A community partnership to evaluate the feasibility of addressing food insecurity among adult patients in an urban healthcare system.
Food insecurity (FI) is a significant public health problem. Possible sequelae of prolonged food insecurity include kidney disease, obesity, and diabetes. Our objective was to assess the feasibility of a partnership between Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) and Gleaners Community Foodbank of Southeastern Michigan to implement and evaluate a food supplementation intervention initiated in a hospital outpatient clinic setting. We established a protocol for using the Hunger Vital Signs to screen HFHS internal medicine patients for food insecurity and established the data sharing infrastructure and agreements necessary for an HFHS-Gleaners partnership that would allow home delivery of food to consenting patients. We evaluated the food supplementation program using a quasi-experimental design and constructing a historical comparison group using the electronic medical record. Patients identified as food insecure through screening were enrolled in the program and received food supplementation twice per month for a total of 12 months, mostly by home delivery. The feasibility outcomes included successful clinic-based screening and enrollment and successful food delivery to consenting patients. Our evaluation compared healthcare utilization between the intervention and historical comparison group during a 12-month observation period using a difference-in-differences (DID) analysis. Of 1691 patients screened, 353 patients (20.9%) met the criteria for FI, of which 340/353 (96.3%) consented, and 256/340 (75.3%) were matched and had data sufficient for analysis. Food deliveries were successfully made to 89.9% of participant households. At follow-up, the intervention group showed greater reductions in emergency department visits than the comparison group, -41.5% and -25.3% reduction, respectively. Similar results were observed for hospitalizations, -55.9% and -17.6% reduction for intervention and control groups, respectively. DID regression analysis also showed lower trends in ED visits and hospitalizations for the intervention group compared to the comparison group. Results suggest that community-health system partnerships to address patient-reported food insecurity are feasible and potentially could reduce healthcare utilization in these patients. A larger, randomized trial may be the next step in fully evaluating this intervention, perhaps with more outcomes (e.g., medication adherence), and additional covariates (e.g., housing insecurity and financial strain).


Planning for scholastic cardiac emergencies: the Ripley project.
Fatalities during sports participation are usually cardiac in origin. Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) from ventricular fibrillation has been reported in several sporting venues over the last decade. Successful treatment of stadium SCA requires a rapid response team equipped with defibrillator capabilities. The use of automated external defibrillators (AED) by responders in sports arenas is critical to help prevent catastrophic scholastic athlete and spectator cases of unexpected sudden cardiac death.


Right and left partial iatrogenic injuries of the biliary tree. Therapeutic options.
Bile duct injuries (BDI) have a wide array of presentation. Left partial injuries (Strasberg D) of the hepatic duct are the result of excessive traction, which dissects the hepatic hilum and provokes medial perforations without continuity loss. Right partial injuries (Strasberg A, B and C) are produced by direct damage to the hepatic duct or isolated injury to the right and accessory ducts. It is important to determine frequency, spectrum and treatment outcome of this BDI in the surgical scenario. Patients with BDI who underwent surgical treatment in our hospital were reviewed, right and left partial injuries were selected. Demographic, clinical and therapeutic data were analyzed. In a 16-year period, 405 patients underwent surgical treatment of BDI. 31 (8%) were classified as a left partial injury (Strasberg D): 23 injuries at the common hepatic duct treated with a Hepatojejunostomy (HJ); four at the confluence level which received a HJ with neoconfluence construction; two partial injuries in the left hepatic duct underwent a selective left HJ; and two complete occlusions of the left hepatic duct, one treated with a partial hepatectomy and the last case underwent a partial HJ. Right partial injuries (Strasberg A, B or C) were identified in 21 cases (5%), their treatment was tailored according to the type of BDI (conservative, selective HJ, or hepatectomy). In our series the frequency of left and right partial BDI injuries was 8% and 5%, respectively. The spectrum of analyzed injuries included four subtypes for the left partial and eight for the right partial lesions. Most BDI in the two analyzed groups presented concomitant devascularization of the extra-hepatic ducts, therefore receiving surgical treatment rather than endoscopic treatment was done.


Muscle actions on crossed and non-crossed joints during upright standing and gait: A comprehensive description based on induced acceleration analysis.
The multibody nature of the musculoskeletal system makes each applied force potentially accelerate all body segments. Hence, muscles' actions on the kinematics of crossed and non-crossed joints should be estimated based on multibody dynamics. The objective of this study was to systematically investigate the actions of main lower limb muscles on the sagittal-plane angular kinematics of the hip, knee, and ankle joints, during upright standing and gait. Subject-specific simulations were performed to compute the muscle-tendon forces based on three-dimensional kinematic data collected from 10 able-bodied subjects during walking at preferred speed and during relaxed standing posture. A subject-scaled model consisting of the lower limb segments, 19 degrees of freedom and 92 Hill-type muscle-tendon units was used. Muscle-induced joint angular accelerations were estimated by Induced Acceleration Analysis in OpenSim. A comprehensive description of the estimated joint accelerations induced by lower limb muscles was presented, for upright standing and for the whole gait cycle. The observed muscle actions on crossed and non-crossed joints were phase- and task-specific. The main flexors and extensors for each joint were reported. Particular biarticular muscles presented actions opposite to their anatomical classification for specific joints. Antagonist muscle actions were revealed, such as the hitherto unknown opposite actions of the soleus and gastrocnemius at the ankle, and of the iliopsoas and soleus at the knee and ankle, during upright standing. Agonist actions among remote muscles were also identified. The presented muscle actions and their roles in joint kinematics of bipedal standing and walking contribute to understanding task-specific coordination.


The effect of inorganic particle concentration on bacteria-virus-nanoflagellate dynamics.
The effect of inorganic particle concentrations on bacteria-virus-nanoflagellate dynamics in an oligotrophic coastal system was investigated using a model aluminosilicate, kaolinite, with a modal size of 2.1 µm. Virus-only, bacteria-only and bacteria-virus-nanoflagellate incubations were carried out at increasing kaolinite concentrations to elucidate the microbial response. The sorption of bacteria and viruses to kaolinite particles was negligible over a concentration range of 1-50 mg l(-1). In contrast, the abundance of heterotrophic nanoflagellates was negatively correlated with kaolinite concentrations following both 48 and 96 h incubations. Calculated nanoflagellate bacterial ingestion rates were reduced by 5-35% depending on kaolinite particle concentration. In the bacteria-virus-nanoflagellate incubations viral production increased by 56 × 10(3) to 104 × 10(3) VLPs ml(-1) h(-1) as a function of kaolinite particle concentration. Our results demonstrate for the first time that the interaction of microbial populations with inorganic particles can shift the balance between protist and virally mediated mortality of marine heterotrophic prokaryotes.


Conveyor belt care.
Nurses, doctors, politicians and public have reacted to the prospect of high-volume hospital bed usage - conveyor belt care - by warning of a future-shock scenario of 'pro[Illegible Word] pea' patients whipped through dehumanising hospital treatment and promptly dumped crutchless into the community.


Two types of DNA ligase I activity in lymphoblastoid cells from patients with Bloom's syndrome.
DNA ligases I and II were separated by hydroxylapatite (HA) column chromatography in cell-free extracts of lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) derived from two unrelated patients with Bloom's syndrome (BS) and two healthy individuals. The specific activity of ligase I from the crude extract was consistently lower in GM3403, a BS LCL from an Ashkenazi Jewish patient, than in normal control LCLs. By contrast, the level of ligase I activity in BSL-2KA, another BS LCL derived from a Japanese patient, was equivalent to those in normal LCLs, although GM3403 and BSL-2KA shared the feature of exceedingly high frequency of spontaneous sister-chromatid exchange. The levels of total ligase activity in crude extracts without the separation into the two forms, however, were approximately two-fold higher for the two BS LCLs than for the normal LCLs. Partial purification by chromatography on a DEAE-cellulose 23 column and a phosphocellulose column did not affect the superiority of the two BS LCLs over the normal LCLs in the specific activity of the total ligases. Nonetheless, subsequent application to an HA column again resulted in much less elevation of the specific activity of ligase I for GM3403 than for BSL-2KA and control LCLs. The levels of ligase II activity, accounting for 4-13% of total ligase activity, were similar among the LCLs examined. Irrespective of the extent of purification, essentially no difference in the heat lability of DNA ligase I was detected among the four LCLs. These findings suggest that there may exist among BS LCLs at least two types of subtle abnormality of DNA ligase I itself and/or a putative substance modulating the enzyme function.


The Role of Circular RNAs in the Drug Resistance of Cancers.
Cancer is a major threat to human health and longevity. Chemotherapy is an effective approach to inhibit cancer cell proliferation, but a growing number of cancer patients are prone to develop resistance to various chemotherapeutics, including platinum, paclitaxel, adriamycin, and 5-fluorouracil, among others. Significant progress has been made in the research and development of chemotherapeutic drugs over the last few decades, including targeted therapy drugs and immune checkpoint inhibitors; however, drug resistance still severely limits the application and efficacy of these drugs in cancer treatment. Recently, emerging studies have emphasized the role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in the proliferation, migration, invasion, and especially chemoresistance of cancer cells by regulating the expression of related miRNAs and targeted genes. In this review, we comprehensively summarized the potential roles and mechanisms of circRNAs in cancer drug resistance including the efflux of drugs, apoptosis, intervention with the TME (tumor microenvironment), autophagy, and dysfunction of DNA damage repair, among others. Furthermore, we highlighted the potential value of circRNAs as new therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers for cancer.


Testicular protein profile (SDS-PAGE) study of zinc deficient Wistar albino rat.
Present study has revealed that zinc plays important role in regulating the production and secretion of proteins at transcriptional or translational level. Study has firmly depicted the change in the levels of polypeptide of 70 kDa in zinc deficient group. The protein pattern in pair fed group has been affected mainly to combat the insult due to low food intake.


The Poly(acrylonitrule-co-acrylic acid)-graft-β-cyclodextrin Hydrogel for Thorium(IV) Adsorption.
In this report, the β-CD(AN-co-AA) hydrogel was used to remove the thorium(IV) [Th(IV)] from the water system, and the new adsorbent was characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The influences of contact time, pH value, ionic strength, solid-liquid ratio, initial Th(IV) concentration, and temperature on Th(IV) adsorption onto the functional hydrogel were researched. The results showed that the experimental data followed the Langmuir isotherm and the maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) for Th(IV) was 692 mg/g at pH 2.95, which approached the calculated (qe) 682 mg/g. The desorption capacity of Th(IV) in different HNO₃ concentrations ranging from 0.005 to 0.5 M was also studied, and the percentage of the maximum desorption was 86.85% in the condition of 0.09 M HNO₃. The selectivity of β-CD(AN-co-AA) hydrogel was also be studied, the results indicated that this material retained the good adsorption capacity to Th(IV) even when the Ca2+, Mg2+, or Pb2+ existed in the system. The findings indicate that β-CD(AN-co-AA) can be used as a new candidate for the enrichment and separation of Th(IV), or its analogue actinides, from large-volume solution in practical application.


Development of a genetic evaluation for hair shedding in American Angus cattle to improve thermotolerance.
Heat stress and fescue toxicosis caused by ingesting tall fescue infected with the endophytic fungus Epichloë coenophiala represent two of the most prevalent stressors to beef cattle in the United States and cost the beef industry millions of dollars each year. The rate at which a beef cow sheds her winter coat early in the summer is an indicator of adaptation to heat and an economically relevant trait in temperate or subtropical parts of the world. Furthermore, research suggests that early-summer hair shedding may reflect tolerance to fescue toxicosis, since vasoconstriction induced by fescue toxicosis limits the ability of an animal to shed its winter coat. Both heat stress and fescue toxicosis reduce profitability partly via indirect maternal effects on calf weaning weight. Here, we developed parameters for routine genetic evaluation of hair shedding score in American Angus cattle, and identified genomic loci associated with variation in hair shedding score via genome-wide association analysis (GWAA). Hair shedding score was moderately heritable (h2 = 0.34 to 0.40), with different repeatability estimates between cattle grazing versus not grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue. Our results suggest modestly negative genetic and phenotypic correlations between a dam's hair shedding score (lower score is earlier shedding) and the weaning weight of her calf, which is one metric of performance. Together, these results indicate that economic gains can be made by using hair shedding score breeding values to select for heat-tolerant cattle. GWAA identified 176 variants significant at FDR < 0.05. Functional enrichment analyses using genes that were located within 50 kb of these variants identified pathways involved in keratin formation, prolactin signalling, host-virus interaction, and other biological processes. This work contributes to a continuing trend in the development of genetic evaluations for environmental adaptation. Our results will aid beef cattle producers in selecting more sustainable and climate-adapted cattle, as well as enable the development of similar routine genetic evaluations in other breeds.


Time course of hemosiderin production and clearance by human pulmonary macrophages.
Tracheal aspirates from four previously healthy infants with acute pulmonary hemorrhage, and small volume bronchial lavages from children undergoing flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy were examined for pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAM) containing hemosiderin. Hemosiderin formation was also studied in vitro. Macrophages containing hemosiderin were first seen in tracheal aspirates 50 hours after an acute pulmonary hemorrhage and after 72 hours in cultured macrophages. A small percentage of the PAM recovered by bronchoalveolar lavage from both adults and children contained hemosiderin. Hemosiderin was rapidly cleared from the lungs following an acute pulmonary hemorrhage.


Closure of Giant Dorsal Lumbosacral Myelomeningocele in Children Using Double Expanded Flaps: A Case Report and Literature Review.
Myelomeningocele (MMC) is the most common neural tube defect that can occur due to neural tube's failure to fuse properly during embryonic life. To prevent this, expanded flaps can be used for closure of large MMCs. A 4-year and 6-month girl was diagnosed with multiple congenital anomalies including hydrocephalus, dorsal lumbosacral MMC, and congenital tethered cord syndrome. Preoperative evaluation showed no lower limb movements and the size of the sacrococcygeal region was about 10 cm × 8 cm × 15 cm mass, prominent thoracic kyphosis, and no obvious urogenital or limb anomalies. The large dorsal lumbosacral MMC was treated with a double expanded flap to reconstruct, the soft tissue defect following the neurosurgical reconstruction. The expanded flap was deemed as viable as all wounds were healed without any complications, such as dehiscence, leakage of cerebrospinal fluid, or infection. The technique described in the case report offers an effective method of closure. This flap can be an effective method for reconstruction of large dorsal lumbosacral MMC defects that might improve outcomes and minimize complications. It also ensures minimal wound tension and breakdown.


Antibody Responses to SARS-CoV-2 in Children With COVID-19.
The immunologic features of children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are not clearly delineated. This study was conducted to evaluate SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses in children with COVID-19. The levels of anti-spike (S) IgG, anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG, and neutralizing antibody (NAb) were measured during various time points in children <19 years of age with COVID-19 in South Korea from February 2020 to September 2020. One hundred sixty-five blood samples from 114 children with COVID-19 (43.9% asymptomatic and 56.1% mildly symptomatic) were analyzed. In both asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic children, the positive rates of anti-S IgG, anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG, and NAb were low within 7 days after onset, but they soon reached 100% 14 to <28 days after onset. In symptomatic children, the geometric mean titers (GMTs) of antibodies were all below the positive cutoff during the first 2 weeks from onset and peaked at 28 to <56 days (5.6 for anti-S IgG, 383.6 for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG, and 55.0 for NAb, P < .001, respectively). Antibody levels remained detectable up to 3 months after infection. The antibody GMTs during the period 14 to <56 days after symptom onset were highest in children aged 0-4 years. These results collectively present the humoral immune responses during SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. A further longitudinal study is needed to thoroughly understand the immune system and for effective vaccine development in children during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Temperature- and pH- Dependent OH Radical Reaction Kinetics of Tartaric and Mucic Acids in the Aqueous Phase.
Tartaric acid and mucic acid are dicarboxylic acids (DCAs), a substance class often found in atmospheric aerosols and cloud droplets. The hydroxyl radical (•OH)-induced oxidation in the aqueous phase is known to be an important loss process of organic compounds such as DCAs. However, the study of •OH kinetics of DCAs in the aqueous phase is still incomplete. In the present study, the rate constants of the •OH reactions of tartaric acid and mucic acid in the aqueous phase were determined by the thiocyanate competition kinetics method as a function of temperature and pH. The following T-dependent Arrhenius expressions (in units of L mol-1 s-1) were first derived for the •OH reactions with tartaric acid─k(T, H2A) = (3.3 ± 0.1) × 1010 exp[(-1350 ± 110 K)/T], k(T, HA-) = (3.6 ± 0.1) × 1010 exp[(-580 ± 110 K)/T], and k(T, A2-) = (3.3 ± 0.1) × 1010 exp[(-1190 ± 170 K)/T]─as well as mucic acid─k(T, H2A) = (2.2 ± 0.1) × 1010 exp[(-1140 ± 150 K)/T], k(T, HA-) = (4.8 ± 0.1) × 1010 exp[(-1280 ± 170 K)/T], and k(T, A2-) = (2.1 ± 0.1) × 1010 exp[(-970 ± 70 K)/T]. A general trend of the •OH rate constant is found as kA2- > kHA- > kH2A. The pH- and temperature-dependent rate constants of the OH radical reactions allow an accurate description of the source and sink processes in the tropospheric aqueous phase.


Western Australia's public hospital system: some aspects of finance and control.
In 1829 the Governor of the Swan River Colony founded a government-controlled and financed hospital for the destitute but, by charging those who could afford to pay, recognised the admission of patients other than the destitute. In the 1850s and 1860s the Colonial Surgeon, without legislative authority, encouraged District Medical Officers (DMOs) to establish small government hospitals in country districts. Thus a pattern of government financed and controlled hospitals was set early in the State's history. From the 1890s to the 1930s successive governments made many attempts to off-load hospital control onto elected committees and the financing of hospitals onto voluntary subscribers and later taxpayers.


An Open-Source Program (Haplo-ST) for Whole-Genome Sequence Typing Shows Extensive Diversity among Listeria monocytogenes Isolates in Outdoor Environments and Poultry Processing Plants.
A reliable and standardized classification of Listeria monocytogenes is important for accurate strain identification during outbreak investigations. Current whole-genome sequencing (WGS)-based approaches for strain characterization are either difficult to standardize, rendering them less suitable for data exchange, or are not freely available. Thus, we developed a portable and open-source tool, Haplo-ST, to improve standardization and provide maximum discriminatory potential to WGS data tied to a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) framework. Haplo-ST performs whole-genome MLST (wgMLST) for L. monocytogenes while allowing for data exchangeability worldwide. This tool takes in (i) raw WGS reads as input, (ii) cleans the raw data according to user-specified parameters, (iii) assembles genes across loci by mapping to genes from reference strains, and (iv) assigns allelic profiles to assembled genes and provides a wgMLST subtyping for each isolate. Data exchangeability relies on the tool assigning allelic profiles based on a centralized nomenclature defined by the widely used BIGSdb-Lm database. Tests of Haplo-ST's performance with simulated reads from L. monocytogenes reference strains demonstrated high sensitivity (97.5%), and coverage depths of ≥20× were found to be sufficient for wgMLST profiling. We then used Haplo-ST to characterize and differentiate between two groups of L. monocytogenes isolates derived from the natural environment and poultry processing plants. Phylogenetic reconstruction identified lineages within each group, and no lineage specificity was observed with isolate phenotypes (transient versus persistent) or origins. Genetic differentiation analyses between isolate groups identified 21 significantly differentiated loci, potentially enriched for adaptation and persistence of L. monocytogenes within poultry processing plants.IMPORTANCE We have developed an open-source tool (https://github.com/swarnalilouha/Haplo-ST) that provides allele-based subtyping of L. monocytogenes isolates at the whole-genome level. Along with allelic profiles, this tool also generates allele sequences and identifies paralogs, which is useful for phylogenetic tree reconstruction and deciphering relationships between closely related isolates. More broadly, Haplo-ST is flexible and can be adapted to characterize the genome of any haploid organism simply by installing an organism-specific gene database. Haplo-ST also allows for scalable subtyping of isolates; fewer reference genes can be used for low-resolution typing, whereas higher resolution can be achieved by increasing the number of genes used in the analysis. Our tool enabled clustering of L. monocytogenes isolates into lineages and detection of potential loci for adaptation and persistence in food processing environments. Findings from these analyses highlight the effectiveness of Haplo-ST in subtyping and evaluating relationships among isolates in studies of bacterial population genetics.


Food legislation and its harmonization in Russia.
Bringing Russian legislation into compliance with international norms and standards is necessary after its accession to the World Trade Organization. Harmonization of food legislation and of sanitary and phytosanitary measures are among the problems that had to be solved first. Many Russian food and trade regulations had been changed or are still in the process of being reformed, largely owing to a policy of integration pursued by the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. However, as a member of the Eurasian Economic Community, Russia is also engaged not only in harmonization throughout the Customs Union but also Kirgizstan and Tajikistan, and Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine as observer countries. Russia also continues to coordinate policy reforms closely with the European Union, its primary trade partner, ultimately bringing Russian food and sanitary norms closer to international standards (e.g. Codex). Today, all participants in the Russian food production chain, processing and sale of foods have to deal with growing numbers of security standards. Many organizations are certified under several schemes, which leads to unnecessary costs. Harmonization of standards has helped promote solutions in the domestic market as well as import-export of foods and raw materials for production. Priorities have included food safety for human health, consumer protection, removal of hazardous and/or adulterated products and increased competition within the domestic food market as well as mutual recognition of certification in bilateral and multilateral (inter)national agreements.


Research on Distributed Energy Consensus Mechanism Based on Blockchain in Virtual Power Plant.
Virtual power plant (VPP) composed of a large number of distributed energy resources (DERs) has become a regional multienergy aggregation model to realize the large-scale integration of renewable energy generation into the grid. Due to the characteristics of centralized management, the existing energy operation mode is difficult to simply apply to distributed energy resources transactions. The decentralization, transparency, contract execution automation and traceability of blockchain technology provide a new solution to the aggregation of decentralized resources and the opacity of transactions in VPP. In this paper, the existing problems of virtual power plants are analyzed, and the virtual power plant trading model is designed, which realizes the transparent benefit distribution and message transmission of virtual power plants. The virtual power plant blockchain network based on blockchain technology in this model solves the DERs coordination problem in VPP and the security and efficiency problems in information transmission. Combined with the actual situation of virtual power plant, the blockchain network collaboration mechanism (BNCM), which is convenient to reach agreement, is designed. Compared with the traditional practical Byzantine fault tolerance (PBFT) consensus algorithm, this mechanism can make DERs reach a consensus quickly. Finally, simulation experiments on the consensus algorithm show that the algorithm can reduce the collaboration time between DERs under the premise of ensuring the same fault tolerance rate and is more suitable for VPP scenarios with a large number of DERs.


Simultaneous Bilateral Patellar Tendon Rupture in a Young Adult Male: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
A bilateral patellar tendon rupture is extremely rare and has only been documented in case reports. Although the etiology remains unknown, predisposing factors include steroid usage, systemic diseases, and tendinopathies. In the present case, a healthy 33-year-old male with a prior history of bilateral patellar tendonitis and a diagnosis of Osgood-Schlatter disease during adolescence experienced simultaneous bilateral patellar tendon rupture after playing volleyball. He underwent bilateral patellar repair without complications. In the absence of trauma, spontaneous bilateral patellar tendon ruptures are associated with several predisposing factors, including systemic diseases, prior corticosteroid or fluoroquinolone usage, and history of tendinopathy. Injuries can be classified based on the location of the rupture. Bilateral patellar tendon ruptures can be misdiagnosed due to the rarity of cases and the lack of a normal comparative knee. Radiographic techniques can aid in the diagnosis, leading to early surgical treatment and improved outcomes. Early diagnosis and prompt surgical repair contribute to good functional outcomes in this potentially debilitating injury pattern.


Sex hormone-binding globulin as an independent predictor of incident type 2 diabetes mellitus in men.
Low levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and total testosterone (T) in men have been associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). As total T and SHBG levels are highly correlated, we determined whether SHBG influences the risk of T2DM through T or whether SHBG is an independent predictor of T2DM. Longitudinal analyses were conducted on men participating in the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, a population-based study of men aged 40-70 years. Of 1,709 men enrolled in 1987-1989, 1,156 were evaluated 7-10 years later and 853 after 15-17 years. Analyses were restricted to 1,128 men without T2DM at baseline. Ninety new cases of T2DM were identified. After adjustment for age, body mass index, hypertension, smoking, alcohol intake, and physical activity, the hazard ratio (HR) for incident T2DM was 2.0 for each 1 SD decrease in SHBG (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.42-2.82, p < .001) and 1.29 for each 1 SD decrease in total T (95% CI, 1.01-1.66, p = .04). Free T was not associated with T2DM (HR = 1.03, 95% CI, 0.81-1.31, p = .79). The strong association of T2DM risk with SHBG persisted even after additional adjustment for free T (HR = 2.04, 95% CI, 1.44-2.87, p < .0001) or total T (HR = 1.95, 95% CI, 1.34-2.82, p = .0004). SHBG is an independent predictor of incident T2DM even after adjusting for free T or total T. Free T is not significantly associated with T2DM. SHBG may contribute to the risk of T2DM through nonandrogenic mechanisms, which should be investigated as they may provide novel targets for diabetes prevention.


Evolution of surface morphologies in multivariant assemblies of surface-tethered diblock copolymers after selective solvent treatment.
We study systematically the topography behavior of PHEMA-b-PMMA block as a function of the PHEMA and PMMA block lengths after selectively collapsing the top (PMMA) block by using surface-anchored assemblies of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-b-methyl methacrylate), PHEMA-b-PMMA, block copolymer with orthogonally varying lengths of each block. Our experimental results are in excellent qualitative agreement with topology diagrams predicted by self-consistent field calculations of Zhulina and co-workers.


Changes in articular eminence inclination during the craniofacial growth period.
The articular eminence of the temporomandibular joint dictates the path and type of condylar-disk complex movement. It has been suggested that a steep articular eminence inclination may predispose to temporomandibular joint dysfunction. When using functional appliances in orthodontic therapy, the bite registration is greatly affected by the articular eminence inclination. Furthermore, the articular eminence morphology has been related to specific facial types. Knowledge of how the articular eminence inclination behaves during the craniofacial growth period could help establish more biological treatment modalities. We took silicone impressions of both left and right articular fossae from 90 dried skulls. This sample consisted of three equal subgroups of skulls, each group presenting a deciduous, mixed, or permanent dentition. After the impression had set, they were removed and cut into sagittal sections 2.5 mm thick. The three middle sections were photocopied and enlarged by 200%. The inclination of each section was calculated trigonometrically, and the mean value was assigned to the inclination of the respective eminence. The data indicated that the inclination of the articular eminence changes rapidly until the completion of deciduous dentition, attaining more or less 45% of its adult value. By the age of 10 years, it was 70%-72% completed, and by the age of 20 years, it was 90%-94% completed. In conclusion, normally, the articular eminence inclination shows a symmetrical growth pattern, and it grows at a very rapid rate, attaining almost half of its adult value by the age of two years.


Facile construction of high-electrocatalytic bilayer counter electrode for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells.
To improve the mechanical rigidity of the electrocatalyst and assure a higher number density of catalytic sites of the counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), we have extended widely applied titanium tetrachloride treatment to construct a rough scaffolding underlayer for the platinized counter electrode. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images clearly depicted the platinum nanoparticles with a diameter of ca. 10 nm homogeneously distributed on the scaffolding underlayer of the bilayer counter electrode and thus led to a characteristically high surface roughness. The electocatalytic activity of this novel bilayer counter electrode was measured and compared with the corresponding properties of conventional sputtered Pt electrode. Interestingly, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry measurements further demonstrated the notably larger electrochemical active surface area and thereby higher electrocatalytic activity of the bilayer counter electrode. Consequently, under standard 1 sun illumination (100 mW cm(-2), AM 1.5), device with this bilayer counter electrode achieved a considerably improved fill factor of 0.67 and overall energy conversion efficiency of 7.09%, which was apparently higher than that of 0.60 and 6.37% for sputterd Pt electrode. Therefore, this present method paves a facile and inexpensive way to prepare high-electrocatalytic bilayer counter electrode in DSCs.


The Decade of Super-Resolution Microscopy of the Presynapse.
The presynaptic compartment of the chemical synapse is a small, yet extremely complex structure. Considering its size, most methods of optical microscopy are not able to resolve its nanoarchitecture and dynamics. Thus, its ultrastructure could only be studied by electron microscopy. In the last decade, new methods of optical superresolution microscopy have emerged allowing the study of cellular structures and processes at the nanometer scale. While this is a welcome addition to the experimental arsenal, it has necessitated careful analysis and interpretation to ensure the data obtained remains artifact-free. In this article we review the application of nanoscopic techniques to the study of the synapse and the progress made over the last decade with a particular focus on the presynapse. We find to our surprise that progress has been limited, calling for imaging techniques and probes that allow dense labeling, multiplexing, longer imaging times, higher temporal resolution, while at least maintaining the spatial resolution achieved thus far.


Automatic disease screening method using image processing for dried blood microfluidic drop stain pattern recognition.
This paper examines programmed automatic recognition of infection from samples of dried stains of micro-scale drops of patient blood. This technique has the upside of being low-cost and less-intrusive and not requiring puncturing the patient with a needle for drawing blood, which is especially critical for infants and the matured. It also does not require expensive pathological blood test laboratory equipment. The method is shown in this work to be successful for ailment identification in patients suffering from tuberculosis and anaemia. Illness affects the physical properties of blood, which thus influence the samples of dried micro-scale blood drop stains. For instance, if a patient has a severe drop in platelet count, which is often the case of dengue or malaria patients, the blood's physical property of viscosity drops substantially, i.e. the blood is thinner. Thus, the blood micro-scale drop stain samples can be utilised for diagnosing maladies. This paper presents programmed automatic examination of the dried micro-scale drop blood stain designs utilising an algorithm based on pattern recognition. The samples of micro-scale blood drop stains of ordinary non-infected people are clearly recognisable as well as the samples of micro-scale blood drop stains of sick people, due to key distinguishing features. As a contextual analysis, the micro-scale blood drop stains of patients infected with tuberculosis have been contrasted with the micro-scale blood drop stains of typical normal healthy people. The paper dives into the fundamental flow mechanics behind how the samples of the dried micro-scale blood drop stain is shaped. What has been found is a thick ring like feature in the dried micro-scale blood drop stains of non-ailing people and thin shape like lines in the dried micro-scale blood drop stains of patients with anaemia or tuberculosis disease. The ring like feature at the periphery is caused by an outward stream conveying suspended particles to the edge. Concentric rings (brought on by internal Marangoni flow) and deposition in the centre of the stain are patterns that were found in the dried micro-scale drop blood stain samples of ordinary healthy people.


Agents for the prevention and treatment of age-related macular degeneration and macular edema: a literature and patent review.
Introduction: Macular degeneration (MD) and macular edema (ME) are ophthalmologic diseases affecting an increasing number of the aging population. Until recently, there were few therapeutic options for both conditions but the last two decades saw important advances. Areas covered: This review summarizes the agents used for the treatment of age-related MD (AMD), which include verteporfin, for photodynamic therapy, and anti-VEGF agents, the aptamer pegaptanib, the monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) ranibizumab (Lucentis®) and bevacizumab (Avastin®) and the fusion protein aflibercept (Eylea®). All these drugs are effective only for the wet form of AMD, whereas for the dry form there is no treatment available. ME is, on the other hand, treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitors. Recently, MAbs such as ranibizumab and bevacizumab were also shown to be effective for the management of the cystoid and diabetic ME. Expert opinion: There are important advances made in the field in the last years but longer-acting anti-VEGF agents or drugs with less ocular side effects are needed. Many such agents are in clinical development.


Impact of parasitoid-associated polydnaviruses on plant-mediated herbivore interactions.
Insect herbivores interact via plant-mediated interactions in which one herbivore species induces changes in plant quality that affects the performance of a second phytophagous insect that shares the food plant. These interactions are often asymmetric due to specificity in induced plant responses to herbivore attack, amount of plant damage, elicitors in herbivore saliva and plant organ damaged by herbivores. Parasitoids and their symbiotic polydnaviruses alter herbivore physiology and behaviour and may influence how plants respond to parasitized herbivores. We argue that these phenomena affect plant-mediated interactions between herbivores. We identify that the extended phenotype of parasitoid polydnaviruses is an important knowledge gap in interaction networks of insect communities.


Factors Affecting the Composition and Succession of Beetles in Exposed Pig Carcasses in Southern Brazil.
Coleoptera is one of the largest taxon among animals and exhibits diverse eating habits. When associated with decaying corpses, beetles can be of great value in estimating the postmortem interval. In order to consolidate a useful database for the forensic field, it is necessary to study the entomological fauna associated with the carcasses in different geographical regions since the diversity of insects varies according to the biogeoclimate zone. Thus, this study aimed to assess the influence of environmental and ecological factors on the composition and succession of beetles associated with pig carcasses exposed in southern Brazil. Collections were carried out during the hot/dry and cold/wet seasons. A total of 415 specimens belonging to 18 Coleoptera families were sampled. The highest total abundance (n = 329) and diversity (n = 44 taxa) were recorded in the cold/wet season, corresponding to approximately 80% of the total sampled from the two seasons. Dermestidae (26.7%) was the family most abundantly sampled. Regarding eating habits, in an increasing order of importance were necrophagous (43.3%), predator (31.6%), and omnivorous (0.05%). In the hot/dry season, there was no faunal succession. In the cold/wet season, the succession was more associated with differences in abundance than to the presence or absence of a specific taxon by decomposition stage. Considering all the factors analyzed in the current study, three species of beetles, Dermestes maculatus DeGeer (Dermestidae), Euspilotus azureus (Sahlberg, 1823) (Histeridae), and Oxelytrum discicolle Brullé, 1840 (Silphidae), could be identified as being of the greatest forensic relevance in this biogeoclimatic zone.


A rare presentation of acute heart failure secondary to aggressive uterine leiomyosarcoma metastatic to the myocardium initially diagnosed as hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.
Uterine sarcoma is the cause of 3-9% of all uterine malignant neoplasms and has a 2-fold higher incidence in black women as compared to white women. Cellular atypia and abundant mitoses (≥10 per 10 high power fields) as seen in this patient are associated with an increased risk for metastases. Metastases to the heart are infrequently reported with a handful of cases in the literature. We present a case of a 51-year-old woman with aggressively metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma causing acute heart failure 4 months after initial presentation.


Protein and glutamine kinetics during counter-regulatory failure in type 1 diabetes.
Healthy individuals counteract insulin-induced hypoglycaemia by increasing glutamine utilization but not proteolysis. Glucagon is important to this response because it increases glutamine uptake. In type 1 diabetes (T1DM) glucagon and epinephrine responses to hypoglycaemia are defective. We investigated whether glutamine and amino acid utilization during hypoglycaemia is altered in T1DM with defective counter-regulatory responses. Eight T1DM patients (duration of diabetes 14+/-4 years and therefore with presumed defective counter-regulatory response) and eight controls (CON) received a 3h hypoglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic (0.65mU/kg per min) clamp coupled to [6,6-(2)H(2)]glucose, [1-(13)C]leucine and [2-(15)N]glutamine to trace the relative kinetics. Post-absorptive plasma glucose and glucose uptake were increased in T1DM (9.09+/-0.99 vs 5.01+/-0.22mmol/l and 19.5+/-0.9 vs 12.6+/-0.8micromol/kg per min, p<0.01). During the clamp T1DM but not CON required exogenous glucose (4.4+/-1.7micromol/kg per min) to maintain the hypoglycaemic plateau because the endogenous glucose production was significantly suppressed (p<0.01). In T1DM the leucine and phenylalanine concentrations were less suppressed from basal (p<0.05) despite a similar insulin suppression of proteolysis (-16+/-2 vs -20+/-4%, p=ns) indicating a defective stimulation of leucine metabolic clearance from basal (+18+/-3% vs +55+/-9%, p<0.01). Glutamine concentration remained unchanged from basal (-7+/-3% vs -35+/-3%, p<0.01) and the clearance of glutamine was markedly defective in T1DM (+6+/-2%) in comparison with controls (+22+/-4%; p=0.02). In T1DM, the counter-regulatory failure to hypoglycaemia seems to be associated with a defective glutamine utilization. The failure to clear circulating amino acids, specifically glutamine, during hypoglycaemia may adversely affect gluconeogenesis.


Rapid access to 3-(aminomethyl)isoquinoline-fused polycyclic compounds by copper-catalyzed four-component coupling, cascade cyclization, and oxidation.
A novel copper-catalyzed synthesis of 3-(aminomethyl)isoquinoline-fused polycyclic compounds, through four-component coupling, cyclization, and oxidation, has been developed. A Mannich-type reaction of 2-ethynylbenzaldehyde with paraformaldehyde and a secondary amine followed by treatment with a diamine component gave tricyclic isoquinolines through cascade cyclization and oxidation. Construction of fused isoquinolines of various ring sizes is also presented.


Ultralow Friction Self-Lubricating Nanocomposites with Mesoporous Metal-Organic Frameworks as Smart Nanocontainers for Lubricants.
Smart nanocontainers with stimuli-responsive property can be used to fabricate a new kind of self-lubricating nanocomposite, while the practical potential of the metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as nanocontainers for lubricants has not been realized. In this work, mesoporous Cu-BTC MOFs storing oleylamine nanocomposites were explored from synthesis and microstructure to self-lubricating characterization. The stress stimuli-responsiveness behavior of the Cu-BTC storing oleylamine (Cu-BTCO) for lubrication has been investigated by subjecting it to macroscopic ball-on-disc friction tests. The steady-state coefficients of friction (COFs) of the Cu-BTC nanocomposites without lubricants were ca. 0.5. In contrast, after oleylamine as the lubricant was incorporated into the Cu-BTC container in the nanocomposite, ultralow friction (COF, ca. 0.03) was achieved. It has been demonstrated that the improved lubricating performance was associated with the lubricating film which was in situ produced by the chemical reaction between the oleylamine released from the nanocontainer and the friction pairs. Therefore, the nanocomposite with smart Cu-BTC container holds the promise of realizing extraordinary self-lubricating properties under stress stimuli.


Temperature control for kinetic refolding of heat-denatured ovalbumin.
The folding of heat-denatured ovalbumin, a non-inhibitory serpin with a molecular size of 45 kDa, was examined. Ovalbumin was heat-denatured at 80 degrees C under nonreducing conditions at pH 7.5 and then cooled either slowly or rapidly. Slow cooling allowed the heat-denatured ovalbumin to refold to its native structure with subsequent resistance to digestion by trypsin. Upon rapid cooling, by contrast, the heat-denatured molecules assumed the metastable non-native conformations that were susceptible to trypsin. The non-native species were marginally stable for several days at a low temperature, but the molecules were transformed slowly into the native conformation. Considering data from size-exclusion chromatography and from analyses of CD, intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence, and adsorption of the dye 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate, we postulated that the non-native species that accumulated upon rapid cooling were compact but structureless globules with disordered side chains collectively as a folding intermediate. Temperature-jumped CD experiments revealed biphasic kinetics for the refolding process of heat-denatured ovalbumin, with the features of increasing and subsequently decreasing amplitude of the rapid and the slow phases, respectively, with the decrease in folding temperature. The temperature dependence of the refolding kinetics indicated that the yield of renaturation was maximal at about 55 degrees C. These findings suggested the kinetic partitioning of heat-denatured ovalbumin between alternative fates, slow renaturation to the native state and rapid collapse to the metastable intermediate state. Analysis of disulfide pairing revealed the formation of a scrambled form with non-native disulfide interactions in both the heat-denatured state and the intermediate state that accumulated upon rapid cooling, suggesting that non-native disulfide pairing is responsible for the kinetic barriers that retard the correct folding of ovalbumin.


Imperatorin alleviated NLR family pyrin domain-containing 3 inflammasome cascade-induced synovial fibrosis and synovitis in rats with knee osteoarthritis.
We aimed to clarify the therapeutic effects of imperatorin (IMP) on knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Thirty 3-month-old SD male rats were randomly divided into Normal, monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) and MIA+IMP groups. Their synovial tissues were subjected to histopathological analysis. Primary synovial fibroblasts obtained from additional normal rats were treated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and then IMP. The mRNA and protein expressions of factors related to synovitis and synovial fibrosis were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. The concentrations of inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-18 were measured by ELISA. IMP reduced HIF-1α, NLR family pyrin domain-containing 3 inflammasome expression and IL-1β, IL-18 production in synovial fibroblasts induced by LPS. IMP also downregulated synovial fibrosis markers. In vitro study revealed that MIA-induced synovitis and synovial fibrosis were relieved by IMP. IMP relieves the inflammation associated with synovitis and synovial fibrosis. It reduces the production of pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines and inhibits TGF-β1, TIMP-1 and VEGF expressions that promote synovial fibrosis.


On describing mental states.
The later work of Wittgenstein was a major contribution to the philosophy of mind. One theme in his writings was a critique of the assumption that reports of psychological experience in ordinary language can be regarded as descriptions of inner states and processes. Some implications of this critique for our understanding of descriptive psychopathology and the use of psychological models in psychiatry are examined.


Interfacial Viscoelasticity of Self-Assembled Hydrophobic/Hydrophilic Particles at an Air/Water Interface.
Hydrophobic/hydrophilic mixtures of latex particles at an air/water interface self-assemble, creating space filling, interconnected aggregates as the relative surface fractions of the dissimilar particles approach 0.5, which is reflected both in qualitative observation and fractal dimension of the microstructure. It is hypothesized that this change in microstructure occurs due to an asymmetry in the electrostatic interaction between similar and dissimilar particles caused by polarization of hydrophilic particles by hydrophobic particles. The changes in both microstructure and interparticle interactions significantly impact the interfacial viscoelasticity. As greater shape complexity is observed, interfacial complex moduli can increase by as much as 3 orders of magnitude and interfaces become more elastic.


Tropheryma whipplei: a common bacterium in rural Senegal.
Tropheryma whipplei is known as the cause of Whipple's disease, but it is also an emerging pathogen, detected in stool, that causes various chronic localized infections without histological digestive involvement and is associated with acute infections, including gastroenteritis and bacteremia. We conducted a study in 2008 and 2009 using 497 non-diarrheic and diarrheic stool samples, 370 saliva samples, 454 sera samples and 105 samples obtained from water samples in two rural Sine-Saloum villages (Dielmo and Ndiop) in Senegal. The presence of T. whipplei was investigated by using specific quantitative PCR. Genotyping was performed on positive samples. A serological analysis by western blotting was performed to determine the seroprevalence and to detect seroconversion. Overall, T. whipplei was identified in 31.2% of the stool samples (139/446) and 3.5% of the saliva samples (13/370) obtained from healthy subjects. The carriage in the stool specimens was significantly (p<10(-3)) higher in children who were between 0 and 4 years old (60/80, 75%) compared to samples obtained from individuals who were between 5 to 10 years old (36/119, 30.2%) or between 11 and 99 years old (43/247, 17.4%). The carriage in the stool was also significantly more common (p = 0.015) in subjects with diarrhea (25/51, 49%). We identified 22 genotypes, 16 of which were new. Only one genotype (#53) was common to both villages. Among the specific genotypes, one (#52) was epidemic in Dielmo (15/28, 53.4%, p<10(-3)) and another (#49) in Ndiop (27.6%, p = 0.002). The overall seroprevalence was estimated at 72.8% (291/400). Seroconversion was detected in 66.7% (18/27) of children for whom PCR became positive in stools between 2008 and 2009. T. whipplei is a common bacterium in the Sine-Saloum area of rural Senegal that is contracted early in childhood. Epidemic genotypes suggest a human transmission of the bacterium.


Neurite outgrowth from hippocampal neurons is promoted by choroid plexus ependymal cells in vitro.
Choroid plexus ependymal cells (CPECs) were known to promote axonal growth when choroid plexus is grafted into the adult rat spinal cord. The present study was carried out to examine whether CPECs promote axonal outgrowth from neurons derived from the CNS in vitro. Hippocampal neurons were cocultured on CPEC monolayers. After 24 h, neurite extension was evaluated using various parameters in comparison with cultures grown on poly-L-lysine (PLL)-coated plates and cocultures grown on astrocyte monolayers. The primary neurite length and total neurite length were longest in the cocultures with CPECs. The number of primary neurites and the number of branches were larger in the cultures with CPECs than in the cultures on PLL-coated plates, but almost the same as in the cocultures with astrocytes. Next, we examined whether the neurite extension-promoting effect occurring within 24 h is due primarily to contact with the CPECs or to factors secreted by CPECs into the culture medium. The CPEC monolayers were killed by ethanol fixation, and neurons cultured on them. The neurons extended long neurites with elaborate branching, as in the case of cocultures grown on living CPECs. On the other hand, CPEC-conditioned medium exhibited less promoting effect on neurite outgrowth from hippocampal neurons. These results indicate that CPECs have a capacity to promote neurite outgrowth from CNS neurons in vitro , and that surface plasma membrane-bound components of CPECs strongly contribute to the enhancement of neurite outgrowth in the present coculture system.


Wrist-Spanning Fixation of Radiocarpal Dislocation: A Cadaveric Assessment of Ulnar Translation.
Background: Radiocarpal dislocations represent a high-energy wrist injury that can occur with or without concomitant fractures about the wrist. Poor outcomes are often due to radiocarpal instability and secondary ulnar translation. The purpose of this cadaveric study is to determine if there is any difference in the radiographic parameters in a wrist dislocation model given the different location of distal fixation. Methods: Ten paired fresh cadaver upper extremities were fluoroscopically evaluated with posterior-anterior (PA) and lateral views. We created a radiocarpal dislocation model and applied a dorsal bridge plate to either the second or third metacarpal. Repeat PA and lateral fluoroscopic views were obtained for evaluation of radial inclination, radial height, volar tilt, ulnar variance, radiolunate angle, radioscaphoid angle, scapholunate angle, radial rotation index, and four indices for ulnar translation (Taleisnik, Gilula, McMurtry, and Chamay). Results: Bridge plate application to the second metacarpal resulted in a significantly greater incidence of ulnar translation compared to the third metacarpal. Application to either metacarpal resulted in extension of the carpus relative to the radius. Conclusions: A more anatomic radiocarpal relationship was restored more often when distal fixation of the dorsal wrist-spanning bridge plate was applied to the third metacarpal. Further investigation is warranted to determine clinical relevance of these findings in conjunction with clinical and radiographic outcomes.


Implications of acidic tumor microenvironment for neoplastic growth and cancer treatment: a computer analysis.
The acidic microenvironment found in most solid tumors appears to be a main regulator for the self-organized development of neoplastic growth and invasion. Induced by mitogenic stimulation and/or oncogenic alterations in their signal transduction network, tumor cells develop an improved capability for acid extrusion. This clamps intracellular pH to slightly alkaline values permissive for growth and proliferation and provides tumor cells with an enhanced resistance against acidic extracellular conditions. Since rapid tumor cell growth under hypoxic conditions is accompanied by glycolytic metabolism, and consequently, acid production, acid export is further enhanced. Local extracellular acidification is facilitated by microcirculatory inadequacy resulting in both reduced buffering capacity and functional heterogeneity inside the tumor. Significant microenvironmental pH gradients promote tumor cell invasion and inhibit the immune response. The scenario is checked by means of a dynamic computer model. The stochastic minimal model supports the hypothesis that acidification of the microenvironment by malignant cells cannot only be regarded as a supplementary side effect of tumor cell metabolism, but rather as a strategic principle to 'enslave' processes normally counteracting neoplastic growth and invasion. The results are discussed with respect to current concept for cancer treatment.


Event-Driven Spiking Learning Algorithm Using Aggregated Labels.
Traditional spiking learning algorithm aims to train neurons to spike at a specific time or on a particular frequency, which requires precise time and frequency labels in the training process. While in reality, usually only aggregated labels of sequential patterns are provided. The aggregate-label (AL) learning is proposed to discover these predictive features in distracting background streams only by aggregated spikes. It has achieved much success recently, but it is still computationally intensive and has limited use in deep networks. To address these issues, we propose an event-driven spiking aggregate learning algorithm (SALA) in this article. Specifically, to reduce the computational complexity, we improve the conventional spike-threshold-surface (STS) calculation in AL learning by analytical calculating voltage peak values in spiking neurons. Then we derive the algorithm to multilayers by event-driven strategy using aggregated spikes. We conduct comprehensive experiments on various tasks including temporal clue recognition, segmented and continuous speech recognition, and neuromorphic image classification. The experimental results demonstrate that the new STS method improves the efficiency of AL learning significantly, and the proposed algorithm outperforms the conventional spiking algorithm in various temporal clue recognition tasks.


Pauci-immune extracapillary glomerulonephritis and atheromatous embolization.
Renal atheroembolic disease presents several multisystemic signs and symptoms that may resemble the clinical signs of vasculitis. A few cases of renal atheroembolism associated with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) have been described. We report the first case, to our knowledge, of a patient with cholesterol microemboli who also developed extracapillary glomerulonephritis in the presence of perinuclear ANCA (p-ANCA) with anti-myeloperoxidase ANCA. The patient had long-term follow-up of renal function after treatment with prednisone and cyclophosphamide.


From Lydia Pinkham to Bob Dole: what the changing face of direct-to-consumer drug advertising reveals about the professionalism of medicine.
From its founding in 1847, the AMA divided drugs into "ethical" and "unethical" preparations. Those that were ethical had a known composition and were advertised only to the profession. Other, patent medicines (technically proprietary drugs, whose trademarks were protected by copyright), were sold directly to the public. In spite of the AMA's efforts to ban the advertising and sale of those nostrums, proprietary drugs flourished during the nineteenth century. Starting in 1900, however, three major societal trends combined to bolster the AMA's campaign, and by 1920 almost all advertising was directed to physicians, who would then prescribe medications to their patients. This ban on advertising pharmaceuticals directly to the public remained virtually unchanged until approximately 1980. Since then, it has slowly eroded and, as recently as 1997, the FDA created guidelines for pharmaceutical companies to advertise on television. What does this change say about the profession of medicine, the role of the physician in society, and the doctor-patient relationship? Using a comparative historical approach, this paper examines these issues.


Radiation-induced injury on surgical margins: a clue to anastomotic leakage after rectal-cancer resection with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy?
Few studies on anastomotic condition after rectal-cancer resection and its effect on anastomotic leakage (AL) are available up to now. This study aimed to investigate potential radiation-induced injury left on surgical margins of anterior resection after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) and its association with AL. We retrospectively identified 161 consecutive patients who underwent anterior resection with nCRT, neoadjuvant chemotherapy without radiation (nCT) or no neoadjuvant therapy between 2014 and 2015. Tissue samples of resection margins were assessed using a specific histopathological score and microvessel density in submucosa. Propensity score matching was used to balance the baseline characteristics. Association between AL and histopathological features was analysed. AL occurred in 13 of 54 patients undergoing nCRT, 5 of 48 patients undergoing nCT and 7 of 59 patients without neoadjuvant therapy. Comparisons after matching showed median (range) histopathological scores as follows: 3 (0-8) vs 0 (0-3) vs 0 (0-2) for the proximal margin (P < 0.001); 4 (2-9) vs 0 (0-4) vs 0 (0-3) for the distal margin (P < 0.001). Correspondingly, mean (SD) microvessel densities were as follows: 21.7 (7.9) vs 27.2 (8.6) vs 27.3 (9.4) for the proximal margin (P = 0.003); 18.1 (9.3) vs 25.2 (12.9) vs 24.9 (7.4) for the distal margin (P < 0.001). Among patients undergoing nCRT, AL was associated with increased histopathological score (P = 0.003) and decreased microvessel density (P = 0.004) on the proximal margin. Surgical margins of rectal-cancer resection are exposed to certain radiation-induced injury after nCRT. AL is associated with aggravated radiation damage on the proximal margin.


The AuSc, AuTi, and AuFe molecules: Determination of the bond energies by Knudsen effusion mass spectrometry experiments combined with ab initio calculations.
The AuTi gaseous molecule was for the first time identified in vapors produced at high temperature from a gold-titanium alloy. The homogeneous equilibria AuTi(g) = Au(g) + Ti(g) (direct dissociation) and AuTi(g) + Au(g) = Au2(g) + Ti(g) (isomolecular exchange) were studied by Knudsen effusion mass spectrometry in the temperature range 2111-2229 K. The so determined equilibrium constants were treated by the "third-law method" of thermodynamic analysis, integrated with theoretical calculations, and the dissociation energy at 0 K was derived as D0K ° (AuTi) = 241.0 ± 5.2 kJ/mol. A similar investigation was carried out for the AuSc and AuFe species, whose dissociation energies were previously reported with large uncertainties. The direct dissociation and the isomolecular exchange with the Au2 dimer were studied in the 1969-2274 and 1842-2092 K ranges for AuSc and AuFe, respectively, and the dissociation energies derived as D0K ° (AuSc) = 240.4 ± 6.0 and D0K ° (AuFe) = 186.2 ± 4.2 kJ/mol. The experimental bond energies are compared with those calculated here by coupled cluster with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations with the correlation-consistent basis sets cc-pVXZ(-PP) and cc-pwCVXZ(-PP) (with X = T, Q, 5), also in the limit of complete basis set, and with those from complete active space self-consistent field-multi-reference configuration interaction calculations, recently available in the literature. The stronger bond of AuTi compared to AuFe parallels the trend observed in monochlorides. This analogy is shown to be more generally observed in the AuM and MCl diatomic series (with M = first row transition metal), in accordance with a picture of "pseudo-halogen" bonding behavior of gold.


Interaction between Src homology 2 domain bearing protein tyrosine phosphatase substrate-1 and CD47 mediates the adhesion of human B lymphocytes to nonactivated endothelial cells.
CD47 modulates a variety of cell functions such as adhesion, spreading, and migration. Using a fusion protein consisting of the extracellular region of Src homology 2 domain bearing protein tyrosine phosphatase substrate-1 (SHPS-1) and the Fc portion of human Ig (SHPS-1-Ig) we investigated the effects of SHPS-1 as a ligand for CD47 on B lymphocytes. Although SHPS-1-Ig binding to human B cell lines was solely mediated via CD47, their binding capacity for soluble and immobilized SHPS-1-Ig varied among cell lines irrespective of the similar expression levels of CD47, suggesting that distinctive affinity/avidity states exist during B cell maturation. Nalm6 cell line and tonsilar B lymphocytes adhered to immobilized SHPS-1-Ig and showed polarization-like morphology. These effects of SHPS-1-Ig were blocked by anti-CD47 mAbs (B6H12 and SE5A5). Wortmannin, a phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase inhibitor, but not pertussis toxin significantly inhibited the polarization induced by the immobilized SHPS-1-Ig. Thus, SHPS-1 acts as an adhesive substrate via CD47 in human B lymphocyte. Immunohistochemical analyses indicated that SHPS-1 is expressed on high endothelial venule as well as macrophages in human tonsils. HUVECs also express SHPS-1 in the absence of any stimuli, and the adhesion of tonsilar B lymphocytes to nonactivated HUVECs was significantly inhibited by SE5A5, indicating that SHPS-1/CD47 interaction is involved in the adhesion. Our findings suggest that SHPS-1/CD47 interaction may contribute to the recruitment of B lymphocytes via endothelial cells under steady state conditions.


Palladium-catalyzed tandem cyclization/suzuki coupling reaction of 1,2,7-trienes.
[reaction: see text] A Pd(0)-catalyzed 1,2,7-triene cyclization/arylation cascade reaction was realized via pi-allylpalladium intermediate formation and a subsequent Suzuki coupling reaction to preferentially give a five-membered ring product with a stereodefined exocyclic double bond. Excellent cis/trans selectivity was achieved (only cis-3 was isolated) with heteroatom-tethered 1,2,7-triene substrates.


A toehold-mediated strand displacement cascade-based DNA assay method via flow cytometry and magnetic separation.
Sensitive assay of EGFR T790M, a circulating tumor DNA marker in non-small-cell carcinoma, provides critical information for the decision of clinical treatments, evaluation of radiotherapy effect, and monitoring the progress of recurrence and metastasis. In this report, a novel flow cytometry-based sensing method is proposed for detecting T790M. The toehold-sequence hybridizes with the biotin-labeled initiator sequence and forms IT-dsDNA. The presence of a target induces the displacement of initiator-sequence from IT-dsDNA. The targets are continuously set free with the aid of a helper hairpin sequence for the next cycle. In tandem, the free initiator sequence starts the hybridization chain reaction, which binds the serial of fluorescence-labeled probe sequences. The products of the hybridization chain reaction are captured and separated by magnetic beads, which are finally assayed via flow cytometry. The capability to distinguish single-nucleotide polymorphism and the tolerance of complex matrix in blood serum indicate that this strategy has the promising potential to be applied in the liquid biopsy of clinical samples.


Fibrous biomaterials: Effect of textile topography on foreign body reaction.
Foreign Body Reaction (FBR) is a critical issue to be addressed when polyethylene terephthalate (PET) textile implants are considered in the medical field to treat pathologies involving hernia repair, revascularization strategies in arterial disease, and aneurysm or heart valve replacement. The natural porosity of textile materials tends to induce exaggerated tissue ingrowth which may prevent the implants from remaining flexible. The purpose of this study is to assess the influence of the textile topography of various woven substrates on the wetting properties of these substrates and on their in vitro interaction with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) at 24 and 72 hr. The tests were performed both at yarn and fabric level under forced wetting and ingrowth conditions in order to replicate the mechanisms going on in vivo under blood pressure. Results demonstrate that cell proliferation is influenced by the textile wetting properties, which can be tuned at yarn and fabric level. In particular, it is shown that a satin weave obtained from porous spun yarn limits cell proliferation due to the high porosity of the yarn and the limited saturation index of the weave. Yarn and fabric saturation seems to play a predominant role in cell proliferation on textile substrates.


Intimate partner violence among Asian immigrant communities: health/mental health consequences, help-seeking behaviors, and service utilization.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious epidemic among Asian immigrant communities. Yet little is known about the scope, nature, and related contextual, cultural, and social factors of IPV among this population. In particular, the lack of research has been evident in examining health and mental health outcomes of IPV and service utilization, revealing notable gaps in health disparities which result in a failure to provide relevant services and law enforcement protection for battered Asian immigrant women. This article examines critically the growing body of literature on IPV among Asian immigrant populations in several areas: (a) the context of IPV: cultural, social, and individual/familial, (b) prevalence of IPV, (c) physical health and increased risk for sexually transmitted disease and HIV/AIDS, (d) mental health consequences and substance use, (e) social support and help-seeking behaviors, and (f) barriers to service utilization. Future directions for practice, policy, and research are discussed.


Structural Colored Balloons Responsive to pH Change.
Structural colored balloons (SCBs) composed of poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-styrene) (P4VP-PS) exhibited a pH-controlled structural color change in the presence and absence of p-toluenesulfonic acid. The diameter of the SCBs increased and decreased under acidic and neutral conditions, respectively. The different colors exhibited at different pH values supposedly resulted from a change in the shell thickness not only due to the change in the diameter of the SCBs but also due to the uptake of p-toluenesulfonic acid to the pyridyl side chain of P4VP-PS.


Cytocompatibility, stability and osteogenic activity of powder metallurgy Ta-xZr alloys as dental implant materials.
Tantalum (Ta) and zirconium (Zr) alloys were found to had low elastic modulus and similar biomechanical characteristics as the human bone. However, the biocompatibility and osteogenic potential of Ta-xZr alloyswith different proportions (20, 30, 40 and 50% Zr by atom) remains to be investigated. In this study, the biocompatibility of Ta-xZr alloys and commercially pure titanium (cpTi) was evaluated in vitro by cell counting kit-8 assay. The adhesion of MG63 osteoblasts to the surface of the alloys was observed by fluorescence microscopy, and their morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The expressions of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Ki67, osteocalcin (OC), collagen-I (Col-I) and Integrin β1 mRNA in the cultured cells were determined by RT-PCR. As a result, Ta-xZr (x = 20, 30, 40 and 50 at%) alloys were non-toxic and supported proliferation of the MG63 cells. The osteoblasts adhered to the Ta-xZr alloys, and subsequently spread and proliferated rapidly. Furthermore, the cells grown on Ta-20Zr and Ta-30Zr expressed high levels of ALP, Col I and OC, indicating that the Ta-xZr alloys can induce osteogenesis. In conclusion, Ta-xZr alloys promoted the adhesion, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of MG63 cells. The Ta-xZr composites with a higher proportion of Ta exhibited superior osteogenic activity, and Ta-30Zr is therefore a promising alternative for Ti implants.


Short-term and medium-term clinical outcomes of quinolone-resistant Campylobacter infection.
Campylobacter species is a leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. Quinolone resistance has emerged as an increasing problem among persons with Campylobacter infection over the past decade, but the clinical consequences are unclear. A case-comparison study of patients infected with ciprofloxacin-resistant or ciprofloxacin-susceptible Campylobacter species was conducted in Wales during the period 2003-2004. Campylobacter isolates were classified as resistant or susceptible to ciprofloxacin on the basis of standardized disk diffusion methods. Participants were interviewed by telephone at the time of illness, 3 months later, and 6 months later to compare disease severity, duration of illness, and medium-term clinical outcomes. There was no difference between 145 persons with ciprofloxacin-resistant infection and 411 with ciprofloxacin-susceptible infection with regard to the severity or duration of acute illness. Mean duration of diarrhea was similar in patients with ciprofloxacin-resistant versus ciprofloxacin-susceptible infection (8.2 vs. 8.6 days; P = .57) and did not alter significantly after adjustment for potential covariates, including age, underlying disease, foreign travel, use of antidiarrheal medication, and use of antimicrobials in a multiple linear regression model. There was no difference between case patients and comparison patients in the frequency of reported symptoms or in general practitioner consultation rates at either the 3-month or the 6-month follow-up interview. In this study, there was no evidence of more-severe or prolonged illness in participants with quinolone-resistant Campylobacter infection, nor was there evidence of any adverse medium-term consequences. This suggests that the clinical significance of quinolone resistance in Campylobacter infection may have been overestimated.


Self-Enhanced Acoustic Impedance Difference Strategy for Detecting the Acidic Tumor Microenvironment.
B-mode ultrasound imaging is a significant anatomic technique in clinic, which can display the anatomic variation in tissues. However, it is difficult to evaluate the functional state of organs and display the physiological information in organisms such as the tumor acidic microenvironment (TME). Herein, inspired by the phenomenon of sonographic acoustic shadow during detecting calculus in clinic, a strategy of self-enhanced acoustic impedance difference is proposed to monitor the acidic TME. BiF3@PDA@PEG (BPP) nanoparticles can self-aggregate in a specific response to the acidic TME to form huge "stones" BiF3@PDA, resulting in an increase of local tumor density, and further causing a significant acoustic impedance difference. In in vitro experiments, the enhanced ultrasound signals change from 15.2 to 196.4 dB, which can discriminate different pH values from 7.0 to 5.0, and the sensitivity can reach to 0.2 value. In in vivo experiments, the enhanced ultrasound signal is 107.7 dB after BPP self-aggregated, displaying the weak acidic TME that has a close relationship with the size and species of the tumor. More importantly, the accuracy is away from the interference of pressure because huge "stones" BiF3@PDA change little. However, SonoVue microbubbles will diffuse and rupture under pressure, which results in false positive signals. To sum up, this strategy will be helpful to the further development of ultrasound molecular imaging.


The canine RAD51 mutation leads to the attenuation of interaction with PALB2.
RAD51 forms a complex with BRCA2 and plays a central role in the DNA damage response pathway that is associated with homologous recombination. The structures of RAD51 and its homologues are highly conserved from prokaryotes to higher eukaryotes. Although a large number of BRCA2 mutations have been reported, there are only a few reports on the mutations of RAD51, which have been shown in humans and dogs. However, several mutations of canine RAD51 were identified from mammary gland tumour tissues in a recent study. Some of these mutations seem to have an influence on the homo-oligomerization or interaction with "Partner and localizer of BRCA2" (PALB2). In this study, we cloned the canine PALB2 homologue and investigated the effect on its interaction with the RAD51 mutants to evaluate the alteration in the function of RAD51 mutants. The A209S and T225S mutants of RAD51 show an attenuation of the interaction between RAD51 and PALB2. These results indicate that the canine RAD51 mutations can potentially alter the homologous recombination pathways in response to DNA damage in dogs.


Toe-to-Finger Vascularized Joint Transfers for Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Reconstruction: A Systematic Review.
Vascularized joint transfer (VJT) from the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) of the toe is an attractive reconstructive option in cases of nonsalvageable finger PIPJ but is limited by equivocal functional outcomes. This systematic review aims to provide an update on vascularized toe-to-finger PIPJ transfers, examining functional outcomes, complications, and the latest refinements in operative technique. A systematic review of the available literature was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Studies examining vascularized toe-to-finger PIPJ transfer for post-traumatic indications were included for analysis. Outcomes assessed included postoperative active range of motion, extension lag, and complications. Thirteen studies examining 210 VJTs were analyzed. Five VJTs experienced microsurgical failure giving an overall survival rate of 97.6%. Average postoperative PIPJ active range of motion (ROM) was 40.3° ± 12.9°, with an average extensor lag of 29° ± 10.5° and mean flexion of 68.9° ± 10.9°. For studies reporting complication outcomes, 59/162 complications were seen. No significant differences were seen between studies published prior to 2013 and after 2013 when comparing digital ROM (P = .123), flexion (P = .602), and extensor lag (P = .280). Studies using a reconstructive algorithm based on prior assessment of the donor toe central slip and recipient finger anatomy had significantly improved ROM outcomes (P = .013). Although VJT provides a reliable option for autologous reconstruction in posttraumatic joints, it is limited by impaired postoperative ROM. Careful assessment of the donor toe and recipient finger anatomy followed by systematic and meticulous reconstruction may lead to improved functional outcomes.


Supraphysiological oxytocin increases the transfer of immunoglobulins and other blood components to milk during lipopolysaccharide- and lipoteichoic acid-induced mastitis in dairy cows.
Bacterial mastitis causes pathogen-dependent changes of the blood-milk barrier, and these changes can influence the differential transfer of blood components to milk. It is well known that gram-negative pathogens such as Escherichia coli can cause a greater activation of the immune system and thus a more comprehensive transfer of blood components including IgG than gram-positive pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus. Supraphysiological doses of oxytocin (OT) have been shown to increase the permeability of the blood-milk barrier; however, the effect of OT during experimentally induced mastitis has not been investigated. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine if intravenous administration of OT during lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or lipoteichoic acid (LTA)-induced mastitis could influence the transfer of blood components to milk. The hypothesis was that OT could induce a greater transfer of blood components during mastitis. Twenty-seven dairy cows were injected via the teat canal with LPS, LTA, or a saline control followed by an intravenous injection of OT 2h following intramammary challenge. Milk samples were collected every half hour and analyzed for somatic cell count (SCC), IgG, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and serum albumin (SA). Due to the chosen dosage of LPS and LTA, there was no difference in SCC between quarters challenged with only LPS or LTA. Quarters challenged with LPS and OT had a higher SCC and a greater transfer of IgG, LDH, and SA compared with quarters challenged with only LPS. Quarters challenged with LTA and OT had a greater transfer of IgG, LDH, and SA, whereas the SCC increase did not differ from quarters only treated with LTA. In quarters treated only with OT, SCC, LDH, and SA increased, but no difference was observed in IgG concentration from untreated control quarters. In conclusion, there are pathogen-specific changes in the blood-milk barrier and OT can induce a greater transfer of blood components to milk in both LPS- and LTA-induced mastitis. Oxytocin could have implications for use as a mastitis therapy, as there was an increased transfer of IgG into the milk.


Final Exit: a wake-up call to hospice.
The publication of Final Exit resulted in a public response that was exuberant, largely sympathetic and, to many within hospice, disquieting. The book and the public response it engendered can not be understood without exploring the Hemlock Society and the political agenda which both the Society and book advance. Hospice must begin a response to this book, and any discussion with Hemlock supporters, from a basis of consensus. Hospice must acknowledge that those within the euthanasia/assisted suicide movement believe as deeply as we in hospice in the need to address the suffering of people enduring the effects of terminal illness. We must further acknowledge that there remain unmet needs in the care of the dying which for primarily socio-political reasons hospice has been unable to resolve. There are several compelling reasons for hospice as an organized movement to oppose the political initiatives of the Hemlock Society--at least in their present form and within the current social context. These reasons involve core ethical issues and issues of direct social consequence, each of which seems sufficient to reject the current proposals. Hospice programs and personnel must enter this debate in earnest. Before serious consideration is accorded to legalization of euthanasia/assisted suicide, we must insist that genuine access to comprehensive hospice/palliative care becomes a reality for all dying patients and their families.


Revascularization procedures in the treatment of Kienböck's disease.
Lunate revascularization by means of vascular bundle implantation is one of the useful procedures for stages I and II Kienböck's disease, but for stage III, it should be combined with some biomechanical procedure or partial carpal fusion. There is no indication for this procedure in stage IV disease.


Cellular plasticity of inflammatory myeloid cells in the peritoneal foreign body response.
Implantation of sterile foreign objects in the peritoneal cavity of an animal initiates an inflammatory response and results in encapsulation of the objects by bone marrow-derived cells. Over time, a multilayered tissue capsule develops with abundant myofibroblasts embedded in extracellular matrix. The present study used the transgenic MacGreen mouse to characterize the time-dependent accumulation of monocyte subsets and neutrophilic granulocytes in the inflammatory infiltrate and within the tissue capsule by their differential expression of the csf1r-EGFP transgene, F4/80, and Ly6C. As the tissue capsule developed, enhanced green fluorescent protein-positive cells changed from rounded to spindle-shaped morphology and began to co-express the myofibroblast marker alpha-smooth muscle actin. Expression increased with time: at day 14, 11.13 +/- 0.67% of tissue capsule cells co-expressed these markers, compared with 50.77 +/- 12.85% of cells at day 28. The importance of monocyte/macrophages in tissue capsule development was confirmed by clodronate-encapsulated liposome removal, which resulted in almost complete abrogation of capsule development. These results confirm the importance of monocyte/macrophages in the tissue response to sterile foreign objects implanted in the peritoneal cavity. In addition, the in vivo plasticity of peritoneal macrophages and their ability to transdifferentiate from a myeloid to mesenchymal phenotype is demonstrated.


Atmospheric oxidation mechanism and kinetics of 2-bromo-4,6-dinitroaniline by OH radicals - a theoretical study.
2-Bromo-4,6-dinitroaniline (BNA) is identified as a domestic-dust pollutant in urban environments, with deleterious atmospheric effects. In the present work, we studied the reaction pathways and kinetics for BNA oxidation by the OH radical using quantum-chemical methods and canonical-variational transition-state theory with small-curvature tunneling correction (CVT/SCT). OH-radial-mediated BNA oxidation was studied by considering OH addition to carbon atoms (C1 to C6) of BNA and H-atom abstraction at the -NH2 group and carbon atoms (C3 and C5) of BNA by OH radicals. It is observed that an OH-addition reaction is energetically more favorable. In addition, the rate constant was calculated for the favorable initial OH-addition reactions over the temperature range of 278 to 1000 K. The subsequent reactions for the favorable BNA-OH adduct intermediate with O2, HO2 and NO radicals are studied. We have identified the following possible end products from this BNA-oxidation reaction: (i) 2-amino-3-bromo-6-hydroperoxy-5-methyl-1-nitro-cyclohexa-2,4 dienol, (ii) 2-amino-1-bromo-6-hydroperoxy-5-methyl-3-nitro-cyclohexa-2,4-dienol, (iii) 2-amino-1-bromo-6-hydroperoxy-5-methyl-3-nitro-cyclohexa-2,4-dienol, (iv) 3-amino-4-bromo-4-hydroperoxy-8-methyl-2-nitro-6,7-dioxa-bicyclo oct-2-en-8-ol, (v) 2-amino-1-bromo-6-hydroperoxy-5-methyl-3-nitro-cyclohexa-2,4-dienol, and (vi) 3-amino-2-bromo-8-methyl-4-nitro-6,7-dioxa-bicyclo oct-3-ene-2,8-diol.


Left ventricular longitudinal strain is associated with mitral annular fractional area change in healthy subjects-Results from the three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiographic MAGYAR-Healthy Study.
The mitral annulus (MA) plays a significant role in promoting left atrial and left ventricular (LV) filling and emptying, which is dependent on LV functional properties. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between LV strains, quantitative features of longitudinal contractility and MA size and function in healthy subjects. The present study comprised 295 healthy adults; 117 subjects were excluded due to inferior image quality (40%). Finally, 178 healthy adults (mean age: 32.0±11.3 years, 92 males). Complete two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography and three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography were performed in all cases. The global and mean segmental left ventricular longitudinal strain (LV-LS) proved to be -16.1%±2.5% and -16.9%±2.4%, respectively. In the present study, LV-LS ≤-13% was considered to be reduced. In ROC analysis, the cut-off value for MA fractional area change (MAFAC) to predict impaired LV-LS was ≤44%, with 67% sensitivity and 69% specificity and ROC area under curve 0.73 (P=0.0005). Significantly increased LV volumes and LV mass and reduced MAFAC could be demonstrated in healthy subjects with global LV-LS ≤-13%. Significantly larger ratio of subjects with global LV-LS ≤-13% had MAFAC ≤44% (31% vs. 67%, P=0.009). Patients with MAFAC ≤44% had significantly reduced global and mean segmental LV-LS. Significantly larger ratio of subjects with MAFAC ≤44% had global LV-LS ≤-13% (4% vs. 16%, P=0.009). There is a strong relationship between MA and LV longitudinal function. MA fractional area change predicts global LV-LS.


The molecular genetics of migraine.
Within the past decade it has been possible to identify susceptibility gene loci that predispose to migraine using genetic markers distributed across the human genome. Five new loci with significant linkage to common types of migraine--migraine with or without aura--have been identified on four different chromosomes using a genome-wide screen approach. So far, only the locus on 4q has been replicated but no specific, disease-causing mutations have been described in these common forms of migraine. The best genetic evidence providing molecular insight into migraine still comes from the mutations detected in a rare Mendelian form of migraine with aura--familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM). In 50%-70% of FHM families, mutations in the calcium channel gene CACNA1A in chromosome 19p13 have been identified. In some families, mutations in the ATP1A2 gene encoding the alpha2 subunit of the Na+, K+-ATPase are associated with FHM, linked to 1q23. Here we discuss the current knowledge of the heritability of migraine and rare migraine variants as models for understanding the pathophysiology of common migraine and animal models that might contribute to understanding common forms of migraine.


Cyanurate-guided self-assembly of a melamine-capped oligo(p-phenylenevinylene).
An oligo(p-phenylenevinylene) capped on one end by a monotopic DAD-type triple hydrogen-bonding module shows distinct optical properties as well as self-organization behavior upon complexation with cyanurates with different numbers of ADA-type triple hydrogen-bonding sites.


Inverted heart-shaped, interradicular radiolucent area of the anterior maxilla.
A variety of odontogenic, nonodontogenic, and inflammatory conditions may occur between the roots of the maxillary canine and lateral incisor. A list of differential diagnoses might include: odontogenic keratocyst, central giant cell granuloma, odontogenic myxoma, primordial cyst, lateral periodontal cyst, ameloblastoma, and radicular cyst. A diagnosis of globulomaxillary cyst should be noticeably absent from the list, however, and should be considered only after clinical radiographic, and microscopic correlation has effectively ruled out all other possibilities.


Phosphatidylglycerol and chilling sensitivity in plants.
The hypothesis that molecular species of thylakoid phosphatidylglycerol containing two saturated fatty acids (disaturated phosphatidylglycerol) confer chilling sensitivity upon plants was tested by analyzing the fatty acid composition of phosphatidylglycerols isolated from leaves of a range of plants expected to have different sensitivities to chilling temperatures.;Saturated' fatty acids (palmitate plus stearate plus hexadeca-trans-3-enoate) as a proportion of total phosphatidylglycerol fatty acids varied from 51 to 80 mole per cent in the plants analyzed but appeared to be rigidly fixed for a given plant species, being unaffected by leaf maturity or by environment.Hexadeca-trans-3-enoate occurred only at the sn-2 position, whereas C-18 fatty acids occurred only at the sn-1 position of thylakoid phosphatidylglycerol. Therefore, the proportion of disaturated molecular species could be predicted accurately from the total fatty acids of phosphatidylglycerol.Disaturated molecular species accounted for <25% of the total phosphatidylglycerol from leaves of chilling-resistant plants and for 50 to 60% of the phosphatidylglycerol in leaves from some of the most chilling-sensitive plants. However, not all chilling-sensitive plants contained high proportions of disaturated phosphatidylglycerol; solanaceous and other 16:3-plants and C(4) grasses may be important exceptions. Nonetheless, proportions of disaturated phosphatidylglycerol increased concomitantly with increasing chilling sensitivity of plants within a genus.


The effect of irradiation on the third stage larvae of Brugia pahangi.
The effect of irradiation on the third stage larvae of the filarial nematode Brugia pahangi was investigated. Labelling with 35S methionine of control or irradiated L3, post-infective L3 or L4 revealed no consistent alterations in the pattern of proteins synthesized. The only significant difference observed was in 125I labelling, where the specific activity of labelling of soluble cuticular proteins was lower in irradiated than in control parasites. This difference may be related to the reduced size of irradiated parasites rather than to a specific effect of irradiation on the expression of cuticular proteins. Irradiated parasites recovered on day 14 post-infection were significantly shorter than control parasites. Irradiation also appeared to have a lethal effect on male parasites, as no recognizable males were recovered from animals given irradiated L3, nor were microfilariae ever observed in these animals. The mechanisms by which irradiation may enhance the immunogenicity of L3 of filarial nematodes are discussed.


LIPUS inhibited the expression of inflammatory factors and promoted the osteogenic differentiation capacity of hPDLCs by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway.
As a chronic infectious disease, periodontitis could lead to tooth and bone loss. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) is a safe, noninvasive treatment method to effectively inhibit inflammation and promote bone differentiation. However, the application of LIPUS in curing periodontitis is still rare. Our study aimed to explore the ability of LIPUS to inhibit inflammatory factors and promote the osteogenic differentiation capacity of human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs), and its underlying mechanism. Human periodontal ligament cells were obtained and cultured from the premolar tissue samples for experiments. First, hPDLCs were treated for 24 hours using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and then exposed to LIPUS (10 mW/cm2 , 30 mW/cm2 , 60 mW/cm2 , and 90 mW/cm2 ) to determine the appropriate intensity to inhibit expression of the inflammatory factors interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression. The expression of IL-6 and IL-8 was detected by real-time PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The safety of the most appropriate intensity of LIPUS was tested by a cell counting kit 8 test and an apoptosis assay. Then, LPS-induced hPDLCs were treated in osteogenic medium for 7-21 days with or without LIPUS (90 mW/cm2 , 30 min/d) stimulation. The osteogenic genes RUNX2, OPN, OSX, and OCN were measured by real-time PCR. Additionally, osteogenic differentiation capacity was determined using alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, ALP activity analysis, and Alizarin red staining. The activity of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway was determined by western blotting, real-time PCR, immunofluorescence, and pathway blockade assays. Lipopolysaccharide significantly upregulated the production and gene expression of IL-6 and IL-8, while LIPUS stimulation significantly inhibited IL-6 and IL-8 expression in an intensity-dependent manner. LIPUS (90 mW/cm2 ) was chosen as the most appropriate intensity, and there was no detrimental influence on cell proliferation and status with or without osteogenic medium. In addition, consecutive stimulation with LIPUS (90 mW/cm2 ) for 30 min/d for 7 days could also inhibit IL-6 and IL-8 gene expression, upregulate the expression of the osteogenesis-related genes RUNX2, OPN, OSX, and OCN, and promote osteogenic differentiation capacity in osteogenic medium in inflamed hPDLCs. The NF-κB signaling pathway was inhibited with LIPUS (90 mW/cm2 ) via inhibition of the phosphorylation of IκBα and the translocation of p65 into the nucleus in inflamed hPDLCs. Additional investigations of the NF-κB inhibitor, BAY 11-7082, revealed that LIPUS (90 mW/cm2 ) acted similarly to BAY 11-7802 to inhibit the NF-κB signaling pathway and increase osteogenesis-related genes and promote the osteogenic differentiation capacity of inflamed hPDLCs. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (90 mW/cm2 ) stimulation could be a safe method to inhibit IL-6 and IL-8 in hPDLCs by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway. The effect of LIPUS (90 mW/cm2 ) and BAY 11-7082 on LPS-induced inflammation demonstrated that both of these agents were capable of promoting osteogenesis-related gene expression and osteogenic differentiation in hPDLCs, suggesting that the effect of LIPUS on the promotion of osteogenic activity could be mediated in part through its ability to inhibit the NF-κB signal pathway. Hence, LIPUS could be a potential therapeutic method to cure periodontitis.


Catheterization of the Medullary Cavity of Long Bones.
Vascular catheterization techniques were used in bones to allow access to the entire medullary cavity through a minimal percutaneous approach. The study was carried out on human and animal anatomical specimens and in living sheep. After oblique penetration at an angle of approximately 40û to the surface of the cortical bone, we attempted to pass in the bone shaft using various types of guides and catheters. Different types of instrumentation currently available were compared for ease of advancement in the shaft and quantity of bone marrow that could be aspirated. Once the metaphysis was reached, a variety of techniques were studied to penetrate the cancellous bone and to introduce a catheter. A percutaneous approach to any part of a long bone through a cortical pathway from a remote entry site is feasible in certain diagnostic or therapeutic indications, when direct approach to pathological sites in long bones is dangerous or impossible.