Integrated lysis procedures reduce extraction biases of microbial DNA from mangrove sediment.
Sufficient lysis of soil or sediment microbes is a critical step for analyzing microbial community structures and for preparing metagenomic DNA libraries. The present study compared lysis methods for recovering archaeal, bacterial, actinomycete, and fungal DNAs from a mangrove sediment sample. PCR results showed that individual procedures using SDS, lysozyme, sonication, freeze-thaw, microwave, and vigorous shaking could extract archaeal or bacterial DNA but failed for actinomycetes or fungi cells. In comparison, an integrated lysis procedure using SDS, lysozyme, and vigorous shaking successfully obtained fungal DNA, and a combination of SDS, lysozyme, vigorous shaking, and microwave treatments recovered DNA from actinomycetes. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) results showed that although single lysis procedures can lyse bacterial DNA, all of them assessed the indigenous bacterial community structure with significant biases. The integrated lysis protocols described in the present study could be useful for extracting DNA from various types of sediments.


Potential ammonia volatilization from 39 different novel biobased fertilizers on the European market - A laboratory study using 5 European soils.
Current political focus on promoting circular economy in the European Union drives great interest in developing and using more biobased fertilizers (BBFs, most often waste or residue-derived). Many studies have been published on environmental emissions, including ammonia (NH3) volatilization from manures, but there have only been a few such studies on BBFs. Ammonia volatilization from agriculture poses a risk to the environment and human health, causing pollution in natural ecosystems when deposited and formation of fine particulate matter (PMx). Furthermore, NH3 volatilization results in removal of plant-available N from agricultural systems, constituting an economic loss for farmers. The aim of this laboratory study was to determine the potential NH3 volatilization from 39 different BBFs commercially available on the European market. In addition, this study aimed to investigate the effect of incorporation, application rate, soil type, and soil moisture content on potential NH3 volatilization in order to derive suggestions for the optimal field application conditions. Results showed a great variation between BBFs in potential NH3 volatilization, both in terms of their temporal pattern of volatilization and amount of NH3 volatilized. The potential NH3 volatilization varied from 0% of applied total N (olive oil compost) to 64% of applied total N (manure and crop digestate) during a 27- or 44-day incubation period. Characteristics of BBFs (pH, NH4+-N, NO3--N, DM, C:N) and their interaction with time could explain 89% of the variation in accumulated potential NH3 volatilization. Incorporation of BBFs into an acidic sandy soil effectively reduced potential NH3 volatilization by 37%-96% compared to surface application of BBFs. Potential NH3 volatilization was not significantly affected by differences in application rate or soil moisture content, but varied between five different soils (with different clay and organic matter content), with the highest NH3 volatilization potential from the acidic sandy soil.


Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Use in Women With Pelvic Organ Prolapse: A Systematic Review.
To describe the psychometric properties of existing patient-reported outcome measures for women with prolapse using the COSMIN (Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments) framework. Additional objectives were to describe the patient-reported outcome scoring method or interpretation, methods of administration, and to compile a list of the non-English languages in which the patient-reported outcomes are reportedly validated. PubMed and EMBASE was searched through September 2021. Study characteristics, patient-reported outcome details, and psychometric testing data were extracted. Methodologic quality was assessed with COSMIN guidelines. Studies reporting the validation of a patient-reported outcome in women with prolapse (or women with pelvic floor disorders that included a prolapse assessment) and reporting psychometric testing data on English-language patient-reported outcome for at least one measurement property per COSMIN and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services definitions were included, as well as studies reporting the translation of an existing patient-reported outcome into another language, a new method of patient-reported outcome administration, or a scoring interpretation. Studies reporting only pretreatment and posttreatment scores, only content or face validity, or only findings for nonprolapse domains of the patient-reported outcome were excluded. Fifty-four studies covering 32 patient-reported outcomes were included; 106 studies assessing translation into a non-English language were excluded from the formal review. The number of validation studies per patient-reported outcome (one version of one questionnaire) ranged from 1 to 11. Reliability was the most reported measurement property, and most measurement properties received an average rating of sufficient. The condition-specific patient-reported outcomes had on average more studies and reported data across more measurement properties compared with adapted and generic patient-reported outcomes. Although measurement property data vary on patient-reported outcomes for women with prolapse, most data were of good quality. Overall, condition-specific patient-reported outcomes had more studies and reported data across more measurement properties. PROSPERO, CRD42021278796.


Long-term results after excision of fixed subaortic stenosis.
Forty-nine patients underwent surgical excision of fixed subaortic stenosis (discrete fibrous ring and tunnel) between 1968 and 1984 and were followed up for 1 to 16 years (5.8 +/- 4). Twenty-six patients (Group I) had isolated subaortic stenosis and 23 (Group II) had subaortic stenosis and associated cardiac defects. Discrete fibrous ring was present in 46 and tunnel type of obstruction in three patients. For the discrete ring, excision alone was done in 32 patients (four recurrences) and excision with myotomy in 17 (three recurrences). In Group I, there were no operative deaths and one late death from a noncardiac cause. In Group II, one early and two late deaths occurred. The actuarial survival rate for 10 years is 88%. Reoperations were performed in 10 patients, seven for recurrence and three for aortic valve replacement for preexisting aortic regurgitation that had progressed since the primary operation. Cardioplegia was used in 28 patients (one recurrence) and was not used in 21 patients (six recurrences). An operative residual gradient of less than 15 mm Hg was achieved in 25 of 28 patients in whom cardioplegia was used compared to 12 of 21 patients in whom cardioplegia was not used (p = 0.017). These results indicate that complete excision of the ring with the aid of cardioplegia has significantly reduced the recurrence rate of subaortic stenosis (p = 0.033), elimination of the residual gradient at the initial operation has been a significant factor in reducing the recurrence rate (p = 0.017), and addition of myotomy in this series has not altered the outcome.


Medication adherence, recall periods and factors affecting it: A community-based assessment on patients with chronic diseases in urban slums.
To evaluate medication adherence, the effect of recall periods on self-reported adherence and factors influencing medication adherence among patients of chronic diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, particularly in the community. A cross-sectional cohort study was conducted among individuals with hypertension and/or diabetes coming as outpatients in community camps organised in a cluster of urban slums. Responses towards questions regarding self-reported quantitative and qualitative adherence for one week and one month along with information on pill burden, socio-demographic and other factors were recorded using a mobile application. Among 379 participants living in urban slum communities, who were prescribed anti-hypertensive or oral anti-diabetic medications previously, mean medication adherence over previous one week was 67.99% (standard deviation (SD) ± 38.32) and 6.87 (SD ± 3.62) on a ten-point numeric scale. The medication adherence for one month showed a strong significantly positive correlation with that of 1 week for both percentage-based (r = +0.910, 95% CI = 0.864 to 0.950, P < .0001) and Likert (ρ = +0.836, 95% CI = 0.803 to 0.863, P < .0001) scales. Age (r = 0.219, 95% CI = 0.120 to 0.313, P = .043) and pill burden (r = -0.231, 95% CI = -0.145 to -0.322, P < .0001) were found to significantly affect medication adherence. The odds of random blood sugar reduction were found to be significant (OR 1.98, 95% CI = 1.30 to 3.00, P = .001) with adequate adherence. A linear regression equation was developed to predict medication adherence percentage for a patient which was found to have 61.8% predictive power using multilayer perceptron modelling. Overall, medication adherence was sub-optimal. Adherence assessments can be reliably performed using either one week or one month recall periods. With further refinement and validation, the regression equation could prove to be a useful tool for physicians.


Impact of different dilution techniques on boar sperm quality and sperm distribution of the extended ejaculate.
The dilution of ejaculates is a fundamental step for the production of liquid-preserved boar semen. For a long time, it has been recommended to add the extender to the ejaculate. The aim of the present study was to first compare the effect of the position ('center' vs. 'wall') where the extender is added to the semen-mixing cylinder (height 32.5cm; diameter 12.7cm) using an automatic dispenser (n=11). In experiment 2 (n=30), we analyzed the two main dilution methods (extender to the semen ('control') vs. 'reverse'). Experiment 3 was carried out to study the dilution effect on kinematics. In Experiments 1 and 2, the sperm distribution 10min after the dilution and the sperm quality parameters during long-term storage (d1, d3, d5, and d7) were evaluated. In Experiment 3, sperm quality was assessed during short-term storage at 0, 10, 20, 30 and 60min after semen dilution ('control' vs. 'reverse'; n=6). There were no significant differences (P>0.05) between the treatments in the specific response to bicarbonate, mitochondrial activity, membrane status, thermo-resistance or sperm motility immediately after dilution or long-term storage. The sperm distribution was significantly (P=0.029) affected by the dilution method in Experiment 2. In summary, treatment with the extender first, which is used by only a few European boar studs, leads to comparable results in sperm quality during storage and better results in sperm distribution after dilution. This procedure is also less time consuming, less foam formation occurs during the semen dilution and the procedure is more hygienic.


Production of petites by cell cycle mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae defective in DNA synthesis.
Mutations in two genes (cdc8 and cdc21) required for nuclear and mitochondrial DNA synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae result in a 6- to 11-fold increase in the rate of mitotic segregation of petites at the permissive temperature. The defect in DNA replication and the increased rate of petite production result from the same mutation since the two phenotypes cosegregate and corevert. Most of the petites isolated from strains carrying mutations in cdc8 and cdc21 contain mtDNA. Therefore, the petites do not result simply from an underreplication of mitochondrial DNA. The mutation rates for nuclear and mitochondrial genes are the same in cdc8, cdc21 and their wild-type parent. Therefore the petites are unlikely to result from an increase in the rate of base pair substitution.


Group B Streptococcus serotypes associated with different clinical syndromes: Asymptomatic carriage in pregnant women, intrauterine fetal death, and early onset disease in the newborn.
To study Group B Streptococcus (GBS) isolates associated with different clinical syndromes: asymptomatic carriage in pregnant women, intrauterine fetal death (IUFD), and early onset disease (EOD) in the newborn. GBS isolates were collected from asymptomatic pregnant women admitted for labor, IUFD cases, and neonates with EOD. Serotypes and antibiotic susceptibilities were determined. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was performed to assess genetic epidemiology. GBS carriage rate was 26.1% (280/1074). The dominant serotype among asymptomatic pregnant women was VI [98/240 women (40.8%)], followed by serotypes III, V and IV in 42/240 (17.5%), 30/240 (12.5%) and 28/240 (11.7%) women, respectively. The dominant serotype in IUFD cases was serotype VI [10/13 (76.9%)]. In contrast the prevalent serotype among EOD cases was III [16/19 (84.2%)]. ST-1 was associated with IUFD [7/13 (53.8%)], ST-17 was associated with serotype III and EOD in the newborn 14/19 (73.7%)]. Erythromycin and clindamycin resistance reached 36.8%, 7.7% and 20.0%among EOD, vaginal carriage and IUFD, respectively. Serotypes VI and ST-1 were dominant among asymptomatic pregnant women and in IUFD cases while EOD was associated with serotype III and ST-17. Invasive mechanisms thus may differ between IUFD and EOD in the newborn and virulence may be related to capsule serotype. Resistance rates to erythromycin and clindamycin were high in EOD cases.


Routine sectioning of the C2 nerve root and ganglion for C1 lateral mass screw placement in children: surgical and functional outcomes.
Adult studies have shown that sectioning the C2 nerve root and ganglion may facilitate placement of C1 lateral mass screws and lead to decreased operative time and blood loss. We report the functional outcomes and complications following routine sectioning of the C2 nerve root and ganglion, which have not been reported in pediatric patients. Fifteen consecutive pediatric patients underwent C1 lateral mass screw insertion and bilateral C2 nerve root and ganglion sectioning. Clinical and radiographic assessments were performed at follow-up. Numbness in the C2 distribution and/or occipital neuralgia, operative times, estimated blood loss (EBL), length of stay (LOS), and complications were recorded. Average follow-up time was 35.7 months. Overall mean operative time was 250.5 min, LOS was 8.46 days, and EBL was 337 cc. When considering only atlantoaxial fusions, mean operative time was 180.7 min and EBL was 97.1 cc. There were no intraoperative complications, and no patient reported new onset occipital neuralgia or numbness in the C2 distribution that would interfere with daily living. Of the patients, 93 % achieved Lenke fusion grade A; one achieved Lenke fusion grade B. Routine C2 nerve root sectioning and ganglionectomy enhanced surgical exposure of the C1 lateral mass and C1-2 facet joint, potentially maximizing fusion rate and minimizing intraoperative complications. This technique may yield favorable operative times, EBL, and LOS in children undergoing C1 lateral mass screw insertion without negatively affecting functional outcome.


Regulation of arterial tone by calcium-dependent K+ channels and ATP-sensitive K+ channels.
Resistance arteries depolarize and constrict to elevations in intravascular pressure. However, many of the molecular aspects of this phenomenon are not known. We present evidence that large conductance calcium-dependent potassium (KCa) channels, which are activated by intracellular calcium and membrane depolarization, play a fundamental role in regulating the degree of intravascular pressure-induced, myogenic tone. We found that blockers of KCa channels, charybdotoxin (CTX, < 100 nM) and TEA+ (< 0.5 mM), further depolarized pressurized arteries by as much as 12 mV and decreased diameter by up to 40%. CTX blocked KCa channels in outside-out patches from arterial smooth muscles with half-block constant of 10 nM and external TEA+ caused a flickery block, with a half-block constant of 200 microM. We propose that KCa channels serve as a negative feedback pathway to limit the degree of membrane depolarization and hence vasoconstriction to pressure. In contrast, CTX and TEA+ (< 1 mM) were without effect on membrane hyperpolarization and dilation to a wide variety of synthetic (cromakalim, pinacidil, diazoxide, minoxidil sulfate) and endogenous agents [calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), vasoactive intestinal peptide, an endothelial-derived hyperpolarizing factor]. Glibenclamide and low concentrations of external barium that inhibit ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels, however, blocked the hyperpolarizations and dilations to these substances. We have identified KATP channels as well as high-affinity glibenclamide binding sites in arterial smooth muscle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Neutrophilic myelofibrosis presenting as Philadelphia chromosome negative BCR non-rearranged chronic myeloid leukemia.
Chronic myeloid leukemia consists of Philadelphia chromosome positive disease in 90% of cases, and a further 5%, although Philadelphia chromosome negative, exhibit bcr gene rearrangements consistent with the disease. The remaining 5% of cases have a heterogeneous clinical picture with a course unlike that of classical chronic myeloid leukemia, and may belong to different pathologic entities. We report five cases belonging to the latter group, initially identified as Philadelphia chromosome negative, bcr non-rearranged chronic myeloid leukemia, that developed progressive leucocytosis, absolute monocytosis, myelodysplasia, extramedullary hematopoiesis, and had evidence of myelofibrosis. These cases may represent a distinct clinical entity characterized by neutrophilic myelofibrosis, which can be identified prospectively by clinical and pathologic criteria. Standard therapy for treating chronic myeloid leukemia or idiopathic myelofibrosis may not be appropriate for this group.


Is Hyperuricemia a Marker of Severity of Disease in Scrub Typhus?
To study association of hyperuricemia with severity of scrub typhus. We studied clinical features, laboratory profile, in hospital course and outcome of 92 patients of scrub typhus and association of hyperuricemia with severity of disease. Of total 92 patients in study group, 66 (71.7%) were females and 26(28.3%) were males. Fever (100%), cough (37%), headache (33%), vomiting (31%), altered sensorium (23%), diarrhea (18%), abdominal pain (16%), myalgia (14%), and seizures (3%) were common clinical features. Eschar was present in 23%. Of total 92 patients 34 (37%) patients had hyperuricemia (HU) and 58 patients had normal serum uric acid levels. The patients of scrub typhus with HU had significantly higher presentation with altered sensorium (35.3%). In HU group, mean TLC, mean serum urea and serum creatinine were higher and mean serum albumin and mean HDL cholesterol were lower than patients of scrub typhus without hyperuricemia. These differences between two groups were statistically significant. Neurological dysfunction, severe sepsis, serum creatinine >3.5mg/dL and involvement of at least single organ was significantly higher in HU group. Total 4 patients (4.3%) died and all had HU. Hyperuricemia in patients of scrub typhus was associated with severe scrub typhus. The serum uric acid levels should be done in early course of all patients suffering from scrub typhus. The patients showing hyperuricemia should be monitored closely for early recognition of complications and management aggressively.


[Cutaneous erythematous rash as first manifestation of T-cell prolymphocytic lymphatic leukemia].
We present a case of a man 84 years-old, whose presentation feature was a cutaneous inespecific rash, and was diagnosed of T prolymphocytic leukaemia (T-PLL). In this review we analyze actual aspects concerning biology, diagnosis, classification, prognosis and treatment of this rare mature T cell leukaemia.


Community Resilience After Hurricanes: Can Neuman's Systems Theory Guide Public Health Nursing?
Objective: Examination of community resilience after Hurricane Harvey and -applicability of Neuman's systems model to the role of public health nurses in applying primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies to communities susceptible to natural disasters. Design: Descriptive, exploratory study. Sample: A convenience sample (N = 1,470). Measurements: Hurricane Harvey Survey. Results: Respondents from seven counties in southeast Texas report previously experiencing a hurricane (80%) with no weather-related flooding (79%), adequate preparation (54%), failure to comprehend the potential severity of Hurricane Harvey (62%), damage to their homes (45%), and a 68% loss of personal belongings. Anxiety, frustration, disbelief, determination, and hopefulness were rated highest after the storm. Residents received updates from family and friends, social media, and online news reports regarding rising water, even though, in many cases, a mandatory evacuation was not officially announced. Only 35% of respondents reported being aware of resources available, possibly due to flooding or inaccessibility of typical resources (e.g., hospitals, shelters). Communicating through social networks (social media, family, and friends) provided avenues for arranging evacuations and assistance. Respondents report giving assistance to others and receiving assistance from family, friends, and their faith community. The majority of respondents reported that the community provided adequate services during the hurricane (59%), and they plan to stay in southeast Texas (70%). Conclusions: Southeast Texas residents demonstrated individual and community resilience which may be further supported with primary, secondary, and tertiary nursing interventions as illustrated by Neuman's systems model. The rise in positive emotional response traits demonstrates positive coping, which is consistent with resilience. Effective and timely communication through social networks provides an additional line of resistance to protect and promote the resilience of the community. The lack of medical resources indicates a break in the normal line of defense and an area for potential improvement with the utilization of mobile medical units to provide healthcare for areas not easily accessible during a disaster. Public health nurses are strategically positioned in the international community to lead prevention and recovery efforts by applying theory-based community interventions.


Targeted Therapy in Leukaemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma.
Historically, most advances in cancer therapy have been pioneered by clinicians managing the blood diseases [...].


Intestinal infantile fibrosarcoma with translocation of NTRK. A case report and review of the literature.
Infantile fibrosarcoma is a rare non-rhabdomyosarcomatous soft tissue tumor (0.0005%) of which only 10% occur in the abdomen where they rarely affect the gastrointestinal tract. The median age at diagnosis is 3 months although 40% of them are present at birth. When infantile fibrosarcoma is diagnosed in our center, a clinical-pathological description is made together with a bibliographic review. We present the case of a 6-day-old girl who presented with irritability and rejection of food. She was diagnosed with acute abdomen due to perforation and underwent surgery where a mass on the ascending colon was removed. Histopathology revealed a proliferation of spindle cells consisting of intertwined fascicles, infiltrating the adjacent tissues. Nuclear pleomorphism, few mitoses, foci of necrosis and hemorrhage are seen. Immunohistochemistry showed positivity for Pan-TRK and the NGS panel (Archer DX) demonstrated the TPR::NTRK1 fusion. No case with these characteristics, location or TPR::NTRK1 fusion were found in the literature. Infantile fibrosarcoma is a very infrequent tumor which is exceptionally rare in the intestine. It is important to look for the characteristic genetic rearrangement of these tumors both to confirm the diagnosis and differentiate them from other pediatric spindle cell tumors and determine the correct targeted treatment. Selective TRK inhibitors have shown a 75% response rate in children and adults with tumors that exhibit TRK fusion. It was possible to find fusions with the Archer DX panel that the Oncomine panel did not detect.


The Role of Posterior Vitreous Detachment and Vitreomacular Adhesion in Patients With Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) and vitreoretinal interface in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This clinical trial included 206 eyes of 138 patients who presented to the authors' clinic between January 2012 and November 2014. Patients were divided into three groups: 98 eyes of 67 patients with exudative AMD, 55 eyes of 36 patients with nonexudative AMD, and 53 eyes of 35 patients having no vitreoretinal disease. All patients underwent complete ocular examination, including best-corrected visual acuity, Goldmann applanation tonometry, fundus photography, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, and B-mode ultrasonography at 6 months and 12 months after the initial examination. Total and partial PVD rates were significantly higher at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months in both exudative and nonexudative AMD groups when compared to the control group (Chi-square test, P = .006, P = .001, and P = .009, respectively). The prevalence of total PVD was significantly higher in nonexudative AMD, whereas partial PVD was higher in exudative AMD. The exudative AMD group reported significantly more VMA than the other two groups at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months (Chi-square test, P =.005, P = .003, and P = .019, respectively). This study indicates that the incidence of vitreoretinal interface abnormalities such as partial PVD and vitreomacular adhesion were higher in the exudative AMD group. It can be concluded that abnormal adhesive and tractional forces due to PVD may play a role in the progression of AMD. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2017;48:223-229.].


Association of isoniazid-metabolizing enzyme genotypes and isoniazid-induced hepatotoxicity in tuberculosis patients.
Isoniazid (INH), a key drug of antituberculosis therapy, is metabolized by arylamine N-acetyltransferase2 (NAT2), cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) and glutathione S-transferase (GST). We studied the possible influence of genetic polymorphisms of INH-metabolizing enzymes on serum concentrations of INH and its metabolites, as well as on the incidence of hepatotoxicity. A total of 144 tuberculosis patients who received antituberculosis treatment were followed prospectively. Their NAT, CYP2E1 and GST genotypes were determined using a polymerase chain reaction with restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Blood samples were collected from the patients and serum concentrations were determined by HPLC. The severity of hepatotoxicity was judged by the increases in either aspartate aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase levels from the upper limit of the corresponding normal range. Incidence of hepatotoxicity was highest in pulmonary tuberculosis patients with the slow acetylator (SA) phenotype and lowest in those with the rapid acetylator (RA) phenotype, although no clear relationship of genetic polymorphism of INH-metabolizing enzymes on the severity of hepatotoxicity were confirmed. The risk of side-effects, such as hepatic disorder, may rise in these patients with an SA phenotype, because of an increase in serum INH concentration. The evidence presented in this study, albeit based on the examination of a low number of patients, suggests that a safe INH dosage for tuberculosis patients with SA phenotype should be less than the dosage which is usually recommended for tuberculosis patients.


Attention-based 3D CNN with residual connections for efficient ECG-based COVID-19 detection.
The world has been suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic since 2019. More than 5 million people have died. Pneumonia is caused by the COVID-19 virus, which can be diagnosed using chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) scans. COVID-19 also causes clinical and subclinical cardiovascular injury that may be detected on electrocardiography (ECG), which is easily accessible. For ECG-based COVID-19 detection, we developed a novel attention-based 3D convolutional neural network (CNN) model with residual connections (RC). In this paper, the deep learning (DL) approach was developed using 12-lead ECG printouts obtained from 250 normal subjects, 250 patients with COVID-19 and 250 with abnormal heartbeat. For binary classification, the COVID-19 and normal classes were considered; and for multiclass classification, all classes. The ECGs were preprocessed into standard ECG lead segments that were channeled into 12-dimensional volumes as input to the network model. Our developed model comprised of 19 layers with three 3D convolutional, three batch normalization, three rectified linear unit, two dropouts, two additional (for residual connections), one attention, and one fully connected layer. The RC were used to improve gradient flow through the developed network, and attention layer, to connect the second residual connection to the fully connected layer through the batch normalization layer. A publicly available dataset was used in this work. We obtained average accuracies of 99.0% and 92.0% for binary and multiclass classifications, respectively, using ten-fold cross-validation. Our proposed model is ready to be tested with a huge ECG database.


On the MLC leaves alignment in the direction orthogonal to movement.
The main focus of the recommended spatial accuracy tests for the multi-leaf collimators (MLC) is calibration of the leaf position along the movement direction and overall alignment to the radiation isocenter. No explicit attention was typically paid to the alignment of the leaves from the opposing banks in the direction orthogonal to movement. This paper is a case study demonstrating that verification of such alignment at the time of acceptance testing is prudent. The original standard MLC (SMLC) on an MRIdian MRI-guided linac (ViewRay Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA) was upgraded to a high-speed MLC (HSMLC), which is supposed to be mechanically identical to the SMLC except for the higher drive screw pitch. The results of the end-to-end IMRT tests demonstrated unacceptable dosimetric results exemplified by an average and maximum ion chamber (IC) point dose error in the high-dose low-gradient region of 2.5 ± 1.4% and 4.6%, respectively. Before the upgrade, those values were 0.3 ± 0.7% and 0.9%, respectively. An exhaustive analysis of possible failure modes eventually zeroed in on the average misalignment of about 1 mm in the Y (along the couch) direction between the right and left upper MLC banks. The MLC was replaced, reducing the Y-direction misalignment to 0.4 mm. As a result, the average and maximum IC dose-errors became acceptable 1.0 ± 0.7% and 1.6%, respectively. Simple film and/or chamber array tests during acceptance testing can easily detect Y-direction misalignments between opposing leaves banks measuring a fraction of a mm at isocenter. Left undetected, such misalignment can cause nontrivial dosimetric consequences.


Roles of parental smoking and family structure for the explanation of socio-economic inequalities in adolescent smoking.
Among European countries, France is particularly concerned by adolescent tobacco smoking, especially in disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds (SES). We measured the respective contributions of parental smoking and family living arrangement to social disparities in smoking during adolescence. Secondary analysis of survey data. A cross-sectional nation-wide exhaustive 12-day survey in March 2017 of French youth aged 17-18.5 years participating in the national mandatory civic information day. A total of 13 314 adolescents answering a pen-and-paper questionnaire about their own tobacco consumption and the smoking of their parents. Risk ratios (RRs) were computed using modified Poisson regressions, and population-attributable fraction (PAF) was used as a measure of the explanatory roles of the different factors as mediators of SES. Adolescents living within very privileged and privileged SES were significantly less likely to report daily tobacco smoking (20.4 and 22.7%, respectively) than those within modest and disadvantaged ones (26.0 and 28.6%, respectively). Parental smoking and family living arrangement independently explained the smoking inequalities among adolescents. After adjusting for schooling factors, the risks associated with parental smoking ranged between RR = 1.64 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.50-1.79] when the father only smoked and RR = 2.17 (95% CI = 1.99-2.36) when both parents smoked, compared with non-smoking parents; the risk associated with living in a non-intact family was 1.35 (95% CI = 1.26-1.43) and that of living outside the parental home was 1.20 (95% CI = 1.10-1.30). Apprentices and adolescents out of school had higher risks than those at school (RR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.68-1.98) and RR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.92-2.29). The contribution of parental smoking to adolescent smoking (PAF = 32%) was greater than that of SES (PAF = 9%), family living arrangement (PAF = 17%) or schooling factors (14%). The share of SES decreased from 18 to 9% when considering these mediating factors. In France, parental smoking appears to be the factor that most influences adolescent smoking, followed by family living arrangement; the role of family socio-economic status is small in comparison.


Myocardial ischemia due to radical resection of complex coronary fistulas with giant aneurysms: a case report.
A 56-year-old man underwent surgery for complex coronary artery fistulas with giant coronary aneurysms. This treatment resulted in complications and caused myocardial ischemia of the right ventricular outflow tract, resulting in repeated ventricular fibrillations. The irritability caused by this fetal arrhythmia was improved by the placement of an intra-aortic balloon pump. The case findings suggest that even careful resection of complex coronary fistulas could precipitate myocardial ischemia.


Nonlinear multivariate analysis of neurophysiological signals.
Multivariate time series analysis is extensively used in neurophysiology with the aim of studying the relationship between simultaneously recorded signals. Recently, advances on information theory and nonlinear dynamical systems theory have allowed the study of various types of synchronization from time series. In this work, we first describe the multivariate linear methods most commonly used in neurophysiology and show that they can be extended to assess the existence of nonlinear interdependence between signals. We then review the concepts of entropy and mutual information followed by a detailed description of nonlinear methods based on the concepts of phase synchronization, generalized synchronization and event synchronization. In all cases, we show how to apply these methods to study different kinds of neurophysiological data. Finally, we illustrate the use of multivariate surrogate data test for the assessment of the strength (strong or weak) and the type (linear or nonlinear) of interdependence between neurophysiological signals.


Tentacle-type poly(hydroxamic acid)-modified macroporous cellulose beads: Synthesis, characterization, and application for heavy metal ions adsorption.
Herein, a facile yet efficient template method to fabricate macroporous cellulose beads (MCBs) is reported. In this method, micro-size CaCO3 is utilized to create macroporous structure for fast mass transfer, and tentacle-type poly(hydroxamic acid) as adsorption ligand is immobilized on the MCBs to improve adsorption capacity. The obtained tentacle-type poly(hydroxamic acid)-modified MCMs (TP-CMCBs) show uniform spherical shape (about 80 μm), bimodal pore system (macropores≈3.0 μm; diffusional pores≈14.5 nm), and high specific surface area (52.7 m2/g). The adsorption performance of TP-CMCBs is evaluated by heavy metal ions adsorption. TP-CMCBs exhibit not only high adsorption capacities (342.5, 261.5 and 243.2 mg/g for Cu2+, Mn2+ and Ni2+, respectively.), but also fast adsorption rate (>70% of its equilibrium uptake within 30 min). Additionally, TP-CMCBs have excellent reusability, as evidenced by that the adsorption capacities have no obvious change even after five-time consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles. All results demonstrate that the proposed TP-CMCBs have great potential in removal of heavy metal ions.


Aging facilitates long-trace taste-aversion conditioning in rats.
In order to examine age-related changes in long-trace conditioning, five age groups (0.25, 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 years) of Wistar-derived female albino rats were subjected to taste-aversion conditioning at one of five conditioned stimulus-conditioned stimulus (CS-US) intervals (0, 45, 90, 180, and 360 min). Age differences in the strength of the aversion were evident at CS-US intervals greater than 0 min and the strength of the aversion was directly related to age. An aversion was conditioned in only the two oldest age groups when the CS-US interval was 360 min. The age differences in taste-aversion and the superior long-trace conditioning in old-age rats were attributed to factors that accompany aging, for example, the gradual slowing down of a metabolic pacemaker.


Implant supported overdentures--the King's experience.
Astra Tech implants have been used to provide implant supported overdentures for 25 people, 13 with paired stud retention, 10 with paired magnetic retention and two with magnetic retention on three fixtures. The first case was completed in June 1990 and the last in May 1992. Of the 52 fixtures which were used initially, one became loose after 6 months and one fractured after 12 months. Healing following Stage I surgery was classified as good for 14 people, moderate for eight and poor for three. Healing following Stage II surgery was problem-free in 14 people, with problems encountered in 11 people in six of whom the problem was caused by selecting healing abutments which were too short. There were 58 events of post-insertion care for the magnet group, which resulted in 104 visits and 60 events of post-insertion care for the stud group, which resulted in 89 visits. The need for post-insertion care was greatest during the first year with the magnet group having 33 events and the stud group 36 events. Twenty four of the participants rated treatment success as good and one as moderate. Implant supported overdentures in the mandible using two isolated abutments are a successful treatment option by they can be demanding in continuing care.


Observed behavioral indicators of child satiation at mealtime: Associations with child characteristics and parent-reported child eating behaviors.
The notion of promoting parents' recognition of child satiation to reduce overfeeding and overeating in children is prevalent. To do so, it is important to identify common behaviors that may indicate satiation and can be easily recognized by parents. Relatively little work has focused on identifying behaviors that may indicate child satiation as they occur during naturalistic mealtimes, which is an important context for parents to observe their children's eating behavior. Hence, the goal of the current study is to examine whether observed behavioral indicators of child satiation at mealtimes are associated with child characteristics (i.e., sex, age, and BMIz) and parent-reported child appetitive traits. We coded observed behaviors thought to indicate satiation, specifically mealtime disengagement and mealtime negativity, in a cohort of 240 families with children between 4- and 8-years old (53% boys). First, we documented the occurrence of child disengagement and negativity during naturalistic mealtimes. Second, we found that lower child BMIz and being a boy were associated with greater mealtime disengagement, but child age was not associated with mealtime disengagement. No associations were found between child characteristics and mealtime negativity. Third, we found that mealtime disengagement and mealtime negativity were associated with mother-reported satiety responsiveness on the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire. Taken together, our findings suggest observed mealtime disengagement and mealtime negativity behaviors could be helpful indicators of child satiation in a naturalistic mealtime context.


Local recurrence of rectal cancer: evaluation with F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET imaging.
Positron emission tomography (PET) with F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is a useful technique for detection of malignancy. The purpose of this study was to determine if FDG-PET scanning using visual and quantitative analyses can identify patients with recurrent colorectal tumor following abdominoperineal resection. Eighteen patients were evaluated for possible local recurrence of rectal carcinoma following abdominoperineal resection. The clinical presentation included rising carcinoembryonic antigen levels (n = 5), increasing size of a presacral mass on computed tomography or magnetic resonance (n = 13), or local symptoms (n = 3). Axial PET images of the pelvis were obtained following an injection of 10 mCi of FDG prior to biopsy. Quantitative analysis was performed by calculation of a standardized uptake ratio (SUR), and the images were interpreted by two radiologists in consensus. FDG-PET findings were correlated with histological or cytological findings and with the clinical outcome. Recurrent malignancy was confirmed in 13 patients by surgery (n = 8) or percutaneous biopsy (n = 5). Benign lesions were confirmed in five patients by surgery (n = 1), biopsy (n = 3), or clinical follow up (n = 1). Visual analysis of the FDG-PET data had a sensitivity of 92.3% (12/13) for recurrent disease (95% confidence limits; 63.9%, 99.8%) and a specificity of 80% (4/5; 95% confidence limits; 28.3%, 99.4%). SUR values were significantly higher in malignant lesions (range = 2.92-19.74, mean = 6.89) than in benign ones (range = 1.40-3.47, mean = 1.96; p = 0.002). FDG-PET is an accurate technique for detection of locally recurrent colorectal carcinoma. Visual analysis is equivalent to quantitative analysis for detection of disease.


Seasonal variation and source estimation of organic compounds in urban aerosol of Augsburg, Germany.
This study reports a general assessment of the organic composition of the PM(2.5) samples collected in the city of Augsburg, Germany in a summer (August-September 2007) and a winter (February-March 2008) campaign of 36 and 30 days, respectively. The samples were directly submitted to in-situ derivatisation thermal desorption gas chromatography coupled with time of flight mass spectrometry (IDTD-GC-TOFMS) to simultaneously determine the concentrations of many classes of molecular markers, such as n-alkanes, iso- and anteiso-alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), oxidized PAHs, n-alkanoic acids, alcohols, saccharides and others. The PCA analysis of the data identified the contributions of three emission sources, i.e., combustion sources, including fossil fuel emissions and biomass burning, vegetative detritus, and oxidized PAHs. The PM chemical composition shows seasonal trend: winter is characterized by high contribution of petroleum/wood combustion while the vegetative component and atmospheric photochemical reactions are predominant in the hot season.


Chronic ethanol exposure differentially alters neuronal function in the medial prefrontal cortex and dentate gyrus.
Alterations in the function of prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus have been implicated in underlying the relapse to alcohol seeking behaviors in humans and animal models of moderate to severe alcohol use disorders (AUD). Here we used chronic intermittent ethanol vapor exposure (CIE), 21d protracted abstinence following CIE (21d AB), and re-exposure to one vapor session during protracted abstinence (re-exposure) to evaluate the effects of chronic ethanol exposure on basal synaptic function, neuronal excitability and expression of key synaptic proteins that play a role in neuronal excitability in the medial PFC (mPFC) and dentate gyrus (DG). CIE consistently enhanced excitability of layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in the mPFC and granule cell neurons in the DG. In the DG, this effect persisted during 21d AB. Re-exposure did not enhance excitability, suggesting resistance to vapor-induced effects. Analysis of action potential kinetics revealed that altered afterhyperpolarization, rise time and decay time constants are associated with the altered excitability during CIE, 21d AB and re-exposure. Molecular adaptations that may underlie increases in neuronal excitability under these different conditions were identified. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction of large-conductance potassium (BK) channel subunit mRNA in PFC and DG tissue homogenates did not show altered expression patterns of BK subunits. Western blotting demonstrates enhanced phosphorylation of Ca2⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), and reduced phosphorylation of glutamate receptor GluN2A/2B subunits. These results suggest a novel relationship between activity of CaMKII and GluN receptors in the mPFC and DG, and neuronal excitability in these brain regions in the context of moderate to severe AUD.


Electric and magnetic phenomena observed before the volcano-seismic activity in 2000 in the Izu Island Region, Japan.
Significant anomalous changes in the ultra low frequency range (approximately 0.01 Hz) were observed in both geoelectric and geomagnetic fields before the major volcano-seismic activity in the Izu Island region, Japan. The spectral intensity of the geoelectric potential difference between some electrodes on Niijima Island and the third principal component of geomagnetic field variations at an array network in Izu Peninsula started to increase from a few months before the onset of the volcano-seismic activity, culminating immediately before nearby magnitude 6 class earthquakes. Appearance of similar changes in two different measurements conducted at two far apart sites seems to provide information supporting the reality of preseismic electromagnetic signals.


Homologous amniotic membrane as a dural substitute in decompressive craniectomies.
A dura mater substitute in decompressive craniectomies must protect the brain while providing a dissection plane between the cortex and myocutaneous layer. The human amniotic membrane (AM) has anti-inflammatory, wound healing, and differentiation properties. We tested AM properties as a dural substitute by comparing the outcomes to biological ones. We prospectively collected data on 25 patients who randomly underwent decompressive craniectomy with lyophilized AM patches and 25 in which biological substitutes were utilized between 2015 and 2019. The AM was laid with the epithelial side facing the brain because of the anti-adhesive proprieties, while the chorion facing the myocutaneous flap. We collected data on demographics, neurological status, comorbidities, and surgical outcomes. Additionally, we created a score - dura mimicking score- and reviewed postoperative imaging and pathological specimens. The majority (96%) of AM grafts were integrated into native dura. Thirteen patients scored as excellent and 11 good on our "dura mimicking score", showing tissue integration ability but no cerebral cortex adhesion. The histopathological analysis showed that AM had thick plates of dense fibrous tissue with small reactive vessels, reactive fibroblasts, and lymphocytes infiltrate. The AM group's first outcomes were not different from the biological substitute patients but higher integration rate to the dura and less adhesion to the myocutaneous flap in AM patients. We documented the anti-adhesive, protective, and integrative properties of AM dural substitute patches in patients who underwent decompressive craniectomies, comparing the intraoperative differences and postoperative outcomes to biological dural substitutes.


Hepatorenal protective effect of nano-curcumin against nano‑copper oxide-mediated toxicity in rats: Behavioral performance, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, apoptosis, and histopathology.
Metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) induce oxidative stress that can cause cellular toxicity. A natural antioxidant that can be used to protect tissues from oxidative stress is curcumin. In the present study, we evaluated the protective effect of curcumin nanoparticles (curcumin-NPs) against copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs)-mediated hepatorenal effects on behavioral performance, biochemical markers, antioxidants, inflammation, apoptosis, and histopathology in rats. Twenty Wistar adult male rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 5); Group Ι served as a control, group ΙΙ was orally gavaged with curcumin-NPs (100 mg/Kg), group ΙΙI orally received CuO-NPs (100 mg/kg), and group ΙV received both CuO-NPs and curcumin-NPs orally for 14 days. Behavioral performance, biochemical markers, antioxidants, inflammatory mediators, and apoptotic gene expression were evaluated in addition to histopathological and immunohistochemical examination. The results revealed that rats exposed to CuO-NPs suffered from behavioral alterations and hepatic and renal damages, which indicated by a marked elevation of serum biochemical parameters, including alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, urea, uric acid, and creatinine and a decline of total protein. Moreover, there was a significant downregulation in the expression of antioxidants genes, whereas inflammatory mediators expression were upregulated. The histopathological and immunohistochemical examination also corroborated these findings. In contrast, rats co-treated with curcumin-NPs exhibited better behavioral performance, biochemical profile, gene expression, histological architecture, and immunohistochemical staining results. These findings strongly indicated that curcumin-NPs exert significant protection against the behavioral and hepatorenal disorders induced by CuO-NPs toxicity by modulating oxidative stress regulators and gene expression.


Optimal duration and combination of antiplatelet therapies following percutaneous coronary intervention: a meta-analysis.
The ideal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is still unknown. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to compare very short-term (1-3 months), short-term (6 months), standard-term (12 months) and long-term (>12 months) DAPT durations for efficacy and safety. Overall DAPT comparisons were classified as "any shorter-term"/"any longer-term" DAPT. The primary outcome was a composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE: non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke and cardiovascular death). The primary safety outcome was major bleeding. Twenty-six studies comprising 103.394 patients were included. Compared with standard-term DAPT duration, very short-term DAPT duration with subsequent drop of aspirin (RR 1.06, 95% CI, 0.95-1.18, p = 0.26) or drop of the P2Y12 inhibitor (RR 0.92, 95% CI, 0.72-1.16, p = 0.47) was not associated with a higher risk of MACE. Any longer-term compared with any shorter-term DAPT durations led to a significantly lower risk of MACE (RR 0.88, 95% CI, 0.81-0.96, p = 0.002), but a significantly higher risk of BARC 3-5 major bleeding events (RR 1.63, 95% CI, 1.22-2.17, p = 0.001). In the ACS subgroup receiving prasugrel or ticagrelor but not clopidogrel, any longer-term DAPT duration was associated with a significantly lower risk of MACE compared to any shorter-term DAPT duration (RR 0.84, 95% CI, 0.77-0.92, p = 0.0001). DAPT may be shortened to 1-3 months in patients with low ischemic but high bleeding risk followed by aspirin or P2Y12 monotherapy. Prasugrel or ticagrelor based DAPT may be extended to >12 months in case of high ischemic and low bleeding risk. CRD42020163719.


Mature murine B lymphocytes immortalized by Kirsten sarcoma virus.
Clonal, antigen-specific, functionally responsive cell populations have proved critical for the analysis of the activation and regulation of lymphocytes. Such studies with B lymphocytes, the precursors of antibody-secreting cells, are hampered by the difficulty in generating phenotypically mature, antigen-reactive lines from defined cell populations. One method is to use acutely transforming retroviruses, which can transform B-lineage lymphocytes in vitro. However, Abelson murine leukaemia virus (A-MuLV) infection of murine bone marrow cells in vitro yields mostly immature B-cell lines, and infection of murine bone marrow cells with murine sarcoma viruses carrying ras related genes produces only immature lymphoid cell lines. Retroviruses which contain ras can immortalize nonlymphoid cells without causing loss of mature phenotypic characteristics. We used ras-containing Kirsten sarcoma virus (KiSV) pseudotyped with an amphotropic MuLV helper virus, to infect a purified population of mature, hapten-binding murine splenic B lymphocytes, aiming to generate mature B-cell lines to use as models for the study of B-cell growth and differentiation physiology. Immortalized B-cell lines which retain the same mature phenotype as the starting population, including hapten-specific binding, were produced. This is the first demonstration of a method for immortalizing selected antigen-binding B lymphocytes, and the first example of immortalization of mature B cells in vitro with an acutely transforming ras-containing retrovirus.


The Challenges of Using Self-Report Measures with People with Severe Mental Illness: Four Participants' Experiences of the Research Process.
This study aimed to explore four mental health consumers' experiences of completing self-report outcome measures in a research project. Participants were recruited from a community mental health organisation in Melbourne and were interviewed upon completion of a mixed methods research study where they were asked to complete a series of self-report outcome measures. Descriptive phenomenological micro-analysis was used to analyse interview data and is presented along with the researchers' observations during the data collection process. Results revealed that participants found the outcome measures cognitively challenging and the language used in the measures did not support the empowering intentions of mental health recovery. The authors suggest that the value of completing surveys for people with severe mental illness needs to be carefully considered so that the research process does not diminish other benefits of participation.


Laparoscopic splenectomy--technical aspects.
Since the recent development of endoscopic cholecystectomy various other digestive disorders have been treated endoscopically. Using the endo-GIA stapler the authors report a case of laparoscopic splenectomy. Five trocar sheaths were used. Once detached, the spleen was cut into fragments in a plastic bag intraabdominally, which allowed its removal. Splenectomy was performed for a girl who had an autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). No operative transfusion was required. The patient was discharged after an uncomplicated postoperative recovery. The cosmetic result is good.


Pirmenol: an antiarrhythmic drug with unique electrocardiographic features--a double-blind placebo-controlled comparison with quinidine.
Previous reports have stated that pirmenol is a Class IA antiarrhythmic drug that prolongs the QT interval, but did not use computerized electrocardiography. We randomized 18 patients with frequent ventricular ectopic depolarizations to pirmenol (8 patients) or quinidine (10 patients). Pirmenol was effective and tolerated for suppression of arrhythmia in all 7 patients treated (1 patient withdrew for personal reasons) but quinidine was effective and tolerated for 4 weeks in only 5 of 10 patients (p less than 0.05). Using computerized 12-lead electrocardiography, the mean change in PR interval from placebo to treatment was 5 +/- 18 ms for quinidine and 5 +/- 11 ms for pirmenol (p = NS). The mean change in QRS interval was 5 +/- 14 ms for quinidine and 10 +/- 5 ms for pirmenol (p = NS). The mean change in QT interval was 46 +/- 30 ms for quinidine and 8 +/- 9 ms for pirmenol (p less than 0.01) and the mean change in JT interval was 41 +/- 36 ms for quinidine and -2 +/- 10 ms for pirmenol (p less than 0.01). After the double-blind phase, 4 quinidine patients had computerized electrocardiographic intervals measured on pirmenol; the above findings were confirmed. These electrocardiographic features of pirmenol clearly distinguish it from quinidine, the prototype Class IA drug. However, pirmenol has minimal effect on the PR and QRS intervals, and thus does not appear to be a Class IC drug either. Although its electrocardiographic features are closest to Class IB, its electrophysiology in isolated cells and its antiarrhythmic and side effect profile are atypical for a IB agent.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The role of the fusiform-amygdala system in the pathophysiology of autism.
Autism is a condition of unknown origin with well-documented impairments in social perception and cognition. To assess the relevance of the fusiform-amygdala system to the pathophysiology of autism spectrum conditions. Cross-sectional case-control study. University hospital. A total of 27 adults with autism spectrum conditions and 29 age-, sex-, and intelligence quotient-matched typically developed healthy controls. Patients were assessed according to DSM-IV criteria using the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised. We applied an automated measurement to estimate fusiform gyrus cortical thickness and a manual tracing method to obtain amygdala volumes. We analyzed volumetric covariance among these brain regions and assessed the functional relevance of anatomical findings by analyzing correlations with emotional face-processing performance. Fusiform gyrus cortical thickness, amygdala volume, emotional face processing. We found a specific local increase in cortical thickness of the fusiform gyrus and associated impairments in face processing in individuals with autism. Anatomical covariance between amygdala volume and the increase in fusiform gyrus local thickness was significantly smaller in the group with autism spectrum conditions. Our data provide the first anatomical evidence of an abnormal amygdala-fusiform system and its behavioral relevance to face-processing deficits in autism spectrum conditions. In light of recent evidence of the involvement of the fusiform gyrus and amygdala in social perception as well as the areas of social cognition and emotional awareness, all of which are relevant to autism, our findings might represent a core pathophysiological mechanism of autism.


Applications of PET in liver imaging.
Fluorodeoxyglucose PET (FDG-PET) imaging has an important role in determining if there are metastases to the liver and whether disease has spread beyond the liver. Such information is critical for planning surgical resections of liver metastases. The ability of FDG-PET quantitatively to estimate metabolic rates makes it an important tool for monitoring. With increasingly broad indications for FDG-PET imaging, it is expected that FDG-PET (and PET-CT) of the liver will play a growing and increasingly important role in detecting and monitoring treatment of tumors involving the liver.


Diffuse-plane normolipaemic xanthoma with aortic-valve xanthoma.
A patient with diffuse-plane normolipaemic xanthomatosis had mucous-membrane, conjunctival, and aortic-valve xanthomatosis. The presence of a monoclonal protein and hypocomplementaemia suggests that the xanthomatous lesions were probably not metabolic in origin but developed as secondary events in a histiocytosis of involved tissues. No heart-valve xanthomatization in like circumstances has previously been reported.


Two rare variations, D478N and D478E, that occur at the same amino acid residue in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) α2 subunit influence nAChR function.
There occur two rare variations, Asp(D)478Asn(N) and Asp(D)478Glu(E), in the putative cytoplasmic amphipathic α-helices of human nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) α2 subunit as a result of mutation in the 1st (G → A: rs141072985) and 3rd (C → A: rs56344740) nucleotide of its 478th triplet codon (GAC). We assessed the effects of these two variations on the function of α2β2- and α2β4-nAChRs as they could alter the electronegativity and/or the structure of the cytoplasmic 'portals' (framed by subunit amphipathic α-helices) necessary for obligate ion permeation from extracellular space to cytoplasm. We injected decreasing ratio of subunit cRNAs (α:β; 10:1, 1:1 and 1:10) into Xenopus oocytes to express putative low-sensitivity (LS; 10:1), intermediate-sensitivity (IS; 1:1) and high sensitivity (HS; 1:10) isoforms of wild type and variant α2β2- and α2β4-nAChRs. Two-electrode voltage clamp analyses indicate that the agonist (ACh or nicotine) induced peak current responses (Imax) of α2β2-nAChR isoforms and those of α2β4-nAChR isoforms are increased (1.3-4.7-fold) as a result of D478E variation. The α2 subunit D478N variation only increases the Imax of IS (∼2-fold) or HS (1.4-2.1-fold) α2β2-nAChRs. Concentration-response curves constructed indicate no effect on agonist sensitivities of LS and HS isoforms of α2β2- or α2β4-nAChRs as a result of either variation in α2 subunit. Between the two variant nAChRs, α2(D478E)*-nAChR isoforms generally yield higher Imax than those of respective α2(D478N)*-nAChR isoforms. These effects could be attributed to alteration in cytoplasmic 'portals' and/or ion permeation through it owing to change in amino acid electronegativity (D → N) and side chain length (D → E) in nAChR α2 subunit.


Filtration of sub-100 nm particles using a bulk-micromachined, direct-bonded silicon filter.
For successful size separation in biomedical applications, the filter used must meet several strict criteria. Not only must it have precisely-machined sub-100 nm pores (<5% variation), but it must also be able to handle large and small volumes with very high reduction ratios (>10(4)). In this paper, we will present a bulk-micromachined, direct-bonded silicon nanofilter that can remove particles as small as 44 nm. In doing so, we will describe the fabrication, the gas and liquid characterization, and the filtrations studies done on 44 nm and 100 nm beads.


Lys656Asn polymorphism of leptin receptor, leptin levels and insulin resistance in patients with non alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Some studies have pointed to a role of leptin and insulin resistance in pathogenesis of non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of Lys656Asn polymorphism LEPR gene on the histological changes, insulin resistance and leptin levels in overweight patients. A population of 76 patients with NAFLD was recruited in a cross sectional study. A biochemical analysis of serum was measured. Genotype of LEPR gene Lys656Asn was studied. Nineteen patients (25%) had the genotype Lys656Asn and 4 patients genotype Asn656Asn (mutant type group) and 53 patients (69.7%) Lys656Lys (wild type group). Body mass index, weight, fat mass, waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, glucose levels and HOMA-IR were higher in mutant than wild type group. LEPR polymorphism is in any way related with liver lesions. The multivariate analysis adjusted by age, sex, BMI and genotype showed an independently association of lobular inflammation 4.19 (CI95%: 1.37-12.77), portal inflammation 1.97 (CI95%: 1.05-3.74) and steatosis 9.23 (CI95%: 1.47-57.83) with HOMA. Liver steatosis was associated with leptin levels (1.09 (CI95%: 1.06-1.18)), too. Lys656Asn polymorphism of LEPR gene is associated with obesity parameters, insulin resistance and glucose levels in patients with NAFLD. In logistic regression analysis, only insulin resistance was associated with portal inflammation), lobular inflammation and steatosis; liver steatosis was related with leptin levels, too.


Methadone-induced torsades de pointes: a twist of fate.
A case of methadone-induced torsades de pointes is presented to demonstrate clinical features that predispose patients to this serious cardiac arrhythmia. A patient who was receiving methadone maintenance treatment for heroin addiction presented to the hospital with dizziness and near-syncope. He was taking a relatively high dose of methadone but was not taking any concomitant cytochrome P450 inhibitor or QT-prolonging drugs. He had prolonged corrected QT interval, hypokalemia, and hypomagnesemia on admission and was later found to have severe left ventricular dysfunction. On admission to a telemetry unit, the patient experienced chest discomfort and palpitations with corresponding torsades de pointes that was terminated with correction of hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia. The corrected QT interval became shorter but remained profoundly prolonged until methadone was substituted with buprenorphine.


Humerus Diaphyseal Stress Fracture in a Teenage Tennis Athlete: Case Report.
A teenage male tennis player had chronic pain in his dominant arm during tennis practice. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suggested humerus diaphyseal stress injury. After 4 weeks, he became asymptomatic and resumed playing. However, pain recurred after 3 days. A new MRI revealed a diaphyseal undisplaced humerus fracture and significant bone marrow edema. The patient remained in rest for 4 weeks. After that, strengthening exercises were introduced and return to training was allowed after 12 weeks. Even if asymptomatic, we suggest that these patients should not return to play before 12 weeks, depending on the physical exam and imaging findings.


Studies on the potential use of CD38 expression as a marker for the efficacy of anti-retroviral therapy in HIV-1-infected patients in Thailand.
The monitoring of the efficacy of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) is becoming an important issue in the developing world. The current use of CD4 counts, plasma viral loads, and monitoring of drug-resistant viruses are at present either uninformative or costly. Thus, more new cost-effective and practical techniques need to be established and implemented. Towards this goal, our lab has carried out studies on the potential use of CD38 frequency and density expression by flow analysis as a means to assess the efficacy of ART. Results of our studies using whole blood sample from normal healthy donors indicate that CD38 is expressed by a high frequency of not only CD4+ and CD8+ T cells but also most hematopoietic cell lineages analyzed. Detailed studies of CD38 expression along with other cell surface markers using whole blood sample from HIV-1-infected patients showed that the most discriminating change was the increased frequency and density of CD38 expression by CD3+CD8+ T cells. Of importance was our preliminary finding that a reversal of the increased frequency and density of CD38 expression by CD8+ T cells only appeared in the whole blood sample from patients who were responders to ART but not those who were drug failures. These initial data provide a platform and incentive for larger cohort studies including prospective pre- and post-ART for the institution of such monitoring techniques in resource limited settings.


The changing role of pediatric electrodiagnosis.
Electrodiagnosis is one of several useful diagnostic tests in infants and children who have anterior horn cell disease, neuropathy, neuromuscular junction disorders, or myopathy. It is also used for intraoperative monitoring in children. For hypotonic infants and for older children with a nonspecific presentation of weakness, EDX may provide direction for more specific diagnostic testing, such as DNA testing with or without muscle biopsy. Genetic testing has an increasingly important role in the diagnosis of children with neuromuscular disorders. Future improvements in motor unit quantitation, which do not require active patient cooperation and require less time than current methodologies, may make EDX more specific and useful for diagnosing neuromuscular disease in children.


Localization of aquaporin 1 water channel in the Schmidt-Lanterman incisures and the paranodal regions of the rat sciatic nerve.
Aquaporin 1 (AQP1) is a member of a family of small, integral membrane water-transporting proteins, which facilitate water movement across cell membranes in response to osmotic gradients. Several papers have studied the expression and function of the AQPs in the central nervous system. However, little is known about the AQPs in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). In the PNS, AQP1, AQP2 and AQP4 have been reported in both peripheral neurons and glial cells. In this work we studied the expression and localization of AQP1 in the rat sciatic nerve. We found that from the four AQPs we studied (AQP1, AQP2, AQP4 and AQP9) only AQP1 is expressed in the nerve by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). AQP1 is also observed at the protein level by Western blot analysis. We also studied the localization of AQP1 in the sciatic nerve by immunohistochemistry. The results show that AQP1 is present in both myelinating and non-myelinating Schwann cells. In myelin internodes AQP1 is enriched in the Schmidt-Lanterman incisures and in some internodes it is also present in the abaxonal membrane. At the nodes of Ranvier, AQP1 co-localizes with actin in the paranodal regions of the nerve. Therefore, AQP1 might play an important role in myelin homeostasis maintaining the thermodynamic equilibrium across the plasma membrane in myelinated axons during electrical activity. Also the expression of AQP1 in non-myelinating Schwann cells supports the involvement of AQP1 in pain perception.


The co-evolution of cooperation and communication: Alternative accounts.
We challenge the proposal that partner-choice ecology explains the evolutionary emergence of ostensive communication in humans. The good fit between these domains might be because of the opposite relation (ostensive communication promotes the evolution of cooperation) or because of the dependence of both these human-specific traits on a more ancient contributor to human cognitive evolution: the use of technology.


In vitro identification and characterization of a virus isolated from a dog with neurological dysfunction.
A virus, 78-238, isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of a dog with neurological dysfunction, was characterized as a paramyxovirus. This conclusion was supported by viral cytopathic effects and morphological appearance of virions and nucleocapsids in infected cells. Nucleocapsids were found in the cytoplasm of all infected cells and in the nuclei of 0.001% of these cells. Growth curves revealed that a high percentage (>/=76%) of infectious progeny virus was cell released. Persistent infection of Vero cells with 78-238 showed a consistently high percentage of fluorescence-positive cells and a low proportion of hemadsorption-positive cells. Serological studies indicate that the virus was closely related to Simian virus 5 and reference canine parainfluenza virus.


Stereodivergent Synthesis of Enantioenriched 2-Pyrrolidones via Diastereoselective Hydrogenation of α,β-Unsaturated γ-Lactams.
Synthesis of optically enriched racetam analogues was achieved via highly remote diastereocontrolled and enantiocontrolled Pd/C-catalyzed hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated γ-lactams. Various mono- and disubstituted 2-pyrrolidones were obtained in excellent yields and stereoselectivities, and a concise and large-scale synthesis of brivaracetam was developed from inexpensive l-2-aminobutyric acid. Surprisingly, stereodivergent hydrogenation was observed by modifying remote functionalized stereocenters and additives, which would provide alternative stereochemical options of chiral racetams synthesis.


Stabilizer Cell Gene Therapy: A Less-Is-More Strategy to Prevent Cardiac Arrhythmias.
In cardiac gene therapy to improve contractile function, achieving gene expression in the majority of cardiac myocytes is essential. In preventing cardiac arrhythmias, however, this goal may not be as important since transduction efficiencies as low as 40% suppressed ventricular arrhythmias in genetically modified mice with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. Using computational modeling, we simulated 1-, 2-, and 3-dimensional tissue under a variety of conditions to test the ability of genetically engineered nonarrhythmogenic stabilizer cells to suppress triggered activity due to delayed or early afterdepolarizations. Due to source-sink relationships in cardiac tissue, a minority (20%-50%) of randomly distributed stabilizer cells engineered to be nonarrhythmogenic can suppress the ability of arrhythmogenic cells to generate delayed and early afterdepolarizations-related arrhythmias. Stabilizer cell gene therapy strategy can be designed to correct a specific arrhythmogenic mutation, as in the catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia mice studies, or more generally to suppress delayed or early afterdepolarizations from any cause by overexpressing the inward rectifier K channel Kir2.1 in stabilizer cells. This promising antiarrhythmic strategy warrants further testing in experimental models to evaluate its clinical potential.


Sleep deprivation in obesogenic setting alters lipidome and microbiome toward suboptimal inflammation in acute heart failure.
Sleep is a fundamental medicine for cardiac homeostasis, and sleep-deprived individuals are prone to higher incidences of heart attack. The lipid-dense diet (obesogenic diet-OBD) is a cumulative risk factor for chronic inflammation in cardiovascular disease; thus, understanding how sleep fragmentation (SF) in an obesity setting impacts immune and cardiac health is an unmet medical need. We hypothesized whether the co-existence of SF with OBD dysregulates gut homeostasis and leukocyte-derived reparative/resolution mediators, thereby impairing cardiac repair. Two-month-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomized first into two groups, then four groups; Control, control + SF, OBD, and OBD + SF mice subjected to myocardial infarction (MI). OBD mice had higher levels of plasma linolenic acid with a decrease in eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid. The OBD mice had lower Lactobacillus johnsonii indicating a loss of probiotic microbiota. SF in OBD mice increased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio indicative of a detrimental change in SF-directed microbiome. OBD + SF group increased in the neutrophil: lymphocyte ratio suggestive of suboptimal inflammation. As a result of SF, resolution mediators (RvD2, RvD3, RvD5, LXA4 , PD1, and MaR1) decreased and inflammatory mediators (PGD2 , PGE2 , PGF2a , 6k-PGF1a ) were increased in OBD mice post-MI. At the site of infarction, the proinflammatory cytokines Ccl2, IL1β, and IL-6 were amplified in OBD + SF indicating a robust proinflammatory milieu post-MI. Also, brain circadian genes (Bmal1, Clock) were downregulated in SF-subjected control mice, but remained elevated in OBD mice post-MI. SF superimposed on obesity dysregulated physiological inflammation and disrupted resolving response thereby impaired cardiac repair and signs of pathological inflammation.


Synergistically enhanced apoptotic and oxidative DNA damaging pathways in the rat brain with lead and/or aluminum metals toxicity: Expression pattern of genes OGG1 and P53.
Lead (Pb) and aluminum (Al) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants and are known to induce neurodegenerative disorders. They enhance neuronal changes and may involve glial alterations and other consequences. We intend to evaluate the mechanism through which the long-term exposure to Pb acetate alone or in combination with aluminum-chloride induced neurological impacts in rats. For this aim, a total number of forty male Sprague Dawley rats were assigned into four groups. Control (DW), Pb acetate (12.5 mg/kg BW), Al chloride (64 mg/kg BW), and the combination group were experimentally exposed for 60 days. Biochemical evaluation of oxidative stress biomarkers, transcriptional-mediated changes in the expression pattern of OGG1 and P53 genes by qRT-PCR were applied. Histopathological modifications in the brain tissue with immunohistochemical reactivity of GFAP were also detected. Our findings revealed that lipid peroxidation was markedly enhanced but inhibited antioxidant enzyme activity in brain tissue in all exposed groups regarding the control. Pb-acetate elevated the biochemical concentration of dopamine and serotonin while AlCl3 declined their levels in the brain homogenate of rats. Furthermore, the exposure to one or both metals elevated the comet assay indices and serum level of 8-hydroxy-2' -deoxyguanosine, up-regulated the expression of P53, OGG1 and GFAP immunoreactivity in the central nervous system. Histologically, they caused several brain tissue alterations. The exposure to Pb and/or Al could be key candidates for neurodegenerative changes in the brain of rats via oxidative, apoptotic, and DNA damaging pathways. Besides, according to our findings, exposure to both Pb acetate and Aluminium chloride have synergistic damaging effects on the central nervous system of rats. Also, they have opposing effects on the secretion of monoamine neurotransmitters DA and 5 H T.


Catecholamine turnover measurement and ACTH-induced short-term changes of catecholamine levels in individual brain nuclei.
The effect of acute ACTH treatment on catecholamine content of various brain nuclei was followed by radioenzymatic assay. The hormonal treatment employed affected catecholamine levels only in some hypothalamic nuclei and in the locus coeruleus. Some effects could be detected as rapidly as 10 min after the injection of the hormone. Employing alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine, catecholamine turnover in individual nuclei was estimated, and shown to be quite variable from one area to the other. However, severe limitations seem to exist in vivo, which restrict the feasibility of this approach to basal or chronic situations.


Chirality Driven Twisting as a Driving Force of Primitive Folding in Binary Mixtures.
The N-trifluoroacetylated α-aminoalcohols (TFAAAs) are able to form quasi-one-dimensional supramolecular fibers (strings) when chirally pure, and isometric precipitates in the racemate. The strings' formation leads to the reversible gelation of the solution. The fresh gels occupy all the available volume, however during the incubation, they contract and concentrate in the central region of the tube. The microscopic observations revealed the growth of the strings' diameter and their rotation in the course of the incubation at the hour time-scale. The rotation provides for the hairpins forming that serve as hooks on the rotating string, which provides for coiling of the strings, which was observed as gel contraction. The morphology of the twisted strings resembles the structures observed in modern proteins, which allows drawing an analogy between the folding of biopolymers and the formation of the clew of strings. In addition, the rotation found in the TFAAA gels is an example of a simple system converting the energy of intermolecular agglutination to the rotational movement, so they could be considered as molecular motors.


Clinical Characteristics of Cough Frequency Patterns in Patients with and without Asthma.
Cough is a frequent symptom of asthma. Cough frequency (CoFr) monitoring devices are now available to objectively measure cough counts and offer a novel endpoint to assess asthma. However, little is known about CoFr in asthma. The aims were, first, to determine whether unique features of CoFr exist in asthmatic and nonasthmatic patients and, secondly, to evaluate relationships between CoFr and pathophysiological parameters of asthma. In the current study, 73 asthmatic and 63 nonasthmatic patients suffering from persistent cough were enrolled. At study entry, the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ health status), cough visual analog scale (VAS), Leicester Cough Monitor (LCM), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements, and spirometry were performed. In asthmatic patients, the bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) test was conducted if applicable. In 28 asthmatic and 17 nonasthmatic patients, LCQ, VAS, and LCM were examined before and after treatment. CoFr during nighttime (asleep) was significantly higher in asthmatic patients than in nonasthmatic patients. Twenty-four-hour CoFr significantly decreased after appropriate treatment and was correlated with changes in VAS and LCQ in all patients. The improvement in cough in asthmatic patients was greater during nighttime than during daytime (awake). CoFr in asthmatic patients was significantly correlated with BHR, but not with FeNO. In asthmatic patients, nocturnal CoFr can be associated with BHR, was significantly higher before treatment, but improved more after treatment compared with nonasthmatic patients. Monitoring nocturnal CoFr may provide unique and valuable information on making an early prediction of therapeutic effects in asthma.


Anterograde transsynaptic transport of WGA-HRP in the limbic system of rat and monkey.
The lectin tracer, wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP), was injected into the entorhinal cortex in rat and monkey brains. Tracer labeling was followed in the entorhinal projection to dentate gyrus and hippocampus, i.e. along the perforant pathway. Besides labeling perforant pathway terminals in the outer two-thirds of stratum moleculare in the dentate gyrus, reaction product was also observed within stratum granulosum. We conclude that labeling of dentate granule cells was the result of anterograde transsynaptic transport of WGA-HRP. The evidence thus provides an example of anterograde transsynaptic transport: in the limbic system; and at an excitatory synapse.


The interim test effect: testing prior material can facilitate the learning of new material.
A wealth of prior research has shown that testing can improve subsequent learning of the initially tested material. In contrast, only one recent study has shown that an interim test over prior material can improve learning of subsequent new material (i.e., an interim-test effect). Five experiments replicated and extended this initial work by exploring the extent to which interim test effects generalize to complex text material. Participants were prompted to recall each section of an expository text before moving on to study the next section, or were only prompted to recall after the final section. In all experiments, recall of the final, target section was greater when prior sections had received interim tests versus no interim tests. Experiment 3 established that the effect was due to interim testing in particular rather than to intervening activity in general. Experiment 4 established that the effect was not due to test expectancy differences. In contrast to prior research, Experiment 4 also provided evidence that the effect is not due to release from proactive interference. We discuss other possible mechanisms underlying interim-test effects with text, including shifting to more effective encoding strategies.


Intergenerational Transmission of Anxious Information Processing Biases: An Updated Conceptual Model.
Anxiety disorders are globally one of the most prevalent and disabling forms of psychopathology in adults and children. Having a parent with an anxiety disorder multiplies the risk of anxiety disorders in the offspring, although the specific mechanisms and processes that play a role in this intergenerational transmission remain largely unknown. According to information processing theories, threat-related biases in cognitive processing are a causal mechanism in the development and maintenance of anxiety. These theories propose that individuals with anxiety are more likely to cognitively process novel stimuli in their environment as threatening. Creswell and colleagues proposed a theoretical model that highlighted the role of these cognitive biases as a mechanism in the intergenerational transmission of anxiety (Creswell et al., in Hadwin, Field (eds) Information processing biases and anxiety: a developmental perspective, Wiley, pp 279-295, 2010). This model postulated significant associations between (1) parents' and children's threat-related cognitive biases (2) parents' threat-related cognitive biases in their own and their child's environment, (3) parents' threat-related cognitive biases and parenting behaviors that convey anxiety risk to the offspring (e.g., modeling of fear, and verbal threat information transmission), and (4) parenting behaviors and child threat-related biases. This theoretical review collated the recent empirical work testing these four core hypotheses of the model. Building on the reviewed empirical work, an updated conceptual model focusing on threat-related attention and interpretation is proposed. This updated model incorporates the links between cognition and anxiety in parents and children and addresses the potential bidirectional nature of parent-child influences.


Identification of a novel target of D/V signaling in Drosophila wing disc: Wg-independent function of the organizer.
Growth and patterning during Drosophila wing development are mediated by signaling from its dorso-ventral (D/V) organizer. Wingless is expressed in the D/V boundary and functions as a morphogen to activate target genes at a distance. Wingless pathway and thereby D/V signaling is negatively regulated by the homeotic gene Ultrabithorax (Ubx) to mediate haltere development. In an enhancer-trap screen to identify genes that show differential expression between wing and haltere discs, we identified CG32062, which codes for a RNA-binding protein. In wing discs, CG32062 is expressed only in non-D/V cells. CG32062 expression in non-D/V cells is dependent on Notch-mediated signaling from the D/V boundary. However, CG32062 expression is independent of Wingless function, thus providing evidence for a second long-range signaling mechanism of the D/V organizer. In haltere discs, CG32062 is negatively regulated by Ubx. The non-cell autonomous nature of Ubx-mediated repression of CG32062 expression suggests that the novel component of D/V signaling is also negatively regulated during haltere specification.


Epidemiological status and risk factors of deep vein thrombosis in patients with femoral neck fracture.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and clarify the risk factors of DVT in patients with femoral neck fracture. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect the clinical data of 1209 patients with femoral neck fracture in our hospital from January 2019 to December 2019. The content of the questionnaire mainly includes general information, past medical history, history of present illness, operation related information, occurrence of DVT. The collected data were entered into Excel to analyze the incidence and risk factors of DVT in patients with femoral neck fracture. Chi square test and binary logistic regression model was used to screen the risk factors of DVT. 1209 cases of femoral neck fracture were included in this study. The incidence of DVT was 28.0% (339 patients). Among them, 71.7% (243 patients) were preoperative DVT and 28.3% (96 patients) were postoperative DVT. For the risk-factor analysis, gender, age, time from injury to hospitalization, operative method, anesthesia method and intraoperative blood loss were independent risk factors for DVT. The incidence of DVT in patients with femoral neck fracture is relatively high, and there are many related risk factors.


The ciliary inner dynein arm, I1 dynein, is assembled in the cytoplasm and transported by IFT before axonemal docking.
To determine mechanisms of assembly of ciliary dyneins, we focused on the Chlamydomonas inner dynein arm, I1 dynein, also known as dynein f. I1 dynein assembles in the cytoplasm as a 20S complex similar to the 20S I1 dynein complex isolated from the axoneme. The intermediate chain subunit, IC140 (IDA7), and heavy chains (IDA1, IDA2) are required for 20S I1 dynein preassembly in the cytoplasm. Unlike I1 dynein derived from the axoneme, the cytoplasmic 20S I1 complex will not rebind I1-deficient axonemes in vitro. To test the hypothesis that I1 dynein is transported to the distal tip of the cilia for assembly in the axoneme, we performed cytoplasmic complementation in dikaryons formed between wild-type and I1 dynein mutant cells. Rescue of I1 dynein assembly in mutant cilia occurred first at the distal tip and then proceeded toward the proximal axoneme. Notably, in contrast to other combinations, I1 dynein assembly was significantly delayed in dikaryons formed between ida7 and ida3. Furthermore, rescue of I1 dynein assembly required new protein synthesis in the ida7 × ida3 dikaryons. On the basis of the additional observations, we postulate that IDA3 is required for 20S I1 dynein transport. Cytoplasmic complementation in dikaryons using the conditional kinesin-2 mutant, fla10-1 revealed that transport of I1 dynein is dependent on kinesin-2 activity. Thus, I1 dynein complex assembly depends upon IFT for transport to the ciliary distal tip prior to docking in the axoneme.


[The prolonged use of calcium antagonists in myocardial infarct in rats: their effect on hemodynamics and the contractile function and morphology of the heart muscle].
Experiments on rats with myocardial infarction induced by occlusion of the left coronary artery were made to explore the influence of calcium antagonists injected intraperitoneally for a long time (daily, for 21 days) on hemodynamics, contractile function and morphology of the heart muscle. It has been shown that verapamil (0.5 mg/kg), diltiazem (2 mg/kg) and nimodipine (20 micrograms/kg) do not exert under those conditions any noticeable effect on pump and contractile heart functions. Administration of verapamil in a doze of 2 mg/kg enhanced heart failure. The drugs under study normalized the response of contractile heart function to volumetric load, which is related to a considerable measure to the acceleration of reparative processes in the myocardium.


A human colliculus-pulvinar-amygdala pathway encodes negative emotion.
Animals must rapidly respond to threats to survive. In rodents, threat-related signals are processed through a subcortical pathway from the superior colliculus to the amygdala, a putative "low road" to affective behavior. This pathway has not been well characterized in humans. We developed a novel pathway identification framework that uses pattern recognition to identify connected neural populations and optimize measurement of inter-region connectivity. We first verified that the model identifies known thalamocortical pathways with high sensitivity and specificity in 7 T (n = 56) and 3 T (n = 48) fMRI experiments. Then we identified a human functional superior colliculus-pulvinar-amygdala pathway. Activity in this pathway encodes the intensity of normative emotional responses to negative images and sounds but not pleasant images or painful stimuli. These results provide a functional description of a human "low road" pathway selective for negative exteroceptive events and demonstrate a promising method for characterizing human functional brain pathways.


[Prognostic Value of Hyperuricemia in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction].
Patients with permanent atrial fibrillation in comparison with cardiovascular patients without arrhythmia were found to have higher level of serum uric acid irrespectively of background of arterial hypertension and/or ischemic heart disease. Serum uric acid was shown to be an independent predictor of chronic heart failure exacerbation in atrial fibrillation patients.


Outcomes from a Male-to-Male Promotores Intervention in an Emerging Latino Community.
Emerging Latino communities experience social isolation and lack services tailored to their culture. Few male-to-male promotores (community health workers in Spanish) interventions exist. This 6-month participatory study aimed to improve social support, healthcare access, depressive symptoms, and decrease alcohol consumption among Latino immigrant men. Promotores delivered non-directive social support to participants recruited from community venues. We analyzed baseline and 6-month questionnaires data (n = 89) using paired chi square tests. All participants were immigrants; 47% had not finished high school, 29% had depression symptoms, 35% reported past month binge drinking and 93% were uninsured. The intervention significantly improved having a usual source of care (24 to 43%), doctor's visits (41 to 62%) and dentist's visits (27 to 42%) in the past year. Other outcomes did not improve. Male promotores increased healthcare access among vulnerable Latino men. Addressing drinking behavior and depression may require longer interventions or specialized providers.


Exposure of general population to PBDEs: a Progressive Total Diet Study in South Korea.
This study assessed the level of 24 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Korean foods following a Progressive Total Diet Study (TDS). The experiments comprised 96 types of dietetically representative foods, all were either cooked or edible raw. PBDEs were widely encountered in foodstuffs with the highest concentration in plant oils, fishes and shellfishes. Of all congeners tested for, BDE-47 was the most predominant and encountered in almost all food items except meats. The presence of nona-BDEs at significant levels indicated that Korean environments are still contaminated by deca-BDE. The daily dietary intake of PBDEs was estimated to be 63 ng d(-1). The highest PBDEs intake was observed in the 19-39 year old group and gradually decreased as age increased. Our study suggests that the TDS approach using foods in the table-ready form should be used for a better estimation of dietary exposure to PBDEs.


Dorsal landmark navigation in a Neotropical nocturnal bee.
Bees, ants, and wasps are well known to visually navigate when traveling between their nests and foraging sites. When leaving their nest, landmarks in the vicinity are memorized and used upon return to locate the nest entrance.1,2 The Neotropical nocturnal sweat bee Megalopta genalis navigates under the forest canopy at light intensities ten times dimmer than starlight.3 Despite these dim conditions, Megalopta is able to memorize visual landmarks around the nest entrance in the frontal visual field.4 Even though frontal landmarks can clearly be discerned by Megalopta, the visual feature of greatest contrast in the rainforest at night is actually the dark dorsal silhouette of the distant canopy against the brighter night sky. Several species of ants,5-10 as well as a subsocial shield bug,11 use bright open gaps in the canopy as dorsal landmarks to navigate home while walking. Here we show that Megalopta is also able to distinguish dorsal landmarks during homing, the first flying insect known with this capacity. Megalopta is able to discriminate between differently oriented dorsal black striped patterns, or an "artificial canopy" of black circles, and to use this information to locate its nest entrance. These results suggest that the local foliage patterns created by the canopy against the brighter sky could potentially provide the bee with reliable landmark information for navigation during foraging and homing at night. VIDEO ABSTRACT.


The Effect of early physiotherapy on the recovery of mandibular function after orthognathic surgery for Class III correction: part I--jaw-motion analysis.
The aim of this prospective study was to compare the mandibular range of motion in Class III patients with and without early physiotherapy after orthognathic surgery (OGS). This study consisted of 63 Class III patients who underwent 2-jaw OGS. The experimental group comprised 31 patients who received early systematic physical rehabilitation. The control group consisted of 32 patients who did not have physical rehabilitation. Twelve variables of 3-dimensional (3D) jaw-motion analysis (JMA) were recorded before surgery (T1) and 6 weeks (T2) and 6 months (T3) after surgery. A 2-sample t test was conducted to compare the JMA results between the two groups at different time points. At T2, the JMA data were measured to be 77.5%-145.7% of presurgical values in the experimental group, and 60.3%-90.6% in the control group. At T3, the measurements were 112.2%-179.2% of presurgical values in the experimental group, and 77.6%-157.2% in the control group. The patients in the experimental group exhibited more favorable recovery than did those in the control group, from T1 to T2 and T1 to T3. However, after termination of physiotherapy, no significant difference in the extent of recovery was observed between groups up to 6 months after OGS.


Height inequality and socioeconomic implications in Korea: analysis of individuals born between 1890 and 1919.
This study examined height inequality as an indicator of income inequality during the colonial period (1910-1945) in Korea. Data were taken from a sample of 1796 male prisoners from a wide range of geographical locations and with varied socioeconomic backgrounds. Height inequality was measured using the coefficient of variation of height (CV) for each birth decade. The results indicated that height inequality, as measured by the CV, increased slightly from 3.32 to 3.35 for the birth decades 1890-99 and 1900-09, then jumped to 3.50 for the birth decade 1910-19. Considering the Kuznets curve, the presented results have socioeconomic implications for Japan's impact in Korea, at least during the early colonial period.