Cost-Effectiveness of Opt-Out Chlamydia Testing for High-Risk Young Women in the U.S.
In spite of chlamydia screening recommendations, U.S. testing coverage continues to be low. This study explored the cost-effectiveness of a patient-directed, universal, opportunistic Opt-Out Testing strategy (based on insurance coverage, healthcare utilization, and test acceptance probabilities) for all women aged 15-24 years compared with current Risk-Based Screening (30% coverage) from a societal perspective. Based on insurance coverage (80%); healthcare utilization (83%); and test acceptance (75%), the proposed Opt-Out Testing strategy would have an expected annual testing coverage of approximately 50% for sexually active women aged 15-24 years. A basic compartmental heterosexual transmission model was developed to account for population-level transmission dynamics. Two groups were assumed based on self-reported sexual activity. All model parameters were obtained from the literature. Costs and benefits were tracked over a 50-year period. The relative sensitivity of the estimated incremental cost-effectiveness ratios to the variables/parameters was determined. This study was conducted in 2014-2015. Based on the model, the Opt-Out Testing strategy decreased the overall chlamydia prevalence by >55% (2.7% to 1.2%). The Opt-Out Testing strategy was cost saving compared with the current Risk-Based Screening strategy. The estimated incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was most sensitive to the female pre-opt out prevalence, followed by the probability of female sequelae and discount rate. The proposed Opt-Out Testing strategy was cost saving, improving health outcomes at a lower net cost than current testing. However, testing gaps would remain because many women might not have health insurance coverage, or not utilize health care.


Anther-smut infection of Silene alba caused by Ustilago violacea: factors determining fungal reproduction.
The anther-smut fungus Ustilago violacea sporulates in flowers of the dioecious host plant Silene alba. Growth chamber comparisons of healthy and diseased plants, with the genetic background of host and pathogen controlled, revealed that fungal infection increases the number of flowers produced per plant and decreases the size of individual flowers. There were few consistent effects of plant genotype or fungal isolate on diseased flower traits, but differences between the plant sexes were apparent. Stimulation of flower production is proportionally greater in females than males: thus, although healthy male plants produce many more flowers than healthy females, sexual differences in diseased flower number are reduced. Sexual differences in diseased flower size also exist, with male flowers smaller than females. A field inoculation study confirmed dimorphism in diseased flower size and demonstrated that spore production per flower was greater for males than females for all flower size classes.


Enhanced proteasome degradation extends Caenorhabditis elegans lifespan and alleviates aggregation-related pathologies.
Collapse of proteostasis and accumulation of damaged macromolecules have been recognized as hallmarks of aging and age-related diseases. The proteasome is the major cellular protease responsible for intracellular protein degradation, having an impaired function during aging. We have previously shown that proteasome activation through overexpression of β5 proteasome subunit delays replicative senescence and confers resistance to oxidative stress in primary fibroblasts. Herein, we have investigated the impact of enhanced proteasome function on organismal longevity and aggregation-related pathologies by employing Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system. We have found that overexpression of a core 20S proteasome subunit in wild type worms extends lifespan, healthspan and survival under proteotoxic conditions. The longevity prolonging effect of the proteasome subunit overexpression was found to depend on the FOXO transcription factor DAF-16 and was associated with its elevated transcriptional activity. We have also uncovered a major role of enhanced proteasome activity in aggregation-related pathologies underlying neurodegenerative diseases. Genetic activation of the proteasome minimized the detrimental effect of polyglutamine-induced toxicity mimicking Huntington's disease, whereas knock-down of the proteasome component exaggerated the disease phenotypes. Similar results were obtained by using a C.elegans model of Amyloid beta (Αβ) -induced toxicity mimicking Alzheimer's disease. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that enhanced proteasome function alleviates proteotoxicity and promotes longevity in synergy with other nodes of lifespan regulation in C.elegans. Understanding the mechanism by which preservation of proteostasis via enhancement of proteasome function, decelerates the aging process and alleviates age-related pathologies may assist in the rational design of therapeutic and anti-aging interventions.


Prevalence, isotype, and functionality of antiheparin-platelet factor 4 antibodies in patients treated with heparin and clinically suspected for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. The pathogenic role of IgG.
Antibodies to heparin-platelet factor 4 (PF4) complexes have been observed in patient with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) syndrome. These antibodies may be of various isotypes and differ with respect to their ability to activate platelets/endothelial cells. This study determined the isotypes and functionality of antiheparin-platelet factor 4 (AHPF4) antibodies in 111 patients treated with heparin and clinically suspected for HIT. In this patient population, 50% had detectable AHPF4 cumulative IgA, IgG, and IgM (determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA), but only 35% was positive when tested with the (14)C-serotonin release assay (SRA). Using antihuman Ig specific for different isotypes, we found that 50% of the 111 samples was positive for IgG, 45% for IgM, and 37% for IgA. In 50 normal human serum (NHS) samples, only two were positive for IgG, but 33 were positive for IgM, indicating a potential humoral response to the heparin-PF4 complex prior to heparin administration. Patients that were ELISA(+) for AHPF4 antibody titer were subdivided into SRA-positive (+) and SRA-negative (-) groups. The SRA(+) group had a mean ELISA optical density (OD) for AHPF4 IgA/IgG/IgM of 2.1, while the SRA(-) group had a mean OD of 0.8 (P<.001). The SRA(+) group had greater mean OD values for all three individual isotypes. Using flow cytometry, we determined the ability of different patient samples to activate platelets. Samples that contained IgG and were SRA(+) activated platelets (as measured by microparticle generation and P-selectin expression) in the presence of therapeutic concentrations of heparin. NHS and samples containing IgA and/or IgM that were SRA(-) were not able to produce microparticles nor were they able to increase expression of P-selectin. Together, these data indicate that IgG is the principal mediator of platelet activation in patients with HIT, with IgA and IgM playing a less significant role in the pathophysiology of this syndrome.


Dysregulated FGF signalling in neoplastic disorders.
The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signalling pathway contributes to the regulation of a multitude of cellular functions, impacting on proliferation, survival, differentiation and migration. This biological importance is reflected by its prominent role in carcinogenesis; often being hijacked by cancer cells to offer growth or survival advantage. FGF signalling can contribute a driving force in the malignancy of different cancer types; through alterations in ligands, receptors or regulatory molecules. The dramatic advances in genomics technologies have highlighted how mutation, amplification, translocation or loss of elements in the FGF signalling network can contribute to cancer. Added to this are the stromal influences of FGF signalling. Dissection of the mechanisms that underlie the pro-tumourigenic effects resulting from perturbations to the FGF signalling network will be of utmost importance to the development of therapeutic approaches to treat FGF receptor (FGFR)-driven cancers. In this review, we will focus on the mechanisms of FGF deregulation, the prevalence of aberrations in different cancer types, and how we are progressing in the development of targeted therapies.


Photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A by temperature-sensitive magnetic hydrogel with enhanced service life.
Easy diffusion and low reusability limit the practicality of photocatalysts. In this study, a hollow sphere (HS) heterojunction was synthesized based on oxygen-doped carbon nitride (OCN) and layered double hydroxides (LDHs). A thermosensitive HS hydrogel (HS Gel) was prepared by mixing HS with N-isopropylacrylamide. Bisphenol A (BPA), being widely manufactured and used in commercial and domestical products and its high toxicity, was chosen as the target pollutant to demonstrate the photocatalytic ability and practicality of the HS Gel. HS Gel presented effective BPA degradation (95% degradation in 70 mins, 4.2 × 10-2 min-1 of kobs) at ambient temperature which is much better than kobs = 1.8 × 10-2 min-1 of OCN and kobs = 0.08 × 10-2 min-1 of LDH), and increased by two-fold the recycling service life (retention of >80% degradation efficiency after 13 usage cycles) compared to other carbon-based photocatalysts (retention of >80% degradation efficiency after 5-6 usage cycles). This is due to its multifunctional characteristics (magnetic property and thermal sensitivity). Under ambient temperature, the hydrophilic HS Gel swelled in the aqueous solution, which promoted the photocatalytic reaction between HS and BPA in the gel state. After the reaction, the HS Gel was subjected to shrinkage by high temperature heating to enhance the mechanical strength for recovery. The magnetic recovery was realized by the paramagnetic properties of layered double oxide to reduce environmental interference. Detailed studies of HS gel related to enhanced service life were conducted including structural changes, catalyst leaking and magnetic changing. A new kind of type Ӏ plus Z-scheme mechanism was also proposed based on the Kubelka-Munk equation, UV diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and Mott-Schotty technique.


Long-term comparison of unipolar and bipolar pacing and sensing, using a new multiprogrammable pacemaker system.
Over a six-month period a comparison was made between uni- and bipolar myocardial stimulation thresholds and R-wave sensitivity in 15 consecutive pacemaker patients. The patients received a new multiprogrammable Cordis 336 A pulse generator, that could be programmed with either uni- or bipolar circuitry. In addition, rate, output, sensitivity and pacing mode could be noninvasively programmed. The occurrence of myopotential interference at different sensitivity levels was also studied. Cordis 325-161 bipolar endocardial leads were used in all patients. In one patient, the current output sometimes had to be programmed higher bipolarly than unipolarly to capture the ventricles, otherwise no differences in threshold were found. Acutely. R-wave sensitivity was superior in 9 patients (60%) in the bipolar mode. Unipolar and bipolar electrograms were equal in 4 (26.7%), whereas unipolar R-wave sensitivity was best in only 2 (13.3%) of the patients. At a six-month follow-up, the same tendency was found. In 5 patients, bipolar sensing was superior to unipolar, while anti- and bipolar sensitivity was equal in the remaining patients. Myopotential inhibition was never seen in the bipolar mode at highest sensitivity (0.8 mV) even during provocative tests (n = 15) or 24-hour Holter monitoring (n = 12). In the unipolar mode, 14/15 patients (93.3%) showed inhibition during provocative tests and 12/12 patients (100%) during monitoring at a programmed sensitivity of 0.8 mV. No patients had myopotential interference at a sensitivity level of 3.5 mV. All patients have their pacemakers programmed in the bipolar mode after six months. This study confirms earlier acute data that the bipolar pacing mode is superior to the unipolar mode for permanent pacemaker therapy.


Long-term results of the European achalasia trial: a multicentre randomised controlled trial comparing pneumatic dilation versus laparoscopic Heller myotomy.
Achalasia is a chronic motility disorder of the oesophagus for which laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM) and endoscopic pneumodilation (PD) are the most commonly used treatments. However, prospective data comparing their long-term efficacy is lacking. 201 newly diagnosed patients with achalasia were randomly assigned to PD (n=96) or LHM (n=105). Before randomisation, symptoms were assessed using the Eckardt score, functional test were performed and quality of life was assessed. The primary outcome was therapeutic success (presence of Eckardt score ≤3) at the yearly follow-up assessment. The secondary outcomes included the need for re-treatment, lower oesophageal sphincter pressure, oesophageal emptying and the rate of complications. In the full analysis set, there was no significant difference in success rate between the two treatments with 84% and 82% success after 5 years for LHM and PD, respectively (p=0.92, log-rank test). Similar results were obtained in the per-protocol analysis (5-year success rates: 82% for LHM vs. 91% for PD, p=0.08, log-rank test). After 5 years, no differences in secondary outcome parameter were observed. Redilation was performed in 24 (25%) of PD patients. Five oesophageal perforations occurred during PD (5%) while 12 mucosal tears (11%) occurred during LHM. After at least 5 years of follow-up, PD and LHM have a comparable success rate with no differences in oesophageal function and emptying. However, 25% of PD patients require redilation during follow-up. Based on these data, we conclude that either treatment can be proposed as initial treatment for achalasia. Netherlands trial register (NTR37) and Current Controlled Trials registry (ISRCTN56304564).


Arrhythmias during halothane anaesthesia II: the influence of atropine.
The effect of i.v. atropine premedication on cardiac rhythm was studied in healthy adult patients during thiopental-N2O/O2-halothane anesthesia without intubation. A higher incidnece of arrhythmias was seen in younger patients in close relation to administration of atropine, but the overall incidence during anesthesia was identical in atropine groups and the control groups. The most common arrhythmias were supraventricular ectopies. None of the ECG irregularities led to serious arrhythmias. No consistent changes in blood pressure were observed as the result of arrhythmias or changes in heart rate. It is concluded that atropine should be reserved for situations where severe bradycardia and hypotension occur, or can be expected to occur, and not given automatically, since cardioacceleration which is inherent in its action may be injurious to patients with limited cardiac reserve.


A multitask classification framework based on vision transformer for predicting molecular expressions of glioma.
The purpose of this study is to develop a Vision Transformer model with multitask classification framework that is appropriate for predicting four molecular expressions of glioma simultaneously based on MR imaging. A total of 188 glioma (grades II-IV) patients with an immunohistochemical diagnosis of IDH, MGMT, Ki67 and P53 expression were enrolled in our study. A Vision Transformer (ViT) model, including three independent networks based on T2WI, T1CWI and T2 + T1CWI (T2-net, T1C-net and TU-net), was developed for the prediction of four glioma molecular expressions simultaneously. To evaluate the model performance, the accuracy rate, recall, precision, F1-score, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were calculated. The proposed ViT model achieved high accuracy in predicting IDH, MGMT, Ki67 and P53 expression in gliomas. Among the three networks using the ViT model, TU-net achieved the best results with the highest values of accuracy (range, 0.937-0.969), precision (range, 0.949-0.972), recall (range, 0.873-0.991), F1-score (range, 0.910-0.981) and AUC (range, 0.976-0.984). Comparisons were also made between our ViT model and convolutional neural network (CNN)-based models, and the proposed ViT model outperformed the existing CNN-based models. Vision Transformer is a reliable approach for the prediction of glioma molecular biomarkers and can be a viable alternative to CNNs.


Clinical features and outcome of microscopic polyangiitis under a new consensus algorithm of ANCA-associated vasculitides in Korea.
The classification system for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis and polyarteritis nodosa had its limitations due to numerous overlapping features of these disease entities. The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical features and outcome of patients diagnosed with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) according to the newly proposed consensus algorithm of ANCA-associated vasculitides and polyarteritis nodosa. Fifty-five cases of MPA, comprised of 33 men and 22 women, diagnosed according to a new consensus algorithm at a single tertiary hospital were identified for analysis. The main clinical features were constitutional symptoms (78.2%), followed by renal involvement (74.5%), musculoskeletal symptoms (67.3%), skin manifestations (50.9%), neurologic involvement (43.6%), and lung involvement (41.8%). P-ANCA and/or anti-myeloperoxidase antibody were present in 69.1%. Five Factor Score and Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS) at diagnosis were 1.1 ± 0.9 and 10.9 ± 4.9, respectively. Forty-four patients were available for a long-term follow-up, and six patients (13.6%) resulted in death. Mortality was associated with BVAS > 9 at the time of diagnosis, age > 60 years, and presence of cardiomyopathy and interstitial lung disease. The survival rate at 1 and 3 years was 93.9 and 89.2%, respectively. Eight patients (14.5%) required dialysis at the time of diagnosis. This is the first study to demonstrate the clinical features in patients with MPA using a new consensus algorithm. Survival rate was higher than previously reported, and interstitial lung disease was a new risk factor for death in patients with MPA.


Oocyte meiotic-stage-specific differences in spindle depolymerization in response to temperature changes monitored with polarized field microscopy and immunocytochemistry.
To compare the polymerization status of mouse oocyte spindles exposed to various temperatures at various stages of meiosis. Experimental animal study. University animal laboratory. CF1 mice. Immature oocytes matured to metaphase I (MI), telophase I (TI), and metaphase II (MII) were incubated at 37 °C (control), room temperature (RT), or 4 °C for 0, 10, 30, and 60 minutes. Spindle analysis subsequently was performed using polarized field microscopy and immunocytochemistry. Spindles of TI and MII oocytes that underwent vitrification and warming were analyzed also by immunocytochemistry. Detection of polymerized meiotic spindles. At RT, and after 60 minutes at 4 °C, a significant time-dependent decrease in the percentage of polymerized meiotic spindles was observed in MI and MII oocytes, but not in TI oocytes. The polymerization of TI spindles at 4 °C was similar to that of TI spindles at 4 °C that underwent vitrification and warming. Significant differences in the microtubule dynamics of MI, TI, and MII oocytes incubated at different temperatures were observed. In particular, meiotic spindles in TI oocytes exhibited less depolymerization than did metaphase spindles.


Dualism of gene GC content and CpG pattern in regard to expression in the human genome: magnitude versus breadth.
In this article, I show that, in the human genome, the GC content in genes (but not the CpG island in the promoter) is related to the maximum level of gene expression among tissues, whereas the promoter CpG island and gene CpG level are more strongly related to the breadth of expression among tissues. The relevance of gene GC content to expression cannot be a consequence (i.e. a byproduct) of transcription because it does not correlate with expression in the germline. The variation of GC content and CpG level can determine the characteristics of gene expression in a synergistic interplay with transcription-factor-binding sites (mediated by chromatin condensation).


[A cytologic diagnosis of breast secretions--application of cytology to the mass survey of breast cancer].
From January 1982 to March 1987, an exfoliative cytological examination of abnormal nipple discharge was carried out on 790 patients. Of 22 histologically confirmed mammary carcinomas, 7 cases (31.8%) were diagnosed as positive by conventional cytologic techniques. By using the concentration method, in which the nipple secretion was collected in a series of testings that lasted 3 to 5 days and stored in a glass tube containing a fixative, the diagnostic accuracy was seen to increase significantly and 9 out of 15 malignant cases (60.0%) were accurately diagnosed as having cancer. Moreover, all 5 cases without any palpable mass were found to be positive by the smears made by this procedure.


The Arabidopsis cax3 mutants display altered salt tolerance, pH sensitivity and reduced plasma membrane H+-ATPase activity.
Perturbing CAX1, an Arabidopsis vacuolar H+/Ca2+ antiporter, and the related vacuolar transporter CAX3, has been previously shown to cause severe growth defects; however, the specific function of CAX3 has remained elusive. Here, we describe plant phenotypes that are shared among cax1 and cax3 including an increased sensitivity to both abscisic acid (ABA) and sugar during germination, and an increased tolerance to ethylene during early seedling development. We have also identified phenotypes unique to cax3, namely salt, lithium and low pH sensitivity. We used biochemical measurements to ascribe these cax3 sensitivities to a reduction in vacuolar H+/Ca2+ transport during salt stress and decreased plasma membrane H+-ATPase activity. These findings catalog an array of CAX phenotypes and assign a specific role for CAX3 in response to salt tolerance.


Initial establishment and validation of a predictive model for preeclampsia in twin pregnancies based on maternal characteristics and echocardiographic parameters.
The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the association between maternal echocardiographic changes and the occurrence of preeclampsia (PE) in twin pregnancies. Additionally, we established and validated a prediction model for PE in twin pregnancies. The first part of this study was retrospective and included data from 854 twin pregnancies that received antenatal care at Peking University Third Hospital from April 2017 to April 2021 (training cohort). Overall, 159 women who underwent transthoracic echocardiography were included in the analysis. To build a predictive model, cardiac findings were compared between normotensive women and those with PE. The model was then validated in a prospective longitudinal cohort (test cohort) that included 109 women with twin pregnancies who underwent two consecutive transthoracic echocardiography examinations during the second and third trimesters. Fifty-four normotensive women and 105 women with PE were analyzed in the retrospective cohort that was used to build the model in which later preeclampsia was associated with higher left ventricular mass index (>61 g/m2 ), interventricular septal thickness (>7.87 mm), left atrial anteroposterior diameter (>33.5 mm), mitral inflow late diastolic velocity (A) (>0.685 m/s), ratio of early diastolic velocity (E) and peak early diastolic myocardial velocity of the lateral mitral annulus (>6.5), and lower peak early diastolic myocardial velocity (<13.1 cm/s). The optimized PE prediction model based on the interventricular septal thickness, left atrial anteroposterior diameter, A, peak early diastolic myocardial velocity and pre-pregnancy bodyweight index was then established (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.840, 95% CI 0.778-0.903, P < 0.001). The model was tested in the prospective cohort including 87 normotensive women and 22 women with PE; the validation test showed that the prediction model in the second (AUC = 0.801) and third (AUC = 0.811) trimesters had high discriminative ability and calibration. Maternal echocardiographic changes in twin pregnancies are associated with the development of preeclampsia. The model constructed, based on the echocardiographic parameters and body mass index, provides novel ideas for the prediction of PE.


Identification of mangiferin as a potential Glucokinase activator by structure-based virtual ligand screening.
The natural product mangiferin (compound 7) has been identified as a potential glucokinase activator by structure-based virtual ligand screening. It was proved by enzyme activation experiment and cell-based assays in vitro, with potency in micromolar range. Meanwhile, this compound showed good antihyperglycemic activity in db/db mice without obvious side effects such as excessive hypoglycaemia.


Prevalence of and factors related to pneumoconiosis among foundry workers in central Taiwan.
The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of and factors related to pneumoconiosis in foundry workers. Seven hundred and eighteen workers from 50 foundries in central Taiwan were interviewed using a constructed questionnaire. A full-sized PA chest radiograph was used to diagnose pneumoconiosis, according to ILO criteria. Overall, pneumoconiosis was found in 7.5% of the workers. The highest prevalence was found among furnace workers (15.9%) and molding workers (8.40%). All foundry workers except those in administrative positions had a significantly increased risk of developing pneumoconiosis. Using a multiple logistic regression, compared to administrative workers, furnace workers had the highest risk (10.63 times), followed by post-treatment workers (6.63 times), and molding workers (5.41 times). In conclusion, the prevalence of pneumoconiosis was significantly related to high concentrations of dust, especially with a high proportion of free silica, however, smoking and length of exposure were also contributing factors.


Application of machine learning techniques in predicting MHC binders.
The machine learning techniques are playing a vital role in the field of immunoinformatics. In the past, a number of methods have been developed for predicting major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-binding peptides using machine learning techniques. These methods allow predicting MHC-binding peptides with high accuracy. In this chapter, we describe two machine learning technique-based methods, nHLAPred and MHC2Pred, developed for predicting MHC binders for class I and class II alleles, respectively. nHLAPred is a web server developed for predicting binders for 67 MHC class I alleles. This sever has two methods: ANNPred and ComPred. ComPred allows predicting binders for 67 MHC class I alleles, using the combined method [artificial neural network (ANN) and quantitative matrix] for 30 alleles and quantitative matrix-based method for 37 alleles. ANNPred allows prediction of binders for only 30 alleles purely based on the ANN. MHC2Pred is a support vector machine (SVM)-based method for prediction of promiscuous binders for 42 MHC class II alleles.


Proposed screening tool for the detection of cumulative trauma disorders of the upper extremity.
The incidence of cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) has become noteworthy in plants that rely on automated production. This rise was evident in an Ohio poultry company. The purpose of this study was to develop a screening tool to detect employees who might be at risk of sustaining a CTD injury and to identify trends of CTD at specific workstations. Thirty-five employees at three workstations completed a questionnaire and underwent a physical examination. Results identified 24 employees with a potential for CTD, and these employees were recommended for remediation. Job modifications and supportive devices were placed in the workplace. A newly designed industrial wrist splint was developed for this study. The personnel department has noted that employee complaints of upper extremity discomfort have decreased.


Breast sensibility after bilateral risk-reducing mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction: a prospective study.
The demand for risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) to avoid breast cancer has increased over the last several years, and knowledge of the outcome after this prophylactic surgical procedure is important. The primary aim of this study was to prospectively compare breast sensibility before and after RRM in a consecutive series of women. The study also investigated whether the nipples were less numb if the nipple areola complexes (NACs) were spared compared with regrafted nipple tips. Forty-six women who selected bilateral RRM with immediate reconstruction using implants at the Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden, were included in the study. The median patient age at the time of surgery was 39 years (range 26-58). All patients were evaluated preoperatively and at least 2 years postoperatively (median 29 months). Tactile, thermal and nociceptive cutaneous sensibilities were studied with quantitative techniques. The patients at the postoperative evaluation completed a questionnaire about subjective feelings in both breasts. The results showed that breast sensibility is significantly impaired after RRM. Additionally, the ability to experience sexual sensations in the breast is often lost. An NAC-sparing surgery did not result in better nipple sensibility.


Dynamic balance of pSTAT1 and pSTAT3 in C57BL/6 mice infected with lethal or nonlethal Plasmodium yoelii.
Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins play an important role in cytokine signaling pathways and regulation of immune responses. The balance of the phosphorylated (activated) STAT1 (pSTAT1) and STAT3 (pSTAT3) has been documented in cancer immunology. In this study, we investigated the dynamic balance of pSTAT1 and pSTAT3 in C57BL/6 mice infected with either a nonlethal (Py17XNL) or lethal (Py17XL) strain of Plasmodium yoelii. Both Py17XNL and Py17XL infections induced a maximum activation of STAT1 and STAT3 on the first day after parasite inoculation. Additionally, the Py17XNL infection induced a pSTAT1-dominant response in mice during the early stage of infection, with the resolution of parasitemia. In contrast, Py17XL infection induced a pSTAT3-dominant response during the early phase of infection, with the death of the animals. Our results indicated that maximum activation of STAT1 and STAT3 occurred much earlier than the peak levels of cytokines induced by Plasmodium yoelii infection based on previous reports and that infection with Py17XNL and Py17XL induced different dynamic patterns of pSTAT1 and pSTAT3 balance.


Seasonal distribution of febrile seizure and the relationship with respiratory and enteric viruses in Korean children based on nationwide registry data.
The seasonal distribution patterns of febrile seizures and of respiratory and enteric viral pathogens are similar. In this study, we analyzed trends in febrile seizures and viral infection in Korean children, using big data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA). We analyzed children younger than 6 years who visited the hospital and were diagnosed with febrile seizures from 2009 to 2016, using medical records in the HIRA database. A total of 666,136 medical records of children with a main or subdiagnosis of febrile seizure from 2008 to 2016 were included. Of these records, patients younger than 1 month and records before 2009 were excluded. Finally, 558,130 records were extracted. The medical records included 315,774 male children and 242,356 (43.4%) female children, with a mean age of 2.31 ± 1.31 years. The annual incidence of febrile seizure was 25.4 per 1000 person-years (27.9 for boys and 22.7 for girls). The ratio of male to female children was 1.30: 1, and records of 1-year-old children comprised the highest proportion (n = 210,400, 33.70%). The total monthly number of patients was highest in May (n = 64,969, 11.6%), and peaks were formed from April to July. The fewest patients were seen in October (n = 34,424, 6.17%). The most common viral pathogens were influenza in April and enterovirus during May-July. The seasonal distribution of febrile seizures was high from late spring to summer, and influenza virus and enterovirus were most frequently associated.


Dissociation of visual associative and motor learning in Drosophila at the flight simulator.
Ever since operant conditioning was studied experimentally, the relationship between associative learning and possible motor learning has become controversial. Although motor learning and its underlying neural substrates have been extensively studied in mammals, it is still poorly understood in invertebrates. The visual discriminative avoidance paradigm of Drosophila at the flight simulator has been widely used to study the flies' visual associative learning and related functions, but it has not been used to study the motor learning process. In this study, newly-designed data analysis was employed to examine the flies' solitary behavioural variable that was recorded at the flight simulator-yaw torque. Analysis was conducted to explore torque distributions of both wild-type and mutant flies in conditioning, with the following results: (1) Wild-type Canton-S flies had motor learning performance in conditioning, which was proved by modifications of the animal's behavioural mode in conditioning. (2) Repetition of training improved the motor learning performance of wild-type Canton-S flies. (3) Although mutant dunce(1) flies were defective in visual associative learning, they showed essentially normal motor learning performance in terms of yaw torque distribution in conditioning. Finally, we tentatively proposed that both visual associative learning and motor learning were involved in the visual operant conditioning of Drosophila at the flight simulator, that the two learning forms could be dissociated and they might have different neural bases.


Enhanced photocatalytic and antibacterial activity of acridinium-grafted g-C3N4 with broad-spectrum light absorption for antimicrobial photocatalytic therapy.
As a metal-free polymeric photocatalyst, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has attracted great attention owing to its high stability and low toxicity. However, g-C3N4 suffers from low light harvesting ability which limits its applications in antimicrobial photocatalytic therapy (APCT). Herein, acridinium (ADN)-grafted g-C3N4 (ADN@g-C3N4) nanosheets are prepared via covalent grafting of ADN to g-C3N4. The obtained ADN@g-C3N4 exhibits a narrow optical band gap (2.12 eV) and a wide optical absorption spectrum (intensity a.u. > 0.30) ranging from ultraviolet to near-infrared region. Moreover, ADN@g-C3N4 would produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) under light irradiation to exert effective sterilization and biofilm elimination activities against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Molecular dynamics simulation reveals that the ADN@g-C3N4 may move toward, tile and insert the bacterial lipid bilayer membrane through strong van der Waals and electrostatic interaction, decreasing the order parameter of the lipid while increasing the conducive of ROS migration, inducing ADN@g-C3N4 with improved antimicrobial and antibiofilm performance. Moreover, ADN@g-C3N4 could efficiently eradicate oral biofilm on artificial teeth surfaces. This work may provide a broad-spectrum light-induced photocatalytic therapy for preventing and treating dental plaque diseases and artificial teeth-related infections, showing potential applications for intractable biofilm treatment applications. An acridinium-grafted g-C3N4 (ADN@g-C3N4) with a narrow band gap and broad-spectrum light absorption was synthesized. The narrow optical band gap and improved electrostatic interaction with bacterial lipid bilayer membrane of ADN@g-C3N4 strengthened the ROS generation and facilitated the diffusion of ROS to bacteria surface, leading to enhanced photocatalytic and antibacterial activity against bacteria and corresponding biofilm under light irradiation. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: An acridinium-grafted g-C3N4 (ADN@g-C3N4) with a narrow band gap and broad-spectrum light absorption was developed as an antimicrobial photocatalytic therapy agent. The ADN@g-C3N4 exhibited enhanced photocatalytic and antibacterial activity against bacteria and corresponding biofilm under light irradiation, showing potential applications for intractable biofilm treatment.


Race to the bottom or swimming upstream: Performance analysis of US airlines.
Data envelopment analysis is used to examine inter-temporal and peer group airline efficiency. Results for the US for 1985-2006 indicate that airline performance is converging over time. In particular, airlines inter-temporal inefficiency peaked earlier and then converged. Furthermore, using Tobit specifications it is seen that while demand intensity matters less in determining airlines inter-temporal inefficiency, their influence is stronger in determining peer group inefficiency. Block time, a representative of operational factors, tends to negatively impact airlines efficiency by imposing burdens on airline operations. Among the structural cost and revenue factors, fuel cost tends to affect inter-temporal inefficiency more robustly than it does to peer group efficiency. Labor pay tends to reduce inefficiency in case of inter-temporal while increasing peer group inefficiency. The events of September 11th had little or no impact on inter-temporal inefficiency but tended to reduce peer group inefficiency in a significant way. Finally, airlines efficiency tends to be robustly affected by block hours; reducing them increases efficiency.


Endothelin association with the cultured rat Kupffer cell: characterization and regulation.
Circulating endothelin (ET) levels are elevated in conditions such as endotoxemia, hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury, or orthotopic liver transplantation, and this potent peptide may contribute to hepatic pathophysiology. We measured the surface binding of [125I]ET-1 to rat Kupffer cells in primary culture at 4 degrees C; the dissociation constant (Kd) was 270 pmol/L, and the apparent Bmax was 3,000 receptors/cell. At 37 degrees C, total association (surface binding plus internalization) was much greater than at 4 degrees C, indicating that internalization of the receptor-ligand complex is rapid; the apparent Kd was 30 pmol/L, comparable with other reports for hepatic-derived cells. Studies using [125I]ET-1, [125I]ET-3, and specific ET (ant)agonists showed that Kupffer cells possess predominantly ET(B) type receptors. Prior treatment with 500 pmol/L unlabeled endothelin rapidly ( < 15 minutes) occluded 60% of subsequent [125I]ET association; using 5 nmol/L unlabeled ET, this occlusion occurred within 1 minute. [125I]ET association with Kupffer cells was unaffected by short-term (approximately 1 hour) treatment with cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), but long-term (20 hour) treatment resulted in a twofold increase in [125I]ET association with no change in the apparent Kd. Stimulation of protein kinase C in Kupffer cells by phorbol 12-myristate acetate had a dual regulatory effect on [125I]ET association. Short-term ( < 1 hour) treatment with phorbol 12-myristate acetate decreased [125I]ET-3 association by 50%, whereas prolonged treatment (20 hour) increased association twofold. In both cases, the apparent Kd for [125I]-endothelin was unaltered.


Identification of an epididymal immunorelated protein family: sequential appearance under testosterone stimulation.
The lizard has a seasonal sexual cycle, during which the epididymis produces large amounts of proteins that mix with spermatozoa during the reproductive period. Through one-dimensional electrophoresis we identified among these proteins a band of major soluble Mr 19,000 proteins. In two-dimensional electrophoresis the Mr 19,000 protein molecules separated into four pHi groups ranging from 3.7 to 8.7. An immunoserum prepared against the most acidic fraction recognized all four protein groups. Immuno-electrophoresis confirmed that these proteins have similar immunological characteristics. The androgen dependence of each group was demonstrated in vitro with testosterone stimulation of tissue from castrated animals. The groups appear sequentially as a function of culture growth time.


Clinical pattern of pediatric ocular trauma in fast developing country.
Ocular trauma is a significant problem in pediatric patients. Also, leads to visual loss throughout the world there are no data of pediatric ocular trauma in Arabian Gulf Countries in the current literature. To study the epidemiology, mechanism, causes and outcome of serious ocular trauma requiring hospital admission, in children below 16years of age. A retrospective cohort study. All pediatric patients (up to 16years of age) presenting with ocular injuries to a tertiary care pediatric ophthalmology and Pediatric Accident Emergency Department 1 January 2005 to 30 December 2009. Each file was studied to find out the demographic data, mechanism and cause of injury. The definitions and classifications of ocular trauma in our study were modified from the Ocular Trauma Classification Group guidelines and Birmingham Eye Trauma Terminology Presenting and final visual acuity were recorded along with details of anterior and posterior segment evaluation. Hundred and six files of the children admitted to ophthalmology ward with the diagnosis of ocular trauma between 2005 and 2009 were reviewed. Majority were boys (77.4%). The mean age at admission was 6.63years. A higher incidence of ocular trauma was noted in children above 5years than those below (58.5%). Most number of trauma occurred at home (42.5%, n=45) followed by street (35.8% n=34), school (12.3%, n=13), sporting area (5.7%, n=6). Also, eight patients (8.5%) involved in Road Traffic Accidents (RTA). Closed globe injury occurred more frequently than open globe injury (59.4% vs. 40.6%). Initial visual acuity was more than 6/60 in (55.6%) patients of closed globe while in open globe injury was (37.3%). Final visual acuity was more than 6/18 in (82.5%) patients of closed globe injury group and in (63%) patients of open globe injury group. Severe impairment of vision was found in (11.6%) and blindness (4.7%) only in open globe injury group. Most eye injuries in children are preventable so this reflects the importance of health education, adult supervision and application of appropriate measures that is necessary for reducing the incidence and severity of trauma.


Complete genome sequence of a novel bipartite begomovirus infecting the legume weed Macroptilium erythroloma.
The natural occurrence of mixed infections and large populations of the polyphagous vector (Bemisia tabaci) are the main factors associated with the intensification of the genetic flow among begomoviruses in Neotropical areas, contributing to the emergence of novel recombinants. Here, high-throughput sequencing and metagenomic analyses were employed to discover and characterize a novel recombinant bipartite begomovirus, tentatively named "macroptilium bright yellow interveinal virus" (MaBYIV) in the weed Macroptilium erythroloma (Fabaceae). Recombination signals were detected in MaBYIV, involving bean golden mosaic virus (BGMV) and tomato mottle leaf curl virus (ToMoLCV) genome components. All of the original MaBYIV-infected M. erythroloma plants were found to have mixed infections with BGMV. MaBYIV was transmitted to bean and soybean cultivars via B. tabaci MEAM 1, indicating that M. erythroloma may play a role as a year-round reservoir of a potential new viral pathogen of economically important legume crops.


Hippocampus-independent phase precession in entorhinal grid cells.
Theta-phase precession in hippocampal place cells is one of the best-studied experimental models of temporal coding in the brain. Theta-phase precession is a change in spike timing in which the place cell fires at progressively earlier phases of the extracellular theta rhythm as the animal crosses the spatially restricted firing field of the neuron. Within individual theta cycles, this phase advance results in a compressed replication of the firing sequence of consecutively activated place cells along the animal's trajectory, at a timescale short enough to enable spike-time-dependent plasticity between neurons in different parts of the sequence. The neuronal circuitry required for phase precession has not yet been established. The fact that phase precession can be seen in hippocampal output stuctures such as the prefrontal cortex suggests either that efferent structures inherit the precession from the hippocampus or that it is generated locally in those structures. Here we show that phase precession is expressed independently of the hippocampus in spatially modulated grid cells in layer II of medial entorhinal cortex, one synapse upstream of the hippocampus. Phase precession is apparent in nearly all principal cells in layer II but only sparsely in layer III. The precession in layer II is not blocked by inactivation of the hippocampus, suggesting that the phase advance is generated in the grid cell network. The results point to possible mechanisms for grid formation and raise the possibility that hippocampal phase precession is inherited from entorhinal cortex.


Clinical efficacy and safety of neuroendoscopic surgery for severe thalamic hemorrhage with ventricle encroachment.
To summarize and analyze the clinical efficacy and safety of neuroendoscopic surgery (NES) in the treatment of patients for severe thalamic hemorrhage with ventricle encroachment (THVE). Eighty-three patients with severe THVE were treated in the Neurosurgery Department of Anqing Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University from July 2019 to August 2021. Our study was approved by the ethics committee. The patients were randomly divided into NES group and extraventricular drainage (EVD) group. The hospital stay, Glasgow coma scale (GCS) scores on the 1st and 14th days postoperatively, the incidence of intracranial infections, and the clearance of postoperative hematomas were compared and analyzed between the two groups. The patients had follow-up evaluations 6 months postoperatively. The prognosis was evaluated based on the activity of daily living (ADL) score. A head CT or MRI was obtained to determine whether there was hydrocephalus, cerebral infarction, or other related complications. Eighty-three patients were randomly divided into 41 cases of NES group and 42 cases of EVD group. The length of postoperative hospital stay was 17.42 ± 1.53 days, the GCS scores were 6.56 ± 0.21, and 10.83 ± 0.36 on days 1 and 14, respectively; intracranial infections occurred in 3 patients (7.31%) and the hematoma clearance rate was 83.6 ± 5.18% in the NES group, all of which were significantly better than the EVD group (P < 0.05). After 6 months of follow-up, 28 patients (68.29%) had a good prognosis, 5 patients (12.19%) died, and 4 patients (9.75%) had hydrocephalus in the NES group. In the EVD group, the prognosis was good in 15 patients (35.71%), 12 patients (28.57%) died, and 17 patients (40.47%) had hydrocephalus. The prognosis, mortality rate, and incidence of hydrocephalus in the NES group were significantly better than the EVD group (P < 0.05). Compared to traditional EVD, NES for severe THVE had a higher hematoma clearance rate, and fewer intracranial infections and patients with hydrocephalus, which together improve the clinical prognosis and is thus recommended for clinical use.


The influence of the supervision of psychotherapy upon being therapeutic. II: Modes of influence of the supervisory relationship.
Through supervision, the student develops those innate personal characteristics which are highly important in being therapeutic. In making conscious use of "reality identification" by the student with his teacher, we must take care to avoid certain pitfalls. What is not wanted is transference identification. To help avoid this, we must select appropriate teachers as supervisors. The student should also have more than one supervisor, as this tends to protect against the development of overidealization on the part of the student, of omnipotence on the part of the teacher. Personal characteristics of both students and supervisors are extremely important. A good supervisory experience is the most likely vehicle for developing those qualities in the student which will, in time, lead him to function most therapeutically.


Insulin-sensitizing antihyperglycaemic medications are associated with better outcome in patients with diabetes undergoing cardiac stress testing.
There are several treatment modalities available for diabetes; however, the effects of the different medications on coronary artery disease are less understood. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation of insulin-sensitizing therapy with the outcome of stress myocardial perfusion testing and to compare it with conventional therapy. Of 417 patients referred to stress testing for evaluation of chest pain, 222 were identified as being treated with conventional therapy only (insulin and insulin secretagogues) and 195 as being treated with insulin sensitizers (metformin and thiazolidinediones (TZD)). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to correct for confounding factors and to determine the independent relation between treatment type and stress-test outcome. Ischaemia, infarction and the composite outcome were less frequent in the insulin-sensitizer group than in the conventional therapy group (odds ratio (OR) = 0.39, P = 0.025; OR = 0.32, P = 0.021 and OR = 0.38, P = 0.009, respectively). The subgroup analysis showed that treatment with metformin (n = 125) compared with conventional therapy was associated with less infarction or the composite outcome of ischaemia and/or ischaemia (OR = 0.18 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.05-0.66), P = 0.010; OR = 0.34 (95%CI: 0.15-0.80), P = 0.014, respectively). Treatment with TZD (n = 43) was associated with a trend to less frequent ischaemia (OR = 0.18 (95%CI: 0.03-1.01), P = 0.051). The addition of insulin-sensitizing medications to the conventional diabetes therapy or their sole use was associated with decreased coronary artery disease or its severity in patients with diabetes as determined by stress myocardial perfusion study. Randomized prospective trials will be necessary to prove this benefit.


Beneficial effect of teleost fish bone peptide as calcium supplements for bone mineralization.
A most common and trusted source of Ca is milk or other dairy products. However, some oriental people do not drink milk due to lactose indigestion and intolerance, which make them allergic to milk. There have been many studies on alternative calcium-rich diet or Ca supplements. Among them, teleost fish like anchovy and mola, which are commonly consumed in Asian countries, could be an important Ca dietary supplement, especially in population groups with low intakes of milk and dairy products. In this chapter, we summarize beneficial effects of teleost fish bone peptide (FBP) for Ca bioavailability and bone mineralization, based on our researches.


Intense Expression of EGFR L858R Characterizes the Micropapillary Component and L858R Is Associated with the Risk of Recurrence in pN0M0 Lung Adenocarcinoma with the Micropapillary Component.
Lung adenocarcinoma with the micropapillary (MP) component poses a higher risk of recurrence even when the MP component is not predominant. This study explored genetic features associated with highly malignant behavior of lung adenocarcinoma with the MP component. The MP and papillary (PaP) components were captured separately in three patients. Comprehensive mRNA expressions of somatic variants were compared between the MP and PaP components of each patient using next-generation sequencing (NGS). The protein expression of the NGS-detected variant was validated by immunohistochemistry. The prognostic impact of the detected variant was evaluated in 288 adenocarcinoma patients with resection of pN0M0. In two cases, NGS suggested higher RNA expression of EGFR L858R in the MP component than in the PaP component (allele frequency, 0.485 vs. 0.155 and 1.000 vs. 0.526, respectively; P < 0.001 for both). Immunohistochemistry validated intense expression of L858R in the MP component of 27 MP-positive (MP+) patients. Among 288 pN0M0 patients, L858R was more frequently harbored in the MP+ patients than in the MP-negative (MP-) patients. The MP+ patients harboring L858R showed significantly worse recurrence-free survival (RFS) than the MP+ patients without L858R (median RFS 38.7 and 55.0 months, respectively; hazard ratio [HR] 3.004; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.306-9.132; P = 0.012). Multivariate analysis of the MP+ patients showed that positive L858R status was associated with poorer RFS (HR 2.976; 95% CI 1.190-7.442; P = 0.020). EGFR L858R was more frequently harbored in the MP+ adenocarcinoma patients than in the MP- adenocarcinoma patients. Intense expression of L858R in the MP component was suggested, and the MP+ patients harboring L858R were at comparatively higher risk of recurrence in the group with pN0M0 lung adenocarcinoma.


The NanoInformatics Knowledge Commons: Capturing spatial and temporal nanomaterial transformations in diverse systems.
The empirical necessity for integrating informatics throughout the experimental process has become a focal point of the nano-community as we work in parallel to converge efforts for making nano-data reproducible and accessible. The NanoInformatics Knowledge Commons (NIKC) Database was designed to capture the complex relationship between nanomaterials and their environments over time in the concept of an 'Instance'. Our Instance Organizational Structure (IOS) was built to record metadata on nanomaterial transformations in an organizational structure permitting readily accessible data for broader scientific inquiry. By transforming published and on-going data into the IOS we are able to tell the full transformational journey of a nanomaterial within its experimental life cycle. The IOS structure has prepared curated data to be fully analyzed to uncover relationships between observable phenomenon and medium or nanomaterial characteristics. Essential to building the NIKC database and associated applications was incorporating the researcher's needs into every level of development. We started by centering the research question, the query, and the necessary data needed to support the question and query. The process used to create nanoinformatic tools informs usability and analytical capability. In this paper we present the NIKC database, our developmental process, and its curated contents. We also present the Collaboration Tool which was built to foster building new collaboration teams. Through these efforts we aim to: 1) elucidate the general principles that determine nanomaterial behavior in the environment; 2) identify metadata necessary to predict exposure potential and bio-uptake; and 3) identify key characterization assays that predict outcomes of interest.


Establishment of chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay for apolipoprotein B-48 and its clinical applications for evaluation of impaired chylomicron remnant metabolism.
Apolipoprotein B-48 (apoB-48) is a constituent of chylomicron remnants synthesized in the small intestines. The serum concentration of apoB-48 at fasting has been reported to be a marker of postprandial hyperlipidemia, a presumed risk factor for atherosclerosis. We evaluated the basal performance of a recently developed chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA). We also examined the correlations between serum apoB-48 concentrations and other lipid concentrations or life style patterns, including smoking and drinking. We analyzed the data of 273 clinical samples by multiple regression analysis to examine the influence of other serum lipid values, age, sex, smoking, drinking status and BMI on serum apoB-48 values. Within-run and between-run precision was obtained with 1.7-2.7% and 1.2-7.3%, respectively. The correlativity of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was correlation coefficient r=0.953, and regression y=1.02×-1.59. Serum apoB-48 concentrations were higher in males than in females, and were correlated with the status of smoking as well as with remnant-like particle-cholesterol (RLP-C) concentrations. Patients with the metabolic syndrome showed higher values of serum apoB-48 compared with control subjects. Serum apoB-48 measurement by CLEIA was satisfactory for clinical use to assess abnormalities in the chylomicron remnant metabolism.


Mouth sticks: their past, present and future.
Patients with physical disabilities precluding functional use of their limbs can benefit enormously from the expertise of the dental profession. The dental clinician is able to not only meet the routine oral health needs of these patients, but possesses the unique skills and knowledge to provide specialised oral prosthetic appliances which can facilitate a range of independent activities. Mouth sticks, as they are commonly known, are dental prostheses that are held intra-orally by the patient and manipulated to perform numerous actions such as drawing, writing and painting. They have been well documented within dental and occupational therapy literature and reports of their fabrication date back over 150 years, albeit in a very rudimentary form. The enduring value of mouth sticks to the physically disabled population is that they can provide a degree of self-reliance which would otherwise not be afforded to them. This article discusses the evolution of mouth sticks, principles of mouth stick design, patient selection criteria and treatment planning considerations. We present two recent clinical cases where mouth sticks have been indicated and have been indispensable to the user, detailing the clinical and laboratory stages involved.


Environmental and health impacts of effluents from textile industries in Ethiopia: the case of Gelan and Dukem, Oromia Regional State.
This study focuses on four textile industries (DH-GEDA, NOYA, ALMHADI, and ALSAR) established between 2005 and 2008 in the peri-urban areas of Dukem and Gelan. The objectives of the study were to generate baseline information regarding the concentration levels of selected pollutants and to analyze their effects on biophysical environments. This study also attempts to explore the level of exposure that humans and livestock have to polluted effluents and the effects thereof. The findings of this study are based on data empirically collected from two sources: laboratory analysis of sample effluents from the four selected textile plants and quantitative as well as qualitative socioeconomic data collection. As part of the latter, a household survey and focus group discussions (FGDs) with elderly and other focal persons were employed in the towns of Dukem and Gelan. The results of the study show that large concentrations of biological oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), and pH were found in all the observed textile industries, at levels beyond the permissible discharge limit set by the national Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). Furthermore, sulfide (S2), R-phosphate (R-PO43), and Zn were found in large concentrations in DH-GEDA and ALMHADI, while high concentrations were also identified in samples taken from ALSAR and ALMHADI. In spite of the clear-cut legal tools, this study shows that the local environment, people, and their livestock are exposed to highly contaminated effluents. We therefore recommend that the respective federal and regional government bodies should reexamine the compliance to and actual implementation of the existing legal procedures and regulations and respond appropriately.


Ribavirin efficacy in an in vivo model of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHF) infection.
After intraperitoneal (i.p.) infection of infant mice with CCHF virus, virus titers in liver remained significantly higher than in other organs except blood (serum). Within the liver, virus antigen was first found by immunofluorescence (IFA) in Kupffer cells followed by more extensive hepatic spread. Later, virus was found in other organs including brain and heart. Ribavirin treatment significantly reduced infant mouse mortality and extended the geometric mean time to death. Ribavirin treatment reduced CCHF virus growth in liver and significantly decreased, but did not prevent, viremia. Despite a substantial viremia, infection of other organs including brain and heart was not detected in ribavirin-treated mice. A hepatotropic virus subpopulation with less neurovirulence than the parent was isolated from liver of ribavirin-treated mice (single dose, 100 mg/kg). After serial passage in placebo-treated mice, the exclusive hepatotropism was lost.


Intracellular trafficking and metabolic turnover of ligand-bound guanylyl cyclase/atrial natriuretic peptide receptor-A into subcellular compartments.
Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is the first described member of the natriuretic peptide hormone family. ANP elicits natriuretic, diuretic, vasorelaxant and antiproliferative effects, important factors in the control of blood pressure homeostasis. One of the principal loci involved in the regulatory action of ANP is the guanylyl cyclase-linked ANP-receptor which has been designated as NPRA, also referred to as GC-A, whose ANP-binding efficiency and guanylyl cyclase activity vary remarkably in different target tissues. However, the cellular and molecular basis of these activities and the functional expression and regulation of NPRA are not well understood. The mature form of receptor resides in the plasma membrane and consists of an extracellular ligand-binding domain, a single transmembrane-spanning region, and intracellular protein kinase-like homology and guanylyl cyclase catalytic domains. In this review, emphasis has been placed on the interaction ofANP with NPRA, the ligand-mediated endocytosis, trafficking, and subcellular distribution of ligand-receptor complexes from cell surface to the intracellular compartments. Furthermore, it is implicated that after internalization, the ANP/NPRA complexes dissociate into the subcellular compartments and a population of receptor recycles back to the plasma membrane. This is an interesting area of research in the natriuretic peptide receptor field because there is currently debate over whether ANP/NPRA complexes internalize at all or whether cell utilizes some other mechanisms to release ANP from the bound receptor molecules. Indeed, controversy exist since it has been previously reported by default that among the three natriuretic peptide receptors only NPRC internalizes with bound ligand. Hence, from a thematic standpoint it is clearly evident that there is a current need to review this subject and provide a consensus forum that establishes the cellular trafficking, sequestration and processing of ANP/NPRA complexes in intact cells. Towards this aim the cellular life-cycle of NPRA will be described in the context ofANP-binding, internalization, metabolic processing, and/or inactivation, down-regulation, and degradation of ligand-receptor complexes in model cell systems.


The majority of methylated deoxycytidines in human DNA are not in the CpG dinucleotide.
The only natural postsynthetic modification known to occur in mammalian DNA is the methylation in the 5 position of deoxycytidines. Of the four 5'-CpN-3' dinucleotides (ie. CpG, CpC, CpA, and CpT), the dinucleotide which contains the highest proportion of deoxycytidines methylated is CpG, with 40 to 80% methylation in different mammalian genomes. It has also been shown that CpA, CpT, and CpC are methylated as well but to a much lower extent. Here we report the result of a full nearest neighbour analysis (together with quantitation of methylation levels in the 4 CpN dinucleotides) for DNA from human spleen. Using the values we have calculated the overall frequencies for all the methylated dinucleotides in the human genome. Because of the relative underrepresentation (by 7 to 10 fold) of the CpG dinucleotide, only 45.5% of total mC was present in mCpG, with 54.5% in mCpA, mCpT plus mCpC. These calculations have implications for studies into the function and significance of DNA methylation in mammalian cells.


Frailty and postoperative outcomes in brain tumor patients: a systematic review subdivided by tumor etiology.
Frailty has gained prominence in neurosurgical oncology, with more studies exploring its relationship to postoperative outcomes in brain tumor patients. As this body of literature continues to grow, concisely reviewing recent developments in the field is necessary. Here we provide a systematic review of frailty in brain tumor patients subdivided by tumor type, incorporating both modern frailty indices and traditional Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) metrics. Systematic literature review was performed using PRISMA guidelines. PubMed and Google Scholar were queried for articles related to frailty, KPS, and brain tumor outcomes. Only articles describing novel associations between frailty or KPS and primary intracranial tumors were included. After exclusion criteria, systematic review yielded 52 publications. Amongst malignant lesions, 16 studies focused on glioblastoma. Amongst benign tumors, 13 focused on meningiomas, and 6 focused on vestibular schwannomas. Seventeen studies grouped all brain tumor patients together. Seven studies incorporated both frailty indices and KPS into their analyses. Studies correlated frailty with various postoperative outcomes, including complications and mortality. Our review identified several patterns of overall postsurgical outcomes reporting for patients with brain tumors and frailty. To date, reviews of frailty in patients with brain tumors have been largely limited to certain frailty indices, analyzing all patients together regardless of lesion etiology. Although this technique is beneficial in providing a general overview of frailty's use for brain tumor patients, given each tumor pathology has its own unique etiology, this combined approach potentially neglects key nuances governing frailty's use and prognostic value.


Architecture, urban planning and collective identity: Bilbao as a case study.
The emergence of a collective identity, a complex social and psychological process, may be linked to a specific place and a particular urban layout. Architecture demarcates interior and exterior spaces that not only frame our relationships but can also generate a mirror image of the internal world. The authors examine relevant contributions from the sparse psychoanalytic literature on this subject, to support their hypothesis that changes to a city's landscape, design, or architecture, when wholeheartedly embraced by its citizens, can serve to forge a new collective identity that helps to deal with absence, pain, and loss. They present the city of Bilbao, Spain, as a case study. This once thriving industrial city had collapsed into economic ruin, rife with social conflict, but since the 1990s, in an urban renewal, has emerged as a unique tourist destination. It has become a modern art and cultural center, symbolized by its most famous piece of contemporary architecture.


Two-dimensional proton NMR studies on poly(VPGVG) and its cyclic conformational correlate, cyclo(VPGVG)3.
Two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser enhancement (2D NOESY) data are reported for the polypentapeptide of elastin, poly(VPGVG), and the cyclopentadecapeptide, cyclo(VPGVG)3. In both, the repeating type II Pro2-Gly3 beta-turn can be derived from the NOE data, providing confirmation of many previous studies. In addition, other through-space connectivities are detailed that also compare favorably with previously determined crystal and solution structures for cyclo(VPGVG)3. Also, near identical data for the cyclopentadecapeptide and the polypentapeptide demonstrate the cyclic conformation-linear (helical) conformational correlate relationship between the two molecules. The 2D NOESY experiment is seen to be an effective means of establishing the presence or absence of a conformational relationship between a cyclic repeating sequence and its higher molecular weight linear counterpart. This is an approach of substantial practical value when developing the conformation of sequential polypeptides and when attempting to identify the presence of the conformation of a repeating peptide sequence within a more complex primary structure. Having established the basic conformational relationship between a cyclic conformation and its linear helical counterpart, cross peaks present in the linear helical structure that are not present in the cyclic conformational correlate can provide information on the interactions between adjacent turns of the helix. In this connection, a Val gamma CH3 in equilibrium Pro beta CH2 interaction is reported that can be the basis for determining the number of pentamers per turn of helix once it is determined whether it is dominantly the Val1 or Val4 gamma CH3 that is interacting with the Pro2 beta CH2.


Regional-specific regulation of BDNF and trkB correlates with nigral dopaminergic cell sprouting following unilateral nigrostriatal axotomy.
Axotomy is a powerful stimulus of axon growth and plastic changes. We investigated the potential role of BDNF/trkB signaling in the sprouting of dopaminergic nigral axons in response to axotomy of the medial forebrain bundle. Tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry revealed the existence of sprouting mechanisms in the axotomized substantia nigra (SN). Time-course changes of trkB mRNA expression demonstrated a robust increase in an area projecting from the rostral tip of the SN to the glial scar, which coincided with evidence of nigral dopaminergic sprouting. In addition, we found an early loss of this messenger in areas related to the knife cut, which recovered by 7 days postlesion. TrkB down-regulation appeared to be associated to the lesion-induced local damage, as it was restricted to an area showing Fluoro-Jade B- and TUNEL positive cells. In trkB-depleted areas, an inverse correlation between mRNA expressions of BDNF and trkB was apparent. Specific induction of BDNF mRNA was mostly seen in border of areas devoid of trkB mRNA. In contrast, in the areas exhibiting trkB mRNA expression, no BDNF mRNA was detected. We suggest that trkB levels could be a determinant element in regulating BDNF expression. Finally, the search for molecules involved in either promoting or inhibiting axonal growth, demonstrated up-regulation of GAP-43 and Nogo-A mRNA at sites close to the knife transections as early as 1 day postlesion. However, overall, Nogo-A induction was more robust than that seen for GAP-43.


[Diagnostic pneumococcal sera and the serological typing of Streptococcus pneumoniae].
The technology of the preparation of 20 diagnostic pneumococcal antisera premitting the differentiation of S. pneumoniae by K-antigen in the slide agglutination test and the capsule swelling test has been developed. The data on S. pneumoniae K-types isolated from patients have been obtained.


Self-reported and accelerometer-based assessment of physical activity in older adults: results from the Berlin Aging Study II.
Physical activity (PA) has a substantial impact on health and mortality. Besides questionnaires that rely on subjective assessment of activity levels, accelerometers can help to objectify an individual's PA. In this study, variables estimating PA and sleep time obtained through the wGT3X-BT activity monitor (ActiGraph LLC, USA) in 797 participants of the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II) were analyzed. Self-reports of PA and sleep time were recorded with Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index sleep questionnaire (PSQI). Total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), fasting glucose, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) were determined in an accredited standard laboratory. Of all participants, 760 fulfilled the PA wear-time criteria. In this sample mean age was 75.6 years (SD: 3.8 years, range 66.0-94.1 years) and 53% of the included participants were women. Average wear time was 23.2 h/day (SD 1.3 h/day). Statistically significant differences between RAPA groups were found for all accelerometric variables except energy expenditure. Post-hoc analysis, however, suggested low agreement between subjective and device-based assessment of physical activity. TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, fasting glucose and HbA1c were weakly correlated with accelerometric variables (Pearson's r ≤ 0.25). Device-based average sleep time per night (mean sleep time = 6.91 h, SD = 1.3, n = 720) and self-reported average sleep time per night (mean sleep time = 7.1 h, SD = 1.15 h, n = 410) were in a comparable range and moderately correlated (Pearson's r = 0.31, p < 0.001, n = 410). Results from this study suggest that self-reported PA obtained through the RAPA and device-based measures assessed by accelerometers are partially inconsistent in terms of the physical activity level of the participants. Self-reported and device-based measures of average sleep time per night, however, were comparable.


A review of the International Brain Research Foundation novel approach to mild traumatic brain injury presented at the International Conference on Behavioral Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.
"The International Conference on Behavioral Health and Traumatic Brain Injury" held at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, NJ., from October 12 to 15, 2008, included a presentation on the novel assessment and treatment approach to mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) by Philip A. DeFina, PhD, of the International Brain Research Foundation (IBRF). Because of the urgent need to treat a large number of our troops who are diagnosed with mTBI and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the conference was held to create a report for Congress titled "Recommendations to Improve the Care of Wounded Warriors NOW. March 12, 2009." This article summarizes and adds greater detail to Dr. DeFina's presentation on the current standard and novel ways to approach assessment and treatment of mTBI and PTSD. Pilot data derived from collaborative studies through the IBRF have led to the development of clinical and research protocols utilizing currently accepted, valid, and reliable neuroimaging technologies combined in novel ways to develop "neuromarkers." These neuromarkers are being evaluated in the context of an "Integrity-Deficit Matrix" model to demonstrate their ability to improve diagnostic accuracy, guide treatment programs, and possibly predict outcomes for patients suffering from traumatic brain injury.


Solar photo-ozonation: A novel treatment method for the degradation of water pollutants.
The decomposition of aqueous ozone by UV-vis radiation has been investigated with focus on the impact of ozone photolysis on the degradation of water pollutants during solar ozonation processes. The apparent first-order rate constants of the decomposition of ozone (kobs) have been determined at various pHs in the 4-9 range using radiation of different wavelengths in the UV-vis range. It was found that UVA-visible radiation (λ>320nm) highly enhanced ozone decomposition, especially at pH 4, for which kobs was three-folded with respect to the process in the absence of radiation. Hydrogen peroxide was identified as a main intermediate of ozone photo-decomposition at pH 4. Experiments of degradation of oxalic acid by ozone showed that solar irradiation brings about an increase in the hydroxyl radical to ozone exposures ratio (Rct). Finally, photo-ozonation (λ>300nm) was shown advantageous over single ozonation in the mineralization of a selection of emerging contaminants (metoprolol, ibuprofen, N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide and clofibric acid) in both ultrapure water and a synthetic secondary effluent. Thus, TOC removal in 2-h treatments increased from 10 to 25% in the absence of radiation to about 50% in the presence of radiation.


Effect of hemoglobin solution on the response of intracranial and subcutaneous 9L tumors to antitumor alkylating agents.
The 9L gliosarcoma growing subcutaneously in the hind leg of the Fisher 344 rat contains major areas of severe (< 5 mmHg) hypoxia, making up about 49% of the tumor. Intravenous administration of an ultrapurified polymerized bovine hemoglobin solution (8 ml/kg) along with normal air breathing reduces the percentage of severe hypoxia to about 24% and increases oxygenation throughout the tumor. Coadministration of the hemoglobin solution increased the tumor growth delay of subcutaneously implanted 9L tumors treated with carmustine (BCNU), cyclophosphamide, or ifosfamide but did not significantly change the tumor growth delay produced by cisplatin (CDDP). Coadministration of the hemoglobin solution with each of the four antitumor alkylating agents resulted in a near doubling of the percentage of increase in life span in animals bearing intracranial tumors treated with the combination as compared with animals treated with the drugs alone. Increases in serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine levels in treated animals returned to normal by 11 days posttreatment. Major changes in liver enzymes occurred with the combination of cyclophosphamide and the hemoglobin solution at 4 days posttreatment; however, these values returned to the levels in the untreated control animals within 1 week thereafter. These results indicate that further exploration of the use of hemoglobin solutions in cancer therapy is warranted.


Reactive oxygen species in tumor necrosis factor-alpha-activated primary human keratinocytes: implications for psoriasis and inflammatory skin disease.
The multifunctional cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is known to play an important role in inflammatory and immunological responses in human skin. Although it has been documented that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in TNF-alpha-induced signaling pathways associated with certain inflammatory diseases, their role in TNF-alpha signaling cascades has not been examined in primary human keratinocytes used as a model of inflammatory skin disease and psoriasis. Employing a series of in vitro and in cellulo approaches, we have demonstrated that in primary human keratinocytes (i) TNF-alpha rapidly induces ROS generation, IkappaB degradation, NF-kappaB p65 nuclear translocation, and ultimately production of inflammatory cytokines; (ii) TNF-alpha-induced cytokine production is mediated both by the mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway via NF-kappaB activation and by ROS; (iii) TNF-alpha-dependent NF-kappaB activation (that is, IkappaB degradation and NF-kappaB p65 nuclear translocation) is not mediated by ROS; and (iv) a cell-penetrating derivative of the antioxidant enzyme, catalase, as well as taurine and N-acetyl-cysteine attenuate the TNF-alpha-induced production of cytokines. These latter results suggest that catalase and perhaps other antioxidants should be considered as part of a more specific and effective therapy for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases, including psoriasis.


Pathological effects of pulmonary vein beta-radiation in a swine model.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) may be triggered by ectopic beats originating in sleeves of atrial myocardium entering the pulmonary veins (PVs). PV isolation by means of circumferential ostial or atrial radiofrequency ablation is an effective but also a difficult and long procedure, requiring extensive applications that can have serious potential complications. Our objective was to examine pathological effects of PV beta-radiation, particularly the ability to destroy PV myocardial sleeves without inducing PV stenosis and other unwanted effects, in order to establish its potential feasibility for the treatment of AF. Ten minipigs were studied. A phosphorus-32 source wire centered within a 2.5-mm diameter balloon catheter (Galileo III Intravascular Radiotherapy System, Guidant, Santa Clara, CA, USA) was used to deliver beta-radiation to the superior wall of the right PV trunk. Pathological analysis was performed either immediately after ablation (2 pigs) or 81 +/- 27 days later (8 pigs). Acute effects of PV beta-radiation consisted of endothelial denudation covered by white thrombus, elastic lamina disruption, and PV sleeve necrosis. Late effects consisted of mild focal neointimal hyperplasia that reduced the PV luminal area by only 1.3 +/- 1.8%, elastic lamina thickening, and PV sleeve fibrosis. Four of these 8 PVs were completely re-endothelized. Lesions were transmural in 6 of 10 radiated PVs and segmental, involving 28 +/- 7% of the right PV perimeter. Intravascular beta-radiation can induce transmural necrosis and fibrosis of PV myocardial sleeves without PV stenosis and other unwanted effects, which supports a potential usefulness of this energy source in the treatment of AF.


Differential expression of Oct-4, CD44, and E-cadherin in eutopic and ectopic endometrium in ovarian endometriomas and their correlations with clinicopathological variables.
Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent inflammatory disease that often causes infertility and chronic pelvic pain. Although endometriosis is known as a benign disease, it has demonstrated characteristics of malignant neoplasms, including neoangiogenesis, tissue invasion, and cell implantation to distant organs. Octamer-binding protein 4 (Oct-4) is a molecular marker for stem cells that plays an essential role in maintaining pluripotency and self-renewal processes in various types of benign and malignant tissues. CD44 is a multifunctional cell surface adhesion molecule that acts as an integral cell membrane protein and plays a role in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. E-cadherin is an epithelial cell-cell adhesion molecule that plays important role in the modulation of cell polarization, cell migration, and cancer metastasis. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression patterns of Oct-4, CD44, and E-cadherin in eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissues from women with endometrioma compared to control endometrial tissues from women without endometrioma. In the present study, Oct-4, CD44, and E-cadherin expressions were evaluated in eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissue samples from women with endometrioma (n = 32) and compared with those of control endometrial tissue samples from women without endometrioma (n = 30). Immunohistochemical expression of Oct-4 was significantly higher in the ectopic endometrial tissue samples of women with endometrioma than in the control endometrial tissue samples (p = 0.0002). Conversely, CD44 and E-cadherin expressions were significantly lower in the ectopic endometrial tissue samples of women with endometrioma than in the control endometrial tissue samples (p = 0.0137 and p = 0.0060, respectively). Correlation analysis demonstrated significant correlations between Oct-4 expression and endometrioma cyst diameter (p = 0.0162), rASRM stage (p = 0.0343), and total rASRM score (p = 0.0223). Moreover, CD44 expression was negatively correlated with the presence of peritoneal endometriotic lesions (p = 0.0304) while E-cadherin expression was negatively correlated with the presence of deep infiltrating endometriosis (p = 0.0445). Increased expression of Oct-4 and decreased expression of adhesion molecules in endometriotic tissues may contribute to the development and progression of endometriosis.


Tissue-mimicking materials for teaching sonographers and evaluation of their specifications after three years.
In this paper, an algorithm is introduced for making breast phantoms and abnormal masses (cyst, fibroadenoma and cancer). The evaluation of ultrasonic properties (sound velocity and amplitude attenuation coefficient) of these normal breast phantoms and abnormal masses and their ultrasonic images shows that they are stable over 3 years. The measurement and evaluation results of ultrasonic images of our phantoms show that they behave like human breast tissues. Practicing with these phantoms for developing fine-needle aspiration (FNA) skills in sonographers shows that these phantoms reduce the time required for successful FNA. The ultrasonic phantoms have different ultrasonic applications, including ultrasonic medical imaging, the quality control of ultrasound (US) instruments, processing technique evaluation and US training; moreover, they are stable in room temperature and can keep their specifications for more than 3 years.


HBx-mediated miR-21 upregulation represses tumor-suppressor function of PDCD4 in hepatocellular carcinoma.
The hepatitis B virus (HBV) X protein (HBx) has a key role in the molecular pathogenesis of HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the mechanism of HBx-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis remains to be elucidated. In this study, we aimed to better understand the effects of HBx on gene-expression profiles that participate in hepatocarcinogenesis and the mechanism by which HBx regulates these genes. Differentially expressed genes between L02-HBx and L02-Vector control cells were identified by microarray and validated using quantitative real-time PCR. HBx upregulates 456 genes and downregulates 843 genes, including programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4). PDCD4 was downregulated in clinical HCC specimens and the downregulation of PDCD4 in HCC is correlated with HBx. Furthermore, overexpression experiments in HCC cells proved that PDCD4 has strong tumor-suppressive effects both in vitro and in vivo, and may induce cell apoptosis to suppress the development of HCC. HBx induces expression of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), but failed to change the methylation status of the PDCD4 promoter. HBx downregulates PDCD4 expression at least partially through miR-21. Taken together, this study reported for the first time that HBx downregulates PDCD4 and upregulates miR-21 expression. The overexpression of PDCD4 could suppress tumorigenicity. The deregulation of PDCD4 by HBx through miR-21 represents a potential novel mechanism of the downregulation of PDCD4 in HBV-related HCC and provides new insights into HCC development.


Aeolus winds impact on volcanic ash early warning systems for aviation.
Forecasting volcanic ash atmospheric pathways is of utmost importance for aviation. Volcanic ash can interfere with aircraft navigational instruments and can damage engine parts. Early warning systems, activated after volcanic eruptions can alleviate the impacts on aviation by providing forecasts of the volcanic ash plume dispersion. The quality of these short-term forecasts is subject to the accuracy of the meteorological wind fields used for the initialization of regional models. Here, we use wind profiling data from the first high spectral resolution lidar in space, Aeolus, to examine the impact of measured wind fields on regional NWP and subsequent volcanic ash dispersion forecasts, focusing on the case of Etna's eruption on March 2021. The results from this case study demonstrate a significant improvement of the volcanic ash simulation when using Aeolus-assimilated meteorological fields, with differences in wind speed reaching up to 8 m/s when compared to the control run. When comparing the volcanic ash forecast profiles with downwind surface-based aerosol lidar observations, the modeled field is consistent with the measurements only when Aeolus winds are assimilated. This result clearly demonstrates the potential of Aeolus and highlights the necessity of future wind profiling satellite missions for improving volcanic ash forecasting and hence aviation safety.


Research on the Impact of Regional Economy on Industrial Development from the Perspective of Big Data.
In order to study the driving force of China's rapid economic development in the past ten years, the study takes Guizhou, Yunnan, and Guangxi as a case study, focusing on the big data assets exchange (GBDEx) and Beibu Gulf Economic Zone, and discusses the impact of Internet plus economic and government data and the big data system on regional economy. Finally, it is believed that the Internet and big data fully avoid the disadvantages of traffic distance between the western region and the eastern region, make full and efficient cooperation between enterprises and institutions in the central and western regions and Chinese and foreign economic entities, and strengthen the control of economic behavior from the big data level with the support of the service-oriented government. The information entropy output from the Internet big data system has led to a significant entropy reduction process in China's economic environment and a more orderly economic system, which is also an important reason for the rapid development of China's economy.


Satellite-based monitoring of groundwater depletion in California's Central Valley.
Range change data, obtained from Synthetic Aperture Radar satellites, form the basis for estimates of aquifer volume change in California's Central Valley. The estimation algorithm incorporates a function penalizing changes far from known well locations, linking the aquifer volume changes to agricultural, industrial, and municipal pumping within the Tulare basin. We show that the range changes are compatible with the hypothesis that the source of aquifer volume changes are variations in effective pressure around documented wells. Specifically, inclusion of the well distance penalty does not degrade the fit to the observations, inversions with and without it both give variance reductions of 99.6%. The patterns of aquifer volume change vary significantly from the drought year, between October 2015 and October 2016, to a wet year in 2017, and into 2018, a year with near average rainfall. The 2.3 million acre-feet of estimated volume reduction, a lower bound on the amount of water extracted from the basin between October 2015 and 2016, agrees with independent estimates of 1.8 and 2.3 million acre-feet. The aquifer volume reduction is also compatible with a loss of 3.1 km3 (2.5 million acre-feet) in groundwater volume derived from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite data.


The release dynamics of model drugs from the psyllium and N-hydroxymethylacrylamide based hydrogels.
In order to utilize the psyllium husk, a medicinally important natural polysaccharide, for developing the novel hydrogels for the controlled drug delivery device, we have prepared psyllium and N-hydroxymethylacrylamide based polymeric networks by using N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (N,N'-MBAAm) as crosslinker. The polymeric networks thus formed were characterized with scanning electron micrography (SEM), FTIR and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques to study various structural aspects of the networks and also with the swelling response of the polymeric networks as a function of time, temperature, pH and [NaCl]. Equilibrium swelling has been observed to depend on both structural aspects of the polymers and environmental factors. Maximum P(s) 748.3 was observed at 13.0 x 10(-3)mol/L of [N,N'-MBAAm] in 0.5M NaOH solution. The release dynamics of model drugs (salicylic acid and tetracycline hydrochloride) from hydrogels has also been discussed, for the evaluation of the release mechanism and diffusion coefficients. The effect of pH on the release pattern of tetracycline has been studied by varying the pH of the release medium. In release medium of pH 7.4 buffer the release pattern of tetracycline drastically changes to the extent that mechanism of drug diffusion shifted from non-Fickian diffusion to Fickian diffusion. It has been observed that diffusion exponent "n" have 0.71, 0.67 and 0.52 values and gel characteristic constant 'k' have 1.552 x 10(-2), 2.291 x 10(-2) and 5.309 x 10(-2) values in distilled water, pH 2.2 buffer and pH 7.4 buffer, respectively, for tetracycline release. In solution of pH 7.4 buffer, the rate of polymer chain relaxation was more as compare to the rate of drug diffusion from these hydrogels and it follows Fick's law of diffusion. The value of the initial diffusion coefficient for the release of tetracycline hydrochloride was higher than the value of late time diffusion coefficient in each release medium indicating that in the start, the diffusion of drug from the polymeric matrix was fast as compare to the latter stages.


Recovery of functional peptide transporter PepT1 in budded baculovirus fraction.
Transporters play a critical role in many physiological and pathological states and expression of the functional transporter protein is essential in exploring its kinetics and developing effective drugs. We describe here the recovery of functional transporter protein in the baculovirus fraction. We introduced a gene encoding human peptide transporter PepT1, important for the absorption of protein hydrolytic products or peptide-mimetic drugs, into a baculovirus vector. After infection, a large amount of PepT1 appeared in the budded virus fraction compared with Sf9 cells. Uptake of [14C]glycylsarcosine was markedly increased in an acidic condition and showed a clear overshoot in PepT1-expressing virus fraction. The apparent Michaelis constant for [14C]glycylsarcosine was 0.55 +/- 0.06 mM. [14C]Glycylsarcosine uptake was inhibited by di- and tripeptides and orally active beta-lactam antibiotics. These results suggest that functional PepT1 recovers efficiently in a budded virus fraction, and, thus, this expression system will be a useful tool for characterization and screening of peptide-mimetic drugs in drug discovery.


A systematic review of RIFLE criteria in children, and its application and association with measures of mortality and morbidity.
The RIFLE criteria were developed to improve consistency in the assessment of acute kidney injury. The high face validity, collaborative development method, and validation against mortality have supported the widespread adoption of the RIFLE to evaluate adult patients; however, its inconsistent application in adult studies is associated with significant effects on the estimated incidence of acute kidney injury. As the RIFLE criteria are now being used to determine acute kidney injury in children, we conducted a systematic review to describe its application and assess associations between the RIFLE and measures of mortality and morbidity in pediatric patients. In 12 studies we found wide variation in the application of the RIFLE, including the range of assessed RIFLE categories, omission of urine output criteria, varying definitions of baseline renal function, and methods for handling missing baseline measurements. Limited and conflicting associations between the RIFLE and mortality, length of stay, illness severity, and measures of kidney function were found. Thus, although the RIFLE was developed to improve the consistency of defining acute kidney injury, there are still major discrepancies in its use in pediatric patients that may undermine its potential utility as a standardized measure of acute kidney injury in children.


Mode of action of cryoprotectants for sperm preservation.
Sperm cryopreservation facilitates storage and transport for use in artificial reproduction technologies. Cryopreservation processing, however, exposes cells to stress resulting in cellular damage compromising sperm function. Cryoprotective agents are needed to minimize cryopreservation injury, but at higher concentration they are toxic to cells. In this review, we describe cryoinjury mechanisms, and modes of action of different types of cryoprotective agents. Furthermore, measures are discussed how to minimize toxic effects caused by adding and removing cryoprotective agents. Cryoprotective agents can be divided into permeating and non-permeating agents. Permeating agents such as glycerol can move across cellular membranes and modulate the rate and extent of cellular dehydration during freezing-induced membrane phase transitions. Permeating protectants provide intracellular protection because they are preferentially excluded from the surface of biomolecules thereby stabilizing the native state. Non-permeating agents can be divided into osmotically active smaller molecules and osmotically inactive macromolecules. Both, permeating and non-permeating protectants form a protective glassy state during freezing preserving biomolecular and cellular structures. Freezing extenders for sperm contain salts, buffer compounds, sugars, proteins and lipids, and typically contain glycerol as the main permeating cryoprotective agent providing intracellular protection. Non-permeating protectants including sugars and proteins are used as bulking agents and to increase the glass transition temperature of the freezing extender. Ultra-heat-treated milk and egg yolk are frequently added as membrane modifying agents to enhance the inherent sperm cryostability. The protocol how to use and add cryoprotectants is a compromise between their beneficial and potentially detrimental effects.


Cardiac Computed Tomographic Angiography Evaluation of Right Ventricle-Pulmonary Artery Conduits with Surgical Correlation.
Right ventricle-pulmonary artery (RV-PA) conduits are used in the treatment of certain congenital heart disease (CHD). RV-PA conduit complications might develop over time and require intervention. To evaluate how well cardiac computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) performs compared to transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in evaluating RV-PA conduit complications by using surgical findings as the reference standard. A retrospective chart review of all patients over a 5-year period who underwent CCTA for RV-PA conduit evaluation was performed. Patient demographics and clinical data were recorded. Preoperative CCTA and TTE findings were compared to the operative findings for concordance or discordance. Forty-one patients were included, 51% females. The complications were conduit stenosis (28.68%), infection (7.17%) and aneurysm/pseudoaneurysm (6.15%). TTE and CCTA were consistently able to visualize focal conduit stenosis (96%). The greatest discrepancy between TTE and CCTA was in evaluating for aneurysm/pseudoaneurysm, where TTE detected only 2/6 (33%) compared to CCTA which detected 6/6 (100%) of the cases. However, TTE was slightly better at detecting conduit infection (3/7, 43%) compared to CCTA (2/7, 29%). Note that 5 out of 7 patients with endocarditis had bovine jugular graft. CCTA and TTE provide similar diagnostic accuracy evaluating certain types of RV-PA conduit complications. However, certain complications were only visualized on CCTA or TTE making both modalities complementary to each other during diagnostic evaluation.