Genome-wide survey of parent-of-origin-specific associations across clinical traits derived from electronic health records.
Parent-of-origin (PoO) effects refer to the differential phenotypic impacts of genetic variants dependent on their parental inheritance due to imprinting. While PoO effects can influence complex traits, they may be poorly captured by models that do not differentiate the parental origin of the variant. The aim of this study was to conduct a genome-wide screen for PoO effects on a broad range of clinical traits derived from electronic health records (EHR) in the DiscovEHR study enriched with familial relationships. Using pairwise kinship estimates from genetic data and demographic data, we identified 22,051 offspring among 134,049 individuals in the DiscovEHR study. PoO of ~9 million variants was assigned in the offspring by comparing offspring and parental genotypes and haplotypes. We then performed genome-wide PoO association analyses across 154 quantitative and 611 binary traits extracted from EHR. Of the 732 significant PoO associations identified (p < 5 × 10-8), we attempted to replicate 274 PoO associations in the UK Biobank study with 5,015 offspring and replicated 9 PoO associations (p < 0.05). In summary, our study implements a bioinformatic and statistical approach to examine PoO effects genome-wide in a large population study enriched with familial relationships and systematically characterizes PoO effects on hundreds of clinical traits derived from EHR. Our results suggest that, while the statistical power to detect PoO effects remains modest yet, accurately modeling PoO effects has the potential to find new associations that may have been missed by the standard additive model, further enhancing the mechanistic understanding of genetic influence on complex traits.


Behavioral, neural and cellular components underlying olfactory learning in the honeybee.
A top-down approach as applied to learning and memory in honeybees provides the opportunity of relating different levels of complexity to each other, and of analyzing the rules and mechanisms from the viewpoint of the respective next higher level. Olfactory conditioning of harnessed bees exemplifies essential elements of associative learning and, in general, forms a bridge between the systems and the cellular levels of analysis. Intracellular recordings of identified neurons during olfactory conditioning play a key role in this effort. They allow testing of the assumptions made by modern behavioral theories of associative learning and provide access to cellular and molecular studies, owing to the identification of their transmitters and the peculiarities of the connectivities. Analysis at this intermediate level of complexity is particularly profitable in the bee, because essential neural elements of the associative network are known and can be tested during ongoing learning behavior. In this respect, the honeybee offers unique properties for the building of bridges between the molecular, cellular, neuronal, network and behavioral levels of associative learning.


Myopenia-a new universal term for muscle wasting.
A universal term describing the presence of clinically relevant muscle wasting that warrants medical intervention is required. The term sarcopenia might be used in this context. However, common use now means that sarcopenia is more often regarded as synonymous with age-associated muscle wasting in the elderly. We suggest the term "myopenia" to indicate the presence of clinically relevant muscle wasting due to any illness and at any age. This term would translate well into any language and is sufficiently specific if appropriately defined. We suggest to define myopenia as a clinically relevant degree of muscle wasting that is associated either with impaired functional capacity and/or with increased risk of morbidity or mortality. The precise cut-points to define myopenia may be different in various diseases. Myopenia could be diagnosed when a certain degree of muscle wasting over time has occurred (for instance, at least 5% in 6-12 months) or when muscle mass is below a certain threshold level (for instance, the <5th centile of healthy 30-year-olds or a fat-free mass index <16 kg/m(2) for men and <15 kg/m(2) for women). Future studies need to refine these in a disease-specific manner and link them to degrees of functional impairment that are clinically relevant and/or to degrees of risk of morbid or fatal events.


Processed HIV prognostic dataset for control experiments.
This paper provides a control dataset of processed prognostic indicators for analysing drug resistance in patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART). The dataset was locally sourced from health facilities in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria, West Africa and contains 14 attributes with 1506 unique records filtered from 3168 individual treatment change episodes (TCEs). These attributes include sex, before and follow-up CD4 counts (BCD4, FCD4), before and follow-up viral load (BRNA, FRNA), drug type/combination (DTYPE), before and follow-up body weight (Bwt, Fwt), patient response to ART (PR), and classification targets (C1-C5). Five (5) output membership grades of a fuzzy inference system ranging from very high interaction to no interaction were constructed to model the influence of adverse drug reaction (ADR) and subsequently derive the PR attribute (a non-fuzzy variable). The PR attribute membership clusters derived from a universe of discourse table were then used to label the classification targets as follows: C1=no interaction, C2=very low interaction, C3=low interaction, C4=high interaction, and C5=very high interaction. The classification targets are useful for building classification models and for detecting patients with ADR. This data can be exploited for the development of expert systems, for useful decision support to treatment failure classification [1] and effectual drug regimen prescription.


Molecular interactions within the IL-6/IL-12 cytokine/receptor superfamily.
Production of cytokines by immune cells in response to stimuli and the binding of cytokines to specific receptors on target cells is a central feature of the immune response. The IL-12 cytokine family is particularly influential in determining the fate of T cells and is characterized by the sharing of cytokine and receptor subunits. A thorough understanding of the molecular interactions within this family will be a key to the development of therapeutic inhibitors or enhancers of IL-12 family function. While the current structural and molecular data for IL-12 family members is limited, there is ample information on the structurally related IL-6 cytokine family. This review will summarize the current structural and mutagenesis data within the IL-12 family and will attempt to utilize similarities between the IL-6 and IL-12 families to understand molecular interactions between IL-12 family subunits and with receptor components.


Pulmonary large cell carcinoma with rhabdoid phenotype.
Large cell carcinoma of the lung with a rhabdoid phenotype is very rare. We present a 55-year-old man with multiple nodules in his lung. He had an emergency operation because of abundant hemoptysis. The microscopic appearance was a large cell carcinoma with a pure rhabdoid phenotype. There were no foci of any other carcinomatous components. Tumor cells had abundant eosinophilic cytoplasmic globules and eccentric nuclei and did not adhere to each other. Histochemically, these cells were periodic acid-Schiff-negative. Immunohistochemically, vimentin and neuron-specific enolase were positive. Epithelial membrane antigen was focally and weakly positive, p53 was positive in 60% of tumoral cells, and Ki-67 (MIB-1 labeling index) was 50%. The patient died of disseminated disease 2 months after the operation.


A combination of deep eutectic solvent and ethanol pretreatment for synergistic delignification and enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis for biorefinary process.
A novel pretreatment system containing deep eutectic solvents and ethanol (DES-E) for synergistic carbohydrate conversion and delignification was reported in this study. The DES-E pretreatment resulted in an enhanced glucose yield compared to individual DES and ethanol pretreatment for the three tested biomass, including Broussonetia papyrifera, corn stover and pine. To further explore the delignification mechanism, the solubilized lignin and residual lignin from Broussonetia papyrifera was recovered and extracted, then thoroughly characterized. The highest total OH content was found in the DES-E solubilized lignin, which could be used as antioxidant. The presence of ethanol in pretreatment liquor could protect the β-O-4 substructure from breakage and reduce lignin condensation, which favors the subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis. Comparable glucose yield and delignification performance was achieved by recycled DES. DES-E pretreatment offers a promising method for lignin isolation and cellulose digestibility improvement simultaneously.


Aptamer-based biosensors for Pseudomonas aeruginosa detection.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa possesses innate antibiotic resistance mechanisms, and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been considered the number one priority in the 2017 WHO list of antimicrobial-resistant crucial hazards. Early detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa can circumvent treatment challenges. Various techniques have been developed for the detection of P. aeruginosa detection. Biosensors have recently attracted unprecedented attention in the field of point-of-care diagnostics due to their easy operation, rapid, low cost, high sensitivity, and selectivity. Biosensors can convert the specific interaction between bioreceptors (antibodies, aptamers) and pathogens into optical, electrical, and other signal outputs. Aptamers are novel and promising alternatives to antibodies as biorecognition elements mainly synthesized by systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment and have predictable secondary structures. They have comparable affinity and specificity for binding to their target to antibody recognition. Since 2015, there have been about 2000 journal articles published in the field of aptamer biosensors, of which 30 articles were on the detection of P. aeruginosa. Here, we have focused on outlining the recent progress in the field of aptamer-based biosensors for P. aeruginosa detection based on optical, electrochemical, and piezoelectric signal transduction methods.


Prevention of postsplenectomy sepsis: how much do patients know?
Asplenia causes a deficiency in immunity with a long-term risk of fulminant infection, associated with significant mortality. Patient compliance requires an understanding of risks of infection and its prevention. The impact of patient education has been little studied. To ascertain the degree of knowledge held by patients who have undergone splenectomy, a comprehensive survey was designed. This also aimed to determine which group of health professionals was most successful in conveying information to patients. Patients who had undergone total splenectomy were interviewed by telephone, using a standardised list of questions to assess their understanding of the post-operation risks. Of 40 consecutive patients, 32.5% had a good knowledge of the risks of asplenia and their prevention, 52.5% had a fair knowledge and 15% a poor knowledge. Haematologists were most successful in initially conveying information to patients, and general practitioners also played a critical role in patient education. In this survey, it appears that surgeons were not effective at educating patients. Patient education postsplenectomy is poor. Measures to prevent infection in the asplenic patient are not being adequately implemented.


Increased yield of mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) by cultivation of monolayer-derived mammary tumor cells in suspension.
The MJY-alpha epithelial-like mammary tumor cell line was adapted for cultivation in suspension using a shaker culture technique. Replication of suspension (MJY-beta) cells was more sensitive than monolayer cells to decreases in the concentration of serum in the medium. Comparison of amino acid incorporation and lactate production rates revealed additional differences between monolayer and suspension cultures. In addition, growth in suspension resulted in 10- to 400-fold increases in mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) production by the mammary tumor cells. Increases in MMTV yield were detected within 48 h of culture initiation and MMTV production remained elevated throughout 20 cell passages in suspension. Exposure of MJY-beta cells to 14 microM hydrocortisone further increased MMTV yield two- to five-fold. The MJY-beta suspension cultures demonstrated that these epithelial-like cells do not require attachment to a solid substrate for replication or for MMTV production. Loss of structural polarization associated with growth as a monolayer resulted in stimulation of MMTV production greater than and independent of steroid exposure.


Relationship between membrane fatty acid composition and heat resistance of acid and cold stressed Salmonella senftenberg CECT 4384.
This study evaluates the adaptative response to heat (63 degrees C) and the modifications in membrane fatty acid composition of Salmonella senftenberg after its growth in an acidified medium and after its exposure to combinations of acid and cold stresses. Cells were grown in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) buffered at pH 7.0 and acidified up to pH 4.5 (fresh cultures) and kept at refrigeration temperature (4 degrees C) for 7 days (refrigerated cultures). The results indicate that previous adaptation to a low pH increased the bacterial heat resistance, but combinations of sublethal stresses reduced S. senftenberg heat tolerance, specially when the growth medium pH was decreased. Acid-adapted cells showed D(63)-values ranging from 3.10 to 6.27 min, while non-acid-adapted cells showed D(63)-values of 1.07 min. As pH decreased, over the pH range studied (7.4-4.5), D(63)-values of the resulting cells increased. However, refrigerated acid-adapted cells showed lower D(63)-values, which ranged from 0.95 to 0.49 min. A linear relationship between the thermotolerance of S. senftenberg cells and the previous growth medium pH was found in both fresh and refrigerated cultures, which allowed us to predict changes in heat resistance of S. senftenberg that occur at any pH value within the range used in the present study in which most foodstuffs are included. Both acidification of the growth medium and refrigeration storage of cells induced modifications in membrane fatty acid composition, which were clearly linked to their heat resistance. Acid-adapted cells, regardless of the pH value of the growth medium, showed the lowest UFA/SFA ratio and a CFA content 1.5-2-fold higher than that observed for non-acid-adapted cells. On the other hand, the UFA/SFA ratio found for S. senftenberg cells exposed to a cold stress was 1.2-1.8-fold higher than that observed for non-refrigerated cultures. This increase in the UFA/SFA ratio was specially high for acid-adapted cells. The highest thermotolerance was observed for cells with low UFA/SFA ratio, and, consequently, having a low membrane fluidity. However, changes observed in CFA content did not explain the great heat sensitivity of refrigerated acid-adapted cells.


Precise "one line" measurement of intracardiac electrograms.
Atrioventricular nodal (A-H) and infranodal (H-Q) conduction times were determined in 22 patients undergoing intracardiac electrophysiologic studies. These measurements were determined independently both on line from a digital oscilloscope and from paper recordings at a rate of 100 mm/sec. There was no significant difference and excellent correlation between mean A-H (91.39 +/- 29 versus 95.44 +/- 32 msec) and H-Q (53.48 +/- 14 versus 50.52 +/- 15 msec) intervals determined by these two methods. The digital oscilloscope enables virtually instantaneous highly accurate (+/- 1 msec) timing of intracardiac events and rapid and more efficient processing of data. Potential applications during electrophysiologic studies include precise monitoring of drug effects on atrioventricular conduction and refractoriness, on line analyses of complex rhythm disturbances, and ready storage of data for computer retrieval and analyses.


Protective effect of mitophagy against aluminum-induced MC3T3-E1 cells dysfunction.
Aluminum (Al) is a ubiquitous environmental metal toxicant that causes osteoblast (OB) damage which leads to Al-related bone diseases. Mitochondrial damage plays a key role in Al-related bone diseases, and while mitophagy can clear damaged mitochondria and improve OB function, the relationship between mitophagy and Al-induced OB dysfunction is unknown. To explore the role of mitophagy in Al-induced OB dysfunction in vitro, we used 2 μM carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) and 0.4 μM Cyclosporin A (CsA) to activate and inhibit mitophagy, respectively. MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with 0 mM AlCl3 (control group); 2 mM AlCl3 (Al group); 2 μM CCCP (CCCP group); 2 μM CCCP and 2 mM AlCl3 (CCCP + Al group); 0.4 μM CsA (CsA group); 0.4 μM CsA and 2 mM AlCl3 (CsA + Al group). The results showed that Al induced ultrastructural and functional impairment of MC3T3-E1 cells. Compared to the Al group, mitophagy activation caused mitochondrial membrane potentials to collapse, up-regulated PINK1, Parkin, and LC3 expression, down-regulated p62 expression, and increased mitophagosome numbers. Mitophagy activation also reduced Al-induced oxidative stress and MC3T3-E1 cell functional damage, as seen in improvement in cell viability, cellular calcium and phosphorus contents, and collagen I, osteocalcin, and bone alkaline phosphatase gene expression. Mitophagy inhibition had the opposite effects on activation. Overall, these results show that mitophagy can protect against Al-induced OB dysfunction.


Investigation of high-gain two-tier converter with PI and super-twisting sliding mode control.
Power electronic converters are becoming more critical as renewable energy sources are linked to distributed generation systems. In this study, a "Two-Tier Converter" for high voltage gain with a low duty ratio, low voltage stress for the given voltage gain, continuous input current, and a grounded load arrangement have been made from two stages of a conventional boost converter. The analysis, modes of operation, and effects of the inductors' internal resistances on voltage gain have been discussed. The advantages of the two-tier converter have also been established by comparison studies with other modern high-gain converters. The suggested converter has also been evaluated using stability analysis, PI, and super-twisting sliding mode control (STSMC) to regulate the output voltage at a constant value. The effectiveness of the suggested configuration with the suggested control approach has been demonstrated through simulation and experimental investigation.


Fragile X mental retardation protein restricts replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1.
Gag protein is the major structural component of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) particles and drives virus assembly on cellular membranes. This function of Gag is attributed to its intrinsic self-multimerization ability as well as its interaction with cellular factors such as TSG101 that binds to the PTAP sequence in the p6 region of Gag and promotes HIV-1 budding through recruiting the ESCRT (endosomal sorting complex required for transport). As a result of its essential role in virus assembly, Gag also becomes the target of cellular restriction factors such as APOBEC3G and Trim5alpha. In this study, we report that the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) interacts with HIV-1 Gag and is packaged into virus particles. Although knockdown of FMRP does not markedly affect production of virus particles, infectivity of HIV-1 virions was significantly decreased. Consistent with this observation, overexpression of the wild type FMRP, but not the FMRP mutants that lack the KH1 or the KH2 domains, led to 2- to 3-fold reduction of virus infectivity. Together, these results suggest that FMRP diminishes HIV-1 infectivity through association with viral Gag protein and virus particles.


Solitary nonparasitic hepatic cyst causing abdominal distension and respiratory distress in a newborn.
This is a report of a girl infant born with a protuberant abdomen and respiratory distress. A cystic mass was excised from the liver.


Association of progesterone receptor polymorphism with idiopathic recurrent pregnancy loss in Taiwanese Han population.
Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) could be caused by insufficient progesterone in the luteal phase of menstruation and early pregnancy. Progesterone plays a critical role in oocyte maturation, embryo implantation and placenta maintenance in early gestation. This study was set out to investigate the association between polymorphisms of the progesterone receptor (PGR) gene and idiopathic RPL. One hundred twenty-one women with a history of idiopathic recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and 179 control subjects were enrolled into the study. Six tag SNPs and two functional SNPs [PROGINS (rs1042838), +331 C/T (rs10895068)] of the progesterone receptor gene were genotyped. We found that the allele and genotype frequencies of the functional SNP [PROGINS (rs1042838)] were both significantly higher in patients with idiopathic RPL than in the control subjects (both P values = 0.006). In addition, the C-C haplotype, which consists of rs590688C > G and rs11224592T > C, is associated with a decreased risk of RPL (p = 0.004). PROGINS polymorphism confers susceptibility to idiopathic recurrent pregnancy loss in Taiwanese Han women.


Redundancy of washing in the preparation of biological specimens for transmission electron microscopy.
A marine unicellular organism, human trophoblast tissue and cultured trophoblast cells of human origin have been satisfactorily preserved for electron microscopy without resort to washing either before dehydration or between different stages of fixation. The time required to fix and dehydrate a specimen using this method is 55 min.


A catastrophic threat to the already vulnerable towards 2030: Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on livelihood outcome of informal cross border traders in Gweru, Zimbabwe.
Informal cross-border trade (ICBT) is one significant part of intra-Sub-Saharan African (SSA) trade. This economic activity goes a long way in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, by providing employment in poor communities, and thus helps in poverty reduction by providing a significant contribution of income into households. For these reasons any disturbance to ICBT in SSA is a serious threat, since it affects the most vulnerable groups of societies. This research examines the impact of COVID-19 on the livelihood outcome of informal cross border traders (ICBTs) in Gweru, Zimbabwe using the case of Global Village Flea Market. The case study design was used, employing qualitative data collection techniques. This research design was chosen as it enabled generation of in-depth understanding of what actually transpired on the ground during the lockdown period. The main sources of data were in-depth interviews with the ICBTs and owner of the flea market. Thirty three ICBTs were selected at the flea market using convenience sampling technique. Results revealed that COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on ICBTs livelihood outcome by causing the global economic retreat of nations, shutting down of borders, shutting down business operations and social contact. There were challenges in acquiring income during this COVID-19 lockdown period since the traders were not allowed to go to work and this presented difficulties in the quest to achieve SDGs 1 and 2 by 2030. Their situation was further worsened by rise in prices of basic commodities which occurred during the lockdown when they were not operating and also by lack of assistance from the government. Sixty one percent (61%) of the respondents who had few savings from the business, that were meant to purchase new stock, had to use these to buy food and pay rentals during the lockdown period. This meant that they no longer had capital to purchase new stock when business resumed. The study recommends the government to provide assistance to ICBTs during the occurrence of such pandemics or situations that result in lockdown of nations.


Grip strength is not related to increased medial elbow joint-space gapping induced by repetitive pitching.
Pitching induces elbow valgus stress, which can lead to an increase in medial elbow joint-space gapping when repeated. Previous basic research on the medial elbow joint shows that the contraction associated with gripping reduces medial elbow joint-space gapping. However, no studies have investigated the relationship between grip strength and increased medial elbow joint-space gapping during repetitive pitching. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether grip strength is related to medial elbow joint-space gapping during repetitive pitching. Our hypothesis was that increased grip strength would correlate with a reduction in medial elbow joint-space gapping. A total of 25 high school baseball players participated in this study. Each subject pitched 100 times. The medial elbow joint-space gapping and grip strength were measured before and after pitching. Correlation analysis was used to identify the relationship between medial elbow joint-space gapping and grip strength. Medial elbow joint-space gapping (mm) increased by 25.5% ± 8.0% after 100 pitches (gapping before, 5.0 ± 0.9; gapping after, 6.2 ± 1.1; P < .001). Grip strength (kg) after 100 pitches decreased by 2.8% ± 7.4% to that before pitching (before, 40.4 ± 5.5; after 39.2 ± 5.6; P < .05). There was no significant correlation between the change rate of medial elbow joint gapping and grip strength at any time (grip strength: before pitching, P = .74; after pitching, P = .40; change rate from before to after pitching, P = .24). Grip strength is not related to increased medial elbow joint-space gapping induced by repetitive pitching. This indicates that physical ability expressed by grip strength is not associated with preventing increases in medial elbow joint-space gapping during repetitive pitching. Further studies are required to investigate the stabilization mechanism of the medial elbow joint during pitching.


GEM: scalable and flexible gene-environment interaction analysis in millions of samples.
Gene-environment interaction (GEI) studies are a general framework that can be used to identify genetic variants that modify the effects of environmental, physiological, lifestyle or treatment effects on complex traits. Moreover, accounting for GEIs can enhance our understanding of the genetic architecture of complex diseases and traits. However, commonly used statistical software programs for GEI studies are either not applicable to testing certain types of GEI hypotheses or have not been optimized for use in large samples. Here, we develop a new software program, GEM (Gene-Environment interaction analysis in Millions of samples), which supports the inclusion of multiple GEI terms, adjustment for GEI covariates and robust inference, while allowing multi-threading to reduce computation time. GEM can conduct GEI tests as well as joint tests of genetic main and interaction effects for both continuous and binary phenotypes. Through simulations, we demonstrate that GEM scales to millions of samples while addressing limitations of existing software programs. We additionally conduct a gene-sex interaction analysis on waist-hip ratio in 352 768 unrelated individuals from the UK Biobank, identifying 24 novel loci in the joint test that have not previously been reported in combined or sex-specific analyses. Our results demonstrate that GEM can facilitate the next generation of large-scale GEI studies and help advance our understanding of the genetic architecture of complex diseases and traits. GEM is freely available as an open source project at https://github.com/large-scale-gxe-methods/GEM. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Bleeding risks with novel oral anticoagulants especially rivaroxaban versus aspirin: a meta-analysis.
This pairwise meta-analysis determines the difference in bleeding risks associated with the use of novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) and aspirin. PubMed, the Cochrane Library database, clinicaltrial.gov , and related studies were searched for randomized control trials (RCTs) comparing NOAC and aspirin published between January 1, 2000 and May 10, 2021. The primary endpoint was intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). Eleven studies involving 57,645 patients were included. Compared to aspirin, rivaroxaban (5 mg/day) had a similar risk of ICH, major bleeding, and fatal bleeding; rivaroxaban (10 mg/day) had higher risks of gastrointestinal hemorrhage (OR: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.03-1.94; P = 0.032; I2 = 0%) and a similar risk of ICH, major bleeding, and fatal bleeding; and rivaroxaban (15-20 mg/day) had higher risks of ICH (OR: 3.21; 95% CI: 1.36-7.60; P = 0.008; I2 = 0%), major bleeding (OR: 2.64; 95% CI: 1.68-4.16; P < 0.001; I2 = 0%), and fatal bleeding (OR: 2.26; 95% CI: 1.25-4.08; P = 0.007; I2 = 0%) and a similar risk of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Bleeding outcomes between other NOACs (apixaban and dabigatran etexilate) and aspirin were not different. The bleeding risks associated with NOACs depend on drug type and dosage. For ≥15 mg/day of rivaroxaban, the risk of ICH was significantly higher than that with aspirin. However, further studies comparing dabigatran etexilate and apixaban versus aspirin are warranted to draw a definite conclusion.


Growing impact of social media in aesthetics: Review and debate.
Social media has exponentially grown in the past 15 years, and the recent increase in the use of social media platforms in medicine is undeniable. In aesthetic medicine, having a social media presence can help to educate patients, the public, and colleagues on medical knowledge and procedures, while also dispelling the overcrowded misinformation from nonmedical influencers. Social media has many positive aspects that can be incorporated into aesthetic medicine to make the field stronger as well as negative aspects that should be avoided. We review the overall impact of social media in aesthetic medicine.


Enhanced removal of carbon dioxide and alleviation of dissolved oxygen accumulation in photobioreactor with bubble tank.
Reduction of carbon loss from the effluent is one of the most important aspects of photobioreactors design. In this study, a novel gas sparger of bubble tank was adopted in a photobioreactor to enhance carbon dioxide (CO(2)) mass transfer rate as well as alleviate dissolved oxygen (DO) accumulation. The results showed that low DO level in the culture can be obtained due to the turbulent hydrodynamic condition provided by the bubble tank. The effects of CO(2) concentration, flow rate of influent, and light intensity on CO(2) removal efficiency were investigated. The maximum CO(2) removal efficiency was 94% at flow rate of 30 mL min(-1), light intensity of 179 μmol m(-2) s(-1) and CO(2) concentration of 10%, implying that the novel gas sparger is a promising alternative for CO(2) removal from CO(2)-enriched air by cultivating microalgae in the photobioreactor.


Pretreatment levels of serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor are useful in selecting the treatment regimen for newly diagnosed advanced-stage follicular lymphoma with low tumor burden.
High pre-treatment serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) levels are associated with poor overall survival (OS) of patients with newly diagnosed follicular lymphoma (FL). We evaluated the usefulness of pre-treatment sIL-2R levels in selecting a treatment regimen for advanced-stage FL with low tumor burden (FL-LTB). This retrospective, multicenter observational study enrolled consecutive patients who received a rituximab-containing regimen for newly diagnosed advanced stage FL-LTB (grade 1-3a) between 2008 and 2018. We applied a previously reported cut-off value of 1800 IU/mL for sIL-2R. A total of 211 patients were eligible for the analysis. Among patients with high sIL-2R (47 patients, 22.3%), the OS rates for patients treated by rituximab monotherapy (R-mono) (11 patients) were significantly lower than those treated by rituximab-combination chemotherapy (R-chemo) (36 patients): 5-year OS rates were 66.7% and 94.4%, respectively (P = 0.007). Among patients with low sIL-2R (164 patients, 77.7%), OS rates were comparably good between the R-mono group (34 patients) and the R-chemo group (130 patients): 5-year OS rates were 100% and 98.3%, respectively (P = 0.38). Our results suggest that R-chemo may yield better OS than R-mono for patients with newly diagnosed advanced-stage FL-LTB and high pre-treatment serum sIL-2R levels.


Sleep and muscle recovery: endocrinological and molecular basis for a new and promising hypothesis.
Sleep is essential for the cellular, organic and systemic functions of an organism, with its absence being potentially harmful to health and changing feeding behavior, glucose regulation, blood pressure, cognitive processes and some hormonal axes. Among the hormonal changes, there is an increase in cortisol (humans) and corticosterone (rats) secretion, and a reduction in testosterone and Insulin-like Growth Factor 1, favoring the establishment of a highly proteolytic environment. Consequently, we hypothesized that sleep debt decreases the activity of protein synthesis pathways and increases the activity of degradation pathways, favoring the loss of muscle mass and thus hindering muscle recovery after damage induced by exercise, injuries and certain conditions associated with muscle atrophy, such as sarcopenia and cachexia.


Quantifying and minimizing radiation exposure during pediatric cardiac catheterization.
This study reports findings from evaluations of new technologies to measure radiation exposure during pediatric cardiac catheterization procedures. A strategy of pulsed fluoroscopy and low power settings resulted in significantly lower patient radiation exposure compared to conventional 60 frames/sec, high-power settings during fluoroscopy. During radiofrequency ablation procedures, thyroid and thoracic skin sites outside the direct fluoroscopic field received minimal radiation exposure. Intrathoracic radiation exposure was measured with the use of an esophageal dosimeter. In conclusion, strategies to reduce total radiation exposure should be employed, radiation dose should be measured, and assessment of radiation skin injury should be included in post-catheterization assessment.


Development of rapid and highly accurate method to measure concentration of fibers in atmosphere using artificial intelligence and scanning electron microscopy.
We aimed to develop a measurement method that can count fibers rapidly by scanning electron microscopy equipped with an artificial intelligence image recognition system (AI-SEM), detecting thin fibers which cannot be observed by a conventional phase contrast microscopy (PCM) method. We created a simulation sampling filter of airborne fibers using water-filtered chrysotile (white asbestos). A total of 108 images was taken of the samples at a 5 kV accelerating voltage with 10 000X magnification scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Each of three expert analysts counted 108 images and created a model answer for fibers. We trained the artificial intelligence (AI) using 25 of the 108 images. After the training, the AI counted fibers in 108 images again. There was a 12.1% difference between the AI counting results and the model answer. At 10 000X magnification, AI-SEM can detect 87.9% of fibers with a diameter of 0.06-3 μm, which is similar to a skilled analyst. Fibers with a diameter of 0.2 μm or less cannot be confirmed by phase-contrast microscopy (PCM). When observing the same area in 300 images with 1500X magnification SEM-as listed in the Asbestos Monitoring Manual (Ministry of the Environment)-with 10 000X SEM, the expected analysis time required for the trained AI is 5 h, whereas the expected time required for observation by an analyst is 251 h. The AI-SEM can count thin fibers with higher accuracy and more quickly than conventional methods by PCM and SEM.


Repeated open fermentative production of optically pure L-lactic acid using a thermophilic Bacillus sp. strain.
A thermophilic Bacillus sp. strain 2-6 was used in completely open repeated batch fermentation for producing optically pure L-lactic acid. Up to 107 g l(-1) L-lactic acid of optical purity 99.8% was obtained with NaOH as pH regulator. Unexpectedly, accumulated cells did not necessarily lead to increased L-lactic acid production. Kinetic and viable cells analyses revealed that L-lactic acid production by Bacillus sp. 2-6 was closely related to the growth of viable cells. Accumulated unviable cells had a slight or negative effect on production efficiency. Therefore, the number of repeated batches should be limited to avoid the accumulation of unviable cells. In this study, repeated open operation was shown to be feasible for optically pure L-lactic acid production, and new light shed on the roles of viable and unviable cells in repeated batch fermentation.


[Degenerative Aortic Stenosis: Modern View on Development, Course, and Management].
Degenerative aortic stenosis is an acquired heart defect manifesting as progressive thickening and calcification of leaflets of originally normal tricuspid or congenital bicuspid aortic valve with development of orifice narrowing, left ventricular hypertrophy, and high risk of cardiovascular complications. In this review we present modern concepts of formation and progression of degenerative aortic stenosis and discuss optimal methods of management of this disease.


Cytoprotective effects of dietary flavonoids against cadmium-induced toxicity.
Cadmium (Cd) damages the liver, kidney, bones, reproductive system, and other organs. Flavonoids, such as anthocyanins and flavonols, which are commonly found in plant foods, have shown protective effects against Cd-induced damage. The cytoprotective effects of flavonoids against Cd-induced diseases are mainly attributable to three mechanisms. First, flavonoids clear reactive oxygen species, thereby reducing lipid peroxide production and improving the activity of antioxidation enzymes. Second, flavonoids chelate Cd, thus reducing the accumulation of Cd and altering the levels of other essential metal ions in vivo. Third, flavonoids reduce DNA damage and inhibit apoptosis. In addition, flavonoids were found to inhibit inflammation and fibrosis and improve glycometabolism and the secretion of reproductive hormones. We introduce the daily dosage and absorption rate of flavonoids and then focus on their bioactive effects against Cd-induced toxicity and reveal the underlying metabolic pathway, which provides a basis for further study of the nutritional prevention of Cd-induced injury. In particular, a better understanding is needed of the structure-activity relationship of flavonoids against Cd toxicity, which has not yet been reported.


The natural history of oligohydramnios/polyhydramnios sequence in monochorionic diamniotic twins.
Twelve patients with monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancies complicated by oligohydramnios/polyhydramnios sequence were evaluated to determine the natural history of this syndrome. Nine patients elected to continue their pregnancies and three underwent elective termination. Six of the nine continuing pregnancies delivered viable fetuses. Four of the nine continuing pregnancies had evidence of a 'stuck' twin at less than 20 weeks' gestation, and only one yielded live newborns (25%). Three patients diagnosed with a mild case of oligohydramnios/polyhydramnios sequence underwent worsening of the syndrome with a 'stuck' twin seen only after 26 weeks: all neonates survived. Five pregnancies initially diagnosed as having a 'stuck' twin showed improvement in amniotic fluid volume, with one actually reversing, so that the previously 'stuck' twin developed polyhydramnios and the co-twin became 'stuck'. In summary, among the nine non-aborted pregnancies managed conservatively, 12 of 18 fetuses (67%) survived. When the diagnosis of 'stuck' twin was made at <or= 20 weeks, only two of eight (25%) lived. These observations suggest that the oligohydramnios/polyhydramnios sequence is a dynamic process with wide and often unpredictable fluctuations in amniotic fluid volume.


A comprehensive reference for BRCA1/2 genes pathogenic variants in Iran: published, unpublished and novel.
BRCA1 and BRCA2 are two prominent genes that account for about 20-40% of inherited breast cancer. Mutations in these genes are often associated with clustering of especially early-onset cancers in the family. The spectrum of BRCA variants showed a significant difference between geographic regions and ethnicities. The frequency and spectrum of BRCA mutations in Iran, a country in southwest Asia, have not yet been thoroughly studied. Here, for the first time, all published and not published BRCA pathogenic variants are presented. Among 1040 high risk families (1258 cases) which were detected, 116 families were found to carry pathogenic variants in either BRCA1 or BRCA2. Altogether 89 distinct types of pathogenic variants have been detected in Iran, including 41 in BRCA1 and 48 in BRCA2. 16 out of 89 mutations had not been previously reported in Iran and are presented for the first time in this article, among which 4 mutations are novel worldwide. 20% of families had one of the seven most commonly observed mutations, including c.81-1G > C, c.66_67delAG, c.4609C>T, c.1568delT, c.1961delA, in BRCA1 and: c.3751_3752insA, c.8585dupT in BRCA2. Combining the data from published articles and our study which has not been published before, a comprehensive table is created as a reference for entire BRCA pathogenic variants and their frequencies in Iran.


Aging affect the anti-tumor potential of dendritic cell vaccination, but it can be overcome by co-stimulation with anti-OX40 or anti-4-1BB.
It has been well established that there is a decline in immune function with age resulting in a diminished capacity to respond to infections or tumors. Although many studies have demonstrated the efficacy of autologous dendritic cells (DC) vaccines in stimulating an anti-tumor immune response in the young, almost none of these reports consider the effect that aging has on the immune system or test whether DC-vaccination is effective in old hosts. In this study we compared the efficacy of DC-vaccination in young and old mice. Our results showed that DC-vaccination in young animals induced an anti-tumor response resulting in approximately 60% tumor growth inhibition, while minimal protection was observed in old animals. DC vaccination plus rIL-2 further enhanced the anti-tumor response in young animals (approximately 70-75% inhibition), while ineffective in old animals. In contrast, co-administration of anti-OX-40 or anti-4-1BB mAbs vigorously enhanced the anti-tumor immune response in both young (approximately 85-90% inhibition) and old mice (approximately 70-75% inhibition). Our data indicate that although old mice have a decline in immune function, they have the capacity to develop strong anti-tumor responses as long as they are provided with efficient co-stimulation.


Exonic variants undergoing allele-specific selection in cancers.
Allelic imbalance (AI) in tumors is caused by chromosomal and sub-chromosomal gains and losses. We evaluated AI at 109,086 germline exonic SNP loci in four cancer types, and identified a set of SNPs that demonstrate strong tumor allele specificity in AI events. Further analyses demonstrated that these alleles show consistently different frequencies in the cancer population compared to the healthy population and are significantly enriched for predicted protein-damaging variants. Moreover, genes harboring SNPs that demonstrate allele specificity are enriched for cancer-related biological processes and are more likely to be essential in cancer cells. In summary, our study provides a unique and complementary method to identify genes and variants that are relevant to carcinogenesis.


COVID-19 in Vietnam: A lesson of pre-preparation.
Vietnam was slowing the spread of COVID-19 to 200 cases by the end of March. From perspective of a relatively vulnerable healthcare systems, timely interventions were implemented to different stage of pandemic progress to limit the spread. The authors compiled literature on different public health measures in Vietnam in compared to the progression of COVID-19 from January to March 2020. Three stages of pandemic progression of COVID-19 were recorded in Vietnam. At 213 confirmed cases under treatment and isolation, a range of interventions were enforced including intensive and expansive contact, mass testing, isolation, and sterilization. Many were in place before any case were reported. Preparation were key for Vietnam's healthcare system in the ever-changing landscape of COVID-19 pandemic.


Government response moderates the mental health impact of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis of depression outcomes across countries.
The COVID-19 pandemic represents a public health, economic and mental health crisis. We hypothesized that timely government implementation of stringent measures to reduce viral transmission would benefit mental health, as evidenced by reduced rates of depressive symptoms (i.e., Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ]-9≥10, PHQ-2≥3). The systematic review herein (PROSPERO CRD42020200647) evaluated to what extent differences in government-imposed stringency and timeliness of response to COVID-19 moderate the prevalence of depressive symptoms across 33 countries (k=114, N=640,037). We included data from six lower-middle-income countries, nine upper-middle-income countries, and 18 higher-income countries. Government-imposed stringency and timeliness in response were operationalized using the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response ("Stringency") Index. The overall proportion of study participants with clinically significant depressive symptoms was 21.39% (95% CI 19.37-23.47). The prevalence of clinically significant depressive symptoms was significantly lower in countries wherein governments implemented stringent policies promptly. The moderating effect of government response remained significant after including the national frequency of COVID cases at the time of study commencement, Healthcare Access and Quality index, and the inclusion of COVID patients in the study. Factors that may have confounded our results include, for example, differences in lockdown duration, lack of study participant and outcome assessor blinding, and retrospective assessment of depressive symptom severity. Governments that enacted stringent measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 benefited not only the physical, but also the mental health of their population.


The orbitofrontal cortex, impulsivity, and addiction: probing orbitofrontal dysfunction at the neural, neurochemical, and molecular level.
The association between impulsivity and addiction is currently a topic of intense research interest. Investigations into the neurobiological basis of aspects of impulse control have revealed some striking parallels between the brain circuitry and neurochemical systems implicated in drug dependence and impulsive behavior. Both processes are heavily regulated by limbic corticostriatal circuits including the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAC), and are modulated by dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT). Hypoactivity within the OFC has been observed in recently abstinent cocaine users, and this is thought to contribute to the cognitive deficits associated with drug abuse, including impairments in impulse control. However, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these functional and behavioral deficits are unclear. In parallel to observations made in the NAC, recent data indicate that chronic cocaine use also induces the transcription factor DeltaFosB in the OFC and that this plays a role in the cognitive sequelae of chronic cocaine administration. In particular, DeltaFosB appears to be involved in the development of tolerance to the disruptive effects of acute cocaine on impulsivity and motivation observed after repeated cocaine administration. Increased DeltaFosB also contributes to increased impulsivity during withdrawal from the drug. Both effects could be attributed to the up-regulation of local inhibitory processes in the OFC after over-expression of DeltaFosB and chronic cocaine treatment. Through integrating what is known of the interaction between addictive drugs and impulsivity at the neural, neurochemical, and molecular level, novel insight may be obtained into the multi-faceted regulation of the addicted state.


[Surgical requirements for radiological diagnostics of liver pathologies].
Radiology is an essential preoperative tool for a liver surgeon to plan extent of resection and potential difficulties during liver surgery. Primary goal in defining liver pathologies is a careful patients' history, a clinical evaluation and reviewing at least one radiological film one could acquire. Don't rely on written reports that may direct you in a useless track. This overview tries to address the essential radiological requests of a surgeon in defining liver tumors ethiology and best optional treatment. Major advances in radiologic diagnostics led to an improvement in the adequate staging of a given liver pathology. Therefore we are nowadays able to inform our patients about possible treatment options without leaving a big gap to possible intra-operative findings which may alter the therapy. Surgical exploration to define therapeutic strategies becomes fundamental only in a minority of patients with unclear preoperative imaging studies. Interdisciplinary groups should define future strategies in a patient with a given liver pathology. Specialisation has defined the hepatobiliary surgeon which should be consulted in case of a liver or biliary tumor to guide possible therapeutic treatment options.


Nebulized therapies for childhood pulmonary hypertension: an in vitro model.
Sildenafil, tezosentan, and prostacyclin reduce pulmonary vascular pressures in pulmonary hypertension, but have potential to vasodilate the systemic circulation. Nebulized vasodilators allow targeted drug delivery, high local drug concentrations, less systemic hypotension, and better matching of the lung's ventilation and perfusion. We aimed to estimate pulmonary deposition of these drugs from commonly employed nebulizers using in vitro techniques and to create a mathematical model to predict inspired mass of aerosol. Lung deposition was estimated by characterization of drug output and particle size distribution (PSD) of nebulizers using helium-neon laser diffraction techniques. A mathematical model for each device was created to estimate pulmonary deposition using patients' breathing patterns and was verified with a mechanical-breathing model. Total output and PSD were similar for the Hudson Updraft II and Whisperjet nebulizers, consisting of half the nebulizer's charge, with (1/4) of particles < or = 5 microm, in the respirable fraction (RF). Drug output increased with inspiratory flow for the Pari LC Star. Differences were noted in device performance, depending on the drug tested. Estimated pulmonary deposition (mean, 95% CI) was 8.1 (7.2, 9.0)% of the initial drug charge for the Hudson Updraft II, 6.4 (5.8, 7.0)% for the Whisperjet, and 33.0 (28.3, 37.9)% for the Pari LC Star. A mechanical model was consistent with our mathematical model. All drugs could be nebulized, but expected pulmonary deposition varied depending on the nebulizer and drug.


"Repaired" tetralogy of fallot mimicking arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (another phenocopy).
Described is a 41-year-old man who at age 6 had partial resection of an obstructed right ventricular outflow tract with insertion of a patch and closure of a ventricular septal defect (tetralogy of Fallot). At age 41, cardiac transplantation was performed because of right ventricular outflow patch aneurysm, numerous episodes of ventricular tachycardia, and chronic heart failure, all features of the familial form of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Additionally, the patient had bundle branch block and epsilon waves on electrocardiogram, other features of ARVC. The case is described to introduce the concept of acquired ARVC, because the patient had many of the clinically recognized features of familial ARVC.


Performance of Gram staining on blood cultures flagged negative by an automated blood culture system.
Blood is one of the most important specimens sent to a microbiology laboratory for culture. Most blood cultures are incubated for 5-7 days, except in cases where there is a suspicion of infection caused by microorganisms that proliferate slowly, or infections expressed by a small number of bacteria in the bloodstream. Therefore, at the end of incubation, misidentification of positive cultures and false-negative results are a real possibility. The aim of this work was to perform a confirmation by Gram staining of the lack of any microorganisms in blood cultures that were identified as negative by the BACTEC™ FX system at the end of incubation. All bottles defined as negative by the BACTEC FX system were Gram-stained using an automatic device and inoculated on solid growth media. In our work, 15 cultures that were defined as negative by the BACTEC FX system at the end of the incubation were found to contain microorganisms when Gram-stained. The main characteristic of most bacteria and fungi growing in the culture bottles that were defined as negative was slow growth. This finding raises a problematic issue concerning the need to perform Gram staining of all blood cultures, which could overload the routine laboratory work, especially laboratories serving large medical centers and receiving a large number of blood cultures.


Robotic Heller-Dor for Idiopathic Achalasia: the Pisa experience.
Achalasia is a rare motility disorder of the esophagus. According to the Chicago Classification criteria, there are three clinical types of Achalasia and the treatment is patient-tailored. Laparoscopic Heller-Dor is the gold-standard treatment for the most frequent types of Achalasia. However, robotic surgery is able to combine the clinical advantages of minimally invasive surgery with a powerful dexterity on complex anatomic structures. The aim of this study is to report the institutional experience developed in a referral center of esophageal surgery in the treatment of Achalasia by Robotic Heller-Dor. We retrospectively analyzed data of patients that consecutively underwent Robotic Heller-Dor at our institution between January 2012 and January 2020 using the Da Vinci® Surgical System. Sixty-nine patients underwent Robotic Heller-Dor. Among the patients, 35 (51%) were classified as type I, 29 (42%) as type II, and 5 (7%) as type III. The Da Vinci® SI HD Surgical System and the Da Vinci® XI HD Surgical System were used in 56 (81%) and 13 (19%) patients, respectively. No mucosal perforation was observed and post-operative mortality was absent. The mean follow-up was 23.3 months (6-84). Ten patients (14.5%) reported post-operative complaints. In our opinion, Robotic Heller-Dor is an effective tool in the treatment of Achalasia. Robotic Heller-Dor may be a suitable procedure for learning and teaching robotic surgery in the perspective of pursing more complex esophago-gastric surgical procedures.


Properties of depolarization-induced suppression of inhibitory transmission in cultured rat hippocampal neurons.
Properties of depolarization-induced suppression of inhibitory transmission ("DSI") in cultured rat hippocampal neurons were examined, by recording inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) evoked by single presynaptic neurons. In about 40% of the inhibitory synapses, transient suppression of IPSCs was induced by applying a depolarizing pulse (to 0 mV, > 2 s) to the postsynaptic neuron, which was identified to be gamma-aminobutyric acid dependent (GABAergic) in some pairs, and to be glutamatergic in some other pairs. This depolarization-induced suppression of IPSCs, "DSI", was Ca2+ dependent, and was associated with an increase in the paired-pulse ratio. Phorbol esters had an occluding effect on DSI when applied to the bath solution, but not to the pipette solution used for the postsynaptic neuron. Application of the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone had no effect on DSI. The present study demonstrates that a pair of cultured hippocampal neurons can exhibit DSI similar to that previously reported to occur in hippocampal slices; this suggests that a dissociated cell culture system can provide a useful model system for the study of DSI. Furthermore, it was found that inhibitory neurons, in addition to excitatory ones, can induce DSI, and that a process sensitive to phorbol esters, but not activation of opioid receptors, is involved in DSI.


Author Correction: Tubular cell and keratinocyte single-cell transcriptomics applied to lupus nephritis reveal type I IFN and fibrosis relevant pathways.
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.


Head and pelvic vertical displacement in dogs with induced swinging limb lameness: an experimental study.
Swinging limb lameness is defined as a motion disturbance ascribed to a limb in swing phase. Little is known about its biomechanics in dogs, particularly about the body motions that accompany it, such as vertical head and pelvic motion asymmetry. The aim of this study was to describe the changes in vertical head and pelvic motion asymmetry in dogs with induced swinging limb motion disturbance, mimicking a swinging limb lameness. Fore- and hind-limb lameness was induced in ten sound dogs by placing a weight (200 g) proximal to the carpus or tarsus, respectively. Marker-based motion capture by eight infrared light emitting video cameras recorded the dogs when trotting on a treadmill. Body symmetry parameters were calculated, including differences between the two highest positions of the head (HDmax) and pelvis (PDmax) and between the two lowest positions of the head (HDmin) and pelvis (PDmin), with a value of zero indicating perfect symmetry. Induction of swinging forelimb lameness showed significant changes in HDmax (median and range: sound 1.3 mm [- 4.7 to 3.1], in the left side - 28.5 mm [- 61.2 to - 17.9] and in the right side 20.1 mm [- 4.4 to 47.5]) and, induction of swinging hind limb lameness showed significant changes in PDmax (sound 2.7 mm [- 7.4 to 7.2], in the left side - 10.9 mm [- 22.4 to 0.5] and in the right side 8.6 mm [- 3 to 30]), as well as an increased hip movement asymmetry (sound 1.6 mm [- 8.6 to 19.9], in the left side - 18.1 mm [- 36.7 to 5.4] and in the right side 15 mm [- 20.7 to 32.1]) (P < 0.05). Induced swinging fore- and hind limb lameness resulted in significant increased asymmetry of the maximal vertical displacement movement of the head and pelvis, due to decreased lifting of the head in forelimb lameness and of the pelvis in hind limb lameness. The results suggest that asymmetry of the maximal vertical displacement of the head and pelvis (i.e. lifting) is a key lameness sign to evaluate during examination of swinging limb lameness.


Does facing traffic improve pedestrian safety?
This study was designed to evaluate the potential safety importance of the walking direction along a road by examining pedestrian accidents as a function of exposure to risk. The study was limited to rural two-lane roads with no pavement or pedestrian lane. The accident data included police-reported road accidents from Finland between 2006 and 2010 in which a motorized vehicle had struck a pedestrian walking along the road. There were 18 accidents involving a fatally injured pedestrian and 87 accidents involving a non-fatally injured pedestrian. The exposure data collected from the roughly 3400km included 258 pedestrians. The main finding was that the mean effect of facing traffic compared to walking with traffic was a 77% decrease in fatal and in non-fatal injury pedestrian accidents. The results further showed that the effects were greater for main roads than for secondary roads. The main implication of this study is that information about the importance of facing traffic should be reinforced with specific information about its substantial safety benefits.


Rectal fistulas after prostate brachytherapy.
To compare the rectal and prostatic radiation doses for a prospective series of 503 patients, 44 of whom developed persistent rectal bleeding, and 2 of whom developed rectal-prostatic fistulas. The 503 patients were randomized and treated by implantation with 125I vs. 103Pd alone (n = 290) or to 103Pd with 20 Gy vs. 44 Gy supplemental external beam radiotherapy (n = 213) and treated at the Puget Sound Veterans Affairs Medical Center (n = 227), Schiffler Cancer Center (n = 242) or University of Washington (n = 34). Patients were treated between September 1998 and October 2001 and had a minimum of 24 months of follow-up. The patient groups were treated concurrently. Treatment-related morbidity was monitored by mailed questionnaires, using standard American Urological Association and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group criteria, at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Patients who reported Grade 1 or greater Radiation Therapy Oncology Group rectal morbidity were interviewed by telephone to clarify details regarding their rectal bleeding. Those who reported persistent bleeding, lasting for >1 month were included as having Grade 2 toxicity. Three of the patients with rectal bleeding required a colostomy, two of whom developed a fistula. No patient was lost to follow-up. The rectal doses were defined as the rectal volume in cubic centimeters that received >50%, 100%, 200%, or 300% of the prescription dose. The rectum was considered as a solid structure defined by the outer wall, without attempting to differentiate the inner wall or contents. Persistent rectal bleeding occurred in 44 of the 502 patients, 32 of whom (73%) underwent confirmatory endoscopy. In univariate analysis, multiple parameters were associated with late rectal bleeding, including all rectal brachytherapy indexes. In multivariate analysis, however, only the rectal volume that received >100% of the dose was significantly predictive of bleeding. Rectal fistulas occurred in 2 patients (0.4%), both of whom had received moderate rectal radiation doses and extensive intervention for rectal bleeding. Partly on the basis of data from others and data presented here, we believe that the incidence of rectal fistulas can be much lower than in our series. High rectal radiation doses should be avoided a priori, to minimize the likelihood of rectal bleeding, and hence the likelihood that invasive procedures will be performed.


Effects of thinner exposure on the expression pattern of neural cell adhesion molecules, level of lipid peroxidation in the brain and cognitive function in rats.
Thinner containing 60-70% toluene is a neurotoxic mixture, which is widely used as an aromatic industrial solvent. This product has been shown to cause functional and structural changes in the central nervous system. Thinner generates reactive oxygen species and the toxic effects relating to these reactants. We have investigated the effect of exposure to high concentrations (3000 ppm) of thinner for 45 days (1 h/day) on cognitive function and the levels of neural cell adhesion molecules (NCAM) and lipid peroxidation products in the hippocampus, cortex and cerebellum of rats. Thinner exposure caused a significant increase in lipid peroxidation products (malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxyalkenals) in all brain regions. Levels of NCAM 140 and NCAM 180 kDa were significantly decreased in the hippocampus and cortex of the thinner-exposed group. Furthermore, thinner-exposed rats showed cognitive deficits in passive avoidance and Morris water maze tasks. These cognitive deficits may be due to both elevated oxidative stress and changes in synaptic plasticity. Almost all studied parameters were reversed in animals which were allowed to recover from thinner inhalation, suggesting that the effects of exposure to thinner, at least for 1 h/day for 45 days, are reversible.


Airway closure is the predominant physiological mechanism of low ventilation seen on hyperpolarized helium-3 MRI lung scans.
Hyperpolarized helium-3 MRI (3He MRI) provides detailed visualization of low- (hypo- and non-) ventilated lungs. Physiological measures of gas mixing may be assessed by multiple breath nitrogen washout (MBNW) and of airway closure by a forced oscillation technique (FOT). We hypothesize that in patients with asthma, areas of low-ventilated lung on 3He MRI are the result of airway closure. Ten control subjects, ten asthma subjects with normal spirometry (non-obstructed), and ten asthmatic subjects with reduced baseline lung function (obstructed) attended two testing sessions. On visit one, baseline plethysmography was performed followed by spirometry, MBNW, and FOT assessment pre and post methacholine challenge. On visit two, 3He MRI scans were conducted pre and post methacholine challenge. Post methacholine the volume of low-ventilated lung increased from 8.3% to 13.8% in the non-obstructed group (P = 0.012) and from 13.0% to 23.1% in the obstructed group (P = 0.001). For all subjects, the volume of low ventilation from 3He MRI correlated with a marker of airway closure in obstructive subjects, Xrs (6 Hz) and the marker of ventilation heterogeneity Scond with r2 values of 0.61 (P < 0.001) and 0.56 (P < 0.001), respectively. The change in Xrs (6 Hz) correlated well (r2 = 0.45, p < 0.001), whereas the change in Scond was largely independent of the change in low ventilation volume (r2 = 0.13, P < 0.01). The only significant predictor of low ventilation volume from the multi-variate analysis was Xrs (6 Hz). This is consistent with the concept that regions of poor or absent ventilation seen on 3He MRI are primarily the result of airway closure.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study introduces a novel technique of generating high-resolution 3D ventilation maps from hyperpolarized helium-3 MRI. It is the first study to demonstrate that regions of poor or absent ventilation seen on 3He MRI are primarily the result of airway closure.


Endogenous and exogenous reinfections by Haemophilus influenzae in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: the effect of antibiotic treatment on persistence.
To analyze whether exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) coincide with reinfection by Haemophilus influenzae, 16 COPD patients were studied longitudinally for 3 years. Exacerbations coincided with reinfection by H. influenzae, either endogenous, by a strain with a DNA fingerprint indistinguishable from the strain previously present but with another major outer membrane protein (MOMP) pattern (2 patients), or exogenous, by a strain with a different DNA fingerprint and MOMP pattern (3 patients). The other patients, remaining in an infectious state without clear exacerbations for longer periods, were persistently infected by a particular H. influenzae strain (median persistence time, 5.5 months; range, 2-23 months). Of 8 antibiotic-treated patients, 7 remained infected by H. influenzae with the same DNA fingerprint, although all strains were sensitive to the antibiotics prescribed. Results of the study suggested that exacerbations in COPD patients coincide with endogenous or exogenous reinfection by H. influenzae, persistently infected patients keep the same H. influenzae strain for longer periods, and antibiotic treatment was not effective in eradicating H. influenzae.


Serological comparison of three strains of Aedes aegypti.
Young adults of three strains of the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, were compared serologically by means of the double-immunodiffusion technique. 1. Strains and sexes were serologically distinguishable. 2. Differences in antigenic composition were evident among the strains and sexes. 3. Degree of intraspecific serological relationship varied with sex.


Novel Ca-doped CePO4 supported ruthenium catalyst with superior catalytic performance for aerobic oxidation of alcohols.
Ca-doped cerium phosphate (CeCaPO(4)) has been newly developed and successfully used as catalyst support with superior ion-exchanged property and oxygen activation ability. Ru(3+) exchanged CeCaPO(4) is identified as an efficient catalyst for aerobic oxidation of alcohols with the highest TOF (∼408 h(-1)) reported so far on supported Ru catalysts.


Treatment of neutropenia in Felty's syndrome with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor--hematological response accompanied by pulmonary complications with lethal outcome.
We report on a 67-year-old man with Felty's syndrome (FS) complicated by recurrent pneumonia and an infected wound, which was not healing in spite of maximal antibiotic and local therapy. Encouraged by previous experience, we treated him with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). His total leukocyte count rose, but the patient's pneumonia deteriorated. In addition, a previously known chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD) was exacerbated acutely. These complications finally led to his death. Postmortem examination revealed widespread pneumonia with invasive aspergillosis and a peripheral adenocarcinoma in his left lung.


A D-lactate dehydrogenase from rice is involved in conferring tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses by maintaining cellular homeostasis.
D-lactate dehydrogenase (D-LDH) converts D-lactate (the end product of glyoxalase system) to pyruvate and thereby completes the detoxification process of methylglyoxal. D-LDH detoxifies and diverts the stress induced toxic metabolites, MG and D-lactate, towards energy production and thus, protects the cell from their deteriorating effects. In this study, a D-LDH enzyme from rice (OsD-LDH2, encoded by Os07g08950.1) was characterized for its role in abiotic stress tolerance. For this, a combination of in silico, molecular, genetic and biochemical approaches was used. The kinetic analysis revealed OsD-LDH2 to be the most efficient D-LDH enzyme in comparison to D-LDHs from other plant species. Heterologous overexpression of OsD-LDH2 provides tolerance against multiple abiotic stresses in E. coli, yeast and plant system. The analysis of D-LDH mutant and OsD-LDH2 overexpressing transgenic plants uncovered the crucial role of D-LDH in mitigation of abiotic stresses. OsD-LDH2 overexpressing plants maintained lower level of ROS and other toxic metabolites along with better functioning of antioxidant system. This is the first report on correlation of D-LDH with multiple abiotic stress tolerance. Overall, OsD-LDH2 emerged as a promising candidate which can open a new direction for engineering stress tolerant crop varieties by maintaining their growth and yield in unfavorable conditions.


Effectiveness and safety of oral anticoagulant therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation with prior gastrointestinal bleeding: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) commonly complicates anticoagulant therapy for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, AF patients with prior GIB were excluded from most randomized controlled trials on anticoagulation therapy. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy in this specific population. Randomized trials and observational studies reporting the data about the resumption of OAC therapy among AF patients with prior GIB were included. The search was performed in the PubMed and Embase databasesup to March 2022. The adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled by a random-effects model with an inverse variance method. A total of 7 studies involving 57,623 patients were included. Compared with no anticoagulant therapy, OAC therapy was associated with decreased risks of stroke or systemic embolism (HR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.59-0.84) and all-cause death (HR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.60-0.72), but there was no significant difference in the risk of recurrent GIB (HR = 1.22, 95% CI: 0.94-1.59). Compared with vitamin K antagonists, non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) were associated with reduced risks of stroke or systemic embolism (HR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.54-0.68), all-cause mortality (HR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.75-0.99), major bleeding (HR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.66-0.84), and GIB recurrence (HR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.72-0.96). In AF patients with prior GIB, OAC therapy (especially NOACs) demonstrated superior effectiveness compared with no anticoagulant therapy.


Requirements for baculoviruses for clinical gene therapy applications.
Baculoviruses have proven capacity for the production of recombinant proteins including virus-like particles and as viral vectors. Recent progress in preclinical studies suggest that baculoviruses have potential as new vectors for gene therapy but so far no clinical trials have been performed. To date, no specific guidelines for the use of baculoviruses as human gene therapy vectors exist but researchers can utilize existing guidelines made for other biological products. Because of the long history of research on baculoviruses, a lot of knowledge has been obtained that forms a good basis for the gene therapy development process. This article gives an overview of the current status of the application of baculovirus vectors in gene therapy and summarizes some of the challenges to overcome before the first clinical trials with baculoviruses can be accomplished.


Duckweeds: their utilization, metabolites and cultivation.
Duckweeds are floating plants of the family Lemnaceae, comprising 5 genera and 36 species. They typically live in ponds or lakes and are found worldwide, except the polar regions. There are two duckweed subfamilies-namely Lemnoidea and Wolffioideae, with 15 and 21 species, respectively. Additionally, they have characteristic reproduction methods. Several metabolites have also been reported in various duckweeds. Duckweeds have a wide range of adaptive capabilities and are particularly suitable for experiments requiring high productivity because of their speedy growth and reproduction rates. Duckweeds have been studied for their use as food/feed resources and pharmaceuticals, as well as for phytoremediation and industrial applications. Because there are numerous duckweed species, culture conditions should be optimized for industrial applications. Here, we review and summarize studies on duckweed species and their utilization, metabolites, and cultivation methods to support the extended application of duckweeds in future.


Electronic metal-support interaction modulates single-atom platinum catalysis for hydrogen evolution reaction.
Tuning metal-support interaction has been considered as an effective approach to modulate the electronic structure and catalytic activity of supported metal catalysts. At the atomic level, the understanding of the structure-activity relationship still remains obscure in heterogeneous catalysis, such as the conversion of water (alkaline) or hydronium ions (acid) to hydrogen (hydrogen evolution reaction, HER). Here, we reveal that the fine control over the oxidation states of single-atom Pt catalysts through electronic metal-support interaction significantly modulates the catalytic activities in either acidic or alkaline HER. Combined with detailed spectroscopic and electrochemical characterizations, the structure-activity relationship is established by correlating the acidic/alkaline HER activity with the average oxidation state of single-atom Pt and the Pt-H/Pt-OH interaction. This study sheds light on the atomic-level mechanistic understanding of acidic and alkaline HER, and further provides guidelines for the rational design of high-performance single-atom catalysts.


The species of Oxytropis DC. of section Gloeocephala Bunge (Fabaceae) from Northeast Asia: genetic diversity and relationships based on sequencing of the intergenic spacers of cpDNA and ITS nrDNA.
Phylogenetic relationships within Oxytropis DC. sect. Gloeocephala Bunge from Northeast Asia were studied using plastid intergenic spacers (psbA-trnH + trnL-trnF + trnS-trnG) and ITS nrDNA. Populations of O. anadyrensis Vass., O. borealis DC., O. middendorffii Trautv., O. trautvetteri Meinsh., and O. vasskovskyi Jurtz. were monomorphic or characterised by a low level of chloroplast genetic diversity (h varied from 0.143 to 0.692, and π from 0.0001 to 0.0005). Presumably, the low genetic diversity was a result of the severe bottlenecks during Pleistocene glaciation-interglacial cycles. Twenty chlorotypes were identified; species studied had no shared chlorotypes. Chlorotypes of O. anadyrensis, O. borealis, and O. middendorffii formed two lineages each, while the chlorotypes of O. trautvetteri and O. vasskovskyi formed one separate lineage each in the phylogenetic network. There were specific diagnostic markers of cpDNA in each lineage, excluding O. vasskovskyi. The presence of a species-specific diagnostic marker in O. trautvetteri and specific markers in two lineages of O. anadyrensis support circumscribing these taxa as independent species. Regarding ITS nrDNA polymorphism, five ribotypes were detected. The differences revealed in plastid and nuclear genomes of Oxytropis sect. Gloeocephala confirmed that the Asian sector of Megaberingia was the main centre of diversification of arctic legumes.


Electron spin resonance studies of the solution structure of vanadyl amino acid complexes and mixed ligand complexes of oxalate.
Esr and electronic spectra of complexes of the general composition VO(AA)2 and VO(ox)(AA) have been characterized; AA = gly, his, cys, pro, val, met, asp amino acids. Spectra of the formulation VO(ox)(LL) (with LL = imidazole plus monodentate oxalate, histamine plus monodentate oxalate, histidine, cysteine, 4-imidazolepropionic acid, mercaptopropionic acid, ethylenediamine and ethanolamine) have been used to deduce a self-consistent assignment of AL, a ligand donor additivity constant contribution to the observed hyperfine splitting, Aiso. Values of AL are sensitive to inductive effects in the ligand structure. The solution structures and likely coordination geometries of VO(his)2, and VO(cys)22-- are discussed. The role of the imidazole moiety as a sigma donor and sulfhydryl sulfur as a pi acceptor is observed in VO(AA)2 and VO(ox)(AA) complexes.


Study of bacterial pathogens causing diarrhoeal disease in Bombay with special reference to their antibiotic sensitivity pattern.
Diarrhoeal disease is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries, especially among children. In a study of 720 faecal samples from acute diarrhoeal patients various bacterial pathogens were isolated. An account is given of their antibiotic sensitivity pattern. Many of the E. coli, Salmonella and Shigella strains were found to be multidrug resistant. This resistance was transferable and plasmid mediated. A few of the E. coli strains isolated from healthy controls also showed multidrug resistance.


Torasemide inhibits NaCl reabsorption in the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle.
Torasemide (1-isopropyl-(4-(3-methylphenylamino)pyrid-3-yl)urea) is a new diuretic. The present study examines the effects of this substance in the isolated perfused thick ascending limb (TAL) of mouse and rabbit kidney. In cortical TAL segments of the rabbit, torasemide added to the lumen perfusate led to a fall in equivalent short circuit current ( = transepithelial voltage divided by transepithelial resistance, which corresponds to the rate of chloride reabsorption) with a half maximal inhibition concentration of 3 X 10(-7) mol/l. This effect was accompanied by a hyperpolarization of the luminal and basolateral membrane from -78 to -81 mV and from -72 to -81 mV, respectively. A similar hyperpolarization of both membrane voltages was also observed in medullary TAL segments of the mouse. Torasemide, added to the basolateral perfusate of cortical TAL segments of the rabbit, also inhibited the equivalent short circuit current. However, 3 X 10(-5) mol/l were necessary for a half maximal inhibition. The fall in the equivalent short circuit current was accompanied by a significant increase in transepithelial resistance from 34 to 38 omega cm2, by an increase in the fractional resistance of the basolateral membrane, and by a hyperpolarization mainly of the basolateral membrane. Again, similar results were obtained in the medullary TAL segment of the mouse. The strong inhibitory effect of torasemide from the lumen side can be explained by an interference with the Na+ 2Cl-K+ carrier in the luminal membrane. In fact, torasemide apparently is structurally related to furosemide.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Isolation of SV40 from the environment of a colony of cynomolgus monkeys naturally infected with the virus.
The presence of SV40 viral particles in the environment of cynomolgus monkeys naturally infected with this virus has been analyzed by testing waste of the cage samples. SV40 was detected in 2/4 cages tested where mixed infection of SV40 and adenoviruses was observed after inoculation of virions concentrated from cage waste in CV-1 cells. The detected SV40 strains were identical in the regions studied to strain W17, isolated at National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, UK (NIBSC) from a (1/19) monkey kidney biopsy and contains an archetypal regulatory region. The recovery of infectious SV40 virions from the cages provides information about the potential mechanism of transmission of this virus.


Determination of severity of valvular aortic stenosis by Doppler echocardiography and relation of findings to clinical outcome and agreement with hemodynamic measurements determined at cardiac catheterization.
To determine the relation of Doppler findings to clinical outcome and the agreement between Doppler and cardiac catheterization in the assessment of aortic stenosis (AS) severity, 510 consecutive patients with suspected AS studied in our laboratory were analyzed. Adequate echocardiographic and Doppler examinations were obtained in 498 patients or 98% of the population. Clinical data were available for analysis in 497 patients. In 160 patients, Doppler demonstrated an aortic valve area less than or equal to 0.75 cm2 or a peak jet velocity greater than or equal to 4.5 m/s consistent with critical AS. In the subgroup with cardiac catheterization (n = 105), Doppler was 97% accurate. Aortic valve replacement or balloon valvuloplasty was performed in 109 patients, 106 of whom were symptomatic. Noncritical AS was detected by Doppler in 327 patients, with 95% accuracy in the subgroup with cardiac catheterization (n = 133). Aortic valve replacement was performed in 15 patients with symptoms of AS and with valve areas assessed by Doppler to be between 0.76 and 0.80 cm2 or with peak jet velocities greater than 3.5 m/s. In 20 patients, aortic valve replacement was performed because of moderate to severe aortic regurgitation, and in 11 elderly (greater than 70 years old) patients with valve areas between 0.80 and 1.0 cm2, valve replacement was performed at the time of coronary artery bypass surgery in an attempt to prevent the need for a repeat surgical procedure in the future. These observations allow the following conclusions. In the symptomatic patient with critical or near critical AS by Doppler, cardiac catheterization does not provide additional information beyond that provided by Doppler.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Mutation in gap and tight junctions in patients with non-syndromic hearing loss.
Biallelic mutations in the GJB2, GJB3, GJB6 and CLDN14 genes have been implicated in autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing impairment (ARNSHI). Moreover, a large number of GJB2 heterozygous patients was reported. The phenotype was in partly justified by the occurrence of two deletions including GJB6. We analysed GJB2, GJB6, GJB3 and CLDN14 in 102 Tunisian patients with ARNSHI. The deletions del(GJB6-D13S1830) and del(GJB6-D13S1854) were also screened. The c.35delG in GJB2 was the most frequent mutation (21.57%). It was detected at heterozygous state in 2 patients. The del(GJB6-D13S1830) was identified in one case at heterozygous state. No other mutation in studied gap junction genes was detected in heterozygous patients. Several polymorphisms were identified in GJB3, GJB6 and CLDN14. Our study confirms the importance of GJB2 screening in ARNSHI and suggests that in consanguineous populations, a single DFNB1 mutant allele in individuals with HI is likely due to a coincidental carrier state.


CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON1 (CUC1) and CUC2 regulate cytokinin homeostasis to determine ovule number in Arabidopsis.
Seeds derive from ovules upon fertilization and therefore the total number of ovules determines the final seed yield, a fundamental trait in crop plants. Among the factors that co-ordinate the process of ovule formation, the transcription factors CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON 1 (CUC1) and CUC2 and the hormone cytokinin (CK) have a particularly prominent role. Indeed, the absence of both CUC1 and CUC2 causes a severe reduction in ovule number, a phenotype that can be rescued by CK treatment. In this study, we combined CK quantification with an integrative genome-wide target identification approach to select Arabidopsis genes regulated by CUCs that are also involved in CK metabolism. We focused our attention on the functional characterization of UDP-GLUCOSYL TRANSFERASE 85A3 (UGT85A3) and UGT73C1, which are up-regulated in the absence of CUC1 and CUC2 and encode enzymes able to catalyse CK inactivation by O-glucosylation. Our results demonstrate a role for these UGTs as a link between CUCs and CK homeostasis, and highlight the importance of CUCs and CKs in the determination of seed yield.


Development of a real-time PCR assay to control the illegal trade of meat from protected capercaillie species (Tetrao urogallus).
A rapid and highly species-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay has been developed for the detection of capercaillie DNA (Tetrao urogallus) in meat and meat mixtures. The method combines the use of capercaillie-specific primers, that amplify a 142bp fragment of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene, and a positive control primer pair that amplifies a 141bp fragment of the nuclear 18S rRNA gene from eukaryotic DNA. SYBR(®) Green dye or TaqMan(®) fluorogenic probes were used to monitor the amplification of the target genes. Results obtained with the use of TaqMan(®) probes as detection platform increased the specificity of the real-time PCR assay in comparison with the results obtained using SYBR(®) Green. The proposed real-time PCR assay represents a rapid and straightforward method for the accurate identification of capercaillie that could be used by law enforcement agencies as a tool for the control of poaching and illegal trade of meat from this protected species.


Daily Social Interactions and HPA Axis Activity Among Midlife and Older Adults.
Older people experience fewer negative interactions and report less stress in response to interpersonal tensions. Less is known, however, about the implications of daily social interactions for biological stress responses. We evaluated links between daily positive and negative interactions and 2 key biomeasures of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: salivary cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S). We also considered the moderating effects of age. Participants included a random sample of 93 individuals aged 40-95 who completed 14 days of daily diary interviews and provided saliva samples during 4 of those days. Three-level piecewise models showed that individuals had higher sustained DHEA-S levels on days after reporting more positive interactions. Young-old adults (60-79) had lower overall DHEA-S on days when they had more negative interactions than oldest-old adults (80 and older). Oldest-old adults showed a flatter decline in DHEA-S on days after they reported more negative interactions compared to midlife adults (40-59). Daily social interactions were not significantly associated with cortisol. Strategies to increase positive interactions may help to build physiological resilience to stress, particularly among midlife and young-old adults.


Thin-layered MoS2 nanoflakes vertically grown on SnO2 nanotubes as highly effective room-temperature NO2 gas sensor.
The unique properties of heterostructure materials make them become a promising candidate for high-performance room-temperature (RT) NO2 sensing. Herein, a p-n heterojunction consisting of two-dimensional (2D) MoS2 nanoflakes vertically grown on one-dimensional (1D) SnO2 nanotubes (NTs) was fabricated via electrospinning and subsequent hydrothermal route. The sulfur edge active sites are fully exposed in the MoS2@SnO2 heterostructure due to the vertically oriented thin-layered morphology features. Moreover, the interface of p-n heterojunction provides an electronic transfer channel from SnO2 to MoS2, which enables MoS2 act as the generous electron donor involved in NO2 gas senor detection. As a result, the optimized MoS2@SnO2-2 heterostructure presents an impressive sensitivity and selectivity for NO2 gas detection at RT. The response value is 34.67 (Ra/Rg) to 100 ppm, which is 26.5 times to that of pure SnO2. It also exhibits a fast response and recovery time (2.2 s, 10.54 s), as well as a low detection limit (10 ppb) and as long as 20 weeks of stability. This simple fabrication of high-performance sensing materials may facilitate the large-scale production of RT NO2 gas sensors.


Voltage-dependent behaviour of dolichyl phosphate-phosphatidylcholine bilayer lipid membranes.
The current-voltage steady-state characteristics, cyclic voltammograms and capacitance-voltage steady-state relationships of bilayer lipid membranes made from dioleoylphosphatidylcholine or its mixtures with dolichyl-12 phosphate have been studied. Sustained fluctuations of the capacitance of dolichyl phosphate modified bilayers under applied voltage were observed. The results suggest that the dynamics of dolichyl phosphate molecules in membranes can be regulated by transmembrane electrical potential.


Social Determinants of Health: Implications for Voice Disorders and Their Treatment.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and related conditions, such as discrimination, are social determinants of health (SDOHs). Critical race theory (CRT) is a lens through which to understand SDOHs in a way that may impact our clinical care. When prolonged or chronic, SDOHs might cause toxic stress and trauma, which, in turn, adversely affect health and are shown to be relevant for some voice disorders. The goals of this tutorial are to (a) review the literature on SDOHs that potentially contribute to disparities; (b) discuss explanatory models and theories that describe how psychosocial factors influence health; (c) relate the foregoing information to voice disorders, highlighting functional voice disorders (FVDs) as a particular case in point; and (d) describe how trauma-informed care can improve patient outcomes and advance health equity for vulnerable populations. This tutorial concludes with a call for heightened awareness of the role that SDOHs such as structural and individual discrimination may play in voice disorders, and a call for research into SDOHs, traumatic stress, and health disparities in this patient population. A call is also made for more universal practice of trauma-informed care in the clinical voice domain.


Detection of astroviruses from stool samples in Japan using reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction amplification.
We developed a reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method for detecting astrovirus serotypes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 (but not serotype 4). Furthermore, we developed the specific primers for detecting serotypes 1 and 2, the most predominant serotypes in the world. Sensitivity of the first PCR with serotype common primers was about 10 times higher than that of enzyme immunoassay with monoclonal antibody (EIA-MAb). Sensitivity of the second PCR with the serotype-specific primers was even higher. The RT-PCR method was useful for detecting astroviruses from clinical samples, especially serotypes 1 and 2.


Controlling the thermal conductivity of multilayer graphene by strain.
Straintronics is a new concept to enhance electronic device performances by strain for next-generation information sensors and energy-saving technologies. The lattice deformation in graphene can modulate the thermal conductivity because phonons are the main heat carriers. However, the device fabrication process affects graphene's heat transport properties due to its high stretchability. This study experimentally investigates the change in the thermal conductivity when biaxial tensile strain is applied to graphene. To eliminate non-strain factors, two mechanisms are considered: pressure-induced and electrostatic attraction-induced strain. Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy precisely estimate the strain. The thermal conductivity of graphene decreases by approximately 70% with a strain of only 0.1%. Such thermal conductivity controllability paves the way for applying graphene as high-efficiency thermal switches and diodes in future thermal management devices.


Arginine vasopressin innoculates against age-related increases in sodium-dependent high affinity choline uptake and discrepancies in the content of temporal memory.
Systemic injections of arginine vasopressin (AVP, 0.08 pressor units/kg i.p.) to mature rats (10-13 months) trained on a positively reinforced timing task prevented the age-related discrepancies in the content of temporal memory and the increases in sodium-dependent high affinity choline uptake (SDHCU) in the frontal cortex observed in control rats when the rats became aged (27-30 months). AVP administration had no effect on muscarinic receptor density as measured by [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) binding or on choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) levels in either the hippocampus or the frontal cortex.


Laparoscopic-Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy Is a Safe Alternative to Abdominal Hysterectomy
In a retrospective review, the initial 50 cases of laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) were compared with 50 total abdominal hysterectomies (TAH) done during the same period, with respect to age, indications, blood loss, operative time, patient morbidity and hospital stay. Indications for both procedures were almost similar, but LAVH took longer to perform than TAH (1.52 vs 1.18 hrs). It also required a shorter hospital stay (3 vs 5 days) and led to a faster recovery of 3 to 4 weeks compared with 6 weeks for TAH. The complication rate for LAVH was 2.5%, compared with none for TAH. The cost of LAVH per patient was significantly less than that of TAH. The data suggest that LAVH is a safe and cost-effective alternative to TAH.


Demonstration of hepatic heparin-releasable lipase in the guinea-pig.
It was recently reported by Yamada et al. (Yamada, N., Murase, T., Akanuma, Y., Ikakura, H. and Kosaka, K. (1979) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 575, 128-134) that the guinea-pig has no hepatic heparin-releasable lipase. We have, however, found a low but definite lipase activity in guinea-pig post-heparin plasma with the characteristics of the hepatic lipase. This activity, as measured in our assay, is only about one-tenth of that in rat post-heparin in plasma. Although the activity is thus much lower than in some other animals, its presence demonstrates that the guinea-pig is not qualitatively but only quantitatively different in this respect.


Leachable 226Ra in Philippine phosphogypsum and its implication in groundwater contamination in Isabel, Leyte, Philippines.
Phosphogypsum (PG), the major waste material in phosphate fertilizer processing, has been known to contain enhanced levels of naturally-occurring radionuclides especially (226)Ra. The lack of radioactivity data regarding Philippine phosphogypsum and its environmental behavior in the Philippine setting has brought concern on possible contamination of groundwater beneath the phosphogypsum ponds in Isabel, Leyte, Philippines. The radioactivity of Philippine phosphogypsum was determined and the leaching of (226)Ra from phosphogypsum and through local soil was quantified. Level of (226)Ra in groundwater samples in Isabel, Leyte, Philippines was also quantified to address the primary concern. It was found that the (226)Ra activity in Philippine phosphogypsum is distributed in a wide range from 91.5 to 935 Bq/kg. As much as 5% of (226)Ra can be leached from Philippine PG with deionized water. In vitro soil leach experiments suggest that the soil in the phosphate fertilizer plant area would be able to deter the intrusion of (226)Ra into the water table. Compared to reported values of natural groundwater levels of (226)Ra, the concentration of this radionuclide in Isabel, Leyte groundwater suggest that there is no (226)Ra intrusion brought about by the presence of phosphogypsum ponds in the area.


Role and regulation of VEGF and its receptors 1 and 2 in the aseptic loosening of total hip implants.
It was hypothesized that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in fibroblasts participates in aseptic loosening of total hip replacement (THR) implants. Therefore, osteoarthritic (OA) samples (n = 11) were compared with synovial membrane-like interface tissues from revision THR (n = 10). VEGF-A and its receptors were stained using streptavidin-immunoperoxidase method. Their regulation by hypoxia and cytokines were studied in cultured fibroblasts using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). VEGFR1(+) lining cells (p < 0.01), stromal fibroblast-like cells (p = 0.001) and stromal macrophage-like cells (p < 0.05) were more numerous in rTHR than in OA. As to VEGFR2(+), only stromal fibroblast-like cells in rTHR outnumbered those found in OA (p < 0.05). VEGFRs in synovial fibroblasts were not affected by hypoxia, but VEGF increased 2.4-fold (p < 0.05). Interleukin-4 up-regulated VEGFR1 expression 23-fold. This is the first study to describe a difference between rTHR and OA in VEGF receptors, particularly VEGFR1. Hypoxia increased VEGF, but the VEGFR1 increase in the lining and stroma is probably IL-4 driven, in accordance with the M2-type macrophage dominance in interface tissues. VEGF/VEGFR system is also affected by hypoxia and may play a role in angiogenesis and bone pathology in aseptic loosening of total hip implants.