Expression of pericardial fluid T-cells and related inflammatory cytokines in patients with chronic heart failure.
Pericardial fluid, as a biochemical indicator of heart status, directly indicates pathological alteration to the heart. The accumulation of pericardial fluid can be attributed to an underlying systemic or local inflammatory process. However, the pericardial fluid expression of cellular surface markers, as well as several cytokines in chronic heart failure (CHF), remain unclear. In order to evaluate these issues further the pericardial fluid expression of several cytokines and the surface expression of activity markers between CHF patients and non-heart failure (NHF) patients were analyzed. The pericardial fluid expression of cytokines was measured by immunofluorescence and biomarker of plasma N-terminal propeptide of B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), while pericardial fluid levels of soluble glycoprotein 130 (sgp130) were analyzed by ELISA in 50 CHF and 24 NHF patients. In addition, the surface expression of activation markers for T-cells was measured by immunohistochemistry. Patients with CHF demonstrated increased levels of plasma NT-proBNP and pericardial fluid sgp130. Surface expression of cellular activation markers CD25 and Foxp3 in the pericardial fluid was increased in patients with CHF. Moreover, the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 in patients with CHF also demonstrated an increased expression within its pericardial fluid. In addition, there was infiltration of inflammatory cells and enhanced expression of inflammatory cytokines in the pericardial fluid of patients with CHF, which may reflect T cell activation, suggesting that systemic inflammation is important in the progression of CHF. This evidence could indicate a possible novel target for future therapeutics and prevention of CHF.


Sequential events in the formation of collagen secretion granules with special reference to the development of segment-long-spacing-like aggregates.
The formation and maturation of collagen secretion granules in periodontal ligament (PDL) fibroblasts of young male Balb-C mice were studied by electron microscopy and cytochemistry. The Golgi apparatus was composed of several dictyosomes, each consisting of a stack of five smooth-walled cisternae. Each cisterna was connected at both ends to a dilated saccule. The cisternae, with their associated pairs of saccules, underwent progressive maturational changes from the immature to mature face of each dictyosome. The most immature saccules (type 1) were large, spherical, and filled with loosely arranged short filamentous structures. These saccules were continuous with the first and second Golgi cisternae (counting from the immature side). Golgi saccules type 2 were ellipsoidal, associated with the third and fourth cisternae, and contained parallel, elongate filaments. The most mature saccules, type 3, were more rectangular and connected by a short fifth cisterna. They contained aggregated filamentous material in the form of eight segment-long-spacing (SLS)-like crystallites, one in the center and seven at the periphery, to form a basic secretory unit. As type 3 saccules matured, the interconnecting cisterna progressively shortened until the two saccules were nearly juxtaposed. At this time the shortened fifth cisterna split to give rise to two independent presecretory granules. By progressive condensation, presecretory granules matured into secretion granules that contained a densely packed SLS-like aggregate, within which individual crystallites were no longer discernable. Maturation of cisternae and saccules involved removal of membrane, apparently by the formation and detachment of coated vesicles. The staining reaction with silver methenamine and phosphotungstic acid increased over the procollagen as the saccules matured, indicating addition of carbohydrate moieties and possible crosslinkages. It is concluded that the formation and maturation of collagen secretion granules in PDL fibroblasts involves the packaging and further modification of eight SLS-like crystallites, which are secreted as a basic unit.


Modelling the effect of religion on human empathy based on an adaptive temporal-causal network model.
Religion is a central aspect of many individuals' lives around the world, and its influence on human behaviour has been extensively studied from many different perspectives. The current study integrates a number of these perspectives into one adaptive temporal-causal network model describing the mental states involved, their mutual relations, and the adaptation of some of these relations over time due to learning. By first developing a conceptual representation of a network model based on the literature, and then formalizing this model into a numerical representation, simulations can be done for almost any kind of religion and person, showing different behaviours for persons with different religious backgrounds and characters. The focus was mainly on the influence of religion on human empathy and dis-empathy, a topic very relevant today. The developed model could be valuable for many uses, involving support for a better understanding, and even prediction, of the behaviour of religious individuals. It is illustrated for a number of different scenarios based on different characteristics of the persons and of the religion.


In vitro analysis of regurgitant fraction using Doppler power-weighted sum of velocities.
The power-weighted sum of velocities (PWS) is the sum of each velocity component of the Doppler signal multiplied by its power. The purpose of this study was to determine (1) whether PWS is linearly related to volume flow and (2) whether PWS can predict the regurgitant fraction in an in vitro pulsatile flow system simulating aortic regurgitation. Doppler analysis of aortic flow was performed with an intact valve and two regurgitant valves. For each valve a linear relation between the forward flow PWS and forward flow volume was demonstrated, with excellent correlation (r = 0.99). For the valves with regurgitant orifices, the values for the PWS-derived regurgitant fraction were compared with measured regurgitant fraction. A fair correlation was demonstrated (r = 0.59), with low accuracy in prediction (error 44% +/- 24%). The PWS was inaccurate in predicting flow ratios in our in vitro system despite the strong relation with forward flow volume. The error incurred may be due to effects of filters that remove low velocity and low amplitude information.


Comparative mapping of the chicken genome using the East Lansing reference population.
The annotation of known genes on linkage maps provides an informative framework for synteny mapping. In comparative gene mapping, conserved synteny is broadly defined as groups of two or more linked markers that are also linked in two or more species. Although many anonymous markers have been placed on the chicken genome map, locating known genes will augment the number of conserved syntenic groups and consolidate linkage groups. In this report, 21 additional genes have been assigned to linkage groups or chromosomes; five syntenic groups were identified. Ultimately, conserved syntenic groups may help to pinpoint important quantitative trait loci.


The effect of reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM) on the attachment and ingestion phases of C3b- and IgG-mediated phagocytosis by macrophages.
The effects of enzymatically produced reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM) on the attachment and ingestion phases of C3b- and IgG-mediated phagocytosis by cultured mouse peritoneal macrophages (MPM) was investigated using a hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase ROM-generating system. ROM-exposure at a dose which did not affect cell viability caused a slight decrease in the percentage of phagocytosing cells. The total number of cell-associated (attached and ingested) C3b- and IgG-coated particles initially decreased in relation to controls. After 120 min the number of attached and ingested C3b-particles had returned to the level of controls, while the corresponding value for IgG-particles lagged behind. The number of ingested particles decreased in both C3b- and IgG-groups at each time-point studied (30-150 min). A linear increase in the formation of lipid peroxidation products was measured during the period of observation, while transmission electron microscopical studies showed largely intact morphology. These results indicate that ROM species may induce membrane-related changes in inflammatory cells such as macrophages, probably due to lipid peroxidation; affecting the binding functions of the C3b- and Fc-receptors, without any obvious alteration in cellular fine structure.


Ends and means in research design.
General practice research often is a description of facts rather than a prediction of outcomes. This paper discusses the need to prepare protocols, to do pilot studies (to minimise error) and to be aware of the individuality of doctors and patients. The design or model for a project must be adapted to the question being asked: the means must suit the ends.


Comparison of ultrasonographic findings in spontaneous abortions with normal and abnormal karyotypes.
To determine whether ultrasonographic findings can predict the karyotype of spontaneous abortions, 137 pregnancies (54 spontaneous, 83 assisted ovulatory cycles) that subsequently aborted and had chromosome analysis performed on the products of conception were studied ultrasonographically. Transvaginal ultrasound was performed using an Acuson 128XP/10 with 7.5 MHz probe. The numbers of empty gestational sacs, small and normal for gestational size, embryonic poles and embryos with documented cardiac activity were calculated. The frequency of each of these findings in pregnancies with normal and abnormal karyotypes was compared. Of the 137 spontaneous abortions, 51 had normal chromosome analyses and 86 had abnormal karyotypes (68 aneuploidies and 18 polyploidies). Ultrasonographic findings in the 51 karyotypically normal pregnancies included 16 (31%) with empty gestational sacs, and 35 (69%) with embryonic poles, of which 24 (69%) were at least 1 week smaller than expected for gestational age and 11 (31%) were the expected size. Embryonic cardiac activity was documented in 22 (63%) of the 35 embryonic poles. Amongst 86 pregnancies with abnormal karyotypes, similar frequencies of ultrasound findings were found: 23 (27%) with empty gestational sacs, 42 (67%) with embryonic poles smaller than expected for gestational age, and 50 (79%) embryos lost after documentation of embryonic cardiac activity. No differences in the frequency of ultrasonographic findings of empty gestational sacs, small embryonic pole and embryonic cardiac activity were observed between karyotypically normal and abnormal spontaneous abortions. Ultrasonographic findings cannot predict the karyotype of spontaneous abortions.


Effect of four-layer dressing on the microbiological profile of venous leg ulcer.
Venous leg ulcer (VLU) is a chronic disease and has periods of exacerbation and remission. Various bandage systems-single-layered, double-layered and multiple-layered with elastic and non-elastic components-have been developed. The requirement for sustained pressure brought about the introduction of the four-layer bandage. We studied the bacteriology of VLUs and the effect of four-layer bandages on their healing. Clinical details of all patients, with wound size measurement by gauze piece, wax paper and scale, were recorded. The wounds were initially debrided and photographic records of all patients were maintained. Patients were followed up every week, when the dressings and four-layer bandages were changed. A total of 60 patients were recruited to the study with four patients having bilateral disease and so a total of 64 VLUs were evaluated. Of these, 60 (93.8%) healed completely, one (1.6%) healed partially and three (4.7%) did not heal. After excluding the four VLUs that did not fully heal, 10 (16.7%) had recurrence while 50 (83.3%) had no recurrence in the follow-up period, which lasted for one year. During the first visit (baseline), meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was isolated in 29 (45.31%) VLUs and Pseudomonas spp. in 20 (31.25%) VLUs. With subsequent dressing, the VLU size decreased and the culture of the VLU was sterile from the third culture onwards in 45 cases. There was a significant correlation (p<0.001) between VLU size and the number of dressings. Compression therapy is the mainstay of treatment of VLU, with rapid healing and improvement in bacteriological profile. Compression in the range of 30-40mmHg is the most effective treatment for uncomplicated VLUs with adequate arterial competency.


Young men with high-normal blood pressure have lower serum adiponectin, smaller LDL size, and higher elevated heart rate than those with optimal blood pressure.
Three measures--heart rate, a global index of the influence of the autonomic nervous system on the heart; circulating concentrations of adiponectin, an adipose-specific protein; and C-reactive protein (CRP), a sensitive marker of inflammation--have been reported to be closely associated with insulin resistance. Patients with borderline hypertension are known to be more insulin resistant and dyslipidemic than those with normal blood pressure (BP). BP can be classified into three categories: optimal, normal, and high-normal. The present study examined whether those with high-normal BP have any of these three conditions as compared with those with optimal BP in young healthy men. Anthropometric, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood tests, including tests for adiponectin and CRP, were conducted in 198 male students, ages 18-26 years, who had fasted overnight. Insulin resistance (IR) and insulin secretion (beta-cell levels) were calculated using the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA), and LDL size was measured by PAGE. Compared with the 90 men who had optimal BP, the 46 men with high-normal BP had increased heart rate, BMI, percent body fat, and serum leptin levels. In addition, they had greater serum insulin, HOMA IR, and beta-cell levels, lower adiponectin levels, and comparable CRP levels. Furthermore, the 46 men with high-normal BP had higher serum triglyceride and apolipoprotein (apo) B levels, and smaller LDL size; however, there was no difference in LDL and HDL cholesterol and apoA-I between men with optimal and high-normal BP. After adjusting for BMI, differences were still significant in serum adiponectin, heart rate, and LDL particle size. As BP rose, there was an increase in heart rate (BMI-adjusted least square means were 63, 65, and 70 bpm in men with optimal, normal, and high-normal BP, respectively; P = 0.005), whereas serum adiponectin (7.5, 6.6, and 6.4 mg/l; P = 0.007) and LDL particle size (271, 269, and 269 A; P = 0.008) decreased. Young men with high-normal BP have a faster heart rate, lower serum adiponectin levels, and smaller LDL size than men with optimal BP, even after adjustment for BMI. These results suggest the necessity of preventing further development of cardiac and metabolic diseases in young people who have high-normal BP.


Scaling Proteome-Wide Reactions of Activity-Based Probes.
Unified analysis of complex reactions of an activity-based probe with proteins in a proteome remains an unsolved challenge. We propose a power expression, rate = kobs[Probe]α, for scaling the progress of proteome-wide reactions and use the scaling factor (0 ≤ α ≤ 1) as an apparent, partial order with respect to the probe to measure the "enzyme-likeness" for a protein in reaction acceleration. Thus, α reports the intrinsic reactivity of the protein with the probe. When α = 0, the involved protein expedites the reaction to the maximal degree; when α = 1, the protein reacts with the probe via an unaccelerated, bimolecular reaction. The selectivity (β) of the probe reacting with two proteins is calculated as a ratio of conversion factors (kobs values) for corresponding power equations. A combination of α and β provides a tiered system for quantitatively assessing the probe efficacy; an ideal probe exhibits high reactivity with its protein targets (low in α) and is highly selective (high in β) in forming the probe-protein adducts. The scaling analysis was demonstrated using proteome-wide reactions of HT-29 cell lysates with a model probe of threonine β-lactone.


Predicting difficulties during laparoscopic cholecystectomy by preoperative ultrasound.
The aim of this study was to determine whether the preoperative USG finding can predict the risk of conversion or difficulty during the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. 200 patients undergoing Laparoscopic cholecystectomy at Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital were included. Sonographic parameters like size of gall bladder, wall thickness, distance between hepaticoduodenal ligament and Hartmann's pouch and the size of stone were taken into consideration and difficulties in terms of adhesions around gall bladder, anatomy of calot's triangle and difficulty in peeling off gall bladder from the bed and retrieval were analyzed. In 8 of 200 patients (4%), LC was converted to open procedure. In univariate analysis all the sonographic parameters we had included in this study were statically significant (p value <0.05). Preoperative sonographic signs can predict the difficulty in laparoscopic cholecystectomy.


Abnormal prostacyclin metabolism in the hemolytic uremic syndrome: equivocal effect of prostacyclin infusions.
In a child with the hemolytic uremic syndrome, plasma 6 keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha levels remained undetectable throughout the acute phase of the disease. The patient's plasma failed to stimulate prostacyclin production by "exhausted" rat aorta rings. In vitro study of the patient's vessels indicated that they retained the capacity to synthesize prostacyclin from exogenous arachidonic acid but that their endogenous arachidonic acid stores were either depleted or non-available. The response to repeated infusion of exogenous prostacyclin was equivocal, suggesting that abnormal prostacyclin metabolism in the hemolytic uremic syndrome may not be the only factor in its pathogenesis.


Redescription and SSU rRNA gene-based phylogeny of an anaerobic ciliate, Plagiopyla ovata Kahl, 1931 (Ciliophora, Plagiopylea).
The morphology and molecular phylogeny of Plagiopyla ovata Kahl, 1931, a poorly known anaerobic ciliate, were investigated based on a population isolated from sand samples collected from the Yellow Sea coast at Qingdao, PR China. Details of the oral ciliature are documented for the first time to our knowledge and an improved species diagnosis is given. The small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene was newly sequenced and phylogenetic analyses revealed that P. ovata clusters within the monophyletic family Plagiopylidae. However, evolutionary relationships within both the family Plagiopylidae and the genus Plagiopyla remain obscure owing to undersampling, the lack of sequence data from known species and low nodal support or unstable topologies in gene trees. A key to the identification of the species of the genus Plagiopyla with validly published names is also supplied.


Genetic diversity of the obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydophila pneumoniae by genome-wide analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms: evidence for highly clonal population structure.
Chlamydophila pneumoniae is an obligate intracellular bacterium that replicates in a biphasic life cycle within eukaryotic host cells. Four published genomes revealed an identity of > 99 %. This remarkable finding raised questions about the existence of distinguishable genotypes in correlation with geographical and anatomical origin. We studied the genetic diversity of C. pneumoniae by analysing synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (sSNPs) that are under reduced selection pressure. We conducted an in silico analysis of the four sequenced genomes, chose 232 representative sSNPs and analysed the loci in 38 C. pneumoniae isolates. We identified 15 different genotypes that were separated in four major clusters. Clusters were not associated with anatomical or geographical origin. However, animal lineages are basal on the C. pneumomiae phylogeny, suggesting a recent transmission to humans through successive bottlenecks some 150,000 years ago. A lack of detectable variation in 17 isolates emphasizes the extraordinary genetic conservation of this species and the high clonality of the population. Moreover, the largest cluster, which encompasses 80% of all analysed strains, is an extremely young clade, that went through an important population expansion some 3,300 years ago. sSNPs have proven useful as a sensitive marker to gain new insights into genetic diversity, population structure and evolutionary history of C. pneumoniae.


Long-term exercise training and soy isoflavones to improve quality of life and climacteric symptoms.
To verify the efficacy of phytoestrogen supplementation combined with aerobic and resistance training on the improvement of climacteric symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in postmenopausal women. From a pool of women who had participated in a 1-year intervention study and were randomly assigned to either exercise + phytoestrogen (EX + PHY) or exercise + placebo (EX + PL), a total of 31 healthy but overweight women (mean age 59.2 ± 4.8 years, body mass index 29.1 ± 3.5 kg/m2) finished the study (EX + PHY, n = 15; EX + PL, n = 16). All the following variables were measured before, after 6 months and after 12 months of intervention: body composition (fat and lean body mass, DXA), HRQoL (SF-36 questionnaire: physical and mental component summaries and subscales; and the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale questionnaire), climacteric symptoms (Kupperman Index questionnaire). After 1 year of intervention, physical functioning (p = 0.003), role-emotional (p = 0.031), vitality (p = 0.007), and global health (p < 0.001) were significantly and similarly increased in both groups. Regarding climacteric symptoms, an improvement in the Kupperman index total score (p = 0.015) was observed. Our results demonstrate that adding phytoestrogens to exercise training does not provide the additive effect for HRQoL in postmenopausal and overweight women. Moreover, exercise and phytoestrogen may interfere in the improvement of climacteric symptoms in the long term.


Security enhancement through high-quality illumination enabled by wavelength-shuffled optical OFDM.
This study presents a novel physical layer security technique that aims to increase the security level by reducing decryption attempts and improving the resistance to security attacks. To achieve this goal, the proposed approach generates signals that resemble Gaussian noise in both the time and frequency domains. This method utilizes a wavelength-shuffled optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) scheme, which is combined with the standard blue-excited phosphorus lighting approach. Experimental validation of the proposed system demonstrates a secure data rate of 880 Mb/s in the aggregate, followed by a real-time demonstration showing its practicality. Furthermore, the proposed system generates high-quality white light (with a color rendering index of 83 and correlated color temperature of 5040 K), which makes it suitable for practical illumination applications.


Organizational well-being and job satisfaction: cross-sectional study in a nurses' group.
Job satisfaction impacts on multiple aspects of work environment, influencing productivity, performance, absenteeism, permanence, hiring, organizational commitment, nursing care. The purpose of the study was to describe the perception of the level of organizational well-being and job satisfaction by identifying the determinants of unwellness organizational at the ASL 3 Genovese "Villa Scassi Hospital". The cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2019; the information was collected through a questionnaire administered to a sample of 318 nurses made of 72 items and socio-demographic characteristics, of which 22 items examining the level of burnout and 50 items investigating the influence of psychosocial factors on the well-being of workers. A total of 318 questionnaires were administered with an adhesion rate of 36.16%. 76.52% of the population is not satisfied with their working condition, while 20.86% is. The levels of emotional exhaustion were high as 30% of the interviewed sample was found to be emotionally stressed "several times a month" due to the work performed. 33.9% and 42.6% of the sample judged their work complex and interesting with a grade of 10. There is a need to make health care organizations more aware that having a class of nurses who show passion and interest in their profession improves the quality of the work itself and the quality of care provided to clients.


Clinical Impact of the Institution of Moses Technology on Efficiency During Retrograde Ureteroscopy for Stone Disease: Single-Center Experience.
Objective: To evaluate the clinical benefits of Moses technology compared with the regular mode with the Lumenis® Pulse™ P120H holmium laser during ureteroscopy for stone disease. Patients and Methods: An IRB-approved database of patients with urolithiasis was analyzed for ureteroscopies from January 2020 to December 2020 at an outpatient surgery center. Patients who underwent ureteroscopy with the Lumenis Pulse P120H holmium laser system with the Moses or regular mode were included. Patient characteristics and stone parameters were collected. Operative room parameters were compared, including procedural time, fragmentation/dusting time, lasing time, and total energy used. Complication rates and stone-free rates were also analyzed. Univariate analysis and multiple analysis of covariance controlling for cumulative stone size were performed. Patients with staged procedures were excluded. Results: Of 197 surgical cases, 176 met the inclusion criteria. Moses was utilized in 110 cases and regular mode in 66. There was no difference in cumulative stone size between Moses and regular modes (11.8 ± 7.9 vs 11.6 ± 9.2 mm, p = 0.901). Procedural time (43.5 ± 32.1 vs 39.8 ± 24.6 minutes, p = 0.436), fragmentation/dusting time (20.5 ± 25.3 vs 17.1 ± 16.1 minutes, p = 0.430), lasing time (7.5 ± 11.1 vs 6.7 ± 7.9 minutes, p = 0.570), and total energy used (5.1 ± 6.7 vs 3.8 ± 4.8 kJ, p = 0.093) were also similar. Complications (6.4% vs 6.1%, p = 0.936) and stone-free rates (52.3% vs 65.3%, p = 0.143) did not differ. Conclusion: At our institution, Moses technology did not significantly change the procedural time, fragmentation/dusting time, lasing time, or total energy used. Moreover, there were no differences in complications or stone-free rates. There may be technical benefits to the Moses technology not captured in this analysis.


Demystifying the central line.
In the prehospital setting, you are most likely to encounter a PICC line, Port-A-Cath or Hickman catheter. Others exist, but your chances of seeing them in the field are rare. The basic steps outlined in this article are an introduction to using central lines. I strongly recommend a handson session with a knowledgeable instructor who is intimately familiar with the use of these devices.


The agreement between self-assessment and clinician assessment of dry eye severity.
The purpose of this analysis was to measure the degree of agreement between clinicians' assessment and subjects' self-assessment of dry eye severity in a cross-sectional, observational dry eye study. A secondary purpose was to identify the role of gender and age in that concordance. In a cross-sectional observational study, 162 dry eye subjects and 48 controls were recruited from clinical databases of ICD-9 codes in 6 clinical sites. Before examination, subjects gave a global self-assessment of the severity of their dry eye from "none" to "extremely severe." After a clinical examination that included dry eye tests, the clinician discussed the subjects' symptoms and then gave global clinician assessment of dry eye from "none" to "severe." We measured the degree of agreement in these global measures. Although the correlation and agreement between clinician and self-assessment was significant (r = 0.720, P = 0.000; weighted K = 0.471; 95% CI = 0.395, 0.548; P = 0.000), the clinician assessment underestimated the severity in 40.9% of the subjects by at least 1 grade compared with the subjects' self-assessment. Over 54% of subjects over age 65 and 43% of the female subjects had their condition underestimated by the clinician (P < 0.05). Clinicians often relatively underestimated the severity of the subjects' self-assessment of dry eye in this clinical study, especially among the elderly and women. Eye care practitioners need better, more quantitative tools for the assessment of ocular surface symptoms to improve the concordance in severity assessment and to meet the needs of this symptomatic patient population by offering them appropriate treatments.


Endothelial Mineralocorticoid Receptor Deletion Prevents Diet-Induced Cardiac Diastolic Dysfunction in Females.
Overnutrition and insulin resistance are especially prominent risk factors for the development of cardiac diastolic dysfunction in females. We recently reported that consumption of a Western diet (WD) containing excess fat (46%), sucrose (17.5%), and high fructose corn syrup (17.5%) for 16 weeks resulted in cardiac diastolic dysfunction and aortic stiffening in young female mice and that these abnormalities were prevented by mineralocorticoid receptor blockade. Herein, we extend those studies by testing whether WD-induced diastolic dysfunction and factors contributing to diastolic impairment, such as cardiac fibrosis, hypertrophy, inflammation, and impaired insulin signaling, are modulated by excess endothelial cell mineralocorticoid receptor signaling. Four-week-old female endothelial cell mineralocorticoid receptor knockout and wild-type mice were fed mouse chow or WD for 4 months. WD feeding resulted in prolonged relaxation time, impaired diastolic septal wall motion, and increased left ventricular filling pressure indicative of diastolic dysfunction. This occurred in concert with myocardial interstitial fibrosis and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy that were associated with enhanced profibrotic (transforming growth factor β1/Smad) and progrowth (S6 kinase-1) signaling, as well as myocardial oxidative stress and a proinflammatory immune response. WD also induced cardiomyocyte stiffening, assessed ex vivo using atomic force microscopy. Conversely, endothelial cell mineralocorticoid receptor deficiency prevented WD-induced diastolic dysfunction, profibrotic, and progrowth signaling, in conjunction with reductions in macrophage proinflammatory polarization and improvements in insulin metabolic signaling. Therefore, our findings indicate that increased endothelial cell mineralocorticoid receptor signaling associated with consumption of a WD plays a key role in the activation of cardiac profibrotic, inflammatory, and growth pathways that lead to diastolic dysfunction in female mice.


Improved isolation of Vibrio vulnificus from seawater and sediment with cellobiose-colistin agar.
An improved selective medium, cellobiose-colistin (CC) agar, gave a significantly higher (P < 0.05) isolation rate of Vibrio vulnificus from water and sediment samples than did modified cellobiose-polymyxin B-colistin (mCPC) agar. In a total of 446 alkaline peptone water preenrichments amended with polymyxin B, V. vulnificus was isolated from 154 preenrichments (35%) with mCPC agar and from 179 preenrichments (40%) with CC agar. CC agar gave a higher plating efficiency of V. vulnificus cells than did cellobiose-polymyxin B-colistin (CPC) agar, mCPC agar, or thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose (TCBS) agar; the only significant difference was observed with TCBS agar, which gave much lower plating efficiencies than the other selective media. Determination of MICs demonstrated that the concentrations of colistin and polymyxin B in CPC agar inhibit growth of a proportion of V. vulnificus strains.


Disorders Related to PI3Kδ Hyperactivation: Characterizing the Clinical and Immunological Features of Activated PI3-Kinase Delta Syndromes.
Phosphoinositide-3-kinase δ (PI3Kδ) is found in immune cells and is part of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/S6K signalling pathway essential to cell survival, growth and differentiation. Hyperactivation of PI3Kδ enzyme results in Activated PI3-kinase delta syndrome (APDS). This childhood onset, autosomal dominant, combined immunodeficiency, is caused by heterozygous gain of function (GOF) mutations in PIK3CD (encodes PI3Kδ catalytic subunit p110δ), mutations in PIK3R1 (encodes PI3Kδ regulatory subunit p85α) or LOF mutations in PTEN (terminates PI3Kδ signalling) leading to APDS1, APDS2 and APDS-Like (APDS-L), respectively. APDS was initially described in 2013 and over 285 cases have now been reported. Prompt diagnosis of APDS is beneficial as targeted pharmacological therapies such as sirolimus and potentially PI3Kδ inhibitors can be administered. In this review, we provide an update on the clinical and laboratory features of this primary immunodeficiency. We discuss the common manifestations such as sinopulmonary infections, bronchiectasis, lymphoproliferation, susceptibility to herpesvirus, malignancy, as well as more rare non-immune features such as short stature and neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Laboratory characteristics, such as antibody deficiency and B cell and T cell, phenotypes are also summarised.


Spiral two-phase dendrites.
We present real-time observations of a new growth pattern called a spiral two-phase dendrite, which we observed during univariant directional solidification of a ternary-eutectic alloy. Two different crystal phases grow from the apex of a parabolic finger, forming a spiral pattern that leaves behind in the solid a double helix microstructure. The parabola tip radius is nearly equal to the helix step. These lengths vary approximately as the reciprocal of the square root of the tip growth velocity. The direction of growth is not selected, but is initial-condition dependent.


Cerebral perfusion is associated with blast exposure in military personnel without moderate or severe TBI.
Due to the use of improvised explosive devices, blast exposure and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) have become hallmark injuries of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Although the mechanisms of the effects of blast on human neurobiology remain active areas of investigation, research suggests that the cerebrovasculature may be particularly vulnerable to blast via molecular processes that impact cerebral blood flow. Given that recent work suggests that blast exposure, even without a subsequent TBI, may have negative consequences on brain structure and function, the current study sought to further understand the effects of blast exposure on perfusion. One hundred and eighty military personnel underwent pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) imaging and completed diagnostic and clinical interviews. Whole-brain analyses revealed that with an increasing number of total blast exposures, there was significantly increased perfusion in the right middle/superior frontal gyri, supramarginal gyrus, lateral occipital cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex as well as bilateral anterior cingulate cortex, insulae, middle/superior temporal gyri and occipital poles. Examination of other neurotrauma and clinical variables such as close-range blast exposures, mTBI, and PTSD yielded no significant effects. These results raise the possibility that perfusion may be an important neural marker of brain health in blast exposure.


Multisurface multimode molecular dynamical simulation of naphthalene and anthracene radical cations by using nearly linear scalable time-dependent discrete variable representation method.
The major portion of the algorithm of the time-dependent discrete variable representation (TDDVR) method is recently parallelized using the shared-memory parallelization scheme with the aim of performing dynamics on relatively large molecular systems. Because of the astronomical importance of naphthalene and anthracene, we have investigated their radical cations as models for theoretical simulation of complex photoelectron spectra and nonradiative decay process using the newly implemented parallel TDDVR code. The strong vibronic coupling among the six lowest doublet electronic states makes these polynuclear hydrocarbons dynamically important. The aim of the present investigation is to show the efficiency of our current TDDVR algorithm to perform dynamics on large dimensional quantum systems in vibronically coupled electronic manifold. Both the sequential and the parallelized TDDVR algorithms are almost linear scalable for an increase in number of processors. Because a significant speed-up is achieved by cycling in the correct way over arrays, all of the simulations are performed within a reasonable wall clock time. Our theoretical spectra well reproduce the features of the corresponding experimental analog. The dynamical outcomes, for example, population, photoelectron spectra, and diffused interstellar bands, etc., of our quantum-classical approach show good agreement with the findings of the well-established quantum dynamical method, that is, multi configuration time-dependent Hartree (MCTDH) approach.


The diversity and antimicrobial activity of endophytic fungi associated with medicinal plant Baccharis trimera (Asteraceae) from the Brazilian savannah.
The fungal endophyte community associated with Baccharis trimera, a Brazilian medicinal plant, was characterized and screened for its ability to present antimicrobial activity. By using molecular methods, we identified and classified the endophytic fungi obtained into 25 different taxa from the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. The most abundant species were closely related to Diaporthe phaseolorum, Pestalotiopsis sp. 1, and Preussia pseudominima. The differences observed in endophytic assemblages from different B. trimera specimens might be associated with their crude extract activities. Plants that had higher α-biodiversity were also those that contributed more to the regional (γ) diversity. All fungal isolates were cultured and their crude extracts screened to examine the antimicrobial activities. Twenty-three extracts (12.8%) displayed antimicrobial activities against at least one target microorganism. Among these extracts, those obtained from Epicoccum sp., Pestalotiopsis sp. 1, Cochliobolus lunatus, and Nigrospora sp. presented the best minimum inhibitory concentration values. Our results show that the endophytic fungal community associated with the medicinal plant B. trimera included few dominant bioactive taxa, which may represent sources of compounds with antifungal activity. Additionally, the discovery of these bioactive fungi in association with B. trimera suggests that Brazilian plants used as folk medicine may shelter a rich fungal diversity as well as taxa able to produce bioactive metabolites with antimicrobial activities.


Physical activity experiences of community-dwelling older adults with physical disabilities: a scoping review of qualitative research.
The aim of this review was to synthesise qualitative literature on physical activity experiences of community-dwelling older adults with physical disabilities. We conducted a scoping review of peer-reviewed, qualitative studies on physical activity with community-dwelling older adults with physical disabilities. We analysed eligible studies identified through electronic database searches (CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus) and manual searches undertaken up to June 2023. Twenty-eight articles with 306 participants were included. As regard the experience of physical activity, although physical activity could elicit pleasure and enjoyment, many reported that physical activity sometimes produced pain. Various outcomes of physical activity were reported, with several physical, psychological, social, and lifestyle benefits prominent. Analyses of barriers and facilitators demonstrated how intrapersonal, interpersonal, environmental, and systems and programme factors influenced physical activity participation among older adults with physical disabilities. Our findings contribute to literature on physical activity in older adults with physical disabilities by synthesising qualitative research on physical activity experiences, outcomes, barriers, and facilitators in this population. Findings demonstrate the need for knowledgeable and supportive healthcare and exercise professionals, environments that support physical activity, and activities that promote pleasure and social connections.Implications for RehabilitationPhysical activity is perceived to have wide-ranging benefits for community-dwelling older adults with physical disabilities.Various intrapersonal, interpersonal, environmental, and systems and programme barriers constrain physical activity in physically disabled people.Knowledgeable and supportive healthcare and exercise professionals, accessible environments, and activities that promote pleasure and social connections could enhance engagement in physical activity.


[New approach for diagnosis and postoperative evaluation in herniated lumbosacral disc].
Dermatomally activated somatosensory evoked potentials (DSSEP's) were recorded over the scalp in 50 healthy subjects and 40 patients who later underwent exploration for herniated lumbosacral discs. The control subjects showed three negative peaks, N40, N56 and N78, and N41, N59 and N82 after bilateral stimulation of L5 and S1 dermatomes, respectively. In the patient group, the first two peaks were often abnormal in the presence of clinical sensory deficit, whereas the third peak tended to remain normal. At surgery, herniated disc was confirmed in all but six patients. The findings in myelogram were misleading in eight patients, showing either false positive or false negative results. The DSSEP's were normal in seven patients with documented disc protrusion at the level of L5 or S1 root. The test was also normal in another case with herniation at the level of S2 root. In this series, DSSEP's was extremely accurate in defining the level and the degree of lumbosacral root involvement. The findings on electrophysiology and myelography are not comparable, but are complementary, the former indicating function and the latter structure. Thus, electrophysiologic studies and myelography were complementary in providing an accurate diagnosis for herniated lumbosacral disc.


Microcalorimeter measurement of x-ray spectra from a high-temperature magnetically confined plasma.
A NASA-built x-ray microcalorimeter spectrometer has been installed on the MST facility at the Wisconsin Plasma Physics Laboratory and has recorded x-ray photons emitted by impurity ions of aluminum in a majority deuterium plasma. Much of the x-ray microcalorimeter development has been driven by the needs of astrophysics missions, where imaging arrays with few-eV spectral resolution are required. The goal of our project is to adapt these single-photon-counting microcalorimeters for magnetic fusion energy research and demonstrate the value of such measurements for fusion science. Microcalorimeter spectrometers combine the best characteristics of the x-ray instrumentation currently available on fusion devices: high spectral resolution similar to an x-ray crystal spectrometer and the broadband coverage of an x-ray pulse height analysis system. Fusion experiments are increasingly employing high-Z plasma-facing components and require measurement of the concentration of all impurity ion species in the plasma. This diagnostic has the capability to satisfy this need for multi-species impurity ion data and will also contribute to measurements of impurity ion temperature and flow velocity, Zeff, and electron density. Here, we introduce x-ray microcalorimeter detectors and discuss the diagnostic capability for magnetic fusion energy experiments. We describe our experimental setup and spectrometer operation approach at MST, and we present the results from an initial measurement campaign.


Studies on the enzymic N-acylation of amino sugars in the sheep colonic mucosa.
1. d-[2-(14)C]Glucose, [2-(14)C]acetate, hydroxy[3-(14)C]pyruvate, [3-(14)C]pyruvate and [U-(14)C]glycine were incorporated by surviving scrapings of sheep colonic mucosal tissue into glycoprotein. 2. d-[2-(14)C]Glucose, [2-(14)C]acetate, incorporated hydroxy-[3-(14)C]pyruvate and [3-(14)C]pyruvate resulted in labelling of each of the monosaccharide residues of the glycoprotein, namely N-glycollylneuraminic acid, N-acetylneuraminic acid, galactose, fucose, glucosamine and galactosamine. [U-(14)C]Glycine was incorporated as glycyl and seryl residues of the glycoprotein. 3. Despite N-glycollylneuraminic acid being quantitatively the predominant sialic acid (N-glycollylneuraminic acid and N-acetylneuraminic acid were 8.5 and 5.2% by weight of the glycoprotein respectively) the corresponding ratio of the radio-active labelling from d-[2-(14)C]glucose in N-glycollylneuraminic acid to that in N-acetylneuraminic acid was 1.00:7.27 (expressed as percentages of the total radioactivity in the glycoprotein). Neutral sugar, hexosamine and N-acetylneuraminic acid residues of the mucoprotein were each labelled to a similar extent. 4. Similarly, the ratio of the radioactivity in N-glycollylneuraminic acid to that in N-acetylneuraminic acid in the mucoprotein from tissue incubations with [2-(14)C]-acetate was 1.0:4.0. 5. Both [2-(14)C]acetate and [2-(14)C]glucose with whole tissue led to labelling of the N-glycollyl substituent and of the main nonose skeleton of the N-glycollylneuraminic acid. In whole-tissue incubations, [3-(14)C]pyruvate was also a precursor of radioactive N-glycollylneuraminic acid. 6. Hydroxy[3-(14)C]-pyruvate and [U-(14)C]glycine caused labelling of the carbohydrate and peptide residues of the glycoprotein, but did not give rise to labelling in the N-glycollylneuraminic acid residues. 7. With a wide variety of possible N-glycollyl precursors (fructose 6-phosphate, hydroxypyruvate, glycollate and chemically synthesized glycollyl-CoA) biosynthesis of N-glycollylglucosamine was not observed in cell-free preparations.


Centrosome Aberration Frequency and Disease Association in B-Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
Recent developments in genome-wide genetic analysis in B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) have provided insight into disease pathogenesis and prognosis. B-ALL cases usually carry a primary genetic event, often a chromosome translocation, and a constellation of secondary genetic alterations that are acquired and selected dynamically in a nonlinear fashion. As far as we are aware of, for the first time, we studied centrosome aberration in patients with B-ALL to understand the progression of the disease. A cytogenetic study was carried out by GTG-banded karyotyping and fluorescence in situ hybridization. DNA index study was carried out with flow cytometry. Indirect immunostaining of centrosomes was performed on mononuclear cells using primary and corresponding secondary antibodies for centrosome-specific protein γ-tubulin. Three primary and corresponding secondary antibodies to three different centrosome-specific proteins, namely α-tubulin, γ-tubulin and pericentrin, were used for indirect immunostaining. The study was carried out on 50 patients with B-ALL. Centrosomal abnormalities were detected in 36 (72%) patients and the remainder (28%) had normal centrosome structure and numbers. Out of these 36 patients with abnormal centrosome, structural abnormalities were detected in 12 (33.3%) and numerical abnormalities in six (16.6%). Both structural and numerical aberrations were detected in 18 (50%) patients. When correlated with the cytogenetic and DNA index findings, 26/27 (96.2%) patients had centrosome defects concomitant with both abnormal karyotype and aneuploidy. Out of 50 patients with B-ALL, 17 (34%) had normal karyotype detected by both karyotype and DNA index, among these, seven (41.17%) patients had centrosome aberration. The morphological and structural abnormalities of the centrosome present in B-ALL cells have a role in disease development and can be considered as prognostic markers.


Novel short oligonucleotide conjugates as inhibitors of human telomerase.
A series of oligonucleotide conjugates were designed and synthesized as novel inhibitors of human telomerase. These compounds contain a relatively short (6-7-mer) oligonucleotide domain, with an N3'-->P5' phosphoramidate (np) or thio-phosphoramidate (nps) backbone, targeted to the template region of the RNA component of the enzyme and various pendant groups attached to either their 5'- or preferably to the 3'-termini. The most potent compounds in the series inhibited telomerase with low nM IC50 values in biochemical assays whereas the cognate oligonucleotides without the pendant groups were significantly less active having IC50 values 100-1000-fold higher.


[Clinical study of pneumonia in elderly patients using transtracheal aspiration (TTA)].
A clinical study was conducted to clarify the clinical state of pneumonia in elderly patients using transtracheal aspiration (TTA). Without prior administration of antibiotics, S. pneumoniae was the most clinically significant in both elderly and non-elderly groups whether the onset of pneumonia was hospital acquired pneumonia or community acquired pneumonia. Compared to the non-elderly group, multiple pathogens were isolated more frequently in the elderly group. Analysis about host factors showed that the number of underlying diseases per patient was more along those with poorer general conditions in the elderly group. The Brinkmann Index was also significantly higher in the elderly group. Clinical examinations before onset of pneumonia indicated that serum total protein, albumin and DNCB skin reaction were significantly lowered in the elderly group. Over the clinical course, the prognosis was poorer and the incidence of adverse reactions of antibiotics tended to be more in the elderly group. These results suggest that a complex clinical background exists for pneumonia of elderly people, related to poorer prognosis. Therefore, more cautious and meticulous care should be provided to elderly patients with pneumonia.


[Trends regarding the incidence of recurrent stroke events in Beijing].
To explore the trends and distributions of incidence on recurrent stroke events in population aged 35 to 74 in Beijing from 1984 to 2000. In Sino-MONICA project, acute stroke events were registered in a standardized way in men and women aged 35-74 years in Beijing from 1984-2000. Recurrent stroke event was defined as recurrence within 28 days after first stroke onset. From 1984 to 2000, incidence of recurrence stroke events increased from 89.51/100 000 to 143.34/ 100 000. In the 17 years of follow-up period, rate of recurrent ischemic stroke increased by 153%, and the rate of hemorrhagic stroke decreased by 42.94%. In all events, the recurrent rate of stroke accounted for 29.8%. This rate was higher in men (31.7%) than that in women (26.9%). The event rate of recurrent stroke 1.6% of increase per year in men, higher than that in women which was 0.6%. Subjects with history of hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease had a higher rate of recurrent stroke. Recurrence rates for stroke events increased significantly during the 17 years of observation, from 1984 to 2000. Subjects with history of hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease had a higher rate of recurrent stroke than other subjects.


Periosteum: its relation to pediatric fractures.
The periosteum is an important factor for bone healing in children and plays a vital role for bone remodeling throughout life. Its intimate relation with the growth plate might influence overgrowth in children and correction of angular deformities. However, more research is warranted to illuminate its exact function.


FT-IR microspectroscopic imaging of human carcinoma thin sections based on pattern recognition techniques.
FT-IR microspectroscopic maps of unstained thin sections from human melanoma and colon carcinoma tissues were obtained on a conventional infrared microscope equipped with an automatic x, y stage. Mapped infrared data were analyzed by different image re-assembling techniques, namely functional group mapping ("chemical mapping") and, for the first time by cluster analysis, principal component analysis and artificial neural networks. The output values of the different classifiers were recombined with the original spatial information to construct IR-images whose color or gray tones were based on the spatial distribution of individual spectral patterns. While the functional group mapping technique could not reliably differentiate between the different tissue regions, the approach based on pattern recognition yielded images with a high contrast that confirmed standard histopathological techniques. The new technique turned out to be particularly helpful to improve discrimination between different types of tissue structures in general, and to increase image contrast between normal and cancerous regions of a given tissue sample.


SEQUENCE ANALYSIS OF THE ITS-2 REGION: A TOOL TO IDENTIFY STRAINS OF SCENEDESMUS (CHLOROPHYCEAE).
The genetic distances between several strains of Scenedesmus obliquus (Turp.) Kütz., S. acutus Hortobagyi, and S. naegelii Chod. calculated from ITS-2 sequences were found to be smaller than the genetic distances within other strains of Scenedesmus-that is, in S. acuminatus (Lagerh.) Chod. and S. pectinatus Meyen. These results confirm that the studied strains were not properly identified and should be renamed S. obliquus, as already suggested in other studies.


Femorodistal vein bypass graft stenoses.
Eighty femorodistal in situ vein bypass grafts have been evaluated at 3-monthly intervals clinically, with ankle:brachial pressure indices (ABI), by intravenous digital subtraction angiography (IV DSA) and by Duplex scanning. Five grafts (6 per cent) failed in the perioperative period. Nineteen (25 per cent) of the remaining 75 grafts subsequently developed stenoses on IV DSA during the first 12 months. All angiographic stenoses were detected by Duplex scanning using velocity ratio criteria before the development of symptoms or a measurable decline in ABI, i.e. while non-haemodynamically significant. This technique involves scanning the entire length of the graft but allows even minor stenoses to be detected and progression of stenoses can be determined. At a mean follow-up of 12 months (3-18 months), four (7 per cent) of the fifty-six grafts without stenoses occluded. Eight (42 per cent) of the nineteen stenosed grafts either occluded or developed symptoms. None of the occluded grafts in this series could be salvaged. Non-haemodynamically significant vein stenoses can be detected non-invasively, occur frequently and are associated with graft failure.


Landau-Ginzburg theory of cortex dynamics: Scale-free avalanches emerge at the edge of synchronization.
Understanding the origin, nature, and functional significance of complex patterns of neural activity, as recorded by diverse electrophysiological and neuroimaging techniques, is a central challenge in neuroscience. Such patterns include collective oscillations emerging out of neural synchronization as well as highly heterogeneous outbursts of activity interspersed by periods of quiescence, called "neuronal avalanches." Much debate has been generated about the possible scale invariance or criticality of such avalanches and its relevance for brain function. Aimed at shedding light onto this, here we analyze the large-scale collective properties of the cortex by using a mesoscopic approach following the principle of parsimony of Landau-Ginzburg. Our model is similar to that of Wilson-Cowan for neural dynamics but crucially, includes stochasticity and space; synaptic plasticity and inhibition are considered as possible regulatory mechanisms. Detailed analyses uncover a phase diagram including down-state, synchronous, asynchronous, and up-state phases and reveal that empirical findings for neuronal avalanches are consistently reproduced by tuning our model to the edge of synchronization. This reveals that the putative criticality of cortical dynamics does not correspond to a quiescent-to-active phase transition as usually assumed in theoretical approaches but to a synchronization phase transition, at which incipient oscillations and scale-free avalanches coexist. Furthermore, our model also accounts for up and down states as they occur (e.g., during deep sleep). This approach constitutes a framework to rationalize the possible collective phases and phase transitions of cortical networks in simple terms, thus helping to shed light on basic aspects of brain functioning from a very broad perspective.


Faulty fetal packing.
A male infant was born by emergency caesarean section at 34(+4) weeks for failed induction of labour. Shortly after birth a depression about the same size as the baby's fist was noted over the right parietal region. After careful consideration of the perinatal history and examination findings, the baby was diagnosed with faulty fetal packing. At 3-month follow-up, the defect had completely corrected without intervention.


Study of plasmid replication in Escherichia coli with a combination of 2D gel electrophoresis and electron microscopy.
We studied theta-mode DNA replication in p15A-based Escherichia coli plasmids by analyzing their replication intermediates using a combination of neutral agarose 2D gel electrophoresis and electron microscopy. Our analysis: (1) confirms the original assignment of various features of the 2D gel pattern; (2) shows that while one replication fork progresses around the plasmid DNA, the other is immobile, as if the replication were unidirectional; and (3) reveals that termination often occurs at a location away from the replication origin, suggesting that the replication of our plasmids is, in fact, bidirectional, the two forks being active at different times.


[30 years against suicide: a summary of our research on depression and suicide prevention between 1985 and 2015].
In this paper we gather and discuss the results of our workgroup on depression and suicide prevention published between 1985 and 2015. We hope that this summary will focus the interest of the scientific community on suicidology and turn the attention of decision-makers on the fact that despite of its marked decrease in the past three decades, the suicide rate in Hungary is still the second highest in the EU. So, based on expert opinion, joint action is needed in order to achieve a further decrease of suicide rate in Hungary.


Role of viscoelasticity in tube model of airway reopening. I. Nonnewtonian sols.
This investigation used a previously described bench-top device (Gaver et al., J. Appl. Physiol. 69: 74-85, 1990) to examine the role of nonnewtonian and viscoelastic fluids on events at reopening of a closed flexible tube. Aqueous sodium alginate solutions with and without calcium chloride and sodium dodecyl sulfate in desired concentrations provided fluids with a wide range of surface tensions, storage and loss moduli, and nonnewtonian steady shear viscosity. Dimensionless analysis, using the shear rate-dependent viscosities, was applied to reduce reopening pressure-meniscus velocity data to a master curve. With regard to fluid properties, we found that 1) fluid elasticity strongly changes the pressure-velocity relationship, causing flow instability at higher meniscus velocities; 2) decreasing surface tension gives rise to a smaller yield pressure for reopening; and 3) whereas larger tubes are easier to open, smaller tubes produce additional shear thinning of the lining fluid. These results suggest that, for both the upper (large) and lower (small) airways, nonnewtonian and viscoelastic properties of the mucosal fluid modify the time of closure and rate of reopening.


Emetic and refusal activity of deoxynivalenol to swine.
The minimum emetic dose of deoxynivalenol to swine weighing 9 to 10 kg was 0.05 mg/kg of body weight intraperitoneally and 0.1 to 0.2 mg/kg orally. There was no emesis by undosed pigs consuming vomitus from pigs orally dosed with deoxynivalenol or penned with such pigs without access to vomitus. Analysis by gas-liquid chromatography of a sample of Gibberella zeae-infected corn containing about 25% visually damaged kernels indicated 12 ppm of deoxynivalenol. Deoxynivalenol added to feed reduced feed consumption of 20- to 45-kg pigs, ranging from a 20% decrease with 3.6 ppm to 90% reduction with 40 ppm. Loss in weight was associated with feed refusal. Feed refusal, however, was much greater for naturally infected corn samples than for feeds with equal concentrations of the pure compound added, indicating the involvement of an additional factor(s) in the swine refusal response.


Calling for help. Using outside parties for equipment servicing.
You may be thinking about having your equipment servicing done by the device manufacturer, or contracting with an independent servicing organization. Each choice presents its own set of issues to consider. Here's what you need to know when weighing the options.


Multiexponential T(2) analyses in a murine model of hepatic fibrosis at 11.7 T MRI.
This study evaluated the effects of hepatic fibrosis on the multiexponential T(2) (MET(2) ) relaxation of ex vivo murine liver specimens using an 11.7 T MRI. This animal study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Eighteen male C57BL/6 mice were divided into control (n = 3) and experimental (n = 15) groups; the latter group was fed a 3,5-dicarbethoxy-1,4-dihydrocollidine-supplemented diet to induce hepatic fibrosis. Ex vivo liver specimens were imaged using an 11.7 T MRI scanner. A multi-echo spin-echo sequence was utilized for subsequent MET(2) analysis. Degrees of fibrosis were determined by a pathologist, as well as by digital image analysis. Scatterplot graphs comparing various features of the MET(2) signal decay with the degrees of fibrosis were generated, and correlation coefficients were calculated. Two distinct peaks of the MET(2) signal decay were identified in all liver specimens: a short T(2) component with a geometric mean T(2) (GMT(2) ) approximating 30 ms; and a long T(2) component with GMT(2) approximating 400 ms. Strong correlation was found between the degree of hepatic fibrosis and the amplitude of the short T(2) component, with a higher degrees of fibrosis associated with a lower amplitude. Moderate correlation was also found between hepatic fibrosis and the GMT(2) values of the long T(2) component, with higher degrees of fibrosis associated with lower GMT(2) values. The study of hepatic microenvironments using MET(2) analyses offers potential utility in the ongoing development of the noninvasive assessment of hepatic fibrosis using MRI.


THE EFFECTS OF POPULATION SIZE AND PLANT DENSITY ON OUTCROSSING RATES IN LOCALLY ENDANGERED SALVIA PRATENSIS.
Multilocus outcrossing rates were estimated in natural and experimental populations of Salvia pratensis, an entomophilous, gynodioecious, protandrous perennial. Male steriles were used to check the estimation procedure of outcrossing rates in hermaphrodites. Estimates of outcrossing rates in hermaphroditic plants ranged from 38.2% to 81.8% in natural populations and from 71.5% to 95.5% in experimental populations. No correlations were found between outcrossing rates and population size. However, outcrossing in hermaphrodites was promoted by high plant densities and low frequencies of male steriles. It is argued that effective management to preserve genetic variation in populations of S. pratensis should provide for the maintenance of high plant densities.


Development of a keratoacanthoma after topical photodynamic therapy with 5-aminolevulinic acid.
Since its FDA approval in 1999, photodynamic therapy (PDT) with topical 5-aminolevulinic acid has become an increasingly popular modality for the treatment of actinic keratosis (AKs). It is hoped that in addition to improving clinical signs and symptoms of AKs, PDT might prevent the development of skin cancer. We present a case of a patient developing a keratoacanthoma immediately following PDT for AKs.


Thyroid dysfunction in obese and overweight children.
Obesity and thyroid function are closely related. Thyroid hormones are involved in the regulation of metabolism, thermogenesis, food intake, and fat oxidation. In obese children the most frequent hormonal abnormalities are slight hyperthyrotropinaemia and moderate increases in total T3 and/or fT3 concentrations. Those abnormalities are usually considered a cause of obesity, but according to recent studies, they should actually be considered an adaptation process aimed at increasing resting energy expenditure and total energy expenditure. Those abnormalities do not require any treatment and normalise after substantial weight loss. The mechanisms of those changes are dependent on leptin, thyroid hormone resistance, and mitochondrial dysfunction. The present paper describes the abovementioned mechanisms based on the latest research. We also present a review of some recent original studies evaluating thyroid function in overweight and obese children, including thyroid ultrasound. A thyroid ultrasound scan in obese children frequently shows increased thyroid volume, which correlates with moderately increased TSH levels and a hypoechoic pattern typical of autoimmune thyroiditis, but without antithyroid autoantibodies. Alterations of thyroid function in overweight and obese patients cause an increase in energy expenditure, which facilitates weight loss and prevents further weight gain. Therefore, normalisation of TSH and fT3 after weight loss could explain difficulties in maintaining reduced weight. (Endokrynol Pol 2017; 68 (1): 54-60).


Interferon-gamma gene polymorphism influences the frequency of a Chlamydia trachomatis cervical infection in young women.
Cervicitis associated with Chlamydia trachomatis is frequent worldwide, but the factors determining susceptibility to infection remain incompletely determined. We evaluated whether a functional single nucleotide polymorphism at position +874 in the gene coding for interferon gamma (rs2430561) influenced the likelihood of having a cervical C. trachomatis infection. This was a cross-sectional study of 142 sexually-active women attending a general gynaecology service on the outskirts of the city of Fortaleza in northeastern Brazil between August 2011 and August 2012. Endocervical swabs were evaluated for C. trachomatis DNA using hybrid capture. DNA from buccal swabs was utilised for detection of the interferon gamma 874 T/A single nucleotide polymorphism by gene amplification, endonuclease digestion and gel electrophoresis. Nineteen women (13.4%) were positive for C. trachomatis in their cervix. Positivity was 21.7% in women with the A,A genotype versus 7.0% in women with one or two T alleles (p = 0.0227). The variant T allele frequency, associated with elevated interferon gamma production, was 36.2% in women who were negative for C. trachomatis as opposed to 18.4% in women who were positive for a cervical infection with this organism (p = 0.0415). Possession of the T allele at position +874 in the gene coding for interferon gamma is associated with a reduced likelihood of a C. trachomatis cervical infection.


The influence of lighting conditions upon the level and course of increase in specific activity of serotonin N-acetyltransferase in the developing chick pineal gland.
A diurnal cycle in level of serotonin acetyltransferase (acetyl-C0A:arylamine N-acety-transferase (EC 126.96.36.199) activity was found in the pineal gland of chicks aged 16 to 20 days maintained under lighting conditions. Diurnal variation in levels of activity was markedly reduced in the pineal gland of birds kept in constant darkness, and suppressed in the gland of chicks under constant illumination. High levels of activity attained during the dark phase of the normal cycle rapidly declined when the birds were transferred to the light. The light phase level of serotonin acetyltransferase of the pineal increased progressively from the 11th day of incubation to about 1 week post-hatch. This course of increase in enzyme activity was largely unaffected by lightning conditions. Under conditions for assay of serotonin acetyltransferase activity in the chick pineal gland and brain, radioactive serotonin gave rise to N-acetylserotonin, 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid and a further unidentified metabolite, which was quantitatively the major product.


Eulerian statistically preserved structures in passive scalar advection.
We analyze numerically the time-dependent linear operators that govern the dynamics of Eulerian correlation functions of a decaying passive scalar advected by a stationary, forced two-dimensional Navier-Stokes turbulence. We show how to naturally discuss the dynamics in terms of effective compact operators that display Eulerian statistically preserved structures which determine the anomalous scaling of the correlation functions. In passing we point out a bonus of the present approach, in providing analytic predictions for the time-dependent correlation functions in decaying turbulent transport.


Nitrogen use efficiency, rhizosphere bacterial community, and root metabolome reprogramming due to maize seed treatment with microbial biostimulants.
Seed inoculation with beneficial microorganisms has gained importance as it has been proven to show biostimulant activity in plants, especially in terms of abiotic/biotic stress tolerance and plant growth promotion, representing a sustainable way to ensure yield stability under low input sustainable agriculture. Nevertheless, limited knowledge is available concerning the molecular and physiological processes underlying the root-inoculant symbiosis or plant response at the root system level. Our work aimed to integrate the interrelationship between agronomic traits, rhizosphere microbial population and metabolic processes in roots, following seed treatment with either arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) or Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR). To this aim, maize was grown under open field conditions with either optimal or reduced nitrogen availability. Both seed treatments increased nitrogen uptake efficiency under reduced nitrogen supply revealed some microbial community changes among treatments at root microbiome level and limited yield increases, while significant changes could be observed at metabolome level. Amino acid, lipid, flavone, lignan, and phenylpropanoid concentrations were mostly modulated. Integrative analysis of multi-omics datasets (Multiple Co-Inertia Analysis) highlighted a strong correlation between the metagenomics and the untargeted metabolomics datasets, suggesting a coordinate modulation of root physiological traits.


Various issues relating to computational fluid dynamics simulations of carotid bifurcation flow based on models reconstructed from three-dimensional ultrasound images.
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) flow simulation techniques have the potential to enhance understanding of how haemodynamic factors are involved in atherosclerosis. Recently, three-dimensional ultrasound has emerged as an alternative to other three-dimensional imaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). The method can be used to generate accurate vascular geometry suitable for CFD simulations and can be coupled with Doppler ultrasound to provide physiologically realistic flow boundary conditions. However, there are various ways to utilize the flow data acquired, possibly leading to different results regarding both flow and wall shear stress patterns. A disadvantage of three-dimensional ultrasound for imaging the carotid bifurcation has been established as being the scanning limitation of the jawbone position. This may make artificial extensions of the internal and/or external carotid arteries necessary, which in turn may influence the predicted flow patterns. Flow simulations were carried out for three outflow calculation schemes as well as four geometries with different extensions to the carotid daughter vessels. It was found that variation of flow patterns was more strongly influenced by the outflow conditions than by the extensions of the daughter vessels. Consequently, it is recommended that for future CFD simulations of carotid flow using three-dimensional ultrasound data, the outflow boundary conditions should rely on the most accurate measurement available, and flow data recorded in the common and internal carotid are considered more reliable than data from the external carotid. Even though the extended lengths of the daughter vessels have insignificant effects on the predicted haemodynamic parameters, it would be a safer option to extend the internal carotid by approximately three times the diameter of the common carotid artery.


Orofacial pain assessment and management for patients with dementia: A meta-ethnography.
Delivering dental treatment for patients with dementia can be challenging, and the complexity of treatment provision can increase as dementia progresses. Treatment at the later stages of dementia can be associated with ethical challenges and procedural risk meaning that a comprehensive patient assessment is crucial; the presence of orofacial pain is a key indication for active intervention from dental teams. To explore the process of oro-facial pain assessment and management, a comprehensive review of qualitative literature was undertaken by searching six electronic databases. No literature specific to orofacial pain assessment was identified. The inclusion criteria were widened to explore assessment and management of pain in general for patients with dementia. Meta-ethnography with reciprocal translation was used to identify key concepts and themes and synthesise information applicable to the dental setting. Three major themes arose as follows: challenges with pain assessment, challenges with pain management and logistics and education. Healthcare teams struggle with pain identification in patients with dementia though many signs were identified which may suggest a patient is experiencing pain. The long-term knowledge of individual patients held by family members and care teams can allow identification of deviation from patients' normal states; this knowledge can assist healthcare professionals in determining whether to provide specific treatments or interventions. Pain assessment tools were found to be problematic and are unlikely to be a practical solution to use for complex patients in dental settings. Education for dental and wider care teams on orofacial pain would be highly valuable; yet, this needs to be based on suitable evidence.


The magnitude and determinants of violence against healthcare workers in Pakistan.
To determine the magnitude and determinants of violence against healthcare workers (HCWs) and to identify the predominant types and causes of violence experienced by them. A cross-sectional survey based on structured questionnaire adopted from previous surveys and qualitative data was conducted in 4 large cities and 12 districts in 3 provinces of Pakistan. The survey covered 8579 from all cadres of HCWs, including doctors, nurses, technicians, support staff, ambulance workers, vaccinators, lady health visitors, midwives and lady health workers (LHWs). The predictors of overall violence experienced, physical violence experienced and verbal violence experienced were separately analysed for tertiary care hospitals, secondary care hospitals, primary care hospitals and field-level HCWs. Logistic regression was used to compute adjusted ORs with 95% CIs for the association of different factors with the violence experienced. More than one-third (38.4%) reported having experienced any form of violence in the last 6 months. Verbal violence was the most commonly experienced form (33.9%), followed by physical violence (6.6%). The main reasons for physical violence were death of patients (17.6%), serious condition of patients (16.6%) and delay in care (13.4%). Among the different types of field HCWs, emergency vehicle operators were significantly more likely to experience verbal violence compared with LHWs (adjusted OR=1.97; 95% CI 1.31 to 2.94; p=0.001). Among hospital HCWs, those working in private hospitals were significantly less likely to experience physical violence (adjusted OR=0.52; 95% CI 0.38 to 0.71; p=0.001) and verbal violence (adjusted OR=0.57; 95% CI 0.48 to 0.68; p=0.001). Violence against HCWs exists in various forms among all cadres and at different levels of care. The gaps in capacity, resources and policies are evident. Specific strategies need to be adopted for different types of HCWs to protect them against violence.*The study was conducted under the framework of ICRC's Healthcare in Danger Initiative for protection of healthcare against Violence.


Monitoring high-risk bladder cancer.
Monitoring high-risk nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is challenging since currently used clinical and pathological risk parameters are not accurate enough to address the individual risk of progression. In NMIBC, the use of urinary interleukin-2 and fluorescence in-situ hybridization predicts response to bacille-calmette-guerin treatment. In both NMIBC and MIBC, the detection of circulating tumor cells at initial diagnosis allows improved monitoring since its presence is associated with higher tumor stages, concomitant carcinoma in situ and shorter time to recurrence. Molecular urine markers, such as fluorescence-in-situ hybridization, help to identify high-risk cases early on. In MIBC, serum C-reactive protein and thrombocytosis have been recently incorporated into basic prognostic models and demonstrated an increase in the predictive accuracy of standard pathological risk factors. New serological and urine-based markers have been identified for monitoring high-risk bladder cancer, and demand incorporation into established clinicopathological risk models to tailor surveillance regimens and provide improved prognostication for the need of adjuvant treatment.


Aqueous synthesis of peptide thioesters from amino acids and a thiol using 1,1'-carbonyldiimidazole.
A new method was developed for the synthesis of peptide thioesters from free amino acids and thiols in water. This one-pot simple method involves two steps: (1) activation in water of an amino acid presumably as its N-carboxyanhydride (NCA) using 1,1'-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI), and (2) subsequent condensation of the activated amino acid-NCA in the presence of a thiol. With this method citrulline peptide thioesters containing up to 10 amino acid residues were prepared in a single reaction. This aqueous synthetic method provides a simple way to prepare peptide thioesters for studies of peptide replication involving ligation of peptide thioesters on peptide templates. The relevance of peptide replication to the origin-of-life process is supported by previous studies showing that amino acid thioesters (peptide thioester precursors) can be synthesized under prebiotic conditions by reaction of small sugars with ammonia and a thiol.


The wound that nearly got away: a case presentation.
Chronic cavity wounds are not commonly seen in pediatrics, and little literature is available on their management. A pediatric patient with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDMS) who had a chronic cavity surgical wound with an enterocutaneous fistula presented a nursing challenge. The patient had complex medical and surgical problems that greatly influenced her ability to heal. Nursing management of the wounds had to be innovative and flexible to adapt to these challenges. Factors affecting the patient's wound healing included JDMS; decreased mobility; persistently low serum magnesium, zinc and albumin; malnutrition; infection; and prolonged glucocorticosteroid therapy. Nursing management of her complex wounds included the following strategies: absorption of excessive exudate, wound support, debridement, wound irrigation, wound bagging, healing by secondary intention, and control of hypergranulation.


[Electormagnetic field of the mobile phone base station: case study].
The paper presents changes in the electromagnetic field intensity in a school building and its surrounding after the mobile phone base station installation on the roof of the school. The comparison of EMF intensity measured before the base station was launched (electromagnetic background measurement) and after starting its operation (two independent control measurements) is discussed. Analyses of measurements are presented and the authors also propose the method of the electromagnetic field distribution adjustment in the area of radiation antennas side lobe to reduce the intensity of the EMF level in the base station proximity. The presented method involves the regulation of the inclination. On the basis of the measurements, it was found that the EMF intensity increased in the building and its surroundings, but the values measured with wide margins meet the requirements of the Polish law on environmental protection.


Marginal Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Ontario's Electricity System and the Implications of Electric Vehicle Charging.
To estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions of electric vehicles (EVs) deployment, it is important to account for emissions from electricity generation. Since such emissions change according to temporal patterns of electricity generation and EV charging, this study operationalizes the concept of marginal emission factors (MEFs) and uses person-level travel activity data to simulate charging scenarios. Our study is set in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area in Ontario, Canada. After generating hourly MEFs using a multiple linear regression model, we estimated GHG emissions for EV charging at two EV penetration rates, 5% and 30%, and five charging scenarios: home, work and shopping, night, downtown vs suburb, and an optimal low emission charging scenario, matching charging time with the lowest available MEF. We observed that vehicle electrification substantially reduces GHG emissions, even when using MEFs that are up to seven times higher than average electricity emission factors. With Ontario's 2017 electricity generation mix, EVs achieve over 80% lower fuel cycle emissions compared with equivalent sets of gasoline vehicles. At 5% penetration, night charging nearly matches low emission charging, but night charging emissions increase with 30% EV penetration, suggesting a need for policy that can smooth out charging demand after midnight.


Bouveret's Syndrome: A Case-Based Review, Clinical Presentation, Diagnostics and Treatment Approaches.
Gastric outlet obstruction that arises from gallstones impacted in the distal stomach or proximal duodenum after passing through a cholecystoduodenal, cholecystogastric or rarely choledocoduodenal fistula is called as Bouveret's syndrome and it accounts for approximately 1-3% of all the patients with gallstone ileus. Although treatment modalities, including stone removal or fragmentation with classical endoscopic devices, such as snares, and forceps or fragmentation of gallstones with new devices, such as electrohydraulic lithotripsy, laser, extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy have been described. However, only 29% of the patients benefit from nonsurgical methods. Removal of the stone through a gastrotomy or enterotomy and performing cholecystectomy and fistula repair with a second operation is an approach recommended for older patients with comorbid diseases. In this paper, a case of Bouveret's syndrome was presented. The authors also aimed to review the diagnosis, management and treatment of this rare disease and to update the previous reviews.


Diagnosis and management of bone malignancy in adolescence.
Approximately 6% of all childhood malignancies are malignant bone tumors, of which the 2 most frequently encountered are osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma. In the United States, the annual incidence in children under 20 years of age is 8.7 per million. In this article we provide an overview of the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of both osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma. Survivorship issues in children and adolescents treated for these malignancies are discussed.


HBV infection in chronic alcoholics. A survey on 287 cases.
Out of 287 chronic alcoholics, 21 of whom (7.32%) resulted HBsAg positive, 106 were tested for other serum HBV markers. An overall HBV prevalence of 55.66% was found. Cirrhotic patients were slightly older than non-cirrhotics (median age: 51 vs. 47), but the prevalence of both HBsAg and other HBV markers did not differ significantly between the two groups, neither among age classes. A relevant number of subjects (18.87%) had anti-HBc alone (or associated with anti-HBe) as the unique marker of HBV infection; this leads to some uncertainties in the evaluation of active viral disease. HBV positivity rate resulted significantly higher (p less than 0.01) in alcoholics than in two control groups, composed by health-care staff and open population (respectively 34% and 32.81% of positivity). Even if hepatitis B virus did not seem to affect directly the progress to liver cirrhosis in chronic alcoholics, a large number of patients seemed unable to clear the virus, whose importance in the development of chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma is well established. For these reasons, it seems advisable to include chronic alcoholics in high-risk groups that should be vaccinated against hepatitis B.


A zwitterionic alkaloid, containing a rare cyclopentadienyl anion unit, from the stem barks of Daphniphyllum macropodum Miq.
A new Daphniphyllum alkaloid daphnicyclidin L (1), containing a rare cyclopentadienyl anion, which is stabilized as a zwitterion by an internal iminium counterion, was isolated from the stem barks of Daphniphyllum macropodum Miq., together with four known alkaloids: daphnicyclidin D (2), daphnicyclidin H (3), deoxyyuzurimine (4), and yuzurimine (5). The structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. The configuration of 1 was elucidated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction crystallography.


Morphological characterization and transcriptome analysis of leaf angle mutant bhlh112 in maize [Zea mays L.].
Leaf angle is an important agronomic trait in maize [Zea mays L.]. The compact plant phenotype, with a smaller leaf angle, is suited for high-density planting and thus for increasing crop yields. Here, we studied the ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS)-induced mutant bhlh112. Leaf angle and plant height were significantly decreased in bhlh112 compared to the wild-type plants. After treatment of seedlings with exogenous IAA and ABA respectively, under the optimal concentration of exogenous hormones, the variation of leaf angle of the mutant was more obvious than that of the wild-type, which indicated that the mutant was more sensitive to exogenous hormones. Transcriptome analysis showed that the ZmbHLH112 gene was related to the biosynthesis of auxin and brassinosteroids, and involved in the activation of genes related to the auxin and brassinosteroid signal pathways as well as cell elongation. Among the GO enrichment terms, we found many differentially expressed genes (DEGs) enriched in the cell membrane and ribosomal biosynthesis, hormone biosynthesis and signaling pathways, and flavonoid biosynthesis, which could influence cell growth and the level of endogenous hormones affecting leaf angle. Therefore, ZmbHLH112 might regulate leaf angle development through the auxin signaling and the brassinosteroid biosynthesis pathways. 12 genes related to the development of leaf were screened by WGCNA; In GO enrichment and KEGG pathways, the genes were mainly enriched in rRNA binding, ribosome biogenesis, Structural constituent of ribosome; Arabidopsis ribosome RNA methyltransferase CMAL is involved in plant development, likely by modulating auxin derived signaling pathways; The free 60s ribosomes and polysomes in the functional defective mutant rice minute-like1 (rml1) were significantly reduced, resulting in plant phenotypic diminution, narrow leaves, and growth retardation; Hence, ribosomal subunits may play an important role in leaf development. These results provide a foundation for further elucidation of the molecular mechanism of the regulation of leaf angle in maize.


Reactive astrogliosis after spinal cord injury-beneficial and detrimental effects.
Reactive astrogliosis is a pathologic hallmark of spinal cord injury (SCI). It is characterised by profound morphological, molecular, and functional changes in astrocytes that occur within hours of SCI and evolves as time elapses after injury. Astrogliosis is a defense mechanism to minimize and repair the initial damage but eventually leads to some detrimental effects. Reactive astrocytes secrete a plethora of both growth promoting and inhibitory factors after SCI. However, the production of inhibitory components surpasses the growth stimulating factors, thus, causing inhibitory effects. In severe cases of injury, astrogliosis results in the formation of irreversible glial scarring that acts as regeneration barrier due to the expression of inhibitory components such as chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans. Scar formation was therefore recognized from a negative perspective for many years. Accumulating evidence from pharmacological and genetic studies now signifies the importance of astrogliosis and its timing for spinal cord repair. These studies have advanced our knowledge regarding signaling pathways and molecular mediators, which trigger and modulate reactive astrocytes and scar formation. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in this field. We also review therapeutic strategies that have been developed to target astrocytes reactivity and glial scaring in the environment of SCI. Astrocytes play pivotal roles in governing SCI mechanisms, and it is therefore crucial to understand how their activities can be targeted efficiently to harness their potential for repair and regeneration after SCI.


Photoacoustic imaging of vascular hemodynamics: validation with blood oxygenation level-dependent MR imaging.
To noninvasively assess vascular hemodynamics with photoacoustic imaging (PAI) and blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in phantoms and in an animal model. In vivo studies were performed with institutional animal care and use committee approval. In vitro experiments were performed by using a tissue-mimicking phantom in multiple oxygenation conditions (n = 6) to compare PAI measurements and BOLD MR imaging measurements. PAI and T2-weighted spin-echo-based BOLD MR imaging were performed to assess tumor response to carbogen (95% O2, 5% CO2) in mice with head and neck tumors before (n = 11) and after (n = 9) treatment with a vascular disrupting agent (VDA). Two-tailed Pearson correlation analysis was performed to determine the correlation between the parameters measured with PAI and BOLD MR imaging in vitro. Two-tailed paired t tests were used to compare change in tumor hemoglobin oxygen saturation (sO2) levels and BOLD signal in response to carbogen. Changes in PAI and BOLD signal intensity before and after VDA treatment were analyzed for significance by using analysis of variance with repeated measures. Phantom measurements yielded good correlation between photoacoustically derived sO2 levels and BOLD signal intensity (r = 0.937, P = .005) and partial pressure of oxygen (r = 0.981, P = .005). In vivo hemodynamic response to carbogen was characterized by a significant increase in tumor sO2 levels (P = .003) and BOLD signal (P = .001). When compared with pretreatment estimates, treatment with VDA resulted in a significant reduction in the tumor hemodynamic response to carbogen at PAI (P = .030). Carbogen-based functional imaging with PAI and BOLD MR imaging enables monitoring of early changes in tumor hemodynamics after vascular targeted therapy.


[A case of olfactory neuroblastoma and Marcumar therapy (author's transl)].
Although nasal polypectomy is a frequently performed procedure in ENT Clinics, tissues taken may only seldom be histologically examined. We have recently uncovered an esthesioneuroblastoma during a routine polypectomy, and believe that even slightly changed "polyps" or fleshy or pinkish-gray appearing "polyps" seen with dicumarol therapy may mask tissue malignancy.


Development of an Offline, Open-Source, Electronic Health Record System for Refugee Care.
While electronic health records (EHRs) have been shown to be effective in improving patient care in low-resource settings, there are still barriers to implementing them, including adaptability, usability, and sustainability. Taking a user-centered design process we developed the Hikma Health EHR for low resourced clinics caring for displaced populations. This EHR was built using React Native and Typescript that sync to a Python backend repository which is deployed on Google Cloud SQL. To date the Hikma Health EHR has been deployed for 26,000 patients. The positive impacts of the system reported by clinician users are 3-fold: (1) improved continuity of care; (2) improved visualization of clinical data; and (3) improved efficiency, resulting in a higher volume of patients being treated. While further development is needed, our open-source model will allow any organization to modify this system to meet their clinical and administrative needs.


Fast temporal dynamics of visual cue integration.
The integration of information from different sensors, cues, or modalities lies at the very heart of perception. We are studying adaptive phenomena in visual cue integration. To this end, we have designed a visual tracking task, where subjects track a target object among distractors and try to identify the target after an occlusion. Objects are defined by three different attributes (color, shape, size) which change randomly within a single trial. When the attributes differ in their reliability (two change frequently, one is stable), our results show that subjects dynamically adapt their processing. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that subjects rapidly re-weight the information provided by the different cues by emphasizing the information from the stable cue. This effect seems to be automatic, ie not requiring subjects' awareness of the differential reliabilities of the cues. The hypothesized re-weighting seems to take place in about 1 s. Our results suggest that cue integration can exhibit adaptive phenomena on a very fast time scale. We propose a probabilistic model with temporal dynamics that accounts for the observed effect.


Effects of aging and mild cognitive impairment on electrophysiological correlates of performance monitoring.
Performance monitoring tasks are suitable for investigating aging-related decline in executive functions. However, little is known about performance monitoring in premature pathological aging and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This study recorded the error-related negativity (ERN) and the correct-related negativity (CRN) as indices of performance monitoring and compared these responses in older adults with MCI to the ones of younger and older adult controls. No differences in either ERN or CRN were found between younger and older adult controls. Compared to both control groups, we observed a more negatively pronounced CRN in MCI subjects. Only in this group did the amplitude of the CRN not differ from the one of the ERN. In general, larger differences between both components (i.e., ERN > CRN) were associated with better performances in cognitive tests requiring inhibition and executive control. These results indicate that electrophysiological correlates of performance monitoring (ERN and CRN) are differentially affected by aging and MCI.


[Reversal of nomegestrol acetate on multidrug resistance in drug-resistant human breast cancer cell line MCF7/ADR].
To study the reversal effect of nomegestrol acetate (NOM) on mutidrug resistance (MDR) in MCF7/ADR and its mechanism. Using tetrazolium dye assay, effects of various concentrations of NOM on sensitivity to ADR in MCF7/ADR was studied. Expression of MDR related genes MDR1, glutathoine S-transferase Pi (GSTpi), Topoisomerase II alpha (Topo II alpha) and MDR related protein (MRP) were assayed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunocytochemistry assay. Using flow cytometry (FCM), intracellular ADR concentration effects on cell cycle were observed. NOM significantly reversed MDR in MCF7/ADR. After NOM 20, 10 and 5 micromol/L treatment, the chemosensitivity to ADR increased to 21, 12 and 8 times. The reversal activity of NOM was stronger than that of the precursor compound megestrol acetate, and was comparable to that of verapamail. After treatment with NOM 5 micromol/L both MDR1 and GSTpi mRNA genes expression began to decline on D2 (P < 0.05, & P < 0.01) and reached the lowest level on D3 (both P < 0.01), but the expression levels began to rise on D6 again (both P < 0.05). The expression of MRP and Topo II alpha gave no significant change. Changes of P-gp and GSTpi protein expressions were similar to those of their mRNA expressions, showing early decline and late rise. Two hours after NOM 20, 10, and 5 micromol/L treatment, intracellular ADR concentration increased 2.7, 2.3 and 1.5 times, respectively. FCM data showed that after forty-eight hours, combined administration of NOM (20 micromol/L) and ADR (from low concentration to high concentration), MCF7/ADR cells showed gradual arrest in the G(2)M phase with the increase of ADR dose. NOM has strong reversal effects on MDR in MCF7/ADR. The reversal takes place via different routes, i.e. down regulating mRNA and protein expression levels of MDR1 and GSTpi, increasing intracellular drug concentration, and enhancing the arrest of ADR in cells at G(2)M phase.