Prevalence of nutrition risk and associated risk factors among New Zealand pre-school children.
To determine the prevalence of nutrition risk using the validated, Nutrition Screening Tool for Every Pre-schooler (NutriSTEP) among pre-school children in New Zealand (NZ) and to identify socio-demographic factors associated with nutrition risk. Parents/caregivers of NZ pre-school children (aged 2-5 years) completed an online survey including NutriSTEP, both parent and child height and weight, as well as socio-demographic characteristics. The 17-item NutriSTEP responses were scored between 0 and 4; where item scores ≥2 indicate risk, and the maximum score is 68. Participants were stratified into low-risk (score ≤ 20) and moderate to high-risk (score > 20) groups. Strength of associations between nutrition risk and socio-demographic characteristics were explored using binary regression analysis. Of 505 pre-school children, 96 (19%) were at moderate to high risk (median interquartile range NutriSTEP score 24 [22-26]) and 409 (81%) were at low risk (score 13 [10-16]). Pre-school children at highest risk were non-NZ European (P = 0.002), with solo parents (P = 0.002), from households with incomes ≤$50 000 (P ≤ 0.021) and with non-university educated parents (P ≤ 0.0001). More than 30% of pre-schoolers were at high risk for inadequate consumption of fruit, vegetables, grains, milk products, meat and meat alternatives, as well as exposure to screens during meals and overuse of supplements. A fifth of NZ pre-school children were at moderate to high nutrition risk and may not have met the nutrition guidelines. Economic and ethnic disparities were apparent. Using NutriSTEP may assist to identify NZ pre-school children at highest nutrition risk who may benefit from appropriate nutrition support.


Radioimmunoassay of murine leukemia virus p30 using Staphylococcus aureus as immunoadsorbent.
A competition radioimmunoassay for murine leukemia virus p30 has been developed. Serial dilutions of the unknown in wells of microtiter plates are incubated with 125I-labeled p30 and goat antiserum specific for p30. Bound p30 is then removed by an immunoadsorbent specific for goat immunoglobulin, prepared from S. aureus. An internal standard of 51Cr is used to correct for volumetric errors, the amount of the labeled p30 precipitated being calculated from the 125I/51 Cr ratio of the supernatant. The assay is rapid, being completed within 2 h, precise, having a coefficient of variation less than 1%, and sensitive, being capable of detecting p30 concentrations as low as 2 ng/ml in a volume of 0.02 ml. It has been used to measure p30 levels in a series of MCA-induced fibrosarcomas of BALB/c mice.


Blood group and ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, and peripheral vascular disease: A meta-analysis of over 145,000 cases and 2,000,000 controls.
Cardiovascular illnesses have been associated to ABO blood types, specifically through an effect on von Willebrand factor and factor FVIII levels. We conducted a meta-analysis to comprehensively explore the relationship between blood groups and ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, and peripheral vascular disease. A comprehensive meta-analysis was undertaken to investigate blood groups and ischemic stroke (IS), myocardial infarction (MI) and peripheral vascular disease (PVD). Odds ratios (OR) were used to assess the relationship between blood groups and disease. RevMan v5,4 was used to statistically analyse the results. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. A total of 72 studies (18 ischemic stroke, 37 myocardial infarction, 17 peripheral vascular disease) met our search criteria, totalling 145,499 cases and 2,113,736 controls. Mean age ranged between 18 and 90 years. Compared to blood group-O, non-O blood group had an increased association with IS (OR=1.13, 95%Cl: 1.07-1.21, P < 0.001), MI (OR=1.17, 95%Cl: 1.11-1.24, P < 0.001) and PVD (OR=1.15, 95%Cl: 1.04-1.28, P=0.005). Compared to blood group-O, blood group A had a stronger statistically significant association to IS (OR=1.19, P=0.001), MI (OR=1.22, P < 0.001) and PVD (OR=1.15, P=0.03). Blood group-B has the lowest risk associated with MI (OR=1.09, P=0.01). In addition, blood groups AB had a stronger statistically significant association to IS (OR=1.24, P=0.01), and MI (OR=1.20, P < 0.001) compared with the other blood groups. Compared to blood group-O, groups A and AB are strongly associated to ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, and peripheral vascular disease.


Biredox-Ionic Anthraquinone-Coupled Ethylviologen Composite Enables Reversible Multielectron Redox Chemistry for Li-Organic Batteries.
Organic compounds bearing redox-active ionic pairs as electrode materials for high-performance rechargeable batteries have gained growing attention owing to the properties of synthetic tunability, high theoretical capacity, and low solubility. Herein, an innovative biredox-ionic composite, i.e., ethylviologen dianthraquinone-2-sulfonate (EV-AQ2 ), affording multiple and reversible active sites as a cathode material in lithium-organic batteries is reported. EV-AQ2 exhibits a high initial capacity of 199.2 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C rate, which corresponds to the transfer of two electrons from one redox couple EV2+ /EV0 and four electrons from two redox-active AQ- anions. It is notable that EV-AQ2 shows remarkably improved cyclability compared to the precursors. The capacity retention is 89% and the Coulombic efficiency approaches 100% over 120 cycles at 0.5 C rate. The results offer evidence that AQ- into the EV2+ scaffold with multiple redox sites are promising in developing high-energy-density organic rechargeable batteries.


Delayed vasopressor initiation is associated with increased mortality in patients with septic shock.
Mortality rate for septic shock, despite advancements in knowledge and treatment, remains high. Treatment includes administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics and stabilization of the mean arterial pressure (MAP) with intravenous fluid resuscitation. Fluid-refractory shock warrants vasopressor initiation. There is a paucity of evidence regarding the timing of vasopressor initiation and its effect on patient outcomes. This retrospective, single-centered, cohort study included patients with septic shock from January 2017 to July 2017. Time from initial hypotension to vasopressor initiation was measured for each patient. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Of 530 patients screened,119 patients were included. There were no differences in baseline patient characteristics. Thirty-day mortality was higher in patients who received vasopressors after 6 h (51.1% vs 25%, p < .01). Patients who received vasopressors within the first 6 h had more vasopressor-free hours at 72 h (34.5 h vs 13.1, p = .03) and shorter time to MAP of 65 mmHg (1.5 h vs 3.0, p < .01). Vasopressor initiation after 6 h from shock recognition is associated with a significant increase in 30-day mortality. Vasopressor administration within 6 h was associated with shorter time to achievement of MAP goals and higher vasopressor-free hours within the first 72 h.


MED-EL Combi40+ cochlear implantation in adults.
Cochlear implantation is currently the treatment of choice for severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. The MED-EL Combi40+ (Innsbruck, Austria) cochlear implant system was approved for use in the United States in 2001. This device employs a 31-mm-long electrode array, ceramic case, and continuous interleaved sampling with Hilbert transformation for envelope extraction. A single institution's experience with the Combi40+ implant in adult patients was reviewed. Retrospective chart review. Medical-surgical and audiological data were collected from 112 patients who received a MED-EL Combi40+ cochlear implant between December 1998 and April 2004. The rate of surgical complications and speech perception testing results compared favorably with those of other cochlear implant systems. For postlingually deafened adults, mean CNC word, HINTQ, CUNY, and HINT + 10 dB signal-to-noise ratio scores after 1 year of implant usage were 54%, 87%, 96%, and 64%, respectively. Prelingually deafened adults also derived significant benefit, but plateau performance for these patients was well below that for patients with later onset of deafness and significant variability was seen in this group. Repeat implantation for suspected device malfunction was undertaken in seven cases (6% of devices) (mean duration of use, 28 +/- 12 mo) with ultimate resolution of the presenting problem. The study results support the safety and efficacy of cochlear implantation with the MED-EL Combi40+ cochlear implant system.


Underinsurance in children is associated with worsened quality of life after cochlear implantation.
Research has suggested that early cochlear implantation is associated with improved language outcomes. Select studies demonstrate that this translates into a higher quality of life following implantation. Previous work from our group has shown that underinsurance represents a risk factor for worsened auditory and language outcomes for implantees. However, to our knowledge, the effect of insurance status on quality of life outcomes following cochlear implantation has not been evaluated. To assess quality of life outcomes for children receiving cochlear implants, accounting for age at implantation, insurance status, gender, surgeon, number of implants and duration of follow-up since implantation. A retrospective study using the Glasgow Children's Benefit Inventory (GCBI), a validated questionnaire measuring quality of life across four domains: learning, emotion, vitality and physical heath. Multivariate linear regression was used to examine the effects of age at implantation, insurance status, number of implants, sex, surgeon, and duration of follow-up on GCBI scores. Age at implantation was assessed as both a continuous and dichotomous variable, comparing children implanted by 12 months of age with those implanted after 12 months. Children's National Health System in Washington, DC, a tertiary academic referral center. The GCBI was administered telephonically to parents/guardians of prelingually deaf children aged 2-16 years who received cochlear implants at the center between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2018. Of 169 prelingually deafened implantee children who met inclusion criteria, parents/guardians of 64 (37.9%) responded to the questionnaire. After excluding children with late implantation (≥7 years age at CI) and missing GCBI responses, the final analytic sample consisted of 57 children. The mean age (SD) of the children at the time of the study was 3.3 (1.9) years, 63.2% were publicly insured, and 73.7% were implanted after 12 months of age. Average duration of follow-up was 3.9 (2.8) years. On a scale of -100 to +100, GCBI scores ranged from 41.7 to 95.8 (mean (SD), 64.0 (10.3)). Public health insurance (β, -5.8 [95% CI, -10.6 to -0.01]), and older age at the time of implantation (β, -0.1 [95% CI, -0.3 to 0.0]), particularly implantation following 12 months of age (p < 0.05), were significantly associated with lower GCBI scores after implantation. Publicly insured recipients of cochlear implants and children implanted at an older age, particularly after 12 months of age, experienced significantly lower quality of life measures.


Loss of epiphytic diversity along a latitudinal gradient in southern Europe.
Latitudinal gradients that involve macroclimatic changes can affect the diversity of several groups of plants and animals. Here we examined the effect of a latitudinal gradient on epiphytic communities on a single host species (Fagus sylvatica) to test the core-periphery theory. The latitudinal span considered, covering two biogeographic regions, is associated with major changes in rainfall during the dry season. Because bryophytes and lichens are poikilohydric, we hypothesized that their species richness and composition might vary at different latitudes. We also speculated how epiphytic communities may respond to future climate change. The present study was carried out in Spain, and three latitudes that cover the distributional range of F. sylvatica were selected. The presence/absence and coverage of epiphytic lichens and bryophytes were identified on 540 trees (180 in each zone). We found consistent south to north change in the total richness and in the richness of bryophytes and of lichens separately, all of which tend to increase at higher latitudes due to the presence of several hygrophytic species. Epiphytic composition also differed significantly among the three latitudes, and the similarity decreased when the latitudinal span was greater. In addition, high species turnover was driven by the increased rainfall at higher latitudes. We conclude that epiphytic communities have a similar pattern to the predictors of the core-periphery theory from populations, and they suffer a great impoverishment in species richness at lower latitudes, coincident with the southern boundary of the F. sylvatica distribution.


Knowledge Hiding in Emergency Ambulance Healthcare Settings: Its Mediating Role in the Relationship between Organizational Support and Affective Commitment and Organizational Citizenship Behaviours.
Knowledge hiding-an intentional attempt to withhold or conceal knowledge from others-has been reported by recent studies to be a negative phenomenon in the workplace. Considering the importance of knowledge for organizational performance, this study intends to advance understanding by investigating the mediating role of knowledge hiding on the relationship between perceived organizational support and affective commitment as predictors and organizational citizenship behaviors and turnover intentions as outcomes. Using a cross-sectional design, the study was conducted in emergency ambulance healthcare settings on 305 medical or paramedical professionals. As indicated by structural equation modeling results, perceived organizational support and affective commitment positively predicted organizational citizenship behaviors but negatively predicted turnover intentions. Also, knowledge hiding was negatively associated with perceived organizational support, affective commitment, and organizational citizenship behaviors and positively with turnover intentions. Moreover, knowledge hiding mediated the relationship between perceived organizational support and affective commitment as predictors and organizational citizenship behaviors, respectively turnover intentions, as dependent variables.


Evolution: one thread to unite them all.
Mitochondria play import roles in the overall metabolism of eukaryotes. Traditionally, they have played a secondary role to the nucleus in the origin of eukaryotes. However, their relative positions in this crucial event for eukaryotic evolution might be reversed.


Effect of crop cultivation on the soil carbon stock in mine dumps of the Loess Plateau, China.
In the ecological restoration of mine dumps, soil carbon stock (SCS) improvement is an important issue. The type of land use and management approach taken can have a great influence on this issue. On the Loess Plateau, different crops have been cultivated on reclaimed land; however, the effect of long-term crop cultivation on SCS is poorly understood. To address this issue, a field investigation of mine dumps was performed at the Kee Open Pit Mine in Shanxi Province, China. Four sites utilizing different land management methods were analyzed: no reclamation (NR), reclamation with no crop cultivation (NC), and reclamation followed by 11 or 27 years crop cultivation (RC-11 and RC-27, respectively). SCS, associated soil properties (total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total potassium (TK), moisture content (MoiC), and pH), plant community (species composition, plant diversity, and traits), and microbial community operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of fungi and bacteria were determined by field investigation and laboratory analysis. Redundancy analysis was used to show the relationship between SCS and other environmental variables. Results varied by soil depth. At the depth range of 0-20 cm, the SCS of RC-11 was significantly greater compared to that in NR and NC, by 14.64- and 2.25-fold, respectively; whereas compared to RC-27, it was higher by 52.78%. At the depth of 20-40 cm, NC has the largest SCS; the SCS of RC-27 was the lowest, which was less compared to that in NC by 43.64%. Redundancy analysis showed a positive relationship between the SCS and TN, TP, MoiC, as well as average plant coverage, while the bacterial OTUs were negatively related with the SCS. This research suggests the potential of mine dumps for crop cultivation, which could improve the SCS of the mining area on the Loess Plateau.


Effects of EOS789, a novel pan-phosphate transporter inhibitor, on phosphate metabolism : Comparison with a conventional phosphate binder.
Inorganic phosphate (Pi) binders are the only pharmacologic treatment approved for hyperphosphatemia. However, Pi binders induce the expression of intestinal Pi transporters and have limited effects on the inhibition of Pi transport. EOS789, a novel pan-Pi transporter inhibitor, reportedly has potent efficacy in treating hyperphosphatemia. We investigated the properties of EOS789 with comparison to a conventional Pi binder. Protein and mRNA expression levels of Pi transporters were measured in intestinal and kidney tissues from male Wistar rats fed diets supplemented with EOS789 or lanthanum carbonate (LC). 32Pi permeability was measured in intestinal tissues from normal rats using a chamber. Increased protein levels of NaPi-2b, an intestinal Pi transporter, and luminal Pi removal were observed in rats treated with LC but not in rats treated with EOS789. EOS789 but not LC suppressed intestinal protein levels of the Pi transporter Pit-1 and sodium/hydrogen exchanger isoform 3. 32Pi flux experiments using small intestine tissues from rats demonstrated that EOS789 may affect transcellular Pi transport in addition to paracellular Pi transport. EOS789 has differing regulatory effects on Pi metabolism compared to LC. The properties of EOS789 may compensate for the limitations of LC therapy. The combined or selective use of EOS789 and conventional Pi binders may allow tighter control of hyperphosphatemia. J. Med. Invest. 70 : 260-270, February, 2023.


The effect of age on the magnitude and longevity of Th1-directed CD4 T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2.
Age is associated with changes in the immune system which increase the risk for severe COVID-19. Here, we investigate SARS-CoV-2-reactive CD4 T cells from individuals recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection with mild COVID-19 symptoms after 3, 6 and 9 months using incubation with SARS-CoV-2 S1, S2 and N-peptide pools, followed by flow cytometry for a Th1-activation profile or proliferation analyses. We found that SARS-CoV-2-reactive CD4 T cells are decreasing on average after 9 months but highly polyfunctional CD4 T cells can peak after 6-month recovery. We show that individuals older than 60 years of age have significantly more SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cells in their blood after 3 months of recovery compared to younger individuals and that the percentage of SARS-CoV-2-reactive Th1-directed CD4 T cells in the blood of mild-COVID-19-recovered individuals correlates with age. Finally, we show that individuals over the age of 40 have significantly increased the amounts of highly polyfunctional SARS-CoV-2-S-peptide-reactive CD4 T cells, compared to SARS-CoV-2 naïve individuals, than those under the age of 40. These findings suggest that in individuals recovered from mild COVID-19, increased age is associated with significantly more highly polyfunctional SARS-CoV-2-reactive CD4 T cells with a Th1-profile and that these responses persist over time.


Parallel dynamics in the yield of universal SARS-CoV-2 admission screening and population incidence.
The majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmissions originates from either asymptomatic or presymptomatic individuals. To prevent unnoticed introduction of SARS-CoV-2, many hospitals have implemented universal admission screening during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed to investigate associations between results of an universal SARS-CoV-2 admission screening and public SARS-CoV-2 incidence. Over a study period of 44 weeks, all patients admitted to a large tertiary care hospital were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction. SARS-CoV-2 positive patients were retrospectively categorized as symptomatic or asymptomatic at admission. Cantonal data were used to calculate weekly incidence rates per 100,000 inhabitants. We used regression models for count data to assess the association of the weekly cantonal incidence rate and the proportion of positive SARS-CoV-2 tests in the canton with (a) the proportion of SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals and (b) the proportion of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals identified in universal admission screening, respectively. In a 44-week period, a total of 21,508 admission screenings were performed. SARS-CoV-2 PCR was positive in 643 (3.0%) individuals. In 97 (15.0%) individuals, the positive PCR reflected residual viral replication after recent COVID-19, 469 (72.9%) individuals had COVID-19 symptoms and 77 (12.0%) SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals were asymptomatic. Cantonal incidence correlated with the proportion of SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals [rate ratio (RR): 2.03 per 100 point increase of weekly incidence rate, 95%CI 1.92-2.14] and the proportion of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals (RR: 2.40 per 100 point increase of weekly incidence rate, 95%CI 2.03-2.82). The highest correlation between dynamics in cantonal incidence and results of admission screening was observed at a lag time of one week. Similarly, the proportion of positive SARS-CoV-2 tests in the canton of Zurich correlated with the proportion of SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals (RR: 2.86 per log increase in the proportion of positive SARS-CoV-2 tests in the canton, 95%CI 2.56-3.19) and the proportion of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals (RR: 6.50 per log increase in the proportion of positive SARS-CoV-2 tests in the canton, 95%CI 3.93-10.75) in admission screening. Around 0.36% of admission screenings were positive in asymptomatic patients. Admission screening results paralleled changes in population incidence with a brief lag.


Alternaria and Cladosporium calendar of Western Thrace: Relationship with allergic rhinitis symptoms.
Alternaria and Cladosporium are the most important outdoor moulds. The aim of this study was to present fungal spore monitoring data, investigate the relationship of fungal counts with climate conditions, and to explore the clinical significance of Alternaria and Cladosporium species monitoring in allergic rhinitis (AR). Analytic observational study. A 7-day volumetric trap was used to collect circulating Alternaria and Cladosporium fungi. Sixty-nine AR patients were studied and recorded their symptoms by Total 5 Symptoms Score (T5SS). Sensitization prevalence to fungi species was detected by skin prick tests. Monitoring data were correlated to climate conditions and patients symptoms score. Alternaria and Cladosporium were detected throughout the calendar year in ranges of 0 to 217 spores/m(3) and 6.5 to 1,600 spores/m(3) per day, respectively. Highest daily concentrations of both fungi were detected during the summer (73.9 ± 34.4 spores/m(3) for Alternaria and 595.8 ± 288.0 spores/m(3) for Cladosporium) and lowest during the winter (2.4 ± 3.0 spores/m(3) for Alternaria and 24.3 ± 15.7 spores/m(3) for Cladosporium). Both were positively correlated to mean daily temperature and negatively to relative humidity (all P < 0.001). Clinically, a strong significant correlation between T5SS and airborne fungi levels, both for Alternaria (r = 0.822, P = 0.001) and Cladosporium (r = 0.787, P = 0.002) species was observed. We found Cladosporium to be the most frequently detected airborne mould, whereas Alternaria was the most prevalent with regard to sensitization rate. Patients' symptoms score was significantly correlated to spore concentrations. Both fungi were clearly affected by climate factors, such as temperature and relative humidity. These findings are important in AR management. N/A.


Effects of Time to Treatment on Biochemical and Clinical Outcomes for Patients With Prostate Cancer Treated With Definitive Radiation.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate if time to treatment (TTT) has an effect on outcomes for patients with localized prostate cancer treated with definitive external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). We included 4064 patients (1549 low-risk, 1612 intermediate-risk, and 903 high-risk) treated with EBRT. For each National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) risk group, TTT (defined as the time between initial positive prostate biopsy and start of RT) was analyzed in 4 intervals: < 3, 3-6, 6-9, and 9-24 months. We recorded the use of androgen deprivation therapy among patients with intermediate-risk and high-risk disease. The median TTT was 3.3 months (range, 0.6-23.5 months), and it was similar for each risk group (range, 3.3-3.4 months). The median follow up was 64 months. There were no significant differences in biochemical failure, distant metastasis, or overall survival for patients with TTT < 3, 3-6, 6-9, or 9-24 months for each risk group. There were also no significant differences in the outcomes at 5 years when patients with TTT > 3.3 months were compared with those with TTT ≤ 3.3 months for each risk group. For high-risk men, 328 of 450 (72.9%) with TTT > 3.3 months were on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) versus 299 of 453 (66%) with TTT ≤ 3.3 months. Among men with high-risk cancer treated without ADT, there remained no significant difference in outcomes between TTT > 3.3 months and TTT ≤ 3.3 months. TTT was not associated with significant differences in outcomes among each risk group of men with localized prostate cancer treated with EBRT. Among the high-risk patients, there were no observed detriments in outcomes with TTT > 3.3 months regardless of androgen deprivation therapy use.


The urinary tract in haemophilia.
Scant attention has been paid to changes in the urinary tract in haemophilia, although haematuria, renal colic, the passage of clots and clot retention have long been known. Twenty-eight haemophiliac subjects were investigated with a total of 59 radiological examinations of the urinary tract including 41 intravenous urograms (IVU). In 10 patients (36%) abnormalities were demonstrated in the urinary tract, six patients showed changes of hydronephrosis, one a non-functioning kidney and in two patients blood clots were shown in the collecting system. These abnormalities were more common in clinically severe haematuria, while normal urographic appearances were common in clinically mild cases. The cause of hydroephrosis was extrinsic from compression, either renal or ureteric, or instrinsic from clot retention. In some cases the cause was not known. It is suggested that in these the hydronephrosis may result from organisation of the haematoma with peri-ureteric fibrosis.


Absence of DNA double-strand breaks in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells after 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging assessed by γH2AX flow cytometry.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is regarded as a non-harming and non-invasive imaging modality with high tissue contrast and almost no side effects. Compared to other cross-sectional imaging modalities, MRI does not use ionising radiation. Recently, however, strong magnetic fields as applied in clinical MRI scanners have been suspected to induce DNA double-strand breaks in human lymphocytes. In this study we investigated the impact of 3-T cardiac MRI examinations on the induction of DNA double-strand breaks in peripheral mononuclear cells by γH2AX staining and flow cytometry analysis. The study cohort consisted of 73 healthy non-smoking volunteers with 36 volunteers undergoing CMRI and 37 controls without intervention. Differences between the two cohorts were analysed by a mixed linear model with repeated measures. Both cohorts showed a significant increase in the γH2AX signal from baseline to post-procedure of 6.7 % (SD 7.18 %) and 7.8 % (SD 6.61 %), respectively. However, the difference between the two groups was not significant. Based on our study, γH2AX flow cytometry shows no evidence that 3-T MRI examinations as used in cardiac scans impair DNA integrity in peripheral mononuclear cells. • No evidence for DNA double-strand breaks after cardiac MRI. • Prospective study underlines safe use of MRI with regard to DNA damage. • Controlled trial involving both genders investigating DNA DSBs after 3-T MRI.


Characterization of Micrococcus strains isolated from indoor air.
The characterization of microbes, such as opportunists and pathogens (e.g., methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus [MRSA]), in indoor air is important for understanding disease transmission from person-to-person. Common genera found in the human skin microbiome include Micrococcus and Staphylococcus, but there only a limited number of tests to differentiate these genera and/or species. Both genera are believed to be released into indoor air from the shedding of human skin and are morphologically difficult to distinguish. In the current work, after the extraction of proteins from micrococci and the separation of these proteins on one dimensional electrophoretic gels, tryptic peptides were analyzed by MALDI TOF MS and the mass profiles compared with those of a reference strain (ATCC 4698). The results confirmed that all strains were consistent in identity with Micrococcus luteus.


Ti3C2Tx MXene and cellulose-based aerogel phase change composite decorated laminated fabric with excellent electro/solar-thermal conversion and high latent heat.
Wearable heaters have attracted growing attention for maintaining a relatively constant temperature of the human body in cold environments with near zero energy consumption. Herein, we developed a multifunctional laminated fabric with fascinating electro/solar-thermal conversion, thermal energy storage and thermal insulation properties. With cotton fabric as the substrate, MXene/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) conductive network was decorated on the upper layer, and carbon nanotube (CNT)/cellulose nanofiber (CNF)/paraffin (PA) aerogel phase change composites were assembled on the bottom layer. Attributed to the strong conductivity and light absorption of MXene and the light/thermal response of CNT and PA components, this wearable laminated fabric broke the limitation of intermittent solar photothermal heating, and integrated multiple heating modes to precisely heat the human body. Meanwhile, the low thermal conductivity of aerogel retarded heat loss. The laminated fabric can help people better adapt to a variety of complex and changeable environments such as cold winter, rainy days and nights. This study provides a promising and energy-efficient avenue for the development of all-day personal thermal management fabrics.


Hospital admissions for aortic stenosis in pregnancy in the United States - a thirteen year analysis.
Cardiac disease is still the leading cause of non-pregnancy related maternal morbidity and mortality. Valvular disease is one of the most concerning cardiac conditions in pregnancy. Aortic stenosis (AS) is rare in young populations but deadly complications have been reported in pregnant women. This study is a retrospective review of data from the HCUP-NIS Database from 2002-2014. There were 1108 weighted discharges for both pregnancy and AS. The data contained ten or fewer unweighted discharges with AS in pregnancy that underwent a cardiac intervention: open heart surgery or percutaneous cardiac intervention. Patients who had at least one diagnosis for AS had a greater mean cost per discharge than the comparison groups. No deaths were identified in this group. We found a statistically significant increase in the billing codes for pulmonary hypertension and heart failure. Conditions commonly associated with AS such as atrial arrhythmias, ventricular arrhythmias, diastolic dysfunction, ischemic heart disease and stroke were poorly reported. Our study identified a low incidence of AS and its complications in pregnancy in the USA over our 13-year study period. Even though, the morbidity and mortality are low, it is important that clinicians be aware of this diagnosis due higher costs and risk of complications.


Remediation technologies for acid mine drainage: Recent trends and future perspectives.
Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a highly acidic solution rich in heavy metals and produced by mining activities. It can severely inhibit the growth of plants, and microbial communities and disturb the surrounding ecosystem. In recent years, the use of different bioremediation technologies to treat AMD pollution has received widespread attention due to its environment-friendly and low-cost nature. Various active and passive remediation technologies have been developed for the treatment of AMD. The active treatment involves the use of different chemical compounds while passive treatments utilize natural and biological processes like constructed wetlands, anaerobic sulfate-reducing bioreactors, anoxic limestone drains, vertical flow wetlands, limestone leach beds, open limestone channels, and various organic materials. Moreover, different nanomaterials have also been successfully employed in AMD treatment. There are also reports on certain plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) which have the potential to enhance the growth and productivity of plants under AMD-contaminated soil conditions. PGPR applied to plants with phytoremediation potential called PGPR-assisted phytoremediation has emerged as an economical and environment-friendly approach. Nevertheless, various approaches have been tested and employed, all the approaches have certain limitations in terms of efficiency, secondary pollution of chemicals used for the remediation of AMD, and disposal of materials used as sorbents or as phytoextractants as in the case of PGPR-assisted phytoremediation. In the future, more research work is needed to enhance the efficiency of various approaches employed with special attention to alleviating secondary pollutants production and safe disposal of materials used or biomass produced during PGPR-assisted phytoremediation.


Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-to-platelet ratio as a biomarker of liver disease and hepatic fibrosis severity in paediatric Cystic Fibrosis.
Cystic fibrosis (CF)-associated liver disease (CFLD) causes significant morbidity and mortality in children with CF. Diagnosis of liver disease prior to development of cirrhosis or portal hypertension (PHT) is challenging. While imaging modalities using Elastography show great promise they are still not widely available to all clinicians. This study investigated gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-to-platelet ratio (GPR) as a non-invasive biomarker to detect liver disease and stage fibrosis severity in children with CF. 237 children were enroled including 76 with CFLD and 161 with CF and no detectable liver disease (CFnoLD). CFLD was diagnosed using standard clinical, biochemical and imaging practice guidelines. Hepatic fibrosis was staged on liver biopsies available from 54 children with CFLD. Serum liver biochemistry was used to calculate GPR (median, [IQR]) and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis assessed utility to detect liver disease and stage fibrosis severity. GPR was significantly increased in CFLD versus CFnoLD (0.33 [0.19-0.96] vs. 0.15 [0.11-0.21], P<0.0001). GPR demonstrated good diagnostic utility for detecting CFLD with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.81 (95% confidence Interval [CI] [0.75-0.87]; P<0.0001), with sensitivity of 74% and specificity of 73%, using a cut-off of 0.20. GPR increased with increasing hepatic fibrosis stage. GPR discriminated both moderate-advanced (F2-F4) fibrosis vs. F0-F1 (AUC=0.82; 95%CI [0.71-0.94]; P<0.0001) and advanced (F3-F4) fibrosis vs. F0-F2 (AUC=0.77; 95%CI [0.64-0.90]; P = 0.004), with a cut-off 0.32 and 0.61, respectively. An elevated GPR of >0.84 was predictive of PHT at diagnosis of CFLD (AUC=0.81; 95%CI [0.67-0.95]; P = 0.0003). GPR demonstrates good diagnostic utility for assessing the presence of liver disease, PHT and hepatic fibrosis severity in children with CF. These findings will aid in better identification of patients at risk for CF-related liver involvement and the potential for more targeted and timely follow-up and treatment.


Immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy of choroidal infiltrates and Dalen-Fuchs nodules in sympathetic ophthalmia.
An immunohistological study using monoclonal antibodies directed at specific membrane antigens of various inflammatory cells was carried out in order to evaluate the identity and topographic localization of the immuno-competent cells in an enucleated eye from a 6-year-old black patient with a three-month history of sympathetic ophthalmia. Correlative light and transmission electron microscopic examination of serial sections was also performed. The data demonstrated that the predominant cells within the choroidal infiltrate were T-lymphocytes (Leu 1+). T-cell subset analysis disclosed that most of these cells harbored specific antigenic determinants of the helper phenotype (Leu 3a+). A smaller proportion of the T cells demonstrated the specific determinants of the suppressor subtype (Leu 2a+). The helper/suppressor ratio varied slightly and ranged in most areas of the choroid between 3:1 and 4:1. Additionally, approximately 15% of the infiltrating lymphocytes harbored the Leu 14+ determinant specific for B cells. The latter were located in the outer choroid adjacent to the sclera. Very few natural killer (NK) cells (Leu 7+) were identified throughout the choroid. The granulomatous foci in the choroid were composed mainly of epithelioid cells and histiocytes expressing the OKM1+ and M221+ antigenic determinants on their membranes and demonstrating a high cytoplasmic nonspecific esterase activity (ANAE+). Within the Dalen-Fuchs nodules, similar to the choroidal nodules, there was a predominance of histiocytes and epithelioid cells (OKM1+, M221+, ANAE+), a few T-helper cells (Leu 1+, Leu3a+) and some OKM1-, M221- cells whose origin could not be determined. These findings were corroborated by electron microscopic observations of serial sections. Careful light and electron microscopic studies disclosed breaks in Bruch's membrane underlying some of Dalen-Fuchs nodules. In our opinion, these observations may be interpreted as the demonstration that Dalen-Fuchs' nodules and the choroidal granulomatous foci could be formed by identical cells of similar function and origin.


Lung injury induced by short-term intermittent trimellitic anhydride (TMA) inhalation.
We have developed a rat model of lung injury with interstitial pneumonitis, lung hemorrhage, and a systemic and pulmonary immune response to trimellitic anhydride (TMA)-haptenized proteins induced by TMA inhalation for 10 days. The present studies explored the induction of lung injury induced by short-term intermittent TMA inhalation, a model more likely to simulate short-term industrial exposures during inadvertent spills of TMA. Sprague-Dawley rats inhaled TMA powder (500 micrograms/m3) on days 1, 5, and 10, and were necropsied on day 30, 18 hours after a 6-hour TMA-inhalation challenge on day 29. Rats were bled every second day and at necropsy. Serum IgG, IgA, and IgM antibody to trimellityl rat serum albumin was measured by ELISA. There was a rise in IgM and IgA antibody to trimellityl rat serum albumin starting at day 5 that peaked at day 20 with a decline in IgM by day 30. IgG antibody rose at day 7, peaked at day 20, and plateaued. The IgG antibody level was 10 times higher than the IgA or IgM level. In a second experiment, 18 rats were administered TMA-inhalation exposure on days 1, 5, and 10, and a TMA challenge on day 22. The number of hemorrhagic foci, lung weights, and lung-displacement volumes at necropsy on day 23 were highly correlated with IgG, IgA, and IgM serum-antibody levels. In a final experiment, rats developed a mean of 112 hemorrhagic foci per lung on day 30 after receiving only two TMA-inhalation exposures on days 1 and 5 with a rechallenge on day 29. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Epitope studies indicate that histidyl-tRNA synthetase is a stimulating antigen in idiopathic myositis.
The most frequently found myositis-specific antibody, the anti-Jo-1 antibody (anti-HRS), binds to histidyl-tRNA synthetase (HRS). Although this antibody reacts with HRS, it is unclear whether HRS is the stimulating antigen or is merely a protein that cross-reacts with a yet undefined antigen. Because antibody directed against an unrelated antigen would not be expected to cross-react with HRS at multiple sites, we mapped the epitopes on HRS to resolve this issue. We found by Western blot analyses that immunoglobulins G (IgG) from 18 of 19 anti-HRS positive patient sera react with amino acids 2-44 and 286-509 of HRS. Patient IgG specific for these two epitopes were found not to inhibit HRS enzyme activity. Instead, the inhibitory property of anti-HRS was found to be associated with antibodies that do not react to HRS in immunoblots, indicating the presence of other epitopes. In addition, antibodies that react in immunoblots were found to represent only a small fraction of total anti-HRS antibody. Our finding that patient IgG recognized at least three distinct epitopes on HRS strongly suggests that the immunological response at some point in the disease is directed against HRS and not against a cross-reactive antigen.


Chronic kidney disease is associated with increased levels of renalase in serum and decreased in erythrocytes.
Renalase is a novel flavin adenine dinucleotide-dependent amine oxidase with catecholamine-degrading activity. The kidneys are the main source of this enzyme. In this study, we examined the concentrations of renalase in the serum, urine, and erythrocytes of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We enrolled 155 white patients with CKD and 30 healthy controls. Renalase concentrations were measured using an enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay. Serum renalase levels were higher in patients with CKD than in controls: median (Q1-Q3), 103 ng/ml (55.6-166 ng/ml) vs 17.7 ng/ml (16.3-21.8 ng/ml); P <0.001. Renalase levels in erythrocytes were lower in patients with CKD than in controls (median [Q1-Q3], 122 ng/ml [67.2-189 ng/ml] vs 254 ng/ml [166-293 ng/ml]; P <0.001). Urinary renalase levels did not differ between patients with CKD and controls (median [Q1-Q3], 147 ng/ml [102-193 ng/ml] vs 144 ng/ml [116-170 ng/ml]; P = 0.78). Urinary and erythrocyte renalase concentrations were negatively correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). A multivariate general linear model analysis adjusted for age, sex, and eGFR of CKD patients showed that higher plasma dopamine and total protein concentrations were independent predictors of higher serum renalase levels (β = 0.32, P <0.001 and β = 0.25, P <0.001, respectively). Our results indicate that serum renalase concentrations are elevated in patients with CKD, whereas renalase concentrations in urine and erythrocytes are correlated with impaired kidney function.


Distribution of catecholaminergic presympathetic-premotor neurons in the rat lower brainstem.
We previously characterized the organization of presympathetic-premotor neurons (PSPMNs), which send descending poly-synaptic projections with collaterals to skeletal muscle and the adrenal gland. Such neurons may play a role in shaping integrated adaptive responses, and many of them were found within well-characterized regions of noradrenergic cell populations suggesting that some of the PSPMNs are catecholaminergic. To address this issue, we used retrograde trans-synaptic tract-tracing with attenuated pseudorabies virus (PRV) recombinants combined with multi-label immunofluorescence to identify PSPMNs expressing tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). Our findings indicate that TH-immunoreactive (ir) PSPMNs are present throughout the brainstem within multiple cell populations, including the A1, C1, C2, C3, A5 and A7 cell groups along with the locus coeruleus (LC) and the nucleus subcoeruleus (SubC). The largest numbers of TH-ir PSPMNs were located within the LC and SubC. Within SubC and the A7 cell group, about 70% of TH-ir neurons were PSPMNs, which was a significantly greater fraction of neurons than in the other brain regions we examined. These findings indicate that TH-ir neurons near the pontomesencephalic junction that are distributed across the LC, SubC, and the A7 may play a prominent role in somatomotor-sympathetic integration, and that the major functional role of the A7 and SubC noradrenergic cell groups maybe in the coordination of concomitant activation of somatomotor and sympathetic outflows. These neurons may participate in mediating homeostatic adaptations that require simultaneous activation of sympathetic and somatomotor nerves in the periphery.


Effects of human and animal-assisted skills training on oxytocin und cortisol levels in patients with borderline personality disorder.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterised, among other symptoms, by emotional instability and difficulties in regulating proximity to significant others. Many with BPD have difficulties in establishing a trustful therapeutic relationship, which often develop before a background of adverse childhood experiences with caregivers. One way to facilitate therapeutic interaction in psychotherapy incorporates pet animals as "door openers". No study exists, however, that has examined the effect of animal-assisted versus human-guided skills training on neurobiological correlates of affiliation and stress regulation, i.e. oxytocin and cortisol. Twenty in-patients diagnosed with BPD were recruited to participate in an animal-assisted skills-training. Another 20 in-patients participated in a human-guided skills-training. Salivary samples of both groups were taken for determining oxytocin and cortisol before and immediately after 3 therapeutic sessions at least one week apart from one another. In addition, borderline symptom severity (BSL-23), impulsivity (BIS-15), alexithymia (TAS-20), and fear of compassion (FOCS) were determined by self-rating questionnaires before and after the 6-week interventions. Both therapeutic interventions led to a significant reduction in cortisol and an (non-significant) increase in oxytocin, respectively. Importantly, there was a statistically significant interaction between changes in cortisol and oxytocin, independent of group. Both groups further showed clinical improvement as measured using the above-listed questionnaires. Our findings suggest that both animal-assisted and human-guided interventions have measurable short-term effects on affiliative and stress hormones, with no approach being superior to the other in this regard.


Ion rectification based on gel polymer electrolyte ionic diode.
Biological ion channels rely on ions as charge carriers and unidirectional ion flow to produce and transmit signals. To realize artificial biological inspired circuitry and seamless human-machine communication, ion-transport-based rectification devices should be developed. In this research, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) are assembled to construct a novel ionic diode, enabling ion rectification through ion-diffusion/migration that emulates biological systems. This ion rectification results from the different diffusion/migration behaviors of mobile ions transporting in the GPE heterojunction. The electrical tests of the GPE heterojunction reveal outstanding rectifying ratio of 23.11. The GPE ionic diode operates in wide temperature window, from -20 °C (anti-freezing) to 125 °C (thermal tolerance). The absence of redox reactions is verified in the cyclic voltammogram. The GPE ionic diodes are used to construct ionic logic gates for signal communication. Furthermore, rectification of a triboelectric nanogenerator and potential for synaptic devices are demonstrated.


Cytomorphological analysis of uterine cervical pap smears in relation to human papillomavirus infection in Indonesian women.
Cervical cancer is the number one cause of cancer-associated death in Indonesian women (30/100,000 annually), where no screening program is present. The Papanicolaou test is widely accepted as an effective screening method for cervical neoplasia detection and often shows certain cytological features associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Especially in developing countries, cytological investigation is still the method of choice as compared to the frequent use of HPV DNA testing in western countries. In the present study, we investigated the validity of the use of cytomorphological changes as a marker for HPV infection. A total of 140 smears collected in three different areas in Indonesia (Jakarta, Tasikmalaya and Bali) were analyzed. HPV DNA testing was performed using INNO-LiPA assays. We found a highly significant association of classical koilocytosis, multinucleated cells, dyskeratosis-parakeratosis, nuclear membrane, enlarged nuclei, moderate/strong hyperchromasia and chromatin pattern with HPV positivity. Using classical and nonclassical cytomorphological parameters we found an overall sensitivity of 42% and a specificity of 90%. The combination of classical and nonclassical parameters led to a higher sensitivity of HPV positivity prediction. These results are of importance for cytologists in developing countries as molecular HPV testing still poses a major financial, logistic and expertise problem.


Association of hearing impairment with social participation restriction and depression: comparison between midlife and older adults.
This study examined the association between hearing impairment and depression, focusing on the role of restricted social engagement as a mediator and whether the mediating relationship differed between midlife individuals (45-64) and older adults (65+). Individuals aged 45 and older from the cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017-2018 were analyzed (N = 3,020). A multiple-group path analysis was conducted to compare midlife individuals (n = 1,774) and older adults (n = 1,246). The results indicated that among U.S. adults aged 45 or older, 12.3% reported having serious difficulty hearing (21.2% among older adults vs. 7.4% among midlife adults). In both age groups, significant direct relationship between hearing impairment and depression, as well as indirect relationship via social participation restriction, were found. However, a significant difference was found in the relationship between restricted social participation and depression by age group (i.e. moderated mediation): The coefficient was greater among midlife adults than among older adults (Δbmidlife-older=1.109-0.383 = 0.726, p<.001). These findings highlight that adverse psychosocial effects of hearing impairment are also an important concern for midlife adults. As the importance of social engagement was greater among midlife adults with hearing impairment, age-specific interventions should be adopted to reduce depression associated with hearing impairment.


Effect of cell disruption methods on the extraction of bioactive metabolites from microalgal biomass.
Microalgae synthesize a variety of potentially high-value compounds. Due to their robust cell wall, cell disruption is necessary to improve extraction of these compounds. While cell disruption methods have been optimized for lipid and protein extraction, there are limited studies for other bioactive compounds. The present study investigated the effect of freeze-drying combined with sonication or ball-milling on the extraction of antioxidant and plant biostimulating compounds from Chlorella sp., Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus acutus. Both cell disruption methods resulted in higher extract yields from the biomass compared to freeze-dried biomass using 50% methanol as a solvent. Antioxidant activity of Chlorella extracts was generally higher than freeze-dried extracts based on the diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and β-carotene linoleic acid assays. However, the effectiveness of each treatment varied between microalgae strains. Sonication resulted in the highest antioxidant activity in Chlorella sp. extracts. Ball-milling gave the best results for C. vulgaris extracts in the DPPH assay. Both cell disruption methods decreased antioxidant activity in S. acutus extracts. Plant biostimulating activity was tested using the mung bean rooting assay. Damaging the membrane by freeze-drying was sufficient to release the active compounds using water extracts. In contrast, both cell disruption methods negatively affected the biological activity of the extracts. These results indicate that bioactive compounds in microalgae are sensitive to post-harvest processes and their biological activity can be negatively affected by cell disruption methods. Care must be taken to not only optimize yield but to also preserve the biological activity of the target compounds.


Identification of purine biosynthesis as an NADH-sensing pathway to mediate energy stress.
An enhanced NADH/NAD+ ratio, termed reductive stress, is associated with many diseases. However, whether a downstream sensing pathway exists to mediate pathogenic outcomes remains unclear. Here, we generate a soluble pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase from Escherichia coli (EcSTH), which can elevate the NADH/NAD+ ratio and meantime reduce the NADPH/NADP+ ratio. Additionally, we fuse EcSTH with previously described LbNOX (a water-forming NADH oxidase from Lactobacillus brevis) to resume the NADH/NAD+ ratio. With these tools and by using genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 library screens and metabolic profiling in mammalian cells, we find that accumulated NADH deregulates PRPS2 (Ribose-phosphate pyrophosphokinase 2)-mediated downstream purine biosynthesis to provoke massive energy consumption, and therefore, the induction of energy stress. Blocking purine biosynthesis prevents NADH accumulation-associated cell death in vitro and tissue injury in vivo. These results underscore the pathophysiological role of deregulated purine biosynthesis in NADH accumulation-associated disorders and demonstrate the utility of EcSTH in manipulating NADH/NAD+ and NADPH/NADP+.


The effect of postmastectomy radiotherapy in node-positive triple-negative breast cancer.
The value of postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) for pathological node-positive triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) remains debatable. The aim of this population-based retrospective study was to evaluate the effect of PMRT on survival outcomes in this population. Patients diagnosed with stage T1-4N1-N3M0 TNBC between 2010 and 2014 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. We used univariate and multivariate Cox regression hazards method to determine the independent prognostic factors associated with 3-year breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS). The effect of PMRT on 3-year BCSS was analyzed after stratification by pathological staging of groups. Of the 4398 patients included in this study, 2649 (60.2%) received PMRT. Younger age, black ethnicity, and advanced tumor (T) and nodal (N) stage were the independent predictors associated with PMRT receipt (all P < 0.05). Patients who received PMRT showed better 3-year BCSS (OR = 0.720, 95% CI = 0.642-0.808, P < 0.001) than those that did not. The effect of PMRT on 3-year BCSS was analyzed after stratification by pathological staging of groups. The results showed that PMRT was associated with better 3-year BCSS in patients with stage T3-4N1 (P = 0.042), T1-4N2 (P < 0.001), and T1-4N3 (P < 0.001), while comparable 3-year BCSS was found between the PMRT and non-PMRT cohorts with T1-2N1 disease (P = 0.191). Radiotherapy achieved better 3-year BCSS in TNBC patients with stage T3-4N1 and T1-4N2-3 disease. However, no survival benefit was found with the addition of PMRT in patients with T1-2N1 TNBC.


Incorporating Comorbidity Within Risk Adjustment for UK Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.
When considering early survival rates after pediatric cardiac surgery it is essential to adjust for risk linked to case complexity. An important but previously less well understood component of case mix complexity is comorbidity. The National Congenital Heart Disease Audit data representing all pediatric cardiac surgery procedures undertaken in the United Kingdom and Ireland between 2009 and 2014 was used to develop and test groupings for comorbidity and additional non-procedure-based risk factors within a risk adjustment model for 30-day mortality. A mixture of expert consensus based opinion and empiric statistical analyses were used to define and test the new comorbidity groups. The study dataset consisted of 21,838 pediatric cardiac surgical procedure episodes in 18,834 patients with 539 deaths (raw 30-day mortality rate, 2.5%). In addition to surgical procedure type, primary cardiac diagnosis, univentricular status, age, weight, procedure type (bypass, nonbypass, or hybrid), and era, the new risk factor groups of non-Down congenital anomalies, acquired comorbidities, increased severity of illness indicators (eg, preoperative mechanical ventilation or circulatory support) and additional cardiac risk factors (eg, heart muscle conditions and raised pulmonary arterial pressure) all independently increased the risk of operative mortality. In an era of low mortality rates across a wide range of operations, non-procedure-based risk factors form a vital element of risk adjustment and their presence leads to wide variations in the predicted risk of a given operation.


A deep learning approach to detect Covid-19 coronavirus with X-Ray images.
Rapid and accurate detection of COVID-19 coronavirus is necessity of time to prevent and control of this pandemic by timely quarantine and medical treatment in absence of any vaccine. Daily increase in cases of COVID-19 patients worldwide and limited number of available detection kits pose difficulty in identifying the presence of disease. Therefore, at this point of time, necessity arises to look for other alternatives. Among already existing, widely available and low-cost resources, X-ray is frequently used imaging modality and on the other hand, deep learning techniques have achieved state-of-the-art performances in computer-aided medical diagnosis. Therefore, an alternative diagnostic tool to detect COVID-19 cases utilizing available resources and advanced deep learning techniques is proposed in this work. The proposed method is implemented in four phases, viz., data augmentation, preprocessing, stage-I and stage-II deep network model designing. This study is performed with online available resources of 1215 images and further strengthen by utilizing data augmentation techniques to provide better generalization of the model and to prevent the model overfitting by increasing the overall length of dataset to 1832 images. Deep network implementation in two stages is designed to differentiate COVID-19 induced pneumonia from healthy cases, bacterial and other virus induced pneumonia on X-ray images of chest. Comprehensive evaluations have been performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method with both (i) training-validation-testing and (ii) 5-fold cross validation procedures. High classification accuracy as 97.77%, recall as 97.14% and precision as 97.14% in case of COVID-19 detection shows the efficacy of proposed method in present need of time. Further, the deep network architecture showing averaged accuracy/sensitivity/specificity/precision/F1-score of 98.93/98.93/98.66/96.39/98.15 with 5-fold cross validation makes a promising outcome in COVID-19 detection using X-ray images.


Diffusion-Weighted Imaging Hyperintensities in Acute and Subacute-Phase Intracerebral Hemorrhage.
Diffusion-weighted imaging hyperintensities are observed in intracerebral hemorrhage patients at times and might be associated with unfavorable functional outcomes. However, the suitable time to evaluate diffusion-weighted imaging hyperintensities to influence stroke outcome remains unclear. This study investigated the associations between acute and sub-acute diffusion-weighted imaging hyperintensities and functional outcomes among patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage. Diffusion-weighted imaging hyperintensities were evaluated within 24 h (acute phase) and at 14 ± 5 days (sub-acute phase). An unfavorable functional outcome was a score of 5-6 on the modified Rankin Scale at 3 months. Among 268 intracerebral hemorrhage patients, diffusion-weighted imaging hyperintensities in the acute phase were observed in 32 (11.9%). Among 227 patients who underwent a second magnetic resonance imaging in the sub-acute phase, diffusion-weighted imaging hyperintensities were observed in 57 (25.1%). Multivariable analysis revealed that the baseline intracerebral hemorrhage volume, history of stroke, and severe white matter lesions were associated with sub-acute diffusion-weighted imaging hyperintensities. The patients with unfavorable outcomes (n = 37) had a higher frequency of sub-acute diffusion-weighted imaging hyperintensities than those without (n = 190) (51.4% vs. 20.0%, P < 0.001); the frequencies of acute diffusion-weighted imaging hyperintensities were not significantly different between the groups (13.5% vs. 10.0%, P = 0.559). Sub-acute diffusion-weighted imaging hyperintensities were independently associated with unfavorable outcomes after adjusting for confounding factors (Odds Ratio, 3.35, 95% CI 1.20-9.35, P = 0.021). The rate of sub-acute diffusion-weighted imaging hyperintensities was higher than acute diffusion-weighted imaging hyperintensities among acute intracerebral hemorrhage patients and likely to be associated with unfavorable outcomes.


Acquisition of modified American sign language by a mute autistic child.
An attempt was made to teach a modified version of American Sign Language to mute 5-year-old boy who had been diagnosed autistic and who had a Merrill-Palmer IQ of 65. Previous attempts to teach imitative spoken language had failed, and baseline data indicated that the child's signing vocabulary was also nonexistent. Data were collected during 20 structured sessions involving presentation of stimuli, prompting and manual guidance when necessary, and reinforcement. Continuous use of signs as communication in class and at home was emphasized. The child had mastered 12 signs at the end of the study. Spontaneous signing frequency as recorded by parents and teachers during several 48 hour periods rose from 15 to 42 emitted signs over the 3 months of the study. The child made 6 months' developmental progress during this time, as measured by a sign-language adaptation of the Alpern-Boll Communication Scale. However, the child made no apparent progress in acquiring spoken language.


Serological patterns and temporal trends of HTLV-1/2 infection in high-risk populations attending Public Health Units in São Paulo, Brazil.
HTLV-1/2 diagnosis in high-risk populations from São Paulo, Brazil has been problematic due a high proportion of seroindeterminate results. To confirm and extend previous findings regarding HTLV-1/2 diagnosis in this geographic area. Sera from 2312 patients were tested for HTLV-1/2 antibodies using enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and Western blot (WB) analysis. Patients were from AIDS Reference Centers (Group I; 1393 patients) and HTLV out-patient clinics (Group II; 919 patients). Results were analyzed according to patients' age, gender, and clinic type. HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 were detected in both groups. Among seropositive females, HTLV-2 was slightly more common in Group I (54.5%), while HTLV-1 prevailed in Group II (73.9%). Males from Group II had a higher percentage of HTLV-seroindeterminate results. No correlation between HTLV serological results and age was detected. Temporal analyses disclosed a high number of HTLV-seroindeterminate samples, and a large spectrum of indeterminate WB profiles. GD21 and/or rgp46-II bands were detected in 34.6% of sera from Group I, and a p24 or p19 band was detected in 35.3% of sera from Group II. High rates of HTLV-indeterminate serological patterns during temporal analyses were confirmed in high-risk populations from São Paulo, Brazil.


Protein efficiency ratios and net protein ratios of selected protein foods.
As a part of a cooperative study initiated to assess both in vitro and in vivo protein quality methods, the protein efficiency ratio (PER) and net protein ratios (NPR) of 15 different protein sources were determined. Male weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a 10% protein diet. Fourteen-day NPR and relative NPR (RNPR) values and 14- and 28-day PER and relative PER (RPER) values were calculated for each protein source. When protein quality values were expressed relative to ANRC casein, the 14- and 28-day PER data ranked the protein sources essentially in the same order. RPER values of nonfat dried skim milk (unheated) and tuna were more than 100% that of casein; nonfat dried skim milk (heated), chickpeas, and breakfast sausage were between 50 and 70% of that of casein; and pinto beans and rice-wheat gluten cereal did not support substantial growth of the rat. The NPR method did not always rank the protein sources in the same order as the PER method. For the poor quality proteins, RNPR values were much higher than the RPER values; however, the RNPR and RPER values agreed closely for high quality protein sources.


Nuclear transport of influenza virus polymerase PA protein.
The subcellular distribution of influenza polymerase PA subunit has been studied using a SV40-recombinant virus (SVPA76), which allows the expression and accumulation of this protein in COS-1 cells. In contrast to the complete nuclear localization observed for the PA subunit several hours after influenza virus infection, when COS-1 cells were infected with the SVPA76 recombinant, the PA protein accumulated either in the nucleus, in the cytoplasm or was distributed throughout the cell. When cells were infected with the SVPA76 recombinant and superinfected with influenza virus, a clear increase in the proportion of cells showing nuclear localization of the PA protein was observed, suggesting that some trans-factor may be required to allow complete nuclear accumulation of the protein. Double infections using SVPA76 recombinant and either SVPB1 or SVNS recombinant viruses showed a complete correlation between expression of polymerase PB1 subunit or NS1 protein and nuclear localization of polymerase PA subunit. However, no such correlation was observed in the double infections of SVPA76 and SVNP recombinants. These results suggest that polymerase PB1 subunit and the non-structural proteins could be involved in the nuclear targeting or nuclear retention of influenza polymerase PA protein.


ATPase-associated antigen (M2): marker antigen for serological diagnosis of primary biliary cirrhosis.
Serum samples from 94 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and 17 patients with chronic cholestatic hepatitis (CCH) were tested in the fluorometric immunoassay (FIAX) against the nonorgan-specific ATPase-associated antigen (M2) and against submitochondrial from beef heart and rat liver, to evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of the M2 antigen for the diagnosis of PBC. As controls serum samples from 42 patients with other antimitochondrial antibody (AMA) specificity (against M1, M3, M5, and M6) as well as samples from 417 patients with various other hepatic and non-hepatic disorders were used. Serum samples from 91 of the 94 PBC patients (97%) and all 17 with CCH reacted with the M2 antigen. However, when SMP from rat liver and beef heart were tested in parallel in the FIAX, AMA could be detected in all PBC serum samples. None of the 42 patients with different types of AMA had reactions with the M2 antigen but all had reactions with SMP from rat-liver or beef-heart mitochondria or both. Among the other 417 patients with hepatic and non-hepatic disorders only 4(1%), all with collagen diseases, had anti-M2 antibodies.


European countries have different rates of sperm cryopreservation before vasectomy and at the time of reversal.
Effective male contraceptive options are condoms and vasectomy. Vasectomy should not be considered a reversible method of contraception even if vasovasostomy can be offered to men to restore fertility after vasectomy. Therefore, there is a real questioning among urologists concerning cryopreservation before vasectomy. We carried out an international survey concerning the practice of cryopreservation before vasectomy and during vasovasostomy. An online anonymous survey was submitted from January to June 2021 to six European urological societies. The 31-items questionnaire included questions about demography, habits of cryopreservation before vasectomy or during vasectomy reversal, and in case of urogenital cancers. 228 urologists from six urological societies in five different countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Finland) answered the questionnaire. French urologists were more in favor of cryopreservation before vasectomy than other European urologists (p < 0.0001). They also significantly found that not talking about cryopreservation before vasectomy is a medical fault unlike other urologists (p < 0.0001). The specialization in andrology did not influence the choice of cryopreservation before vasectomy (p = 0.9452). The majority of urologists did not perform intraoperative sperm extraction during vasovasostomy (81%; n = 127) with a significant difference between urologists with or without andrology training (p = 0.0146). Success rates after vasovasostomy are significantly better for robot-assisted surgery (p = 0.0159) or with a microscope (p = 0.0456) versus without a microscope. Cryopreservation before definitive sterilization significantly varies among European urologists and seems to be mostly dictated by habits than by knowledge. An international consensus is needed to standardize practices and guide patients' choices.


Effects of couple interactions and relationship quality on plasma oxytocin and cardiovascular reactivity: empirical findings and methodological considerations.
Cardiovascular reactivity is a potential mechanism underlying associations of close relationship quality with cardiovascular disease. Two models describe oxytocin as another mechanism. The "calm and connect" model posits an association between positive relationship experiences and oxytocin levels and responses, whereas the "tend and befriend" model emphasizes the effects of negative relationship experiences in evoking oxytocin release. In this study of 180 younger couples, relationship quality had a small, marginally significant inverse association with plasma oxytocin levels, and neither positive nor negative couple interactions evoked change in plasma oxytocin. Negative couple interactions evoked significant cardiovascular reactivity, especially among women. Hence, in the largest study of these issues to date, there was little support for key tenets of the "calm and connect" model, and only very modest support for the "tend and befriend" model. However, findings were consistent with the view that CVR contributes to the effects of relationship difficulties on health.


Detection of CRISPR/Cas9-Generated Off-Target Effect by Integration-Defective Lentiviral Vector.
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) and other gene editing technologies such as zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) show great promises for research and therapeutic applications. One major concern is the off-target effects generated by these nucleases at unintended genomic sequences. In silico methods are usually used for off-target site prediction. However, based on currently available algorithms, the predicted cleavage activity at these potential off-target sites does not always reflect the true cleavage in vivo. Here we present an unbiased screening protocol using integration-defective lentiviral vector (IDLV) and deep sequencing to map the off-target sites generated by gene editing tools.


Carbon monoxide protects against ischemia-reperfusion injury in an experimental model of controlled nonheartbeating donor kidney.
CO-releasing molecule-3 (CORM-3) is a transitional metal carbonyl that liberates carbon monoxide under appropriate conditions. Carbon monoxide exerts effects on intracellular apoptotic and inflammatory pathways, which suggest a role in reducing the effects of renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. This study investigated the effects of CORM-3 administered at the time of reperfusion in a model of controlled nonheartbeating donor kidneys. Porcine kidneys (n=4) were subjected to 10 min warm ischemia and 18 hr cold storage (CS) and then treated as follows: CORM-3 (50, 100, 200, and 400 microM doses), iCORM-3 (inactive carbon monoxide-releasing molecule, 50 microM), and control (no further intervention). Renal hemodynamics and function were then measured during 3-hr reperfusion with autologous blood using an isolated organ-perfusion system. CORM-3 at a concentration of 50 microM improved renal blood flow (RBF) compared with the iCORM and control groups (area under the curve 774+/-19 vs. 448+/-88 vs. 325+/-70, respectively, P=0.002). CO-releasing molecule-3 at a concentration of 50 microM also improved renal function during reperfusion with a greater area under the curve for creatinine clearance (CORM-3: 14+/-6 vs. iCORM: 3.3+/-0.1 vs. control: 2.2+/-2 mL/min, P=0.006) and higher urine output (CORM-3: 793+/-212 vs. iCORM: 368+/-72 vs. control: 302+/-211 mL, P=0.01). CO-releasing molecule-3 at a concentration of 100 microM exerted similar effects. Treatment with CORM-3 at higher doses (200 and 400 microM) led to poor renal hemodynamics and function after reperfusion. Low-dose CORM-3 significantly ameliorates the effects of ischemia/reperfusion in a porcine model of controlled nonheartbeating donor kidney transplantation.


Corneal Response to Injury and Infection in the Horse.
This article describes the natural responses of the immune system and the cornea to injury and infection. The process of reepithelialization and reformation of stromal collagen is discussed, as are the clinical signs and manifestations of the effects of the healing response when it is routine and when it is pathologic. Excessive inflammatory or immune responses by host tissues can cause further damage that may be present from the antecedent injury or the effect of a pathogen. The clinical signs and manifestations of wound healing as well as potential therapeutic interventions are described.


Partial ureteric obstruction: a new variable canine experimental model.
An experimental model of ureteric obstruction should be accurate and persistent, and allow variation of the degree of obstruction. A model was tested in 28 dogs consisting of insertion of an obstructing stent into the left ureter, and the degree of obstruction was varied by altering the internal diameter of the stents. The effects of such an obstruction on the following features were studied: renal intrapelvic pressure, intravenous urography, creatinine clearance, vascular casts, and both gross and histological examination. The procedure was well tolerated and caused a persistent, unchanging degree of partial ureteric obstruction. Pathological changes of obstructive uropathy were produced. This model can be used for further pathophysiological studies.


Therapeutic effect of interstitial photodynamic therapy using ATX-S10(Na) and a diode laser on radio-resistant SCCVII tumors of C3H/He mice.
We examined the effect of interstitial photodynamic therapy (PDT) with a new photosensitizer ATX-S10(Na). This photosensitizer showed the strongest therapeutic effect 2-4 h after administration and was rapidly excreted from individual organs except tumor and liver 24 h after i.v. injection. Microscopic histofluorescent imaging showed fluorescence of ATX-S10(Na) in the cytoplasm of the tumor cells, but not in nuclei and in the vascular wall. Irradiation of Liniac 30 Gly+20 Gly slightly reduced the tumor size, but all mice died of relapse within 60 days after irradiation. In the PDT group, all tumors became non-palpable and healing was achieved in 50% of mice 120 days after PDT.


Clinical performance of a newly developed spectrophotometric system on tooth color reproduction.
Matching a natural maxillary central incisor to a metal ceramic crown is one of the most difficult challenges in clinical dentistry due to the limitations of dental shade guides and the subjectivity of perceptual evaluation. The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical effectiveness of a spectrophotometric shade-matching system on tooth color reproduction. Two metal ceramic crowns were fabricated for a maxillary central incisor for 36 patients using 2 shade-matching techniques. The first technique was conventional visual matching using 3 shade guide systems, and the second was an instrument-based color-matching technique using a new spectrophotometric system. Color difference (DeltaE) values between the contralateral natural tooth and each of the 2 crowns were calculated in the cervical, middle, and incisal regions. The DeltaE values were compared using a Student's t test (alpha=.05). Three calibrated examiners evaluated the color match by ranking it from 1 to 10 (10 = perfect match; 1 = no match; < or =8, accepted; > or =7, rejected). McNemar's test was used to calculate the odds ratio of accepting restorations fabricated using a spectrophotometric system to conventional methods. Results revealed that the mean DeltaE values of crowns matched with the spectrophotometer were significantly lower than those using a conventional technique (P<.001). The odds ratio of 12.5 was calculated, indicating that conventionally matched crowns were more likely to be rejected than those matched using the spectrophotometer (P<.001). In this clinical study, crowns fabricated using a dedicated spectrophotometer had a significantly better color match and a lower rate of rejection due to shade mismatch compared to crowns fabricated with a conventional shade-matching method.


Chitosan: antimicrobial activity and potential applications for preserving minimally processed strawberries.
In this research the possible use of chitosan coating on fresh-cut strawberries was investigated. Manually sliced strawberries were treated with a solution of 1% chitosan, packaged in modified atmosphere with high (80%) and low (5%) percentage of oxygen and then stored at 4, 8, 12 and 15 degrees C. Changes in microbiological quality were measured and the shelf life of the samples, as stability time, was kinetically modelled in order to check the effects of storage temperature on the most relevant microbial indices for product quality. A chitosan coating inhibited the growth of microorganisms and affected significantly and positively the stability time of the products, above all when the samples were packaged in modified atmosphere (with low and high percentage of oxygen). Besides, the presence of high percentage of oxygen, combined with chitosan coating, seemed to affect positively the colour. The data revealed that applying a chitosan coating prolonged effectively the quality and extended the shelf life of fresh-cut strawberries.


The role of children in transmission of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern within households: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis, as at 30 June 2022.
BackgroundMeta-analyses and single-site studies have established that children are less infectious than adults within a household when positive for ancestral SARS-CoV-2. In addition, children appear less susceptible to infection when exposed to ancestral SARS-CoV-2 within a household. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) has been associated with an increased number of paediatric infections worldwide. However, the role of children in the household transmission of VOC, relative to the ancestral virus, remains unclear.AimWe aimed to evaluate children's role in household transmission of SARS-CoV-2 VOC.MethodsWe perform a meta-analysis of the role of children in household transmission of both ancestral SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-2 VOC.ResultsUnlike with the ancestral virus, children infected with VOC spread SARS-CoV-2 to an equivalent number of household contacts as infected adults and were equally as likely to acquire SARS-CoV-2 VOC from an infected family member. Interestingly, the same was observed when unvaccinated children exposed to VOC were compared with unvaccinated adults exposed to VOC.ConclusionsThese data suggest that the emergence of VOC was associated with a fundamental shift in the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2. It is unlikely that this is solely the result of age-dependent differences in vaccination during the VOC period and may instead reflect virus evolution over the course of the pandemic.


Repeated, high-dose dextromethorphan treatment decreases neurogenesis and results in depression-like behavior in rats.
Abuse of cough mixture is increasingly prevalent worldwide. Clinical studies showed that chronic consumption of cough mixture at high dosages may lead to psychiatric symptoms, especially affective disturbances, with the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. The present study aims at exploring the effect of repeated, high-dose dextromethorphan (DXM, a common active component of cough mixture) treatment on adult hippocampal neurogenesis, which is associated with pathophysiology of mood disturbances. After treatment with a high-dose of DXM (40 mg/kg/day) for 2 weeks, Sprague-Dawley rats showed increased depression-like behavior when compared to the control animals. Neurogenesis in the hippocampus was suppressed by DXM treatment, which was indicated by decreases in number of proliferative cells and doublecortin (an immature neuron marker)-positive new neurons. Furthermore, the dendritic complexity of the immature neurons was suppressed by DXM treatment. These findings suggest that DXM induces depression- and anxiety-like behavior and suppresses neurogenesis in rats. The current experimental paradigm may serve as an animal model for study on affective effect of cough mixture abuse, rehabilitation treatment options for abusers and the related neurological mechanisms.


Basal Ganglia Damage in Experimental Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.
Research suggests that early brain injury following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a primary therapeutic target, and early SAH-induced basal ganglia injury is not well studied. The present study examined basal ganglia injury in a rat model of SAH. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 78) weighing 275-300 g underwent endovascular perforation to mimic aneurysmal SAH. Sham rats (n = 12) underwent the same procedure but without perforation. Magnetic resonance imaging (T2 MRI) was performed at 24 h after SAH to measure ventricle volumes and brain T2 lesion. Hydrocephalus in SAH rats was defined as a ventricular volume greater than three standard deviations above that in shams. Western blotting and immunochemistry were utilized to assess basal ganglia damage. Sixty rats survived the SAH and 40 % of those animals had T2 lesions in the basal ganglia. Twenty-six SAH rats had hydrocephalus. Rats with hydrocephalus had higher incidence of basal ganglia lesion (69 vs. 18 % in rats without hydrocephalus; p < 0.01). Basal ganglia neuronal injury was also determined by examining the levels of dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein, Mr 32 kDa (DARPP-32). We found that rats with hydrocephalus had more severe basal ganglia injury with greater DARPP-32 depletion (DARPP-32/beta-actin: 0.38 ± 0.32 vs. 0.86 ± 0.45 in rats without hydrocephalus and 1.10 ± 0.28 in sham, p < 0.05). In conclusion, SAH resulted in severe basal ganglia damage, which is associated with hydrocephalus development.


Effect of passion fruit seed meal on growth performance, carcass, and blood characteristics in starter pigs.
Two experiments were carried out in Paraná State, Brazil, to evaluate the nutritional value of passion fruit seed meal (PFM) and to study the effect of PFM on growth performance, carcass, and blood characteristics in starter pigs (Topigs 20 × Tybor). In experiment 1, 25 castrated males, averaging 19.1-kg body weight, were individually fed in a completely randomized block design, consisting of five treatments and five replicates and an experimental period that lasted 14 days. In experiment 2, a total of 60 pigs (30 females and 30 castrated males) were distributed in a randomized block design with five treatments, six replications, and two animals per experimental unit and 90 days of experimentation. For both experiments, the same PFM inclusion rates were used in the experimental diets, namely, 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 %. The metabolizable energy of PFM was estimated to be 15.0 MJ/kg. Inclusion of PFM at any level did not affect average daily gain, daily feed intake, feed/gain ratio, backfat thickness, loin depth, and plasma or blood components. It is concluded that passion fruit seed meal for swine in the starting phase can be added at a rate of up to 16 % in the diet without any negative effects on growth performance, carcass, and blood characteristics in starter commercial line pigs.


Associations between perfluoroalkyl substances and thyroid hormones after high exposure through drinking water.
The reported associations for several per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) with thyroid hormones are inconsistent in epidemiological studies. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the possible association of thyroid hormones in relation to serum levels of perfluorohexane sulfonate, perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid, in a Swedish general population, highly exposed through contaminated drinking water, and if the associations with PFAS remained in a comparison to a reference group based only on residency in areas with contrasting PFAS levels. 3297 participants from Ronneby, a municipality with drinking water highly contaminated by PFAS (exposed group), and a reference group (N = 226) from a nearby municipality with non-contaminated drinking water supply were included. Regression analysis was used to investigate the associations between PFAS exposure, assessed as exposure groups (Ronneby and reference groups) and measured serum PFAS levels, and thyroid hormone levels, with adjustments for age, sex and BMI. No cross-sectional associations were found between PFAS and thyroid hormones in adults and seniors except for a positive association between PFAS and fT4 in males over 50. Higher thyroid hormone levels were found in the preteen children from Ronneby compared to the reference group. In contrast, within Ronneby, there was weak evidence of associations between increased PFAS levels and decreased fT3 in preteen boys, and decreased TSH in teenage males. No such pattern was found in preteen and teenage girls. The present study found no consistent evidence to support association of PFAS with thyroid hormones.


For which younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder does parent-mediated intervention work?
In this second of two primary papers, we examined two pre-intervention characteristics that might describe for whom a parent-implemented intervention, "Improving Parents As Communication Teachers," worked. Investigators randomized 97 high-risk siblings and their primary parent to either the Improving Parents As Communication Teachers or control group, used intent-to-treat analysis, and used assessors and coders who were blinded to group assignment. We predicted that a combined risk score (incorporating young siblings' sex, multiplex status, and behavioral risk) would describe the subgroup for whom Improving Parents As Communication Teachers affected the targeted skills related to reducing communication challenges. We also predicted that pre-intervention level of parents' depressive symptoms would describe the parents whose parenting stress and effectiveness as parents would be improved by learning to use Improving Parents As Communication Teachers. In girls with only one older sibling with autism spectrum disorder and who scored at low risk on an autism spectrum disorder screen, parental receipt of Improving Parents As Communication Teachers training had an indirect effect on children's expressive language ability or autism spectrum disorder diagnosis through earlier effects on high-risk siblings' intentional communication or expressive vocabulary. We did not confirm our prediction regarding Improving Parents As Communication Teachers' effect on parenting-related stress or sense of parenting effectiveness.


Bioaccumulation and speciation of selenium in fish and insects collected from a mountaintop removal coal mining-impacted stream in West Virginia.
A major contaminant of concern for mountaintop removal/valley fill (MTR/VF) coal mining is selenium (Se), an essential micronutrient that can be toxic to fish. Creek chubs (Semotilus atromaculatus), green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus), and composite insect samples were collected in March-July, 2011-2013 at two sites within the Mud River, West Virginia. One site (MR7) receives MTR/VF coal mining effluent, while the reference site (LFMR) does not. MR7 water had significantly higher concentrations of soluble Se (p < 0.01) and conductivity (p < 0.005) compared to LFMR. MR7 whole insects contained significantly higher concentrations of Se compared to LFMR insects (p < 0.001). MR7 creek chubs had significantly higher Se in fillets, liver, and ovary tissues compared to LFMR samples (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, and p < 0.02, respectively). MR7 green sunfish fillets contained significantly higher Se (p < 0.0001). Histological examination showed LFMR creek chub gills contained a typical amount of parasitic infestations; however MR7 gills contained minimal to no visible parasites. X-ray absorption spectroscopic analyses revealed that MR7 whole insects and creek chub tissues primarily contained organic Se and selenite. These two species of Mud River fish were shown to specifically accumulate Se differently in tissues compartments. Tissue-specific concentrations of Se may be useful in determining potential reproductive consequences of Se exposure in wild fish populations.


Phorbol esters stimulate non-transferrin iron uptake by K562 cells.
Characterization of non-transferrin (non-Tf) iron transport by K562 cells has revealed unique properties relative to iron uptake mechanisms present in other cell types (Inman, R. S., and Wessling-Resnick, M. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 8521-8528). Since treatment of K562 cells with phorbol esters promotes stable megakaryocytic differentiation, we examined the uptake of non-Tf iron in response to protein kinase C activation. Treatment of K562 cells with phorbol esters increased the cellular uptake of 55Fe 4-6-fold compared with untreated cells. The phorbol ester-induced stimulation of 55Fe uptake was time- and dose-dependent, with significantly enhanced transport observed only after prolonged administration of 50 nM phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (> 8 h). These effects can be attributed to an increased Vmax of transport (14.0 +/- 5 versus 0.6 +/- 0.2 pmol/min/10(6) cells) as well as a 6-fold increase in the apparent Km (1.2 +/- 0.4 versus 0.2 +/- 0.06 microM). It is thought that the reduction of Fe3+ to Fe2+ is required as a first step in the uptake mechanism, and the associated ferrireductase activity of K562 cells is also enhanced with phorbol ester treatment by 5-10-fold (337 +/- 53 versus 43 +/- 3 pmol/min/10(6) cells). Bryostatin-1, a protein kinase C activator that fails to induce differentiation of K562 cells, did not promote this effect, indicating that the enhanced transport activity is dependent on the differentiation response. The idea that synthesis of a new class of transporters is responsible for this effect is supported by the observation that actinomycin D blocks up-regulation of non-Tf iron transport. The increased transport and ferrireductase activity induced upon differentiation also correlate with the appearance of saturable iron-binding sites on the surface of K562 cells with Kd approximately 0.4 microM. These results indicate that non-Tf iron transport activity and the expression of cell-surface iron-binding proteins can be controlled by environmental factors that promote megakaryocytic differentiation of K562 cells.


Isotretinoin is active in the initial management of acute pro-myelocytic leukemia.
Pro-myelocytic acute leukemia (APL) is characterized by the proliferation of cells blocked at promyelocytic stage and ATRA is the choice of initial treatment because of the APL sensitivity to this compound. In this case study we report a 28-year-old man who presented to the Emergency Department with epistaxis, petechial rash, and fever. Laboratory tests revealed the presence of high white blood cell count with 60% blasts and evidence of coagulopathy. The diagnosis was confirmed later as APL. Because of the delayed transfer to the reference center and unavailability of ATRA initial treatment, the patient received isotretinoin, a related compound. The treatment was successfully implemented in the initial management of acute pro-myelocytic leukemia as patient condition improved. isotretinoin could be used as an alternative therapy for ATRA whenever the latter is not available. further research is needed to establish the appropriate doses and to assess the potential risk of differentiation syndromes.


Analysing Gait Patterns in Degenerative Lumbar Spine Disease Using Inertial Wearable Sensors: An Observational Study.
Using a chest-based inertial wearable sensor, we examined the quantitative gait patterns associated with lumbar disc herniation (LDH), lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), and chronic mechanical low back pain (CMLBP). 'Pathological gait signatures' were reported as statistically significant group difference (%) from the 'normative' gait values of an age-matched control population. A sample of patients presenting to the Prince of Wales Private Hospital (Sydney, Australia) with primary diagnoses of LDH, LSS, or CMLBP were recruited. Spatial, temporal, asymmetry, and variability metrics were compared with age-matched (±2 years) control participants recruited from the community. Participants were fitted at the sternal angle with an inertial measurement unit, MetaMotionC, and walked unobserved (at a self-selected pace) for 120 m along an obstacle-free, carpeted hospital corridor. LDH, CMLBP, and LSS groups had unique pathological signatures of gait impairment. The LDH group (n = 33) had marked asymmetry in terms of step length, step time, stance, and single-support asymmetry. The LDH group also involved gait variability with increased step length variation. However, distinguishing the CMLBP group (n = 33) was gait variability in terms increased single-support time variation. The gait of participants with LSS (n = 22) was both asymmetric and variable in step length. Wearable sensor-based accelerometry was found to be capable of detecting the gait abnormalities present in patients with LDH, LSS, and CMLBP, when compared to age-matched controls. Objective and quantitative patterns of gait deterioration uniquely varied between these subtypes of lumbar spine disease. With further testing and validation, gait signatures may aid clinical identification of gait-altering pathologies.


Glomerular function in advanced human diabetic nephropathy.
Intrinsic membrane properties of the glomerular capillary wall were evaluated in 20 diabetic patients, who had heavy proteinuria and reduced GFR, and in 15 healthy control subjects. The glomerular sieving coefficients were determined for narrow dextran fractions with molecular radii between 20 and 64 A. GFR determinants were directly measured or indirectly estimated. These quantities were then subjected to a theoretical analysis based upon (1) a mathematical model of glomerular ultrafiltration and (2) a pore model of transmembrane solute transport. The results indicated that in patients with diabetic nephropathy and glomerular ultrafiltration coefficient (0.02 vs. 0.16 ml . sec-1 . mm Hg-1 . 1.73m-2), effective pore area-to-pore length (2.6 x 10(6) vs. 20.0 x 10(6) cm), and mean pore radius (56.8 vs. 58.0 A) are all reduced relative to normal control subjects. It is suggested that (1) hypofiltration in advanced diabetic nephropathy results, in part, from reduction of the surface area available for filtration, while (2) proteinuria is a consequence of either loss of electrostatic barrier function, of isolated focal disruptions within the glomerular filtration barrier, or a combination thereof.


Identification and comparative analysis of complement C3-associated microRNAs in immune response of Apostichopus japonicus by high-throughput sequencing.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important effectors in mediating host-pathogen interaction. In this report, coelomocytes miRNA libraries of three Japanese sea cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus were built by Illumina(®) Hiseq2000 from different time points after lipopolysaccharide challenge (at time 0 h, 6 h and 12 h). The clean data received from high throughput sequencing were used to sequences analysis. Referenced to the Strongylocentrotus purpuratus genome, 38 conserved miRNAs were found, and three miRNA candidates were predicted by software. According to the evidence resulting from the expression of AjC3, expressing levels of spu-miR-133, spu-miR-137 and spu-miR-2004 altered along with the expression of AjC3 changing at different time points after LPS injection. Thus, we speculated that the three miRNAs may have influence on A. japonicus complement C3. The spu-miR-137 and miR-137 gene family in miRBase were analyzed by bioinformatics. There is an obvious discrepancy between invertebrates and vertebrates. The first and ninth nucleotides in invertebrate miR-137 are offset compared vertebrate miR-137. Importantly, this is the first attempt to map the stage of immune response regulome in echinoderms, which might be considered as information for elucidating the intrinsic mechanism underlying the immune system in this species.


Use of Tocilizumab in Management of Post-Operative Myelomonocytic Leukemoid Reaction.
Interleukin 6 receptor (IL6R) inhibitor, tocilizumab, has been effectively used in the treatment of cytokine release syndrome in patients receiving chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy. Here we present a patient with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) who developed a steroid refractory, post-operative myelomonocytic leukemoid reaction (PO-MMLR), effectively treated with tocilizumab. Although, further studies are needed to validate the effectiveness of tocilizumab in management of PO-MMLR, this case serves to provide a new management approach in treatment of this rare but lethal syndrome with no standardized treatment options.