Thoracic calcifications in childhood.
Thoracic calcifications are found in the following locations: mediastinum, lung, pleura, cardiovascular system, and thoracic wall. The calcifications of the mediastinum include mostly inflammatory lesions and malignant neoplasms. Pulmonary calcifications are mainly inflammatory lesions and metastases of osteosarcomas. Where the cardiovascular system is concerned, the most common calcifications are those of the heart relating to tumors or surgery. Calcifications of the aortic wall and valve calcifications can be found. In the thoracic wall there are calcifications of the bone and of soft tissues. The knowledge of shape and location is very useful for the diagnosis of the underlying disease. Calcifications in the thorax are frequently manifestations of previous infectious processes. Less often, they may be due to neoplasms, metabolic disorders, or previous medical therapy.


A Multi-View Stereo Measurement System Based on a Laser Scanner for Fine Workpieces.
A new solution to the high-quality 3D reverse modeling problem of complex surfaces for fine workpieces is presented using a laser line-scanning sensor. Due to registration errors, measurement errors, deformations, etc., a fast and accurate method is important in machine vision measurement. This paper builds a convenient and economic multi-view stereo (MVS) measurement system based on a linear stage and a rotary stage to reconstruct the measured object surface completely and accurately. In the proposed technique, the linear stage is used to generate the trigger signal and synchronize the laser sensor scanning; the rotary stage is used to rotate the object and obtain multi-view point cloud data, and then the multi-view point cloud data are registered and integrated into a 3D model. The measurement results show a measurement accuracy of 0.075 mm for a 360° reconstruction in 34 s, and some evaluation experiments were carried out to demonstrate the validity and practicability of the proposed technique.


The hess screen test.
The Hess screen test was designed by Walter Rudolf Hess in 1908 with subsequent modifications.(1, 2) Hess was a famous neurophysiologist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1949 for his research into the functional organization of the vegetative nervous system.(3, 4) The original test used a black screen on which was marked a square-meter tangent scale. The tangent nature of the coordinate lines converts equidistant points, seen in a virtual sphere like a perimeter, into a two-dimensional chart. The test relies on color dissociation using red/green complementary filters. This maximizes the ocular deviation. A red target is illuminated or projected at the juncture where each tangent line crosses. A green light is projected by the patient and each plot is recorded. The test is repeated for the opposite eye resulting in a chart showing an inner and outer range of ocular rotation for each eye.


Health information systems evaluation: a focus on clinical decision supports system.
In a review of selected literature on Health Information Systems (HIS) evaluation, a specific focus on Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) is taken because of their relative popularity. This paper discusses the issues and problems of CDSS evaluation such as methods, adoption and barriers. The limited use and evaluation of CDSS are still debated. Clinical evaluations of CDSS performed in the actual clinical settings may provide better understanding of their adoption, particularly in the diagnostic function. New HIS evaluation frameworks that incorporate technological, human and organisational issues may be useful to complement existing ones.


Effect of repeated administration of clenbuterol on the regulation of beta-adrenoceptors in the central nervous system of the rat.
The effect of the centrally acting beta-adrenoceptor agonist clenbuterol on beta-adrenergic responsiveness, beta-receptor density and N-protein coupling was studied in the rat cerebral cortex (which contains primarily beta 1-receptors) and cerebellum (containing mostly beta 2-receptors). The objective was to determine whether clenbuterol's effect on these variables was similar to that produced by standard antidepressants. When given to rats repeatedly, clenbuterol caused a decrease in beta-adrenergic responsiveness in slices from either the cerebral cortex or the cerebellum. The decreased beta-responsiveness in the cerebellum was associated with a decrease both in the density of beta-receptors and in receptor/N-protein coupling. In the cortex, only reduced receptor/N-protein coupling was observed by in vitro ligand-binding methods. However, when quantitative autoradiography was employed, clenbuterol treatment was found to reduce the binding of [125I]iodopindolol to beta 2-receptors throughout the brain, whereas binding to beta 1-receptors was not reduced. The down-regulation of beta 2-receptors by clenbuterol is due to its acting centrally as a beta 2-agonist. Although clenbuterol has about an equal affinity for beta 1-receptors and beta 2-receptors, no evidence was found for agonist activity of this drug at beta 1-receptors in the cerebral cortex. The strategies described here should be helpful in investigating important properties of centrally acting beta-agonists that might have potential as antidepressants.


Emerging technologies in colorectal cancer screening.
CRC is a preventable disease through early detection, yet screening rates remain low and mortality rates remain high. The discomfort associated with the preparation and performance of some of the currently available screening modalities and the lack of public awareness about CRC and screening procedures likely account for low rates of screening. CT colonography and stool DNA testing are new promising screening technologies that are less invasive, accurate, and suitable for the public more than the current screening procedures. Before both tests can be promoted for population-based screening programs, several issues that have been detailed in this article must be addressed further, including technical improvements for improving accuracy, development of virtual preparation, test availability, patient and provider acceptability and cost-effectiveness for CTC, and identifying the optimal combination of molecular targets for stool DNA testing. The year 2005 will tell us if the ideal technology from the public health point of view was achieved. A skill-independent, anesthesia-free, self-propelling, self-navigating miniaturized endoscopic device that may move along the entire length of the colon may change the natural history of CRC. We should aim to achieve a new definition of CRC--a rare disease occurring in a subset of the population who has not been screened for the disease.


[Cell receptors: major concepts].
There are two large categories of cell receptors, nuclear receptors and membrane receptors. Nuclear receptors are activated by steroid hormones and vitamin A. They lead to profound and lasting modifications in gene expression. Membrane receptors are activated by numerous chemical, biochemical and physical signals. They lead to immediate and often brief modifications in cell function. Recently acquired knowledge of the molecular structure of these receptors has led to striking advances in understanding their dysfunction and to the possibility of genetic diagnosis in patients and their families. These disorders manifest either by constitutive activation of the receptor, leading to endocrine tumoural afflictions, or, more often, by a functional anomaly of the receptor leading to resistance to endogenic and exogenic hormones.


Working Around the Clock: The Association between Shift Work, Sleep Health, and Depressive Symptoms among Midlife Adults.
Shift work is an integral part of living in a 24-hour society. However, shift work can disrupt circadian rhythms, negatively impacting health. Guided by the Stress Process Model (SPM), this study examines the association between shift work and depressive symptoms and investigates whether sleep health (duration, quality, and latency) mediates this relationship among midlife adults. Utilizing data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort (N = 6,372), findings show that working evening, night, and irregular shifts is associated with increased depressive symptoms. The results also show that part of the association between shift work and depressive symptoms among night and irregular shift workers, is indirect, operating through short sleep during the week and on the weekend. Although shift work can negatively affect mental health, getting more restorative sleep may mitigate part of the harmful mental health consequences of non-standard work schedules.


Development of cultivation technique for pure Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes.
Pure gametocyte culture of Plasmodium falciparum, isolate KT3, from Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand, was successfully established by 5% sorbitol treatment on days 9, 10 and 11 following initiation of culture. Using medium supplemented with 15% human plasma and activated erythrocytes, daily medium change was not required during the cultivation. There was 99% reduction in the numbers of asexual parasites in the culture but the numbers of gametocytes were not affected. Furthermore, the gametocytes could undergo their usual morphological development with retention of function as demonstrated by the appearance of exflagellating microgametocytes, macrogametocytes and of oocyst formation in midgut of infected mosquito.


Production of a Functional Frozen Yogurt Fortified with Bifidobacterium spp.
Frozen dairy products have characteristics of both yogurt and ice cream and could be the persuasive carriers of probiotics. Functions of the frozen yogurt containing viable bifidobacterial cells are recognized and favored by the people of all ages. We developed a kind of yogurt supplemented by Bifidobacterium species. Firstly, five strains of Bifidobacterium spp. (Bifidobacterium bifidum ATCC 11547, Bifidobacterium longum ATCC 11549, Bifidobacterium infantis ATCC 11551, Bifidobacterium adolescentis ATCC 11550, and Bifidobacterium breve ATCC 11548) were evaluated based on the feasibility criteria of probiotics, comprising acid production, bile tolerance, and adhesion to epithelial cells. Formerly, we combined the optimum strains with yogurt culture (Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus EMCC 11102 and Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus EMCC 11044) for producing frozen yogurt. Finally, physiochemical properties and sensory evaluation of the frozen yogurt were investigated during storage of 60 days at -18°C. Results directed that Bifidobacterium adolescentis ATCC 11550 and Bifidobacterium infantis ATCC 11551 could be utilized with yogurt culture for producing frozen yogurt. Moreover, the frozen yogurt fermented by two bifidobacterial strains and yogurt culture gained the high evaluation in the physiochemical properties and sensory evaluation. In summary, our results revealed that there was no significant difference between frozen yogurt fermented by Bifidobacterium spp. and yogurt culture and that fermented by yogurt culture only.


Increasing negative lymph node count predicts favorable OS and DSS in breast cancer with different lymph node-positive subgroups.
Adequate lymph node evaluation is recommended for optimal staging in patients with malignant neoplasms including breast cancer. However, the role of negative lymph nodes (LNs) remains unclear in breast cancer according to N substage (N1, N2, and N3). In this study, for the first time, we analyzed the prognostic significance of negative LNs in breast cancer patients. A critical relationship was observed between negative LN count and survival, independent of patient characteristics and other related molecular variables including estrogen receptor (PR) status, progesterone receptor (ER) status, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status, depth of tumor invasion and degree of differentiation. This research is of great importance in providing more information about the prognosis of breast cancer by statistical analysis of negative lymph nodes and can serve as a useful supplement to the current pathological system.


Prevalence of Vitamin D Inadequacy Among Chinese Postmenopausal Women: A Nationwide, Multicenter, Cross-Sectional Study.
Purpose: We aimed to investigate the status of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] among Chinese postmenopausal women in a multicenter cross-sectional study. Methods: Non-institutionalized postmenopausal women aged ≥55 years were recruited from urban and rural areas in 7 geographically different regions in China. Subject enrollment was executed during the summer and the winter. Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency were defined as 25(OH)D < 30 and< 20 ng/ml, and was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Women were referred to a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) if they had a medium-to-high fracture risk suggested by Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA). Results: Among all subjects, 91.2% (1,535/1,684, 95%CI: 89.7, 92.5) had vitamin D insufficiency and 61.3% had vitamin D deficiency (1,033/1,684, 95%CI: 59.0, 63.7). The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was significantly higher in urban dwellers (64.9 vs. 57.7% in rural, P = 0.002) and in winter-enrolled subjects (84.7 vs. 41.3% in summer, P < 0.0001). The prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy did not increase in trend by latitude and was numerically lower in women who had high fracture risk and osteoporosis. A non-curvilinear change of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels was observed at 25(OH)D >16.78 ng/mL. Conclusions: The prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy was remarkable among Chinese postmenopausal women and independent of fracture risk assessed by OSTA or osteoporosis suggested by DXA. Winter season, urban residence, however not latitude, were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of vitamin D deficiency. Optimal vitamin D status for iPTH and bone-related outcomes merits further investigation in this population.


Management of Post-Amputation Pain.
The prevalence of amputation and post-amputation pain (PAP) is rising. There are two main types of PAP: residual limb pain (RLP) and phantom limb pain (PLP), with an estimated 95% of people with amputations experiencing one or both. Medical Management: The majority of chronic PAP is due to phantom limb pain, which is neurogenic in nature. Common medications used include tricyclic antidepressants, gabapentin, and opioids. Newer studies are evaluating alternative drugs such as ketamine and local anesthetics. Rehabilitation Management: Mirror visual feedback and cognitive behavioral therapy are often effective adjunct therapies and have minimal adverse effects. Surgical Management: Neuromodulatory treatment and surgery for neuromas have been found to help select patients with PAP. PAP is a complex condition with mechanisms that can be located at the residual limb, spinal cord, and brain - or a combination. This complex pain can be difficult to treat. The mainstays of treatment are largely medical, but several surgical options are also being studied.


[New applications of submicroscopic techniques in the study of biodegradation caused by lichen thalli].
The advances that have been made on the effect of lichens on rock substrate have been numerous. The first techniques used in order to know the type of biodeterioration produced by lichen thalli, were observations by light microscopy. The microchemical techniques that followed this, such as X-Ray Diffraction and Infrared Spectroscopy, provided knowledge of the mineral composition of the substrate which is in contact with the lichen thalli. This zone is known as interface. More recently, the Scanning Electron-Microscope has allowed observations of the relationship between the hyphae of the lower part of the thallus and the topography of the superficial part of the rock. In the current work, new applications of Scanning Electron Microscopy are presented. The backscattered electron image permits observation of the penetration of living thalli elements in the rock. With this technique, it is possible to follow the fissures underneath the lichen thalli and see at a cellular level the biological elements. This technique is an important step in understanding the biodeterioration produced by lichens. It allows clarification of such aspects as the ability of embedded minerals detached from the rock among the hyphae and also the possibility of investigating organic and inorganic compounds mixed with hyphae and algae. This technique, moreover, is promising for use in future investigations of biodeterioration where the cellular morphology of the different organisms are interesting, taking into account treatments with biocides.


Structural features of the priming signal recognized by primase: mutational analysis of the phage G4 origin of complementary DNA strand synthesis.
45 mutations (insertion, deletion and base substitution) of the G4 Goric were tested for their functional activity in M13 and R199 in vivo. The critical mutants were also assayed for their ability to synthesize pRNA in vitro using SSB and primase. The results demonstrate that the secondary structure and spacing of stem-loops I and III are essential for Goric activity and that the 5'-CTG-3' sequence flanking stem-loop I is essential for initiation of pRNA synthesis.


Molecular Approaches for Diagnosis, Therapy and Prevention of Cow´s Milk Allergy.
Cow´s milk is one of the most important and basic nutrients introduced early in life in our diet but can induce IgE-associated allergy. IgE-associated allergy to cow´s milk can cause severe allergic manifestations in the gut, skin and even in the respiratory tract and may lead to life-threatening anaphylactic shock due to the stability of certain cow´s milk allergens. Here, we provide an overview about the allergen molecules in cow´s milk and the advantages of the molecular diagnosis of IgE sensitization to cow´s milk by serology. In addition, we review current strategies for prevention and treatment of cow´s milk allergy and discuss how they could be improved in the future by innovative molecular approaches that are based on defined recombinant allergens, recombinant hypoallergenic allergen derivatives and synthetic peptides.


Global Burden of Leptospirosis: Estimated in Terms of Disability Adjusted Life Years.
Leptospirosis, a spirochaetal zoonosis, occurs in diverse epidemiological settings and affects vulnerable populations, such as rural subsistence farmers and urban slum dwellers. Although leptospirosis can cause life-threatening disease, there is no global burden of disease estimate in terms of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) available. We utilised the results of a parallel publication that reported global estimates of morbidity and mortality due to leptospirosis. We estimated Years of Life Lost (YLLs) from age and gender stratified mortality rates. Years of Life with Disability (YLDs) were developed from a simple disease model indicating likely sequelae. DALYs were estimated from the sum of YLLs and YLDs. The study suggested that globally approximately 2.90 million DALYs are lost per annum (UIs 1.25-4.54 million) from the approximately annual 1.03 million cases reported previously. Males are predominantly affected with an estimated 2.33 million DALYs (UIs 0.98-3.69) or approximately 80% of the total burden. For comparison, this is over 70% of the global burden of cholera estimated by GBD 2010. Tropical regions of South and South-east Asia, Western Pacific, Central and South America, and Africa had the highest estimated leptospirosis disease burden. Leptospirosis imparts a significant health burden worldwide, which approach or exceed those encountered for a number of other zoonotic and neglected tropical diseases. The study findings indicate that highest burden estimates occur in resource-poor tropical countries, which include regions of Africa where the burden of leptospirosis has been under-appreciated and possibly misallocated to other febrile illnesses such as malaria.


Spinal subarachnoid hematoma in a woman with HELLP syndrome: a case report.
Subarachnoid hemorrhages of spinal origin are extremely rare during pregnancy. We present the case of a patient with hemolytic anemia, elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count (the so-called HELLP syndrome), a potentially life-threatening complication associated with pre-eclampsia, who presented with an idiopathic spinal subarachnoid hematoma. At 29 gestational weeks, a 35-year-old Japanese woman was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome based on bilateral leg paralysis, diminished sensation and reflexes, and laboratory findings. The pregnancy was immediately brought to an end by Cesarean delivery. Post-operatively, an MRI scan revealed a space-occupying lesion in her thoracic spinal canal. Emergency decompression was followed by total laminectomy. A subarachnoid hematoma, partially extending as far as the ventral side, was removed. After thorough washing and drain placement, the operation was completed with the suturing of artificial dura mater. Eight months post-operatively, her lower extremity sensation had improved to a score of 8 out of 10, but improvements in her muscular strength were limited to slight gains in her toes. MRI scans taken two months post-operatively revealed edematous spinal cord changes within her medulla. A subarachnoid hematoma during pregnancy is extremely rare, possibly due to increased coagulability during pregnancy. However, this complication is potentially devastating should a clot compress the spinal cord or cauda equina. While several causes of hematoma have been proposed, we speculate that the factors underlying hemorrhagic diathesis in our case were the decreased platelet count characteristic of HELLP syndrome and vascular fragility due to elevated estrogen levels, in addition to increased abdominal pressure during pregnancy and pressure from the gravid uterus resulting in ruptured vessels around the spinal cord. In cases displaying a progressive lesion and severe neurological signs, prompt decompression is crucial.


Increased circulating tumor DNA as a noninvasive biomarker of early treatment response in patients with metastatic ovarian carcinoma: A pilot study.
Detection of circulating tumor DNA is a new noninvasive technique with potential roles in diagnostic, follow-up, and prognostic evaluation of patients with many types of solid tumors. We aimed to evaluate the role of circulating tumor DNA in the setting of metastatic ovarian carcinoma. A prospective cohort of patients with metastatic ovarian cancer who were referred to systemic therapy was enrolled. Blood samples were collected before the start of treatment and monthly thereafter for 6 months. Circulating tumor DNA was quantified by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction of different lengths of Arthrobacter luteus elements as described by Umetani et al. A total of 11 patients were included, 2 for primary disease and 9 for recurrent disease. After the first cycle of chemotherapy, patients whose circulating tumor DNA levels increased from baseline were more likely to respond to chemotherapy than those whose circulating tumor DNA levels did not increase (p = 0.035). Furthermore, patients whose circulating tumor DNA levels rose after the first cycle of chemotherapy also had improved disease-free survival compared to those whose circulating tumor DNA levels did not increase (p = 0.0074). We conclude that the increase in circulating tumor DNA values collected in peripheral blood after the first cycle of systemic treatment in patients with advanced ovarian cancer is associated with an early response to systemic treatment and correlates with superior disease-free survival in this population. Circulating tumor DNA might be a specific, noninvasive, and cost-effective new biomarker of early response to systemic treatment in these patients.


[Clinicopathological and molecular genetic features of cyclin D1-negative mantle cell lymphoma].
Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features and molecular genetics of cyclin D1-negative mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Methods: The clinicopathological features and molecular genetics of CyclinD1-negative MCL diagnosed between January 2016 and July 2021 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were analyzed using immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Clinical information was collected and analyzed. Results: A total of five Cyclin D1-negative MCL cases from all 212 MCL patients (5/212, 2.4%)were included. There were three male and two female patients,age ranged from 59 to 70 years (median 64 years). All patients presented with nodal lesions. None of the patients had B symptoms but four had bone marrow involvement. Histopathologically, four cases were classic MCL and one case was pleomorphic variant type. All five cases were negative for Cyclin D1 but SOX-11 were positive in all cases. CD5 was positive in four cases and one case was weakly positive for CD23. CD10 and bcl-6 were negative in all cases. CCND1 translocation was identified in three cases and CCND2 translocation in one case by FISH analysis. However,CCND3 translocations were not found in the five cases. Conclusions: Cyclin D1-negative MCL are uncommon, its accurate diagnosis needs combined analysis with morphologic and immunophenotypic characteristics and genetic changes. It may be particularly difficult to distinguish from other small cell type B cell lymphomas. FISH analyses for CCND1/CCND2/CCND3 translocations and immunohistochemistry for SOX-11 are helpful to resolve such a difficult distinction.


Microbial degradation of petrochemical waste-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Petrochemical industry is one of the fastest growing industries. This industry has immense importance in the growth of economy and manufacture of large varieties of chemicals. The petrochemical industry is a hazardous group of industry generating hazardous waste containing organic and inorganic compounds. In spite of the present treatment process, the hazardous waste compounds are found untreated to the acceptable level and found discharged at soil-water environment resulting into the persistent organic-inorganic pollutant into the environment. The bioremediation will be the innovative techniques to remove the persistent pollutants in the environment. Petrochemical contaminated site was found to be a rich source of microbial consortium degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Indigenous microbial consortiums were identified and used for bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (naphthalene and anthracene) at the concentrations of 250, 500, and 750 ppm. The potential microorganism was also identified for naphthalene and anthracene, and their bioremediation was studied at varying concentrations. The bioremediation with consortium was found to be comparatively more effective than the potential microorganism used for bioremediation of each compound. Pseudomonas aeruginosa a potential organism was identified by 16S rRNA and further studied for the gene responsible for the PAH compounds. Indigenous microorganism as a consortium has been found effective and efficient source for remediation of organic compound-Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and this will also be applicable to remediate the toxic compounds to clean up the environment.


Applying the National Quality Forum Preferred Practices for Palliative and Hospice Care: a social work perspective.
The National Consensus Project's (NCP) Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care, published in 2004, defined eight domains of care essential to palliative care clinical practice. The National Quality Forum's (NQF) 2006 document, A National Framework and Preferred Practices for Palliative and Hospice Care Quality: A Consensus Report, based on the NCP's Guidelines, identified 38 evidence-based preferred practices for palliative care. This article demonstrates how the Guidelines and Preferred Practices may be operationalized in practice, focusing specifically on Domain 4 of the Guidelines, "Social Aspects of Care". Domain 4 incorporates many pertinent aspects of hospice and palliative care related to communication and care planning. In particular, emphasized is the inclusion of the patient and family in discussions about ongoing care and creation of care plans that respect the social community of patient and family.


Small intestinal manometry in patients with systemic sclerosis.
The study explores, by the use of manometry, the frequency and severity of small intestinal involvement in patients with systemic sclerosis, and relates the manometric findings to clinical symptoms, radiology, and some intestinal regulatory peptides. Stationary antroduodeno-jejunal manometry was used to study small bowel involvement in 10 patients with systemic sclerosis and dysmotility of the oesophagus or signs of malabsorption. Measurements were made during fasting, after a meal, and after octreotide administration and were then compared with a sex-matched control group of healthy individuals. Plasma samples were taken in order to analyse levels of motilin, peptide YY, cholecystokinin, and somatostatin. Manometry was abnormal, with signs of intestinal pseudo-obstruction in eight out of 10 patients. In the control group, one individual had an abnormal manometry, as a result of burst activity. The mean contractile amplitudes during fasting and periods after food, spontaneous phase III periods, and octreotide-induced activity complexes were significantly reduced in the systemic sclerosis group when compared with controls. None of the patients, including two with advanced manometric intestinal disturbances, had small intestinal dilatation when examined by radiography. The plasma peptide levels did not differ significantly between the two groups. In eight out of 10 patients the manometric criteria for intestinal pseudo-obstruction were fulfilled, with a motility pattern consistent with both neuropathy and myopathy. The release of motility-regulating peptides was unaffected.


Controlling the dominant follicle in beef cattle to improve estrous synchronization and early embryonic development.
Estrous synchronization and timed ovulation programs that permit AI at a predetermined time (timed AI) rather than as determined by detection of spontaneous estrus are requisite for increased adoption of AI in the beef cattle industry. In the past two decades, significant progress has been achieved in developing programs that synchronize ovulation to address this need. While this progress has been driven by a multitude of fundamental discoveries in reproductive biology, the greatest impact in the past two decades has been the result of enhanced understanding of the pattern of ovarian follicle growth in cattle and development of technologies to coordinate growth and ovulation of the dominant follicle. At present, estrous synchronization programs that result in acceptable timed AI pregnancy rates are available for beef cattle. The capacity to control growth of the dominant follicle and evaluate the impact of various approaches on fertility has resulted in greater understanding of the factors that influence maturity of ovulatory follicles. Modifications to the standard industry breeding programs, with the aim of lengthening and/or increasing the gonadotropic stimulus and estradiol production by preovulatory follicles, have been shown to substantially increase timed AI pregnancy rate in beef cattle. Associations between characteristics of follicular development and fertility have surfaced from application of estrous and ovulation synchronization technologies and led to investigation of the fundamental mechanisms that underlie these relationships.


Benzoquinone Cocatalyst Contributions to DAF/Pd(OAc)2-Catalyzed Aerobic Allylic Acetoxylation in the Absence and Presence of a Co(salophen) Cocatalyst.
Palladium(II)-catalyzed allylic acetoxylation has been the focus of extensive development and investigation. Methods that use molecular oxygen (O2) as the terminal oxidant typically benefit from the use of benzoquinone (BQ) and a transition-metal (TM) cocatalyst, such as Co(salophen), to support oxidation of Pd0 during catalytic turnover. We previously showed that Pd(OAc)2 and 4,5-diazafluoren-9-one (DAF) as an ancillary ligand catalyze allylic oxidation with O2 in the absence of cocatalysts. Herein, we show that BQ enhances DAF/Pd(OAc)2 catalytic activity, nearly matching the performance of reactions that include both BQ and Co(salophen). These observations are complemented by mechanistic studies of DAF/Pd(OAc)2 catalyst systems under three different oxidation conditions: (1) O2 alone, (2) O2 with cocatalytic BQ, and (3) O2 with cocatalytic BQ and Co(salophen). The beneficial effect of BQ in the absence of Co(salophen) is traced to synergistic roles of O2 and BQ, both of which are capable of oxidizing Pd0 to PdII The reaction of O2 generates H2O2 as a byproduct, which can oxidize hydroquinone to quinone in the presence of PdII NMR spectroscopic studies, however, show that hydroquinone is the predominant redox state of the quinone cocatalyst in the absence of Co(salophen), while inclusion of Co(salophen) maintains oxidized quinone throughout the reaction, resulting in better reaction performance.


Genetic diversity of north-east Asian cattle based on microsatellite data.
In order to assess the genetic variability and population structure of north-east Asian cattle, 13 microsatellite loci were analysed for a total of 200 individuals including Korean, Chinese, Japanese Black and European Holstein cattle. Observed and expected heterozygosity, two estimators (F(ST) and G(ST)) of gene differentiation, and Nei's DA distance were evaluated. Based on expected mean heterozygosity, the lowest genetic diversity was exhibited in Japanese Black cattle (H(E)=0.471), and the highest in Chinese cattle (H(E)=0.744). Korean cattle revealed a relatively high degree of genetic diversity (H(E)=0.728). Average proportion of genetic variation because of interpopulation subdivision among north-east Asian cattle varied between 10.9 and 9.9%, depending on the estimator used. N-J tree based on Nei's DA genetic distance showed that Korean and Chinese cattle are closely related, whereas Japanese Black cattle are clearly distinct from the other two populations, forming a north-east Asian outgroup.


Characteristics of re-admitted adult patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 After initial hospitalization at King Salman Armed Forces Hospital, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
To describe the clinical characteristics and possible risk factors associated with re-hospitalization within 30 days of discharge among hospitalized adult patients with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. This is a retrospective cohort study conducted at King Salman Armed Forces Hospital (KSAFH), Tabuk, Saudi Arabia over the period between March to November 2020. The study was conducted over 237 patients who had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 and fulfilled the study inclusion criteria (at least 14 years old, with subsequently discharged alive from the hospital) were included. The commonest presenting symptoms were cough, fever, and dyspnea. The most frequent reported comorbid diseases were diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Half of cases were regarded as severe cases whereas 14.8% were critical cases. The rate of readmission was 5.9%. Older patients were more likely to be readmitted compared to younger patients. Regarding clinical characteristics, critically ill patients were more likely to be readmitted than less severe cases. Patients with unilateral lung shadow in chest x-ray, and those with positive history of Intensive care unit (ICU) admission were more likely to be readmitted compared to their peers. Regarding medical history, the only factor significantly associated with readmission were history of cerebrovascular accident (CVA), as 22.2% of those with CVA history compared to only 1.5% of those without CVA history were more likely to be readmitted. Among laboratory findings, high lymphocytic count (>3 per microliter) was significantly associate with likelihood for readmission. Readmission rate or patients hospitalization initially for Covid-19 was comparable to rates reported by most of other similar international studies. Further longitudinal larger multicentric study is warranted to have clearer image of the situation.


Longitudinal Changes in the Use of PD Assistance for Patients Maintained on Peritoneal Dialysis.
Home dialysis therapies, such as peritoneal dialysis (PD), offer flexibility and improved well-being, particularly for older individuals. However, a substantial proportion require assistance with personal care and health care-related tasks. We hypothesized that patients and families would require less PD assistance as they became more familiar with PD-related tasks. The study objective was to assess whether the nature of, and need for, PD assistance decreased over time. Using a multicentered, prospective, observational study design, patients aged ≥50 years were recruited from those starting PD. Patients underwent formal evaluation using validated components of a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment at baseline, and they were followed monthly and administered a questionnaire about the need for assistance with PD-related tasks. A total of 111 patients (age 69±10 years, 68% men, and 56% diabetic) were followed for a total of 609 patient-months. Of those who needed help, 40% had help from a family member, and 33% were helped by nurses. Both the quantity and nature of help received by patients remained generally stable throughout follow-up and did not vary according to age, frailty, functional dependence, or cognitive impairment (P=0.93). The proportion of patients needing help varied widely across the 13 different tasks but appeared relatively stable across time. The paid-unpaid caregiver ratio for the different tasks did not change over time. Older patients initiating PD in the outpatient setting have a high need for assistance with PD-related tasks, which seems to persist over the initial 6-month period.


A Mouse Model of Intestinal Partial Obstruction.
Intestinal obstructions, that impede or block peristaltic movement, can be caused by abdominal adhesions and most gastrointestinal (GI) diseases including tumorous growths. However, the cellular remodeling mechanisms involved in, and caused by, intestinal obstructions are poorly understood. Several animal models of intestinal obstructions have been developed, but the mouse model is the most cost/time effective. The mouse model uses the surgical implantation of an intestinal partial obstruction (PO) that has a high mortality rate if it is not performed correctly. In addition, mice receiving PO surgery fail to develop hypertrophy if an appropriate blockade is not used or not properly placed. Here, we describe a detailed protocol for PO surgery which produces reliable and reproducible intestinal obstructions with a very low mortality rate. This protocol utilizes a surgically placed silicone ring that surrounds the ileum which partially blocks digestive movement in the small intestine. The partial blockage makes the intestine become dilated due to the halt of digestive movement. The dilation of the intestine induces smooth muscle hypertrophy on the oral side of the ring that progressively develops over 2 weeks until it causes death. The surgical PO mouse model offers an in vivo model of hypertrophic intestinal tissue useful for studying pathological changes of intestinal cells including smooth muscle cells (SMC), interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), PDGFRα+, and neuronal cells during the development of intestinal obstruction.


The hypothalamo-hypophysial vascular relationship in Indian fresh-water goby, Glossogobius giuris (Ham.).920u.
The hypothalamo-hypophysial vascular relationship and intra-hypophysial vasculatisation have been described in order to understand the regulatory mechanism of hypothalamic control over the functions of the pituitary gland. In Glossogobius giuris, the disposition of the blood vessels in the head region is on typical teleostean pattern with certain modifications. The nucleus preopticus is supplied through the nucleus preopticus artery, a small blood vessel arising from the anterior branch of the posterior cerebral artery, whereas the pituitary gland receives blood through a pair of hypophysial arteries. The blood from the pituitary is drained off by the pituitary veins whch pour their blood into the supra-orbital sinus. The anterior cerebral vein after taking the blood from anterior part of the brain including the hypothalamus and the nucleus preopticus joins with the supra-orbital sinus. The hypothalamo-hypophysial portal system is absent in this fish. The saccus vasculosus receives blood from the posterior cerebral artery through a small blood vessel and is collected by a prominent saccus vasculosus vein which pours blood into the supra-orbital sinus before it joins the infra-orbital sinus to form the heat vein. There seems to be no physological connection between the saccus vasculosus and pituitary gland. The highly vascularised neurohypophysis interdigitate with the pars intermedia and extends upto the proximal pars distalis. The blood vessels are restricted to the neurohypophysial extensions only. However, in the rostral pars distalis the blood vessels are present but the neurohypophysis does not extend to this part. The blood capillaries enter the rostral pars distalis from the capillary network on the surface of pituitary gland along with the connected tissue covering of the pituitary. The neurohypophysis shows a greater vascularisation in comparison to that of the other glandular part of the pituitary gland. In the present study of Glossogobius giuris, though an extensive ramification of neurohypophysis occurs with the pars intermedia and the proximal pars distalis, the neurosecretory axons do not innervate the endocrine cells of the pituitary gland and the blood vessels are found restricted to the neurohypophysial extensions except that of the rostral pars distalis. The neuro-vascular way of hypothalamic control over the functions of the pituitary gland seems to be justified as the neurosecretory fibres have been found associated with the blood vessels.


Mechanical deformation mechanisms and properties of amyloid fibrils.
Amyloid fibrils have recently received attention due to their remarkable mechanical properties, which are highly correlated with their biological functions. We have studied the mechanical deformation mechanisms and properties of amyloid fibrils as a function of their length scales by using atomistic simulations. It is shown that the length of amyloid fibrils plays a role in their deformation and fracture mechanisms in such a way that the competition between shear and bending deformations is highly dependent on the fibril length, and that as the fibril length increases, so does the bending strength of the fibril while its shear strength decreases. The dependence of rupture force for amyloid fibrils on their length is elucidated using the Bell model, which suggests that the rupture force of the fibril is determined from the hydrogen bond rupture mechanism that critically depends on the fibril length. We have measured the toughness of amyloid fibrils, which is shown to depend on the fibril length. In particular, the toughness of the fibril with its length of ∼3 nm is estimated to be ∼30 kcal mol(-1) nm(-3), comparable to that of a spider silk crystal with its length of ∼2 nm. Moreover, we have shown the important effect of the pulling rate on the mechanical deformation mechanisms and properties of amyloid fibril. It is found that as the pulling rate increases, so does the contribution of the shear effect to the elastic deformation of the amyloid fibril with its length of <10 nm. However, we found that the deformation mechanism of the amyloid fibril with its length of >15 nm is almost independent of the pulling rate. Our study sheds light on the role of the length scale of amyloid fibrils and the pulling rate in their mechanical behaviors and properties, which may provide insights into how the excellent mechanical properties of protein fibrils can be determined.


Computational geometry assessment for morphometric analysis of the mandible.
This paper presents a fully automated algorithm for geometry assessment of the mandible. Anatomical landmarks could be reliably detected and distances were statistically evaluated with principal component analysis. The method allows for the first time to generate a mean mandible shape with statistically valid geometrical variations based on a large set of 497 CT-scans of human mandibles. The data may be used in bioengineering for designing novel oral implants, for planning of computer-guided surgery, and for the improvement of biomechanical models, as it is shown that commercially available mandible replicas differ significantly from the mean of the investigated population.


Thermoregulation of Liolaemus aparicioi (Iguania: Liolaemidae) along a 1000 m elevational gradient in La Paz Valley, La Paz, Bolivia.
Lizard species have diverse behavioral and physiological responses to thermo-environmental conditions, which allow them to inhabit a broad range of latitudes and elevations. Because the availability of suitable thermal resources is limited and more variable at high-elevation environments than at lower elevations, we expect high-elevation lizards to be constrained in their thermoregulation relative to lizards at lower elevations by the fewer available thermal resources to reach optimal temperatures (colder environment). We studied the thermal biology of an endemic and Critically Endangered lizard, Liolaemus aparicioi, to assess its thermal responses along a 1000 m elevational gradient in La Paz Valley from May to August of 2015 (dry season). We took field body and microhabitat temperatures at capture sites (substrate and air above ground), and body size (snout-vent length and mass) of individuals at Taypichullo (3000 m asl), Gran Jardín de la Revolución Municipal Park (3500 m asl), and Taucachi (4000 m asl) localities. Operative temperatures were taken from calibrated models deployed in different available microhabitats. Preferred temperatures and thermal tolerance limits were determined in laboratory settings for lizards from each locality. Field body, microhabitat, and operative temperatures decreased with increasing elevation and differed between sexes. Lizards at the high elevation locality had the lowest thermoregulatory efficiency as compared with the mid and lower elevation localities. In laboratory measurements, while the preferred temperatures varied between sexes, pooled preferred temperatures and thermal tolerances were similar in all localities. Although thermal resources at high elevation can limit thermoregulatory possibilities in L. aparicioi, behavioral microhabitat use, time allocated to thermoregulation, and physiological adjustments seem to be possible strategies to counteract thermal costs along elevational gradients.


[Knowledge of disinfection practices and behaviour of the nursing staff at a hospital].
The authors have carried a study on the knowledge of disinfection practices and the behaviour in operating room in order to control and prevent nosocomial infections. It is necessary for high percent of head nurses and nurses to have guidelines for the disinfection/sterilization procedures with the aim to avoid infections, but a large number of subjects don't know the correct procedures. The knowledge of a correct behaviour in the operating room is greater, although many of nursing staff don't wear the overshoes and the protective glasses. The statistical analysis show that nurses and the subjects with high degree have a greater knowledge of problems. It is important the planning of training and retraining courses directed to the improvement of technical knowledge and behaviour.


Comparison between the counter immunoelectrophoresis test and mouse neutralization test for the detection of antibodies against rabies virus in dog sera.
The detection of rabies antibodies is extremely valuable for epidemiological studies, determination of immune status in man, animals, and for the diagnosis of the disease. Several serological procedures have been described for this purpose. The present study reports a comparison between counterimmunoelectrophoresis test (CIET) and mouse neutralization test (MNT) in the detection of antibodies against rabies virus from 212 serum samples of vaccinated dogs. The agreement between both techniques was 79.7% and a significative association was demonstrated. The correlation coefficients between MNT and the CIET titers was determined considering 88 samples showing positive results in both techniques [CIET = 2 and MNT = 5 (0.13 IU/ml)] and resulted r2 = 0.7926 (p < 0.001). The performance of CIET system was technically simple, cheap and rapid, and thereby it could be useful for serological monitoring of dog vaccination campaigns as well as for individual analysis.


Toward a vulnerable ethics of research practice.
This article considers ethical dilemmas concerning the protection of confidentiality that often arise in carrying out ethnographic research. A number of problematic assumptions are highlighted that generally (implicitly or explicitly) guide the practice of contemporary research ethics review committees: (1) ethical rules are context free; (2) there is always an ethical 'right answer'; (3) there is an objective position from which to judge what one ought ethically to do. Notably, this is a position of emotional detachment from the situation; (4) this objectively identified ethical position can be articulated in explicit and unambiguous public language. The troublesome character of these assumptions is raised in the context of fifteen years of ethnographic research among African American families in clinical settings within the urban United States, with special attention to an ongoing relationship with one research participant the author has known for eight years. Finally the article suggests an alternative ethical framework drawn from recent philosophical work in an Aristotelian-inspired 'virtue ethics'.


Tonic activation of NMDA receptors by ambient glutamate of non-synaptic origin in the rat hippocampus.
In several neuronal types of the CNS, glutamate and GABA receptors mediate a persistent current which reflects the presence of a low concentration of transmitters in the extracellular space. Here, we further characterize the tonic current mediated by ambient glutamate in rat hippocampal slices. A tonic current of small amplitude (53.99 +/- 6.48 pA at +40 mV) with the voltage dependency and the pharmacology of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) was detected in virtually all pyramidal cells of the CA1 and subiculum areas. Manipulations aiming at increasing D-serine or glycine extracellular concentrations failed to modify this current indicating that the glycine binding sites of the NMDARs mediating the tonic current were saturated. In contrast, non-transportable inhibitors of glutamate transporters increased the amplitude of this tonic current, indicating that the extracellular concentration of glutamate primarily regulates its magnitude. Neither AMPA/kainate receptors nor metabotropic glutamate receptors contributed significantly to this tonic excitation of pyramidal neurons. In the presence of glutamate transporter inhibitors, however, a significant proportion of the tonic conductance was mediated by AMPA receptors. The tonic current was unaffected when inhibiting vesicular release of transmitters from neurons but was increased upon inhibition of the enzyme converting glutamate in glutamine in glial cells. These observations indicate that ambient glutamate is mainly of glial origin. Finally, experiments with the use-dependent antagonist MK801 indicated that NMDARs mediating the tonic conductance are probably extra-synaptic NMDARs.


Gaining deeper insight into aroma perception: An integrative study of the oral processing of breads with different structures.
The objective of this study was to investigate for the first time the influence of bread structure, volatile compounds, and oral processing on aroma perception. 3 types of French baguette were created using the same raw ingredients but different bread-making processes; they consequently varied in their crumb and crust structures. We characterized the initial volatile profiles of two bread structural subtypes-namely bread crumb and bread crumb with crust-using proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) headspace analysis. Three types of bread were characterized by thirty-nine ion fragments from m/z 45 to 139. We then conducted a study in which 8 participants scored aroma attribute intensities for the different bread types and subtypes at 3 key stages of oral processing (10, 40, and 100% of individual swallowing time). At these 3 time points, we collected boli from the participants and characterized their volatile profiles using PTR-MS headspace analysis. The results suggest saliva addition dilutes volatile compounds, reducing volatile release during oral processing. Thus, a bread with high porosity and high hydration capacity was characterized by a low volatile release above boli. We examined the relationships between 4 aroma attributes of bread crumb with crust and 24 discriminatory fragment ions found in boli headspace. This study demonstrated for the first time that the perceived aroma of crumb with crust was influenced more by volatile profiles than by crumb texture. It thus contributes to our understanding of aroma perception dynamics and the mechanisms driving volatile release during oral processing in bread.


Overexpression of miR-210 promotes the potential of cardiac stem cells against hypoxia.
To evaluate the effects of miR-210 on cardiac stem cells (CSCs) against hypoxia-induced injury. CSCs were isolated from rat ventricular wall and cultured until passage 4. After exposure to hypoxia for 6 h, the expression of miR-210 was determined. Thereafter, transfection of miR-210 mimic and inhibitor was carried out. 1 week later, in vitro experiments were performed to measure the expression of caspase-8-associated protein 2 (Casp8ap2), Caspase 8, protein tyrosine phosphatase, non-receptor type 2 (PTPN2) and CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), as well as migration and apoptosis of CSCs under hypoxic condition. Hypoxia induced a significant up-regulation of miR-210 expression in CSCs. Notably, the expression of Casp8ap2, Caspase8, PTPN2 was dramatically inhibited by overexpression of miR-210 in CSCsmiR-210 Group (P < .05), but no changes in CXCR4 (P > .05), compared with the control. Additionally, a decreased apoptosis of CSCs was detected in CSCsmiR-210 Group (26.22 ± 1.15%, P < .001), compared with Control Group (34.97 ± 0.63%). Moreover, the migration of CSCs was significantly promoted in CSCsmiR-210 Group (45.73 ± 2.4, P < .001), compared with Control Group (19.6 ± 1.11). Meanwhile, down-regulation of miR-210 reversed these results (P < .05). miR-210 was a hypoxia responsive element in CSCs, and its up-regulation inhibited apoptosis of CSCs and promoted their migration under hypoxic condition, through regulating its target genes Casp8ap2/Caspase 8 and PTPN2, which may provide a new strategy for cell therapy of ischemic heart disease.


Penetration of cefsulodin into bronchial secretions.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the penetration of cefsulodin, a new cephalosporin active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, into the bronchial secretions. The study was carried out in 28 patients with respiratory infections; 11 patients received a single dose of 1 g i.v. (bolus); 17 patients received multiple doses of 1 g every 8 h for 48 h. Simultaneous samples of blood and bronchial secretions were collected 30 min and 1, 2, 4 and 6 h after injection. Bronchial secretions were obtained from 23 patients by means of fiberoptic bronchoscopy and in 5 tracheostomized patients (with severe respiratory insufficiency) through a tracheostomy cannula. The assays of cefsulodin were performed by means of the microbiological agar diffusion technique. The results of the study showed a noticeable penetration of the drug into the bronchial secretions, with a mean peak reaching 3.1-5.3 micrograms/ml at the 3rd or 4th hour, a slow elimination and residual levels at 6 h ranging between 2.0 and 6.0 micrograms/ml. The rate of penetration was not influenced by the administration of multiple doses of the drug. The ratios between bronchial concentrations and simultaneous serum concentrations ranged between 10 and 30%, corresponding to the usual values found for other cephalosporins. In conclusion, this study provides satisfactory results and confirms the presence of bronchial levels capable of inhibiting P. aeruginosa.


Defining the underlying defect in insulin action in type 2 diabetes.
Insulin resistance is one of the earliest defects in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Over the past 50 years, elucidation of the insulin signalling network has provided important mechanistic insights into the abnormalities of glucose, lipid and protein metabolism that underlie insulin resistance. In classical target tissues (liver, muscle and adipose tissue), insulin binding to its receptor initiates a broad signalling cascade mediated by changes in phosphorylation, gene expression and vesicular trafficking that result in increased nutrient utilisation and storage, and suppression of catabolic processes. Insulin receptors are also expressed in non-classical targets, such as the brain and endothelial cells, where it helps regulate appetite, energy expenditure, reproductive hormones, mood/behaviour and vascular function. Recent progress in cell biology and unbiased molecular profiling by mass spectrometry and DNA/RNA-sequencing has provided a unique opportunity to dissect the determinants of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome; best studied are extrinsic factors, such as circulating lipids, amino acids and other metabolites and exosomal microRNAs. More challenging has been defining the cell-intrinsic factors programmed by genetics and epigenetics that underlie insulin resistance. In this regard, studies using human induced pluripotent stem cells and tissues point to cell-autonomous alterations in signalling super-networks, involving changes in phosphorylation and gene expression both inside and outside the canonical insulin signalling pathway. Understanding how these multi-layered molecular networks modulate insulin action and metabolism in different tissues will open new avenues for therapy and prevention of type 2 diabetes and its associated pathologies.


Reliability and validity of the Spanish version of the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ-SP) in school-age children.
Sleep disorders in schoolchildren are a common problem worldwide, and when are not adequately diagnosed and treated, their negative impact on daytime functioning may be significant. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). Participants were 286 school-aged children from a community-based sample, aged 4 to 7 years. The sleep behaviour was evaluated using the CSHQ and actigraphy (ActiSleep monitor). The CSHQ was adapted to the Spanish language. The internal consistency of the questionnaire and the test-retest reliability between scores at baseline and three-weeks-later were estimated. Associations between CSHQ items and accelerometer sleep quality indicators were used as indicators of concurrent validity. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the subscales ranged from 0.60 to 0.81, and 0.81 for the full scale; the intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.56 to 0.81. A moderate correlation was observed in sleep latency and awakenings measurements using both parents' reported sleep habits (CSHQ-SP) and sleep quality indicators (ActiSleep). The CSHQ-SP has demonstrated adequate psychometric properties, and it serves as a useful instrument for clinical and research setting.


Shapeshifting RNAs guide innate immunity.
The innate immune system can distinguish between RNAs of viral and cellular origin, but the basis for this discrimination is not known. A new paper by Calderon and Conn demonstrates that conformational plasticity determines the ability of one RNA sequence to bind to and activate the pattern recognition receptor OAS1/RNase L. In identifying a novel mode through which the immune response is naturally controlled, this finding opens new avenues toward developing approaches for the management of a wide range of viral infections.


Cooperative Recognition of Ni2+ Triggered by Fluoride Ions in Naturally Occurring α-Hydroxyquinone Derivatives.
Perezone is a naturally occurring hydroxyquinone that has been deeply studied from different chemical aspects, such as therapeutics, electrochemistry, physical-chemical properties, or synthetic approaches that turn it an attractive template for new semisynthetic derivatives with a wide range of purposes. Herein, we describe a facile synthetic pathway to obtain new perezone derivatives by the addition of a pyrrole moiety that can be used for ion recognition. Compounds 2-4 showed the capability to interact with several anions and M2+ cations as separate events that result in colorimetric changes. Moreover, the compounds can behave as heteroditopic receptors. Besides, a previous interaction between fluoride ions and perezone derivatives triggered a successful recognition of M2+ ions, remarking Ni2+ as the most interesting phenomenon. These results project the compounds as potential colorimetric receptors for nickel ions in complex solutions.


Case Report: A Preferred Reconstructing Modality to Restore Neoplastic Nasal Alar Subunit Defects: Sequential Facial Artery Perforator Flaps.
Achieving perfect repair of a nasal defect with the recovery of cosmetic subunits has become a challenge to plastic, dermatologic, and head and neck surgeons. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of reconstructing neoplastic nasal alar subunit defects with sequential facial artery perforator flaps produced from nasolabial groove tissue. A retrospective analysis of 20 patients who had undergone reconstruction for neoplastic nasal alar defects with this technique from January 2017 to October 2019 was performed. The reconstruction procedure used sequential facial artery perforator flaps. The surgical procedure used and follow-up results achieved have been documented photographically for all patients. The aesthetic and functional results of surgery were satisfactory in all the 20 patients. After all surgeries, the reconstructed alar tissues were compliant, bilateral symmetries of the alae and nasolabial grooves were satisfactory, and no patients exhibited color mismatches between the flaps and surrounding tissues. During a mean follow-up period of 22 months, none of the patients exhibited alar retraction, inferior displacement, deformation, or hypertrophic scarring. The sequential facial artery perforator flap technique created with nasolabial groove tissue to reconstruct neoplastic nasal alar defects is a simple single-stage procedure that provides excellent surgical outcomes.


Coverage rate of ADME genes from commercial sequencing arrays.
Pharmacogenomics offers remarkable potential for the rapid translation of discoveries into changes in clinical practice. In the present work, we are interested in evaluating the ability of commercially available genome-wide association sequencing chips to cover genes that have high pharmacogenomics potential.We used a set of 2794 variations within 369 absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination (ADME) genes of interest, as previously defined in collaboration with the Pharma ADME consortium. We have compared the Illumina TrueSeq and both Agilent SureSelect and HaloPlex sequencing technologies. We have developed Python scripts to evaluate the coverage for each of these products. In particular, we considered a specific list of 155 allelic variants in 34 genes which present high pharmacogenomics potential. Both the theoretical and practical coverage was assessed.Given the need to have a good coverage to establish confidently the functionality of an enzyme, the observed rates are unlikely to provide sufficient evidence for pharmacogenomics studies. We assessed the coverage using enrichment technology for exome sequencing using the Illumina Trueseq exome, Agilent SureSelectXT1 V4 and V5, and Haloplex exome, which offer a coverage of 96.12%, 91.61%, and 88.38%, respectively.Although pharmacogenomic advances had been limited in the past due in part to the lack of coverage of commercial genotyping chips, it is anticipated that future studies that make use of new sequencing technologies should offer a greater potential for discovery.


Suicidal death of rat chloroleukaemia cells by activation of the long interspersed repetitive DNA element (L1Rn).
Rat chloroleukaemia cells, maintained in suspension culture in different media, show rapid exponential growth without cell loss. At about half of the maximal population density the long interspersed repetitive DNA element (L1Rn) is suddenly transcriptionally activated without any obvious exogenous reason. Population growth is then inhibited and, within about 24 h after reaching the maximal density, the population undergoes programmed death (apoptosis). Suicidal cell death is caused by sudden incorporation, apparently by retroposition via an RNA intermediate, of about 300,000 copies of the L1Rn element into random locations in the cell genome, thus creating lethal mutations. The preceding growth inhibition is associated with repression, to an undetectable level, of c-Ki-ras expression. Up to the point of massive L1Rn incorporation and cell death, all phenomena are quickly reversible by subculturing; medium change alone is not sufficient. Biological implications of these surprising findings are discussed.


Lens-free Video Microscopy for the Dynamic and Quantitative Analysis of Adherent Cell Culture.
Here, we demonstrate that lens-free video microscopy enables us to simultaneously capture the kinetics of thousands of cells directly inside the incubator and that it is possible to monitor and quantify single cells along several cell cycles. We describe the full protocol used to monitor and quantify a HeLa cell culture for 2.7 days. First, cell culture acquisition is performed with a lens-free video microscope, and then the data is analyzed following a four-step process: multi-wavelength holographic reconstruction, cell-tracking, cell segmentation and cell division detection algorithms. As a result, we show that it is possible to gather a dataset featuring more than 10,000 cell cycle tracks and more than 2 x 106 cell morphological measurements.


Influence of pH, salt concentration and temperature on the growth of Aeromonas hydrophila.
The influence of environmental factors on the growth of Aeromonas hydrophila was investigated Four isolates (AH 37, AH 79, AH 86 and AH 100) were exposed to various environmental factors such as pH, salt concentration and temperature in laboratory condition. All the four isolates showed more or less similar growth at pH 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0 at 30 degrees C and 5 degrees C. At pH 5.0, 6.0 and 10.0, the log number of cells was found to be lesser than that of pH 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0 at both 30 degrees C and 5 degrees C. The results of the influence of salt concentration on the growth of Aeromonas hydrophila revealed that NaCl concentration of 0.5%, 1.0% and 2.0% favored the growth of this organism at both 30 degrees C and 5 degrees C. Increase in the salt concentration resulted in the growth of the decrease of this organism. Three percentages and 4% salt concentration moderately supported the growth of the organisms in the medium whereas at 5.0% NaCl concentration, there was no growth. Moderate growth of A. hydrophila at 5 degrees C is an interesting observation. The ability to grow at salt concentration between 0.5%, 4.0% under acidic and alkaline conditions pose a problem in the preservation of seafoods. These criteria may account for modified preservation techniques.


Coercivity and Magnetic Anisotropy of (Fe0.76Si0.09B0.10P0.05)97.5Nb2.0Cu0.5 Amorphous and Nanocrystalline Alloy Produced by Gas Atomization Process.
We present the evolution of magnetic anisotropy obtained from the magnetization curve of (Fe0.76Si0.09B0.10P0.05)97.5Nb2.0Cu0.5 amorphous and nanocrystalline alloy produced by a gas atomization process. The material obtained by this process is a powder exhibiting amorphous character in the as-atomized state. Heat treatment at 480 °C provokes structural relaxation, while annealing the powder at 530 °C for 30 and 60 min develops a fine nanocrystalline structure. Magnetic anisotropy distribution is explained by considering dipolar effects and the modified random anisotropy model.


Cell Wall Remodeling of Staphylococcus aureus in Live Caenorhabditis elegans.
Peptidoglycan (PG) scaffolds are critical components of bacterial cell walls. They counter internal turgor pressure to prevent lysis and protect against external insults. It was recently discovered that various types of bacteria release large quantities of PG building blocks (d-amino acids) into their surrounding medium. Contrarily, cultured bacteria were also found to incorporate d-amino acids (both natural and synthetic) from the medium directly into their PG scaffold. These two processes may potentially function, in concert, to metabolically remodel PG in live host organisms. However, demonstration that bacteria can decorate their cell surfaces with exogenous d-amino acids was limited to in vitro culture conditions. We present the first evidence that bacteria remodel their PG with exogenous d-amino acids in a live host animal. A tetrazine click partner was conjugated onto the side chain of a d-amino acid to capture incorporation into the bacterial PG scaffold using a complementary click-reactive fluorophore. Staphylococcus aureus infected Caenorhabditis elegans treated with exogenous d-amino acids readily revealed in vivo PG labeling. These results suggest that extracellular d-amino acids may provide pathogens with a mode of late-stage in vivo cell-surface remodeling.


The myotubularin family: novel phosphoinositide regulators.
Phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate [PtdIns(3)P] acts as a second messenger via the recruitment of diverse signalling proteins to various cellular compartments. Recent advances have highlighted the association of human diseases with mutations in phosphatases that regulate PtdIns(3)P levels. Myotubularin, the gene mutated in myotubular myopathy, functions as a lipid phosphatase with specificity for PtdIns(3)P. It is now apparent that there is an increasing family of proteins that are defined by their significant homology with myotubularin. The myotubularin-related gene family includes proteins that exhibit a lipid phosphatase catalytic motif, those that contain mutations of the critical catalytic residues, and at least one protein that functions as an adapter subunit for PtdIns(3)P-3-phosphatase activity. The present challenge is to understand how deregulation of phosphoinositide metabolism causes human disease.


Affinity of FVIII-specific antibodies reveals major differences between neutralizing and nonneutralizing antibodies in humans.
Recently, we reported that distinct immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes and IgG subclasses of factor VIII (FVIII)-specific antibodies are found in different cohorts of patients with hemophilia A and in healthy individuals. Prompted by these findings, we further investigated the distinguishing properties among the different populations of FVIII-specific antibodies. We hypothesized that the affinity of antibodies would discriminate between the neutralizing and nonneutralizing antibodies found in different study cohorts. To test this idea, we established a competition-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technology to assess the apparent affinities for each isotype and IgG subclass of FVIII-specific antibodies without the need for antibody purification. We present a unique data set of apparent affinities of FVIII-specific antibodies found in healthy individuals, patients with congenital hemophilia A with and without FVIII inhibitors, and patients with acquired hemophilia A. Our data indicate that FVIII-specific antibodies found in patients with FVIII inhibitors have an up to 100-fold higher apparent affinity than that of antibodies found in patients without inhibitors and in healthy individuals. High-affinity FVIII-specific antibodies could be retrospectively detected in longitudinal samples of an individual patient with FVIII inhibitors 543 days before the first positive Bethesda assay. This finding suggests that these antibodies might serve as potential biomarkers for evolving FVIII inhibitor responses.


Rescue of exhausted CD8 T cells by PD-1-targeted therapies is CD28-dependent.
Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)-targeted therapies enhance T cell responses and show efficacy in multiple cancers, but the role of costimulatory molecules in this T cell rescue remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that the CD28/B7 costimulatory pathway is essential for effective PD-1 therapy during chronic viral infection. Conditional gene deletion showed a cell-intrinsic requirement of CD28 for CD8 T cell proliferation after PD-1 blockade. B7-costimulation was also necessary for effective PD-1 therapy in tumor-bearing mice. In addition, we found that CD8 T cells proliferating in blood after PD-1 therapy of lung cancer patients were predominantly CD28-positive. Taken together, these data demonstrate CD28-costimulation requirement for CD8 T cell rescue and suggest an important role for the CD28/B7 pathway in PD-1 therapy of cancer patients.


COMPARISONS BETWEEN THE NON-PROLIFERATIVE AND PROLIFERATIVE THERAPY IN FIBROCYSTIC MASTOSIS.
Fibrocystic mastosis (FCM) is the most frequent benign breast lesion. Most treatments for fibrocystic mastosis are: hormonl, with beneficial results and non-hormonal, with fluctuating results. A number of 210 cases were studied, which were divided into 7 groups. The study lasted for 9 months and it was carried out on the basis of a personal examination sheet. The following were monitored: age groups, mastodynia, reducing breast nodules, a significant reduction in the volume of the mastosic cysts, reducion of the fibrous tissue, medication tolerance. Mastodynia has declined by 90% in the cases treated with Tamoxifen and Danazol, by 70% in the case of Lynestrenol and Bromocriptine, by 50% in the 15 patients who were given Utrogestan. Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of drugs (contraindications, side effects), age category, breast pain reduction, antiproliferative activity, tolerability, relapse allow us to assess the benefit-risk. Even in those circumstances that remained incompletely clarified for objective reasons, related to the inaccurate/incorrect reporting by the patients, there is a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the frequency of relapses following the treatment with Tamoxifen and the other categories of drugs who were administered. Our study shows that in the groups that were administered Logest, Utrogestan and Bromocriptine, only antalgic effects were achieved (disappearance or only decrease of mastodynia) and no anti-proliferative effects were obtained. Basically, hormone treatment should be made based on a histopathological examination.


Emerging roles of oxidative stress in brain aging and Alzheimer's disease.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are metabolic byproducts that are necessary for physiological function but can be toxic at high levels. Levels of these oxidative stressors increase gradually throughout the lifespan, impairing mitochondrial function and damaging all parts of the body, particularly the central nervous system. Emerging evidence suggests that accumulated oxidative stress may be one of the key mechanisms causing cognitive aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we synthesize the current literature on the effect of neuronal oxidative stress on mitochondrial dysfunction, DNA damage and epigenetic changes related to cognitive aging and AD. We further describe how oxidative stress therapeutics such as antioxidants, caloric restriction and physical activity can reduce oxidation and prevent cognitive decline in brain aging and AD. Of the currently available therapeutics, we propose that long term physical activity is the most promising avenue for improving cognitive health by reducing ROS while promoting the low levels required for optimal function.


Effect of epithelial cell type on in vitro invasion of non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae.
Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) have been shown to have variable ability for in vitro invasion with a range of epithelial cells, and increased invasion of BEAS-2B cells has been associated with altered penicillin binding protein3 (PBP3), which is concerning as these strains are increasing worldwide. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of respiratory cell type and the presence of altered PBP3 on the in vitro invasion of NTHi. A collection of 16 clinical NTHi isolates was established, 7 had normal PBP3, and 9 had altered PBP3 as defined by an N526K substitution. The isolates were tested for invasion of BEAS-2B, NHBE, A549 and NCI-H292 respiratory epithelial cells in vitro using a gentamicin survival assay, with invasion measured as the percentage of intracellular organisms relative to the initial inoculum. The overall median invasion for the 16 NTHi isolates for cell types BEAS-2B, NHBE, A549 and NCI-H292 cells were 3.17, 2.31, 0.11 and 1.52 respectively. The differences were statistically significant for BEAS-2B compared to A549 (P=0.015) and A549 compared to NCI-H292 (P=0.015), and there were also very marked differences in invasion for some individual isolates depending on the cell type used. There was a consistent bias for invasion of isolates with normal versus abnormal PBP3: and this was statistically significant for BEAS-2B (0.07 to 9.90, P=0.031) and A549 cells (0.02 to 1.68, P=0.037). These results show that NTHi invasion of respiratory epithelial cells in vitro is both strain dependant and influenced significantly by the cell line used, and that the association between altered PBP3 and increased invasion is conserved across multiple cell lines.


Thrombomodulin modulates the mitogenic response to thrombin of human umbilical vein endothelial cells.
Thrombin interacts with its receptor and thrombomodulin on endothelial cells. We evaluated the respective roles of these two proteins on human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) growth by comparing thrombin, S195A (a mutant thrombin in which the serine of the charge stabilizing system had been replaced by alanine), and the receptor activating peptide (TRAP). Thrombin and TRAP induced DNA synthesis (half maximal cell proliferation with 5 nM and 25 microM, respectively), whereas S195A thrombin was inactive, inferring that growth is mediated through the thrombin receptor. Surprisingly, cells stimulated by TRAP exhibited a maximal proliferation twice greater than that obtained with thrombin. Combination of thrombin and TRAP resulted in a mitogenic response higher than by thrombin alone, but lower than by TRAP alone. The role of thrombomodulin was evaluated by adding an anti-thrombomodulin antibody, which prevents formation of the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex. Antibody did not interfere with cell proliferation induced by TRAP, but enhanced that induced by thrombin. We conclude that formation of the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex restrains HUVEC proliferation mediated through the thrombin receptor.


Meralgia paraesthetica: an unusual complication in peritoneal dialysis.
A 53-year-old woman with a history of end-stage renal disease on peritoneal dialysis (PD) presented with a 3-month history of intermittent numbness and paraesthesia over the anterior aspect of the right thigh. The patient noticed the pain was worse on walking and related to dialysis sessions. An examination revealed no neurovascular abnormalities or abdominal masses. However, there was subjective paraesthesia in the distribution of the right lateral cutaneous nerve. Subsequent nerve conduction studies revealed the cause of the patient's symptoms. She was diagnosed with meralgia paraesthetica. Her symptoms resolved when the dialysis regime was modified.


Metabolic and hormonal mechanisms of mineral metabolic adaptation to induced hypokinetics in rats.
During simulated hypokinetics, many biological functions have a tendency to stabilize at different levels with the passing of time. In this experiment, hypokinetic exposure was induced in albino rats by the suspension method for 5 weeks. A new plateau in urinary K+ excretion was attained during the third week, after a transient decrease during the first week. Since the formation of this steady plateau is considered a manifestation of the adaptation of this function, the hypokinetic exposure period was divided into a prestabilized phase and a stabilized phase. To ascertain the biochemical mechanisms of this adaptation process, the effects of aldosterone and anti-aldosterone substances (e.g., tetracycline) on K+ and Na+ excretion patterns in each phase were investigated. Decreasing aldosterone activity in the prestabilized phase and increasing activity in the stabilized phase are recognized as one of the main factors in the renal adaptation process to hypokinetics.


Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance in extended-spectrum-β-lactamase- and AmpC β-lactamase-producing Serratia marcescens in China.
We investigated the prevalence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants and examined the association of these determinants with extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and/or plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamases (pAmpCs) in Serratia marcescens isolates in China. In this study, the presence of PMQR determinants was significantly related to the coproduction of ESBLs and/or pAmpCs (CTX-M-14, SHV-5, DHA-1, and ACT-1), among which CTX-M-14 was the most common gene type.


Preoperative chemotherapy for osteogenic sarcoma: selection of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy based on the response of the primary tumor to preoperative chemotherapy.
Since June 1978, 57 patients with primary osteogenic sarcoma of an extremity were treated with high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX) and citrovorum factor rescue (CFR), Adriamycin, and the combination of bleomycin, cyclophosphamide and dactinomycin (BCD) given for 4-16 weeks prior to definitive surgery. Histologic examination of the resected primary tumor determined the effect of preoperative chemotherapy with many primary tumors showing greater than 90% tumor necrosis attributable to preoperative chemotherapy. All patients having this favorable effect of chemotherapy on the primary tumor were continued on the same chemotherapy regimen postoperatively (regimen B). However, in those patients not having a good effect of preoperative chemotherapy on the primary tumor, HDMTX with CFR was subsequently deleted from their postoperative chemotherapy and they were placed on a regimen containing cisplatinum at the dose of 120mg/M2 with mannitol diuresis combined with Adriamycin in addition to BCD (regimen A). In the current study, 35 of the 57 patients did not demonstrate a good effect of chemotherapy on the primary tumor and were assigned to regimen A postoperatively. Of these 35 patients, 32 (91%) have remained continuously free of recurrent or metastatic disease from 6-34 months following the start of therapy. Among the 22 remaining patients having a good histologic response and treated with regimen B postoperatively, there has been only one relapse in a patient who had a local recurrence in the area of an inadequately resected primary tumor three months after the cessation of chemotherapy. Thus, 53 of 57 patients (93%) are continuously with no evidence of recurrent or metastatic disease from 6-35 months (median, 20 months) from the start of treatment. This study demonstrates the value of thorough histologic examination in predicting survival in responding patients and in helping identify patients whose disease-free survival rate can be substantially increased if they are given alternative postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy after failing to have a good response to preoperative chemotherapy. This individualized chemotherapeutic strategy has yielded the highest disease-free survival rate reported to date for osteogenic sarcoma.


Correlation of end-tidal carbon dioxide with arterial carbon dioxide in mechanically ventilated patients.
Patients undergone mechanical ventilation need rapid and reliable evaluation of their respiratory status. Monitoring of End-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) as a surrogate, noninvasive measurement of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO2) is one of the methods used for this purpose in intubated patients. The aim of the present trial was to study the relationship between end-tidal CO2 tensions with PaCO2 measurements in mechanically ventilated patients. End-tidal carbon dioxide levels were recorded at the time of arterial blood gas sampling. Patients who were undergoing one of the mechanical ventilation methods such as: synchronized mandatory mechanical ventilation (SIMV), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and T-Tube were enrolled in this study. The difference between ETCO2 and PaCO2 was tested with a paired t-test. The correlation of end-tidal carbon dioxide to (ETCO2) CO2 was obtained in all patients. A total of 219 arterial blood gases were obtained from 87 patients (mean age, 71.7 ± 15.1 years). Statistical analysis demonstrated a good correlation between the mean of ETCO2 and PaCO2 in each of the modes of SIMV, CPAP and T-Tube; SIMV (42.5 ± 17.3 and 45.8 ± 17.1; r = 0.893, P < 0.0001), CPAP (37 ± 9.7 and 39.4 ± 10.1; r = 0.841, P < 0.0001) and T-Tube (36.1 ± 9.9 and 39.4 ± 11; r = 0.923, P < 0.0001), respectively. End-tidal CO2 measurement provides an accurate estimation of PaCO2 in mechanically ventilated patients. Its use may reduce the need for invasive monitoring and/or repeated arterial blood gas analyses.


Normal variants and artifacts: Importance in EEG interpretation.
Overinterpretation of EEG is an important contributor to the misdiagnosis of epilepsy. For the EEG to have a high diagnostic value and high specificity, it is critical to recognize waveforms that can be mistaken for abnormal patterns. This article describes artifacts, normal rhythms, and normal patterns that are prone to being misinterpreted as abnormal. Artifacts are potentials generated outside the brain. They are divided into physiologic and extraphysiologic. Physiologic artifacts arise from the body and include EMG, eyes, various movements, EKG, pulse, and sweat. Some physiologic artifacts can be useful for interpretation such as EMG and eye movements. Extraphysiologic artifacts arise from outside the body, and in turn can be divided into the environments (electrodes, equipment, and cellphones) and devices within the body (pacemakers and neurostimulators). Normal rhythms can be divided into awake patterns (alpha rhythm and its variants, mu rhythm, lambda waves, posterior slow waves of youth, HV-induced slowing, photic driving, and photomyogenic response) and sleep patterns (POSTS, vertex waves, spindles, K complexes, sleep-related hypersynchrony, and frontal arousal rhythm). Breach can affect both awake and sleep rhythms. Normal variants or variants of uncertain clinical significance include variants that may have been considered abnormal in the early days of EEG but are now considered normal. These include wicket spikes and wicket rhythms (the most common normal pattern overread as epileptiform), small sharp spikes (aka benign epileptiform transients of sleep), rhythmic midtemporal theta of drowsiness (aka psychomotor variant), Cigánek rhythm (aka midline theta), 6 Hz phantom spike-wave, 14 and 6 Hz positive spikes, subclinical rhythmic epileptiform discharges of adults (SREDA), slow-fused transients, occipital spikes of blindness, and temporal slowing of the elderly. Correctly identifying artifacts and normal patterns can help avoid overinterpretation and misdiagnosis. This is an educational review paper addressing a learning objective of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) curriculum.


Baseline Patient Characteristics Predicting Outcome and Attrition in Cognitive Therapy for Social Phobia: Results from a Large Multicentre Trial.
We examined the role of baseline patient characteristics as predictors of outcome (end-state functioning, response and remission) and attrition for cognitive therapy (CT) in social anxiety disorder (SAD). Beyond socio-demographic and clinical variables such as symptom severity and comorbidity status, previously neglected patient characteristics (e.g., personality, self-esteem, shame, interpersonal problems and attachment style) were analysed. Data came from the CT arm of a multicentre RCT with n = 244 patients having DSM-IV SAD. CT was conducted according to the manual by Clark and Wells. Severity of SAD was assessed at baseline and end of treatment with the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS). Multiple linear regression analyses and logistic regression analyses were applied. Up to 37% of the post-treatment variance (LSAS) could be explained by all pre-treatment variables combined. Symptom severity (baseline LSAS) was consistently negatively associated with end-state functioning and remission, but not with response. Number of comorbid diagnoses was negatively associated with end-state functioning and response, but not with remission. Self-esteem was positively associated with higher end-state functioning and more shame with better response. Attrition could not be significantly predicted. The results indicate that the initial probability for treatment success mainly depends on severity of disorder and comorbid conditions while other psychological variables are of minor importance, at least on a nomothetic level. This stands in contrast with efforts to arrive at an empirical-based foundation for differential indication and argues to search for more potent moderators of therapeutic change rather on the process level. Personality, self-esteem, shame, attachment style and interpersonal problems do not or only marginally moderate the effects of interventions in CT of social phobia. Symptom severity and comorbid diagnoses might affect treatment outcome negatively. Beyond these two factors, most patients share a similar likelihood of treatment success when treated according to the manual by Clark and Wells. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation of the spleen: A case report.
Sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation is a benign vascular pathology of the spleen, developed from the red pulp, of unknown etiology; it is postulated that it may be related to IgG4 disease and Epstein-Barr virus infection. Most cases are asymptomatic, constituting incidental findings in imaging studies. We present a 41-year-old male patient with a history of thyroidectomy for papillary carcinoma who consulted for fever, received symptomatic treatment and performed a computed tomography of the abdomen for nonspecific abdominal symptoms, the same evidence in the lower pole of the spleen a solid-looking image with faint Peripheral enhancement with contrast, measures 62x 52x51 mm. A splenectomy measuring 14x 11x4 cm and weighing 284 grams was performed, identifying a solid, well-defined nodular formation, with a central fibrous-looking area, with whitish tracts that delimited purplish areas. Microscopy: rounded angiomatoid-like coalescing nodules, with vascular proliferation lined by endothelial cells without atypia, interspersed with spindle cells, infiltrated by lymphocytes and macrophages. The stroma between the nodules shows myofibroblastic proliferation with lymphocytes, plasma cells, and siderophages. Immunohistochemistry: positive labeling in vessels for CD34 and CD31, positive sectors for CD8 and negative for CD34. One IgG4 positive cell per high power field. The study for Epstein-Barr by Polymesara Chain Reaction was negative. For the diagnosis, the imaging studies are nonspecific, so the diagnostic confirmation is given by the histopathological study. Splenectomy is curative with no reported cases of malignant transformation or recurrence to date. There are no known risk factors and no triggering factors have been proven, except the association of cases with IgG4 and Ebstein-Barr virus. As it is a recently described pathological entity, it is necessary to collect large series and review our files, reevaluating some of its differential diagnoses to achieve a better understanding of it.


Endogenous molecules induced by a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) elicit innate immunity in shrimp.
Invertebrates rely on an innate immune system to combat invading pathogens. The system is initiated in the presence of cell wall components from microbes like lipopolysaccharide (LPS), β-1,3-glucan (βG) and peptidoglycan (PG), altogether known as pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), via a recognition of pattern recognition protein (PRP) or receptor (PRR) through complicated reactions. We show herein that shrimp hemocytes incubated with LPS, βG, and PG caused necrosis and released endogenous molecules (EMs), namely EM-L, EM-β, and EM-P, and found that shrimp hemocytes incubated with EM-L, EM-β, and EM-P caused changes in cell viability, degranulation and necrosis of hemocytes, and increased phenoloxidase (PO) activity and respiratory burst (RB) indicating activation of immunity in vitro. We found that shrimp receiving EM-L, EM-β, and EM-P had increases in hemocyte count and other immune parameters as well as higher phagocytic activity toward a Vibrio pathogen, and found that shrimp receiving EM-L had increases in proliferation cell ratio and mitotic index of hematopoietic tissues (HPTs). We identified proteins of EMs deduced from SDS-PAGE and LC-ESI-MS/MS analyses. EM-L and EM-P contained damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) including HMGBa, HMGBb, histone 2A (H2A), H2B, and H4, and other proteins including proPO, Rab 7 GPTase, and Rab 11 GPTase, which were not observed in controls (EM-C, hemocytes incubated in shrimp salt solution). We concluded that EMs induced by PAMPs contain DAMPs and other immune molecules, and they could elicit innate immunity in shrimp. Further research is needed to identify which individual molecule or combined molecules of EMs cause the results, and determine the mechanism of action in innate immunity.


Sorption of four hydrophobic organic compounds by three chemically distinct polymers: role of chemical and physical composition.
The sorption behavior of four hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) (i.e., phenanthrene, naphthalene, lindane, and 1-naphthol) by three types of polymers namely polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), and polyphenyleneoxide (PPO) was examined in this work. The organic carbon content-normalized sorption coefficients (K(oc)) of phenanthrene, lindane, and naphthalene by PEs of same composition but distinct physical makeup of domains increased with their crystallinity reduction (from 58.7 to 25.5%), suggesting that mobility and abundance of rubbery domains in polymers regulated HOC sorption. Cross-linking in styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer (PS2) created substantial surface area and porosity, thus, K(oc) values of phenanthrene, lindane, naphthalene, and 1-naphthol by PS2 were as high as 274.8, 212.3, 27.4, and 1.5 times of those by the linear polystyrene (PS1). The K(oc) values of lindane, naphthalene, and 1-naphthol by polar PPO were approximately 1-3 orders of magnitude higher than those by PS1, and PPO had comparable sorption for phenanthrene but higher sorption for naphthalene and 1-naphthol than PS2. This can be a result that a portion of O-containing moieties in PPO were masked in the interior part, while leaving the hydrophobic domains exposed outside, therefore demonstrating the great influence of the spatial arrangement of domains in polymers on HOC sorption.


Low parathyroid hormone levels after thyroid surgery: a feasible predictor of hypocalcemia.
Selecting patients with a low risk of hypocalcemia is mandatory if patients are to be discharged on the first day after bilateral thyroidectomy. This study investigated the predictive value of intraoperative parathyroid hormone (PTH). Thirty-eight patients underwent total or near-total thyroidectomy. Patients with or without biochemical and symptomatic hypocalcemia were compared regarding intraoperative PTH levels and previously suggested risk factors. The accuracy of intraoperative PTH to predict patients at risk for postoperative hypocalcemia was compared with a calcium concentration of less than 2.00 mmol/L (8.0 mg/dL) on the first postoperative day. PTH levels after resection of the second lobe, age, and number of parathyroid glands identified intraoperatively were independently associated with the reduction in serum calcium concentration measured at nadir on the first or second postoperative day. PTH levels after resection of the second lobe were lower among patients who developed biochemical (P <.001) and symptomatic hypocalcemia (P <.01) compared with those who did not. Low levels of intraoperative PTH identified the 3 patients who required intravenous calcium during the first 24 postoperative hours. An intraoperative PTH level below reference range and a calcium concentration of less than 2.00 mmol/L measured 1 day postoperatively both predicted biochemical hypocalcemia with a similar sensitivity (90% vs 90%) and specificity (75% vs 82%). Intraoperative PTH was slightly better than a serum calcium concentration of less than 2.00 mmol/L on postoperative day 1 to predict symptomatic hypocalcemia, with a sensitivity of 71% vs 52% and a specificity of 81% vs 76%, respectively. Parathyroid gland insufficiency is the main determinant of transient hypocalcemia after bilateral thyroid surgery. Low intraoperative PTH levels during thyroid surgery are therefore a feasible predictor of postoperative hypocalcemia.