Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Donated Milk and their Socio-demographic Predictors in Healthcare Providers in Tabriz, 2021: A Cross-sectional Study.
Donated milk is the best choice for infants who cannot receive breast milk from their mothers. Researchers in this study evaluated the knowledge and attitude of healthcare providers regarding milk-donation and examined their socio-demographic predictors in Tabriz-Iran, 2021. In this cross-sectional analytic study, the total sample size consisted of 535 healthcare providers including 272 nurses and midwives working at maternal hospitals and 263 healthcare providers working at healthcare-centers. Census-sampling method was used during October 2020 to February 2021, and data collection tools included socio-demographic, knowledge and attitude questionnaires. Pearson-correlation test, independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and adjusted general linear model were used to analyze the data using SPSS version 16. The mean (SD) of the knowledge score was 12.04±4.30 (score range of 0-22) and that of the attitude score was 134.27±20.23 (score range of 42-210). Results of general linear model was adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics and showed that predictors of knowledge variable were associated with having prior experience of breastfeeding another infant (P=0.006) and encouraging others to breastfeed (P=0.008); also, the predictor of attitude variable was aligned with encouraging others to breastfeed (P<0.001). The findings of this study affirm that knowledge and attitude of healthcare providers were moderately influential for breast milk donation. Since they could play a responsible role in providing education, positive atmosphere for specialized training for the general public, the efforts to improve their knowledge and attitudes can contribute to acceptability of a milk-bank in the community and reduction of the rate of neonatal mortality in Iran.


Simultaneous separation and rapid determination of spironolactone and its metabolite canrenone in different pharmaceutical formulations and urinary matrices by capillary zone electrophoresis.
The aim of this study was to develop a novel, sensitive, precise, simple, and rapid capillary zone electrophoresis method for the quality control of spironolactone in three different formulation types and a rapid simultaneous determination of the content of spironolactone and canrenone in urine samples using fluocinonide as an internal standard. After optimization of separation conditions, the electrolyte solution was the pH 5.5, 20 mM phosphate buffer containing 4.5 g/L sulfated-β-cyclodextrin, 15 kV of electric filed across the capillary applied at 25°C. A diode array detector was used, and the detection wavelength was 260 nm. Under optimum conditions, good linearity was achieved with correlation coefficients from 0.9976 to 0.9997. Detection limits were 0.56 and 0.20 μg/mL, and the quantitation limits were 1.87 and 0.67 μg/mL, respectively. Excellent accuracy and precision were obtained. Recoveries of the analytes varied from 100.8 to 103.1%. The results indicated that baseline separation of analytes was obtained and this method was suitable for quantitative determination of spironolactone in pharmaceutical preparations and rapid simultaneous determination of the content of spironolactone and its major metabolite canrenone in urine samples.


Metabotropic glutamate receptors are involved in amygdaloid plasticity.
The amygdala plays an important role in emotional learning. Synaptic plasticity underlying the acquisition of conditioned fear occurs in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala: long-term potentiation (LTP) of synapses in the pathway of the conditioned stimulus (CS) has shown to be a neural correlate of this kind of emotional learning. The present study is based on previous results of our laboratory showing an important role of the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5) in fear conditioning. Here, we explored whether mGlu5 receptors within the lateral nucleus of the amygdala are involved in the plasticity underlying fear conditioning. We used an in vivo approach investigating the acquisition, consolidation and expression of conditioned fear by the fear-potentiated startle paradigm and by the inhibition of motor activity during CS presentation. Additionally, we used an in vitro approach inducing LTP in the lateral amygdala by patch-clamp recordings in rat brain slices. Acquisition of conditioned fear, but not consolidation and expression, was blocked by intra-amygdaloid injections of the specific mGluR5 antagonist 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl) pyridine hydrochloride (MPEP) in vivo. Furthermore, induction of amygdaloid LTP but not synaptic transmission was disrupted by MPEP application in vitro. These experiments show for the first time in vivo and in vitro that mGluR5 receptors are necessary for plasticity in the amygdala.


Receptive fields of cricket giant interneurones are related to their dendritic structure.
The structural relationship between the afferent projection and the dendrites of the interneurones was examined in the cercal-to-giant interneurone system of the cricket using intracellular recording and dye injection techniques. The physiology of the sensory neurones beneath the cercal filiform hairs was investigated by placing a recording pipette over the end of a cut hair and using movements of the pipette to characterize the directionality of the receptor. Most of the filiform receptors could be classified as belonging to one of four major types. Each type is sensitive to a different wind direction and is confined to particular regions of the cercus. The location of the terminal arborizations of each type of sensory cell was revealed by staining with cobalt chloride. Single cells were stained reliably by placing a dye-filled pipette over a cut hair. Each physiological receptor type arborizes in a different region of the central nervous system. Therefore the neuropile is functionally divided according to wind direction. The dendrites of three identified interneurones were examined in the context of this afferent projection. It was found that each of these neurones has dendrites in regions of neuropile corresponding to different wind directions. By searching for unitary synaptic potentials in identified interneurones, it was possible to show a strong correlation between anatomical overlap of primary afferent and interneurone and the existence of a synaptic connexion. Further, when there was no overlap, no synaptic potentials were seen. Therefore the over-all excitatory receptive field of an interneurone could be predicted by examining its dendritic structure. Each of the three identified interneurones examined in this study was found to have a directional response that matched the response predicted on the basis of its anatomy.


DPY30 regulates pathways in cellular senescence through ID protein expression.
Cellular senescence is an intrinsic defense mechanism to various cellular stresses: while still metabolically active, senescent cells stop dividing and enter a proliferation arrest. Here, we identify DPY30, a member of all mammalian histone H3K4 histone methyltransferases (HMTases), as a key regulator of the proliferation potential of human primary cells. Following depletion of DPY30, cells show a severe proliferation defect and display a senescent phenotype, including a flattened and enlarged morphology, elevated level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), increased SA-β-galactosidase activity, and formation of senescence-associated heterochromatin foci (SAHFs). While DPY30 depletion leads to a reduced level of H3K4me3-marked active chromatin, we observed a concomitant activation of CDK inhibitors, including p16INK4a, independent of H3K4me3. ChIP experiments show that key regulators of cell-cycle progression, including ID proteins, are under direct control of DPY30. Because ID proteins are negative regulators of the transcription factors ETS1/2, depletion of DPY30 leads to the transcriptional activation of p16INK4a by ETS1/2 and thus to a senescent-like phenotype. Ectoptic re-introduction of ID protein expression can partially rescue the senescence-like phenotype induced by DPY30 depletion. Thus, our data indicate that DPY30 controls proliferation by regulating ID proteins expression, which in turn lead to senescence bypass.


[Ambulatory treatment of diabetes in children by continuous subcutaneous infusion of insulin using a portable pump].
Six diabetic children, aged 2 to 4 years, were selected for continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (SCII) therapy using a portable pump, because of unstable glycemic control. Under previous conventional insulin therapy, they experienced both chronic hyperglycemia (mean: 2.10 +/- 0.07 milligrams, HbA1 C: 9.02 +/- 0.2%) and frequent or severe hypoglycemic manifestations. Reduction of both glycemic level: 1.08 +/- 0.04 milligrams (p less than 0.01) and instability: M index 0.76 +/- 0.2 vs 5.5 +/- 1.4 (p less than 0.01) was obtained the first week after CSII therapy was started. The metabolic improvement was maintained over 5 to 9 months of ambulatory CSII therapy: HbA1 C decreased down to 7.6 +/- 0.6% (p less than 0.05), while hypoglycemic episodes became rare. The portable insulin delivery system was well tolerated both physically and psychologically by 5/6 of the children and their families.


Comparative pathogenomics of bacteria causing infectious diseases in fish.
Fish living in the wild as well as reared in the aquaculture facilities are susceptible to infectious diseases caused by a phylogenetically diverse collection of bacterial pathogens. Control and treatment options using vaccines and drugs are either inadequate, inefficient, or impracticable. The classical approach in studying fish bacterial pathogens has been looking at individual or few virulence factors. Recently, genome sequencing of a number of bacterial fish pathogens has tremendously increased our understanding of the biology, host adaptation, and virulence factors of these important pathogens. This paper attempts to compile the scattered literature on genome sequence information of fish pathogenic bacteria published and available to date. The genome sequencing has uncovered several complex adaptive evolutionary strategies mediated by horizontal gene transfer, insertion sequence elements, mutations and prophage sequences operating in fish pathogens, and how their genomes evolved from generalist environmental strains to highly virulent obligatory pathogens. In addition, the comparative genomics has allowed the identification of unique pathogen-specific gene clusters. The paper focuses on the comparative analysis of the virulogenomes of important fish bacterial pathogens, and the genes involved in their evolutionary adaptation to different ecological niches. The paper also proposes some new directions on finding novel vaccine and chemotherapeutic targets in the genomes of bacterial pathogens of fish.


Oestrogenic activity of cyproterone acetate in female mice.
Effects of cyproterone acetate, a synthetic steroidal compound, on the reproductive organs of female mice have been investigated. This agent caused reduction of ovarian weights indicative of suppression of pituitary gonadotrophins. Oestrogenic nature of cyproterone acetate was investigated in intact and ovariectomized animals taking uterine weight, vaginal keratinization and other biochemical oestrogen sensitive parameters. Cyproterone acetate in ovariectomized animals induced vaginal keratinization increase in uterine weight and uterine protein, RNA, glycogen and sialic acid contents. These effects were parallel to the effects of oestradiol dipropionate in ovariectomized animals, thus indicating oestrogenic activity of the compound.


Pure climb creep mechanism drives flow in Earth's lower mantle.
At high pressure prevailing in the lower mantle, lattice friction opposed to dislocation glide becomes very high, as reported in recent experimental and theoretical studies. We examine the consequences of this high resistance to plastic shear exhibited by ringwoodite and bridgmanite on creep mechanisms under mantle conditions. To evaluate the consequences of this effect, we model dislocation creep by dislocation dynamics. The calculation yields to an original dominant creep behavior for lower mantle silicates where strain is produced by dislocation climb, which is very different from what can be activated under high stresses under laboratory conditions. This mechanism, named pure climb creep, is grain-size-insensitive and produces no crystal preferred orientation. In comparison to the previous considered diffusion creep mechanism, it is also a more efficient strain-producing mechanism for grain sizes larger than ca. 0.1 mm. The specificities of pure climb creep well match the seismic anisotropy observed of Earth's lower mantle.


Group versus traditional prenatal care in low-risk women delivering at term: a retrospective cohort study.
Group prenatal care (GC) models are receiving increasing attention as a means of preventing preterm birth; yet, there are limited data on whether group care improves perinatal outcomes in women who deliver at term. The purpose of this study was to evaluate our institutional experience with GC over the past decade and test the hypothesis that GC, compared with traditional individual care (TC), improves perinatal outcomes in women who deliver at term. We performed a retrospective cohort study of women delivering at term who participated in GC compared with TC. A group of 207 GC patients who delivered at term from 2004 to 2014 were matched in a 1:2 ratio to 414 patients with term singleton pregnancies who delivered at our institution during the same period by delivery year, maternal age, race and insurance status. The primary outcome was low birth weight (<2500 g). Secondary outcomes included early term birth (37.0 to 38 6/7 weeks), 5 min APGAR score <7, special care nursery admission, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, neonatal demise, cesarean section and number of prenatal visits. Outcomes were compared between the two groups using univariable statistics. Baseline characteristics were similar between the two matched groups. GC was associated with a significant reduction in low birth weight infants compared with TC (11.1% vs 19.6%; relative risk (RR) 0.57; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.37 to 0.87). Patients in GC were significantly less likely than controls to require cesarean delivery, have low 5 min APGAR scores and need higher-level neonatal care (NICU: 1.5% vs 6.5%; RR 0.22; 95% CI 0.07 to 0.72). There were no significant differences in rates of early term birth and neonatal demise. Low-risk women participating in GC and delivering at term had a lower risk of low birth weight and other adverse perinatal outcomes compared with women in TC. This suggests GC is a promising alternative to individual prenatal care to improve perinatal outcomes in addition to preterm birth.


An efficient method for protein phosphorylation using the artificially introduced of cognate-binding modules into kinases and substrates.
Protein phosphorylation is a major post-translational modification that regulates cellular signal transduction. The phosphorylation of substrate proteins by kinases requires cognate pairs of substrates and kinases. In addition, phosphorylation is mediated through both indirect and direct interaction between these kinases and substrates, which makes it difficult to effectively prepare large quantities of recombinant phosphorylated proteins. Here, we report a novel protein phosphorylation method involving the artificial introduction of cognate-binding modules into substrates and enzymes. This enhances the local concentration of substrates around enzymes so that the enzymatic reaction proceeds more efficiently. We prepared substrate proteins containing an SH3 domain at their N-terminus, and a kinase containing an SH3-binding motif at its C-terminus. This method was successfully applied to the phosphorylation of CrkII and the Vav DH domain, and we prepared (15)N-labelled phosphorylated CrkII for NMR analysis.


High prevalence of carotid artery disease in patients with atheromatous renal artery stenosis.
Renovascular disease is the most frequently encountered secondary cause of hypertension and is one of the few potentially reversible causes of chronic renal failure. These patients are at increased risk of having cerebrovascular events following operative management for atheromatous renal-artery stenosis. We studied the prevalence of carotid-artery disease in patients with atheromatous renal-artery stenosis. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 38 consecutive patients with atheromatous renal-artery stenosis who underwent renal-artery balloon angioplasty. Extracranial carotid atherosclerosis was assessed using a commercially available colour Doppler scanner, depending on the velocity of the peak systolic waveform in the internal carotid artery, and the internal carotid-artery/common carotid-artery ratio. Twenty-one patients (55.3%) had normal or mild carotid-artery disease, 10 (26.3%) had moderate, and 7 (18.4%) had severe carotid-artery disease. Nine patients had previously suffered a stroke (eight infarction, one haemorrhage) and one had multiple transient ischaemic attacks. Our results suggest that, in patients with atheromatous renal-artery disease severe enough to require angioplasty, 4 out of 10 appear to have moderate to severe carotid-artery disease. This may explain the increased prevalence of atherothrombotic cerebrovascular events in these patients, and also previous observations that, following operative management for atheromatous renal-artery stenosis, some patients had developed an acute or late cerebrovascular event. We suggest therefore that such patients should always be regarded as having generalized vascular disease not confined to one system, and need to be assessed for carotid-artery disease prior to operative management for atheromatous renal-artery stenosis.


Death due to railway-related suicidal decapitation: a case report.
In Italy, railway-related deaths give rise to extensive inquiries because it is mandatory for the public prosecutor to investigate the circumstances of death. For the railway embankment, normal traffic rules are not valid and the guilt of the engine driver usually cannot be proven. Consequently, these cases are very often declared as suicides without adequate evidence. Furthermore, there is a potential risk of confusion with homicide, body dismemberment or mutilation. Our medico-legal institutes are increasingly engaged with expert opinions on questions of accident, suicide or homicide because they lead to complications in the fields of insurance, criminal and civil law.


Nanoporous aramid nanofibre separators for nonaqueous redox flow batteries.
Redox flow batteries are attractive for large-scale energy storage due to a combination of high theoretical efficiencies and decoupled power and energy storage capacities. Efforts to significantly increase energy densities by using nonaqueous electrolytes have been impeded by separators with low selectivities. Here, we report nanoporous separators based on aramid nanofibres, which are assembled using a scalable, low cost, spin-assisted layer-by-layer technique. The multilayer structure yields 5 ± 0.5 nm pores, enabling nanofiltration with high selectivity. Further, surface modifications using polyelectrolytes result in enhanced performance. In vanadium acetylacetonate/acetonitrile-based electrolytes, the coated separator exhibits permeabilities an order of magnitude lower and ionic conductivities five times higher than those of a commercial separator. In addition, the coated separators exhibit exceptional stability, showing minimal degradation after more than 100 h of cycling. The low permeability translates into high coulombic efficiency in flow cell charge/discharge experiments performed at cycle times relevant for large-scale applications (5 h).


Autoimmune liver disease and sickle cell anemia in children: a report of three cases.
We wish to alert clinicians to the possible association between Sickle cell anemia (SCA) and autoimmune liver disease (AIL). AIL was diagnosed by serologic, histologic and/or cholangiographic studies in patients with known SCA. Three schoolaged children with SCA were investigated for increased levels of transaminases and/or worsening jaundice. All were diagnosed to have AIL. Two patients had autoimmune hepatitis and have responded to immunosuppressive therapy, and I had primary sclerosing cholangitis and is stable with therapy. Autoimmune hepatitis and sclerosing cholangitis are rare liver disorders of childhood, but may occur with greater frequency in patients with SCA. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential to prevent progression to liver cirrhosis. This association may provide a clue to the etiology of AIL and warrants further investigation.


Feeding ecology of the Neotropical otter Lontra longicaudis in the Lower Arroio Grande River, southern Brazil.
The present study was based on the analysis of spraints (n = 294) collected between December 2005 and November 2007. The importance of each type of prey was determined by absolute and relative frequency. Niche breadth was also estimated. The results were reported as mean (± SD) of relative frequencies. Fish were the main prey found in spraints (57.8 ± 7.0%). Fish from Callichthyidae family were the main prey, followed by Cichlidae, the species Hoplias malabaricus and the family Characidae. The frequencies of other fish and taxa were lower than 13.9% (absolute frequency) and 5.6% (relative frequency). Despite significant seasonal variations, (P = 0.001), niche breadth values were low in all seasons (0.39 ± 0.11). Therefore, Lontra longicaudis presented a narrow niche breadth as a result of consistent fish predation. Based on these data, fish with rapid movement presenting territorial behavior and benthic fish with slow movements are the most consumed. Seasonal fluctuations are caused by the increase of secondary prey in the diet during some seasons.


MicroRNA-215 suppresses the proliferation, migration and invasion of non-small cell lung carcinoma cells through the downregulation of matrix metalloproteinase-16 expression.
The present study investigated the expression of microRNA (miR)-215 in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) at tissue and cellular levels, as well as its biological functions and mechanism of action. A total of 56 patients with NSCLC were included in the present study. NSCLC tissues and tumor-adjacent normal tissues were resected and collected. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the expression of miR-215. Following transfection with miR-215 mimics, A549 cell proliferation, migration and invasion were determined using a Cell Counting Kit-8 and Transwell assay. Western blotting was employed to measure the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-16 protein. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was conducted to determine the existence of a direct interaction between miR-215 and the MMP-16 gene. Reduced expression of miR-215 in NSCLC was closely associated with lymphatic metastasis and TNM staging. Overexpression of miR-215 inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells in vitro. Upregulated expression of miR-215 inhibited the migration and invasion of A549 cells in vitro. miR-215 exerted its biological functions possibly by regulating the expression of MMP-16. Elevated expression of MMP-16 promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of A549 cells. miR-215 regulated the proliferation, migration and invasion of A549 cells by binding with the seed 3'-untranslated region of MMP-16 mRNA. The present study demonstrates that reduced expression of miR-215 in NSCLC is negatively associated with lymphatic metastasis and TNM staging. In addition, miR-215 acts as a tumor suppressor gene by inhibiting the proliferation, migration and invasion of NSCLC cells via the downregulation of MMP-16 expression.


[Comparative studies of gelatin and cellulose ester membrane filters for their suitability in determining the microorganism count in the air].
Filtration is one of the classical methods for the determination of the microbial content of the air or the number of microbe-bearing particles in the ambient air. Hereby, the opinion prevails that gelatin foam filters yield better results than filters made of cellulose esters. Since gelatin filters are themselves by no means free from disadvantages, several tests were carried out under the conditions encounted in practice in two packaging rooms used for pharmaceutical preparations. The objective was to ascertain whether the customary cellulose ester filters really are less suitable for determination of the microbial content of the air than the filters made of soluble gelatin. Based on the results of various preliminary experiments, gamma-irradiated filters of cellulose nitrate, with a pore size of 0,45 micron, were selected from a range of tested membrane filters (Tables 1,2,4-6 and Fig. 1) and compared directly with the gelatin filters. The statistical evaluation of these tests showed that, under the chosen experimental conditions, both filters yielded the same count of organisms (Tables 3, 9 and 10, Figs. 2 and 3). Moreover, by means of further tests, it could be proved that neither cellulose nitrate filters with a pore size of 0,8 micron, which had undergone gamma-radiations, nor filters made of the mixed esters of cellulose, which had been treated with ethylene oxide or autoclaved, differed significantly from the selected type (Tables 5-8). This study therefore clearly demonstrates that - in addition to gelatin filters - a whole range of membrane filters made of cellulose esters yield equally good results and may be used for supervision of the microbial content of the air in closed rooms.


Brugada Syndrome in Puerto Rico: a Case Series.
Brugada syndrome (BrS) is characterized by ST-segment changes in the right precordial ECG leads and a high incidence of sudden death in patients with structurally normal hearts. Life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias are the hallmark of Brugada syndrome. The incidence and prevalence of BrS in Puerto Rico, to our knowledge, has never been studied and there is only one case report of BrS in Puerto Rico in the literature [1]. We present 3 cases of BrS in Puerto Rican patients who presented to our institution with syncope and review the literature.


Quantitative DCE-MRI prediction of breast cancer recurrence following neoadjuvant chemotherapy: a preliminary study.
Breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) are at risk of recurrence depending on clinicopathological characteristics. This preliminary study aimed to investigate the predictive performances of quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI parameters, alone and in combination with clinicopathological variables, for prediction of recurrence in patients treated with NACT. Forty-seven patients underwent pre- and post-NACT MRI exams including high spatiotemporal resolution DCE-MRI. The Shutter-Speed model was employed to perform pharmacokinetic analysis of the DCE-MRI data and estimate the Ktrans, ve, kep, and τi parameters. Univariable logistic regression was used to assess predictive accuracy for recurrence for each MRI metric, while Firth logistic regression was used to evaluate predictive performances for models with multi-clinicopathological variables and in combination with a single MRI metric or the first principal components of all MRI metrics. Pre- and post-NACT DCE-MRI parameters performed better than tumor size measurement in prediction of recurrence, whether alone or in combination with clinicopathological variables. Combining post-NACT Ktrans with residual cancer burden and age showed the best improvement in predictive performance with ROC AUC = 0.965. Accurate prediction of recurrence pre- and/or post-NACT through integration of imaging markers and clinicopathological variables may help improve clinical decision making in adjusting NACT and/or adjuvant treatment regimens to reduce the risk of recurrence and improve survival outcome.


Sex-specific differences in the modulation of Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF15) by hyperoxia in vivo and in vitro: Role of Hif-1α.
Male premature neonates are more susceptible than females to the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The reasons underlying sexually dimorphic outcomes in premature neonates are not known. GDF15 (Growth and differentiation factor 15) is a secreted cytokine and plays a role in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis. In this study, we sought to elucidate the sex-specific expression of Gdf15 in the lung in vivo in neonatal hyperoxic lung injury and its regulation by Hif-1α, and to delineate the differences in GDF15 expression in male and female human umbilical venous endothelial cells in an in vitro model of oxygen toxicity. Following hyperoxia exposure (95% FiO2, PND (postnatal day 1-5: saccular stage of lung development), neonatal male mice (C57BL/6) show increased GDF15 and decreased HIF-1α expression compared to female mice. For the in vitro experiments, male and female HUVECs were exposed to room air condition (21% O2, 5% CO2) or in hyperoxia condition (95% O2, 5% CO2) for up to 72h. Male HUVECs had greater expression of GDF15 mRNA and protein. To study the inter-relationship between GDF15 and HIF-1α, we measured the expression of GDF15 in H441 cells after HIF-1α knockdown using promoter dual luciferase reporter assay, which showed that HIF-1α and GDF15 expression are inversely related under normoxia and hyperoxia. The results indicate that sex differences exist in the expression and modulation of GDF15 by HIF-1α in neonatal hyperoxic injury both in vivo and in vitro. These differences could explain in part the mechanisms behind sex-specific differences in BPD.


Changes in cancer awareness in the Polish population, 1976-1990.
Public awareness of cancer plays a major role in its prevention. Knowledge of changes in public awareness provides a good foundation for public health education interventions and facilitates their evaluation. Three nationwide studies of representative samples of the Polish population were carried out in 1976, 1986, and 1990. During this period extensive public health education was provided. Favorable changes were observed in nearly all the aspects investigated. Belief in the curability of cancer increased by 33%; knowledge of breast self-examination increased by 46%; the opinion that cancer is difficult to detect declined by 19%, knowledge that smoking encourages cancer of the lung increased by 15%, and knowledge that cancer is not infectious increased by 35%. Other changes were smaller, but were also positive. Despite improvement in the public awareness, there are still urgent unmet needs in health education in Poland. For example, efforts should be increased to control smoking addiction, especially among the young, persuade women to do breast self-examination and have Pap tests, and inform the public about healthy lifestyles and behaviors that prevent cancer.


Is Regulatory Focus Related to Condom Use, STI/HIV Testing, and Sexual Satisfaction?
Regulatory focus theory contends that when making decisions people are either more inclined to focus on avoiding negative consequences (more prevention-focused) or achieving pleasurable outcomes (more promotion-focused). Some research suggests that regulatory focus is related to health behaviors, although this has not been thoroughly investigated in the sexual health domain. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between regulatory focus (prevention, promotion) and sexual health. In an online survey of 409 youth from the U.S. (ages = 18-25; Mage = 23.5; 57.2% women; 74.1% White, 13.4% Asian, 10.5% Black, 9.8% Hispanic), we examined the relationship between regulatory focus and three sexual health outcomes: condom use, STI/HIV testing, and sexual satisfaction. Of youth in our sample, 31.8% had a dominant prevention-focus, while 54.8% had a dominant promotion-focus. Compared to youth who were more promotion-focused, more prevention-focused youth used condoms more frequently but reported less sexual satisfaction. No differences were found in rates of STI/HIV testing. This study lays the groundwork to investigate the dynamic role that regulatory focus may play in contributing to youths' sexual health. More experimental and longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the causal nature of the association between regulatory focus and sexual health.


MEASURES OF PHENOTYPIC SELECTION ARE BIASED BY PARTIAL INBREEDING.
When populations are partially inbred due to the population structure or to a mixed mating system like partial self-fertilization, some individuals will be more inbred than others. This heterogeneity among individuals in the history of inbreeding can greatly complicate the interpretation of measures of quantitative genetic variability when the traits studied exhibit inbreeding depression. Partial inbreeding can also bias measures of phenotypic selection toward the detection of strong directional and stabilizing selection. In this paper, data are presented from several inbreeding experiments conducted on two partially selfing, annual populations of the monkeyflower Mimulus guttatus that show that the means of many of the morphological and phenological traits measured were affected by inbreeding. These findings imply that estimates of heritabilities and additive genetic covariances would not reflect the potential for these populations to respond to selection. Phenotypic selection analyses conducted on naturally occurring plants, involving linear regressions of relative seed production on the traits, revealed significant directional selection on many of the same quantitative traits measured in the inbreeding studies. However, when the same selection analyses were performed on plants with known histories of inbreeding, part of the statistical relationship between relative seed number and the traits was found to be due to the mating system: inbred individuals had both lower seed production and different mean values for the traits than outcrossed individuals. It is also shown, with a hypothetical example, that partial inbreeding can bias measures of stabilizing selection toward the detection of strong stabilizing selection. Partial inbreeding therefore tends to make directional and stabilizing selection appear stronger than it is, and it may be that natural selection in the wild is actually weaker than many studies of partially inbred species suggest.


Thermal fluorescence quenching properties of dissolved organic matter.
The fluorescence excitation-emission matrices of dissolved organic matter (DOM) are investigated between 10 and 45 degrees C for river and waste waters and organic matter standards. With increased temperature, fluorescence intensity is quenched. It is demonstrated that for a range of river and wastewater samples, that tryptophan-like fluorescence exhibits a greater range of quenching (between 20+/-4% and 35+/-5%) than fulvic-like fluorescence (19+/-4 to 26+/-3%) over this temperature range. Humic substance standards exhibit similar fulvic-like (23+/-4%) fluorescence thermal quenching properties to river water samples (23+/-3%); however none of the samples exhibit quenching of tryptophan-like fluorescence to the same extent as the tryptophan standards (approximately 50%). Thermal fluorescence quenching is related to the exposure of the fluorophores to the heat source; our findings suggest that the tryptophan-like groups within DOM is more exposed in untreated wastewaters than in treated wastewaters riverine DOM. Thermal fluorescence properties have the potential to be used to source DOM, to provide additional chemical structural information, to temperature correct laser-induced remotely sensed DOM fluorescence, and to characterise DOM through the wastewater treatment process.


One- and two-photon absorption properties of diamond nitrogen-vacancy defect centers: A theoretical study.
The negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy defect center, (NV)(-), in diamond has been investigated theoretically for its one- and two-photon absorption properties involving the first excited state with the (3)A(2)-->(3)E transition. Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT), configuration interaction with single excitation (CIS), and complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) were employed in this investigation along with the 6-31G(d) basis set. Diamond lattice models containing 24-104 carbon atoms were constructed to imitate the local environment of the defect center. TD-DFT calculations in large molecular cluster models (with 85 or more carbon atoms) predicted the vertical excitation energy quite consistent with the experimental absorption maximum. CASSCF calculations were feasible only for small cluster models (less than 50 carbon atoms) but yielded one-photon absorption (OPA) and two-photon absorption (TPA) cross sections somewhat larger than the experimental values obtained with linearly polarized incident light [T.-L. Wee et al., J. Phys. Chem. A 111, 9379 (2007)]. CIS calculations in larger cluster models showed a systematic overestimation of the excitation energy while just slightly underestimated the OPA cross section and overestimated the TPA cross section. The agreements between calculations and measurements suggest that the computational approaches established in this work are applicable to explore the optical properties of related defect centers in diamond as well.


Reduction in ovulation or male sex phenotype increases long-term anoxia survival in a daf-16-independent manner in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Identifying genotypes and phenotypes that enhance an organism's ability to survive stress is of interest. We used Caenorhabditis elegans mutants, RNA interference (RNAi), and the chemical 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (FUDR) to test the hypothesis that a reduction in progeny would increase oxygen deprivation (anoxia) survival. In the hermaphrodite gonad, germ line processes such as spermatogenesis and oogenesis can be simultaneously as well as independently disrupted by genetic mutations. We analyzed genetic mutants [glp-1(q158), glp-4(bn2ts), plc-1(rx1), ksr-1(ku68), fog-2(q71), fem-3(q20), spe-9(hc52ts), fer-15(hc15ts)] with reduced progeny production due to various reproductive defects. Furthermore, we used RNAi to inhibit the function of gene products in the RTK/Ras/MAPK signaling pathway, which is known to be involved in a variety of developmental processes including gonad function. We determined that reduced progeny production or complete sterility enhanced anoxia survival except in the case of sterile hermaphrodites [spe-9(hc52ts), fer-15(hc15ts)] undergoing oocyte maturation and ovulation as exhibited by the presence of laid unfertilized oocytes. Furthermore, the fog-2(q71) long-term anoxia survival phenotype was suppressed when oocyte maturation and ovulation were induced by mating with males that have functional or nonfunctional sperm. The mutants with a reduced progeny production survive long-term anoxia in a daf-16- and hif-1-independent manner. Finally, we determined that wild-type males were able to survive long-term anoxia in a daf-16-independent manner. Together, these results suggest that the insulin signaling pathway is not the only mechanism to survive oxygen deprivation and that altering gonad function, in particular oocyte maturation and ovulation, leads to a physiological state conducive for oxygen deprivation survival.


Determination of origin of ephedrine used as precursor for illicit methamphetamine by carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratio analysis.
The sale of ephedrine, one of the precursors of methamphetamine, is strictly controlled and monitored in various countries to prevent the production of illicit methamphetamine. There are three kinds of production scheme for ephedrine manufacture, and it is very useful for precursor control to investigate the origin of ephedrine used for the synthesis of illicit methamphetamine. By means of stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IR-MS), we investigated the origin of ephedrine based on the delta(13)C and delta(15)N values. The various origins of ephedrine (biosynthetic, semisynthetic, or synthetic) could be discriminated clearly by using these values. The delta(15)N values of synthetic ephedrine were more negative than those of ephedrine from other sources. By the repeated distillation of methylamine in our laboratory, we confirmed that this could be due to isotope separation during distillation for the purification of methylamine used for ephedrine synthesis. The values for ephedrine used as the precursor were well-correlated with those for methamphetamine synthesized from it. This drug characterization analysis should be useful to illuminate the origin of the precursors used for clandestine methamphetamine and to trace the diversion of medicinal ephedrine for illicit manufacture of methamphetamine.


[Protein catabolism and tourniquet shock: the role of proteolytic enzymes].
In the plasma and/or serum ultrafiltrates of a 20-year-old patient with tourniquet shock and post-traumatic acute renal failure it was possible to identify free proteolytic activity during the oligoanuric phase. Plasma alpha 2-macroglobulin values were significantly lowered, whereas the plasma concentrations of antithrombin III were unchanged. alpha 1-Antitrypsin values, however, were markedly enhanced. In contrast, urinary excretion of alpha 1-antitrypsin and antithrombin III were enhanced during the oligoanuric phase. Addition of kallikrein and/or trypsin resulted in strong inhibition of urinary proteolytic activity. These effects were not seen during the polyuric and recovery phase. From our results it can be concluded that proteolytic enzymes may be involved in protein catabolism of patients with tourniquet shock and hypercatabolic acute renal failure.


Exploring molecular complexity: conical intersections and NH3 photodissociation.
The role of conical intersections in the photodissociation of the A 1A2" state of NH3 is investigated using extended atomic basis sets and a configuration state function expansion of approximately 8.5 million terms. A previously unknown portion of the 1 1A-2 1A seam of conical intersections with only C(s) symmetry is located. This portion of the seam is readily accessible from the equilibrium geometry of the A 1A2" state. These conical intersections are expected to play a role in the competition between adiabatic and nonadiabatic pathways for NH3(A 1A2") photodissociation.


[Eco-toxicological effects of heavy metals on the inhibition of seed germination and root elongation of Chinese cabbages in soils].
The Eco-toxicity effects of individual Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd on the inhibition of seed germination and root elongation of Chinese cabbages (Brassica pekimensis) were tested in four types of soils (red loam soils, meadow brown soils, chestnut soils and dark brown soils) and water solution. The combined effects of heavy metals pollution were determined with meadow brown soils. Results indicated that with same concentration, the inhibition rates of heavy metals on root elongation of Chinese cabbages are stronger than that on the seed germination. The inhibition effects of heavy metals on the root elongation of Chinese cabbages in soils are much lower than that in water, indicating that soils play an important role of buffering on heavy metals pollution. Inhibition rates of heavy metals on the root elongation (IRHMRE) of Chinese cabbages are significantly negative related with the contents of organic matter (OR) and Kjedahl-nitrogen (K-N) in soils, however, there is no significant related between IRHMRE and soil pH, so does the content of T-K. In the concentrations that result in the irritated effect in the single form of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd pollution, synergic effects are produced significantly when four heavy metals are combined. As the results, the threshold values that result in the inhibition effects on root elongation in Chinese cabbages decrease markedly.


Losses of NG2 and NeuN immunoreactivity but not astrocytic markers during early reperfusion following severe focal cerebral ischemia.
The ability of glia to recover essential functions following a period of focal cerebral ischemia is likely to be one important factor influencing the severity of tissue damage that subsequently develops. In this study, we have compared changes in immunoreactivity of markers specific for astrocytes, NG2-positive glia and neurons in tissue subregions during early reperfusion following 3 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion to provide insights into possible differential susceptibility of these cell populations. Under the conditions used, infarction ultimately encompasses most of the perfusion territory of the occluded artery. Nonetheless, alterations in immunoreactivity during the first 3 h of recirculation were restricted to brain regions that had been subjected to severe ischemia. In the striatum, cellular immunoreactivity for NG2 and neuronal markers, NeuN and microtubule-associated protein 2, was greatly reduced by 1 h of reperfusion and declined further at 3 h. NG2 labeling of blood vessels in the striatum appeared post-ischemically, mimicking expression of this protein during development. Less severe changes were seen in the neuronal markers in overlying cerebral cortex. In contrast to the losses of other cellular proteins, immunoreactivity for the astrocytic marker, glial fibrillary acidic protein, was preserved in all tissue that had been subjected to severe ischemia and labeling of another astrocytic protein, glutamine synthetase, was increased by 3 h of reperfusion. These findings provide the first evidence of marked sensitivity of NG2-immunoreactivity to severe ischemia and suggest a greater initial resistance of astrocytes compared with neurons and NG2-positive glia to ischemia-reperfusion damage.


Foreign bodies in lower urinary tract: case report and review of literature.
Foreign bodies in lower urinary tract may present in a different number of ways. We report four cases of such unusual presentation. Physical examination and plain radiograph was sufficient enough to confirm our diagnosis in all cases. The cases belonged to different age groups and three out of four cases were managed by open surgical approach. One foreign body was removed using cystoscope. Prompt surgical management prevented urinary tract infections and long term complications in these patients.


[Hydrogen-rich water improves progressive sperm motility in rats by reducing oxidative stress and upregulating CLDN3 and SRD5A2 expressions].
To investigate the protective effect of long-term consumption of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) on the percentage of progressively motile sperm (PMS) in male rats. Twenty normal healthy male SD rats were equally randomized into an HRW and a control group, the former given HRW (1.2 ppm) and the latter normal saline, both intragastrically at 2 ml/d for 9 months. Then, the bilateral epididymides of the rats were harvested for preparation of sperm suspension and detection of the percentage of PMS. The testis tissue was isolated for HE staining and determination of the expressions of the Ki67, CYBB, eNOS, CLDN3 and SRD5A2 proteins using the streptavidin-peroxidase (SP) immunohistochemical method. The percentage of PMS was significantly higher in the HRW than in the control group ([64.3 ± 4.7]% vs [55.3 ± 9.5]%, P < 0.05), and so was the expression of Ki67 in the testicular tissue (P < 0.01). Compared with the controls, the rats in the HRW group showed markedly decreased oxidative stress-related index CYBB (P < 0.01), increased eNOS level (P < 0.01), and upregulated expressions of sperm development-related proteins CLDN3 and SRD5A2 (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05). Hydrogen not only regulates the expressions of some oxidative stress-related indicators, but also increases the expressions of the molecules promoting sperm maturation and motility, which provides a theoretical basis and experimental support for the application and studies of hydrogen in asthenospermia.


Prevalence and characteristics of at-risk drinkers among a health visitor's caseload.
There has been a steady rise in alcohol consumption in the UK over the past 40 years. There is now plenty of evidence that this increase has been greatest in women and young people. Among young women excessive drinking leads to a variety of physical, mental and social problems of direct relevance to a health visitor who is concerned with the health and well being of her clients and their children. However the assessment of alcohol consumption is often not recognised as a part of the health visitors' role and no study was found which looked at the levels of alcohol consumption among a health visitors caseload. The aims of this study were to determine the amount of alcohol consumption in this group of people and to look at factors associated with heavy alcohol use.


Event-related potential correlates of interference effects on recognition memory.
The question of interference (how new learning affects previously acquired knowledge and vice versa) is a central theoretical issue in episodic memory research, but very few human neuroimaging studies have addressed this question. Here, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to test the predictions of the complementary learning systems (CLS) model regarding how list strength manipulations (strengthening some, but not all, items on a study list) affect recognition memory. Our analysis focused on the FN400 old-new effect, a hypothesized ERP correlate of familiarity-based recognition, and the parietal old-new effect, a hypothesized ERP correlate of recollection-based recognition. As is predicted by the CLS model, increasing list strength selectively reduced the ERP correlate of recollection-based discrimination, leaving the ERP correlate of familiarity-based discrimination intact. In a second experiment, we obtained converging evidence for the CLS model's predictions, using a remember/know test: Increasing list strength reduced recollection-based discrimination but did not reduce familiarity-based discrimination.


[Bilateral and familial occurrence of germ cell tumors of the testis].
A reclassification study based on the W.H.O. nomenclature was made of 255 testicular germ cell tumours examined in the Department of Pathology of the District Hospital Schwerin between 1958 and 1985. Thereby some cases of bilateral and familial occurrence were found. 4 cases (1.6%) with bilateral tumours were observed. Only in one of the four cases both tumours were discovered at the same time. The longest interval before contralateral occurrence was 19 years. Familial connections were found in 6 cases (2.4%), in one twin-pair and twice in brothers.


Molecular typing of PrPres in human sporadic CJD brain tissue.
Within the spectrum of sporadic human transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), there is considerable diversity of disease phenotypes. At least part of this variation is thought to be on the basis of different "strains" of prions (the infectious agent). Tissue deposition of PrP(res) (the abnormal disease-associated conformation of the prion protein) is considered a hallmark of TSE pathology, and it can be visualized by Western blotting typically as three bands depicting the diglycosylated, monoglycosylated, and unglycosylated species. It is the mobility of the unglycosylated PrP(res), and the relative abundance of the two glycosylated bands, along with the prion protein gene (PRNP) codon 129 genotype, that seem to correlate with distinct clinico-pathological profiles of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.


Twelve-month outcomes of trauma-informed interventions for women with co-occurring disorders.
Women with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders frequently have a history of interpersonal violence, and past research has suggested that they are not served effectively by the current service system. The goal of the Women, Co-occurring Disorders, and Violence Study was to develop and test the effectiveness of new service approaches specifically designed for these women. A quasi-experimental treatment outcome study was conducted from 2001 to 2003 at nine sites. Although intervention specifics such as treatment length and modality varied across sites, each site used a comprehensive, integrated, trauma-informed, and consumer-involved approach to treatment. Substance use problem severity, mental health symptoms, and trauma symptoms were measured at baseline, and follow-up data were analyzed with prospective meta-analysis and hierarchical linear modeling. A total of 2,026 women had data at the 12-month follow-up: 1,018 in the intervention group and 1,008 in the usual-care group. For substance use outcomes, no effect was found. The meta-analysis demonstrated small but statistically significant overall improvement in women's trauma and mental health symptoms in the intervention relative to the usual-care comparison condition. Analysis of key program elements demonstrated that integrating substance abuse, mental health, and trauma-related issues into counseling yielded greater improvement, whereas the delivery of numerous core services yielded less improvement relative to the comparison group. A few person-level characteristics were associated with increases or decreases in the intervention effect. These neither moderated nor supplanted the effects of integrated counseling. Outcomes for women with co-occurring disorders and a history of violence and trauma may improve with integrated treatment.


Proteome analysis of Halobacterium salinarum and characterization of proteins related to the degradation of isopropyl alcohol.
We reported in a previous study that proteomic approach, coupled with genomic techniques, could be used to screen and develop multiple candidates for halophilic enzymes from Halobacterium salinarum. In order to evaluate the biodegradation of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) by H. salinarum, the amounts of residual IPA and acetone generated in the growth media were determined using a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The protein expression profiles of cells which had been cultured with IPA were obtained with the two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Proteins evidencing different expression levels in the presence of 0.5% IPA were identified by electrospray ionization-quadruple-time of flight (ESI-Q-TOF) mass spectrometry. We found 12 proteins which were down-regulated, and another 12 proteins which were up-regulated, in the presence of 0.5% IPA and we further identified 17 proteins among them using ESI-TOF MS/MS. Among these identified proteins, we selected glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) for further characterization as a halophilic enzyme. We have demonstrated for the first time that H. salinarum possesses the ability to degrade IPA and GAPDH was both stable and active at high salt concentrations, with maximum activity occurring at 1 M NaCl, although the optimal salt concentration with regard to the growth of H. salinarum is 4.3 M.


In vitro effects of an acidic by-product feed on bovine teeth.
To evaluate in vitro erosive effects of sweet potato cannery waste (SPCW) on bovine incisor enamel. 20 bovine mandibles. Mandibles were collected and incisors were classified into 3 categories: lacking observable wear, advanced normal wear, or abnormal wear associated with feeding SPCW. Intact mandibles were radiographed. Contralateral normal teeth from the same jaw were used to compare Ca2+ loss (etching) with SPCW, lactic acid (pH 3.2), or SPCW neutralized with NaOH to pH 5.0 or 5.5. Scanning electron microscopy was performed to compare etched and unetched specimens. Two abnormally worn teeth were evaluated histologically. Knoop hardness testing was conducted on unexposed areas of surface enamel and enamel exposed to SPCW. Radiography revealed large periapical abscesses in the mandibles exposed to SPCW. Nearly identical amounts of Ca2+ were removed by SPCW and lactic acid solution at the same pH. Scanning electron microscopy did not indicate consistent differences between etch patterns resulting from exposure to SPCW or lactic acid. Mean rate of calcium removal was 56% higher in deciduous than permanent teeth. Knoop hardness data suggested that softening occurred in enamel exposed to SPCW. Neutralizing SPCW to pH 5.5 eliminated calcium removal. Histologic examination of sections indicated that SPCW degraded and removed some dentin matrix proteins. Exposure to SPCW results in enamel erosion in vitro; low pH is the most likely cause of erosion. Neutralizing SPCW to pH 5.5 eliminated erosive effects. Confirmation of SPCW's erosive effects on enamel in vitro supported the field diagnosis.


Age-related changes in cerebrovascular health and their effects on neural function and cognition: A comprehensive review.
The process of aging includes changes in cellular biology that affect local interactions between cells and their environments and eventually propagate to systemic levels. In the brain, where neurons critically depend on an efficient and dynamic supply of oxygen and glucose, age-related changes in the complex interaction between the brain parenchyma and the cerebrovasculature have effects on health and functioning that negatively impact cognition and play a role in pathology. Thus, cerebrovascular health is considered one of the main mechanisms by which a healthy lifestyle, such as habitual cardiorespiratory exercise and a healthful diet, could lead to improved cognitive outcomes with aging. This review aims at detailing how the physiology of the cerebral vascular system changes with age and how these changes lead to differential trajectories of cognitive maintenance or decline. This provides a framework for generating specific mechanistic hypotheses about the efficacy of proposed interventions and lifestyle covariates that contribute to enhanced cognitive well-being. Finally, we discuss the methodological implications of age-related changes in the cerebral vasculature for human cognitive neuroscience research and propose directions for future experiments aimed at investigating age-related changes in the relationship between physiology and cognitive mechanisms.


40-Gbaud 16-QAM transmitter using tandem IQ modulators with binary driving electronic signals.
We propose a novel 16-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) transmitter based on two cascaded IQ modulators driven by four separate binary electrical signals. The proposed 16-QAM transmitter features scalable configuration and stable performance with simple bias-control. Generation of 16-QAM signals at 40 Gbaud is experimentally demonstrated for the first time and visualized with a high speed constellation analyzer. The proposed modulator is also compared to two other schemes. We investigate the modulator bandwidth requirements and tolerance to accumulated chromatic dispersion through numerical simulations, and the minimum theoretical insertion attenuation is calculated analytically.


[Diagnostic procedure and surgical treatment of lipoblastoma in children. Own experience].
Three cases of surgical treatment of the right supraclavicular fossa lipoblastoma in a 9-year-old boy, the mesentery lipoblastoma in a 13-month-old boy and retroperitoneal space lipoblastoma in a 6-month-old boy are presented. Deformity of supraclavicular fossa in the first patient, abdomen circumference enlargement in the second and right abdomen deformity in the third patient were the only symptoms. The above mentioned symptoms lasted respectively 5, 3 months and 7 days. X-rays and sonography examinations showed the presence of solid capsuled mass of tabular structure each time. CT scans in patient with mesentery lipoblastoma revealed additionally a fat-like tissue of the tumour (CT examination in the third patient gave suspicion of lipopblastoma). All tumours were surgically removed - they had tabular structure and were capsuled. The diameters were respectively: 6.5 x 6x 4 cm, 20 x 16 x 9 cm and 13x16x6 cm. This is to emphasize that the results of preoperative examinations as far as size, borders and tabular character of both tumours were very accurate when compared with intraoperative picture. No postoperative complications were noted. The follow-up recheck period is 2 years in the first, 9 months in the second and I day in the third case. All boys are well.


Collapse of thermal activation in moderately damped Josephson junctions.
We study switching current statistics in moderately damped Nb-InAs-Nb and intrinsic Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta) Josephson junctions. A paradoxical collapse of thermal activation with increasing temperature is reported and explained by the interplay of two conflicting consequences of thermal fluctuations, which can both assist in premature escape and help in retrapping back into the stationary state. We analyze the influence of dissipation on the thermal escape by tuning damping with a gate voltage, magnetic field, temperature, and an in situ capacitor.


Site-specific recombination in bacteriophage Mu: characterization of binding sites for the DNA invertase Gin.
Site-specific DNA inversion in phage Mu is catalysed by the phage-encoded DNA invertase Gin and a host factor FIS. We demonstrate that purified Gin protein binds specifically to 34-bp sequences that flank the G segment as inverted repeats. Each inverted repeat (IR) contains two binding sites for Gin which have to be arranged in a specific configuration to constitute a recombinogenic site. While one of these sites is bound when present alone, the other site is bound only in conjunction with the first one, suggesting cooperative binding. In addition to the sites within the IR, Gin binds with lower affinity to AT-rich sequences adjacent to the IR. We demonstrate that these sites do not participate in the inversion reaction. The IR itself can be shortened to 25 bp without effect on inversion frequency. Using gel mobility shift experiments on circular permuted fragments containing the IR we show that Gin bends DNA upon binding. We discuss the possibility that DNA bending is related to the formation of a productive synaptic complex.


Cis-bis[(3-aminopropyl)dimethylphosphine-kappa2N,P]palladium(II) dichloride methanol solvate.
In the title compound, cis-[Pd(C5H14NP)2]Cl2.CH4O, the coordination geometry around the PdII center is distorted square planar, with a cis-P2N2 configuration of the two chelating (3-aminopropyl)dimethylphosphine (pdmp) ligands. The six-membered pdmp chelate rings adopt chair conformations, and pairing of the chairs designates the complex cation as a (Cs)-chair2 conformer. The distances between the PdII center and the Cl- anions are greater than 4.5 A, indicating no obvious interaction.


An electrostrictive drive for fine pitch control in double-crystal monochromators.
Precise control of the pitch angle of the crystals in a double-crystal monochromator is essential to preserve their accurate alignment while the instrument is scanned. Computer-controlled piezoceramic electrostrictive actuators have recently been installed to the top crystal in two monochromators at the Daresbury SRS to facilitate this. This complements the coarser control provided by the existing stepper motor to give an accurate positioning of the crystal alignment over the full rocking-curve width of the crystals. To maintain accurate alignment during a scan, a number of servo feedback options have been devised. In this paper an analysis of the performance of these drives is presented and their utility in a variety of different experimental techniques is discussed.


In vitro platform of allogeneic stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte transplantation for cardiac conduction defects.
The aim of the present study is to develop in vitro experimental analytical method for the electrophysiological properties of allogeneic induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs) in cardiac conduction defect model. Cardiomyocytes were derived from rat induced pluripotent stem cells CMs (riPSC-CMs) using an embryoid body-based differentiation method with the serial application of growth factors including activin-A, bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP-4), and inhibitor of wnt production 2 (IWP-2). Flow cytometry analysis showed that 74.0 ± 2.7% of riPSC-CMs expressed cardiac troponin-T (n = 3). Immunostaining analysis revealed organized sarcomeric structure in riPSC-CMs and the expression of connexin 43 between riPSC-CMs and neonatal rat ventricular CMs (NRVMs). Ca2+ transient recordings revealed the simultaneous excitement of riPSC-CMs and NRVMs, and prolonged Ca2+ transient duration of riPSC-CMs as compared with NRVMs (731 ± 15.9 vs. 610 ± 7.72 ms, P < 0.01, n = 3). Isolated NRVMs were cultured in two discrete regions to mimic cardiac conduction defects on multi-electrode array dish, and riPSC-CMs were seeded in the channel between the two discrete regions. Membrane potential imaging with di-8-ANEPPS discerned the propagation of the electrical impulse from one NRVM region to the other through a riPSC-CM pathway. This pathway had significantly longer action potential duration as compared with NRVMs. Electrophysiological studies using a multi-electrode array platform demonstrated the longer conduction time and functional refractory period of the riPSC-CM pathway compared with the NRVM pathway. Using an in vitro experimental system to mimic cardiac conduction defect, transplanted allogeneic riPSC-CMs showed electrical coupling between two discrete regions of NRVMs. Electrophysiological testing using our platform will enable electrophysiological screening prior to transplantation of stem cell-derived CMs.


A new concept in breast investigation: echo-histological acino-ductal analysis or analytic echography.
"Echo-histological acino-ductal analysis of the breast" or "analytic echography" allows a display of lesions based on anatomo-physio-pathology, their micro-sampling by interventional echography for histological evaluation and their direct visual observation by intra-ductal echo-guided endoscopy. This method efficiently complements the other means of investigation by evaluating mammographic densities and palpable masses, and shows maximum diagnostic efficiency by improving and using the 2 most efficient means of diagnosis for malignancies, namely: the immediate detection of cellular abnormalities by more precise sampling; or the display of tumor evolution in a shorter time (3 months), with repeated sampling.


Biomechanical assessment of three rebar tying techniques.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a study of ironworkers to evaluate their risk for developing back and hand injuries from hand-tying reinforcing steel bar and to investigate whether power tying tools can be an effective intervention for the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. A field investigation of biomechanical loading when using 3 techniques to tie together rebar was conducted. Researchers measured employees' wrist and forearm movement with goniometers and videotaped and analyzed trunk postures. Manually tying rebar at ground level involved sustained deep trunk bending and rapid, repetitive, and forceful hand-wrist and forearm movements. Using a power tier significantly reduced the hand-wrist and forearm movements and allowed the ironworkers to use one free hand to support their trunk posture while tying. Adding an extension handle to the power tier allowed the ironworkers to tie rebar while standing erect, minimizing sustained trunk flexion.


Activity of autonomic nervous system is related to body weight in pre-menopausal, but not in post-menopausal women.
This study analyzed vegetative modulation, expressed as heart rate variability (HRV) power spectral analysis, in lean and obese women at pre-menopausal or post-menopausal age to reveal possible differences in menopause-related autonomic activity in lean and obese subjects. Sedentary women (n = 40) were divided in four groups: pre-menopausal lean and obese women, post-menopausal lean and obese subjects. The HRV-power spectrum was evaluated on a 5-min long ECG recording. The absolute values of the spectrum were summed in the following frequencies: a low-frequency (0.04-0.15 Hz; LF) and high-frequency (0.15-0.40; HF) range. LF and HF were values used to estimate the sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. LF and HF values of pre-menopausal obese women are lower than values of lean women. The menopause induced a same decrease in LF and HF values in lean and obese subjects, so that no difference was found in post-menopausal groups. This experiment indicates that modifications of autonomic modulation can be included among factors related to obesity in pre-menopausal, but not post-menopausal women.


Critical analysis of feeding jejunostomy following resection of upper gastrointestinal malignancies.
To assess nutritional recovery, particularly regarding feeding jejunostomy tube (FJT) utilization, following upper gastrointestinal resection for malignancy. A retrospective review was performed of a prospectively-maintained database of adult patients who underwent esophagectomy or gastrectomy (subtotal or total) for cancer with curative intent, from January 2001 to June 2014. Patient demographics, the approach to esophagectomy, the extent of gastrectomy, FJT placement and utilization at discharge, administration of parenteral nutrition (PN), and complications were evaluated. All patients were followed for at least ninety days or until death. The 287 patients underwent upper GI resection, comprised of 182 esophagectomy (n = 107 transhiatal, 58.7%; n = 56 Ivor-Lewis, 30.7%) and 105 gastrectomy [n = 63 subtotal (SG), 60.0%; n = 42 total (TG), 40.0%]. 181 of 182 esophagectomy patients underwent FJT, compared with 47 of 105 gastrectomy patients (99.5% vs 44.8%, P < 0.0001), of whom most had undergone TG (n = 39, 92.9% vs n = 8 SG, 12.9%, P < 0.0001). Median length of stay was similar between esophagectomy and gastrectomy groups (14.7 d vs 17.1 d, P = 0.076). Upon discharge, 87 esophagectomy patients (48.1%) were taking enteral feeds, with 53 (29.3%) fully and 34 (18.8%) partially dependent. Meanwhile, 20 of 39 TG patients (51.3%) were either fully (n = 3, 7.7%) or partially (n = 17, 43.6%) dependent on tube feeds, compared with 5 of 8 SG patients (10.6%), all of whom were partially dependent. Gastrectomy patients were significantly less likely to be fully dependent on tube feeds at discharge compared to esophagectomy patients (6.4% vs 29.3%, P = 0.0006). PN was administered despite FJT placement more often following gastrectomy than esophagectomy (n = 11, 23.4% vs n = 7, 3.9%, P = 0.0001). FJT-specific complications requiring reoperation within 30 d of resection occurred more commonly in the gastrectomy group (n = 6), all after TG, compared to 1 esophagectomy patient (12.8% vs 0.6%, P = 0.0003). Six of 7 patients (85.7%) who experienced tube-related complications required PN. Nutritional recovery following esophagectomy and gastrectomy is distinct. Operations are associated with unique complication profiles. Nutritional supplementation alternative to jejunostomy should be considered in particular scenarios.


Multiple Mechanisms of Zinc-Mediated Inhibition for the Apoptotic Caspases-3, -6, -7, and -8.
Zinc is emerging as a widely used and important biological regulatory signal. Cellular zinc levels are tightly regulated by a complex array of zinc importers and exporters to control processes such as apoptotic cell death. While caspase inhibition by zinc has been reported previously, the reported inhibition constants were too weak to suggest a critical biological role for zinc-mediated inhibition. In this work, we have adopted a method of assessing available zinc. This allowed assessment of accurate inhibition constants for apoptotic caspases, caspase-3, -6, -7, and -8. Each of these caspases are inhibited by zinc at intracellular levels but with widely differing inhibition constants and different zinc binding stoichiometries. Caspase-3, -6, and -8 appear to be constitutively inhibited by typical zinc levels, and this inhibition must be lifted to allow activation. The inhibition constant for caspase-7 (76 nM) is much weaker than for the other apoptotic caspases (2.6-6.9 nM) suggesting that caspase-7 is not inactivated by normal zinc concentrations but can be inhibited under conditions of zinc stress. Caspase-3, -7, and -8 were found to bind three, one, and two zincs, respectively. In each of these caspases, zinc was present in the active site, in contrast to caspase-6, which binds one zinc allosterically. The most notable new mechanism to emerge from this work is for zinc-mediated inhibition of caspase-8. Zinc binds caspase-8 directly at the active site and at a second site. Zinc binding inhibits formation of the caspase-8 dimer, the activated form of the enzyme. Together these findings suggest that zinc plays a critical role in regulation of apoptosis by direct inactivation of caspases, in a manner that is unique for each caspase.


MTHFR C677T and prothrombin G20210A mutations in a woman from Dalmatia with silent brain infarction. .
A 55-year-old, previously healthy woman, presented with frequent headaches. She had no neurological disturbances, but had a positive family history; her father died from stroke. Magnetic resonance imaging showed brain infarction; therefore detailed diagnostic evaluation of thrombophilia markers and genetic testing were performed. The patient was found to be homozy- gous for the C677T mutation of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene and heterozygous for the mutation of the prothrombin G20210A gene. No other cause of cerebral infarction was found in the patient.


The king of snakes: performance and morphology of intraguild predators (Lampropeltis) and their prey (Pantherophis).
Across ecosystems and trophic levels, predators are usually larger than their prey, and when trophic morphology converges, predators typically avoid predation on intraguild competitors unless the prey is notably smaller in size. However, a currently unexplained exception occurs in kingsnakes in the genus Lampropeltis Kingsnakes are able to capture, constrict and consume other snakes that are not only larger than themselves but that are also powerful constrictors (such as ratsnakes in the genus Pantherophis). Their mechanisms of success as intraguild predators on other constrictors remain unknown. To begin addressing these mechanisms, we studied the scaling of muscle cross-sectional area, pulling force and constriction pressure across the ontogeny of six species of snakes (Lampropeltiscaliforniae, L.getula, L.holbrooki, Pantherophisalleghaniensis, P.guttatus and P.obsoletus). Muscle cross-sectional area is an indicator of potential force production, pulling force is an indicator of escape performance, and constriction pressure is a measure of prey-handling performance. Muscle cross-sectional area scaled similarly for all snakes, and there was no significant difference in maximum pulling force among species. However, kingsnakes exerted significantly higher pressures on their prey than ratsnakes. The similar escape performance among species indicates that kingsnakes win in predatory encounters because of their superior constriction performance, not because ratsnakes have inferior escape performance. The superior constriction performance by kingsnakes results from their consistent and distinctive coil posture and perhaps from additional aspects of muscle structure and function that need to be tested in future research.


Bacterial resistance in acne.
Antibiotics play a major role in acne therapy. Physicians base treatment choices on personal perceptions of efficacy, cost-effectiveness or risk-benefit ratios and rarely take bacterial resistance into account. It is well documented that resistant strains of coagulase-negative staphylococci within the resident skin flora increase in both prevalence and population density as duration of therapy increases. Acne patients represent a considerable reservoir of resistant strains of these important nosocomial pathogens which can be transferred to close contacts. Resistance in cutaneous propionibacteria has received scant attention in view of the central role of Propionibacterium acnes in inflammatory acne. Isolates resistant to one or more anti-acne antibiotics (most commonly erythromycin) have been reported in Europe, the USA, Japan and New Zealand. Carriage of resistant strains results in therapeutic failure of some but not all antibiotic regimens. In our region, skin carriage of resistant strains by 60% of acne patients and 1 in 2 of their close contacts suggests that resistant strains are widely disseminated. We are beginning to gain an understanding of those factors which encourage resistance development and can identify those patients most likely to possess resistant propionibacterial floras. Recommendations for the use of antibiotics in acne therapy to help prevent the emergence of resistance in P. acnes include the implementation of antibiotic usage policies and the encouragement of improved prescribing habits.


Estimation of Cyclophilin and Phospholipase Enzyme in Women Infected with Toxoplasmosis.
Toxoplasma gondii, a protozoan parasite with a worldwide distribution, is considered to infect one-third of all humans. many species. The intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii causes toxoplasmosis. Numerous physiological abnormalities are documented in toxoplasmosis-infected women. This study aims to demonstrate the connection between cyclophilins, the phospholipase enzyme, and latent toxoplasmosis. The research was carried out between January 2022 and June 2022. out of 150 patients had blood samples drawn, 250 had serum samples drawn from women with toxoplasma gondi infection, and 50 had healthy samples drawn from Hila city, Iraq. To exclude subjects who had any medical disorders, information from the subjects was gathered via an interviewer-managed questionnaire. ELISA was used to examine the serum. Results: About 250 samples from women with infertility were infected with Toxoplasma gondii overall (24%) Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay was utilized to evaluate the levels of phospholipase and cyclophilin, while automated VIDAS family instruments were employed to determine the qualitative and quantitative anti-Toxoplasma-IgG-tests (ELISA). Since there was a substantial difference in the statistical analysis and a significant difference in the cyclophilin protein, parasite infection changed the quantity of the enzyme phospholipase. This study put forth the theory that toxoplasmosis infection. Our investigation showed that patients with toxoplasma Gondi infection had higher levels of cyclophilins and phospholipase than control subjects.


Risk Factors for Unexpected Admission Following Outpatient Rotator Cuff Repair: A National Database Study.
Introduction Rotator cuff repair (RCR) procedures are some of the most common orthopaedic surgeries performed in the United States. Compared to other orthopaedic procedures, RCRs are of relatively low morbidity. However, complications may arise that result in readmission to an inpatient healthcare facility. The purpose of this study is to identify the demographics and risk factors associated with unplanned 30-day readmission after RCR. Methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database was used to identify patients that underwent elective RCR from 2015-2019. Univariate and multivariate analyses were utilized to assess patient demographics, comorbidities, and peri-operative variables predicting unplanned 30-day readmission. Results Of the identified 45,548 patients that underwent RCR, 597 (1.3%) required readmission within 30 days of the procedure. Multivariate analysis identified male sex (OR 1.36, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.67), hypertension (OR 1.29, 95% CI:1.03, 1.62), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR 2.07, 95% CI: 1.46, 2.93), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Class III (OR 1.85, 95% CI: 1.07, 3.18), ASA Class IV (OR 5.38, 95% CI: 2.70, 10.72), and total operative time (OR 1.002, 95% CI: 1.000, 1.004) as independent risk factors for unplanned readmission. Conclusion Unplanned 30-day readmission after RCR is infrequent. However, certain patients may be at increased risk for unplanned 30-day admission to an inpatient facility. This study confirmed male sex, COPD, hypertension, ASA Class III, ASA Class IV, and total operative time to be independent risk factors for readmission following outpatient RCR.


The effect of brain serotonin deficit (TPH2-KO) on the expression and activity of liver cytochrome P450 enzymes in aging male Dark Agouti rats.
Liver cytochrome P450 (CYP) greatly contributes to the metabolism of endogenous substances and drugs. Recent studies have demonstrated that CYP expression in the liver is controlled by the central nervous system via hormonal pathways. In particular, the expression of hepatic CYPs is negatively regulated by the brain serotoninergic system. The present study aimed to investigate changes in the function of the main liver drug-metabolizing CYP enzymes as a result of serotonin depletion in the brain of aging rats, caused by knockout of brain tryptophan hydroxylase gene (TPH2-KO). The hepatic CYP mRNA (qRT-PCR), protein level (Western blotting) and activity (HPLC), and serum hormone levels (ELISA) were measured in Dark Agouti wild-type (WT) male rats (mature 3.5-month-old and senescent 21-month-old) and in TPH2-KO senescent animals. The expression/activity of the studied CYPs decreased with age in the liver of wild-type rats. The deprivation of serotonin in the brain of aging males decreased the mRNA level of most of the studied CYPs (CYP1A/2A/2B/3A), and lowered the protein level of CYP2C11 and CYP3A. In contrast, the activities of CYP2C11, CYP3A and CYP2C6 were increased. The expression of cytochrome b5 decreased in aging rats, but increased in TPH2-deficient senescent animals. The serum concentration of growth hormone declined in the aged and further dropped down in TPH2-deficient senescent rats. Rat liver cytochrome P450 functions deteriorate with age, which may impair drug metabolism. The TPH2 knockout, which deprives brain serotonin, affects cytochrome P450 expression and activity differently in mature and senescent male rats.


Purulent pericarditis caused by Haemophilus parainfluenzae.
Bacterial pericarditis is a rare disease in the era of antibiotics. Purulent pericarditis is most often caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, or Haemophilus influenzae. The number of H. parainfluenzae infections has been increasing; in rare cases, it has caused endocarditis. We report a case of purulent pericarditis caused by H. parainfluenzae in a 62-year-old woman who reported a recent upper respiratory tract infection. The patient presented with signs and symptoms of pericardial tamponade. Urgent pericardiocentesis restored her hemodynamic stability. However, within 24 hours, fluid reaccumulation led to recurrent pericardial tamponade and necessitated the creation of a pericardial window. Cultures of the first pericardial fluid grew H. parainfluenzae. Levofloxacin therapy was started, and the patient recovered. Haemophilus parainfluenzae should be considered in a patient who has signs and symptoms of purulent pericarditis. Prompt diagnosis, treatment, and antibiotic therapy are necessary for the patient's survival. To our knowledge, this is the first report of purulent pericarditis caused by H. parainfluenzae.


Molecular Mechanism of Anti-Cancer Activity of the Nano-Drug C-PC/CMC-CD59sp NPs in Cervical Cancer.
The novel tumor targeted nano-drug C-PC/CMC-CD59sp nanoparticles were constructed with carbocymethyl chitosan (CMC), C-phycocyanin (C-PC) and CD59 specific ligand peptide (CD59sp). The anti-tumor drug mechanism of the C-PC/CMC-CD59sp NPs was further explored in cervical cancer cells (HeLa and SiHa) in vitro and in vivo. We found that the C-PC/CMC-CD59sp NPs could inhibit the proliferation and induce G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in cervical cancer HeLa and SiHa cells, and the cell proliferation was reduced in a dose-dependent manner. We further found that the C-PC/CMC-CD59sp NPs regulated the cell cycle via up-regulating the expression of p21, and then down-regulating the expressions of Cyclin D1 and CDK4 in vivo. Compared with C-PC and C-PC/CMC NPs, the pro-apoptosis effects of the C-PC/CMC-CD59sp NPs were more significant for HeLa and SiHa cells in vitro. Moreover, the C-PC/CMC-CD59sp NPs up-regulated the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and down-regulated the expression of bcl-2. In addition, compared with C-PC and C-PC/CMC, the C-PC/CMC-CD59sp NPs significantly inhibited MMP-2 protein expression in vivo. Our data suggested that the anti-tumor effects of C-PC/CMC-CD59sp NPs were better than C-PC and C-PC/CMC NPs. Our laboratory constructed a new drug delivery system and proved the effective antitumor effects of C-PC/CMC-CD59sp, which would widen the application of C-PC as a potential anti cervical cancer drug.


Fusion Expression and Purification of OSBP PH Domain and Preliminary Analysis of Its Second Structure.
Oxysterol binding protein (OSBP) is a regulator of oxysteroid metabolism. To investigate the function and the structure-function relationship of OSBP, the recombinant vector OSBP PH-pRSET-A was transformed into E.coli JM109(DE3), and the strain highly expressing soluble 6His-OSBP PH domain in minimal medium were obtained. The fusion protein was purified by Ni(2 )-NTA agarose beads. The secondary structure of the purified 6His-OSBP PH domain fusion protein was analysed by circular dichronism. The results indicated the PH domain was composed of alpha-helix 7.2%, beta-pleated sheets 71.1% and radom coil 21.7%.


Pancreas Adenocarcinoma: Ascites, Clinical Manifestations, and Management Implications.
Ascites develops in a subset of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC) at presentation or as the disease advances. Limited data exist on the prognostic importance of malignant ascites in PAC. Our hypothesis is that this information will provide an understanding of the natural history and facilitate management decisions. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 180 patients treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center diagnosed between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2014, with PAC and with ascites either at presentation or that developed during the disease course. For the 180 patients, the overall survival was 15 months. The time from diagnosis to ascites presentation was 11 months, and the survival time after ascites development was 1.8 months (range, 1.6-2.3 months; 95% confidence interval). Of 62 patients (34%) who had ascitic fluid analyzed, 36 (58%) had positive cytology. Fifty-one (82%) patients had a serum ascites albumin gradient ≥ 1, and 11 (18%) had serum ascites albumin gradient < 1. Sixty-four (36%) patients had their ascites managed solely by serial paracenteses. A total of 116 patients required a catheter; of these, 108 (93%) had a Tenckhoff catheter, 4 (3%) a Pleurx catheter, 4 (3%) a pigtail catheter, and 1 (1%) a Denver catheter. Eight (7%) patients required 2 catheters to be placed, and in 6 (5%), Tenckhoff catheters had to be removed. The main observed complications were spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in 7 (11%) managed with paracenteses versus 26 (23%) who had a catheter placed, catheter malfunction in 8 (7%), and acute renal failure in 6 (3%). After ascites development, 79 (44%) patients received active anti-cancer therapy, and 101 (56%) patients were managed with supportive care alone. In patients with PAC who presented with or developed ascites, serial paracenteses and indwelling catheters are common methods used for providing symptomatic relief. The complication rate was higher with indwelling catheters, primarily related to infection (eg, bacterial peritonitis). Overall, ascites has a significantly negative prognostic import with a short median survival.


A trace amount of the human pro-apoptotic factor Bax induces bacterial death accompanied by damage of DNA.
An amount of human pro-apoptotic Bax as low as 0.01% of total protein was sufficient to cause cell death in Escherichia coli. The bacterial cell death was examined using a viable bacteria-specific fluorescence indicator system and loss of colony formation ability. Co-expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL showed a modest inhibitory effect on the cell death caused by Bax. The trace amount of Bax elongated E. coli and accumulated monounsaturated fatty acids, suggesting an unusual metabolism of redox in the host. In fact, an increase of KCN-dependent O2 consumption accompanied the expression of Bax. At the same time, a fluorescent pH indicator showed the apparent accumulation of protons outside the cell, suggesting that the membrane is intact. Bax increased the level of superoxide anion as measured by the expression of superoxide-dependent promoter. Nicked DNA was significantly generated, and the frequency of mutations resistant to rifampicin was increased by 30-fold, depending upon the expression of Bax. It is proposed that trace amounts of Bax increase oxygen consumption, triggering generation of superoxide, which affects DNA, leading to bacterial death.


Bronchial carcinoid presenting as multiple lung abscesses.
Bronchial carcinoid tumours is a rare group of pulmonary malignant neoplasm that is derived from neuroendocrine system. Bronchial carcinoid usually present with hilar masses, atelactasis, bronchiectasis, or post-obstructive pneumonia. This case describes a very unusual presentation of bronchial carcinoid tumour with multiple lung abscesses involving the whole lung. This report is of an adult lady who presented with multiple lung abscesses involving her whole of the right lung. She was found to have an endo-bronchial lesion in her right main bronchus which eventually turned out to be carcinoid tumour. She responded to resection and antibiotic therapy.


Attention-control training as an early intervention for veterans leaving the military: A pilot randomized controlled trial.
Transitioning out of the military can be a time of change and challenge. Research indicates that altered threat monitoring in military populations may contribute to the development of psychopathology in veterans, and interventions that adjust threat monitoring in personnel leaving the military may be beneficial. Australian Defence Force personnel (N = 59) transitioning from the military were randomized to receive four weekly sessions of either attention-control training or a placebo attention training. The primary outcome was symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as measured using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) at posttreatment. Following training, participants who received attention-control training reported significantly lower levels of PTSD symptoms, Hedges' g = 0.86, 95% CI [0.37, 1.36], p = .004, and significantly improved work and social functioning, Hedges' g = 0.93, 95% CI [0.46, 1.39], p = .001, relative to those in the placebo condition. Moreover, no participants who received attention-control training worsened with regard to PTSD symptoms, whereas 23.8% of those who received the placebo attention training experienced an increase in PTSD symptoms. The preliminary findings from this pilot study add to a small body of evidence supporting attention-control training as a viable indicated early intervention approach for PTSD that is worthy of further research.


Venous ligation of dural arteriovenous fistulae.
This study evaluated the clinical outcomes following venous ligation for the treatment of dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVF) with leptomeningeal or cortical venous drainage. The authors conducted a single-centre, retrospective study of 15 patients with DAVF treated consecutively between 1990 and 2000. There were eight female patients of mean age 60 years (range 36-71). Eight patients presented with haemorrhage, two with mass affect, two with headaches, one with seizures and two patients were asymptomatic. Four fistulas were located in the petrosal region, three at the torcula, three in the transverse sigmoid region, three in the parasagittal region and two at the foramen magnum. Leptomeningeal or cortical veins drained all DAVF. Eight patients underwent preoperative embolization of the arterial feeders. Venous ligation resulted in obliteration of all fistula confirmed by direct visualization of the thrombosed veins and/or radiographic follow up. Mean follow up period was 37 months with a range of 1-112 months. All symptomatic patients improved and there was no surgical morbidity. These results indicated that venous ligation to obliterate DAVF with leptomeningeal or cortical drainage is safe and effective. With appropriate neuroradiological diagnosis and preoperative neuroendovascular intervention, this technique resulted in obliteration of DAVF in 15 patients without significant morbidity.


Adsorption of Proteins on Colloidal Lignin Particles for Advanced Biomaterials.
Coating of colloidal lignin particles (CLPs), or lignin nanoparticles (LNPs), with proteins was evaluated in order to establish a safe, self-assembly mediated modification technique to tune their surface chemistry. Gelatin and poly- l-lysine formed the most pronounced protein corona on the CLP surface, as determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential measurements. Spherical morphology of individual protein coated CLPs was confirmed by transmission electron (TEM) and atomic force (AFM) microscopy. A mechanistic adsorption study with several random coiled and globular model proteins was carried out using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). The three-dimensional (3D) protein fold structure and certain amino acid interactions were decisive for the protein adsorption on the lignin surface. The main driving forces for protein adsorption were electrostatic, hydrophobic, and van der Waals interactions, and hydrogen bonding. The relative contributions of these interactions were highly dependent on the ionic strength of the surrounding medium. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) provided further evidence of the adsorption-enhancing role of specific amino acid residues such as serine and proline. These results have high impact on the utilization of lignin as colloidal particles in biomedicine and biodegradable materials, as the protein corona enables tailoring of the CLP surface chemistry for intended applications.


Structure of bottle brush polymers on surfaces: weak versus strong adsorption.
Large-scale Monte Carlo simulations are presented for a coarse-grained model of cylindrical molecular brushes adsorbed on a flat structureless substrate, varying both the chain length N of the side chains and the backbone chain length N(b). For the case of good solvent conditions, both the cases of weak adsorption (only 10 to 15% of the monomers being bound to the surface) and strong adsorption (~40% of the monomers being bound to the surface, forcing the bottle brush into an almost 2D conformation) are studied. We focus on the scaling of the total linear dimensions of the cylindrical brush with both chain lengths N and N(b), demonstrating a crossover from rod-like behavior (for not very large N(b)) to the scaling of 2D self-avoiding walks. Despite the fact that snapshot pictures suggest a "worm-like" picture as a coarse-grained description of such cylindrical brushes, the Kratky-Porod worm-like chain model fails because there is no regime where Gaussian statistics applies. We compare the stiffness (orientational correlations of backbone bonds, persistence length estimates, etc.) of the adsorbed bottle brush polymers with their corresponding 3D nonadsorbed counterparts. Consequences for the discussion of pertinent experiments are briefly discussed.


[Visual field defect in a patient given sodium valporate then carbamazepine: possible effect of aminotransferase inhibition].
We report the case of a 25-years old woman with anti-epileptic drugs who presents a visual field defect similar to those described with vigabatrin even though she was successfully treated with valproic acid then carbamazepine without vigabatrin. The association with trichorrhexis nodosa, a hair disease sometimes associated with inherited perturbation of metabolism of urea cycle in which visual loss can occur, could suggest an aspecific inhibition of several aminotransferases which could explain different adverse effects of some anti-epileptic drugs (visual abnormalities, alopecia) perhaps in genetic predisposed patients.


Periodontal disease early in pregnancy is associated with maternal systemic inflammation among African American women.
Maternal periodontal disease is a chronic oral infection with local and systemic inflammatory responses and may be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study determined whether maternal periodontal disease in early pregnancy is associated with elevated serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and whether maternal race influences the relationship between maternal periodontal disease and systemic inflammatory responses. A secondary analysis of prospectively collected data from the Oral Conditions and Pregnancy study was conducted. Healthy women at <26 weeks of gestation underwent an oral health examination and had blood collected. Periodontal disease was categorized by clinical criteria, and maternal serum was analyzed for CRP levels using highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. An elevated CRP level was defined as >75th percentile. Demographic and medical data were obtained from the women's charts. Chi-square and multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine maternal factors associated with an elevated CRP. An adjusted odds ratio (OR) for elevated CRP levels was calculated and stratified by race and periodontal disease category. The median (interquartile) CRP level was 4.8 (0.6 to 15.7) microg/ml, and an elevated CRP level (>75th percentile) was 15.7 microg/ml. African American race and moderate/severe periodontal disease were significantly associated with elevated CRP levels. When stratified by race, moderate/severe periodontal disease remained associated with an elevated CRP level among African American women (adjusted OR: 4.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2 to 8.5) but not among white women (adjusted OR: 0.9; 95% CI: 0.2 to 3.6) after adjusting for age, smoking, parity, marital status, insurance status, and weight. Among African American women, moderate/severe periodontal disease is associated with elevated CRP levels early in pregnancy.