A 4-day plaque regrowth study comparing an essential oil mouthrinse with a triclosan mouthrinse.
The adjunctive use of antiplaque mouthrinses with normal oral hygiene procedures may produce a significant beneficial effect on gingival health. At present, numerous products are available with various claims for efficacy. Although for many of these products, well-controlled studies have been carried out comparing the products, against a negative control or placebo, very few studies have been carried out directly comparing the efficacy of one commercial product with another. In this observer-blind, 4-day plaque regrowth, crossover study, the efficacy of a commercial triclosan mouthrinse was compared to that of an essential oil mouthrinse and 2 placebo controls. Starting from zero plaque at the commencement of each trial period, 32 volunteers used only the allocated rinses as the method of oral hygiene over 4 days, and on the 5th day returned for measurement of plaque index and area. The essential oil rinse produced a plaque reduction of 52% for plaque area and 17% for plaque index compared to its placebo, whilst the triclosan rinse produced a 45% reduction for plaque area and 12% reduction for plaque index against its placebo. Analysis of variance and construction of 95% confidence intervals showed that both active rinses significantly reduced plaque compared to their respective placebo. In addition, the essential oil rinse significantly reduced plaque compared to the triclosan rinse for plaque index but not for plaque area. The findings of this study would suggest that of the 2 rinses, the essential oil rinse would be expected to be more effective at reducing plaque formation in the longer term.


Fluorescent Methods for Measuring and Imaging Cytosolic Free Ca2+ in Neutrophils
Intracellular free Ca2+ plays an important role in the function of neutrophils and many other cell types. In this report, fluorescent techniques for the measurement of intracellular Ca2+ in neutrophils are reviewed. Thus, some commonly used fluorescent indicators are listed, and both theoretical and practical considerations required for their use are detailed. The use of these probes to study intracellular Ca2+ in neutrophil populations or in individual cells by imaging techniques, including measurement using confocal microscopy, is described.


Fixation-related FMRI analysis in the domain of reading research: using self-paced eye movements as markers for hemodynamic brain responses during visual letter string processing.
The present study investigated the feasibility of using self-paced eye movements during reading (measured by an eye tracker) as markers for calculating hemodynamic brain responses measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Specifically, we were interested in whether the fixation-related fMRI analysis approach was sensitive enough to detect activation differences between reading material (words and pseudowords) and nonreading material (line and unfamiliar Hebrew strings). Reliable reading-related activation was identified in left hemisphere superior temporal, middle temporal, and occipito-temporal regions including the visual word form area (VWFA). The results of the present study are encouraging insofar as fixation-related analysis could be used in future fMRI studies to clarify some of the inconsistent findings in the literature regarding the VWFA. Our study is the first step in investigating specific visual word recognition processes during self-paced natural sentence reading via simultaneous eye tracking and fMRI, thus aiming at an ecologically valid measurement of reading processes. We provided the proof of concept and methodological framework for the analysis of fixation-related fMRI activation in the domain of reading research.


Glycated albumin in pregnancy: LC-MS/MS-based reference interval in healthy, nulliparous Scandinavian women and its diagnostic accuracy in gestational diabetes mellitus.
Glycated albumin (GA) may be a useful biomarker of glycemia in pregnancy. The aim of this study was to establish the reference interval (RI) for GA, analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), in healthy, nulliparous pregnant women. In addition, we assessed the accuracy of GA and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in the diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Finally, we explored the prevalence of GDM in healthy nulliparas, comparing three diagnostic guidelines (WHO-1999, WHO-2013 and the Norwegian guideline). The study was carried out at Stavanger University Hospital, Norway, and included a study population of 147 pregnant nulliparous women. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed and used as the gold standard for GDM diagnosis. Blood samples for analysis of GA and HbA1c were collected at pregnancy week 24-28. A nonparametric approach was chosen for RI calculation, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of GA and HbA1c. The established RI for GA in 121 pregnant women was 7.1-11.6%. The area under the ROC curves (AUCs) were 0.531 (GA) and 0.627 (HbA1c). According to the WHO-1999, WHO-2013 and the Norwegian guideline, respectively, 24 (16%), 36 (24%) and 21 (14%) women were diagnosed with GDM. Only nine women (6%) fulfilled the GDM-criteria of all guidelines. In conclusion, we established the first LC-MS/MS-based RI for GA in pregnant women. At pregnancy weeks 24-28, neither GA nor HbA1c discriminated between those with and without GDM. Different women were diagnosed with GDM using the three guidelines.


Pathogenic Role of Iron Deposition in Reticuloendothelial Cells during the Development of Chronic Hepatitis C.
Aim. Chronic hepatitis C (CHepC) is frequently associated with hepatic iron overload, yet mechanisms underlying iron-induced liver injury have not been elucidated. We examined the significance of iron deposition in hepatocytes (HC) and reticuloendothelial cells (REC) in CHepC. Methods. Stainable hepatic iron was scored according to the iron deposition pattern in 373 patients. The levels of serum soluble TNF- α receptor (sTNFR2) and hepatic hepcidin mRNA and the efficacy of phlebotomy were compared among patients with different iron deposition patterns. Results. Serum transaminase levels and hepatic scores of stage, grade, and steatosis were higher in patients with REC iron staining than in those without. REC iron scores were independently associated with advanced stage. Serum sTNFR2 levels were significantly higher in patients with REC iron than in those without. REC iron scores were independently correlated with sTNFR2 levels. Compared with patients without stainable iron, those with iron overload had decreased ratios of hepcidin mRNA to serum ferritin. The efficacy of phlebotomy was greater in patients with REC iron than in those without REC iron. Conclusions. The present results show the importance of REC iron for the development of CHepC and the therapeutic effect of phlebotomy in CHepC.


The effect of the repeated subcultures of Helicobacter pylori on adhesion, motility, cytotoxicity, and gastric inflammation.
In vitro subcultures of bacteria can lead to genetic and phenotypic changes. This study aimed at investigating the effect of repeated subcultures on the adhesion, motility, cytotoxicity, and gastric inflammation caused by Helicobacter pylori. H.pylori SS1 strain was subcultured 64 times on agar plates containing Brucella broth and 5% bovine calf serum. The adhesion, motility, cytotoxicity, and gastric inflammation produced in Mongolian gerbils were compared between the first and 64th subcultured strain. The adhesion rates, following 3 hr exposure of AGS cells to either the first strain or the 64th-transferred strain, were 21% and 12%, respectively. The motility of the 64th-transferred strain decreased significantly when compared to the 1st strain (9.1 mm vs. 15.1 mm). The cytotoxicity index tended to be higher in the first strain than in the 64th-transferred strain (73.7% vs. 69.2%). The initial infection rate on the gerbils showed no difference between the two strains. However, chronic gastric inflammation of the first strain-infected gerbils was somewhat more severe than that of the 64th-transferred strain-infected gerbils. Therefore, the use of repeatedly subcultured strains of H. pylori in virulence experiments can lead to different results from those of the original strain.


Inefficient star formation in extremely metal poor galaxies.
The first galaxies contain stars born out of gas with few or no 'metals' (that is, elements heavier than helium). The lack of metals is expected to inhibit efficient gas cooling and star formation, but this effect has yet to be observed in galaxies with an oxygen abundance (relative to hydrogen) below a tenth of that of the Sun. Extremely metal poor nearby galaxies may be our best local laboratories for studying in detail the conditions that prevailed in low metallicity galaxies at early epochs. Carbon monoxide emission is unreliable as a tracer of gas at low metallicities, and while dust has been used to trace gas in low-metallicity galaxies, low spatial resolution in the far-infrared has typically led to large uncertainties. Here we report spatially resolved infrared observations of two galaxies with oxygen abundances below ten per cent of the solar value, and show that stars formed very inefficiently in seven star-forming clumps in these galaxies. The efficiencies are less than a tenth of those found in normal, metal rich galaxies today, suggesting that star formation may have been very inefficient in the early Universe.


Role of Fibre in Nutritional Management of Pancreatic Diseases.
The role of fibre intake in the management of patients with pancreatic disease is still controversial. In acute pancreatitis, a prebiotic enriched diet is associated with low rates of pancreatic necrosis infection, hospital stay, systemic inflammatory response syndrome and multiorgan failure. This protective effect seems to be connected with the ability of fibre to stabilise the disturbed intestinal barrier homeostasis and to reduce the infection rate. On the other hand, in patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, a high content fibre diet is associated with an increased wet fecal weight and fecal fat excretion because of the fibre inhibition of pancreatic enzymes. The mechanism by which dietary fibre reduces the pancreatic enzyme activity is still not clear. It seems likely that pancreatic enzymes are absorbed on the fibre surface or entrapped in pectin, a gel-like substance, and are likely inactivated by anti-nutrient compounds present in some foods. The aim of the present review is to highlight the current knowledge on the role of fibre in the nutritional management of patients with pancreatic disorders.


Effect of the temperature of the dipping solution on the antimicrobial effectiveness of various chemical decontaminants against pathogenic and spoilage bacteria on poultry.
The influence of the temperature of the dipping solution on the antimicrobial effectiveness of several chemical poultry decontaminants was assessed. A total of 765 poultry legs were inoculated with gram-positive bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, or Brochothrix thermosphacta) or gram-negative bacteria (Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis, Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, or Pseudomonas fluorescens). Samples were dipped for 15 min in solutions (wt/vol) of trisodium phosphate (12%), acidified sodium chlorite (1,200 ppm), citric acid (2%), peroxyacids (220 ppm), chlorine dioxide (50 ppm), or tap water or were left untreated (control). The temperatures of the dipping solutions were 4, 20, or 50°C. Microbiological analyses and pH determinations were carried out after 0, 1, 3, and 5 days of storage at 4°C. In comparison with the control samples, all chemical solutions were effective for reducing microbial loads. The temperature of treatment affected the microbial reductions caused by all chemicals (P < 0.001). The lowest average bacterial reductions caused by trisodium phosphate, acidified sodium chlorite, citric acid, and peroxyacids were observed at 4°C, all sampling days and microbial groups being considered simultaneously. The highest and the lowest effectiveness for chlorine dioxide were observed at 4 and 50°C, respectively. These results may be of use to meat processors for selecting the best conditions for decontamination treatments and may help the European Regulatory Authorities make their decisions for authorization of poultry decontamination treatments.


Cytotoxicity of Donor Natural Killer Cells to Allo-Reactive T Cells Are Related With Acute Graft-vs.-Host-Disease Following Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation.
Objectives: The mechanism and immunoregulatory role of human natural killer (NK) cells in acute graft-vs.-host-disease (aGVHD) remains unclear. This study quantitatively analyzed the cytotoxicity of donor NK cells toward allo-reactive T cells, and investigated their relationship with acute GVHD (aGVHD). Methods: We evaluated NK dose, subgroup, and receptor expression in allografts from 98 patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). A CD107a degranulating assay was used as a quantitative detection method for the cytotoxic function of donor NK cells to allo-reactive T cells. In antibody-blocking assay, NK cells were pre-treated with anti-DNAM-1(CD226), anti-NKG2D, anti-NKP46, or anti-NKG-2A monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) before the degranulating assay. Results: NK cells in allografts effectively inhibited auto-T cell proliferation following alloantigen stimulation, selectively killing alloantigen activated T cells. NKG2A- NK cell subgroups showed higher levels of CD107a degranulation toward activated T cells, when compared with NKG2A- subgroups. Blocking NKG2D or CD226 (DNAM-1) led to significant reductions in degranulation, whereas NKG2A block resulted in increased NK degranulation. Donor NK cells in the aGVHD group expressed lower levels of NKG2D and CD226, higher levels of NKG2A, and showed higher CD107a degranulation levels when compared with NK cells in the non-aGVHD group. Using univariate analysis, higher NK degranulation activities in allografts (CD107ahigh) were correlated with a decreased risk in grade I-IV aGVHD (hazard risk [HR] = 0.294; P < 0.0001), grade III-IV aGVHD (HR = 0.102; P < 0.0001), and relapse (HR = 0.157; P = 0.015), and improved overall survival (HR = 0.355; P = 0.028) after allo-HSCT. Multivariate analyses showed that higher NK degranulation activities (CD107ahigh) in allografts were independent risk factors for grades, I-IV aGVHD (HR = 0.357; P = 0.002), and grades III-IV aGVHD (HR = 0.13; P = 0.009). Conclusions: These findings reveal that the degranulation activity of NK in allografts toward allo-activated T cells was associated with the occurrence and the severity of aGVHD, after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. This suggested that cytotoxicity of donor NK cells to allo-reactive T cells have important roles in aGVHD regulation.


Antagonism of alpha 3 beta 4 nicotinic receptors as a strategy to reduce opioid and stimulant self-administration.
The iboga alkaloid ibogaine and the novel iboga alkaloid congener 18-methoxycoronaridine are putative anti-addictive agents. Using patch-clamp methodology, the actions of ibogaine and 18-methoxycoronaridine at various neurotransmitter receptor ion-channel subtypes were determined. Both ibogaine and 18-methoxycoronaridine were antagonists at alpha 3 beta 4 nicotinic receptors and both agents were more potent at this site than at alpha 4 beta 2 nicotinic receptors or at NMDA or 5-HT(3) receptors; 18-methoxycoronaridine was more selective in this regard than ibogaine. In studies of morphine and methamphetamine self-administration, the effects of low dose combinations of 18-methoxycoronaridine with mecamylamine or dextromethorphan and of mecamylamine with dextromethorphan were assessed. Mecamylamine and dextromethorphan have also been shown to be antagonists at alpha 3 beta 4 nicotinic receptors. All three drug combinations decreased both morphine and methamphetamine self-administration at doses that were ineffective if administered alone. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that antagonism at alpha 3 beta 4 receptors is a potential mechanism to modulate drug seeking behavior. 18-Methoxycoronaridine apparently has greater selectivity for this site than other agents and may be the first of a new class of synthetic agents acting via this novel mechanism to produce a broad spectrum of anti-addictive activity.


Ecological risk assessment of the increasing use of the neonicotinoid insecticides along the east coast of China.
In the past two decades, neonicotinoid insecticides have been widely used in agricultural activities in China. Many previous studies have investigated the neonicotinoid pollution in aquatic ecosystems, but the status of water safety of neonicotinoid uses in China is very scarce. The present study aims to reveal the spatial and temporal distribution of neonicotinoids in rivers, and then evaluate the ecological risks to aquatic animals. Water samples were collected from all sixteen rivers along the east coast of China during the dry and wet seasons in 2016, and nine individual commercialized neonicotinoids were quantified. Higher concentrations were found during the dry season (343 ± 210 ng/L) compared to those during the wet season (174 ± 162 ng/L). The concentration of neonicotinoid insecticides in river water is mainly affected by the intensity of agricultural activities. The spatial and temporal pollution patterns we discovered suggested the use of neonicotinoids has shifted from old types (i.e., imidacloprid and acetamiprid) to new types (i.e., dinotefuran and nitenpyram) in some areas. The estimated annual quantity of neonicotinoids released into the adjacent seas totaled 1256 ± 780 tons, most of which (95%) ran into the East China Sea due to heavy agricultural use in the Yangtze River Basin. Using the species sensitive distribution (SSD) method, the thresholds for aquatic animals were determined (acute: 362 ng/L; chronic: 58 ng/L). Under current agricultural practices, 27% and 84% of the river water samples exceeded the thresholds for acute and chronic ecological risks, suggesting intervention programs are in urgent need to ensure river water safety for aquatic life in China.


"Salvage" procedures in the treatment of Kienböck's disease. Proximal row carpectomy and total wrist arthrodesis.
In symptomatic stage III Kienböck's disease, proximal row carpectomy may be considered not only as a secondary "salvage," but also a primary reconstructive procedure. The need for concomitant radial styloidectomy is assessed intraoperatively after removal of the proximal row. Distraction resection arthroplasty is an alternative for patients with full-thickness cartilage loss on the capitate head or in the lunate fossa surpassing 3 mm in diameter. For patients with generalized carpal arthrosis (stage IV Kienböck's disease) or unsuccessful previous reconstructive surgeries, total wrist arthrodesis is the most reliable procedure for pain relief. PRC is an acceptable alternative to TWA for stage IV disease if the patient is willing to risk having some residual pain to preserve wrist motion. Transection of the articular branch of the posterior interosseous nerve may be a useful adjunct to these procedures.


Effects of diethylstilbestrol on the proliferation and tyrosinase activity of cultured human melanocytes.
The aim of the present study was to observe the effects of different exogenous estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES) concentrations on the human melanocyte proliferation and tyrosinase activity. Skin specimens were obtained following blepharoplasty, and the melanocytes were primary cultured and passaged to the third generation. The melanocytes were seeded in 96-well plates, each well had 5×103 cells. The medium was changed after 24 h, and contained 10-4-10-8 M DES. After the melanocytes were incubated, the proliferation and tyrosinase activity were detected by the MTT assay and L-DOPA reaction. DES (10-8-10-6 M) enhanced the proliferation of cultured melanocytes. The intensity was positively correlated with the concentration of drug. DES, >10-5 M, inhibited the melanocytes proliferation or even produced the toxicity effect. Following the addition of 10-6 M DES to the medium, the tyrosinase activity of melanocytes was significantly increased, with P<0.05. In conclusion, a certain concentration of DES promoted the proliferation of melanocytes, enhanced the activity of tyrosinase and promoted pigment synthesis of melanocytes, with the optimal concentration of 10-6 M.


The child with developmental delay: An approach to etiology.
To describe an approach to history, physical examination and investigation for the developmentally delayed child. A review of electronic databases from 1997 to 2001 was done searching for articles relating to the approach to or investigations of children with developmental delay. Five studies, including a review of a consensus conference on evaluation of mental retardation, were chosen because of their general approaches to developmental delay and/or mental retardation, or specific evaluations of a particular laboratory investigation. A diagnosis or cause of mental retardation can be identified in 20% to 60% of cases. Evaluation of the developmentally delayed child should include a detailed history and physical examination, taking special care to record a three-generation pedigree, as well as to look for dysmorphic features. If no other cause is apparent, routine investigations should include a chromosome study and fragile X studies. Further investigations are warranted depending on the clinical features.


Fibronectin matrix assembly suppresses dispersal of glioblastoma cells.
Glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive and most common form of primary brain tumor, has a median survival of 12-15 months. Surgical excision, radiation and chemotherapy are rarely curative since tumor cells broadly disperse within the brain. Preventing dispersal could be of therapeutic benefit. Previous studies have reported that increased cell-cell cohesion can markedly reduce invasion by discouraging cell detachment from the tumor mass. We have previously reported that α5β1 integrin-fibronectin interaction is a powerful mediator of indirect cell-cell cohesion and that the process of fibronectin matrix assembly (FNMA) is crucial to establishing strong bonds between cells in 3D tumor-like spheroids. Here, we explore a potential role for FNMA in preventing dispersal of GBM cells from a tumor-like mass. Using a series of GBM-derived cell lines we developed an in vitro assay to measure the dispersal velocity of aggregates on a solid substrate. Despite their similar pathologic grade, aggregates from these lines spread at markedly different rates. Spreading velocity is inversely proportional to capacity for FNMA and restoring FNMA in GBM cells markedly reduces spreading velocity by keeping cells more connected. Blocking FNMA using the 70 KDa fibronectin fragment in FNMA-restored cells rescues spreading velocity, establishing a functional role for FNMA in mediating dispersal. Collectively, the data support a functional causation between restoration of FNMA and decreased dispersal velocity. This is a first demonstration that FNMA can play a suppressive role in GBM dispersal.


Differential response to amphetamine in schizophrenia.
Amphetamine added to maintenance therapy with neuroleptic drugs was accompanied by relief of complaints in 32 of 48 chronic schizophrenic patients with a long-standing incapacity for work. In 22 cases this relief was followed by increased work efficiency. These gains were lost at experimental withdrawal of amphetamine. The response to amphetamine varied with type of schizophrenic symptomatology. All current regressive symptoms meant worsening in spite of concomitant neuroleptic treatment, in accordance with the dopamine hypothesis. Non-regressive subjects displaying florid symptoms, however, benefited. Worsening, in a few cases, occurred only in the absence of neuroleptics. A few subjects with negative symptoms only, seemed totally unresponsive. These findings point at variations in sensitivity to dopaminergic stimulation in schizophrenic subjects. Worsening and improvement with amphetamine were each clearly connected with type of symptomatology only when current psychotic or florid non-regressive symptoms were exhibited. In cases with negative symptoms only, the type of response could not be reliably based on clinical data. Studies of autonomic functioning and attention were therefore performed in a sub-sample. Skin conductance level, reactivity and habituation rate were found to be lower in positive responders before amphetamine. After amphetamine there were no such differences. Attention tests showed no initial differences between groups but the performance of positive responders improved with amphetamine.


Determination of ultra trace arsenic species in water samples by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry after cloud point extraction.
Cloud point extraction (CPE) methodology has successfully been employed for the preconcentration of ultra-trace arsenic species in aqueous samples prior to hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HGAAS). As(III) has formed an ion-pairing complex with Pyronine B in presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at pH 10.0 and extracted into the non-ionic surfactant, polyethylene glycol tert-octylphenyl ether (Triton X-114). After phase separation, the surfactant-rich phase was diluted with 2 mL of 1M HCl and 0.5 mL of 3.0% (w/v) Antifoam A. Under the optimized conditions, a preconcentration factor of 60 and a detection limit of 0.008 μg L(-1) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9918 was obtained with a calibration curve in the range of 0.03-4.00 μg L(-1). The proposed preconcentration procedure was successfully applied to the determination of As(III) ions in certified standard water samples (TMDA-53.3 and NIST 1643e, a low level fortified standard for trace elements) and some real samples including natural drinking water and tap water samples.


Combined vascular-excretory phase MDCT angiography in the preoperative evaluation of renal donors.
The objective of our study was to test a dose reduction protocol that uses combined vascular-excretory phase scanning achieved by split IV contrast injection and compare it with conventional multiphase MDCT angiography (MDCTA) in evaluating potential renal donors. This study is a review of MDCTA examinations of 54 potential renal donors scanned on 16- and 64-MDCT. The IV bolus was split: 50 mL was administered 3 minutes before scanning and a second injection of 70-100 mL was administered at a rate of 4-6 mL/s, with CT angiography started by bolus tracking. The second vascular (venous) phase was acquired 20 seconds later. Two readers reviewed the two phases, assessed vascular and parenchymal anatomy and variants or abnormalities, graded the added value of the venous phase on a 5-point scale, and took attenuation measurements in Hounsfield units. The operative notes of 39 subjects were reviewed as the reference standard for anatomic findings and compared with CT reports. All of the relevant anatomy findings, according to the operative notes, were accurately depicted by MDCTA, and all were well recognized on the arterial phase. The arterial phase combined information from the arterial, venous, parenchymal, and excretory phases. The venous phase was inferior to the arterial phase in assessing the renal arteries without additional venous, parenchymal, or excretory phase information. The mean renal artery attenuation was 355 HU in the first phase versus 173 HU in the second phase (p<0.0001). The mean renal vein attenuation was not significantly different between the two phases. The parenchymal system and excretory system were equally well depicted in both vascular phases. Split-bolus contrast injection and combined vascular-excretory phase scanning are adequate for studying potential renal donors and result in a marked decrease in multiphase scanning and, thus, in radiation dose.


Who needs 'pukka anthropologists'? A study of the perceptions of the use of anthropology in tropical public health research.
Over the past 50 years, there have been considerable changes both in how medical anthropologists view their relationship to tropical public health and in how tropical public health professionals view the role of anthropologists. In particular, in recent decades critical currents have emerged from an anthropology of medicine, calling for an examination of biomedicine and its conceptualisation of public health. There are parallel debates in public health about a narrow disease-focused or broader socio-cultural approach to improving population health. Based on a review of the literature and a qualitative study of the views of public health professionals and anthropologists working in tropical public health, the data presented in this paper suggest that public health professionals remain unaware of many of the contributions anthropology could make to tropical public health theory and practice. However, the objectives of a critical social science are not dissimilar to those of the broader concept of public health. We suggest that there are grounds for optimism. For those of us concerned not just with disease but also with inequities in health, the challenge is to work towards a critical tropical public health which draws as much from social science as from biomedicine, in theory and practice.


Gastritis and Gastric Ulcers in Working Dogs.
Gastritis and gastric ulcers are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in canine athletes. Although the majority of scientific work on this condition has been performed in ultraendurance racing sled dogs, this condition has been identified in other canine athletes, including sled dogs competing in shorter events and dogs performing off-leash explosive detection duties. The cause of the syndrome is unknown, but current hypotheses propose a link between exercise-induced hyperthermia and loss of gastric mucosal barrier function as an early event in the pathogenesis. Treatment is focused on prevention of clinical disease using acid secretion inhibitors, such as omeprazole, which has excellent efficacy in controlled clinical studies.


IgM autoantibodies recognizing ACE2 are associated with severe COVID-19.
SARS-CoV-2 infection induces severe disease in a subpopulation of patients, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We demonstrate robust IgM autoantibodies that recognize angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) in 18/66 (27%) patients with severe COVID-19, which are rare (2/52; 3.8%) in hospitalized patients who are not ventilated. The antibodies do not undergo class-switching to IgG, suggesting a T-independent antibody response. Purified IgM from anti-ACE2 patients activates complement. Pathological analysis of lung obtained at autopsy shows endothelial cell staining for IgM in blood vessels in some patients. We propose that vascular endothelial ACE2 expression focuses the pathogenic effects of these autoantibodies on blood vessels, and contributes to the angiocentric pathology observed in some severe COVID-19 patients. These findings may have predictive and therapeutic implications.


Role of non-TSH factors in thyroid cell growth.
The effects of insulin, the tumour promotor tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate (TPA), TSH and combinations of these factors on growth and DNA synthesis have been examined in the FRTL-5 cell strain and in sheep thyroid cells. In addition the regulation of the production by sheep thyroid cells of the insulin-like growth factors (IGF) by TSH and their possible autocrine roles have been investigated. We found that insulin and the IGF's stimulated DNA synthesis in both rat FRTL-5 cells and sheep cells. TPA also stimulated growth in both cell types, and its effects were additive to those of insulin. In the FRTL-5 cells, TPA was a less potent stimulator of growth than TSH, but the effects of TPA and TSH were not additive which may imply growth stimulation through a common pathway. In sheep cells TSH was not mitogenic and did not appear to activate protein kinase C, the receptor for TPA. Sheep cells, unlike FRTL-5 cells, were found to produce IGF-I and IGF-II, and their syntheses were regulated by TSH. Sheep cells were also found to produce IGF-binding proteins which may modulate the biologic effects of the IGF's. Sheep thyroid IGF binding proteins were found to copurify with urokinase-like plasminogen activator on immunoaffinity chromatography. The production of this serine protease has also been shown to be regulated by TSH.


Relative Biological Effectiveness of HZE Particles for Chromosomal Exchanges and Other Surrogate Cancer Risk Endpoints.
The biological effects of high charge and energy (HZE) particle exposures are of interest in space radiation protection of astronauts and cosmonauts, and estimating secondary cancer risks for patients undergoing Hadron therapy for primary cancers. The large number of particles types and energies that makeup primary or secondary radiation in HZE particle exposures precludes tumor induction studies in animal models for all but a few particle types and energies, thus leading to the use of surrogate endpoints to investigate the details of the radiation quality dependence of relative biological effectiveness (RBE) factors. In this report we make detailed RBE predictions of the charge number and energy dependence of RBE's using a parametric track structure model to represent experimental results for the low dose response for chromosomal exchanges in normal human lymphocyte and fibroblast cells with comparison to published data for neoplastic transformation and gene mutation. RBE's are evaluated against acute doses of γ-rays for doses near 1 Gy. Models that assume linear or non-targeted effects at low dose are considered. Modest values of RBE (<10) are found for simple exchanges using a linear dose response model, however in the non-targeted effects model for fibroblast cells large RBE values (>10) are predicted at low doses <0.1 Gy. The radiation quality dependence of RBE's against the effects of acute doses γ-rays found for neoplastic transformation and gene mutation studies are similar to those found for simple exchanges if a linear response is assumed at low HZE particle doses. Comparisons of the resulting model parameters to those used in the NASA radiation quality factor function are discussed.


Clonal dissemination of Staphylococcus epidermidis in an oncology ward.
Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are the main cause of catheter-related infections, especially among immunosuppressed and neutropenic patients, as well as a source of bacterial contamination in blood cultures. Using biochemical identification and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), we sought to identify possible clonal isolates of bacteremia in patients with central lines in an oncology ward (OW), with comparison to isolates that were recovered by venipuncture from an adult emergency room (ER). A total of 243 CoNS isolates were identified to species level from the OW (126) and ER (117), with Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates being the most common (OW, 79.4%; ER, 45.3%). PFGE demonstrated a predominant clone of S. epidermidis (major subtype A) which was 35.5 times more likely (odds ratio [OR] = 35.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.7 to 267.0; P < 0.00001) to be present in the OW versus the ER. These (CoNS or major subtype A) isolates were more frequently resistant to gentamicin (OR = 2.83; 95% CI = 1.23 to 6.53; P = 0.016) and less frequently resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (OR = 0.38; 95% CI = 0.18 to 0.80; P = 0.013). Subset analysis of S. epidermidis isolates 2 years after the study period showed the persistence of the clone of major subtype A within the OW. This study demonstrates the presence of a predominant clone among central line isolates from an OW that is not present in CoNS venipuncture isolates from an ER.


Artificial intelligence study on left ventricular function among normal individuals, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy patients using 1.5T cardiac cine MR images obtained by SSFP sequence.
To evaluate the performance of a deep learning-based method to automatically quantify left ventricular (LV) function from MR images in different cardiomyopathy. This retrospective study included MRI data sets from 2013 to 2020. Data on left ventricular function from patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and healthy participants were analyzed. MRI data from a total of 388 patients were measured manually and automatically.The performance of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) was evaluated based on the manual notes of two experienced observers: (a) LV segmentation accuracy, and (b) LV functional parameter accuracy. Bland-Altman analysis, Receiver operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and Pearson correlation analysis were used to evaluate the consistency between fully automatic and manual diagnosis of HCM and DCM. The deep-learning CNN performed best in HCM in evaluating LV function and worst in DCM. Compared with manual analysis, four parameters of LV function in the HCM group showed high correlation (r at least >0.901), and the correlation of DCM in all parameters was weaker than that of HCM, especially EF (r2 = 0.776) and SV (r2 = 0.645). ROC curve analysis indicated that at the optimal cut-off value, EF from automatic segmentation identified DCM and HCM patients with sensitivity of 92.31 and 78.05%, specificity of 82.96 and 54.07%, respectively. Among different heart diseases, the analysis of cardiac function based on deep-learning CNN may have different performances, with DCM performing the worst and HCM the best and thus, special attention should be paid to DCM patients when assessing LV function through artificial intelligence method. LV function parameter obtained by artificial intelligence method may play an important role in the future AI diagnosis of HCM and DCM. These data for the first time objectively evaluate the performance of a commercially available deep learning-based method in cardiac function evaluation of different cardiomyopathy and point out its advantages and disadvantages in different cardiomyopathy. This work did not attempt to design the algorithm itself, but rather applied an already existing method to a test dataset of clinical data and evaluated the results for a limited number of cardiomyopathy.


Syntactic comprehension in children with expressive language impairment.
Two groups of language-impaired children, an 'expressive language impairment' group and a 'development dyspraxic' group, aged between 4 and 6 years, were assessed on a set of test sentences designed to tap syntactic comprehension. Expressive language was profiled for both experimental groups. A control group completed the syntactic comprehension test only. The results indicate that children with apparently isolated defects of expressive syntax do, in fact, have subtle deficits of comprehension in comparison to age-matched controls. The deficit can be detected in a syntactic decoding task. Comprehension strategies used by this group are examined. The 'dyspraxic' group did not perform significantly differently to controls.


Older African Americans' management of HIV/AIDS stigma.
The purpose of this study was to describe HIV/AIDS-related stigma in older African Americans living in the South, a population disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Four focus groups were conducted with 24 men and women over 50 years old and a confirmed diagnosis of HIV. The focus group discussions were audiotaped and transcribed for analysis. Additionally, two stigma instruments, Self-Perceptions of HIV Stigma, and Stigma Impact of HIV, were used to enhance the qualitative data from the focus groups. Constant comparative data analysis of the focus group discussions resulted in four themes related to HIV/AIDS stigma: (1) disclosure; (2) stigma experiences; (3) need for HIV/AIDS education; and (4) acceptance of the disease. Strategies to prevent or decrease anticipated stigma were described, such as selective or non-disclosure and not receiving care where they lived. The stigma instruments indicated that the participants had experienced the most stigma related to their internalized shame about having HIV disease, and had experienced little or no direct stigma. The study findings have implications for designing prevention programs, and strategies to improve social support for this age group.


Assessment of life stress in gay and bisexual men with the gay affect and life events scale.
The Gay Affect and Life Events Scale (GALES) was administered to a sample of gay-identified and non-gay-identified behaviourally bisexual married men (n = 186) and a comparative sample of never-married gay-identified men (n = 33). All participants in the study reported moderate levels of life stress in the preceding six months. No significant differences were found between the ever-married and never-married groups on the Overall Stress Value Score (OSV) of the GALES. Among the ever-married, those who identified as gay/homosexual reported significantly higher life stress than those who identified as bisexual. No differences were found within the ever-married between those who remained with their heterosexual partner and those who had separated. Difficulties in the use of the Nott and Vedhara (1995) version of the GALES with both gay men and populations of behaviourally bisexual men are reported.


Can alterations in integrin and laminin-5 expression be used as markers of malignancy?
Development of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) involves alterations in the adhesive interactions in the epithelium and invasion through the basement membrane. Therefore, changes in the expression of receptors and ligands involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion may be essential for the transformation of a premalignant into a malignant lesion. The aim of this study was to examine if expression of specific cell adhesion molecules can be used as markers of malignant development. By immunohistochemistry, we examined the expression pattern of integrins alpha2beta1, alpha3beta1, alpha6beta4 and laminin-5 in biopsies from SCCs (n=18), premalignant lesions (leukoplakias, n=21) and non-premalignant tissue with chronic inflammation (n=11). In poorly differentiated SCCs, patchy loss of alpha3beta1, alpha6beta4 and laminin-5 expression was pronounced at the invasion front, whereas there was a tendency to increased expression of alpha2beta1. Analogous to the SCCs, biopsies from the leukoplakias and the non-premalignant inflammatory tissue showed alterations of the expression of alpha3beta1 and alpha6beta4 in the basal cell layers and of laminin-5. However, a characteristic finding in biopsies from leukoplakias was loss of alpha2beta1 and alpha3beta1 in the suprabasal cells. There was no unequivocal expression of the adhesion molecules distinguishing between inflammatory tissue, premalignant, and malignant lesions.


Unexpected role of the L-domain of calpastatin during the autoproteolytic activation of human erythrocyte calpain.
Autoproteolysis of human erythrocyte calpain-1 proceeds in vitro at high [Ca2+], through the conversion of the 80-kDa catalytic subunit into a 75-kDa activated enzyme that requires lower [Ca2+] for catalysis. Importantly, here we detect a similar 75 kDa calpain-1 form also in vivo, in human meningiomas. Although calpastatin is so far considered the specific inhibitor of calpains, we have previously identified in rat brain a calpastatin transcript truncated at the end of the L-domain (cast110, L-DOM), coding for a protein lacking the inhibitory units. Aim of the present study was to characterize the possible biochemical role of the L-DOM during calpain-1 autoproteolysis in vitro, at high (100 µM) and low (5 µM) [Ca2+]. Here we demonstrate that the L-DOM binds the 80 kDa proenzyme in the absence of Ca2+ Consequently, we have explored the ability of the 75 kDa activated protease to catalyze at 5 µM Ca2+ the intermolecular activation of native calpain-1 associated with the L-DOM. Notably, this [Ca2+] is too low to promote the autoproteolytic activation of calpain-1 but enough to support the catalysis of the 75 kDa calpain. We show for the first time that the L-DOM preserves native calpain-1 from the degradation mediated by the 75 kDa form. Taken together, our data suggest that the free L-domain of calpastatin is a novel member of the calpain/calpastatin system endowed with a function alternative to calpain inhibition. For this reason, it will be crucial to define the intracellular relevance of the L-domain in controlling calpain activation/activity in physiopathological conditions having altered Ca2+ homeostasis.


Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against Serpulina hyodysenteriae and S. innocens and their use in serotyping.
Murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against serotypes 1, 2, 8, and 9 of Serpulina hyodysenteriae and strain B256 of Serpulina innocens were produced and characterized. A serological classification of 96 field strains of S. hyodysenteriae and 28 field strains of S. innocens isolated from pigs showing clinical signs of swine dysentery was performed by rapid dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with the MAbs. The results indicated that the majority of the field strains of S. hyodysenteriae (69%) belonged to serotypes 8, 1, and 9, whereas only 31% of the S. innocens strains were recognized by MAb 9H7, indicating the presence of antigenic heterogeneity among S. innocens isolates. Rapid dot ELISA with type-specific MAbs was found to be specific, sensitive, and easy to perform and thus to be suitable for routine serotyping of S. hyodysenteriae and S. innocens isolates. This is the first report of MAbs being used for serotyping clinical isolates of S. hyodysenteriae and S. innocens.


Near-infrared imaging polarimetry of LkCa 15: A possible warped inner disk.
We present high-contrast H-band polarized intensity images of the transitional disk around the young solar-like star LkCa 15. By utilizing Subaru/HiCIAO for polarimetric differential imaging, the angular resolution and the inner working angle reach 0.07 and r = 0″.1, respectively. We obtained a clearly resolved gap (width ≲ 27 au) at ~48 au from the central star. This gap is consistent with images reported in previous studies. We also confirmed the existence of a bright inner disk with a misaligned position angle of 13° ±4° with respect to that of the outer disk, i.e., the inner disk is possibly warped. The large gap and the warped inner disk both point to the existence of a multiple planetary system with a mass of ≲ 1 M Jup.


Phenochalasins, inhibitors of lipid droplet formation in mouse macrophages, produced by Phomopsis sp. FT-0211.
Phomopsis sp. FT-0211, a soil isolate, was found to produce inhibitors of lipid droplet formation in mouse peritoneal macrophages. Structurally related new compounds designated phenochalasins A and B were isolated from the fermentation broth of the producing strain by solvent extraction, ODS column chromatography and preparative HPLC. Phenochalasin A caused a dose-dependent reduction in the number and size of lipid droplets in macrophages without any cytotoxic effect at least up to 20 microm. On the other hand, phenochalasin B showed inhibition of lipid droplet formation with a severe cytotoxic effect on macrophages.


Targeting PCSK9 for hypercholesterolemia.
Dyslipidemias are a predominant risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Biological and genetic research has led to the identification of several genes and proteins that may be pharmacologically targeted to improve lipoprotein profiles and possibly cardiovascular outcomes in patients with dyslipidemia. The observation that proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) regulates the levels of circulating low-density lipoprotein C (LDL-C) by enhancing the degradation of the hepatic low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) prompted the search for drugs that inhibit PCSK9 activity. Several approaches to inhibiting PCSK9 activity have been proposed; these involve inhibitory antibodies, small molecules, and gene silencing. To date, the most promising and advanced approach relates to monoclonal antibodies, which can decrease LDL cholesterol by 65-70%, even as an add-on therapy to a maximal dose of a statin. Phase III studies and large, event-driven clinical trials are ongoing and will fully address the viability and role of these drugs in clinical practice.


Ablation, Osteoplasty, Reinforcement, and Internal Fixation as a New Alternative First-Line Management for Osteolytic Pelvic Metastases.
Many orthopaedic procedures for osteolytic metastases are performed using surgical techniques and implants that are used in arthroplasties or trauma surgeries. There is a need for development of skeletal metastasis-specific procedures. Massive osteolytic metastases in periacetabular regions are managed with open surgical procedures when radiation and antiresorptive agents fail to prevent development and progression of the lesion. An ideal procedure for osteolytic metastases would decrease cancer burden and stabilize weakened bones for continued ambulatory oncologic care without delay. Therefore, ablation, osteoplasty, reinforcement, and internal fixation (AORIF) is a new alternative percutaneous procedure for osteolytic metastases in pelvis and other periarticular osteolytic metastases. Percutaneously inserted cannulated screws provide a universal portal for catheters for ablation, balloon osteoplasty, and zoledronate-loaded bone cement. AORIF reduces local cancer burden by radiofrequency ablation and improves bone strength immediately with polymethyl methacrylate bone cement for enhanced ambulatory oncologic care. Similar to other reported series of percutaneous reinforcement procedures, AORIF improves ambulatory status for localized bone defects in patients who seek anticancer drug therapies. AORIF does not provide anatomic restoration of established comminuted acetabular fractures or protrusio acetabuli but improves pain and ambulatory status for continued oncologic care. AORIF is a new alternative first-line minimally-invasive procedure for patients with advanced cancers and osteolytic pelvic metastases.


Rapid review of COVID-19 epidemic estimation studies for Iran.
To inform researchers about the methodology and results of epidemic estimation studies performed for COVID-19 epidemic in Iran, we aimed to perform a rapid review. We searched for and included published articles, preprint manuscripts and reports that estimated numbers of cumulative or daily deaths or cases of COVID-19 in Iran. We found 131 studies and included 29 of them. The included studies provided outputs for a total of 84 study-model/scenario combinations. Sixteen studies used 3-4 compartmental disease models. At the end of month two of the epidemic (2020-04-19), the lowest (and highest) values of predictions were 1,777 (388,951) for cumulative deaths, 20,588 (2,310,161) for cumulative cases, and at the end of month four (2020-06-20), were 3,590 (1,819,392) for cumulative deaths, and 144,305 (4,266,964) for cumulative cases. Highest estimates of cumulative deaths (and cases) for latest date available in 2020 were 418,834 on 2020-12-19 (and 41,475,792 on 2020-12-31). Model estimates predict an ominous course of epidemic progress in Iran. Increase in percent population using masks from the current situation to 95% might prevent 26,790 additional deaths (95% confidence interval 19,925-35,208) by the end of year 2020. Meticulousness and degree of details reported for disease modeling and statistical methods used in the included studies varied widely. Greater heterogeneity was observed regarding the results of predicted outcomes. Consideration of minimum and preferred reporting items in epidemic estimation studies might better inform future revisions of the available models and new models to be developed. Not accounting for under-reporting drives the models' results misleading.


Comparative analysis of the PCOLCE region in Fugu rubripes using a new automated annotation tool.
The Japanese pufferfish Fugu rubripes with a genome of about 400 Mb is becoming increasingly recognized as a vertebrate model organism for comparative gene analysis (see Elgar 1996 for review). We have isolated and sequenced two Fugu cosmids spanning a genomic region of 66 kb containing the Fugu homolog to the human PCOLCE-I (Glöckner et al. 1998). We then examined if RUMMAGE-DP, a newly developed analysis tool for gene discovery which was designed for human and mouse genomic DNA, can be used for automatic annotation of Fugu genomic sequence. The exon prediction programs contained in RUMMAGE-DP performed better overall for the human sequence than for the Fugu contig. The GENSCAN program was the only exon prediction programme that performed equally well for both organisms. We show that RUMMAGE-DP is very useful in automatic analysis of Fugu sequences. Comparative analysis of the genomic structure of the PCOLCE-I genes in Fugu and human reveals that the exon/intron structure throughout the protein coding region is almost identical. We defined an additional domain based on the high degree of similarity of 26 aa between mammals and Fugu. The PCOLCE-I protein in both organisms contains two highly conserved CUB domains. Exons 6 and 7 are the only coding exons that differ in length between the two species. We assume that these exons do not code for any catalytic domain of the protein. Analysis of the remaining five Fugu genes within the 66 kb interval revealed no conserved synteny with the corresponding human 7q22 region.


[A concept for the assessment of quality of life in patients with carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract].
The quality of life (QoL) of patients with malignant diseases decreases significantly. The evaluation of QoL is generally not part of the management of patients with head and neck cancer. The aim of this study was to develop an additional disease- and treatment-specific questionnaire to evaluate QoL in surgically treated head and neck cancer patients. The general QoL was evaluated with the QLQ-C30 questionnaire developed by the European Organisation of Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). The disease-specific QoL was evaluated using the EORTC H&N35 module. The new questionnaire "Kiel Head and Neck 17" (KQL H&N-17) is a disease- and treatment-specific addition especially in regard to side effects caused by surgical treatment. A wide application of this whole concept is needed to obtain comparable results from studies suitable for evaluating QoL in patients receiving different treatments for their malignant diseases. Moreover, the effectiveness and quality of treatment could be controlled better, which would help to increase the QoL of these patients.


Surgical menopause and increased risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in endometrial cancer.
Our objective was to examine risk factors associated with development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among women with endometrial cancer who underwent surgical staging with or without oophorectomy. This is a retrospective study that evaluated endometrial cancer cases that underwent surgical staging (n = 666) and endometrial hyperplasia cases that underwent hysterectomy-based treatment (n = 209). This study included 712 oophorectomy cases and 163 nonoophorectomy cases. Archived records were reviewed for participant demographics, medical comorbidities, operative notes, histology results, and radiology reports for NAFLD. Cumulative risks of NAFLD after surgical operation were correlated to demographics and medical comorbidities. The cumulative prevalence of NAFLD in 875 women with endometrial tumor was 14.1%, 20.5%, and 38.4% at 1, 2, and 5 years after surgical operation, respectively. On multivariate analysis, after controlling for age, ethnicity, body mass index, medical comorbidities, tumor type, hormonal treatment pattern, and oophorectomy status, age younger than 40 years (2-y cumulative prevalence, 26.6% vs 16.8%; hazard ratio [HR], 1.85; 95% CI, 1.27-2.71; P = 0.001) and age 40 to 49 years (2-y cumulative prevalence, 23.1% vs 16.8%; HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.08-2.04; P = 0.015) remained significant predictors for developing NAFLD after surgical operation compared with age 50 years or older. Oophorectomy was an independent predictor for increased risk of NAFLD (20.9% vs 15.9%; HR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.01-2.86; P = 0.047). In addition, NAFLD was significantly associated with postoperative development of diabetes mellitus (39.2% vs 15.3%; HR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.52-3.35; P < 0.0001) and hypercholesterolemia (34.3% vs 17.5%; HR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.12-2.63; P = 0.014). Oophorectomy in young women with endometrial cancer significantly increases the risk of NAFLD. This is associated with development of diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia after oophorectomy.


A novel nonsense mutation associated with an exon skipping in a patient with hereditary protein S deficiency type I.
The genetic defect in a patient with hereditary type I protein S (PS) deficiency was investigated. All the exons and intron-exon junctions of the patient's PS gene were amplified by PCR and subjected to heteroduplex screening. Only the PCR product of exon 4 revealed heteroduplex bands. A novel nonsense mutation, Ser62 (TCA) to Stop (TGA) was found in exon 4. RT-PCR detected the aberrant mRNA in the patient's platelets, which was markedly reduced in amount and lacked the region of exon 4, suggesting that the nonsense mutation affected the mutated mRNA metabolism and induced exon skipping. The skipping of exon 4 causes an in-frame deletion of 29 amino acids which just construct the thrombin-sensitive region of the PS molecule. The loss of such an important domain as well as the quantitative decrease in the mutated mRNA appear to be responsible for the type I PS deficiency in this patient.


Metal-organic frameworks/polydopamine synergistic interface enhancement of carbon fiber/phenolic composites for promoting mechanical and tribological performances.
Carbon fiber/phenolic composites have wide application prospects in the transmission of vehicles, where the combination of prominent mechanical and tribological properties is required. Multiscale metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and polydopamine (PDA) as binary reinforcements were employed to construct a rigid-flexible hierarchical structure for improving the interfacial performances of friction materials. This unique rigid-flexible (MOFs/PDA) reinforcement could act as an effective interfacial linker, significantly facilitating the integration of fibers into the matrix and establishing a strong mechanical interlocking and chemical bonding onto the fiber/matrix interphase, thus boosting the mechanical and tribological properties of the composites. Benefiting from the MOF/PDA synergistic enhancement effects, the interlaminar shear strength of ZIF-8-composites (P1), MOF-5-composites (P2) and UiO-66-(COOH)2-composites (P3) was improved by 70.80%, 43.80% and 53.28%, respectively. In addition, the wear rate of P1 decreased from 3.55 × 10-8 cm3 J-1 to 2.45 × 10-8 cm3 J-1. This work provides a feasible approach for establishing rigid-flexible reinforced structures and opens up a double-component synergistic enhancement strategy to efficiently promote mechanical and tribological properties for fabricating high-performance carbon fiber/phenolic composites.


Improving physician-patient communication in cancer care: outcome of a workshop for oncologists.
Physicians caring for cancer patients receive little formal training in difficult communications such as breaking bad news, discussing life support, and addressing patients' emotional concerns. The authors conducted a three-day workshop in communication skills for nine oncology attendings and three fellows. Topics for the workshop were selected by participants by a pre-workshop questionnaire. Small groups of four to five participants interviewed simulated patients who role-played scripts based on the selected topics. Sessions on self-awareness and one on planning for continuing the work of the group after the workshop were included. Responses to pretest and posttest questionnaires showed that the workshop increased the participants' confidence in a number of communication areas and also in managing physician burnout. Process issues such as patient death and expectations for cure were also discussed. Interactive workshops offer a promising way of teaching communication skills and aspects of the physician-patient relationship to oncologists. Conclusions regarding outcome, however, are preliminary and tentative, and long-term results are uncertain.


Effect of admission hypertriglyceridemia on the episodes of severe acute pancreatitis.
To investigate the effect of admission hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) on the episodes of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). One hundred and seventy-six patients with SAP were divided into HTG group (n = 45) and control group (n = 131) according to admission triglyceride (TG) > or = 5.65 mmol/L and < 5.65 mmol/L, respectively. Demographics, etiology, underlying diseases, biochemical parameters, Ranson' s score, acute physiology and chronic heath evaluation II (APACHE II) score, Balthazar's computed tomography (CT) score, complications and mortality were compared. Correlation between admission TG and 24-h APACHE II score was analyzed. SAP patients with HTG were younger (40.8 +/- 9.3 years vs 52.6 +/- 13.4 years, P < 0.05) with higher etiology rate of overeating, high-fat diet (40.0% vs 14.5%, P < 0.05) and alcohol abuse (46.7% vs 23.7%, P < 0.01), incidence rate of hypocalcemia (86.7% vs 63.4%, P < 0.01) and hypoalbuminemia (84.4% vs 60.3%, P < 0.01), 24-h APACHE II score (13.6 +/- 5.7 vs 10.7 +/- 4.6, P < 0.01) and admission serum glucose (17.7 +/- 7.7 vs 13.4 +/- 6.1, P < 0.01), complication rate of renal failure (51.1% vs 16.8%, P < 0.01), shock (37.9% vs 14.5%, P < 0.01) and infection (37.4% vs 18.3%, P < 0.01) and mortality (13.1% vs 9.1%, P < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed a positive correlation between admission TG and 24-h APACHE II score (r = 0 .509, P = 0.004). The clinical features of SAP patients with HTG are largely consistent with previous studies. HTG aggravates the episodes of SAP.


Development of devices for interventional endoscopic ultrasound for the management of pancreatobiliary diseases.
A variety of devices have been developed for interventional endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). EUS-guided drainage of the bile duct and pancreatic duct, as well as fluid collection adjacent to the gastrointestinal tract, is performed by a procedure involving puncture, guidewire manipulation, tract dilation, and stent placement. Devices specialized for interventional EUS are being developed for each step of the procedure. Mechanical dilators such as bougie, balloon, and electrocautery dilators are used for tract dilation. Various types of plastic stents, self-expandable metal stents, and lumen-apposing metal stents specifically designed for interventional EUS are now available, including one-step devices developed to improve the efficacy and safety of interventional EUS. In addition, radiofrequency ablation and the placement of fiducial markers and radioactive seeds under EUS guidance are now becoming established for pancreatic neoplasms. Such development of specialized devices has expanded the indications for interventional EUS, increased the success rate, and lowered the adverse event rate.


[Diet and physical activity in Norwegian psychiatric institutions].
The food served in psychiatric institutions may in general be described as a standard diet similar to that served in somatic hospitals, with no or little adjustment made to the special needs of the individual psychiatric patient. The emphasis on physical activity is also generally low. This paper presents results and strategies in a sample of sixteen Norwegian psychiatric institutions that have undertaken a one-year weight management programme with focus on structural changes in dietary and physical activity practices. Prevention and treatment of weight gain in psychiatric patients is difficult, but not impossible. All institutions included in this project have made changes in the dietary practice and the routines for physical activity, with less severe weight problems in the patients as a result. Coordinated approaches are necessary if the efforts are to succeed.


Irreversible electroporation of renal cell carcinoma: a first-in-man phase I clinical study.
Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a newly developed nonthermal tissue-ablation technique in which high-voltage electrical pulses of microsecond duration are applied to induce irreversible permeabilisation of the cell membrane, presumably through nanoscale defects in the lipid bilayer, leading to apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and safety of ablating renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tissue by IRE. Six patients scheduled for curative resection of RCC were included. IRE was performed during anaesthesia immediately before the resection with electrographic synchronisation. Central haemodynamics were recorded before and 5 min after electroporation. Five-channel electrocardiography (ECG) was used for detailed analysis of ST waveforms. Blood sampling and 12-lead ECG were performed before, during, and at scheduled intervals after the intervention. Analysis of ST waveforms and axis deviations showed no relevant changes during the entire study period. No changes in central haemodynamics were seen 5 min after IRE. Similarly, haematological, serum biochemical, and ECG variables showed no relevant differences during the investigation period. No changes in cardiac function after IRE therapy were found. One case of supraventricular extrasystole was encountered. Initial histopathologic examination showed no immediate adverse effects of IRE (observation of delayed effects will require a different study design). IRE seems to offer a feasible and safe technique by which to treat patients with kidney tumours and could offer some potential advantages over current thermal ablative techniques.


[Strategy of lymph nodes dissection for the lower thoracic esophageal cancer without metastasis to the upper-mediastinal lymph nodes].
The incidence of metastasis to the lymph nodes in preoperative untreated patients with Ei, T2 or T3 esophageal cancer is 70.7% (41 of 58 cases) in our institute. Especially, a high incidence of metastasis to the abdominal lymph nodes has been noted. In contrast, metastasis to the cervical lymph nodes is not common. The majority of recurrence appear as a distant metastasis to the liver, lung or bone through the hematogenic route. However, recurrence in the peritoneum through the lymphatogenic route is not uncommon. Therefore, current strategy of lymph nodes dissection for esophageal carcinoma would be inadequate for the complete inhibition of recurrence, so that chemotherapy remains to be needed. Since the diagnostic procedure with ultrasonographic endoscopy and computerized tomography is highly accurate for the assessment of metastasis to the uppermediastinal lymph nodes, operative procedure suitable for each case should be determined on the basis of preoperative examination.


A common genetic polymorphism associated with lower coagulation factor VII levels in healthy individuals.
We have identified a genetic polymorphism of factor VII that is strongly associated with plasma factor VII coagulant activity (factor VIIc) in healthy individuals from the United Kingdom. This polymorphism was detected after Msp I digestion of polymerase chain reaction-amplified genomic DNA. In a sample of 284 men, the frequency of the M2 allele (loss of cutting site) is 0.1, and individuals with the M1M2 genotype have factor VIIc levels 22% below the sample mean (p less than 0.0001). Msp I genotype was found to be the strongest predictor of factor VIIc, accounting for 20.2% of the variance, with cholesterol accounting for an additional 3.5%. The base change that gives rise to the Msp I polymorphism is a G-to-A substitution in the codon for amino acid 353, leading to replacement of arginine (Arg) with glutamine (Gln) in the protein product of the M2 allele (designated Gln 353). Three individuals homozygous for the M2 allele have both low factor VIIc and low factor VII protein concentrations. The conformation of the Gln 353 molecule may be different from that of the Arg 353 protein, affecting its intracellular processing, secretion, turnover in plasma, or activity. In view of its association with lower factor VIIc levels, possession of the M2 allele may confer protection against thrombosis and myocardial infarction.


Influence of vasoactive intestinal peptide, secretin, and Ala4, Val5-secretin on the net movements of electrolytes, fluid, and mucus in the rat colon in vivo.
The effect of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), secretin, and VIP-secretin (Ala4, Val5-secretin) on the net movements of sodium, potassium, fluid, and mucus was investigated in the rat colon perfused in vivo. Peptides (1-100 micrograms/kg.h) were infused intra-arterially. VIP influenced electrolyte and fluid movements at a threshold dose 10- to 100-fold lower than secretin, whereas the secretory efficacy was not significantly different. Replacing the NH2-terminal hexapeptide of secretin by that of VIP did not markedly alter the effect of secretin. Mucus output was stimulated weakly by all three peptides. The results indicate that the larger colonic secretory activity of VIP as compared to secretin is not primarily due to the difference in their NH2-terminal sequence but probably requires the intact molecule.


Trends in hospitalizations and resource utilization for pediatric pertussis.
Pertussis is a serious and preventable childhood illness often necessitating hospitalization. The objective was to describe national trends in pediatric pertussis hospitalizations and resource utilization and factors associated with increased length of stay (LOS). This was a cross-sectional analysis of the 1997 to 2009 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Databases. We examined pediatric hospitalizations of children (0-18 years) with a diagnosis of pertussis. Primary outcomes were hospitalizations, LOS, and charges. Weighted linear regression was used to evaluate trends in resource utilization. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with prolonged LOS. Infants 0 to 6 months old accounted for nearly 90% of pediatric pertussis hospitalizations. Hospitalizations in public payers increased from 50% in 1997 to 67.4% in 2009 (P < .01). Among children with complex chronic conditions (CCCs), pertussis hospitalizations increased from 9.4% in 1997 to 16.8% in 2009 (P < .01). Mean LOS for pediatric pertussis hospitalizations decreased from 5.40 days in 1997 to 5.28 days in 2009 (P < .01), whereas those for children with CCCs increased from 8.86 days in 1997 to 9.25 days in 2009 (P < .01). Mean adjusted charges for pediatric pertussis hospitalizations rose from $14 520 in 1997 to $22 278 in 2009 (P < .01). For all study years, neonates and children with CCCs had greater odds of prolonged LOS. Young infants and publicly insured patients account for a disproportionate number of pertussis-related hospitalizations. Patients with CCCs are increasingly contributing to hospitalizations and resource utilization attributable to pertussis. As new vaccine recommendations are implemented, targeted interventions are warranted to increase preventive efforts in these vulnerable populations.


[Equipment of a water spirometer with a view to automation of spirometry].
This work describes the complete automatisation of spirometry, the basic examination when assessing respiratory function. The movements of a water spirometer bell, transformed into electrical signals, are transmitted to a micro-computer, equipped with a digital analogue interface and then analysed. A few seconds after the performance of the examination the complete results are automatically edited in absolute values and as a percentage of predicted values (CECA). They are compared to previous calculations in the same spirometer, using the usual technique. The correlations obtained between the two series of results (145 examinations) show the reliability of the automated technique both for calculating volumes as for the maximal expired flows. In conclusion, while conserving the standard information in spirometry, the automatisation of this exam allows a considerable saving of time.


[The detection of pediatric mycoplasma pneumonia cases by polymerase chain reaction and it's clinical significance].
Mycoplasma DNA in nasopharynx secretion from seventy pediatric mycoplasma cases was detected, using rapid feit of PCR DNA sample preparation method and simple PCR processes. The result of PCR showed that: fifty-three positive cases with a positive rate 75.7%, comparing with only 53.8% positive rate using mycoplasma culture method (P < 0.05). Thirteen PCR positive patients were treated by Venoclysis Erythromycin for 10-14 days but mycoplasma DNA was identified by PCR again. Among them, eight cases turned negative, but five cases still remained positive. The resalt showed that this method was not only more sensitive and reliable than conventional culture techniques, but also could simplify the PCR processes. It could be used for routine mycoplasma pneumonia test and for early diagnosis, which leads to early treatment and evaluation of therapeufic effect.


Family-to-Work Interface and Workplace Injuries: The Mediating Roles of Burnout, Work Engagement, and Safety Violations.
Past research has primarily investigated the role of the negative side (family-to-work conflict; FWC) of the family-to-work interface in workplace safety outcomes and neglected the positive side (family-to-work enrichment; FWE). Moreover, the mechanism underlying the relation between the family-to-work interface and workplace safety has not been well studied. From the perspectives of the job demands-resources model as well as conservation of resources theory, this study endeavors to extend the current literature on workplace safety by evaluating the mediating roles of burnout, work engagement, and safety violations in the associations of FWC and FWE with workplace injuries. Two-wave longitudinal survey data were obtained from 233 Chinese employees in two high-risk industries (nursing and railways). The hypothesized longitudinal mediation model was analyzed with the structural equation modeling technique. It was revealed that the association of FWE with workplace injuries was mediated by work engagement and then safety violations. Burnout was found to mediate the association of FWC with workplace injuries. Safety violations were also found to mediate the association of FWC with workplace injuries. The present findings offer insights into the underlying mechanisms by which the family-to-work interface influences workplace injuries.


Liposomes-coated gold nanocages with antigens and adjuvants targeted delivery to dendritic cells for enhancing antitumor immune response.
For nanovaccine-based cancer immunotherapy, dendritic cells (DCs) are one of the most powerful antigen presenting cells (APCs) that initiate and promote the maturation of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (e.g., CD8+ T cells) to induce the local and systemic antitumor immunity and further suppress the tumor metastasis and produce long-term protection against tumor. Thus, the activation and maturation of DCs is the prerequisite for efficient CD8+ T cell-based antitumor immune responses, which is considered as a primary and promising task for nanovaccine engineering. Herein, we introduce a versatile nanovaccine of liposomes-coated gold nanocages (Lipos-AuNCs) modified with DCs specific antibody aCD11c for targeted delivery of adjuvant MPLA and melanoma antigen peptide TRP2 to promote the activation and maturation of DCs, and enhance tumor specific T lymphocytes responses. Moreover, AuNCs accumulation and AuNCs-engulfed DCs migration to regional lymph nodes (RLNs) became real-time visualization through in vivo fluorescence and photoacoustic (PA) imaging to monitor the immunity process. In vivo experimental results demonstrated that the targeted antigen/adjuvants-loaded AuNCs exhibited enhanced antitumor immune response to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis in both B16-F10 prophylactic and lung metastasis models, which may act as a promising nanoplatform for antitumor immunotherapy and in vivo tracking.


Renal and hepatic nitrogen metabolism in systemic acid base regulation.
Renal and hepatic nitrogen metabolism are linked by an interorgan glutamine flux, coupling both renal ammoniagenesis and hepatic urea production to systemic acid-base regulation. Reconsideration of established pathways and recent observations led to a conceptional change with a movement from a two-organ concept (lungs and kidney) of acid-base balance to a three-or-more organ concept (lungs, kidney, liver). This development implies new regulatory sites of systemic pH control and consequently a new pathophysiological understanding of derangements of acid-base homeostasis. In this new concept the urea cycle regulates the removal of metabolically generated bicarbonate during a protein load in a pH- and bicarbonate-dependent manner. This is related to a switch of hepatic ammonium detoxication from urea to glutamine synthesis in metabolic acidosis, and vice versa in alkalosis. An adaptive increase in the renal capacity for glutamine deamidation and deamination and for ammonium excretion leads to a proportional decrease in renal urea excretion at the expense of ammonium in acidotic conditions. The present review summarizes experimental data and clinical implications resulting from this new concept, which was also the subject of a recent Conference of the German Society for Clinical Chemistry "Mechanisms and Control of pH Homeostasis".


[Oculomotor forms of myasthenia].
The diagnostic difficulty in purely oculo-motor forms of myasthenia can be due to the lack of fluctuation in symptoms, the occurrence of complete spontaneous remissions, lasting several months or years, the absence of a decremental response in muscle potentials as evidenced by classical repetitive stimulation of the motor nerve, and negative responses to pharmacological testing. Thus, several investigative procedures have been developed to aid in the diagnosis of questionable cases. These include electromyography of proximal muscles and single fiber recordings, the dosage of acetylcholine receptors antibodies (specificity of nearly 100 %), and histological examination of neuro-muscular junction (invariably finding specific lesions of motor end plates). In spite of the diffuse pathological process and the possible overlapping with other types of myasthenia, many oculo-motor forms remain strictly localized throughout their course. Furthermore the prognosis of oculo-motor myasthenia is far better than other forms. Several hypotheses exist to explain the peculiarities of ocular myasthenia. Among these explanations are the theories that there are structural factors specific to oculo-motor muscles and that there exist a heterogeneity of acetylcholine receptor antibodies. On the therapeutic grounds, the frequent failure of anticholinesterase agents has been established. Corticosteroids are often very efficacious, but require high maintenance doses. The adverse side effects of such therapy have led some authors to suggest thymectomy as an alternative therapeutic modality.


Does an experimentally induced self-association elicit affective self-prioritisation?
Self-relevant stimuli such as one's name and face have been demonstrated to influence information processing in both the cognitive and affective domains. It has been observed that recently self-associated stimuli can also influence cognition, but their impact on affect has not been tested yet. In the current study (N = 107), we test whether recently self-associated stimuli yield an affective bias and compare the size of the effect with that of familiar self-associated stimuli. A Recoding-Free Implicit Association Test (IAT-RF) presenting self-associated, neutral object-associated, positive, and negative stimuli was used with two groups: one which categorised familiar words as self- and neutral object-associated stimuli, and a second which categorised recently self- and neutral object-associated geometric shapes. In both cases, response times were faster for congruent trials, which mapped response keys as "positive/self" and "negative/neutral object," than for incongruent trials which mapped response keys as "positive/neutral object" and "negative/self." The size of the effect yielded by familiar and new self-associated stimuli did not differ. This indicates that experimentally induced self-association can immediately yield an affective bias in favour of the self-associated stimulus.


Tissue velocities, strain, and strain rate for echocardiographic assessment of ventricular function in congenital heart disease.
During the last decade tissue Doppler and myocardial deformation imaging has been introduced to quantify myocardial function in patients with congenital heart disease. These methods could have potential benefits for patients where the anatomy makes it difficult to quantify ventricular function using M-mode or two-dimensional volumetric techniques. In this overview, the potential benefits as well as limitations of the techniques are discussed. Looking directly into the myocardium renders the techniques geometry-independent, allowing the quantification of right ventricular as well as univentricular systolic function. The limitations include the influence of variable loading conditions as well as different methodological problems.


Predictors of treatment requirement in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients with persistently normal alanine aminotransferase and high serum HBV DNA levels.
Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is a controversial marker for disease monitoring in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. The aim of this study was to determine the fibrosis stage and histological activity index (HAI) in HBeAg-negative CHB patients with persistently normal ALT (PNALT) and high serum HBV DNA (≥2000 IU/ml) and to investigate clinical risk factors for the requirement of treatment through the examination of liver biopsy specimens. HBeAg-negative CHB patients with PNALT (≤40 IU/l) and high serum HBV DNA (≥2000 IU/ml) were included. HBV fibrosis stage and HAI were scored according to the Ishak system. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the independent risk factors for fibrosis stage ≥2 and/or HAI ≥6. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to determine an optimal age cut-off for liver biopsy. A total 120 patients were enrolled. These patients had a mean HBV DNA level of 123680±494500 IU/ml; the HBV DNA load was 2000-20000 IU/ml in 68 patients (56.6%) and ≥20000 IU/ml in 52 (43.4%). Eighteen patients (15%) had moderate-to-severe histological activity (HAI ≥6). Forty-three patients (35.9%) had a fibrosis stage ≥2. Forty-eight patients (40%) had a fibrosis stage ≥2 and/or HAI ≥6. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, independent variables associated with fibrosis stage ≥2 and/or HAI ≥6 included age and HBV DNA viral load. Patients with HBV DNA 2000-20000 IU/ml were more likely to require treatment compared to those with a viral load ≥20000 IU/ml. The optimal age cut-off to predict fibrosis stage ≥2 and/or HAI ≥6 was 46 years. Significant liver damage was detected in 40% of CHB patients with PNALT and high HBV DNA upon biopsy. Age and HBV DNA viral load were independent predictors of significant liver damage. A biopsy to determine the degree of liver damage is advisable for CHB patients older than 46 years.


Peripherization of immigrant professionals: Korean physicians in the United States.
Using data on the characteristics of 1043 physicians who graduated from a medical school in Korea, the authors analyze the effects of immigrant status, gender, and year of graduation on their choice of medical practice specialty. The specialty areas are categorized into 2 groups, "core" and "periphery," on the basis of the reported median income of practitioners in each specialty. The results of log-linear model analyses indicate that female physicians are more likely to immigrate to the United States than male physicians, although the general trend of immigration does not notably change over time. In the main equation, immigration status shows a significant peripheral effect as immigrant physicians are much more likely to practice in peripheral areas than their home-staying counterparts. Gender status is also found to have a significant peripheral effect. When these Korean immigrant physicians are compared with the US-educated physicians in regard to their areas of practice, the same pattern of peripherization is observed among the immigrants. The findings suggest that, despite their secular image of "success," immigrant professionals in the United States carry on the same kind of marginal economic activities within the professional labor market as unskilled immigrant workers do within the nonprofessional labor market.


Individual differences in response to novelty and the conditioned locomotor effects of nicotine.
Rats' locomotor reactivity to an inescapable novel environment has been shown to be correlated with the psychomotor response to many stimulant drugs. However, the effects of nicotine on rats categorized as high responder (HR) or low responder (LR) has yielded inconclusive results. This study examined the effects of nicotine ditartrate in HR and LR rats using both a high (0.8 mg/kg; freebase) and a low dose (0.2 mg/kg; freebase). Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained for the acquisition of nicotine-induced conditioned hyperactivity. After conditioned-hyperactivity testing, rats underwent extinction training to decrease hyperactivity by administering saline as a substitution for nicotine. Hyperactivity was then reinstated with a nicotine challenge (0.8 or 0.2 mg/kg). Pretreatment with nicotine during acquisition training significantly increased locomotor activity. Similarly, rats that had nicotine repeatedly paired with a distinct environment displayed significant conditioned hyperactivity and reinstatement of nicotine-induced hyperactivity. However, nicotine treatment was not found to differentially affect HR and LR rats. These data suggest that individual differences in response to an inescapable novel environment do not predict nicotine-induced locomotor sensitivity or sensitivity to nicotine-associated drug cues.


Chemical understanding of carbide cluster metallofullerenes: a case study on Sc2C2@C2v(5)-C80 with complete X-ray crystallographic characterizations.
Little is known about the chemical properties of carbide cluster metallofullerenes (CCMFs). Here we report the photochemical reaction of a newly assigned CCMF Sc(2)C(2)@C(2v)(5)-C(80) with 2-adamantane-2,3-[3H]-diazirine (AdN(2), 1), which provides a carbene reagent under irradiation. Five monoadduct isomers (2a-2e), with respective abundances of 20%, 40%, 25%, 5%, and 10%, were isolated and characterized with a combination of experimental techniques including unambiguous single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Results show that the two Sc atoms of the bent Sc(2)C(2) cluster tend to move in most cases, whereas the C(2)-unit is almost fixed. Accordingly, it is difficult to explain the addition patterns by considering the strain and charge density on the cage with a fixed cluster, and thus a moving cluster may account for the addition patterns. These results show that the situation of CCMFs is more complicated than those in other metallofullerenes. Furthermore, a thermal isomerization process from 2b to 2c was observed, confirming that the most abundant isomer 2b is a kinetically favored adduct. Finally, it is revealed that the electronic and electrochemical properties of pristine Sc(2)C(2)@C(2v)(5)-C(80) have been markedly altered by exohedral modification.


NO(3) Enhances the Kinase Activity for Phosphorylation of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase and Sucrose Phosphate Synthase Proteins in Wheat Leaves: Evidence from the Effects of Mannose and Okadaic Acid.
The aim of this work was to determine which of the two reactions (i.e. phosphorylation or dephosphorylation) involved in the establishment of the phosphorylated status of the wheat leaf phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and sucrose phosphate synthase protein responds in vivo to NO(3) (-) uptake and assimilation. Detached mature leaves of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv Fidel) were fed with N-free (low-NO(3) (-) leaves) or 40 mm NO(3) (-) solution (high-NO(3) (-) leaves). The specific inhibition of the enzyme-protein kinase or phosphatase activities was obtained in vivo by addition of mannose or okadaic acid, respectively, in the uptake solution. Mannose at 50 mm, by blocking the kinase reaction, inhibited the processes of NO(3) (-)-dependent phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activation and sucrose phosphate synthase deactivation. Following the addition of mannose, the deactivation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and the activation of sucrose phosphate synthase, both due to the enzyme-protein dephosphorylation, were at the same rate in low-NO(3) (-) and high-NO(3) (-) leaves, indicating that NO(3) (-) had no effect per se on the enzyme-protein phosphatase activity. Upon treatment with okadaic acid, the higher increase of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and decrease of sucrose phosphate synthase activities observed in high NO(3) (-) compared with low NO(3) (-) leaves showed evidence that NO(3) (-) enhanced the protein kinase activity. These results support the concept that NO(3) (-), or a product of its metabolism, favors the activation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and deactivation of sucrose phosphate synthase in wheat leaves by promoting the light activation of the enzyme-protein kinase(s) without affecting the phosphatase(s).


Management of diplopia with visual-field defects.
The management of diplopia can be challenging in patients with a concurrent visual-field (VF) defect. We conducted a retrospective chart review to analyze and compare treatment outcomes for different types of VF defects. A retrospective chart review. Seven patients with diplopia and VF defects were identified during the study. Four had bitemporal hemianopia, one had homonymous hemianopia, and two had a constricted central VF. A favorable or satisfactory outcome was achieved in all but two patients with bitemporal hemianopia. The hemifield-slide diplopia may develop in patients with bitemporal hemianopia or heteronymous altitudinal visual defects. Sensory abnormalities usually persist, even after elimination of ocular misalignment.


GmFULa, a FRUITFULL homolog, functions in the flowering and maturation of soybean.
A FRUITFULL homolog GmFULa was cloned and found to play roles in the flowering and maturation of soybean. Soybean varieties exhibit great diversity in terms of flowering and maturation due to differences in their photoperiodic responses. The underlying mechanism remains unclear despite the fact that some upstream flowering genes have been studied. FRUITFULL (FUL) genes are one group of downstream flowering genes known to have major roles in reproductive transition, floral meristem identity, and floral organ identity. However, FUL homologs and their functions are poorly understood in soybean. Here, a soybean FUL homolog was cloned from the late-maturing photoperiod-sensitive soybean variety Zigongdongdou (ZGDD) and designated GmFULa. In ZGDD, GmFULa exhibited a terminal-preferential expression pattern, with higher expression in the root and shoot apices than in the middle parts. Diurnal rhythm analysis revealed that photoperiod regulates the GmFULa expression level but does not alter its diurnal rhythm. ZGDD was maintained under different photoperiod conditions (long day, LD; short day, SD; LD after 13 short days, SD13-LD) to assess GmFULa expression in newly expanded leaves and in the shoot apex. From this analysis, GmFULa expression was detected in the floral meristem, floral organs and their primordia; trifoliate leaves; and the inflorescence meristem, with the expression levels induced by SD and inhibited by LD. GmFULa expression was also associated with maturity in seven soybean varieties with different photoperiod sensitivities. Therefore, photoperiod conditions affect the expression level of GmFULa but not its diurnal rhythm. The gene plays pleiotropic roles in reproductive transition, flowering, and leaf development and is associated with maturity in soybean.


Unusual intermediate-term outcome in three cases of limbal autograft transplantation.
To report an unusual intermediate-term outcome after limbal autograft transplantation for unilateral, severe chemical burns. Case reports of three consecutive cases. Three patients with a history of chemical burns. The fellow eye was clinically uninvolved in all patients. Surgery was indicated for conjunctivalization (cases 1 and 3) and persistent epithelial defect (case 2). Three (cases 2 and 3) or four (case 1) 1.25-clock-hour-wide limbal grafts were harvested from the fellow eye and transplanted to the limbus in the affected eye. Surface re-epithelialization, improvement in visual acuity, and maintenance of surface stability were monitored. Limbal grafts were effective in re-epithelialization of the corneal surface within 4 weeks in all cases. Symptomatic relief and improvement in visual acuity were noted during early follow-up. However, a progressive conjunctival ingrowth that tended to override the grafts and encroach the visual axis was noted over the course of a year in all three recipient eyes. Limbal autograft transplantation is an effective method for surface re-epithelialization in strictly unilateral chemical burns. Caution should be exercised in case selection. The authors' experience suggests a variable degree of attenuation in viability of transplanted limbus. Close follow-up of operated eyes is necessary to determine the long-term efficacy of limbal transplants as a source of corneal phenotypic cells.


Clinical outcome and health-related quality-of-life following microsurgical reconstruction in patients with oral and oropharyngeal cancer.
Radial forearm free flap (RFFF) and fibula free flap (FFF) provide high safety and reliability with low incidence of free flap failure and an acceptable level of complications and health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL). To determine the clinical outcomes and long-term HRQoL in patients with oral or oropharyngeal cancer following free flap reconstruction. A retrospective review of medical records and self-administered HRQoL questionnaires, EORTC QLQ-C30, and -H&N35. All patients who underwent surgery for oral or oropharyngeal cancer followed by primary reconstruction by RFFF or FFF at Rigshospitalet between September 2001 and November 2011 were included. The study comprised 19 patients still alive out of 61 patients. The free flap success rate was 94.7%. Early post-operative complications occurred in 11 patients (57.9%); however, only three cases (15.8%) required re-surgery. Nine patients (47.4%) developed late complications, including mandibular osteoradionecrosis in six cases (31.6%). Most patients obtained acceptable values of global quality-of-life and relatively high scores on the functional scales.


ADHD, Methylphenidate, and Childhood Epilepsy.
Investigators from the Department of Functional Neurology, Epileptology and Epilepsy Institute (IDEE), and the Lyon's University Hospital examined the clinical determinants of ADHD severity in children with epilepsy (CWE) along with the response to treatment with methylphenidate (MPH).


Combined effects of organic aerosol loading and fog processing on organic aerosols oxidation, composition, and evolution.
Chemical characterization of ambient non-refractory submicron aerosols (NR-PM1) was carried out in real time at Kanpur, India. The measurements were performed during the winter (December 2014 to February 2015), and comprised of two very distinct high and low aerosol loading periods coupled with prevalent foggy conditions. The average non-refractory submicron aerosol loading varied significantly from high (HL, ~240μg/m3) to low loading (LL, ~100μg/m3) period and was dominated by organic aerosols (OA) which contributed more than half (~60%) of the measured aerosol mass. OA source apportionment via positive matrix factorization (PMF) showed drastic changes in the composition of OA from HL to LL period. Overall, O/C (oxygen to carbon) ratios also varied significantly from HL (=0.59) to LL (=0.69) period. Fog episodes (n=17) studied here seem to be reducing the magnitude of the negative impact of OA loading on O/C ratio (OA loading and O/C ratio are anti-correlated, as higher OA loading allows gas to particle partitioning of relatively less oxidized organics) by 60% via aqueous processing. This study provided new insights into the combined effects of OA loading and fog aqueous processing on the evolution of ambient organic aerosols (OA) for the first time.