Cone-like rectification properties of cGMP-gated channels in transmutated retinal photoreceptors of nocturnal geckoes.
Photoreceptors of nocturnal geckoes are scotopic, with rod-shaped outer segments, and sensitivities to light similar to the one of retinal rods from other species of lower vertebrates. However, these cells are not rods, but they originated from cones of ancestral diurnal geckoes with pure-cone retinas, after being forced to adapt to a nocturnal behavior. Several interesting adaptations of these rod-like cones have been studied to date; molecular biology and functional studies confirmed that several proteins of the phototransductive cascade display structural and functional properties that indicate their origin from cones rather than from rods. In this paper, we investigate, with whole cell voltage clamp in the photoreceptor detached outer segment preparation, the voltage rectification properties of cGMP-gated channels in three species, Gekko gecko, Tarentola mauritanica, and Hemidactylus frenatus. We show that the current-voltage properties in the physiological voltage range are reminiscent of the ones of cGMP-gated channels from cones rather than from rods of other cold-blooded vertebrates. The origin and the relevance of the mechanisms investigated are discussed.


Biological Invasion by Myrica faya Alters Ecosystem Development in Hawaii.
The exotic nitrogen-fixing tree Myrica faya invades young volcanic sites where the growth of native plants is limited by a lack of nitrogen. Myrica quadruples the amount of nitrogen entering certain sites and increases the overall biological availability of nitrogen, thereby altering the nature of ecosystem development after volcanic eruptions.


[Retracted] MicroRNA‑326 inhibits cell proliferation and invasion, activating apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma by directly targeting LIM and SH3 protein 1.
Following the publication of the above paper, it was drawn to the Editors' attention by a concerned reader that various panels showing data from flow cytometric experiments in Figs. 2E, 5E and 6E, and the cell migration and invasion assay data shown in Fig. 2D and 6D, were strikingly similar to data appearing in different form in other articles by different authors. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article were already under consideration for publication, or had already been published, elsewhere when it was submitted to Oncology Reports, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. After having been in contact with the authors, they agreed with the decision to retract the paper. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Oncology Reports 38: 1569‑1578, 2017; DOI: 10.3892/or.2017.5810].


Interleukin-17 inhibition in psoriatic arthritis.
Greater understanding of the underlying disease process has led to the development of targeted therapeutic agents and innovative strategies in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA). This report addresses novel medications targeting the T helper 17 cell pathway, specifically those inhibiting interleukin-17A and its receptor, and discusses their role as effective therapies in the management of PsA.


Simultaneous use of four methods of estimating food consumption.
As part of a four-year longitudinal study examining changes in nutrient intakes, eating patterns, lifestyle and health on individuals before and after retirement from work, accurate assessments of customary food and beverage intakes were essential. This paper shows that by using four techniques simultaneously, a number of discrepancies were exposed, even though the subjects had filled in their records meticulously. Together they provide data more truly representative of what each individual eats. The techniques included: a week's weighed dietary record; a recall of customary food and beverages consumed throughout a typical day; key questions relating to foods and drinks (including alcohol) within a general questionnaire; and lists giving the frequency of consumption of specific foods and drinks.


Synthesis and exceptional operational durability of polyaniline-inspired conductive ladder polymers.
Ladder-type structures can impart exceptional stability to polymeric electronic materials. This article introduces a new class of conductive polymers featuring a fully ladder-type backbone. A judicious molecular design strategy enables the synthesis of a low-defect ladder polymer, which can be efficiently oxidized and acid-doped to achieve its conductive state. The structural elucidation of this polymer and the characterization of its open-shell nature are facilitated with the assistance of studies on small molecular models. An autonomous robotic system is used to optimize the conductivity of the polymer thin film, achieving over 7 mS cm-1. Impressively, this polymer demonstrates unparalleled stability in strong acid and under harsh UV-irradiation, significantly surpassing commercial benchmarks like PEDOT:PSS and polyaniline. Moreover, it displays superior durability across numerous redox cycles as the active material in an electrochromic device and as the pseudocapacitive material in a supercapacitor device. This work provides structural design guidance for durable conductive polymers for long-term device operation.


Combined Metabolome and Transcriptome Analyses Reveal the Flavonoids Changes and Biosynthesis Mechanisms in Different Organs of Hibiseu manihot L.
Hibiseu manihot L. (Jinhuakui, JHK), also known as a garden landscape plant, is widely cultivated as a landscape plant having pharmacological effects due to its high flavonoids content. Although flavonoids were the main active pharmaceutical ingredients in JHK, little information was obtained about the content, composition, and accumulation pattern of flavonoids in different tissues. Most studies only identified a few kinds of flavonoids in JHK limited by separation and identification problems. Therefore, combined metabolome and transcriptome analysis was performed to explore the accumulation patterns and biosynthesis mechanisms of flavonoids in JHK. In this study, we identified 160 flavonoids in 15 samples of JHK (flower, leaf, root, stem, and seeds) by using LC-MS/MS. Consistent with the total flavonoid content determination, these flavonoids were significantly accumulated in flowers, followed by leaves, stems, roots, and seeds. Among them, certain flavonoids, with high content, were also identified for the first time in JHK, such as tricetin, catechin, hesperidin, ncyanidin-3-O-sambubioside, astragalin, procyanidin B2/B3/C1, apigenin-5-O-glucoside, etc. Different tissues underwent significantly reprogramming of their transcriptomes and metabolites changes in JHK, particularly in the flavonoid, flavone, and flavonol biosynthesis pathways. We conducted a correlation analysis between RNA-seq and LC-MS/MS to identify the key genes and related flavonoids compounds, rebuild the gene-metabolites regulatory subnetworks, and then identified 15 key genes highly related to flavonoids accumulation in JHK. These key genes might play a fine regulatory role in flavonoids biosynthesis by affecting the gene expression level in different organs of JHK. Our results could be helpful for the improvement of the market/industrial utilization value of different parts of JHK, to pave the way for the regulatory mechanism research of flavonoids biosynthesis, and provide insight for studying the production quality improvement of JHK.


Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome co-existing with celiac disease.
Anaemia caused by iron deficiency is one of the most common disorders in the world. We describe a patient with iron deficiency anaemia in whom absorption was limited due to celiac disease, superimposed to chronic blood loss due to the blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome, a rare syndrome characterised by multiple cutaneous venous malformations in association with visceral lesions. A 54-year-old patient with severe iron deficiency anaemia showed marked rubbery cutaneous lesions on the body surface, extremities, under and on the left side of the tongue as well as in the stomach and duodenum. The appearance and pathological examination of the lesions were consistent with the diagnosis of blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome (BRBNS). Biopsy of the mucosa of the duodenum showed celiac disease. No association between celiac disease and BRBNS has been previously described. Combined loss of iron and malabsorption from the gastrointestinal tract can lead to severe iron deficiency. Early recognition of both diseases can result in early treatment. Patients can recover completely with iron suppletion and a gluten-free diet. Recognising typical BRBNS skin lesions would provide a potential diagnosis and could prevent unnecessary procedures or invasive surgery.


An isolated metastasis to the heart from a malignant phyllodes tumor with osteosarcomatous differentiation.
A 74-year-old woman was admitted in a serious condition due to the failing right heart. A CT scan revealed a tumor infiltration through the interventricular septum in the right heart, spreading from the apex as far as under the tricuspid valve. The tumor penetrated into the conus of the pulmonary artery, bulging and markedly narrowing the lumen. As a result of the tumor infiltration, the patient died from cardiac failure. Histological examination of the tumor revealed atypical elongated cells and areas of large cells with significantly enlarged hyperchromatic and lobulated nuclei. In some portions, the tumors had a biphasic appearance. The tumor cells resembled epithelial tissue but immunohistological analyses to detect cytokeratins yielded negative results. The elongated cells expressed desmin and smooth muscle actin. A vast majority of the tumor was solid or hard, histologically corresponding to osteosarcoma. Later, it was found that the patient undergone right-sided mastectomy for a malignant phyllodes tumor with osteosarcomatous differentiation three years previously. The metastasis to the heart was the only metastasis detected by the autopsy.


Assessment of antiangiogenic effect using 99mTc-EC-endostatin.
Tumor vascular density may provide a prognostic indicator of metastatic potential or survival. The purpose of this study was to develop 99mTc-ethylenedicysteine-endostatin (99mTc-EC-endostatin) for the evaluation of anti-angiogenesis therapy. 99mTc-EC-endostatin was prepared by conjugating ethylenedicysteine (EC) to endostatin, followed by adding pertechnetate and tin chloride. Radiochemical purity was > 95%. In vitro cell viability, affinity and TUNEL assays were performed. Tissue distribution and planar imaging of radiolabeled endostatin were determined in tumor-bearing rats. To assess anti-angiogenic treatment response, rats were treated with endostatin, paclitaxel and saline, followed by imaging with 99mTc-EC-endostatin. Tumor response to endostatin therapy in tumor-bearing animal models was assessed by correlating tumor uptake dose with microvessel density, VEGF, bFGF and IL-8 expression during endostatin therapy. In vitro cell viability and TUNEL assays indicated no marked difference between EC-endostatin and endostatin. Cellular uptake assay suggests that endostatin binds to endostatin receptor. Biodistribution of 99mTc-EC-endostatin in tumor-bearing rats showed increased tumor-to-tissue count density ratios as a function of time. Tumor uptake (%ID/g) of 99mTc-EC-endostatin was 0.2-0.5. Planar images confirmed that the tumors could be visualized clearly with 99mTc-EC-endostatin. The optimal time for imaging using radiolabeled endostatin was 2 hrs. 99mTc-EC-endostatin could assess treatment response. There was a correlation between tumor uptake and cellular targets expression. The results indicate that it is feasible to use 99mTc-EC-endostatin to assess efficiency of anti-angiogenesis therapy.


Thermochemistry and bond dissociation energies of ketones.
Ketones are a major class of organic chemicals and solvents, which contribute to hydrocarbon sources in the atmosphere, and are important intermediates in the oxidation and combustion of hydrocarbons and biofuels. Their stability, thermochemical properties, and chemical kinetics are important to understanding their reaction paths and their role as intermediates in combustion processes and in atmospheric chemistry. In this study, enthalpies (ΔH°(f 298)), entropies (S°(T)), heat capacities (C(p)°(T)), and internal rotor potentials are reported for 2-butanone, 3-pentanone, 2-pentanone, 3-methyl-2-butanone, and 2-methyl-3-pentanone, and their radicals corresponding to loss of hydrogen atoms. A detailed evaluation of the carbon-hydrogen bond dissociation energies (C-H BDEs) is also performed for the parent ketones for the first time. Standard enthalpies of formation and bond energies are calculated at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p), B3LYP/6-311G(2d,2p), CBS-QB3, and G3MP2B3 levels of theory using isodesmic reactions to minimize calculation errors. Structures, moments of inertia, vibrational frequencies, and internal rotor potentials are calculated at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) density functional level and are used to determine the entropies and heat capacities. The recommended ideal gas-phase ΔH°(f 298), from the average of the CBS-QB3 and G3MP2B3 levels of theory, as well as the calculated values for entropy and heat capacity are shown to compare well with the available experimental data for the parent ketones. Bond energies for primary, secondary, and tertiary radicals are determined; here, we find the C-H BDEs on carbons in the α position to the ketone group decrease significantly with increasing substitution on these α carbons. Group additivity and hydrogen-bond increment values for these ketone radicals are also determined.


Clinical experience of Hall-Kaster valve. Operative results and hemodynamic studies.
The Hall-Kaster pivotal disc prosthetic valve (HK valve) was introduced in 1977. Since October 1979, we have used the HK valve in 137 patients for valve replacement. The over-all operative mortality was 5.1%. During 36 months follow-up, there were 3 late deaths due to congestive heart failure, but no valve related death, no mechanical failure and no thromboembolic episode have been encountered. Intraoperative hemodynamic studies revealed its valvular function to be excellent. The mean pressure gradients across the prosthesis were 11.0 +/- 1.6 and 4.2 +/- 2.0 mmHg in aortic and mitral position, respectively. The mean calculated valve areas were 1.7 +/- 0.6 and 3.7 +/- 1.2 cm2 in aortic and mitral position, respectively. Thus, the Hall-Kaster prosthetic valve was found to be an efficient and favorable prosthetic heart valve for aortic and mitral valve replacement.


Phase-dependent output of scattering process for traveling breathers.
Scattering process between one-dimensional traveling breathers (TBs), i.e., oscillatory traveling pulses, for the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation (CGLE) with external forcing and a three-component activator-substrate-inhibitor model are studied. The input-output relation depends in general on the phase of two TBs at collision point, which makes a contrast to the case for the steady traveling pulses. A hidden unstable solution called the scattor plays a crucial role to understand the scattering dynamics. Stable and unstable manifolds of the scattor direct the traffic flows of the scattering process. A transition point of the input-output relation in a parameter space such as from preservation to annihilation corresponds to when the orbit crosses the stable manifold of the scattor. The phase dependency of input-output relation comes from the fact that the profiles at collision point make a loop parametrized by the phase and it traverses the stable manifold of the scattor. A global bifurcation viewpoint is quite useful not only to understand how TBs emerge but also to detect scattors. It turns out that the scattor for the CGLE (respectively the three-component system) becomes an unstable time-periodic (respectively stationary) solution.


Global association between cortical thinning and white matter integrity reduction in schizophrenia.
Previous neuroimaging studies have revealed that both gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) are altered in several morphological aspects in schizophrenia patients. Although several studies reported associations between GM and WM alterations in restricted regions, the existence of a global association between GM and WM pathologies is unknown. Considering the wide distribution of GM morphological changes and the profound genetic background of WM abnormalities, it would be natural to postulate a global association between pathologies of GM and WM in schizophrenia. In this investigation, we studied 35 schizophrenia patients and 35 healthy control subjects using T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and investigated the association between GM thickness and WM fractional anisotropy (FA) as a proxy of pathology in each tissue. To investigate cortical thickness, surface-based analysis was used. The mean cortical thickness for the whole brain was computed for each hemisphere, and group comparisons were performed. For DTI data, mean FA for the whole brain was calculated, and group comparisons were performed. Subsequently, the correlation between mean cortical thickness and mean FA was investigated. Results showed that the mean cortical thickness was significantly thinner, and the mean FA was significantly lower in schizophrenia patients. Only in the patient group the mean cortical thickness and mean FA showed significant positive correlations in both hemispheres. This correlation remained significant even after controlling for demographic and clinical variables. Thus, our results indicate that the GM and WM pathologies of schizophrenia are intertwined at the global level.


Dynamic secret-key provisioning in quantum-secured passive optical networks (PONs).
Quantum cryptography (QC) is currently under investigation to build highly secure optical communication networks. QC requires distribution of quantum keys (also called "secret" keys) on separate wavelength channels than those used to transmit the encrypted data. Hence, we propose a quantum-secured passive optical network (QS-PON) that supports both i) the traditional wavelength channels for secured data transmission, and ii) a quantum key distribution network (QKDN) running on separate dedicated wavelengths. The QKDN generates and stores secret keys that are then assigned to users' demands served on traditional PON channels. To generate secret keys, quantum transmitters at the optical network units (ONUs) exchange qubits with a quantum receiver at the optical line terminal (OLT). Then, the generated secret keys are stored in quantum key pools (QKPs) installed at both OLT and the ONUs and assigned to users' demands. Point-to-multipoint QKD systems have been experimentally demonstrated over various forms of quantum access networks (QANs), showing that an efficient mechanism to generate and assign quantum keys based on traffic requests is a critical component of QANs. In this study, we present a new QS-PON architecture, and we propose a dynamic secret-key provisioning (DSKP) algorithm that effectively generates and assigns secret keys from users' demands. Our proposed DSKP algorithm features two phases, the lowest-first secret-key generation (LF-SKG) phase and the hierarchical-clustering secret-key consumption (HC-SKC) phase. In this study, we also provide an analytical model that describes how secret keys are generated and consumed in QKPs. In our illustrative numerical evaluation, we compare our algorithm for secret-key provisioning with a baseline IPACT-based solution in terms of service-rejection ratio, time-slot utilization, and guard- and relay-time saving. Results show that DSKP reduces service-rejection ratio and guard- and relay-time of about 16% and 39.54%, respectively.


Biliary metal stent as a nidus for bile duct stone.
Several cases of recurrent stone formation caused by a surgical material as a nidus have been reported. Recently, we experienced one case in which a migrated metal stent might have been served as a nidus for common duct stone formation. The diagnosis was confirmed by ERCP, the stone was successfully removed with endoscopic therapy. Six years ago, she had undergone a lithotripsy using a percutaneous cholangioscopy (PTCS) because of intrahepatic bile duct stones. Six years later, she developed abdominal pain in the right upper quadrant. ERCP revealed the dilated extrahepatic bile duct and left intrahepatic bile duct and the presence of a large elongated freely mobile filling defect suggestive of common bile duct stone containing metal mesh in the distal common bile duct. The removed stone with endoscopic sphincterotomy was soft and dark brown in color with metal stent.


Eigenanalysis of selection ratios from animal radio-tracking data.
The development of methods to analyze habitat selection when resources are defined by several categories (e.g., vegetation types) is a topical issue in radio-tracking studies. The White and Garrott statistic, an extension of the widely used test of Neu et al., can be used to determine whether habitat selection is significant. As well, Manly's selection ratio, a particularly useful measure of resource selectivity by resource users, allows detection of the most strongly selected habitat types. However, when both the number of animals and types of habitat are large, the biologist often has to deal with an excessively large number of measures. In this paper we present a new method, the eigenanalysis of selection ratios, that generalizes these two common methods within the framework of eigenanalyses. This method undertakes an additive linear partitioning of the White and Garrott statistic, so that the difference between habitat use and availability is maximized on the first factorial axes. The eigenanalysis of selection ratios is therefore optimal in habitat selection studies. Although we primarily consider the case where the habitat availability is the same for all animals (design II), we also extend this analysis to the case where the habitat availability varies from one animal to another (design III). An application of this method is provided using radio-tracking data collected on 17 squirrels in five habitat types. The results indicate variability in habitat selection, with two groups of animals displaying two patterns of preference. This difference between the two groups is explained by the patch structure of the study area. Because this method is mainly exploratory, and therefore does not rely on any distributional assumption, we recommend its use in studies of habitat selection.


The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the length of stay following total hip and knee arthroplasty in a high volume elective orthopaedic unit.
Elective orthopaedic services have had to adapt to significant system-wide pressures since the emergence of COVID-19 in December 2019. Length of stay is often recognized as a key marker of quality of care in patients undergoing arthroplasty. Expeditious discharge is key in establishing early rehabilitation and in reducing infection risk, both procedure-related and from COVID-19. The primary aim was to determine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic length of stay following hip and knee arthroplasty at a high-volume, elective orthopaedic centre. A retrospective cohort study was performed. Patients undergoing primary or revision hip or knee arthroplasty over a six-month period, from 1 July to 31 December 2020, were compared to the same period in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. Demographic data, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, wait to surgery, COVID-19 status, and length of hospital stay were recorded. A total of 1,311 patients underwent hip or knee arthroplasty in the six-month period following recommencement of elective services in 2020 compared to 1,527 patients the year before. Waiting time to surgery increased in post-COVID-19 group (137 days vs 78; p < 0.001). Length of stay also significantly increased (0.49 days; p < 0.001) despite no difference in age or ASA grade. There were no cases of postoperative COVID-19 infection. Time to surgery and length of hospital stay were significantly higher following recommencement of elective orthopaedic services in the latter part of 2020 in comparison to a similar patient cohort from the year before. Longer waiting times may have contributed to the clinical and radiological deterioration of arthritis and general musculoskeletal conditioning, which may in turn have affected immediate postoperative rehabilitation and mobilization, as well as increasing hospital stay. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2021;2(8):655-660.


Diabetes-related Screw Loosening: The Distinction of Surgical Sites and the Relationship among Diabetes, Implant Stabilization and Clinical Outcomes.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is correlated with poor clinical outcomes in spinal surgery. However, the effect of it on screw stabilization has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the screw loosening rate and postoperative outcomes in diabetic patients and to identify potential risk factors associated with loosening. This was a retrospective study. Two hundred and forty-three patients who received cervical or lumbar internal fixation between 2015 and 2019 were enrolled. Screw loosening was assessed on radiography, and clinical outcomes were evaluated by the improvement of visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI) or Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores. The relationship of DM, screw loosening and clinical outcomes were analyzed with chi-square tests and regression analyses. One hundred and twenty-two patients (50.2%) with diabetes were included in this study. Diabetes led to the increase of the rate of screw loosening in the lumbar spine, while the loosening rate did not vary significantly in the cervical spine. The occurrence of screw loosening in the lumbar spine was more likely to be associated with clinical outcomes for motor performance including walking and sitting. However, no significant effect on JOA and VAS scores in the cervical spine of screw loosening was found. Moreover, the history of DM affected the outcomes of the patients who underwent spinal surgery. DM had an adverse effect on screw stabilization. The impaired improvement of clinical outcomes in diabetics after spinal surgery was related to screw loosening. In addition to the direct effects on operative wounds and neural function, the impact on the screws due to DM was also worth noting.


Vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor in polycystic ovary syndrome during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder that causes anovulation and consequent subfertility. It is well established that increased ovarian mass, supported by new blood vessel proliferation in stroma and theca, is a key feature of PCOS. Recent studies suggest a role for angiogenetic factors in this phenomenon. To evaluate of levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in serum and follicular fluid of PCOS patients during a controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. In 52 patients undergoing in vitro fertilization treatments, 26 PCOS patients and 26 controls, serum VEGF and bFGF levels were assessed before starting administration of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (day 0), on the day of administration of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and on the day of oocyte retrieval. Follicular fluid levels of the two growth factors were detected on the day of oocyte retrieval. PCOS patients showed higher serum VEGF levels than controls before starting FSH administration, on the day of hCG administration and on the day of oocyte retrieval. Serum VEGF levels showed a rise after hCG administration only in the PCOS patients. In addition, serum bFGF levels were higher in PCOS patients than in controls on the day of hCG administration and the day of oocyte retrieval. Furthermore, on the day of hCG administration, serum bFGF levels were directly correlated to the amount of FSH previously administered (p < 0.0001). In follicular fluid, higher VEGF and bFGF levels were found in PCOS patients than in controls. Furthermore, follicular-fluid bFGF concentrations were inversely correlated with the percentage of mature oocytes collected (p < 0.05). The present study revealed elevated levels of VEGF and bFGF in serum and follicular fluid in PCOS patients compared with controls. bFGF seems to be an FSH-dependent growth factor and its levels in follicular fluid are inversely correlated with the percentage of mature oocytes collected.


Mindfulness - part 3: don't give up.
In the first two parts of this series, we looked at what mindfulness is, reviewed some of the main benefits and identified fundamental mindfulness techniques.


The effects of patient-initiated phone confirmation strategies on appointment keeping at a hospital dental clinic.
This research reports the effectiveness of three interventions utilized to reduce broken appointments at a hospital dental clinic. Subjects in this study were 306 outpatients receiving dental care at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Prior to this investigation the clinic was not using any confirmation strategy; the no show rate was 30.2 percent (N=169). The first intervention was the traditional clinic-initiated phone reminder one day prior to the appointment; the second intervention made use of a mailed reminder, requesting patient-initiated confirmation by phone; and the third gave the same postcard reminder to the patient at the appointment desk, also requesting telephone confirmation. The two patient-initiated strategies were considered more consistent than the traditional phone reminders with the concept of patient responsibility for his own health care. The broken appointment rate for the phone reminder group was 23.5 percent, while for the postcard and the appointment card groups, the rates were 21.2 percent and 11.5 percent respectively. The rate for the appointment card group differed significantly from the phone reminder group and also from the baseline sample.


Permeability of dentine after Nd:YAG laser treatment: an in vitro study.
The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of Nd:YAG laser treatment on the permeability of dentine. Forty dentine discs were prepared by horizontal sectioning through the middle coronal third of freshly extracted non-carious third molars. After the removal of the pulp the discs were finished with 600 grit and divided into three test groups and one control group (n = 10). For the test group three different laser power settings were chosen: test group A: 3 x 60 sec, 60 mJ; test group B: 3 x 60 sec, 90 mJ; test group C: 3 x 60 sec, 120 mJ. No laser treatment was performed on the control group. In a two-chamber system the filtration rate of dentine tubules from an exactly defined area of the specimens was measured using a radioactive Ringer solution under a pressure of 30 cm H2O. Permeability measurements were carried out three times prior to lasing, three times immediately following laser treatment and six times after the application of phosphoric acid. Analysis of variance showed a significant influence of the Nd:YAG laser treatment on the permeability of dentine (P < 0.001). The mean quotient of non-treated control vs. lased dentine was 2.19 +/- 0.86 for the 60 mJ beam, 1.49 +/- 0.88 for the 90 mJ beam, and 2.04 +/- 2.17 for the 120 mJ beam. Etching the lased surfaces had a statistically significant influence on the permeability of the dentine only in the 60 mJ group (P < 0.001). The data show that the Nd:YAG laser treatment often increases the permeability of smear layer covered dentine but moderates the increase of permeability after etching the surface with phosphoric acid.


Determinants of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations in Infants and Toddlers.
Resurgence of rickets and recognition of excessive prevalence of hypovitaminosis D among all age groups in the western hemisphere have refocused attention on vitamin D nutrition. To examine the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D [25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] <30ng/mL] and characterize the determinants of 25(OH)D concentrations in 8- to 24-month-old healthy infants and toddlers living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were measured and dietary intake of vitamin D, mode of feeding, summertime sun exposure characteristics, and skin color (sun-reactive skin type and melanin index) were assessed. A total of 111 healthy 8- to 24-month-old children (mean age [±SD] 14.4 [±3.5] months; male, 51%; black, 67%) were studied. Serum 25(OH)D concentration was <30 ng/mL in 16% (n=18) of the children. Median (interquartile) 25(OH)D concentration was lower in children who were ≥ 13 months vs. <13 months of age [35 (31, 40.5) vs. 40 (35.8, 44.3) ng/mL, p=0.013]; with sun-reactive skin type IV and V vs. I, II, and III [36 (31, 41) vs. 44 (36.5, 48.5) ng/mL, p=0.001]; and examined during fall/winter vs. spring/summer [35.5 (32.5, 38.5) vs. 39 (32.5, 44) ng/mL, p=0.05]. Age and skin type were significant independent predictors of 25(OH)D. Concentrations of 25(OH)D tend to be lower in infants and toddlers during fall/winter, and in children who are older (≥13 months vs. <13 months of age) and have darker skin tone. Benefits of enhancement of 25(OH)D concentrations during fall/winter and in children with higher sun-reactive skin type need further exploration.


Risks of Adverse Events in Advanced CKD: The Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study.
People with advanced chronic kidney disease are at risk for the development of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), but also many other adverse outcomes, including cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and death. Determination of risk factors that explain the variability in prognosis and timing of these adverse outcomes can aid patient counseling and medical decision making. Prospective research cohort. 1,798 participants with estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs)<30mL/min/1.73m2 in the CRIC Study were followed up for a median of 5.5 years. Age, race, sex, eGFR, proteinuria, diabetes mellitus, body mass index, ejection fraction, systolic blood pressure, history of CVD, and smoking history. ESRD, CVD (congestive heart failure, stroke, myocardial infarction, and peripheral artery disease), and death. Baseline age of the cohort was 60 years, 46% were women, and 46% were African American. Although 52.3% of participants progressed to ESRD during follow-up, the path by which this occurred was variable. For example, predicted 1-year probabilities for a hypothetical 60-year-old white woman with eGFR of 30mL/min/1.73m2, urine protein excretion of 1.8g/d, and no diabetes or CVD (risk characteristics similar to the average participant) were 3.3%, 4.1%, and 0.3%, for first developing CVD, ESRD, and death, respectively. For a 40-year-old African American man with similar characteristics but higher systolic blood pressure, the corresponding 1-year probabilities were 2.4%, 13.2%, and 0.1%. For all participants, the development of ESRD or CVD increased the risk for subsequent mortality, with no differences by patient race or body mass index. The CRIC population was specifically recruited for kidney disease, and the vast majority had seen a nephrologist. The prognosis and timing of adverse outcomes in chronic kidney disease vary by patient characteristics. These results may help guide the development of personalized approaches for managing patients with advanced CKD.


Innervation of the levator ani and coccygeus muscles of the female rat.
In humans, the pelvic floor skeletal muscles support the viscera. Damage to innervation of these muscles during parturition may contribute to pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. Unfortunately, animal models that are suitable for studying parturition-induced pelvic floor neuropathy and its treatment are rare. The present study describes the intrapelvic skeletal muscles (i.e., the iliocaudalis, pubocaudalis, and coccygeus) and their innervation in the rat to assess its usefulness as a model for studies of pelvic floor nerve damage and repair. Dissection of rat intrapelvic skeletal muscles demonstrated a general similarity with human pelvic floor muscles. Innervation of the iliocaudalis and pubocaudalis muscles (which together constitute the levator ani muscles) was provided by a nerve (the "levator ani nerve") that entered the pelvic cavity alongside the pelvic nerve, and then branched and penetrated the ventromedial (i.e., intrapelvic) surface of these muscles. Innervation of the rat coccygeus muscle (the "coccygeal nerve") was derived from two adjacent branches of the L6-S1 trunk that penetrated the muscle on its rostral edge. Acetylcholinesterase staining revealed a single motor endplate zone in each muscle, closely adjacent to the point of nerve penetration. Transection of the levator ani or coccygeal nerves (with a 2-week survival time) reduced muscle mass and myocyte diameter in the iliocaudalis and pubocaudalis or coccygeus muscles, respectively. The pudendal nerve did not innervate the intrapelvic skeletal muscles. We conclude that the intrapelvic skeletal muscles in the rat are similar to those described in our previous studies of humans and that they have a distinct innervation with no contribution from the pudendal nerve.


Synteny between Arabidopsis thaliana and rice at the genome level: a tool to identify conservation in the ongoing rice genome sequencing project.
BLASTX alignment between 189.5 Mb of rice genomic sequence and translated Arabidopsis thaliana annotated coding sequences (CDS) identified 60 syntenic regions involving 4-22 rice orthologs covering < or =3.2 cM (centiMorgan). Most regions are <3 cM in length. A detailed and updated version of a table representing these regions is available on our web site. Thirty-five rice loci match two distinct A.thaliana loci, as expected from the duplicated nature of the A.thaliana genome. One A.thaliana locus matches two distinct rice regions, suggesting that rice chromosomal sequence duplications exist. A high level of rearrangement characterizing the 60 syntenic regions illustrates the ancient nature of the speciation between A.thaliana and rice. The apparent reduced level of microcollinearity implies the dispersion to new genomic locations, via transposon activity, of single or small clusters of genes in the rice genome, which represents a significant additional effector of plant genome evolution.


Draft Genome Sequence of the Pathogenic Fungus Scedosporium apiospermum.
The first genome of one species of the Scedosporium apiospermum complex, responsible for localized to severe disseminated infections according to the immune status of the host, will contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenicity of these fungi and also to the discovery of the mechanisms underlying their low susceptibility to current antifungals.


Bilateral nodular pulmonary tuberculomas simulating metastatic disease.
A 62-year-old lady presented with bilateral nodular lung opacities suspicious of metastatic disease on chest radiography and high-resolution CT. Histopathology, however, revealed caseating granulomas. The correct diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) was confirmed when she responded clinically and radiologically to antitubercular treatment. TB should be considered in the differential diagnosis of bilateral nodular opacities which is the usual presentation of secondary malignancies of lung.


Earlier-born secondary hair follicles exhibit phenotypic plasticity.
The mouse pelage is composed of four distinct hair types. The fact that the follicles that generate these hair types form in successive waves during late embryonic development suggested the model that distinct epigenetic states of the inductive mesenchyme fixed when the follicles are formed specify the distinctive hair morphologies. This model is inconsistent with the observation that many follicles produce different hair types in successive hair cycles. In this study, the characteristics of the hair follicles that switch between the production of different hair types were examined. These follicles were born earlier than those that do not switch between hair types and made longer hairs. They also expressed a higher level of Sox2 in the dermal papilla and had more DP cells per follicle. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that different birthdates specify the potential of different follicles. However, rather than directly specifying hair type, birthdate correlates with three types: guard hairs, a plastic population that can make awl, auchene or zigzag hairs, and a population that normally makes only zigzag hairs. Although Sox2 expression levels in the DP identify this subset during the morphogenetic cycle, Sox2 expression is not a fixed epigenetic state specified when the follicle is first formed.


Genetic analysis of the roles of BMP2, BMP4, and BMP7 in limb patterning and skeletogenesis.
Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family members, including BMP2, BMP4, and BMP7, are expressed throughout limb development. BMPs have been implicated in early limb patterning as well as in the process of skeletogenesis. However, due to complications associated with early embryonic lethality, particularly for Bmp2 and Bmp4, and with functional redundancy among BMP molecules, it has been difficult to decipher the specific roles of these BMP molecules during different stages of limb development. To circumvent these issues, we have constructed a series of mouse strains lacking one or more of these BMPs, using conditional alleles in the case of Bmp2 and Bmp4 to remove them specifically from the limb bud mesenchyme. Contrary to earlier suggestions, our results indicate that BMPs neither act as secondary signals downstream of Sonic Hedghog (SHH) in patterning the anteroposterior axis nor as signals from the interdigital mesenchyme in specifying digit identity. We do find that a threshold level of BMP signaling is required for the onset of chondrogenesis, and hence some chondrogenic condensations fail to form in limbs deficient in both BMP2 and BMP4. However, in the condensations that do form, subsequent chondrogenic differentiation proceeds normally even in the absence of BMP2 and BMP7 or BMP2 and BMP4. In contrast, we find that the loss of both BMP2 and BMP4 results in a severe impairment of osteogenesis.


Changes in Depression Subtypes Among Men in STAR*D: A Latent Transition Analysis.
The burden of depression in men is high. Current diagnostic criteria may not fully capture men's experience with depression. Descriptions of the heterogeneity in depression among men are lacking. The purpose of the study was to characterize latent subtypes of major depression and changes in these subtypes among men receiving citalopram in Level 1 of the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) trial. Latent transition analysis was applied to data from 387 men who completed baseline and Week 12 study visits in Level 1 of STAR*D. Items from the self-report version of the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology were used as indicators of latent depression subtypes. Four statuses were identified at baseline and Week 12. Baseline statuses were Mild (10% of men), Moderate (53%), Severe with Psychomotor Slowing (20%), and Severe with Psychomotor Agitation (17%). At Week 12, the statuses were Symptom Resolution (41%), Mild (36%), Moderate (18%), and Severe with Psychomotor Slowing (5%). Men in the Mild status were most likely to transition to Symptom Resolution (probability = 69%). Men in the Severe with Agitation status were least likely to transition to Symptom Resolution (probability = 0%). This work highlights the need to not focus solely on summary rating scores but to also consider patterns of symptoms when treating depression.


[Rheological characteristic of microemulsion including phosphatidycholine].
This study aimed to evaluate the rheological characteristic of W/O microemulsion. Using the Low Shear-30 Sinus Rheometer, we assessed the effects of water percentage in microemulsion on the apparent viscosity of microemulsion at different shear rates and temperature, and on the viscoelasticity of microemulsion. The results demonstrated that with the increase of water, the apparent viscosities at four different shear rates increased exponentially. The fitted curve between water percentage and the apparent viscosity (eta) at low shear rate was steeper than the others. We found that viscous component (eta') and elastic component (eta") also increased exponentially when water percentage was increasing. This communication addressed the relationship between water percentage and eta, and discussed the physical meaning of the elastic component. The results suggest that both the viscous component and the elastic component present qualitatively physical nature, but the viscous component is more accurate than the other.


[Prevalence and factors associated with hospital admissions in a population-based study in a southern Brazilian city].
This cross-sectional study investigates the use of health services and associated factors in individuals > or = 14 years of age in Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. 1,954 persons were interviewed in 40 census tracts. One-year prevalence of hospital admissions was 9.4%. Adjusted data analysis showed that hospitalization was associated with: age > or = 60 years (RP = 4.14; 95% CI: 2.07-8.25), physician visit in the previous two months (RP = 2.79; 95%CI: 2.03-3.83), and > or = 2 stressful life events (RP = 1.83; 95%CI: 1.19-2.80). Individual income of > or = 2.10 times the prevailing minimum wage was associated with decreased likelihood of hospitalization (RP = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.41-0.87). Prevalence of hospital admissions was consistent with other studies. Higher prevalence of hospitalization in lower-income groups may indicate decreased access to primary health care. Other possible factors are higher morbidity and severity of diseases among lower-income groups. Future research should focus on the relationship between morbidity and stressful life events.


Oxidatively induced structural alteration of glutamine synthetase assessed by analysis of spin label incorporation kinetics: relevance to Alzheimer's disease.
The activity of the astrocytic enzyme glutamine synthetase (GS) is decreased in the Alzheimer's disease brain, which may have relevance to mechanisms of chronic excitotoxicity. The molecular perturbation(s) that results in GS inactivation is not known, although oxidative lesioning of the enzyme is one likely cause. To assess structural perturbation induced in GS by metal-catalyzed oxidation, a series of spin-labeling studies were undertaken. Ovine GS was oxidized by exposure to iron/hydrogen peroxide and subsequently labeled with the thiol-specific nitroxide probe MTS [(1-oxyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-pyrroline-3-methyl)methanethiosulfonate]. The reaction of MTS with cysteine residues within GS was monitored in real time by electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometry. Structural perturbation of GS, manifested as decreased thiol accessibility, was inferred from an apparent decrease in the rate constant for the second-order reaction of MTS with protein thiols. A subsequent spin-labeling study was undertaken to compare the structural integrity of GS purified and isolated from Alzheimer's disease-afflicted brain (AD-GS) with that of GS isolated from nondemented, age-matched control brain (C-GS). The rate constant for reaction of MTS with AD-GS was markedly decreased relative to that for the reaction of spin label with C-GS. The kinetic data were partially corroborated by spectroscopic data obtained from circular dichroism analysis of control and peroxide-treated ovine GS. In an adjunct experiment, the interaction of GS with a synthetic analogue of the Alzheimer's-associated beta-amyloid peptide, known to induce free radical oxidative stress, indicated strong interaction of the enzyme with the peptide as reflected by a decrease in the rate constant for MTS binding to reactive protein thiols.


Comparison of multidimensional scaling and principal component analysis of interspecific variation in bacteria.
Multidimensional scaling (MDS) and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied to bacterial taxonomy. The biochemical profiles of 42 isolates consisting of four species of Enterobacteriaceae were used. Both MDS and PCA use proximity measures such as the correlation coefficient or Euclidean distance to generate a spatial configuration (map) of points in multidimensional space where distances between points reflect the similarity among isolates. Multidimensional scaling and principal component analysis were able to discriminate organisms in two dimensions. The test components of the MDS and PCA factors (derived variables composed of linear combination of biochemical tests) were different for a two-dimensional solution.


Parity Anomaly Cancellation in Three-Dimensional QED with a Single Massless Dirac Fermion.
We study three-dimensional noncompact QED with a single two-component massless fermion and two infinitely massive regulator fermions of half the charge using the lattice overlap formalism. The parity anomaly is expected to cancel exactly between the massless and regulator fermions in the continuum, but this cancellation is inexact on a lattice akin to lattice chiral gauge theories. We show nonperturbatively that parity-breaking terms vanish in the continuum limit at any finite volume. We present numerical evidence that the resulting parity-invariant theory spontaneously breaks parity in the infinite volume limit.


Breeding and day resting habitats of Anopheles dirus in Assam, India.
Longitudinal surveys at monthly frequency were carried out during 1995-1996 in a forest fringed village of district Dibrugarh, Assam to decipher the breeding and day resting habitats of Anopheles dirus. It regularly bred in small, shallow, rain filled, transient, shady or partly shady puddles/ground pools in the rainy months and in the perinneal streams in the adjoining forest of the village during dry months. In pools, the degree of interspecific association (0.238 +/- 0.174) and index of association (0.428) of An. dirus breeding was highest with Aedes caecus. An. dirus was completely exophilic and rested during day time in the forest mostly on tree trunks upto the height of 4-5 feet from the ground in dark moist niches avoiding direct sun light.


[Zoonotic poxviruses].
In the last few years, the mass media and also scientists have been showing an increasing interest in poxviruses. What kind of infections can be found in animals and men today? The following review gives an overview on current taxonomy, properties, epidemiology, and diagnosis of zoonotic poxviruses.


Base units of the SI, fundamental constants and modern quantum physics.
Over the past 40 years, a number of discoveries in quantum physics have completely transformed our vision of fundamental metrology. This revolution starts with the frequency stabilization of lasers using saturation spectroscopy and the redefinition of the metre by fixing the velocity of light c. Today, the trend is to redefine all SI base units from fundamental constants and we discuss strategies to achieve this goal. We first consider a kinematical frame, in which fundamental constants with a dimension, such as the speed of light c, the Planck constant h, the Boltzmann constant k(B) or the electron mass m(e) can be used to connect and redefine base units. The various interaction forces of nature are then introduced in a dynamical frame, where they are completely characterized by dimensionless coupling constants such as the fine structure constant alpha or its gravitational analogue alpha(G). This point is discussed by rewriting the Maxwell and Dirac equations with new force fields and these coupling constants. We describe and stress the importance of various quantum effects leading to the advent of this new quantum metrology. In the second part of the paper, we present the status of the seven base units and the prospects of their possible redefinitions from fundamental constants in an experimental perspective. The two parts can be read independently and they point to these same conclusions concerning the redefinitions of base units. The concept of rest mass is directly related to the Compton frequency of a body, which is precisely what is measured by the watt balance. The conversion factor between mass and frequency is the Planck constant, which could therefore be fixed in a realistic and consistent new definition of the kilogram based on its Compton frequency. We discuss also how the Boltzmann constant could be better determined and fixed to replace the present definition of the kelvin.


Dynamic modeling of an enzymatic membrane reactor for the treatment of xenobiotic compounds.
A membrane enzymatic reactor, consisting of a stirred tank coupled to an ultrafiltration membrane was set up for the enzymatic oxidation of xenobiotic compounds. The azo dye Orange II was selected for the model compound and manganese peroxidase for the oxidative enzyme. The ligninolytic cycle was initiated and maintained by the controlled addition of all factors (reactants, mediators, and stabilizers) at suitable rates. Considering the distinctiveness of this process, in which the substrate to be oxidized is not the primary substrate for the enzyme, a kinetic model was developed. The azo dye concentration and hydrogen peroxide addition rate were found to be the main factors affecting the process. The reaction kinetics was defined using a Michaelis-Menten model with respect to the Orange II concentration and a first-order linear dependence relative to the H(2)O(2) addition rate. The dynamic model, which takes into account both the kinetics and the hydraulics of the system, was validated by comparing the experimental results in continuous operation under steady and non-steady state to model predictions. In particular, the model predicted the behavior of the system when unexpected alterations in steady-state operation occurred. Furthermore, the model allowed us to obtain the most appropriate H(2)O(2)/Orange II ratio in the feed to maximize the process efficiency.


Characterization of the 5' flanking region and gene encoding the mouse interferon-gamma receptor.
The purpose of this investigation was to characterize the gene that encodes the receptor for mouse interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma R), including determination of its size, intronic boundaries and its transcription start points (tsp). The mouse IFN-gamma R gene is 22-kb long, with six introns that range in size from approx. 1 to 7 kb. The first six exons encode the extracellular and transmembrane (TM) domains of the protein, while the last exon of about 1 kb encodes most of the intracellular domain. No canonical TATA box can be found in the 5' flanking sequence of the gene, and primer extension analysis indicates multiple tsp. In addition, the gene's 5' promoter region was sequenced to identify candidate responsive elements that might regulate expression of the gene. Among the putative regulatory motifs identified by computer-assisted analysis are multiple SP1 and AP-2 sites, an NF1 and CCAAT box, as well as a potential cyclic AMP-responsive element (CRE).


Occupational manual activity is reflected on the patterns among hand entheses.
In anthropological sciences, entheses are widely utilized as occupational stress markers. However, the reaction of entheseal surfaces to mechanical loading is not well understood. Furthermore, previous studies on entheses relied on the individuals' occupation-at-death. Past research by one of us has identified two patterns among hand entheses, proposing that they reflect two synergistic muscle groups. Here, we investigate the association between these patterns and habitual manual activity using an extensively documented skeletal sample and a three-dimensional system of quantification. The hand bones utilized belong to 45 individuals from mid-19th century Basel. These were male adults (18 to 48 years old) who were not directly related, showed no manual pathological conditions, and whose occupational activities during their lifetime were clearly documented and could be evaluated according to historical sources. The patterns of entheses were explored using principal component analysis on both raw and size-adjusted variables. The influence of age-at-death, body mass, and bone length was assessed through correlation tests. The analysis showed that the previously proposed patterns of entheses are present in our sample. Individuals with the same or comparable occupations presented similar entheseal patterns. These results were not considerably affected by entheseal overall size, age-at-death, body mass, or bone length. Individuals involved in intense manual labor during their lifetime presented a distinctive pattern of hand entheses, consistent with the application of high grip force. By contrast, individuals with less strenuous and/or highly mechanized occupations showed an entheseal pattern related to the thumb intrinsic muscles.


Fitness for work: the SIMLII Health Surveillance Guidelines.
Italian legislation on prevention in occupational hygiene and safety, which is based largely on European Union Directives, requires health surveillance when risk assessment has identified a risk for workers' health. Health surveillance must be carried out by the occupational physician and concludes with the issue of a fitness for work certificate for the specific job. The guidelines produced by the "Italian Society of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene" (SIMLII), through the "Consortium for Accreditation and Updating in Occupational Medicine" founded by the "S. Maugeri Foundation of Pavia", Italy, focus firstly on the definition of judgment of fitness for a specific job. They outline the theoretical basis of the medico-legal terminology for fitness for work, which is founded on the concepts of suitability, fitness, capacity, ability, representing successive degrees of qualification and specific potential that the worker may attain during accomplishment of the tasks involved in the job. To assess fitness for a specific job, the occupational physician must consider whether the worker possesses the psycho-physical requisites normally needed to do the job, not the top levels of such requisites. The intrinsic characteristics of any judgment of fitness for work, namely its individual, probabilistic and time-dependent nature, are illustrated. The operative methodological model for making a judgment must include: assessment of the job and work environment, assessment of the worker through health surveillance, comparison and correlation of the two terms of the equation: human subject-work environment, the judgment thus made and the choice of any necessary measures and/or intervention. The methods for conducting the assessment process culminating in a judgement are presented, as stipulated in the pertinent legislation, and include the following conclusions: fitness, partial or total unfitness, temporary unfitness, fitness provided suitable prescriptions are observed,fitness provided some conditions are met. These definitions are analyzed in greater depth, especially the possible confusion between partial unfitness and fitness provided suitable prescriptions are observed. The employer or worker may lodge an appeal with the local health service inspection service against certain judgments of unfitness for work. Finally, as health surveillance is governed by different legal norms, the contents of which appear to be to some extent contradictory, even though aimed at safeguarding the dignity and freedom of the worker, the reasons why the occupational physician should take into account diseases apart from those of the organs exposed to specific risk are discussed. These should be borne in mind when issuing the specific fitness for work certificate at the end of preventive and periodical medical examinations.


High-frequency jet ventilation in a patient with sarcoidosis and bilateral bronchopleural fistulae.
A patient with sarcoidosis developed bilateral bronchopleural fistulae and was managed with high-frequency ventilation. A review of this technique along with other mechanical ventilatory measures is presented.


Once-daily intravenous cefazolin plus oral probenecid is equivalent to once-daily intravenous ceftriaxone plus oral placebo for the treatment of moderate-to-severe cellulitis in adults.
A once-daily regimen of cefazolin (2 g intravenously [iv]) plus probenecid (1 g by mouth) was compared with a once-daily regimen of ceftriaxone (1 g iv) plus oral placebo in a randomized, double-blind equivalence trial of home-based therapy for moderate-to-severe cellulitis in adults. For the assessable recipients of cefazolin-probenecid (n=59) and ceftriaxone-placebo (n=57), clinical cure occurred at the end of treatment in 86% and 96% (P=.11), respectively, and was maintained at 1 month of follow-up in 96% and 91% (P=.55), respectively. The mean number of treatment doses (+/-standard deviation) given was similar in the 2 treatment arms (6.97+/-2.6 for cefazolin-probenecid and 6.12+/-2.1 for ceftriaxone-placebo; P=.06). The median antibiotic trough concentrations were 2.35 microgram/mL for cefazolin and 15.45 microgram/mL for ceftriaxone. Patients in the 2 treatment arms were similar with regard to overall rates of adverse reaction (P=.15), but nausea was more common among those in the cefazolin-probenecid arm (P=.048). The once-daily regimen of cefazolin-probenecid is a cheap, practical, and effective treatment option for moderate-to-severe cellulitis, and it avoids the need to use third-generation cephalosporins in most patients.


Orthorhombic two-dimensional crystal form of purple membrane.
A new two-dimensional crystal form of purple membrane has been obtained in vitro. It is produced by the joint use of a cationic detergent, dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride, and the nonionic detergent, Triton X-100. It primarily forms large, rolled-up sheets that look like needles in the light microscope. Liposomes and tubes are also observed. The absorption maximum of the new form of purple membrane is blue-shifted by 6 nm and its density is slightly lower than the natural form of purple membrane. The new form of purple membrane is orthorhombic with space group p22121 and cell dimensions 57.6 x 73.5 A. Four molecules of bacteriorhodopsin occupy the unit cell with an area per molecule close to that found in the native p3 structure. The projected structure to 6.5-A resolution was determined by electron microscopy and diffraction. It shows an identical molecular structure to that of the p3 form and determines the position of the polypeptide boundary.


Evidence of Impact: iCCM as a strategy to save lives of children under five.
In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Rapid Access Expansion (RAcE) programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, and Nigeria to increase coverage of diagnostic, treatment, and referral services for malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea among children ages 2-59 months. In 2017, a final evaluation of the six RAcE sites was conducted to determine whether the programme goal was reached. A key evaluation objective was to estimate the reduction in childhood mortality and the number of under-five lives saved over the project period in the RAcE project areas. The Lives Saved Tool (LiST) was used to estimate reductions in all-cause child mortality due to changes in coverage of treatment for the integrated community case management (iCCM) illnesses - malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea - while accounting for other changes in maternal and child health interventions in each RAcE project area. Data from RAcE baseline and endline household surveys, Demographic and Health Surveys, and routine health service data were used in each LiST model. The models yielded estimated change in under-five mortality rates, and estimated number of lives saved per year by malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea treatment. We adjusted the results to estimate the number of lives saved by community health worker (CHW)-provided treatment. The LiST model accounts for coverage changes in iCCM intervention coverage and other health trends in each project area to estimate mortality reduction and child lives saved. Under five mortality declined in all six RAcE sites, with an average decline of 10 percent. An estimated 6200 under-five lives were saved by malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea treatment in the DRC, Malawi, Niger, and Nigeria, of which approximately 4940 (75 percent) were saved by treatment provided by CHWs. This total excludes Mozambique, where there were no estimated under-five lives saved likely due to widespread stockouts of key medications. In all other project areas, lives saved by CHW-provided treatment contributed substantially to the estimated decline in under-five mortality. Our results suggest that iCCM is a strategy that can save lives and measurably decrease child mortality in settings where access to health facility services is low and adequate resources for iCCM implementation are provided for CHW services.


RNAi: ancient mechanism with a promising future.
RNA interference (RNAi) is a gene silencing mechanism that has been conserved in evolution from yeast to man. Double stranded RNA, which is either expressed by cellular genes for small non-coding RNAs, by parasitic nucleic acids, such as viruses or transposons, or is expressed as an experimental tool, becomes processed into small RNAs, which induce gene silencing by a variety of different means. RNAi-induced gene silencing controls gene expression at all levels, including transcription, mRNA stability and translation. We are only beginning to understand the physiological roles of the RNAi pathway and the function of the many small non-coding RNA species, which are found in eukaryotic genomes. Here we review the known functions of genes in RNAi in various species, the experimental use and design of small RNAs as a genetic tool to dissect the function of mammalian genes and their potential as therapeutic agents to modulate gene expression in patients.


Lipase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Production in Escherichia coli and activation in vitro with a protein from the downstream gene.
The lipase gene from Pseudomonas aeruginosa TE3285 is followed by another gene, lipB. The lipase gene was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)pLysS using the T7 RNA polymerase expression system. The mature lipase was accumulated as inclusion bodies at 42% of the total cell proteins. The inclusion bodies were solubilized with 8 M urea, but lipase activity was not detected in the solubilized preparation containing 85% lipase protein even after removing urea by dialysis. The lipB gene, positioned downstream of the lipase gene and thought to be necessary for the expression of the lipase gene, was expressed in Escherichia coli JM109 as a fusion with the glutathione transferase gene from Schistosoma japonicum. The fusion protein was partially purified on glutathione-agarose beads to 36% purity. Incubated with the fusion protein at a molar ratio of 1:1 at 4 degrees C for 24 h, the solubilized lipase showed lipase activity of about a tenth that of the purified lipase prepared from Pseudomonas aeruginosa TE3285. Magnesium ions and ATP were not essential but increased the activation. When the fusion protein was treated with thrombin to release the glutathione transferase part, it retained its activity. The lipase activation with lipB protein probably proceeds to form a 1:1 complex with the inactive, solubilized lipase protein but by a different mode from known chaperones.


Clinical relevance of MRD in children undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation for ALL.
The toxicity and expense of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is such that it is currently reserved for the treatment of children deemed to be at unacceptable risk of relapse when treated with chemotherapy alone. Although ASCT carries at least 10% treatment-related mortality, the commonest cause of death in transplant recipients is relapse of the original disease. This chapter reviews the literature pertaining to the clinical significance of minimal residual disease (MRD) in ASCT. Particular emphasis is placed on the strong correlation between pre-transplant minimal residual disease burden and clinical outcome. Recommendations for the design of MRD-based therapeutic trials are given.


Evaluation of occupational health and safety risk factors in Turkish marine fish hatcheries.
In this study, the approaches of employees in marine fish hatcheries to occupational health and safety were determined. Cronbach's α coefficient was calculated as 0.858 in the reliability of the scale and scale factors based on internal consistency. In addition,factor analysis according to the varimax method was found to be approximately 64%. It was determined that 68% of the employees were not aware of the relevant laws. In addition,85% of the employees are aware of the dangers and risks in their workplaces. In the event of a negative situation in the workplace,the rate of those who know their legal rights is 73% (p ≤ 0.05). In addition,91% of the employees stated that they would use their right to object in a risky situation and quit the job. Sixty per cent of the employees stated that their jobs can satisfy them sociologically and economically throughout their life.


Machine Learning Model for Biomimetic Chromatography Peptide Ligands.
Purification is an essential part of antibody production, which are important therapeutic biomolecules. Common methods of antibody purification rely on affinity chromatography (AC), wherein whole proteins are oftentimes used as ligands to catch the antibodies to be purified. While AC has been successful in purifying antibodies, it is associated with multiple challenges such as high cost and low stability, among others. A promising alternative is using short peptide sequences in place of whole proteins as the stationary phase for the chromatographic separation of the antibodies. In an effort to accelerate the discovery and development of short peptides for biomimetic chromatography, this study reports the creation of a machine learning classification which was trained and tested on 480 tetrapeptides. The optimized logistic regression model uses Cruciani properties as the input variables and can categorize peptides into one of two classes based on their binding affinity with immunoglobulin G (IgG). The externally validated model demonstrates satisfactory predictive performance and excellent discrimination as demonstrated by performance metrics such as AUC = 0.874, Balanced Accuracy = 0.874, F1 = 0.871, Precision = 0.884, and Recall = 0.859. Apart from this, the classifier has also provided valuable insights into important variables that influence the classification, such as electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. Overall, the classifier can be regarded as a welcome development for biomimetic chromatography and is the first study that aims to integrate machine learning in the biomimetic chromatography peptide development process.


Neutron Reflectometry of an Anionic Surfactant at the Solid-Liquid Interface under Shear.
Neutron reflectometry with in situ rheology is used to measure the shear response of an adsorbed anionic surfactant (sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, AOT) at the alumina-water interface. A low surfactant concentration is measured where a single bilayer adsorbs at the interface as well as a higher concentration where a multilamellar structure forms. The low concentration structure does not change with the imposed shear (oscillatory or steady). However, the lamellar phase shows a loss of structure under both steady and oscillatory shear. There are differences between the steady and oscillatory cases, which are discussed, with both showing a strong dependence on the strain amplitude.


[Actual state of medical supply sterilization in Poland].
The analysis of condition of sterilization of medical supplies in Poland was done. It consider the problem of preparation of medical supplies to sterilization, methods of sterilization and control monitoring system in this matter. The results of this analysis suggest proposition for improving of activities in this field.


A neural-network-based method for predicting protein stability changes upon single point mutations.
One important requirement for protein design is to be able to predict changes of protein stability upon mutation. Different methods addressing this task have been described and their performance tested considering global linear correlation between predicted and experimental data. Neither is direct statistical evaluation of their prediction performance available, nor is a direct comparison among different approaches possible. Recently, a significant database of thermodynamic data on protein stability changes upon single point mutation has been generated (ProTherm). This allows the application of machine learning techniques to predicting free energy stability changes upon mutation starting from the protein sequence. In this paper, we present a neural-network-based method to predict if a given mutation increases or decreases the protein thermodynamic stability with respect to the native structure. Using a dataset consisting of 1615 mutations, our predictor correctly classifies >80% of the mutations in the database. On the same task and using the same data, our predictor performs better than other methods available on the Web. Moreover, when our system is coupled with energy-based methods, the joint prediction accuracy increases up to 90%, suggesting that it can be used to increase also the performance of pre-existing methods, and generally to improve protein design strategies. The server is under construction and will be available at http://www.biocomp.unibo.it


Effects of hydrocortisone and adrenaline on natural killer cell activity.
We have studied the effects of hydrocortisone and adrenaline on natural killer (NK) cell activity and on the distribution of circulating lymphocyte subpopulations in 30 patients undergoing elective partial laminectomy under general anaesthesia. The patients were allocated to receive adrenaline (group 1, n = 11), hydrocortisone and adrenaline (group 2, n = 11) or neither hydrocortisone nor adrenaline (group 3, n = 8). Group 1 and group 2 patients received local adrenaline infiltration during operation to reduce bleeding. The mean dose of adrenaline administered was 2.1 (SD 0.2) microgram kg-1. Group 2 received hydrocortisone 10 mg kg-1 i.v. after premedication. In groups 1 and 2, adrenaline produced an instantaneous increase in NK cell activity accompanied by a selective increase in circulating NK cells. The measurements returned to pre-infiltration levels within 120 min of administration of adrenaline. The effect of adrenaline in causing increased NK cell activity was not blocked by pre-administration of hydrocortisone. There was a significant decrease in the ratio of T-helper/inducer cells (CD4) to T-suppressor/cytotoxic cells (CD8) in all patients after induction of anaesthesia. In groups 1 and 3, the CD4/CD8 of anaesthesia. In groups 1 and 3, the CD4/CD8 cell ratio did not change significantly during operation. However, compared with groups 1 and 3, group 2 showed a significantly reduced CD4/CD8 cell ratio during operation. Therefore, these results suggest that even in cases of such severe stress that the immune response was depressed by increased serum cortisol concentrations, adrenaline-induced NK cell activity enhancement was preserved.


Target-Catalyzed DNA Four-Way Junctions for CRET Imaging of MicroRNA, Concatenated Logic Operations, and Self-Assembly of DNA Nanohydrogels for Targeted Drug Delivery.
Here we report a target-catalyzed DNA four-way junction (DNA-4WJ) on the basis of toehold-mediated DNA strand displacement reaction (TM-SDR), which is readily applied in enzyme-free amplified chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) imaging of microRNA. In this system, the introduction of target microRNA-let-7a (miR-let-7a) activates a cascade of assembly steps with four DNA hairpins, followed by a disassembly step in which the target microRNA is displaced and released from DNA-4WJ to catalyze the self-assembly of additional branched junctions. As a result, G-quadruplex subunit sequences and fluorophore fluorescein amidite (FAM) are encoded in DNA-4WJ in a close proximity, stimulating a CRET process in the presence of hemin/K(+) to form horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-mimicking DNAzyme that catalyzes the generation of luminol/H2O2 chemiluminescence (CL), which further transfers to FAM. The background signal is easily reduced using magnetic graphene oxide (MGO) to remove unreacted species through magnetic separation, which makes a great contribution to improve the detection sensitivity and achieves a detection limit as low as 6.9 fM microRNA-let-7a (miR-let-7a). In addition, four-input concatenated logic circuits with an automatic reset function have been successfully constructed relying on the architecture of the proposed DNA-4WJ. More importantly, DNA nanohydrogels are self-assembled using DNA-4WJs as building units after centrifugation, which are driven by liquid crystallization and dense packaging of building units. Moreover, the DNA nanohydrogels are readily functionalized by incorporating with aptamers, bioimaging agents, and drug loading sites, which thus are served as efficient nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery and cancer therapy with high loading capacity and excellent biocompatibility.


Using adhesives as a means to reduce costs and increase performance in the production of photovoltaic electricity.
Although adhesives have been used for many years to manufacture cars in more efficient ways, their potential has not yet been fully exploited by the renewable energy industry. We argue in this article that photovoltaic module manufacturers can save costs and differentiate from competition by careful selection and use of their bonding systems. Clever adhesives can enable new, more effective product designs and can play a major role in the longevity of the complete product.


Hybrid Molecules of Benzylguanidine and the Alkylating Group of Melphalan: Synthesis and Effects on Neuroblastoma Cells.
The therapy of neuroblastoma relies, amongst other things, on administering chemotherapeutics and radioactive compounds, e.g., the (meta-iodobenzyl)guanidine [131I]mIBG. For special applications (conditioning before stem cell transplantation), busulfan and melphalan (M) proved to be effective. However, both drugs are not used for normal chemotherapy in neuroblastoma because of their side effects. The alkylating drug melphalan contains a (Cl-CH2-CH2-)2N- group in the para-position of the phenyl moiety of the essential amino acid phenylalanine (Phe) and can, therefore, be taken up by virtually all kinds of cells by amino acid transporters. In contrast, mIBG isotopologs are taken up more selectively by neuroblastoma cells via the noradrenaline transporter (NAT). The present study aimed at synthesising and studying hybrid molecules of benzylguanidine (BG) and the alkylating motif of M. Such hybrids should combine the preferential uptake of BGs into neuroblastoma cells with the cytotoxicity of M. Besides the hybrid of BG with the dialkylating group (Cl-CH2-CH2-)2N- bound in the para-position as in M (pMBG), we also synthesised mMBG, which is BG meta-substituted by a (Cl-CH2-CH2-)2N- group. Furthermore, two monoalkylating hybrid molecules were synthesised: the BG para-substituted by a (Cl-CH2-CH2-)NH- group (pM*BG) and the BG meta-substituted by a (Cl-CH2-CH2-)NH- group (mM*BG). The effects of the four new compounds were studied with human neuroblastoma cell lines (SK-N-SH, Kelly, and LS) with regard to uptake, viability, and proliferation by standard test systems. The dialkylating hybrid molecules pMBG and mMBG were at least as effective as M, whereas the monoalkylating hybrid molecules pM*BG and mM*BG were more effective than M. Considering the preferred uptake via the noradrenaline transporter by neuroblastoma cells, we conclude that they might be well suited for therapy.


Two potent cytochrome P450 2D6 inhibitors found in Rhodiola rosea.
Throughout the world, in particular in Russia, Northern Europe and China, Rhodiola species are used as herb supplements. Previously, we found that the extract of Rhodiola rosea, one of the most widely used Rhodiola species, had an inhibitory effect on the catalytic activity of cytochrome P450 2D6. Here, its inhibitory components were identified. A human liver microsomal in vitro system was used with dextromethorphan as substrate. The production rate of destrorphan, a metabolite of dextromethorphan, was used to measure enzyme activity. The concentration of destrorphan in the samples was measured using LC-MS/MS. Inhibitory activity of eight main components from Rhodiola rosea was evaluated. Rhodiosin and rhodionin showed inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 0.761 microM and 0.420 microM, respectively. The other components showed no obvious inhibition (with a residual enzyme activity of more than 90%). Both rhodiosin and rhodionin were determined to be non-competitive inhibitors with Ki values of 0.769 microM and 0.535 microM. Two of the main Rhodiola rosea compounds, rhodiosin and rhodionin, can inhibit cytochrome P450 2D6 non-competitively with high specificity which could have implications for interactions with co-administered drugs.


Photobiomodulation: Evolution and Adaptation.
Photobiomodulation (PBM) can be described as the intentional use of low-power laser or light-emitting diode light in the visible and near-infrared light spectra as a medical treatment to living biological tissues. This article describes the evolution of photochemical reactions on Earth, the mitochondria, and their implications in PBM; the science of light and energy (necessary to understand the mechanisms of PBM); and the clinical science of light as therapeutic medicine. Finally, selected reviews of current treatment protocols and ongoing research regarding the possibilities for the use of PBM in the human body are examined.


A randomized study of low-dose conjugated estrogens on sexual function and quality of life in postmenopausal women.
To evaluate the effects of combined vaginal and oral low-dose estrogen plus progestogen therapy (EPT) on the frequency and severity of dyspareunia, sexual function, and quality of life in recently postmenopausal women. This outpatient, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial enrolled 285 healthy, sexually active postmenopausal women aged 45 to 65 years. Women received either one daily oral low-dose conjugated estrogens (0.45 mg)/medroxyprogesterone (1.5 mg) tablet for six 28-day cycles along with 1 g conjugated estrogens vaginal cream (0.625 mg), intravaginally for the first 6 weeks of the trial or a placebo cream and placebo tablet. Efficacy was evaluated using the McCoy Female Sexuality Questionnaire, self-reported daily diary cards, the Brief Index of Sexual Functioning-Women (BISF-W), and the Women's Health Questionnaire. The EPT group had a significant decrease in the frequency of dyspareunia compared with baseline and placebo in an analysis of responses to the McCoy Female Sexuality Questionnaire. Also, EPT was associated with a significant improvement in a woman's level of sexual interest, frequency of orgasm, and pleasure of orgasm. There was no effect of EPT use on coital frequency. The EPT group had significant improvement in receptivity/initiation and relationship satisfaction, although not in other BISF-W domains, versus placebo (BISF-W analysis) and significant improvement versus placebo on most Women's Health Questionnaire responses. EPT provided a statistically significant improvement compared with placebo in dyspareunia, sexual experience, and quality of life as measured in this study. In general, EPT also improved self-reported sexual perception and enjoyment significantly compared with placebo.


Resilience in Patients With Lung Cancer: Structural Equation Modeling.
Resilience is important for patients with cancer. However, the relationships among factors affecting the resilience of patients with lung cancer have not been studied sufficiently. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationships among social support, resilience, self-efficacy, and symptom distress among patients with lung cancer. Through simple random sampling, 303 patients with lung cancer from 4 tertiary hospitals in Changsha, China, were recruited for a cross-sectional descriptive correlational survey. Data were collected using demographic and disease-related information, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Strategies Used by People to Promote Health, the Perceived Social Support Scale, and the Symptom Distress Scale. Patients' mean total resilience score was 50.01 ± 15.25. The fit indices for the model indicated a good fit. Social support had multiple effects on resilience; specifically, it had direct and indirect effects through the mediating role of self-efficacy. Symptom distress had only an indirect effect on resilience through self-efficacy. Social support, symptom distress, and self-efficacy are key factors associated with resilience in patients with lung cancer. These factors had direct and indirect effects on each other and on resilience. To enhance resilience among patients with lung cancer, interventions that strengthen self-efficacy, provide social support, and reduce symptom distress should be developed.


Characteristics of stem cells derived from rat fascia: in vitro proliferative and multilineage potential assessment.
Fascia‑derived stem cells (FDSCs) were previously isolated from the fascia of the gluteus maximus of the rat. However, the use of FDSCs as a cell source for musculoskeletal tissue engineering has not been compared with that of adipose‑derived stem cells (ADSCs) and bone marrow‑derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Therefore, the present study aimed to compare the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) and self‑renewal stem cell markers, proliferative capacity and multilineage differentiation potential of these stem cells in vitro. The MSC and embryonic stem cell (ESC) marker profiles were compared using flow cytometry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Their proliferative capacities were compared using 5‑bromo‑2'‑deoxyuridine and MTT assays. Their osteogenic, adipogenic and chondrogenic differentiation potentials were compared using standard staining assays and qPCR. The FDSCs possessed similar cell morphology and immunophenotypic profiles with BMSCs and ADSCs. FDSCs demonstrated a similar expression pattern of ESC markers with ADSCs, which has higher expression of sex determining region Y‑box (Sox)2 and octamer‑binding transcription factor 4, and lower expression of Krüppel‑like factor 4, when compared with BMSCs. FDSCs exhibited higher proliferation under serum‑deprived conditions (0.5% FBS growth medium), and attained higher expression levels of collagen type I, α 2 and type II, α 1 as well as Sox9 mRNA than ADSCs and BMSCs upon chondrogenic induction. An increased amount of proteoglycan deposition was also observed in the FDSC group. However, lower levels of adipogenic and osteogenic marker expression in FDSCs were detected compared with ADSCs and BMSCs upon adipogenic and osteogenic induction, respectively. FDSCs possessed high chondrogenic potential, low osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation potential and were responsive to the induction signals for collagen‑rich fascial structure regeneration. Therefore, FDSCs may represent an improved alternative cell source to conventional ADSCs and BMSCs for musculoskeletal tissue repair and tissue engineering, particularly for collagen‑rich structures with poor vasculature.


Crosscorrelation analysis of intracolumnar neuronal connectivity in area 17 of binocularly deprived cats.
Eight cats were binocularly deprived of pattern vision by rearing in masks from the time of eye opening. Twenty five groups of 3 neurons and 28 neuronal pairs were studied in visual orientation columns of their striate cortices. The crosscorrelograms of neuronal discharges were analyzed and the inference of underlying interneuronal connectivity was made. The results were compared with the normal cats data obtained earlier in an identical experiment. Total number of existing interactions was only slightly reduced: from 95010 of analyzed pairs in normal cats to 90 percent in deprived animals. The most pronounced effect of visual deprivation was the reduction of the percentage of neuronal pairs that shared the same source of input from 61 to 34 percent. The proportion of direct excitatory connections was not affected, while an increase in the number of inhibitory correlations was found.


A special probe for the coronary anastomosis.
The author has designed a probe which facilitates coronary artery anastomosis, especially at the heel and toe, by fulfilling all 3 criteria necessary for an optimal execution of the small vessel anastomosis.


Heart rate reserve is equivalent to %VO2 reserve, not to %VO2max.
Percentage of heart rate reserve (%HRR) is widely considered to be equivalent to % of maximal oxygen consumption (%VO2max) for exercise prescription purposes. However, this relationship has not been established in the literature, and a theoretically stronger case can be made for an equivalency between %HRR and %VO2 Reserve (%VO2R) (i.e., the difference between resting and maximal VO2). The current study hypothesized that %HRR is equivalent to %VO2R, not %VO2max, and that the discrepancy between %HRR and %VO2max would be inversely proportional to fitness level. Sixty-three adults performed incremental maximal exercise tests on an electrically braked cycle ergometer. HR and VO2 at rest, at the end of each stage of exercise, and at maximum were used to perform linear regressions on %HRR versus %VO2max, and %HRR versus %VO2R for each subject. For %HRR versus %VO2max, the mean intercept and slope were -11.6 +/- 1.0 and 1.12 +/- 0.01, respectively, which were significantly different (P < 0.001) from 0 and 1, respectively. For %HRR versus %VO2R, the mean intercept and slope were -0.1 +/- 0.6 and 1.00 +/- 0.01, respectively, which were not distinguishable from the line of identity. There was a significant (P < 0.01) inverse relationship between fitness level (VO2max) and the discrepancy between %HRR and %VO2max. In conclusion, %HRR should not be considered equivalent to %VO2max. Rather, %HRR is equivalent to %VO2R, and this relationship should be used in exercise prescription.


Performing Logical Operations with Stimuli-Responsive Building Blocks.
Chemical logic gates can be fabricated by synthesizing molecules that have the ability to detect external stimuli (e.g., temperature or pH) and provide logical outputs. It is, however, challenging to fabricate a system that consists of many logic gates using this method: complex molecules can be difficult to synthesize and these logic gates typically cannot be integrated together. Here, we fabricated different types of logic gates by assembling a combination of different types of stimuli-responsive hydrogels that change their size under the influence of one type of stimulus. Importantly, the preparation of these stimuli-responsive hydrogels is widely reported and technically simple. Through designing the geometry of the systems, we fabricated the YES, NOT, OR, AND, NOR, and NAND gates. Although the hydrogels respond to different types of stimuli, their outputs are the same: a change in size of the hydrogel. Hence, we show that the logic gates can be integrated easily (e.g., by connecting an AND gate to an OR gate). In addition, we fabricated a standalone system with the size of a normal drug tablet (i.e., a "smart tablet") that can analyze (or diagnose) different stimuli and control the release of a chemical (or drug) via the logic gates.


Ferroelectric Size Effects on Statics and Dynamics of Domain Wall.
Domain walls separating differently oriented polarization regions of ferroelectric materials are known to greatly impact nanoscale materials and device functionalities. Though the understanding of size effects in ferroelectric nanostructures has progressed, the effect of thickness downsizing on domain wall scaling behavior has remained unexplored. Using piezoresponse force microscopy, epitaxial BaTiO3 film thickness size (2-90 nm) effects on the critical scaling universality of the domain wall dynamical creep and static roughness exponents including dimensionality is demonstrated. Independently estimated static roughness exponents ranging between 0.34 and 0.28 and dynamical creep exponents transition from 0.54 to 0.22 elucidate the domain wall dimensionality transition from two- to quasi-one-dimension in the thickness range of 10-25 nm, which is later validated by evaluating effective dimensionality within the paradigm of random-bond universality. The observed interdimensional transition is further credenced to the compressive strain and long-range strain-dipolar interactions, as revealed by the structural analyses and additional measurements with modified substrate-induced strain. These results provide new insights into the understanding of size effects in nanoscale ferroelectricity, paving the way toward future nanodevices.


Use of the Reviscometer for measuring cosmetics-induced skin surface effects.
The Reviscometer RVM600 that measures resonance running time (RRT) has been shown to be inversely related to the skin stiffness. However, very few publications describe the use of this instrument for testing the effect of cosmetic products. Slight xerotic skin condition was induced by using an alkaline soap for 1 week. Skin has then been rehydrated with a lotion or further dehydrated and dried with sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Skin condition at the different stages of the study was evaluated by visual assessment for dryness and redness and by non-invasive methods (Corneometer, Cutometer, Reviscometer, Evaporimeter and squamometry). All methods showed highly significant changes after the slight drying phase with the soap usage. They illustrated skin repair after lotion treatment and further skin impairment after SLS application. Nevertheless, the Reviscometer was able to better statistically discriminate between the treatments (water, lotion, SLS) than the Cutometer . Measurement of the RRT along the transversal axis of the forearms was the most sensitive for differentiating between normal and dry skin and between the treatments on the basis of skin mechanical properties. The Reviscometer RVM600 is a sensitive instrument able to detect slight skin surface effect of cosmetics. Combined with published literature on the interpretation of RRT measurements on polymeric gel or in different skin conditions (elderly skin and photoaged skin), the Reviscometer looks to be a recommendable instrument to measure slight changes in SC stiffness/suppleness induced by cosmetic products.


The production and characterization of a BoFLC2 introgressed Brassica rapa by repeated backcrossing to an F1.
Flowering time is an important agronomic trait for Brassica rapa crops, and previous breeding work in Brassica has successfully transmitted other important agronomic traits from donor species. However, there has been no previous attempts to produce hybrids replacing the original Brassica FLC alleles with alien FLC alleles. In this paper, we introduce the creation of a chromosome substitution line (CSSL) containing a homozygous introgression of Flowering Locus C from Brassica oleracea (BoFLC2) into a B. rapa genomic background, and characterize the CSSL line with respect to the parental cultivars. The preferential transmission of alien chromosome inheritance and the pattern of transmission observed during the production of the CSSLs are also discussed.


Screening for Electrophysiological Abnormalities in Chronic Hepatitis C Infection: Peripheral Neuropathy and Optic Neuropathy.
To investigate the existence of peripheral and optic neuropathies in asymptomatic individuals with hepatitis C infection. Thirty consecutive patients who were followed in a hepatitis C outpatient clinic were recruited for electrophysiological evaluation together with 30 age- and gender-compatible healthy controls. All patients had a detailed neurological examination. The information regarding the disease duration and management with interferons were collected. Nerve conduction studies and visual evoked potentials (VEP) were recorded in all subjects. The results of the patient and control groups were statistically compared. Of the patients with hepatitis C infection, 16 were females and 14 males. The mean age was 57.5 years, and the average disease duration was 6.43 years. The P100 latencies in the patient group were within normal limits, while the amplitudes were meaningfully small by comparison with the controls. There were some abnormalities in the nerve conduction studies of 15 patients. Sensorial neuropathy was detected in two patients, sensorimotor polyneuropathy in four, carpal tunnel syndrome in seven, and carpal tunnel syndrome and sensorimotor polyneuropathy as comorbid states in another two patients. The nerve conduction studies and VEP parameters were entirely normal in the control group. Hepatitis C-related neurological abnormalities may occur both in the central and peripheral nervous system. Mononeuritis multiplex, sensorial axonal neuropathy, and multiple mononeuropathies are some of the presentations of the peripheral nervous system involvement. The mode of infection is considered to be via vasculitic mechanisms. In addition, optic neuropathy is a known complication of interferon treatment. Autoantibodies, cytokines, chemokines, and cryoglobulins are accused to play roles in the pathogenesis. In this study, we investigated the involvement of the peripheral nervous system and optic nerves in a group of patients with hepatitis C. The results were in favor of peripheral nerve injury of various types and optic neuropathy of the axonal type.