binding to insulin, in addition to decreased production of insulin.


Intra-aortic balloon pump timing: review of evidence supporting current practice.
Intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation is the most widely used therapy for support of a compromised left ventricle. The principles of counterpulsation were developed in the 1950s, and intra-aortic balloon pumps have been used for more than 40 years. Despite this long-standing clinical use, many of the timing practices have continued almost unchanged from their inception. One of the most important aspects of the pumps is timing, or synchronizing the action of the device with the cardiac cycle. The principles of timing are based on the physiological objectives of counterpulsation; however, research into alternative timing methods has led to conflicting and often confusing information on the appropriate timing method for a specific clinical situation or patient. Although a body of knowledge is available, much of the research is dated and covers only specific timing methods or populations of patients. Further evidence is needed to support the selection of timing methods and determine the clinical benefits of the various methods.


Nonsurgical Treatment of Neuralgia and Cervicogenic Headache: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Extracranial compression of peripheral sensory nerves is one of many origins of chronic headaches. Identifying these patients can be difficult, and they are often diagnosed with neuralgia or cervicogenic headache. The recent literature provides the outcomes of surgical decompression in patients with these headaches. This study aimed to give an overview of the current literature on the nonsurgical treatment options and to evaluate the effectiveness of these treatments in patients with neuralgia and cervicogenic headache. Databases were searched to identify all published clinical studies investigating nonsurgical treatment outcomes in patients with neuralgia or cervicogenic headaches. Studies that reported numerical pain scores, nonnumerical pain scores, headache-free days, or the number of adverse events after nonsurgical treatment were included. A total of 22 articles were included in qualitative analysis. The majority of studies included patients who received injection therapy. Treatment with oral analgesics achieved good results in only 2.5% of the patients. Better outcomes were reported in patients who received local anesthetics injection (79%) and corticosteroid injection (87%). Treatment with botulinum toxin injection yielded the highest percentage of good results (97%; 95% CI, 0.81-1.00). The duration of headache relief after injection therapy varied from 30 minutes to 5 months. The nonsurgical treatment of patients with neuralgia or cervicogenic headache is challenging. Injection therapy in patients with these types of headaches achieved good pain relief but only for a limited time. Surgical decompression may result in long-lasting pain relief and might be a more sustainable treatment option.


Hydrocarbon rank signatures correlate with differential oophagy and dominance behaviour in Polistes dominulus foundresses.
Social life offers animals increased fitness opportunities. However, the advantages are not evenly distributed and some individuals benefit more than others. The ultimate advantage of reaching the highest rank in a dominance hierarchy is the achievement of reproduction monopoly. In social insects, dominant individuals and queens keep their reproductive control through differential oophagy of unwanted eggs (egg policing). Egg recognition is the main proximate mechanism for maintaining reproductive dominance. In the social wasp Polistes dominulus, subordinate queens often lay eggs in the presence of the dominant individual. Combining gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis and laboratory bioassays, we found that chemical differences between eggs of subordinate and dominant foundresses can explain the differential success in oophagy enjoyed by dominant individuals. We propose that dominance behaviour is an investigative behaviour as well as a ritualized agonistic behaviour. In fact, the frequency of dominance acts increases with the chemical similarity of the surfaces of dominant- and subordinate-laid eggs. Therefore, dominant individuals probably perform dominance behaviour to test the cuticular signatures of subordinates and so better assess the chemical profiles of subordinate eggs. Finally, we provide evidence that in particular social contexts, subordinate Polistes foundresses can develop ovaries as large as those of dominant individuals but nevertheless lay very few eggs. The subordinates probably lay a limited number of eggs to avoid unnecessary energy loss, as a result of efficient queen policing, but will start laying eggs as soon as the queen fails.


Effects of distraction on the contingent negative variation in presenile dementia and normal subjects.
The authors recorded contingent negative variation (CNV) in a group of subjects affected by presenile dementia, at the onset of the symptoms, with a slight degree of intellectual deterioration. Recordings were carried out in rest basal conditions and upon administration of an insignificant distracting stimulus. Results were compared with data obtained in a group of normal subjects of the same age under the same experimental conditions. In the patients a marked decrease of the wave was observed upon the administration of a distracting stimulus.


mGlu receptors in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by typical motor features that result from dopamine (DA) depletion in the striatum. DA replacement therapy with L-DOPA is the most efficacious symptomatic treatment, but causes complications that limit its utility, in particular, L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID). LID is primarily caused by pre-synaptic and post-synaptic changes in DA neurotransmission, although it also depends on altered glutamatergic transmission at several nodes of the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical network. The important functional interplay between dopaminergic and glutamatergic systems has stimulated an interest in metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) as potential therapeutic targets in PD and LID. We here review the antiparkinsonian and antidyskinetic potential of modulating group I, II, and III mGluRs in several preclinical models of PD. We also provide an update on clinical trials evaluating mGluR5 or mGluR4 ligands in PD.


Effects of Changes in Background Colour on the Identification of Own- and Other-Race Faces.
The current study investigated whether small differences in the background colours between the lineup members would influence identification accuracy of own-race and other-race faces. Using the well-established 1-in-10 paradigm, half of the array faces had exactly the same backgrounds, and half were on backgrounds of slightly different hues of green. For target present arrays, participants were more accurate at identifying own-race faces when compared with the other-race faces when all backgrounds were the same. However, when backgrounds had slightly different hues, there was no difference in how accurate people were at identifying faces from both races. For target absent arrays, participants were more likely to incorrectly choose a face if the backgrounds were not all the same, regardless of the race of faces. Real-world implications from these findings are that using lineups where the backgrounds are slightly different hues may increase the likelihood of the false identification of innocent suspects.


Alliance for aging research AD biomarkers work group: structural MRI.
Biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are increasingly important. All modern AD therapeutic trials employ AD biomarkers in some capacity. In addition, AD biomarkers are an essential component of recently updated diagnostic criteria for AD from the National Institute on Aging--Alzheimer's Association. Biomarkers serve as proxies for specific pathophysiological features of disease. The 5 most well established AD biomarkers include both brain imaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) measures--cerebrospinal fluid Abeta and tau, amyloid positron emission tomography (PET), fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography, and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This article reviews evidence supporting the position that MRI is a biomarker of neurodegenerative atrophy. Topics covered include methods of extracting quantitative and semiquantitative information from structural MRI; imaging-autopsy correlation; and evidence supporting diagnostic and prognostic value of MRI measures. Finally, the place of MRI in a hypothetical model of temporal ordering of AD biomarkers is reviewed.


Failure of a single dose of Brucella abortus strain 19 vaccine to protect cattle when given early in calfhood.
Groups of heifer calves were vaccinated subcutaneously with the standard dose of strain 19 at the age of 3 to 5 weeks or 5 months. Twelve months after primary vaccination a group of the younger vaccinates were revaccinated with a small dose of strain 19 via the conjunctival sac. The effectiveness of vaccination was assessed by challenge with virulent B. abortus after 5 to 6 months of pregnancy. Animals vaccinated at 3 to 5 weeks, but given no intraconjunctival boost, were not effectively protected, but the group receiving the boost were at least as resistant as those which received the subcutaneous dose at 5 months. The intraconjunctival boost caused only slight and transient serological responses in a few animals.


The combination of mycophenolate mofetil with corticosteroids induces remission of Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis.
Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is a form of systemic vasculitis that can progress to Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSPN), and the most effective treatment remains controversial. Our aim was to compare the effects of oral mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) with low-dose prednisone and the full-dose corticosteroids (CS; prednisone) for the induction therapy of HSPN with large proteinuria. Fifty-three patients with biopsy-proved HSPN with large proteinuria (>2.0 g/24 h) were divided into two groups: the MMF group (n = 27) who received oral MMF 1.0 g/day (1.5 g/day for patients with a body weight >70 kg) combined with low-dose prednisone (0.4-0.5 mg/kg/day), and the CS group (n = 26) who received the full-dose prednisone (0.8-1.0 mg/kg/day). We compared the effects of inducing remission at 6-month follow-up and the overall remission rate at the end of the follow-up between the two groups. At 6 months, the estimated glomerular filtration rate level remained stable, while the urine protein decreased significantly in both groups, and the remission rate was 76.9% in the CS group and 55.5% in the MMF group (p = 0.101). With a median follow-up of 28.8 months in the CS group and 28.2 months in the MMF group, the overall remission rate was 80.8% in the CS group and 77.8% in the MMF group (p = 0.788). The MMF group had less side effects than the CS group (48.1 vs. 76.9%, p = 0.031). The relapse was 4/21 (19.0%) in the CS group and 0/21 in the MMF group (p = 0.115). MMF is useful for inducing remission and maintaining remission in Chinese HSPN, and may be used as a steroid-sparing agent in the treatment of HSPN.


Specificity for the correlation between the body surface and viscera in the pathological state of COPD: A prospective, controlled, and assessor-blinded trial.
Background: The association between the body surface and viscera remains obscure, but a better understanding of the body surface-viscera correlation will maximize its diagnostic and therapeutic values in clinical practice. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the specificity of body surface-viscera correlation in the pathological state. Methods: The study subjects included 40 participants with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the COPD group and 40 age-matched healthy participants in the healthy control group. Laser Doppler flowmetry, infrared thermography, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy were respectively adopted to measure 1) the perfusion unit (PU), 2) temperature, and 3) regional oxygen saturation (rSO2) of four specific sites distributed in the heart and lung meridians. These three outcome measures reflected the microcirculatory, thermal, and metabolic characteristics, respectively. Results: Regarding the microcirculatory and thermal characteristics of the body surface, the PU and temperature of specific sites on the body surface [i.e., Taiyuan (LU9) and Chize (LU5) in the lung meridian] in the COPD group were significantly increased compared with healthy controls (p < 0.05), whereas PU and temperature of other sites in the heart meridian [i.e., Shenmen (HT7) and Shaohai (HT3)] did not change significantly (p > 0.05). Regarding the metabolic characteristics, rSO2 of specific sites in the lung meridian [i.e., Taiyuan (LU9) and Chize (LU5)] and Shaohai (HT3) of the heart meridian in the COPD group was significantly decreased compared with healthy controls (p < 0.01), whereas rSO2 of Shenmen (HT7) in the heart meridian did not change significantly (p > 0.05). Conclusion: In the disease state of COPD, the microcirculatory, thermal, and metabolic characteristics of specific sites on the body surface in the lung meridian generally manifest more significant changes than those in the heart meridian, thereby supporting relative specificity for the body surface-viscera correlation in the pathological state.


The Cholecystectomy As A Day Case (CAAD) Score: A Validated Score of Preoperative Predictors of Successful Day-Case Cholecystectomy Using the CholeS Data Set.
Day-case surgery is associated with significant patient and cost benefits. However, only 43% of cholecystectomy patients are discharged home the same day. One hypothesis is day-case cholecystectomy rates, defined as patients discharged the same day as their operation, may be improved by better assessment of patients using standard preoperative variables. Data were extracted from a prospectively collected data set of cholecystectomy patients from 166 UK and Irish hospitals (CholeS). Cholecystectomies performed as elective procedures were divided into main (75%) and validation (25%) data sets. Preoperative predictors were identified, and a risk score of failed day case was devised using multivariate logistic regression. Receiver operating curve analysis was used to validate the score in the validation data set. Of the 7426 elective cholecystectomies performed, 49% of these were discharged home the same day. Same-day discharge following cholecystectomy was less likely with older patients (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.15-0.23), higher ASA scores (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.15-0.23), complicated cholelithiasis (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.48), male gender (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.58-0.74), previous acute gallstone-related admissions (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.48-0.60) and preoperative endoscopic intervention (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.34-0.47). The CAAD score was developed using these variables. When applied to the validation subgroup, a CAAD score of ≤5 was associated with 80.8% successful day-case cholecystectomy compared with 19.2% associated with a CAAD score >5 (p < 0.001). The CAAD score which utilises data readily available from clinic letters and electronic sources can predict same-day discharges following cholecystectomy.


Dipeptide Repeat Pathology in C9orf72-ALS Is Associated with Redox, Mitochondrial and NRF2 Pathway Imbalance.
The hexanucleotide expansion of the C9orf72 gene is found in 40% of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. This genetic alteration has been connected with impaired management of reactive oxygen species. In this study, we conducted targeted transcriptional profiling in leukocytes from C9orf72 patients and control subjects by examining the mRNA levels of 84 redox-related genes. The expression of ten redox genes was altered in samples from C9orf72 ALS patients compared to healthy controls. Considering that Nuclear factor erythroid 2-Related Factor 2 (NRF2) modulates the expression of a wide range of redox genes, we further investigated its status on an in vitro model of dipeptide repeat (DPR) toxicity. This model mimics the gain of function, toxic mechanisms attributed to C9orf72 pathology. We found that exposure to DPRs increased superoxide levels and reduced mitochondrial potential as well as cell survival. Importantly, cells overexpressing DPRs exhibited reduced protein levels of NRF2 and its target genes upon inhibition of the proteasome or its canonical repressor, the E3 ligase adapter KEAP1. However, NRF2 activation was sufficient to recover cell viability and redox homeostasis. This study identifies NRF2 as a putative target in precision medicine for the therapy of ALS patients harboring C9orf72 expansion repeats.


Methotrexate pneumonitis: review of the literature and histopathological findings in nine patients.
Pneumonitis is a serious and unpredictable side-effect of treatment with methotrexate (MTX) that may become life-threatening. The clinical and histological features of nine cases of MTX pneumonitis are reported and the literature reviewed. The typical clinical symptoms include progressive shortness of breath and cough, often associated with fever. Hypoxaemia and tachypnoea are always present and crackles are frequently audible. Chest radiography reveals a diffuse interstitial or mixed interstitial and alveolar infiltrate, with a predilection for the lower lung fields. Pulmonary function tests show a restrictive pattern with diminished diffusion capacity. Lung biopsy reveals cellular interstitial infiltrates, granulomas or a diffuse alveolar damage pattern accompanied by perivascular inflammation. These clinical and pathological findings are not specific to MTX pneumonitis and can be seen with other drug-induced lung toxicities. It is important that all patients receiving methotrexate be educated concerning this potential adverse reaction and instructed to contact their physicians should significant new pulmonary symptoms develop while undergoing therapy. If methotrexate pneumonitis is suspected, methotrexate should be discontinued, supportive measures instituted and careful examination for different causes of respiratory distress conducted.


Protein folding pathways of adenylate kinase from E. coli: hydrostatic pressure and stopped-flow studies.
Adenylate kinase (AKe) from E. coli is a small, single-chain, monomeric enzyme with no tryptophan and a single cysteine residue. We have constructed six single-Trp mutants of AKe to facilitate optical studies of these proteins and to specifically examine the interrelationship between their structure, function, dynamics, and folding reactions. In this study, the effects of hydrostatic pressure on the folding reactions of AKe were studied. The native structure of AKe was transformed to a non-native, yet pressure stable, conformation by hydrostatic pressure of about 300 MPa. This pressure lability of AKe is rather low for a monomeric protein and presumably may be attributed to substantial conformational flexibility and a correspondingly large volume change. The refolding of AKe after pressure-induced denaturation was reversible under ambient conditions. At low temperature (near 0 degrees C), the refolding process of pressure-exposed AKe mutants displayed a significant hysteresis. The observation of a slow refolding rate in the 193 region and a faster folding rate around the active site (86, 41, 73 regions) leads us to suggest that in the folding process, priority is afforded to functional regions. The slow structural return of the 193 region apparently does not hinder the more rapid return of enzymatic activity of AKe. Circular dichroism studies on the pressure-denatured Y193W mutant show that the secondary structure (calculated from far-UV spectra) returned at a rapid rate, but the tertiary structure alignment (calculated from near-UV spectra) around the 193 region occurred more slowly at rates comparable to those detected by fluorescence intensity. Denaturation of AKe mutants by guanidine hydrochloride and subsequent refolding experiments were also consistent with a much slower refolding process around the 193 region than near the active site. Fast refolding kinetic traces were observed in F86W, S41W, and A73W mutants using a fluorescence detection stopped-flow rapid mixing device, while only a slow kinetic trace was observed for Y193W. The results suggest that the differences in regional folding rates of AKe are not derived from the specific denaturation methods, but rather are inherent in the structural organization of the protein.


Bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia--an unusual initial presenting sign of giant cell arteritis.
A 63-year-old man presented six days after the sudden onset of horizontal double vision. His left eye became divergent two days later. On initial examination he had bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia with weakness of adduction and abducting nystagmus. Convergence was weak but there were no other neuro-ophthalmic signs. Constitutional signs included confusion and unsteadiness on his feet. A provisional diagnosis of arteritis was made. His ESR was 92 mm/h and a superficial temporal artery biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis. After two weeks or oral prednisolone his eye movements returned to normal. There have been no further relapses. This would appear to be a unique presentation of giant cell arteritis. The causes of internuclear ophthalmoplegia are discussed along with a review of the ocular and neuro-ophthalmic signs of giant cell arteritis.


Statins and omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of dyslipidemia and coronary heart disease.
Dyslipidemia including hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia often associated with low levels of HDL-cholesterol is a common and important cluster of risk factors for coronary heart disease. Dyslipidemia is also commonly associated with hypertension, hyperinsulinemia and central obesity in the metabolic syndrome. Lifestyle adjustments including increased physical activity and dietary modifications leading to weight reduction are important first steps in the prevention of coronary heart disease in patients with such abnormalities in lipid metabolism. When these adjustments are insufficient to achieve desirable results, the combined treatment with statins and omega-3 fatty acids is an efficient treatment alternative. Both statins and omega-3 fatty acids have documented their effects against coronary heart disease (CHD) both in primary and secondary prevention trials. The mechanisms involved are only partly explained, however, the synergistic effects of statins and omega-3 fatty acids significantly reduce the risk for CHD in patients with dyslipidemia.


Atypical MRI and Histopathological Findings in Dermoid Cyst.
On images, a dermoid cyst is often described as resembling a "sack of marbles" or "marbles in a bag". Typically, it comprises an inhomogeneity filled with multiple nodules in a fluid matrix on both computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). How it appears, however, will vary depending on its histological contents, which may cause confusion in arriving at a diagnosis. This report describes a dermoid cyst in the floor of the mouth of a 55 year-old woman that showed an atypical internal appearance on MRI. Most of the lesion showed homogeneous high signal intensity on T1 - and T2-weighted images, suggesting that it was derived from fat. A small area within the mass, however, showed moderate signal intensity almost equal to that of muscle on T1-weighted images and high signal intensity on fat-suppressed T2-weighted images. Given the location of the lesion, a dermoid cyst was one possible diagnosis. A lipoma or lipoma variants were also considered, however, based on signal intensity. Histopathological section of the excised specimen revealed a dermoid cyst with sebaceous glands in its walls and keratin in its cavity. Dermoid cysts show variation in their internal structures and contents. Since MRI can reflect such histological variation, signal intensity requires careful interpretation.


Higher prevalence of cytomegalovirus pp65 antigenemia associated with lower CD4+ T lymphocyte count.
Sixty seven immunocompromised patients were studied prospectively to observe the association of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) pp65 antigenemia with CD4+ T-lymphocyte count, a marker of cellular immunity. This study was conducted in three different groups of immunocompromised patients including HIV infected patients, patients with haematological malignancy and kidney transplanted patients. Result of the study indicate that proportion of severely immunocompromised patients having lower cellular immunity (< or = 200/microl) in all the three groups were comparable and ranged from 44% to 50%. The study also indicated that high prevalence of CMV pp65 antigenemia was associated with lower level of cell mediated immunity (< or = 200/microl). pp65 antigen was detected in 40% of patients with low immunity in contrast with 20% and 22.72% in the patient with intermediate immunity and in group without gross immune deficiency respectively. Lower level of cellular immunity was also associated with high level of CMV pp65 antigen. This was indicated by 75% patients with low immunity having high level of CMV pp65 antigen. It may perhaps be concluded that CMV infection occurred in a higher rate in immunocompromised patients and this is highly associated with the lower immune status of the immunocompromised patients as well as the level of CMV pp65 is higher in the patients with lower cellular immunity. This perhaps indicate that CMV infection is more severe in patients with low cellular immune response.


Modification of Poly(lactic acid) with Orange Peel Powder as Biodegradable Composite.
Traditional fossil-based plastic usage and disposal has been one of the largest environmental concerns due to its non-biodegradable nature and high energy consumption during the manufacturing process. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as a renewable polymer derived from natural sources with properties comparable to classical plastics and low environmental cost has gained much attention as a safer alternative. Abundantly generated orange peel waste is rich in valuable components and there is still limited study on the potential uses of orange peel waste in reinforcing the PLA matrix. In this study, orange peel fine powder (OPP) synthesized from dried orange peel waste was added into PLA solution. PLA/OPP solutions at different OPP loadings, i.e., 0, 10, 20, 40, and 60 wt% were then casted out as thin films through solution casting method. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis has shown that the OPP is incorporated into the PLA matrix, with OH groups and C=C stretching from OPP can be observed in the spectra. Tensile test results have reviewed that the addition of OPP has decreased the tensile strength and Young's modulus of PLA, but significantly improve the elongation at break by 49 to 737%. Water contact angle analysis shows that hydrophilic OPP has modified the surface hydrophobicity of PLA with a contact angle ranging from 70.12° to 88.18°, but higher loadings lead to decrease of surface energy. It is proven that addition of OPP improves the biodegradability of PLA, where PLA/60 wt% OPP composite shows the best biodegradation performance after 28 days with 60.43% weight loss. Lastly, all PLA/OPP composites have better absorption in alkaline solution.


Late (11 to 19 years) assessment of hemodynamic and prosthetic valve function in patients with Starr Edwards ball valves: a non-invasive study utilizing 99m-technetium pertechnetate scintigraphy.
This is an account of 2 groups of 10 patients each who received Starr Edwards ball valves in either the mitral (M) or aortic (A) position on average 14.7 +/- 3 or 14.9 +/- 2.4 years ago, respectively. Non-invasive scintigraphic studies were performed using the first pass of 18 to 20 mCi 99 m-Technetium Pertechnetate. Enddiastolic and endsystolic volumes were found elevated at rest: (M) EDV 135 +/- 50 ml, ESV 63 +/- 30 ml; (A) EDV 163 +/- 41 ml, ESV 69 +/- 25 ml. The response to maximum exercise--during which the heart rate increased from 85 +/- 23 min-1 to 133 +/- 33 min-1--was abnormal, since none of the volumes changed significantly. During exercise, therefore, the increase of the cardiac output was totally heart rate dependent: (M) 6.1 +/- 2.3 to 9.3 +/- 2.3 l/min; (A) 7.0 +/- 1.9 to 10.9 +/- 3.1 l/min. The dynamics of the rapid diastolic filling rate of the left ventricle (RFR) and the mean pulmonary transit time (MTT) served as functional parameters of the Starr Edwards ball valves in the mitral position. The rapid filling rate increased from 205 +/- 98 to 321 +/- 58 ml/sec, whereas MTT decreased from 7.4 +/- 1.4 to 5.4 +/- 2.1 sec. In patients with aortic valve replacement the left ventricular ejection rate was assessed, it rose from 233 +/- 80 to 459 +/- 232 ml/sec. The significant changes of the parameters proved that the Starr Edwards ball valve mechanism functions satisfactorily 11 to 19 years post-operatively.


[Nuclear imaging of prostate cancer: current status].
Prostate carcinoma is the most common life-threatening cancer affecting men in the western world. In Germany about 40,600 new cases have to be expected each year. The mortality is around 10%. The major goals of pretherapeutic imaging are to determine the local extent of prostate carcinoma in terms of intraprostate localisation, extracapsular extension (ECE), seminal vesicle invasion (SVI), tumour infiltration into neurovascular bundles, and if this has taken place, into surrounding tissues and organs in the small pelvis, detection of loco-regional metastases via the lymph nodes and of this so, of distant metastases. Exact pretherapeutic diagnosis and staging are essential, because the tumour treatment must be selected in strict dependence on clinical tumour stage and risk profile. Both anatomic and functional molecular imaging of prostate carcinoma have advanced significantly in recent years. When there are problems with diagnosis, e.g. when prostate punch biopsies are negative while the suspicion of prostate carcinoma persists, C-11/F-18 choline PET/CT and MRT/MRS may be helpful in localising the carcinoma, revealing how the carcinoma relates to the surrounding intra- and extraprostatic structures and organs, and making a targeted repeat biopsy possible. Lymphotropic contrast agents are highly promising for accurate nodal staging of prostate carcinoma, but are not yet available for routine clinical use; In these circumstances, the sensitivity of nodal staging with the widely available imaging modalities remains inadequate, and its specificity is also less than optimal. There has been particularly substantial progress in the localisation of local relapse, which can be imaged with contrast-enhanced C-11-choline PET/CT and MRT in most cases when PSA is >0.5-1 ng/ml. 18F-Fluoride PET/CT has proved accurate in the diagnosis of skeletal metastases from prostate carcinoma.


Mortality by cryptococcosis in Brazil from 2000 to 2012: A descriptive epidemiological study.
Cryptococcosis is a neglected and predominantly opportunistic mycosis that, in Brazil, poses an important public health problem, due to its late diagnosis and high lethality. The present study analysed cryptococcosis mortality in Brazil from January 2000 to December 2012, based on secondary data (Mortality Information System/SIM-DATASUS and IBGE). Out of 5,755 recorded deaths in which cryptococcosis was mentioned as one of the morbid states that contributed to death, two distinct groups emerged: 1,121 (19.5%) registered cryptococcosis as the basic cause of death, and 4,634 (80.5%) registered cryptococcosis associated with risk factors, mainly AIDS (75%), followed by other host risks (5.5%). The mortality rate by cryptococcosis as the basic cause was 6.19/million inhabitants, whereas the mortality rate by cryptococcosis as an associated cause was 25.19/million inhabitants. Meningitis was the predominant clinical form (80%), males were the more affected (69%), and 39.5 years old was the mean age. The highest mortality rate due to cryptococcosis as basic cause occurred in the state of Mato Grosso (10.96/million inhabitants). Mortality rates due to cryptococcosis as associated cause were highest in the states of Santa Catarina (70.41/million inhabitants) and Rio Grande do Sul (64.40/million inhabitants), both in the South Region. Southeast, Northeast and South showed significant time trends in mortality rates. This study is relevant because it shows the magnitude of cryptococcosis mortality linked to AIDS and removes the invisibility of a particular non-AIDS-related disease, accounting for almost 20% of all cryptococcosis deaths. It can also contribute to control and surveillance programs, beyond highlighting the urgent prioritization of early diagnosis and proper treatment to reduce the unacceptable mortality rate of this neglected mycosis in Brazil.


[Relationship between airway basement membrane thickness and lung function tests in patients with asthma].
Airway remodeling is a characteristic feature of asthma. It is believed that airway remodeling affects lung function and bronchial hyper-responsiveness. Therefore, the relationship between remodeling and lung function is still a matter of extensive research. However, the results of many studies are inconsistent. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between lung function parameters and basement membrane (BM) thickness in patients with asthma. Twenty asthma patients were chosen for the study (ten male, ten female, mean age 37 +/- 15 yrs). Ten were newly diagnosed, steroid-naive patients and the other ten were patients known to have asthma who had not been treated with steroids for at least three months. The study group was selected based on the results of: clinical assessment, allergic skin-prick tests, lung function testing and bronchial challenge with methacholine. Nine (45%) patients had chronic mild, nine (45%) had moderate and two (10%) had intermittent asthma. Mean FEV1% pred. was 83 +/- 18, mean FEV1%VC 69 +/- 9, mean FVC% pred. 101 +/- 14. All patients underwent research fiberoptic bronchoscopy with BAL and bronchial mucosal biopsies. Light-microscopic measurements of BM thickness were performed in hematoxylin-eosin stained slides of bronchial wall specimens with semi-automatic software analysis MultiScan Base 08.98. Mean BM thickness was 12.8 +/- 2.8 microm (range: 8.5-20.7 microm). No significant correlations between BM thickness and FEV1% pred., FEV1%VC, FVC% pred., RV% pred., TLC% pred., Raw (pre- and post-bronchodilator) and PC20 were observed. In our group of asthma patients, mean BM was significantly thickened. No relationship between BM thickness and lung function tests, including hyper-responsiveness, was found.


Pharmacokinetics of ponazuril after oral administration to healthy llamas (Lama glama).
To determine the pharmacokinetics after oral administration of a single dose of ponazuril to healthy llamas. 6 healthy adult llamas. Ponazuril (20 mg/kg) was administered once orally to 6 llamas (day 0). Blood samples were obtained on days 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, and 49. Serum ponazuril concentrations were determined by use of a validated reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography assay with UV absorbance detection. Pharmacokinetic parameters were derived by use of a standard noncompartmental pharmacokinetic analysis. Mean ± SD area under the serum concentration-time curve was 7,516 ± 2,750 h•mg/L, maximum serum ponazuril concentration was 23.6 ± 6.0 mg/L, and the elimination half-life was 135.5 ± 16.7 hours. Serum concentration of ponazuril peaked at 84 hours (range, 48 to 120 hours) after administration and gradually decreased but remained detectable for up to 35 days after administration. No adverse effects were observed during the study period. The rate and extent of absorption following oral administration of a single dose of ponazuril were sufficient to result in potentially effective concentrations, and the drug was tolerated well by llamas. At this dose, ponazuril resulted in serum concentrations that were high enough to be effective against various Apicomplexans on the basis of data for other species. The effective ponazuril concentration that will induce 50% inhibition of parasite growth for Eimeria macusaniensis in camelids is currently unknown.


The mechanics and physics of fracturing: application to thermal aspects of crack propagation and to fracking.
By way of introduction, the general invariant integral (GI) based on the energy conservation law is presented, with mention of cosmic, gravitational, mass, elastic, thermal and electromagnetic energy of matter application to demonstrate the approach, including Coulomb's Law generalized for moving electric charges, Newton's Law generalized for coupled gravitational/cosmic field, the new Archimedes' Law accounting for gravitational and surface energy, and others. Then using this approach the temperature track behind a moving crack is found, and the coupling of elastic and thermal energies is set up in fracturing. For porous materials saturated with a fluid or gas, the notion of binary continuum is used to introduce the corresponding GIs. As applied to the horizontal drilling and fracturing of boreholes, the field of pressure and flow rate as well as the fluid output from both a horizontal borehole and a fracture are derived in the fluid extraction regime. The theory of fracking in shale gas reservoirs is suggested for three basic regimes of the drill mud permeation, with calculating the shape and volume of the local region of the multiply fractured rock in terms of the pressures of rock, drill mud and shale gas.


[Marginal seal of cervical composite inlays in vitro].
The presence of microleakage at the dentinal margins of conventional Class V restorations and direct composite inlays in combination with four dentin bonding agents was assessed by means of dye penetration. The use of dentinal adhesives with conventional one-step composite fillings failed to prevent marginal leakage. The dentin bonding agents used in this study were for more efficient when used with direct composite inlays. The resistance to thermal stress of these bonded Class V composite inlays was improved by application of a secondary light and heat cure, probably due to relaxation of residual material stress.


Physical and sensory attributes of hot-processed and conventionally chilled hams and bellies from electrically stimulated and non-stimulated pork carcasses.
Forty-eight fresh hams and bellies were obtained from 24 market weight hogs (x = 94·5 kg) of which twelve were electrically stimulated (ES) by pulsing current immediately after exsanguination. The left side of each non-stimulated (NS) carcas was fabricated after conditioning for 3h post mortem at 17°C (NS hot-processed). The left sides of ES carcasses were fabricated 1 h pm. The right sides were fabricated following a 24 h cooler chill at 2°C (conventionally chilled: CP). Hams from ESCP carcasses had higher (P < 0·05) smokehouse yields than hams from NS carcasses. Hams that were hot-processed had higher smokehouse yields than the NSCP hams. Time of fabrication (1, 3 or 24h post mortem) did not affect smokehouse yields. Conventionally chilled bellies obtained from ES carcasses showed higher (P < 0·05) residual nitrite levels than those front electrically stimulated hot-processed (ESHP) carcasses. No differences were found for residual nitrite levels in the non-electrically stimulated sides. Panelists were unable to detect any sensory differences from the bacon strips. Sensory scores of ham slices were more juicy for non-stimulated hot-processed carcasses (NSHP) than those from ESHP carcasses. Panelists found the ham slices from NSCP carcasses to be more tender (P < 0·05) than those from electrically stimulated cold-processed (ESCP) carcasses. Results from this study clearly indicated that hot-processing of pork can provide hams and bellies that are acceptable for the production of cured hams and bacon of comparable quality and yield to those currently being produced under conventional processing methods.


Porphyrin-containing Polyimide with Enhanced Light Absorption and Photocatalysis Activity.
A series of porphyrin-containing polyimide (PI) photocatalysts were synthesized by a one-step solvothermal method. Characterization results revealed that porphyrin was uniformly coupled into the PI framework through covalent bonding and the visible-light absorption was greatly improved. The photodegradation activity of porphyrin-containing PIs for methyl orange (MO) under visible light was enhanced significantly, with the highest pseudo-first-order rate constant 35 times higher than that of neat porphyrin and 10 times higher than that of porphyrin-free PI. The enhancement is mainly attributed to an increased light harvesting accompanied by a varied HOMO level, which was clarified by control experiments, characterizations and theoretical calculations. This work provides an insight into multiple effects of dye molecules in dye-containing heterogeneous photocatalysts.


From whole-organ imaging to in-silico blood flow modeling: A new multi-scale network analysis for revisiting tissue functional anatomy.
We present a multi-disciplinary image-based blood flow perfusion modeling of a whole organ vascular network for analyzing both its structural and functional properties. We show how the use of Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy (LSFM) permits whole-organ micro-vascular imaging, analysis and modelling. By using adapted image post-treatment workflow, we could segment, vectorize and reconstruct the entire micro-vascular network composed of 1.7 million vessels, from the tissue-scale, inside a ∼ 25 × 5 × 1 = 125mm3 volume of the mouse fat pad, hundreds of times larger than previous studies, down to the cellular scale at micron resolution, with the entire blood perfusion modeled. Adapted network analysis revealed the structural and functional organization of meso-scale tissue as strongly connected communities of vessels. These communities share a distinct heterogeneous core region and a more homogeneous peripheral region, consistently with known biological functions of fat tissue. Graph clustering analysis also revealed two distinct robust meso-scale typical sizes (from 10 to several hundred times the cellular size), revealing, for the first time, strongly connected functional vascular communities. These community networks support heterogeneous micro-environments. This work provides the proof of concept that in-silico all-tissue perfusion modeling can reveal new structural and functional exchanges between micro-regions in tissues, found from community clusters in the vascular graph.


Influence of Modification on Flow Stress Behavior and Corrosive Properties of a Hypoeutectic Al-Si Alloy.
The flow stress behavior and corrosive properties of Al-7Si alloy were studied by thermal compression test, electrochemical test, and electron probe microanalysis. The influences of temperatures, strain rates, strains, and morphology of Si particles on stress-strain curves of Al-7Si alloy were analyzed. The peak stress of unmodified-Al-7Si alloy is higher than that of Sr-modified-Al-7Si alloy at the same deformation conditions, and the phenomenon is obviously relevant to the distribution and morphology of Si particles. The morphology of Si particles of unmodified-undeformed-Al-7Si alloy is a typical thick layer, and that of unmodified-deformed-Al-7Si alloy is broken into relatively small particles and the distribution is relatively even in homogeneous deformation zone II. The distribution of Si particles in Sr-modified-deformed-Al-7Si alloy is obviously more even than undeformed alloy. The effect of a small deformation of 20% on the distribution and morphology of Si particles is obviously smaller than that of a large deformation of 50%. The electrochemical self-corrosion potential of Sr-modified-Al-7Si alloy is higher than that of unmodified-Al-7Si alloy, and it proves that the distribution and morphology of Si particles have a certain influence on the corrosive properties of Al-7Si alloy. That is, the even fine Si particles are more conducive to improving the corrosive properties of Al-7Si alloy.


Evaluation of left ventricular twist in acute myocardial infarction patients using speckle tracking imaging.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the differences of left ventricular (LV) twist and untwisting rate in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) as compared with healthy subjects by means of Speckle Tracking Imaging (STI). 45 AMI patients (AMI group) and 48 healthy subjects (NOR group) were studied. Two-dimensional STI was performed in all patients. Peak apical rotation, peak basal rotation, peak LV twist, peak basal untwisting rate, peak apical untwisting rate, peak LV untwisting rate, time to peak LV twist, and untwisting rate were measured. In comparison with the NOR group, peak LV rotational parameters were found to be decreased in the AMI group (P < 0.01). A strong correlation was found between the peak LV twist and LV ejection fraction in the overall study population (P < 0.001). The LV twist is strongly related to LV systolic function, and the impairment of LV function observed in patients with AMI is associated with a decrease of LV twist and untwist rate. The STI appears to accurately evaluate LV function.


The effects of medical marijuana laws on illegal marijuana use.
More and more states have passed laws that allow individuals to use marijuana for medical purposes. There is an ongoing, heated policy debate over whether these laws have increased marijuana use among non-patients. In this paper, I address that question empirically by studying marijuana possession arrests in cities from 1988 to 2008. I estimate fixed effects models with city-specific time trends that can condition on unobserved heterogeneities across cities in both their levels and trends. I find that these laws increase marijuana arrests among adult males by about 15-20%. These results are further validated by findings from data on treatment admissions to rehabilitation facilities: marijuana treatments among adult males increased by 10-20% after the passage of medical marijuana laws.


Seminiferous epithelium of rats with food restriction and carbon tetrachloride-induced cirrhosis.
Analyze the changes in the seminiferous epithelium in rats with carbon tetrachloride-induced cirrhosis (CCl4). Forty-eight male Wistar rats aged 45-50 days, weighing 150-180 grams were used. Twenty-two rats underwent CCl4-induced cirrhosis with CCl4 0.25 mL/Kg weekly intragastrically once a week, during 10 weeks. Additionally, they had a 44% food restriction diet (Group 1). The control group was divided in two subgroups: 13 rats had a 44% food restriction diet and no CCl4 (Group 2) and 10 rats were not submitted to CCl4 or food restriction (Group 3). After 10 weeks, the rats were sacrificed and liver sections were collected for histological analysis. The testicular analysis was carried out to evaluate the frequency of tubules in stages VIII and XIV. The mean rates of stage VIII in animals with food restriction plus CCl4-induced cirrhosis and food restriction without CCl4 were significantly different from animals without either food restriction or CCl4 (18.1 +/- 5.5%, 20.5 +/- 2.5% and 13.4 +/- 3.5%, respectively, p = 0.002). The mean rate of stage VIII in rats with cirrhosis was not significantly different from rats without cirrhosis (18.1 +/- 5.5% and 17.4 +/- 4.6% respectively). The mean frequency of stage XIV in rats with cirrhosis was significantly greater than rats without cirrhosis (4.7 +/- 2.3% and 6.8 +/- 1.9% respectively, p = 0.027). Animals with CCl4-induced cirrhosis and food restriction have shown alterations in spermatogenic cycle that were not seen in rats without CCl4-induced cirrhosis and food restriction.


SAP97 interacts with Kv1.5 in heterologous expression systems.
PDZ domain-containing proteins such as SAP97 and ZO-1 have been implicated in the targeting and clustering of ion channels. We have explored the interactions of these polypeptides with a cardiac voltage-gated potassium channel. Immunocytochemistry in cardiac myocytes revealed colocalization of SAP97 and Kv1.5, both at the intercalated disks and the lateral membranes. Transient transfection experiments in COS-7 cells revealed that SAP97 and Kv1.5 polypeptides formed perinuclear clustered complexes that could be coimmunoprecipitated. Mutation of the three COOH-terminal amino acid residues of Kv1.5 (T-D-L to A-A-A) abolished these interactions. Whereas in most COS-7 cells the SAP97-Kv1.5 complexes were retained in the ER, functional analyses in Xenopus oocytes showed that Kv1.5-encoded outward potassium currents were augmented by coexpression with SAP97. By contrast, cotransfected ZO-1 and Kv1.5 polypeptides in COS-7 cells could not be coprecipitated nor did the coinjection of ZO-1 augment the Kv1.5-encoded currents in oocytes. Collectively, our results suggest that SAP97 may play an important role in the modulation of Kv1.5 channel function in cardiac myocytes.


Warm-White-Light-Emitting Diode Based on a Dye-Loaded Metal-Organic Framework for Fast White-Light Communication.
A dye@metal-organic framework (MOF) hybrid was used as a fluorophore in a white-light-emitting diode (WLED) for fast visible-light communication (VLC). The white light was generated from a combination of blue emission of the 9,10-dibenzoate anthracene (DBA) linkers and yellow emission of the encapsulated Rhodamine B molecules. The MOF structure not only prevents dye molecules from aggregation-induced quenching but also efficiently transfers energy to the dye for dual emission. This light-emitting material shows emission lifetimes of 1.8 and 5.3 ns for the blue and yellow components, respectively, which are significantly shorter than the 200 ns lifetime of Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ in commercial WLEDs. The MOF-WLED device exhibited a modulating frequency of 3.6 MHz for VLC, six times that of commercial WLEDs.


Improving wound score classification with limited remission spectra.
The classification of wounds into healing states depending on their absorption spectrum of visible and near infrared light remains an important task in dermatology. Moreover, a reduction of the spectrum that is used in the classification task to fewer but important wavelengths is desirable, as each measured wavelength increases the examination costs without necessarily providing further information to the classification of wound healing states. This paper addresses two aspects: First the improvement of the classification of wounds into healing states and second, a cost reduction by choosing only important wavelengths. Standard Data Mining methods are evaluated for their classification accuracy (CA) and compared to their performance when applying feature selection techniques that are used to reduce the amount of necessary wavelengths. The results indicate that the 1-nearest-neighbor approach (IB1 algorithm) comes up with the best CA, while only relying on a fraction (4%) of the standard wavelength spectrum.


Synthesis and anticancer activity of various 3'-deoxy pyrimidine nucleoside analogues and crystal structure of 1-(3-deoxy-beta-D-threo-pentofuranosyl)cytosine.
Various 3'-deoxy pyrimidine nucleoside analogues have been synthesized for evaluation as potential anticancer and antiviral agents. Among these compounds, 1-(3-deoxy-beta-D-threo-pentofuranosyl)cytosine (10, 3'-deoxy-ara-C) and 3'-deoxycytidine (22) had significant anticancer activity against CCRF-CEM, L1210, P388, and S-180 cancer cell lines in vitro, producing ED50 values of 2, 10, 5, and 34 microM, respectively, for 3'-deoxy-ara-C (10); and 25, 5, 2.5, and 15 microM, respectively, for 3'-deoxycytidine (22). Thus, 3'-deoxy-ara-C (10) was 12.5 times more active against CCRF-CEM cells than 3'-deoxycytidine (22). The 2'-O-acetyl, 5'-O-acetyl, and 2',5'-di-O-acetyl derivatives of 3'-deoxy-ara-C (10), compounds 34, 31, and 30, demonstrated anticancer activity in the same range as 3'-deoxy-ara-C (10) against CCRF-CEM, L1210, P388, and S-180 cells. The 5'-O-acetyl derivative (31) had significantly greater activity against CCRF-CEM with an ED50 value of 0.4, but this compound also showed similar activity, as did 3'-deoxy-ara-C, against L1210, P388, and S-180 with ED50 values of 3, 3, and 13 microM, respectively. 3'-Deoxy-ara-C was also evaluated in vitro against HSV-2, HCMV, and GPCMV viruses and was found to be not very active with respective IC50 values of 110, 220, and 1000 microM. The single-crystal structure of 3'-deoxy-ara-C (10) was determined by X-ray crystallography. There are two molecules of the nucleoside and one molecule of water in the asymmetric unit. The sugar moieties of the two nucleoside molecules adopt different conformations. In molecule A, the ring pucker is C3'-endo with P = 18.7 degrees and tau m = 37.3 degrees, while the CH2OH side chain is gauche+. In molecule B, the ring pucker is C2'-endo with P = 156.8 degrees and tau m = 37.8 degrees and the side chain is trans.


Theory of explosive beam spreading due to ray chaos.
In an ocean acoustic situation where rays are known to be chaotic, a theory based on a Gaussian beam approximation is used to show that the width of a narrow-angle beam increases exponentially (explosively) with range at a rate that is given by the Lyapunov exponent that is calculated in the geometric limit. This finite frequency result shows that the phenomenon of "wave chaos" is real, and might be observable experimentally.


A survey of Canadian psychiatric residents regarding resident-educator sexual contact.
A survey of all Canadian psychiatric residents was undertaken to ascertain the prevalence of resident-educator sexual contact in training programs, the residents' feelings about this contact, their knowledge of the ethical standards of the profession, and the extent of the information they had been given about this subject. An investigator-designed questionnaire was circulated to all psychiatric residents in Canada through the directors of postgraduate training programs. To ensure confidentiality, the residents returned their questionnaires directly to the investigators. Of the 314 respondents, 4.1% (N = 6) of the female residents and 1.2% (N = 2) of the male residents reported sexual involvements with their educators. Although the majority of these eight residents had positive or neutral feelings about the contact, 37.5% (N = 3) of the involved residents had mixed feelings. The residents' education concerning resident-educator sexual contact was strikingly sparse. This study highlights the need for inclusion of this tissue in residency programs.


PRISER: Managing Notification in Multiples Devices with Data Privacy Support.
With the growing number of mobile devices receiving daily notifications, it is necessary to manage the variety of information produced. New smart devices are developed every day with the ability to generate, send, and display messages about their status, data, and information about other devices. Consequently, the number of notifications received by a user is increasing and their tolerance may decrease in a short time. With this, it is necessary to develop a management system and notification controls. In this context, this work proposes a notification and alert management system called PRISER. Its focus is on user profiles and environments, applying data privacy criteria.


[Role of the music in the operating theatre].
To investigate the effect of music on patients, surgeons and staff in the operating theatre at our Ophthalmology department in Mária street Clinic. I. 150 patients, 7 staff and 19 surgeons have been asked to fill out a questionnaire. II. 29 patients who were listening music during surgery and as control group 27 patients having surgery without music therapy filled out a different questionnaire dealing with their preference on different kinds of music. In order to obtain more complete results, psychophysiology tests (STAI H test, Face-scale), blood pressure and pulse rate were measured, as well. Almost all the patients, and every surgeon and staff member like music. Music does not disturb the staff during their work, but does not help in their concentration. The majority of them considered music useful in the recovery of their patients. According to the answers most of the patients think that music has beneficial effect on their treatment compared to those patients who did not hear music. Subjective answers show a mild anxiety during surgery, that is supported with the data of the psychophysiological test results. Results so far demonstrate that the use of music therapy at our department during ophthalmic surgery is beneficial. Further examinations are necessary to measure the objective effect of music during surgery.


Display of glucose distributions by date, time of day, and day of week: new and improved methods.
There is a need for improved methods for display of glucose distributions to facilitate comparisons by date, time of day, day of the week, and other variables for data obtained using self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Stacked bar charts are utilized for multiple ranges of glucose values, e.g., very low, low, borderline low, target range, borderline high, high, and very high. Glucose ranges for these categories can be defined by the user, e.g., <40, 40-70, 71-80, 81-140, 141-180, 181-250, and 251-400 mg/dl. Glucose distributions can be displayed by time of day, in relation to meals, by date, or by day of week. The graphic display can be generated using general purpose spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel or with special purpose software. Stacked bar charts are extremely compact and effective. They facilitate comparison of multiple days, multiple time segments within a day, preprandial and postprandial glucose levels, days of the week, treatment periods, patients, and groups of patients. They are superior to use of pie charts in terms of compactness and in their ability to facilitate comparisons using multiple criteria and multiple subsets of the data. One can identify episodes of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia and can display standard errors of estimates of percentages. Interpretation of these graphs is readily learned and requires minimal training. Use of stacked bar charts is generally superior to use of pie charts for display of glucose distributions and can potentially facilitate the analysis and interpretation of SMBG and CGM data.


Safety, tolerability and efficacy of sublingual allergoid immunotherapy with three different shortened up-dosing administration schedules.
Sublingual immunotherapy with monomeric allergoid, given according to the standard schedule, was reported to be effective and safe in many clinical trials. However, a long period of time may elapse before achievement of a clinical benefit. This study was thus performed using two different shortened (4-day) induction (= up-dosing) schedules, which allowed a rapid achievement of the maintenance dosage. Overall, 86 patients suffering from rhinitis and oculorhinitis have been recruited, none of whom had received immunotherapy before. The study design was prospective, randomized, with three parallel groups receiving, according to a randomization list, one of the three induction (two up-dosing one no-up-dosing) phase schedules under study. A fourth group of patients served as controls, and did not receive any sublingual immunotherapy but only rescue medications if and when necessary. All patients were evaluated to assess their baseline conditions, and thereafter at 3 and 6 months. The evaluation parameters were: Visual Analogue Scale, symptom-medication scores, nasal provocation test. All three induction schedules under study were well accepted by the patients, with very few adverse reactions. The clinical efficacy, evaluated with Visual Analogue Scale (p < 0.001), symptom-medication scores (p < 0.02) and nasal provocation tests (p < 0.01), was found to be significant in all three sublingual immunotherapy-treated groups of 64 (n86) patients, but was not significant in controls 22 (n86). According to the Authors, with this simplified schedule process, sublingual immunotherapy is a therapeutic option that is becoming increasingly well-accepted not only by allergy specialists but also by patients.


Automated recognition of malignancy mentions in biomedical literature.
The rapid proliferation of biomedical text makes it increasingly difficult for researchers to identify, synthesize, and utilize developed knowledge in their fields of interest. Automated information extraction procedures can assist in the acquisition and management of this knowledge. Previous efforts in biomedical text mining have focused primarily upon named entity recognition of well-defined molecular objects such as genes, but less work has been performed to identify disease-related objects and concepts. Furthermore, promise has been tempered by an inability to efficiently scale approaches in ways that minimize manual efforts and still perform with high accuracy. Here, we have applied a machine-learning approach previously successful for identifying molecular entities to a disease concept to determine if the underlying probabilistic model effectively generalizes to unrelated concepts with minimal manual intervention for model retraining. We developed a named entity recognizer (MTag), an entity tagger for recognizing clinical descriptions of malignancy presented in text. The application uses the machine-learning technique Conditional Random Fields with additional domain-specific features. MTag was tested with 1,010 training and 432 evaluation documents pertaining to cancer genomics. Overall, our experiments resulted in 0.85 precision, 0.83 recall, and 0.84 F-measure on the evaluation set. Compared with a baseline system using string matching of text with a neoplasm term list, MTag performed with a much higher recall rate (92.1% vs. 42.1% recall) and demonstrated the ability to learn new patterns. Application of MTag to all MEDLINE abstracts yielded the identification of 580,002 unique and 9,153,340 overall mentions of malignancy. Significantly, addition of an extensive lexicon of malignancy mentions as a feature set for extraction had minimal impact in performance. Together, these results suggest that the identification of disparate biomedical entity classes in free text may be achievable with high accuracy and only moderate additional effort for each new application domain.


Alzheimer's Disease as a Major Public Health Concern: Role of Dietary Saponins in Mitigating Neurodegenerative Disorders and Their Underlying Mechanisms.
Saponins are triterpenoid or steroidal glycosides and are an important group of naturally occurring compounds of plant origin. They exhibit diverse pharmacological potentials including radical scavenging, as well as neuroprotective, anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory activities, owing to their diverse chemical scaffolds. Saponins consist of an aglycone part (non-sugar) and a glycone part (sugar) and have at least one glycosidic (C-O sugar bond) linkage present between the glycone and aglycone mostly at C-3. On the basis of the aglycone part, saponins are classified into triterpenoid glycosides, steroid glycosides and alkaloid glycosides. Saponins exhibit neuroprotective activities against various disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) including stroke, Alzheimer's disease (AD), Huntington's disease (HD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). They mediate their therapeutic effects by modulation of various pathological targets. This study highlights various neuroprotective mechanisms of saponins including free radical scavenging, modulation of neuroprotective signaling pathways, activation of neurotrophic factors, modulation of neurotransmitters, inhibition of BACE1 enzyme and tau hyper-phosphorylation. The study concludes that saponins have considerable efficacy against various pathological targets of neurological disorders, especially AD, and might be an important source of leads against neurodegenerative disorders.


[Introduction of DNA sequences of Rous sarcoma virus into Drosophila and mouse genomes by microinjections into ova].
The paper covers experimental results of introducing exogenic genetic material, namely DNA sequences of the Rous sarcoma virus, by microinjections in mice zygotes and Drosophila early embryos. In a number of cases integration of viral DNA into genomes of these organisms was detected. Blot-hybridizations analysis of cell DNA proved that the inserted viral sequences undergo rearrangements in the course of integration.


An unusual cause of ulceration: ainhum (dactylolysis spontanea).
We describe a case of ainhum, a mutilating condition, usually seen in peoples of West African origin. A patient presented at the Diabetic Foot Clinic, Kings College Hospital, with a painful infected ulcer between the fourth and fifth toe of his right foot. He was a 43-year-old Nigerian and did not have diabetes. He reported that his left fifth toe had autoamputated some months before. Radiograph of the right fifth toe showed absorption of the proximal and intermediate phalanges, and a diagnosis of ainhum was made. Ainhum or dactylolysis spontanea is a rare condition of unknown aetiology in which a groove or fissure of constricting tissue forms around the proximal end of the fifth toe. Eventually, the groove extends to encircle the toe, the underlying structures are absorbed and the toe autoamputates. It may present as chronic fissuring at the base of the fifth toe or as foot ulceration. This condition is seldom seen in the United Kingdom, but it is likely that this condition is underdiagnosed. It is important that wound care specialists be aware of the diagnosis.


Stereotactic radiosurgery with an upper partial denture.
A 54-year-old male with partial denture underwent stereotactic radiosurgery with an infrared camera-guided system for a metastatic brain tumor arising from lung cancer. Although this method utilizes a biteplate mounted on the upper jaw to detect head movement, the patient only had four teeth in his upper jaw. In order to stabilize the biteplate, the maxillary denture was fixed to the biteplate with an autopolymerizing resin. In addition, the rest-occlusal position of the lower jaw was impressed on the inferior surface of the biteplate with an autopolymerizing resin. To assess reproducibility and stability, the distance between the left and right incus and left and right markers was measured during pre-planning, as well as before and after stereotactic irradiation. Wearing the biteplate ensures the accuracy of radiotherapy planning for the implementation of radiosurgery in patients who have many maxillary teeth missing. However, a large degree of error was observed when the biteplate was removed.


Technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer dynamic and static single photon emission computed tomography in crossed cerebellar diaschisis.
A 69-year-old man with a past history of right middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion had cerebral single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer (Tc-99m ECD). Dynamic SPECT in the super-early phase revealed normal uptake in the left cerebellum and hypoactivity in the right MCA territory. Conventional static SPECT revealed decreased cerebral blood flow in the right MCA territory and the left cerebellum, indicating crossed cerebellar diaschisis. Our SPECT studies revealed decreased retention of Tc-99m ECD in the cerebellum manifested as crossed cerebellar diaschisis.


[Correlations between HBCD and thyroid hormone concentrations in human serum from production source area].
The levels of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in human serum from the HBCD production source region were detected by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. The concentrations (lipid weight) of ∑ HBCD in 80 serum samples ranged from not detectable to 2702.5 ng · g(-1). The mean and median values were 104.9 ng · g(-1) and 5.9 ng · g(-1), respectively. The most abundant HBCD isomer in 42 samples was γ-HBCD, while α-HBCD was the most abundant isomer in the other 26 serum samples. There was no significant difference in ∑ HBCD concentration among different age and gender. In this study, the thyroid hormone abnormality rate in the 80 residents was up to 33%. The thyroid hormone abnormality rate of the residents whose serum HBCD was detected was significantly higher than those without HBCD in serum. Since the local residents were highly exposed to HBCD, the probability of thyroid abnormality might be significantly increased.


Relationship between height and arm span of elderly persons in an urban colony of New Delhi.
Anthropometric changes take place with increasing age. Progressive loss of height makes it difficult to use height for calculation of body mass index in nutritional screening of elderly persons. There is a need to find other alternative methods which could be used as proxy measurements of height in them. To assess the relationship of height and arm span and among elderly persons. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among elderly persons in urban colony of Delhi. Height and arm span of persons aged 60 years and above (n = 711) were measured according to standard methods. Correlation between arm span and height was calculated. The mean arm span was seen to be more than the mean height in all age-groups and both sexes. There was a linear relationship between height and arm-span in all age-groups. There was a strong correlation between arm span and height in all age groups. Arm span could be used instead of height as an alternative in the conventional body mass index in elderly persons.


Unusual presentation of pseudoaneurysm with trochanteric fracture femur with associated long-term antiepileptic therapy.
Arterial injury following impalement due to a trochanteric hip fracture-fragment per se has been documented rarely. We report a case of pseudoaneurysm of profunda femoris artery at the first perforator branch in a 48-year-old male, with trochanteric hip fracture following a fall during an epileptic episode. Persistent recalcitrant pain, globular swelling in the groin, unexplained drop in the haemoglobin level, and color doppler ultrasonography findings were salient features to the diagnosis. Additionally, we collected all reported cases of pseudoaneurysm associated with hip fractures. We reviewed the literature regarding the incidence, treatment, and prognosis for the same. Acute vascular injury was probably caused by the spikes of fractured lesser trochanter which was found to be displaced superomedially. All trochanteric fractures especially those with displaced lesser trochanter fragment should be closely watched for the possibility of vascular injury. Early diagnosis and treatment in a staged manner can prevent the catastrophic vascular event and hence the limb.


COVID-19 is Feminine: Grammatical Gender Influences Danger Perceptions and Precautionary Behavioral Intentions by Activating Gender Stereotypes.
Gendered languages assign masculine and feminine grammatical gender to all nouns, including nonhuman entities. In French and Spanish, the name of the disease resulting from the virus (COVID-19) is grammatically feminine, whereas the virus that causes the disease (coronavirus) is masculine. In this research, we test whether the grammatical gender mark affects judgments. In a series of experiments with French and Spanish speakers, we show that grammatical gender affects virus-related judgments consistent with gender stereotypes: feminine- (vs. masculine-) marked terms for the virus lead individuals to assign lower stereotypical masculine characteristics to the virus, which in turn reduces their danger perceptions. The effect generalizes to precautionary consumer behavior intentions (avoiding restaurants, movies, public transportation, etc.) as well as to other diseases and is moderated by individual differences in chronic gender stereotyping. These effects occur even though the grammatical gender assignment is semantically arbitrary.


Investigation of hydrophobically derivatized hyperbranched polyglycerol with PEGylated shell as a nanocarrier for systemic delivery of chemotherapeutics.
We report the synthesis and characterization of a polymeric nanoparticle (NP) based on hyperbranched polyglycerol (HPG) containing a hydrophobic core and a hydrophilic shell, and assessed its suitability to be developed as a systemic anticancer drug carrier. HPG NP displayed low toxicity to primary cell cultures and were well-tolerated in mice after intravenous administration. When tested in mice tumor xenograft models, HPG NP accumulated significantly in the tumors with low accumulation in the liver and the spleen. In vitro studies demonstrated that HPG NP was capable of hydrophobically binding docetaxel and releasing it in a controlled manner. The HPG NP formulation of docetaxel conferred a preferential protective effect on primary non-cancerous cells while effectively killing cancer cells, indicating great potential for widening its therapeutic index. Taken together, these data indicate that HPG NP is a highly promising nanocarrier platform for systemic delivery of anticancer drugs. The use of polyethylene glycol on nano-carriers as "stealth" to deliver intravenous drugs is well known. Here, the authors developed polymeric nanoparticle (NP) with hyperbranched polyglycerol (HPG) and tested its efficacy in delivering docetaxel. The results showed that this formulation could preferentially killed cancer cells with a high therapeutic index. It seems that this platform could have a great potential in cancer therapy.


[Investigation on the integrative course of genetics and genomics].
Genomics is an important subdiscipline of genetics, and it forms a complete research system based on novel theories and techniques. Incorporating genomics in undergraduate curriculum is a response to the need of the development of genetics. The teaching of genomics has significant advantages on developing scientific thinking, enhances bioethics accomplishment, and professional interests in undergraduate students. The integration of genomics into genetics is in accordance with the principles of subject development and education. Related textbooks for undergraduate education are currently available in China, and it is feasible to set up a genetics and genomics integrative course by modifying teaching contents of the genetics course, selecting appropriate teaching approaches, and optimal application of the computer-assisted instruction.