Environmental variation of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs in two tropical Andean Colombian cities using passive samplers.
Passive air-sampling data of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) taken in Manizales (a medium-sized city) and Bogotá (a megacity), Colombia, were analyzed in order to identify potential sources of pollution and the possible influence of meteorological variables like temperature and precipitation. The results indicate important differences in levels of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs between Bogotá and Manizales, attributed to differences in site characteristics and potential local/regional sources. Higher PCDD/Fs concentrations were observed in Bogotá (373fg/m(3)) compared to those observed in Manizales, with mean levels ranging from 64fg/m(3) in a residential zone to 151fg/m(3) around a vehicular-influenced area. Higher dl-PCBs concentrations were observed in the industrial area of Manizales compared to those observed in Bogotá, with mean levels of 6668fg/m(3) and 4388fg/m(3) respectively. In terms of PCDD/Fs congener distribution, there was a predominance of octachlorodibenzodioxin (OCDD) followed by 1,2,3,4,6,7.8-heptachlorodibenzofuran (HpCDF) congeners, with both cities showing higher levels in zones of high vehicular activity. Industrial influence was most evident in dl-PCB levels. In comparison to the mean levels of dl-PCB congeners obtained in the vehicular zones of Bogotá and Manizales, the industrially influenced sampling stations showed higher concentrations of dl-PCB congeners. Passive sampling results suggested that congener concentration profiles are characteristic of their different emission sources, and can be used to distinguish between their industrial or vehicular origins.


[Reduction in glucose concentration in the brain of mice inoculated with cerebrospinal fluid from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis].
Using chromatographic analysis the authors studied glucose concentration in the brain of Swiss mice inoculated with CSF of four patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. They found reduction in the levels of glucose, suggesting the existence of an exogenous factor transferred by CSF.


High prevalence of hepatitis delta virus among patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection and HIV-1 in an intermediate hepatitis B virus endemic region.
We conducted a study to investigate HIV and hepatitis delta virus (HDV) coinfection among patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and the triple infection's (HIV/HBV/HDV) clinical implications in India, an intermediate HBV endemic region, with an estimated HIV-positive population of 2.5 million. A total of 450 patients (men: 270; women: 180) with chronic HBV infections and 135 healthy volunteers were screened for HIV and HDV. The incidence of the triple infection was low (4 [0.8%]) compared with dual infections of HIV-1/HBV (7 [1.5%]) and HBV/HDV (22[4.8%]). Among 21- to 40-year-olds, HBV/HDV coinfection (45.8%) and HBV/HDV/HIV-1 triple infection was predominant (75%). Among 11 patients coinfected with HIV-1/HBV, 4 (36%) were tri-infected and were also associated with chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis. The HDV coinfection was higher among patients coinfected with HBV/HIV-1, despite the declining trend in HDV infection among HIV-negative patients, as previously reported. Thus, it is important to assess the impact of HIV, chronic HBV, and HDV tri-infection in India.


Advantages of a low-osmolality ionic contrast medium in intra-arterial applications.
Osmolality is recognized as a major contributing factor of contrast media related adverse reactions. The development of a new ionic contrast medium has made it possible to retain the ionic nature of contrast agents and have a lower osmolality than non-ionic and conventional ionic contrast media. Studies have indicated that low osmolality ionic contrast media is comparable to non-ionic agents and in some instances has proven to be superior to non-ionic contrast media.


Selective Homogeneous Assay for Circulating Endopeptidase Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP).
Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP) is a membrane-bound serine protease whose expression is often elevated in activated fibroblasts associated with tissue remodeling in various common diseases such as cancer, arthritis and fibrosis. Like the closely related dipeptidyl peptidase DPPIV, the extracellular domain of FAP can be released into circulation as a functional enzyme, and limited studies suggest that the circulating level of FAP correlates with the degree of tissue fibrosis. Here we describe a novel homogeneous fluorescence intensity assay for circulating FAP activity based on a recently identified natural substrate, FGF21. This assay is unique in that it can effectively distinguish endopeptidase activity of FAP from that of other related enzymes such as prolyl endopeptidase (PREP) and was validated using Fap-deficient mice. Structural modeling was used to elucidate the mechanistic basis for the observed specificity in substrate recognition by FAP, but not by DPPIV or PREP. Finally, the assay was used to detect elevated FAP activity in human patients diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and to determine the effectiveness of a chemical inhibitor for FAP in mice. We propose that the assay presented here could thus be utilized for diagnosis of FAP-related pathologies and for the therapeutic development of FAP inhibitors.


A systematic review of psychotropic drug prescribing for prisoners.
To conduct a review of the literature on prescribing psychotropic drugs for prisoners. Articles were retrieved from nine databases, reference lists, citations, governmental prison websites, and contact with authors. The articles included were written in English, focused on adults' time as prisoners, included at least one drug of interest, and discussed prescribing. Thirty-two articles met these inclusion criteria. Five main themes were identified from the reviewed studies: polypharmacy, high-dose therapy, duration of treatment, documentation and monitoring, and issues associated with the prisoners' environment. Consideration of these themes within the included studies identified areas for future research, particularly models of good practice, as numerous descriptions of poor practice exist. Policy-makers and prescribers should review current systems and practices, to ensure the care being offered to prisoners is optimal.


The Recent Outbreak of COVID-19 in China During the Omicron Variant Predominance: Clinical Features and Outcomes in Patients with Autoimmune Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases.
The impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on vulnerable populations with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRDs) has been variable with variants and of great concern. Here we report the clinical features, outcomes, and risk factors for infection and hospitalization in patients with AIIRDs in the first wave of infection in China in December 2022. A real-world survey was conducted in Chinese patients with AIIRDs from 8 December 2022 to 13 January 2023. The survey was distributed via internet nationwide, clinic consultation, and to inpatients at a tertiary hospital in Beijing. Clinical features, outcomes, and vaccination status were collected. A total of 2005 patients with AIIRDs completed the survey. There were 1690 (84.3%) patients infected and only 48.2% of patients received COVID-19 vaccination. Most of the fully vaccinated patients received inactivated COVID-19 vaccines, including Sinovac (55.6%) and Sinopharm (27.2%), followed by recombinant subunit vaccine from Zhifei Longcom (2.0%). The independent protecting factors for infection were a time interval of less than 3 months from last vaccination (OR 0.53, p = 0.037) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as the underlying AIIRD (OR 0.62, p = 0.041). A total of 57 out of 1690 patients (3.4%) were hospitalized for COVID, with 46 (2.7%) experiencing severe/critical course and 6 deaths (0.4%). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, independent risk factors for hospitalization were age over 60 years (OR 11.52, p < 0.001), with comorbidity (OR 1.83, p = 0.045) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as the AIIRDs (OR 2.59, p = 0.036). Receiving booster vaccine was an independent protective factor for hospitalization (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.30-0.98; p = 0.018). Hesitation for vaccination is common among Chinese patients with AIIRDs. The time from last vaccination of less than 3 months and having RA decreased the risk of COVID infection. Older age and having comorbidity or SLE increased the risk of hospitalization, while booster vaccination reduced the risk.


The role of pulmonary resection in the management of metastatic gestational trophoblastic neoplasia: Two cases of durable remission following surgery for chemo-resistant disease.
•GTN is typically a chemo-responsive and highly curative gynecologic malignancy.•Surgery may be beneficial in as many as 2/3 of patients with high-risk GTN.•In select patients, resection of drug-resistant pulmonary metastases is effective.


Tumour mutational burden and survival with molecularly matched therapy.
The impact of tumour mutational burden (TMB) on outcome with molecularly matched therapy is unknown. Higher TMB could predict resistance to molecularly matched therapy through co-occurring driver mutations. One hundred and four patients with advanced cancers underwent molecular profiling in the DKTK-MASTER program. Fifty-five patients received systemic therapy excluding immunotherapy. Patients with molecularly matched (n = 35) or non-molecularly informed therapy (n = 20) were analysed for TMB and survival. Results were validated in an independent cohort of patients receiving molecularly matched (n = 68) or non-molecularly informed therapy (n = 40). Co-occurring driver mutations and TMB were analysed in the exploratory cohort and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets. Patients were stratified by the median TMB of 1.67 mutations per Megabase (mut/Mb) of 35 patients receiving molecularly matched therapy into TMB-high or TMB-low groups. Median overall survival (4 months [95% CI, 3.3-7.6] versus 12.8 months [95% CI, 10-not reached], p < 0.001) and progression-free survival (1.8 months [95% CI, 1.1-3.7] versus 7.9 months [95% CI, 2.8-17.0], p = 0.003) were significantly shorter in the TMB-high group compared to the TMB-low group. In the validation cohort, shorter OS and PFS were identified in the TMB-high group (TMB cut-off of 4 mut/Mb) treated with molecularly matched therapy. No differences were observed in patients receiving non-molecularly informed systemic therapy. A significant correlation between co-occurring driver mutations and TMB (n = 104, r = 0.78 [95% CI, 0.68-0.85], p < 0.001) was found in the exploratory cohort as well as the majority (24/33) of TCGA studies. A high TMB was associated with unfavourable outcome in patients receiving molecularly matched therapy, indicating untargeted resistance pathways. Therefore, TMB should be further investigated as a predictive biomarker in precision oncology programs.


Walking under the influence of the alcohol: A case study of pedestrian crashes in Tennessee.
Alcohol adversely affects human behavior and judgment, and it is one of the contributing factors in traffic crashes. Although a large body of research has investigated driving behavior under the influence of the alcohol, to the best of our knowledge, no study has investigated the crash characteristics of the pedestrians under the influences of the alcohol. Tennessee Police Crash Data from 2011 to 2016 was used in this study to identify crashes between motor vehicles and pedestrians who were walking under the influence of alcohol (WUI). Results indicate that the number of fatally injured pedestrians for WUI cases has increased since 2011. Alcohol was present in 7% of the pedestrian crashes. Tested pedestrians averaged BAC levels of 0.17 g/dL. As pedestrian injury severity increased, the share of the WUI crashes increased. WUI contributed in 22% of the fatally injured pedestrian and only in 2% of the pedestrian crashes with no-injury. Comparisons indicate that the WUI crashes had their characteristics, which distinguished them from non-WUI crashes. Analysis indicates that 83% of the WUI crashes occurred in the nights; moreover, 54%, 69%, and 85% of WUI crashes respectively occurred on weekends, mid-block section of the road, and areas with no traffic control device. Results of a binary logit regression indicate that pedestrian's age, males, posted speed limit, and nighttime crashes had a positive association with the WUI crashes. On the other hand, urban context, intersection crashes, driver maneuvers (i.e., parking-related, turning, and straight), and daylight had a negative association with the WUI crashes. Findings are discussed in line with road safety countermeasures.


Identification of a distinct family of genes encoding atypical odorant-binding proteins in the malaria vector mosquito, Anopheles gambiae.
We performed a genome-wide analysis for candidate odorant-binding protein (OBP) genes in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae (Ag). We identified fifty-seven putative genes including sixteen genes predicted to encode distinct, higher molecular weight proteins that lack orthologues in Drosophila. Expression analysis indicates that several of these atypical AgOBPs are transcribed in chemosensory organs in adult and immature stages. Phylogenetic analysis of the Anopheles and Drosophila OBP families reveals these proteins fall into several clusters based on sequence similarity and suggests the atypical AgOBP genes arose in the mosquito lineage after the divergence of mosquitoes and flies. The identification of these AgOBP genes is the first step towards determining their biological roles in this economically and medically important insect.


Gene expression analysis of cardiovascular diseases: novel insights into biology and clinical applications.
Although the contribution of genetics to complex cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis has been accepted for quite some time, full and detailed knowledge of the individual causative genes has been elusive. With the advent of genomic technologies and methods, the necessary tools are now available to begin pinpointing the genes that contribute to disease susceptibility and progression. One approach being applied extensively in candidate gene discovery is gene expression analysis of human and animal tissues using microarrays. The genes identified by these genomic studies provide valuable insight into disease biology and represent the initial steps toward the development of diagnostic tests and therapeutic strategies that will substantially improve human health. This paper highlights the progress that has been made in using gene expression analysis cardiovascular genomic research and the potential for applying these findings in clinical medicine.


Acculturation, perceived discrimination, and psychological distress: Experiences of South Asians in Hong Kong.
Although migration itself may not compromise the mental health of immigrants, the acculturative process can involve highly stressful factors that are specific to immigrant and minority status. Using structural equation modeling, this study examined the relations between acculturation orientations, perceived discrimination, acculturative stress, and psychological distress among 229 Pakistani and 218 Nepalese migrants living in Hong Kong. Although the initial hypothesized model was not confirmed, a modified model with good fit indices showed that acculturation orientation mediated the relationships of perceived discrimination and acculturative stress with psychological distress. Of all the factors in the model, acculturative stress had the strongest association with psychological distress.


2-Amino-4-phosphonobutyrate selectively eliminates late phases of long-term potentiation in rat hippocampus.
The possible involvement of 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (APB) recognition sites in mechanisms enabling the maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP) was investigated in rat hippocampal slices. The action of D(-)- and L(+)-isomers of APB was tested on orthodromic EPSP and spike responses recorded extracellularly from CA1 pyramidal cells. If a moderate concentration (50 microM) of one or the other APB isomer was present during tetanization, posttetanic and early long-term potentiation developed nearly normally. However, from 2h onward LTP of both EPSP and spike potentiation was eliminated in an irreversible manner (8 h experiment). D-APB (L-isomer not tested) applied shortly after tetanization caused nearly the same delayed decline of LTP. No consistent effects of APB were seen in non-tetanized slices. Considering previous findings these data suggest that besides the obligatory NMDA receptor activation an APB-sensitive component expressed during and after tetanization is a necessary step for subsequent mechanisms enabling the late maintenance of LTP.


Intrauterine transfusion with the use of phased array ultrasonography: a new technique.
Continuous ultrasonic observation of needle placement for aspiration, biopsy, or catheter placement is a novel and specific use of phased array imaging. In the case of IUTx, catheter placement into the fetal peritoneal space is accomplished rapidly, with reduced risk of fetal trauma, and without exposure to ionizing radiation. Experience with 27 transfusions in 11 patients is presented.


"Watering-Down" Strict HIV Testing Quotas on Chinese Men Who Have Sex with Men Community-Based Organizations.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control employs Community-Based Organizations (CBO) to conduct mass testing on "hidden" Men who have Sex with Men (MSM). Testing MSMs is intended to make risky bodies legible to the state and discipline the CBOs around narrow health goals. However, detailed ethnographic fieldwork with MSM CBOs in southwest China demonstrates that pressures to achieve HIV testing quotas produce the need to "water-down" or manipulate data. This distorts the identities and practices of MSMs from state surveillance and builds collusive partnerships between CBOs and low-level government officials to mitigate the disciplinary impacts of strict audits.


Experimental power considerations--justifying replication for animal care and use committees.
A common practice in poultry science is to compare new treatments with a control or between treatments tested in planned experiments. The overall F-test from an ANOVA of the data allows the researcher to reject or not reject the null hypothesis. However, the correct conclusion from such analysis depends on sufficient replicates being included in the experiment. On the other hand, restrictions are imposed to reduce the number of birds used in experiments for welfare reasons and to save scarce resources. We review the basic concepts needed to determine the number of replicates before conducting an experiment. We use these concepts to assess the results of several real experiments and to show what might be done in future experiments. We describe how to do the computations in R software.


Categorizing ideas about trees: a tree of trees.
The aim of this study is to explore whether matrices and MP trees used to produce systematic categories of organisms could be useful to produce categories of ideas in history of science. We study the history of the use of trees in systematics to represent the diversity of life from 1766 to 1991. We apply to those ideas a method inspired from coding homologous parts of organisms. We discretize conceptual parts of ideas, writings and drawings about trees contained in 41 main writings; we detect shared parts among authors and code them into a 91-characters matrix and use a tree representation to show who shares what with whom. In other words, we propose a hierarchical representation of the shared ideas about trees among authors: this produces a "tree of trees." Then, we categorize schools of tree-representations. Classical schools like "cladists" and "pheneticists" are recovered but others are not: "gradists" are separated into two blocks, one of them being called here "grade theoreticians." We propose new interesting categories like the "buffonian school," the "metaphoricians," and those using "strictly genealogical classifications." We consider that networks are not useful to represent shared ideas at the present step of the study. A cladogram is made for showing who is sharing what with whom, but also heterobathmy and homoplasy of characters. The present cladogram is not modelling processes of transmission of ideas about trees, and here it is mostly used to test for proximity of ideas of the same age and for categorization.


A contribution to the explanation of the larch bud moth cycle, the polymorphic fitness hypothesis.
Studies of fluctuating insect populations generally discuss the regulating processes at high insect numbers, but very rarely why a cycling population at low densities switches immediately from the declining phase to the increasing phase of the cycle. A long-term study of the larch bud moth (Zeiraphera diniana Gn) has suggested that the key to recovery is assortative mating of specific phenotypes. Z. diniana exhibits distinct host races living either on the deciduous larch or evergreen pines and spruces. As an adaptation to its hosts Z. diniana is necessarily rather polymorphic in its life history parameters, i.e. developmental rate, fertility and survival. Apart from the direct association of the larva with the host tree, the colouration of the mature larva provides the only readily apparent trait by which the host race can be recognised; the larch form is black and the pine or spruce form has a light orange head capsule, anal plate and body colour. Evidence that frequencies of the colour morphs on larch regularly change from an intermediate colour type to black during the increasing phase of the cycle suggests that the combination of traits, such as earliest larval emergence, largest body size and homozygosity, characteristic of the black morph, constitutes the inherent driving force of population increase.


A combined disc method with resazurin agar plate assay for early phenotypic screening of KPC, MBL and OXA-48 carbapenemases among Enterobacteriaceae.
To validate a combined disc method along with resazurin chromogenic agar for early screening and differentiation of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase, metallo-β-lactamase and OXA-48 carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae. The combined disc test comprising of meropenem alone and with EDTA, phenylboronic acid or both EDTA and phenylboronic acid, and temocillin alone were evaluated with the resazurin chromogenic agar plate assay against a total of 86 molecularly confirmed Enterobacteriaceae clinical isolates (11 metallo-β-lactamases, eight Kl. pneumoniae carbapenemases, 11 OXA-48, 32 AmpC and 15 extended-spectrum-β-lactamase producers and nine co-producers of extended-spectrum-β-lactamase and AmpC). The inhibition zone diameters were measured and interpreted at 7 h for the presence of carbapenemase. All carbapenemase producers were phenotypically distinguished by this assay with 100% sensitivity and specificity. This early phenotypic method is very simple, inexpensive, and reliable in the detection and differentiation of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae. It could be exploited in any microbiological laboratory for diagnosis of these recalcitrant bacteria. This assay poses excellent performance in discrimination of Kl. pneumoniae carbapenemase, metallo-β-lactamase and OXA-48 carbapenemases within 7 h, which is much faster than conventional disc diffusion methods. The rapid detection could help clinicians screen patients, control infection and provide epidemiological surveillance.


Potential applications of recombinant bifidobacterial proteins in the food industry, biomedicine, process innovation and glycobiology.
Bifidobacterial proteins have been widely studied to elucidate the metabolic mechanisms of diet adaptation and survival of Bifidobacteria, among others. The use of heterologous expression systems to obtain proteins in sufficient quantities to be characterized has been essential in these studies. L. lactis and the same Bifidobacterium as expression systems highlight ways to corroborate some of the functions attributed to these proteins. The most studied proteins are enzymes related to carbohydrate metabolism, particularly glycosidases, due to their potential application in the synthesis of neoglycoconjugates, prebiotic neooligosaccharides, and active metabolites as well as their high specificity and efficiency in processing glycoconjugates. In this review, we classified the recombinant bifidobacterial proteins reported to date whose characterization has demonstrated their usefulness or their ability to produce a product of commercial interest for the food industry, biomedicine, process innovation and glycobiology. Future directions for their study are also discussed. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-021-00957-1.


Expressions of psychological distress in Sierra Leone: implications for community-based prevention and response.
Over recent decades there has been considerable mental health research in Sierra Leone but little on local conceptualisations of mental health conditions. Understanding these is crucial both for identifying the experienced needs of the population and utilising relevant community-based resources to address them. This study took a grounded approach to identify the ways in which adults in Sierra Leone express psychological distress. Rapid ethnographic methods deployed included 75 case study interviews with community members, 12 key informant (KI) pile sorts and 55 KI interviews. Thematic analysis of data was supported by frequency analysis and multi-dimensional scaling. Thirty signs of distress were identified. The only consistent 'syndrome' identified with respect to these was a general concept of crase, which referred to psychosis-related presentation but also a wide range of other signs of distress. We did not find consensus on locally defined concepts for mild-moderate forms of mental disorder: people use multiple overlapping signs and terms indicating psychological distress. Analysis supports calls to view mental health problems as a 'continuum of distress' rather than as discrete categories. This framing is coherent with opportunities for prevention and response in Sierra Leone which do not focus primarily on formal healthcare service providers but rather involve a range of community-based actors. It also enables attention to be paid to the identification of milder signs of distress with a view to early response and prevention of more severe mental health problems.


Metformin exerts synergistic anti-proliferative effects with liraglutide in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).
Metformin (Met) and liraglutide (Lira) have been approved to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus and have cardioprotective effects. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were incubated with Met, Lira, or their combination in this study. Results showed that the synergistic inhibitory effect of the two drugs on HUVECs proliferation was significant (75%) after 48 hr drug exposure. In addition, either Lira or Met alone had a marked tendency to inhibit the migration of HUVECs (42% and 39%). Almost a complete inhibition (97%) was demonstrated in combinational use after 48 hr treatment. After combining these two drugs, the apoptosis rate raised to 68%, which was a significant approval of synergistic apoptosis induction of Met and Lira. The combinational group indicated a substantial increase in VEGF, PDGF, and MMP-9 at 24 hr compared with the control. This study showed that combination therapy with Lira and Met could effectively reduce cell proliferation, induce apoptosis, and inhibit cell migration in the HUVECs. This study provides evidence to support using Met in combination with Lira as a treatment option for patients with type-2 diabetes and cancer.


Oxygen consumption of chronically stimulated skeletal muscle.
The latissimus dorsi muscles of six dogs were made fatigue resistant by chronic electrical conditioning. Once the muscles were conditioned, oxygen consumption was measured during periods of exercise. The ratio of the tension developed to oxygen consumed during moderate stimulation (300 msec on) for the control and the electrically conditioned muscles was 16.3 +/- 3.5 and 36.5 +/- 6.7 kg-sec/ml oxygen, respectively. During intense stimulation (800 msec on) the ratio was 12.6 +/- 2.1 and 54.2 +/- 8.9 kg-sec/ml oxygen, respectively. Thus the conditioned muscle was able to develop and maintain tension with a considerably reduced oxygen expenditure. The increased efficiency of the conditioned muscle helps to explain its increased resistance to fatigue and the ability of pumping chambers constructed from electrically preconditioned skeletal muscle to perform sustained cardiac type work.


Forgetting of pictures over a long retention interval in young and older adults.
Young and older adults were presented with pictures for study. Their recognition of the information was tested at five retention intervals: immediately, and 48 hr, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks later. The main finding of interest was that picture recognition did not show an age-related decline until the 1-week retention interval.


Catalytic activities of intracellular dimeric neopullulanase on cyclodextrin, acarbose and maltose.
Multi-substrate specificity of neopullulanase towards cyclodextrin, acarbose and maltose was investigated using a clone originating from Bacillus stearothermophilus IMA6503. The enzyme purified from Escherichia coli harbouring the corresponding nplA gene hydrolysed beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) to maltose and glucose. It exhibited substrate preference for beta-CD, starch and pullulan in the proportions of 10.4:1.2:1. The enzyme not only hydrolysed acarbose, an alpha-amylase inhibitor, to a pseudotrisaccharide (PTS) and glucose, but also transferred PTS to glucose, forming isoacarbose. Moreover, it hydrolysed maltose to glucose and transferred the glucose to another maltose molecule to form panose when maltose was present at a low concentration (0.5%) in the reaction solution. The enzyme catalysed condensation between two maltose molecules and subsequent hydrolysis of the resulting 6(2)-O-alpha-maltosyl-maltose to glucose and panose, when maltose concentration was increased to 20%. Neopullulanase was likely to be present in monomer-dimer equilibrium with a molar ratio of 1:9 in 50 mM sodium acetate buffer (pH 6.0). The association-dissociation equilibrium of neopullulanase was shifted to monomerization by KCl. When the content of monomer increased in the reaction mixture, the specific activity towards soluble starch increased to 150%, while that towards beta-CD decreased to 80%. Therefore, multi-substrate specificity of neopullulanase was likely to be modulated by the shift of monomer-dimer association equilibrium.


Integrating soft and hard dose-volume constraints into hierarchical constrained IMRT optimization.
Dose-volume constraints (DVCs) continue to be common features in intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) prescriptions, but they are non-convex and difficult to incorporate. We propose computationally efficient methods to incorporate dose-volume constraints (DVCs) into automated IMRT planning. We propose a two-phase approach: in phase-1, we solve a convex approximation with DVCs. Although this convex approximation does not guarantee DVC satisfaction, it provides crucial initial information about voxels likely to receive doses below DVC thresholds. Subsequently, phase-2 solves an optimization problem with maximum dose constraints imposed on those subthreshold voxels. We further categorize DVCs into hard- and soft-DVCs, where hard-DVCs are strictly enforced by the optimization and soft-DVCs are encouraged in the objective function. We tested this approach in our automated treatment planning system which is based on hierarchical constrained optimization. Performance is demonstrated on a series of paraspinal, lung, oligometastasis, and prostate cases as well as a small paraspinal case for which we can computationally afford to obtain a ground-truth by solving a non-convex optimization problem. The proposed algorithm successfully meets all the hard-DVCs while increasing the overall computational time of the baseline planning process (without DVCs) by 20%, 10%, and 11% for paraspinal, oligometastasis, and prostate cases, respectively. For a soft-DVC applied to the lung case, the dose-volume histogram curve moves toward the desired direction and the computational time is increased by 11%. For a low-resolution paraspinal case, the ground-truth solution process using mixed-integer programming methods required 15 h while the proposed algorithm converges in only 2 min with a proximal solution. A computationally tractable algorithm to handle hard- and soft-DVCs is developed which is capable of satisfying DVCs without any parameter tweaking. Although the algorithm is demonstrated in our in-house developed automated treatment planning system, it can potentially be used in any constrained optimization framework.


A novel approach for VOC source apportionment combining characteristic factor and pattern recognition technology in a Chinese industrial area.
Volatile organic compound (VOC) emission control and source apportionment in small-scale industrial areas have become key topics of air pollution control in China. This study proposed a novel characteristic factor and pattern recognition (CF-PR) model for VOC source apportionment based on the similarity of characteristic factors between sources and receptors. A simulation was carried out in a typical industrial area with the CF-PR model involving simulated receptor samples. Refined and accurate source profiles were constructed through in situ sampling and analysis, covering rubber, chemicals, coating, electronics, plastics, printing, incubation and medical treatment industries. Characteristic factors of n-undecane, styrene, o-xylene and propane were identified. The source apportionment simulation results indicated that the predicted contribution rate was basically consistent with the real contribution rate. Compared to traditional receptor models, this method achieves notable advantages in terms of refinement and timeliness at similar accuracy, which is more suitable for VOC source identification and apportionment in small-scale industrial areas.


Soil organic nitrogen: an overlooked but potentially significant contribution to crop nutrition.
For more than a century, crop N nutrition research has primarily focused on inorganic N (IN) dynamics, building the traditional model that agricultural plants predominantly take up N in the form of NO3 - and NH4 +. However, results reported in the ecological and agricultural literature suggest that the traditional model of plant N nutrition is oversimplified. We examine the role of organic N (ON) in plant N nutrition, first by reviewing the historical discoveries by ecologists of plant ON uptake, then by discussing the advancements of key analytical techniques that have furthered the cause (stable isotope and microdialysis techniques). The current state of knowledge on soil ON dynamics is analyzed concurrently with recent developments that show ON uptake and assimilation by agricultural plant species. Lastly, we consider the relationship between ON uptake and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in an agricultural context. We propose several mechanisms by which ON uptake and assimilation may increase crop NUE, such as by reducing N assimilation costs, promoting root biomass growth, shaping N cycling microbial communities, recapturing exuded N compounds, and aligning the root uptake capacity to the soil N supply in highly fertilized systems. These hypothetical mechanisms should direct future research on the topic. Although the quantitative role remains unknown, ON compounds should be considered as significant contributors to plant N nutrition.


MATN3 delivered by exosome from synovial mesenchymal stem cells relieves knee osteoarthritis: Evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies.
Synovial mesenchymal stem cell (SMSC) exerts chondroprotective effects in osteoarthritis (OA) clinical models. However, the regulatory potentials of SMSC-derived exosomes (SMSC-Exo) in OA still need to be discovered, which attracted our attention. The destabilization of the medial meniscus surgery was performed on the knee joints of a mouse OA model, followed by injection of SMSC-Exo. In addition, SMSC-Exo was administrated to mouse chondrocytes to observe the functional and molecular alterations. Both of SMSC-Exo and overexpression of Matrilin-3 (MATN3) alleviated cartilage destruction and suppressed degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the OA rat model. In addition, assays concerning the in vitro OA model induced by IL-1β showed that SMSC-Exo could promote chondrocyte viability and inhibit autophagy defects. Furthermore, SMSC-Exo achieved the chondroprotective effects through the delivery of MATN3/IL-17A, and MATN3 could suppress the activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling through IL-17A. SMSC-Exo exerts beneficial therapeutic effects on OA by preventing ECM degradation and autophagy defects by delivering MATN3/IL-17A. The translational potential of this study is not only limited to the treatment of knee osteoarthritis but also provides new insights for the treatment of other joint diseases by exploring the mechanism of MATN3. In addition, SMSCExo, as a novel drug carrier, has great potential for treating and diagnosing other diseases. With further research, these findings will provide new directions for developing personalized and innovative treatment options.


The ribosome returns.
Fashions come and go in biochemistry. The discovery that some RNAs are enzymes is reviving interest in the long-neglected ribosome.


Integrated dataset of anatomical, morphological, and architectural traits for plant species in Madagascar.
In this work, we present a dataset, which provides information on the structural diversity of some endemic tropical species in Madagascar. The data were from CIRAD xylotheque (since 1937), and were also collected during various fieldworks (since 1964). The field notes and photographs were provided by French botanists; particularly by Francis Hallé. The dataset covers 250 plant species with anatomical, morphological, and architectural traits indexed from digitized wood slides and fieldwork documents. The digitized wood slides were constituted by the transverse, tangential, and radial sections with three optical magnifications. The main specific anatomical traits can be found within the digitized area. Information on morphological and architectural traits were indexed from digitized field drawings including notes and photographs. The data are hosted in the website ArchiWood (http://archiwood.cirad.fr).


Patient and Physician Factors Associated with Adenoma and Sessile Serrated Lesion Detection Rates.
Sessile serrated lesions (SSLs) have been increasingly recognized as precursors to colorectal cancer. Unlike adenoma detection rate (ADR), there is currently no agreed-upon benchmark for SSL detection rate (SSLDR), and data on factors that impact SSL detection are limited. We aimed to identify patient, endoscopist, and procedural factors associated with SSL and adenoma detection. We used a single-center electronic endoscopy database to identify all patients ages ≥ 50 years who underwent outpatient screening colonoscopy from January 1, 2012, to June 30, 2018. Univariable Chi-square analysis was used to determine patient, endoscopist, and procedure-related factors associated with SSL or adenoma detection. We used logistic regression with generalized estimating equations, accounting for clustering by individual endoscopist, to determine factors independently associated with ADR and SSLDR. We identified 10,538 unique patients who underwent colonoscopy performed by 28 endoscopists. Overall SSLDR was 2.2%, and overall ADR was 29.1%. On multivariable analysis, patient age, sex, BMI, smoking, endoscopist withdrawal time, and year of colonoscopy were independent predictors of ADR. Smoking and year of colonoscopy were independent predictors of SSLDR. Sub-optimal bowel preparation was inversely associated with SSL detection but not ADR. In this large study of patients undergoing average-risk screening colonoscopy, overall SSLDR was low, indicating that methods for increasing SSLDR are needed. Our findings suggest that endoscopists may take into account risk factors for SSLs, such as smoking history, and recognize that the detection of such lesions, even more so than for adenomas, is dependent on optimal bowel preparation.


Herb pair of Ephedrae Herba-Armeniacae Semen Amarum alleviates airway injury in asthmatic rats.
Ephedrae Herba (EH, Ephedra sinica Stapf.) and Armeniacae Semen Amarum (ASA, Prunus armeniaca L. var. ansu Maxim.) have been used to treat asthma, cold, fever, and cough in China for thousands of years. In this study, we aimed to investigate the optimal ratio of EH and ASA compatibility (EAC) to reduce airway injury in asthmatic rats and its possible mechanism. Rats were sensitized with a mixture of acetylcholine chloride and histamine bisphosphate 1 h before sensitization by intragastric administration of EAC or dexamethasone or saline for 7 days. Subsequently, the ultrastructure of rat airway epithelial tissue changes, apoptosis of the airway epithelial cells, and the expression of mRNA and protein of EGRF and Bcl-2 were detected. Transmission electron microscope: EAC (groups C and E) had the most prominent effect on repairing airway epithelial cells' ultrastructural changes in asthmatic rats. TUNEL: dexamethasone and EAC (groups B、C、E and F) inhibited the apoptosis of airway epithelial cells in asthmatic rats (P < 0.05). In situ hybridization: EAC (group E) inhibited the overexpression of EGFR and Bcl-2 mRNA (P < 0.05).Western Blotting: EAC (groups A、B、C、E and F) inhibited the upregulation of airway epithelial EGFR and Bcl-2 protein expression (P < 0.01). Our findings indicate that EAC can inhibit abnormal changes in airway epithelial structure and apoptosis of airway epithelial cells, thereby alleviating airway injury. In this study, the best combination of EH and ASA to alleviate airway epithelial injury in asthmatic rats was group E (EH: ASA = 8: 4.5).


A human patient-derived cellular model of Joubert syndrome reveals ciliary defects which can be rescued with targeted therapies.
Joubert syndrome (JBTS) is the archetypal ciliopathy caused by mutation of genes encoding ciliary proteins leading to multi-system phenotypes, including a cerebello-retinal-renal syndrome. JBTS is genetically heterogeneous, however mutations in CEP290 are a common underlying cause. The renal manifestation of JBTS is a juvenile-onset cystic kidney disease, known as nephronophthisis, typically progressing to end-stage renal failure within the first two decades of life, thus providing a potential window for therapeutic intervention. In order to increase understanding of JBTS and its associated kidney disease and to explore potential treatments, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of primary renal epithelial cells directly isolated from patient urine (human urine-derived renal epithelial cells, hURECs). We demonstrate that hURECs from a JBTS patient with renal disease have elongated and disorganized primary cilia and that this ciliary phenotype is specifically associated with an absence of CEP290 protein. Treatment with the Sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway agonist purmorphamine or cyclin-dependent kinase inhibition (using roscovitine and siRNA directed towards cyclin-dependent kinase 5) ameliorated the cilia phenotype. In addition, purmorphamine treatment was shown to reduce cyclin-dependent kinase 5 in patient cells, suggesting a convergence of these signalling pathways. To our knowledge, this is the most extensive analysis of primary renal epithelial cells from JBTS patients to date. It demonstrates the feasibility and power of this approach to directly assess the consequences of patient-specific mutations in a physiologically relevant context and a previously unrecognized convergence of Shh agonism and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibition as potential therapeutic targets.


Effects of deuteration on solid-state NMR spectra of single peptide crystals and oriented protein samples.
Extensive deuteration can be used to simplify NMR spectra by "diluting" and minimizing the effects of the abundant 1H nuclei. In solution-state NMR and magic angle spinning solid-state NMR of proteins, perdeuteration has been widely applied and its effects are well understood. Oriented sample solid-state NMR of proteins, however, is at a much earlier stage of development. In spite of the promise of the approach, the effects of sample deuteration are largely unknown. Here we map out the effects of perdeuteration on solid-state NMR spectra of aligned samples by closely examining differences in results obtained on fully protiated and perdeuterated samples, where all of the carbon sites have either 1H or 2H bonded to them, respectively. The 2H and 15N labeled samples are back-exchanged in 1H2O solution so that the amide 15N sites have a bonded 1H. Line-widths in the 15N chemical shift, 1H chemical shift, and 1H-15N dipolar coupling frequency dimensions were compared for peptide single crystals as well as membrane proteins aligned along with the phospholipids in bilayers with their normals perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field. Remarkably, line-width differences were not found between fully protiated and perdeuterated samples. However, in the absence of effective 1H-1H homonuclear decoupling, the line-widths in the 1H-15N heteronuclear dipolar coupling frequency dimension were greatly narrowed in the perdeuterated samples. In proton-driven spin diffusion (PDSD) experiments, no effects of perdeuteration were observed. In contrast, in mismatched Hartmann-Hahn experiments, perdeuteration enhances cross-peak intensities by allowing more efficient spin-exchange with less polarization transfer back to the carbon-bound 1H. Here we show that in oriented sample solid-state NMR, the effects of perdeuteration can be exploited in experiments where 1H-1H homonuclear decoupling cannot be applied. These data also provide evidence for the possible contribution of direct 15N-15N dilute-spin mixing mechanism in proton-driven spin diffusion experiments.


Data set for characterization of the glycosylation status of hepatic glycoproteins in mice fed a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet.
The data presented herein pertain to a research article entitled "A low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet promotes ganglioside synthesis via the transcriptional regulation of ganglioside metabolism-related genes" [1]. The present article provides additional structural analysis data for the characterization of hepatic glycoproteins in mice fed a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (LCKD). Analysis of hepatic glycoproteins by enzyme-linked assay using the lectins UEA-I, ConA, LCA, and WGA showed that the LCKD decreased mature forms of complex-type glycans but increased immature forms of glycans on glycoproteins. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using an anti-α2,6-sialyl LacNAc antibody also supported this result, indicating that dietary carbohydrate restriction results in aberrant glycosylation of tissue glycoproteins. These structural alterations of hepatic glycoproteins were not correlated with the expression levels of glycosyltransferase genes but were correlated with down-regulated expression of the Gale gene, which encodes a rate-limiting enzyme for the synthesis of sugar nucleotide donors for protein glycosylation in the liver. This property differed from glycosphingolipid metabolism in the liver of LCKD-fed mice.


The influence of the surface properties of silicon-fluorine hydrogel on protein adsorption.
A range of fluorinated hydrogels were synthesized using the copolymerization of 1, 1, 1, 3, 3, 3-hexafluoroisopropyl methacrylate (HFMA) or 1H, 1H, 7H-dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate (DFMA) with hydrophilic monomers. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and Lysozyme (LZM) were chosen as model proteins to investigate the performance of protein adsorption on the surface of these fluorinated hydrogels. It was found that the performance of the fluorinated hydrogels toward protein adsorption was different for different proteins; simultaneously, the amount of protein adsorption was related to but not linear with the fluorine content on the hydrogel surface. With increasing HFMA content, the mass of BSA adsorption increased in the first stage and then decreased, meanwhile the mass of LZM adsorption exhibited an upward trend in general. In addition, the amount of protein adsorption was also related to the type and length of the fluorinated groups. The hydrogels made from DFMA behaved better than HFMA hydrogels in terms of reducing protein adsorption. This study might provide further reference in choosing fluorine monomer to prepare protein-repelling hydrogels.


In vitro anti-rotavirus activity of polyphenol compounds isolated from the roots of Glycyrrhiza uralensis.
We evaluated the ability of six polyphenols isolated from the roots of Glycyrrhiza uralensis to inactivate rotaviruses, specially G5P[7] and G8P[7]. Upon finding that all polyphenols possessed anti-rotavirus activity, we evaluated whether these properties were attributable to direct inhibition of the binding of rotavirus to cells and/or to inhibition of viral replication. Using the virucidal assay, we found that all six compounds directly inhibited rotavirus binding, with activity being dependent on the type of virus. The 50% effective inhibitory concentrations (EC(50)) of the six compounds were 18.7-69.5 μM against G5P[7] and 14.7-88.1 μM against G8P[7], respectively. Five of the six compounds inhibited hemagglutination activity. Moreover, the CPE inhibition assay showed that five compounds inhibited viral replication with EC(50) values of 12.1-24.0 μM against G5P[7] and 12.0-42.0 μM against G8P[7], respectively. RT-PCR showed that the compounds suppressed viral RNA synthesis in TF-104 cells. Interestingly, the anti-rotavirus activities of four compounds were attributable to inhibition of both viral absorption and viral replication. These results suggest that compounds isolated from the roots of G. uralensis may be potent anti-rotavirus agents in vivo, acting by inhibiting both viral absorption and viral replication.


25-Hydroxycholesterol and 27-hydroxycholesterol inhibit human rotavirus infection by sequestering viral particles into late endosomes.
A novel innate immune strategy, involving specific cholesterol oxidation products as effectors, has begun to reveal connections between cholesterol metabolism and immune response against viral infections. Indeed, 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC) and 27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC), physiologically produced by enzymatic oxidation of cholesterol, act as inhibitors of a wide spectrum of enveloped and non-enveloped human viruses. However, the mechanisms underlying their protective effects against non-enveloped viruses are almost completely unexplored. To get insight into this field, we investigated the antiviral activity of 25HC and 27HC against a non-enveloped virus causing acute gastroenteritis in children, the human rotavirus (HRV). We found that 25HC and 27HC block the infectivity of several HRV strains at 50% inhibitory concentrations in the low micromolar range in the absence of cell toxicity. Both molecules affect the final step of virus penetration into cells by preventing the association of two cellular proteins: the oxysterol binding protein (OSBP) and the vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein-A (VAP-A). By altering the activity of these cellular mediators, 25HC and 27HC disturb the recycling of cholesterol between the endoplasmic reticulum and the late endosomes which are exploited by HRV to penetrate into the cell. The substantial accumulation of cholesterol in the late endosomal compartment results in sequestering viral particles inside these vesicles thereby preventing cytoplasmic virus replication. These findings suggest that cholesterol oxidation products of enzymatic origin might be primary effectors of host restriction strategies to counteract HRV infection and point to redox active lipids involvement in viral infections as a research area of focus to better focus in order to identify novel antiviral agents targets.


[Methodological approaches to developing a method of regulated antibiotic biosynthesis].
Methodologic approaches to the development of methods for controlled biosynthesis of antibiotics are discussed with reference to oxytetracycline biosynthesis. The method of acute experiments in conjunction with mathematical methods of experiment planning was used for determination of the substrate concentrations optimal for the culture growth and biosynthesis of oxytetracycline. It was found that such mathematic procedure provided simultaneous determination of optimal concentrations of all the substrates.


cRNA target preparation for microarrays: comparison of gene expression profiles generated with different amplification procedures.
Microarray technology has become a standard tool for generation of gene expression profiles to explore human disease processes. Being able to start from minute amounts of RNA extends the fields of application to core needle biopsies, laser capture microdissected cells, and flow-sorted cells. Several RNA amplification methods have been developed, but no extensive comparability and concordance studies of gene expression profiles are available. Different amplification methods may produce differences in gene expression patterns. Therefore, we compared profiles processed by a standard microarray protocol with three different types of RNA amplification: (i) two rounds of linear target amplification, (ii) random amplification, and (iii) amplification based on a template switching mechanism. The latter two methods accomplish target amplification in a nonlinear way using PCR technology. Starting from as little as 50 ng of total RNA, the yield of labeled cRNA was sufficient for hybridization to Affymetrix HG-U133A GeneChip array using the respective methods. Replicate experiments were highly reproducible for each method. In comparison with the standard protocol, all three approaches are less sensitive and introduced a minor but clearly detectable bias of the detection call. In conclusion, the three amplification protocols used are applicable for GeneChip analysis of small tissue samples.


Laboratory study on sequenced permeable reactive barrier remediation for landfill leachate-contaminated groundwater.
Permeable reactive barrier (PRB) was a promising technology for groundwater remediation. Landfill leachate-polluted groundwater riches in various hazardous contaminants. Two lab-scale reactors (reactors A and B) were designed for studying the feasibility of PRB to remedy the landfill leachate-polluted groundwater. Zero valent iron (ZVI) and the mixture of ZVI and zeolites constitute the first section of the reactors A and B, respectively; the second section of two reactors consists of oxygen releasing compounds (ORCs). Experimental results indicated that BOD5/COD increased from initial 0.32 up to average 0.61 and 0.6 through reactors A and B, respectively. Removal efficiency of mixed media for pollutants was higher than that of single media (ZVI only). Zeolites exhibited selective removal of Zn, Mn, Mg, Cd, Sr, and NH4+, and removal efficiency was 97.2%, 99.6%, 95.9%, 90.5% and 97.4%, respectively. The maximum DO concentration of reactors A and B were 7.64 and 6.78mg/L, respectively, while the water flowed through the ORC. Therefore, sequenced PRB system was effective and was proposed as an alternative method to remedy polluted groundwater by landfill leachate.


On the origin of the synergy between the Pt nanoparticles and MnO2 nanosheets in Wonton-like 3D nanozyme oxidase mimics.
We describe a 3-dimensional scaffold nanocomposite oxidase nanozyme (termed PtNPs@MnO2) formed from 2-dimensional MnO2 nanosheets grown on the surface of large platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs). The two components act synergistically in the catalytic oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), due to the intimate contact between the two components and mutual electron transfer phenomena. The Wonton-like 3-dimensional structure of the nanocomposite is highly stable and was characterized by cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM). The PtNPs@MnO2 nanocomposite was employed in a sensing assay for the determination of glutathione (GSH) and dopamine (DA) with a linear range of 0.2 μM-11 μM for GSH and 0.1 μM-1.1 μM for DA. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of GSH are 0.05 μM (S/N = 3) and 0.17 μM (S/N = 10), respectively. The LOD and LOQ for DA were estimated as 0.025 μM and 0.083 μM. The method was applied to analyze GSH in human serum samples and DA in pharmaceuticals.


Growth and reproduction of Digitalis purpurea in different stages of succession.
Growth reproduction and regeneration were investigated in populations of Digitalis purpurea present in different stages of secondary forest succession. Interference between D. purpurea and an experimental vegetation emerging from natural seed banks on a natural soil was studied during two successive growth seasons under natural radiation and temperature conditions.Growth and seed production were found to be strongly reduced and germination was inhibited in the early/midsuccessional vegetation. In later successional stages sparse but relatively stable populations were maintained by seed production and germination. However, local extinction seems inevitable. A remarkable shift occurred from fast and repeated flowering of compounded rosettes in the colonization phase to delayed flowering of monocarpic rosettes in later phases.The significance of secondary rosettes allowing for the repeated flowering is discussed. A condensed scheme of the population cycle of D. purpurea is presented.


Cassava dreg as replacement of corn in goat kid diets.
The effects of corn replacement by cassava dreg in diets of crossbred goat kids were evaluated. We tested the impacts of 0, 33, 66 and 100% replacement on intake, digestibility, feeding behaviour, performance and carcass characteristics. Thirty-six goat kids, aged between 4 and 5 months and with initial body weights of 17.61 ± 1.98 kg, were used in a completely randomised design. Analysis of regression revealed a negative linear effect on neutral detergent fibre (NDF) intake and a positive linear effect on non-fibrous carbohydrates (NFC) and hydrocyanic acids (HCN) intake. Cassava dreg use had a positive linear effect on organic matter digestibility and non-fibrous carbohydrates. Based on our results, cassava dreg use did not negatively impact animal performance, feeding behaviour and carcass characteristics, suggesting that it may replace corn up to 100% in the diets of confined goat kids.


Heat Training Efficiently Increases and Maintains Hemoglobin Mass and Temperate Endurance Performance in Elite Cyclists.
To test whether heat training performed as 5 × 50-min sessions per week for 5 wk in a heat chamber (CHAMBER) or while wearing a heat suit (SUIT), in temperate conditions, increases hemoglobin mass (Hb mass ) and endurance performance in elite cyclists, compared with a control group (CON-1). Furthermore, after the 5-wk intervention, we tested whether three sessions per week for 3 wk with heat suit (SUIT main ) would maintain Hb mass elevated compared with athletes who returned to normal training (HEAT stop ) or who continued to be the control group (CON-2). During the initial 5 wk, SUIT and CHAMBER increased Hb mass (2.6% and 2.4%) to a greater extent than CON-1 (-0.7%; both P < 0.01). The power output at 4 mmol·L -1 blood lactate and 1-min power output ( Wmax ) improved more in SUIT (3.6% and 7.3%, respectively) than CON-1 (-0.6%, P < 0.05; 0.2%, P < 0.01), whereas this was not the case for CHAMBER (1.4%, P = 0.24; 3.4%, P = 0.29). However, when SUIT and CHAMBER were pooled this revealed a greater improvement in a performance index (composed of power output at 4 mmol·L -1 blood lactate, Wmax , and 15-min power output) than CON-1 (4.9% ± 3.2% vs 1.7% ± 1.1%, respectively; P < 0.05). During the 3-wk maintenance period, SUIT main induced a larger increase in Hb mass than HEAT stop (3.3% vs 0.8%; P < 0.05), which was not different from the control (CON-2; 1.6%; P = 0.19), with no differences between HEAT stop and CON-2 ( P = 0.52). Both SUIT and CHAMBER can increase Hb mass , and pooling SUIT and CHAMBER demonstrates that heat training can increase performance. Furthermore, compared with cessation of heat training, a sustained increase in Hb mass was observed during a subsequent 3-wk maintenance period, although the number of weekly heat training sessions was reduced to 3.


An effectiveness and economic analyses of tricalcium phosphate combined with iliac bone graft versus RhBMP-2 in single-level XLIF surgery in Thailand.
Retrospective study. To perform effectiveness and economic analyses using data from a retrospective study of patients who underwent XLIF surgery using tricalcium phosphate combined with iliac bone graft (TCP + IBG) or BMP-2 in Thailand. Data were collected from retrospective review of the medical charts and the spine registry of Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand. The patients were divided into two groups (TCP + IBG group and BMP-2 group). Demographic, perioperative data, radiographic, clinical results, and quality of life related to health were collected and analyzed at 2-year follow-up. All economic data were collected during the perioperative period and presented as total charge, bone graft, implant/instrumentation, operative service, surgical supply, transfusion, medication, anesthesia, laboratory, and physical therapy. Twenty-five TCP + IBG and 30 BMP-2 patients with spondylolisthesis and spinal stenosis as primary diagnosis were included. There were no significant differences in all demographic parameters (gender, age, underlying disease, diagnosis, and level of spine) between these two groups. During the perioperative period, the TCP + IBG group had more mean blood loss and more postoperative complications compared to the BMP-2 group. At 2 years of follow-up, there were no significant differences between the radiographic and clinical outcomes of the TCP + IBG and BMP-2 groups. The fusion rate for TCP + IBG and BMP-2 at 2 years of follow-up was 80% and 96.7%, respectively, and no statistically significant differences were observed. All clinical outcomes (Utility, Oswestry Disability Index, and EuroQol Visual Analog Scale) at 2-year follow-up improved significantly compared to preoperative outcomes, but there were no significant differences between the TCP + IBG and BMP-2 groups, either at preoperatively or at 2-year follow-up. The total charge of TCP + IBG was statistically significantly lower than that of BMP-2. Furthermore, the charges of TCP + IBG and BMP-2 during the perioperative period in Thailand were up to three times less than those in the United States. Using TCP + IBG as a standalone bone substitution for XLIF surgery with additional posterior instrumentation resulted in significantly lower direct medical charge compared to those using BMP-2 in the perioperative period. However, we could not detect a difference in the long-term radiographic and clinical outcomes of patients with TCP + IBG and BMP-2. These suggest that TCP + IBG may be a valuable alterative bone graft, especially in low- and middle-income countries.


Quantitative determination of albumin and immunoglobulin in human serum using gold nanoclusters.
In this experimental study, we developed a simple and selective approach to determine the concentrations of human serum albumin (HSA) and total amount of immunoglobulins (Ig) in real human serum (HS) sample using luminescent gold nanoclusters (Au NCs). In doing so, Au NCs were grown directly on the HS proteins without any sample pretreatment. We synthesized Au NCs on HSA and Ig and studied their photophysical properties. Using combined fluorescent and colorimetric assay we were able to obtain protein concentrations with a high degree of accuracy relative to techniques currently used in clinical diagnostics. We used method of standard additions to determine both HSA and Ig concentrations in HS by the Au NCs absorbance and fluorescence signals. A simple and cost-effective method developed in this work represents an excellent alternative to the techniques currently used in clinical diagnostics.


Long noncoding RNA MALAT1 participates in the pathological angiogenesis of diabetic retinopathy in an oxygen-induced retinopathy mouse model by sponging miR-203a-3p.
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a devastating complication of diabetes. The aim of the present study is to investigate the exact role and mechanism of long noncoding RNA MALAT1 (MALAT1) in the progress of DR. An oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) mouse model and high glucose (HG) stimulated human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs) were employed to mimic the pathological statues of DR. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot results showed that MALAT1, VEGFA, and HIF-1α levels were increased in DR retinal tissues and HG-stimulated HRMECs, whereas the expression of miR-203a-3p was decreased. Knockdown of MALAT1 or upregulation of miR-203a-3p both suppressed HG-induced proliferation, migration, and tube formation of HRMECs. A dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-203a-3p could bind to the predicted seed regions of MALAT1 as evidenced by the reduced luciferase activity. Furthermore, enforced downregulation of miR-203a-3p abolished the suppressive effect of MALAT1 silencing on HRMEC cell migration and tube formation. In conclusion, these data demonstrated that MALAT1 may affect angiogenesis by sponging miR-203a-3p in DR, suggesting that MALAT1 may act as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of DR.


The role of receptor-like protein kinases (RLKs) in abiotic stress response in plants.
We review and introduce recent studies on RLK s involved in the abiotic stress response and provide insights into potential regulatory mechanisms for alleviating abiotic stress. Abiotic stresses are important factors affecting plant growth and development, resulting in crop production reduction and even plant death. To survive, plants utilize different mechanisms to respond and adapt to continuously changing environmental factors. Understanding of the molecular mechanisms of plant response to various stresses will aid in improving tolerance of plants to abiotic stress through genetic engineering, which would greatly promote the development of modern agriculture. RLKs, the largest gene family in plants, play critical roles in the regulation of plant developmental processes, signaling networks and disease resistance. Many RLKs have been shown to be involved in abiotic stress responses, including the abscisic acid response, calcium signaling and antioxidant defense. This review summarizes recent studies on RLKs involved in plant responses to abiotic stress, including drought, salt, cold, toxic metals/metalloids and other stresses, and emphasizes the upstream and downstream factors in RLK signal transduction pathways under abiotic stress.


The founding of ISOTT: the Shamattawa of engineering science and medical science.
The founding of ISOTT was based upon the blending of Medical and Engineering sciences. This occurrence is portrayed by the Shamattawa, the joining of the Chippewa and Flambeau rivers. Beginning with Carl Scheele's discovery of oxygen, the medical sciences advanced the knowledge of its importance to physiological phenomena. Meanwhile, engineering science was evolving as a mathematical discipline used to define systems quantitatively from basic principles. In particular, Adolf Fick's employment of a gradient led to the formalization of transport phenomena. These two rivers of knowledge were blended to found ISOTT at Clemson/Charleston, South Carolina, USA, in 1973.The establishment of our society with a mission to support the collaborative work of medical scientists, clinicians and all disciplines of engineering was a supporting step in the evolution of bioengineering. Traditional engineers typically worked in areas not requiring knowledge of biology or the life sciences. By encouraging collaboration between medical science and traditional engineering, our society became one of the forerunners in establishing bioengineering as the fifth traditional discipline of engineering.


CXCL10 Expression Status is Prognostic in Patients with Advanced Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
CXCL10, a member of the CXC chemokine family, is known to mediate chemotaxis, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and cell growth. It is also reportedly involved in tumor development and can affect prognosis in several cancers. However, the precise relationship between CXCL10 and the prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is not fully understood. We used ESCC tissue microarrays containing samples from 177 patients to test whether the CXCL10 expression status, determined using immunohistochemical analysis, is predictive of prognosis. We also tested whether CXCL10 expression status could serve as a clinically useful marker for evaluating the need for adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery. We found that high CXCL10 expression in clinical samples was an independent prognostic factor and was predictive of a favorable 5-year overall survival and disease-specific survival (p = 0.0102 and 0.0332, respectively). Additionally, no significant difference was detected between patients in the CXCL10-high group treated with surgery alone and those treated with surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. In the CXCL10-low group, on the other hand, patients treated with surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy had better 5-year overall survival than those treated with surgery alone. High CXCL10 expression is an independent prognostic factor and has the potential to serve as a clinically useful marker of the need for adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery in patients with advanced thoracic ESCC.


Longitudinal economic consequences of colorectal cancer in a university hospital setting.
Colorectal cancer is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Europe. Medical interventions improve health outcomes, but may come at a considerable cost for the health care system and for patients. There is a need for so called incidence-based cost-analyses, in order to better understand the potential impact of new types of prevention and treatment. The objective of this study was to map--both from the patient and the health insurance perspective--the longitudinal costs of colorectal cancer in a university hospital setting. In addition, the average monthly cost per patient and the costs during the last year of life were investigated. The incidence-based analysis was conducted on data from 539 patients, who were treated for colorectal cancer in the Ghent University Hospital between July 1989 and August 2008. Data were obtained from all identified invoices and analysed from the perspective of both the health insurance and the patient. The costs were split in three major categories: drugs, hospital stay and fees. The follow-up period was divided into three periods: before recurrence, between recurrence and metastatic disease, and from metastatic disease until death. The total cumulative cost for an average follow-up of 3 years and 3 months was Euro37,696.2, the cost for rectal cancer and colon cancer being similar (Euro38,058 versus Euro37,268 respectively). Patients pay on average 10% of the cost, whereby medical fees are the main contributor to this cost. The total cost for patients who died during followup is higher (p = 0.297) compared to the cost in those who were still alive at the end of the follow-up period. The costs are highest during the last year of life. There was a significant difference (p = 0.049) in costs between patients with (Euro41,256.4) and without (Euro35,525.4) involved Lymph Nodes (LN) at the time of diagnosis. This study provides insight in the total longitudinal costs of colorectal cancer, and on the drivers of these costs within pre-defined periods in the progress of the disease. Taking into consideration some inherent limitations of our data and methods, such data are relevant and informative to health care policy makers and should be investigated more frequently.


Time-to-event estimation by re-defining time.
The primary goal of a time-to-event estimation model is to accurately infer the occurrence time of a target event. Most existing studies focus on developing new models to effectively utilize the information in the censored observations. In this paper, we propose a model to tackle the time-to-event estimation problem from a completely different perspective. Our model relaxes a fundamental constraint that the target variable, time, is a univariate number which satisfies a partial order. Instead, the proposed model interprets each event occurrence time as a time concept with a vector representation. We hypothesize that the model will be more accurate and interpretable by capturing (1) the relationships between features and time concept vectors and (2) the relationships among time concept vectors. We also propose a scalable framework to simultaneously learn the model parameters and time concept vectors. Rigorous experiments and analysis have been conducted in medical event prediction task on seven gene expression datasets. The results demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed model. Furthermore, similarity information among time concept vectors helped in identifying time regimes, thus leading to a potential knowledge discovery related to the human cancer considered in our experiments.


Chemoprevention of gastrointestinal neoplasia.
Cancer chemoprevention is defined as the pharmacologic intervention, by drugs or nutrient-components, with the process of carcinogenesis, in order to prevent the development of invasive malignant neoplasms. This preventive attempt is particularly challenging in cancer types, which have a long subclinical developmental phase, because of their low cellular proliferation rate and their slow pre-clinical evolution, until they become clinically detectable and therapeutically as well as prognostically relevant. Therefore, only certain specific cancer types are presently in the focus of clinical chemoprevention. Among the GI tract cancer, colorectal (CRC) as well as esophageal cancer have raised the most attention over the past decades, as they both share a long precancerous stage (the adenoma in CRC and Barrett's esophagus in the case of esophageal adenocarcinoma) which provides a window of opportunity to intervene and prevent development of cancer.In this review, we will focus on both CRC as well as esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC).


Processing efficiency in anxiety: Evidence from eye-movements during visual search.
It is generally held that anxiety is characterized by an attentional bias for threatening information. In recent years there has been an important debate whether these biases reside at the level of attentional selection (threat detection) or attentional processing after threat detection (attentional disengagement). In a visual search task containing emotional facial expressions, eye-movements were examined before and after threat detection in high and low trait anxious individuals to further elucidate the temporal unfolding of attentional bias. Results indicated that high-anxious individuals neither showed facilitated orienting to threat nor impaired disengagement of visual attention from threat. Interestingly, the presence of threat in the visual search display was associated with increased decision times in high-anxious individuals. These results challenge some of the current views on attentional bias to threat but indicate that emotional information reduces processing efficiency in anxiety.


Retinal Assessment Using In Vivo Electroretinography and Optical Coherence Tomography in Rodent Models of Diabetes.
Electroretinography and optical coherence tomography imaging allow for non-invasive quantitative assessment of the retina. These approaches have become mainstays for identifying the very earliest impact of hyperglycemia on retinal function and structure in animal models of diabetic eye disease. Moreover, they are essential for assessing the safety and efficacy of novel treatment approaches for diabetic retinopathy. Here, we describe approaches for in vivo electroretinography and optical coherence tomography imaging in rodent models of diabetes.


Synergistic effects of arsenic trioxide and silibinin on apoptosis and invasion in human glioblastoma U87MG cell line.
Patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) have poor therapeutic outcomes despite their current therapy. In an attempt to increase the efficacy of therapy for GBM, we studied the efficacy of arsenic trioxide (ATO), a newly introduced treatment for glioma, combined with silibinin, a natural polyphenolic flavonoid, in the GBM cell line, U87MG. The combination therapy synergically inhibited metabolic activity, cell proliferation, and gelatinase A and B activities; it also increased apoptosis. Additionally, it decreased the mRNA level of cathepsin B, uPA, matrix metalloproteinase-2 and 9, membrane type 1-MMP, survivin, BCL2, CA9; it increased mRNA level of caspase-3. Altogether, these results showed that ATO and silibinin in some cases improved and/or complemented the anticancer effects. This study may supply insight into the design of new combination cancer therapies to cells intrinsically less sensitive to routine therapies and suggested a new combination therapy for the highly invasive human glioma treatment.


Cardiovascular magnetic resonance of scar and ischemia burden early after acute ST elevation and non-ST elevation myocardial infarction.
The acute coronary syndrome diagnosis includes different classifications of myocardial infarction, which have been shown to differ in their pathology, as well as their early and late prognosis. These differences may relate to the underlying extent of infarction and/or residual myocardial ischemia. The study aim was to compare scar and ischemia mass between acute non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), ST-elevation MI with Q-wave formation (Q-STEMI) and ST-elevation MI without Q-wave formation (Non-Q STEMI) in-vivo, using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). This was a prospective cohort study of twenty five consecutive patients with NSTEMI, 25 patients with thrombolysed Q-STEMI and 25 patients with thrombolysed Non-Q STEMI. Myocardial function (cine imaging), ischemia (adenosine stress first pass myocardial perfusion) and scar (late gadolinium enhancement) were assessed by CMR 2-6 days after presentation and before any invasive revascularisation procedure. All subjects gave written informed consent and ethical committee approval was obtained. Scar mass was highest in Q-STEMI, followed by Non-Q STEMI and NSTEMI (24.1%, 15.2% and 3.8% of LV mass, respectively; p < 0.0001). Ischemia mass showed the reverse trend and was lowest in Q-STEMI, followed by Non-Q STEMI and NSTEMI (6.9%, 14.7% and 19.9% of LV mass, respectively; p = 0.012). The combined mass of scar and ischemia was similar between the three groups (p = 0.17). The ratio of scar to ischemia was 3.5, 1.0 and 0.2 for Q-STEMI, Non-Q STEMI and NSTEMI, respectively. Prior to revascularisation, the ratio of scar to ischemia differs between NSTEMI, Non-Q STEMI and Q-STEMI, whilst the combined scar and ischemia mass is similar between these three types of MI. These results provide in-vivo confirmation of the diverse pathophysiology of different types of acute myocardial infarction and may explain their divergent early and late prognosis.


Discriminative learning and associative memory under the differential outcomes procedure is modulated by cognitive load.
Working memory (WM) has been thought to be the cause of associative memory deficits in older adults. Previous research has demonstrated the benefits of a discriminative learning procedure, the differential outcomes procedure (DOP), to ameliorate such associative-memory maintenance deficits in situations that simulate adherence to medical prescriptions in both healthy and pathological ageing. Specifically, the DOP involves rewarding each correct response to each stimulus-stimulus association with a distinct and unique outcome (reinforcer). The aim of the present study was to explore the limits of this procedure by testing the amount of cognitive load at which the DOP improves discriminative learning and associative memory in a task that simulates adherence to medical treatment in undergraduate students. During the training phase, participants were asked to learn three pill/name (low-load condition) or four pill/name associations (high-load conditions) under the DOP in comparison with a control condition (the non-differential outcomes condition, NOP). Long-term retention of such learned associations was tested 1h and 1week after completion of the training phase. Participants showed a better accuracy and long-term retention of the learned associations when the DOP was used, but just in the high-load condition. These results suggest that when WM is overtaxed, the DOP plays a fundamental role in the long-term maintenance of the learned stimulus-stimulus associations, rendering such learning procedure as a useful technique to enhance people's discriminative learning and associative memory.


Salmonella/microsome mutagenicity of monochloro derivatives of some di-, tri- and tetracyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
A series of 8 monochloroarenes have been tested for mutagenicity in the Salmonella/microsome assay. None of the compounds was detectably active in the absence of mammalian activation whereas, depending on structure, some of the compounds were mutagenic in its presence having responses higher than those reported for the parent compounds.


Hepatitis B, C and human immunodeficiency virus knowledge among the general greek population: results from the Hprolipsis nationwide survey.
Although several studies on hepatitis B (HBV), C (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have been conducted in Greece, little is known on the knowledge level of the Greek population towards these three infections. Our aim was to assess the knowledge level of the adult Greek general population about the HBV, HCV and HIV. Data were derived from the first general population health survey, Hprolipsis. The sample was selected by multistage stratified random sampling. A standardized questionnaire was administered by trained interviewers during home visits. A knowledge score was constructed based on responses to 17 per infection selected items and categorized in three levels; high (12-17 correct replies) medium (6-11) and low (0-5). Among 8,341 eligible individuals, 6,006 were recruited (response rate: 72%) and 5,878 adults (≥ 18 years) were included in the analysis. The statistical analysis accounted for the study design. Only 30.4%, 21.6%, and 29.6% of the participants had a high overall knowledge level of HBV, HCV and HIV, respectively. These low percentages were mainly attributed to the high levels of misconception about transmission modes (65.9%, 67.2%, and 67.9%, respectively). Results showed that increasing age and living out of the big metropolitan cities were associated with decreased odds of having higher knowledge. Female gender, higher education level, higher monthly family income, higher medical risk score, history of testing and being born in Greece or Cyprus, were associated with increased odds of having higher knowledge. There are significant knowledge gaps in the Greek general population regarding modes of transmission, preventive measures and treatment availability for HBV, HCV and HIV. There is an urgent need for large scale but also localized awareness activities targeted to less privileged populations, to fill the gaps in knowledge and increase population engagement in preventive measures.


Health care-associated infections in pre-transplant liver intensive care unit: Perspectives and challenges.
Health care-associated infections (HAIs) threaten patient's safety worldwide especially in the intensive care units (ICU). In end-stage liver disease (ESLD), the condition is much more complicated. Data regarding HAIs among ESLD patients is lacking. We aimed to assess the incidence of HAIs, risk factors, causative micro-organisms, antimicrobial susceptibilities and mortality rates among patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) admitted to pre-transplant liver intensive care unit (LICU). This prospective observational study included 337 ESLD patients admitted to LICU, Al-Rajhi liver center, Assiut University Hospital, Assiut, Egypt between January 2016 and June 2016 and they were followed up for the development of HAI manifestations. The medical history, physical examination and severity of underlying disease were determined. Clinical samples were taken from patients who developed HAIs for microbiological diagnosis and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. A total of 57 (16.9%) ESLD patients developed HAIs with the incidence density of 26.8 per 1000 patient-days. Blood stream infection was the most common (49.1%). Escherichia coli (21.1%) followed by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (15.8%) were the commonest bacteria. Multidrug resistant organisms were reported in 52.6% of the isolates. Fungal causes were 15.8% with Candida species dominance. Sphingomonas paucimobilis and Achromobacter dentrificans were reported for the first time as pathogens for HAIs in LICU. Prolonged hospital stay, intravenous line duration, prolonged use of proton pump inhibitors and paracentesis were predictors for HAIs. No significant difference between ESLD patients with and without HAIs regarding mortality (36.8% vs. 48.6%, P=0.2). High HAI rate among ESLD patients is a matter of worry. Effective surveillance program, active infection control measures and national antibiotic policies are necessary to reduce the burden of HAIs.


Deep-brain imaging via epi-fluorescence Computational Cannula Microscopy.
Here we demonstrate widefield (field diameter = 200 μm) fluorescence microscopy and video imaging inside the rodent brain at a depth of 2 mm using a simple surgical glass needle (cannula) of diameter 0.22 mm as the primary optical element. The cannula guides excitation light into the brain and the fluorescence signal out of the brain. Concomitant image-processing algorithms are utilized to convert the spatially scrambled images into fluorescent images and video. The small size of the cannula enables minimally invasive imaging, while the long length (>2 mm) allow for deep-brain imaging with no additional complexity in the optical system. Since no scanning is involved, widefield fluorescence video at the native frame rate of the camera can be achieved.


Stable SV40-transformation and characterisation of some DNA repair properties of fibroblasts from a trichothiodystrophy patient.
To characterize nucleotide excision repair properties of cells from trichothiodystrophy (TTD) patients genetically-related to the xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) group D, TTD skin fibroblasts from two unrelated patients (TTD1VI and TTD2VI) belonging to the TTD/XPD group were transformed with a plasmid containing SV40 large T antigen-coding sequences and some DNA repair properties, such as unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS), UV-survival, in vitro repair synthesis of cell extracts and reactivation of UV-irradiated reporter plasmid were studied. Results showed that: a) both untransformed and transformed TTD cells present a reduced UV-survival, compared to wild-type cells, but at significantly less reduced levels than XP-D cells; b) reduced repair activities were detected in both TTD and XP-D transformed cells by using in vitro cell free extract repair and reactivation of UV-irradiated plasmid procedures, and these relative reduced extents correlated with respective UV-survival; c) surprisingly, near wild-type UDS levels were detected in TTD2VILas transformed cells at different passages after the crisis, suggesting a phenotypic reversion of this transformed cell line; d) fluoro-cytometric analysis of TTD2VILas cells revealed a strong increase of a cell population containing a DNA amount more than twice as high than that of untransformed cells; finally, e) when UDS data were normalized to the DNA content in TTD2VILas cells, it appeared that the repair efficiency was only slightly higher than in untransformed cells. This implies that in transformed cells DNA repair properties should be evaluated, taking into account additional parameters. We obtained an immortalized TTD cell line which maintains DNA repair properties similar to those of parental untransformed cells and may be used to characterize the TTD defect at genetic, molecular and biochemical levels.


Comparison between a Conventional Anti-Biofouling Compound and a Novel Modified Low-Fouling Polyethersulfone Ultrafiltration Membrane: Bacterial Anti-Attachment, Water Quality and Productivity.
In this work, the efficiency of a conventional chlorination pretreatment is compared with a novel modified low-fouling polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration (UF) membrane, in terms of bacteria attachment and membrane biofouling reduction. This study highlights the use of membrane modification as an effective strategy to reduce bacterial attachment, which is the initial step of biofilm formation, rather than using antimicrobial agents that can enhance bacterial regrowth. The obtained results revealed that the filtration of pretreated, inoculated seawater using the modified PES UF membrane without the pre-chlorination step maintained the highest initial flux (3.27 ± 0.13 m3·m-2·h-1) in the membrane, as well as having one and a half times higher water productivity than the unmodified membrane. The highest removal of bacterial cells was achieved by the modified membrane without chlorination, in which about 12.07 × 104 and 8.9 × 104 colony-forming unit (CFU) m-2 bacterial cells were retained on the unmodified and modified membrane surfaces, respectively, while 29.4 × 106 and 0.42 × 106 CFU mL-1 reached the filtrate for the unmodified and modified membranes, respectively. The use of chlorine disinfectant resulted in significant bacterial regrowth.


Age differences in ethanol discrimination: acquisition and ethanol dose generalization curves following multiple training conditions in adolescent and adult rats.
Adolescents and adults vary in sensitivity to many effects of ethanol (EtOH), although it is unknown whether they also differ in their perception of EtOH's subjective cues. This study characterized EtOH discrimination in adolescent and adult male rats using a rapidly acquired Pavlovian conditioned approach procedure. EtOH at 1 of the 3 training doses (0.75, 1.0, or 1.25 g/kg) served as either a positive (POS) or negative (NOS) occasion setter. Each 20-minute training session consisted of eight 15-second presentations of 2 cue lights located on either side of a dipper delivering chocolate Boost(®) . For POS-trained rats, the cue lights reliably predicted 5-second presentations of chocolate Boost during EtOH but not saline sessions, with the opposite contingencies used for NOS-trained rats. Anticipatory approach behavior (head entries into the reward delivery area) in the presence and absence of the cue lights was used to calculate discrimination scores on EtOH and saline sessions. Following acquisition, various doses of EtOH (0 to 1.5 g/kg) were administered to establish generalization curves. Although animals of both ages responded differentially on EtOH and saline sessions by the end of acquisition, adults met criterion more quickly and had higher discrimination scores during reinforced sessions than adolescents. Whereas adolescents failed to demonstrate any dose-dependent responding during testing when trained with the 0.75 or 1.25 g/kg EtOH doses, adults demonstrated broader EtOH generalization during testing sessions following training with all 3 EtOH doses. Among adolescents trained with 1.0 g/kg EtOH, less generalization occurred relative to adults. Adolescents were less sensitive to EtOH's interoceptive effects, indicating that EtOH is likely a more salient cue for adults than for adolescents. These findings contribute to evidence that suggests adolescent-typical insensitivity to internal cues that typically limit EtOH consumption may contribute to the elevated intake commonly reported during this developmental period.


Delay discounting, cognitive ability, and personality: What matters?
Steep delay discounting is associated with problems such as addiction, obesity, and risky sexual behavior that are frequently described as reflecting impulsiveness and lack of self-control, but it may simply indicate poor cognitive functioning. The present investigation took advantage of the unique opportunity provided by the Human Connectome Project (N=1,206) to examine the relation between delay discounting and 11 cognitive tasks as well as the Big Five fundamental personality traits. With income level and education statistically controlled, discounting was correlated with only four of the 11 cognitive abilities evaluated, although the rs were all small (<.20). Importantly, the two discounting measures loaded on their own factor. Discounting was not correlated with Neuroticism or Conscientiousness, traits related to psychometric impulsiveness and self-control. These findings suggest that steep delay discounting is not simply an indicator of poor cognitive functioning or psychometric impulsiveness but an important individual difference characteristic in its own right.


Anterior cruciate ligament surgery in the rabbit.
Various methods regarding allograft knee replacements have been described. The animal models, which are generally used for this purpose include sheep, dogs, goats, and pigs, and accrue significant costs for study protocols. The authors herein describe an efficient and cost-effective model to study either native or tissue-engineered allografts for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) replacement in a New Zealand rabbit model with the potential for transgenic and cell migration studies. ACL reconstructions were performed in rabbits under general anesthesia. For fresh allograft implantations, two animals were operated in parallel. Each right extensor digitorum longus tendon was harvested and prepared for implantation. After excision of the ACL, tibial and femoral bone tunnels were created to implant each graft in the native ACL position. During a 2-year period, the authors have successfully undertaken this surgery in 61 rabbits and have not noticed any major complications attributed to this surgical technique. In addition, the authors have observed fast recovery in the animals postoperatively. The authors recommend this surgical procedure as an excellent model for the study of knee surgery.


Predicting the results of radial keratotomy.
Radial keratotomy on 251 patient eyes was performed. Patients traversing the one-year gate after surgery have demonstrated a refractive change best predicted by the optical zone size, the number of incisions, the corneal dissymmetry, and the age of the patient. One year after surgery, a 16-incision radial keratotomy with 3.0-mm optical zone produced 4.66 diopters of refractive change if the limbus was traversed (N = 13), and 5.18 diopters of refractive change if all incisions remained in clear cornea (N = 39). An eight-incision, 3.0-mm optical zone radial keratotomy produced 5.21 diopters of refractive change at one year (N = 37). A 3.5-mm optical zone, eight-incision radial keratotomy produced 3.66 diopters of change at one year (N = 6). A 4.0-mm optical zone produced 2.67 diopters of change with 16 incisions (N = 8), and 3.45 diopters of change with eight incisions at one year (N = 9). Although older patients appear to have significantly greater refractive change with radial keratotomy at the three-month gate, this difference is not yet confirmed at one year after surgery. The shape of the cornea before surgery contributes to the predictability of the refractive results when the horizontal and vertical keratometer measurements are analyzed. Corneal dissymmetry produces greater refractive results with steeper horizontal K when against-the-rule astigmatism is present before surgery.


Involvement of cholecalciferol metabolism in birds in the adaptation of calcium absorption to the needs during reproduction.
1. The metabolism of calcium and cholecalciferol in quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) and chicken (Gallus domesticus) during maturation was correlated to gonadal activity and plasma oestrogen levels. 2. Birds with undeveloped ovaries (immature), developed ovaries but not laying (mature), and after laying 3-8 eggs (laying), were used in the first series. 3. Birds in which egg production had been arrested by Nicarbazin, were used in the second series. 4. Plasma 17 beta-oestradiol and calcium were elevated in the mature bird, with no further change in the laying bird. Kidney 25-hydroxycholecalciferol-1-hydroxylase and intestinal calcium-binding protein increased slightly in the mature bird, whereas they were grossly elevated in the laying bird. 5. Calcium and phosphorus absorption were markedly elevated in the laying bird. 6. No changes were noted in plasma 25-hydroxycholecalciferol, at any stage of maturation. 7. During the arrest of egg production by Nicarbazin, 17 beta-oestradiol level, calcium concentration of plasma, and medullary bone were maintained. Kidney 25-hydroxy-cholecalciferol-1-hydroxylase, intestinal calcium-binding protein and absorption of calcium were strikingly reduced. 8. The results suggest that changes in calcium absorption and cholecalciferol metabolism during maturation in birds are not directly affected by gonadal hormones; they appear to represent an adaptation to the increased calcium needs due to medullary bone formation and, more importantly, to the large losses of calcium imposed by shell formation.