Sequence characterization of the adenovirus 40 fiber gene.
The fiber gene of human adenovirus type 40 has been characterized. The 6.1-kbp EcoRI fragment C of the Ad40 genome, from map units 74 through 92, was cloned and the right-most 2.8 kbp from 84 map units was sequenced. By analogy with Ad2, this region would be expected to contain the gene specifying the Ad40 fiber polypeptide. Sequencing revealed an open reading frame of 1641 bases on the r-strand, the first 53 bases of which had marked homology with the corresponding L5 (fiber) regions of Ad2 (77.2%), Ad5 (75.0%), and Ad3 (64.3%). In addition, base positions 1114 to 1146 of this open reading frame had 85% homology with base positions 1198 to 1230 of the Ad2 fiber gene. The predicted polypeptide sequence of 547 amino acids showed marked homology with the Ad2, Ad5, and Ad3 fiber polypeptides in two regions, in the first 55 amino acids from the N-terminus and from amino acids 372 through 382. Analysis of hydrophobic amino acid positions revealed a repeating pattern of approximately 15 residues between positions 42 and 374, with 21 repeats. The sequence of the Ad40 polypeptide thus fits the model of Green et al. [1983), EMBO J. 2, 1357-1365) for the structure of the adenovirus fiber, but is 35 amino acids shorter than the Ad2 fiber polypeptide, with one less 15-residue repeat in the shaft region. According to this model, the regions of highest homology between the Ad40 fiber polypeptide and those of Ad2, Ad5, and Ad3 correspond to the tail of the shaft and the base of the knob. The results of this analysis are in agreement with previously published EM data on the fiber length of subgroup F adenoviruses.


The effect of cardiac troponin testing on clinical care in a veterans population: a randomized controlled trial.
Cardiac troponin is more accurate than creatine kinase (CK) testing for detecting myocardial injury in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), but its effects on clinical care compared with CK testing alone is open to question. To test the effects of troponin I on medical decisions for patients undergoing cardiac enzyme testing. Randomized, controlled trial. Urban academic Veterans Affairs medical center. Three hundred ninety-two patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) and outpatient settings with symptoms and/or electrocardiograms suggestive but not diagnostic of ACS. Random assignment to linked CK-troponin I (CKTnI) testing or CK testing alone. ED discharge and cardiac catheterization incidence (primary); ED medication use, inpatient noninvasive testing, revascularization procedures, discharge medications, and 8-week ED visits, hospitalizations, and procedures (secondary). Groups were similar in all variables except history of heart failure (CK 26.8% vs CKTnI 17.0%). ACS comprised 12.2% of the cohort. ED discharge incidence was greater in the CKTnI arm (18% vs 9.6%; relative risk [RR], 1.83; 95% CI, 1.08 to 3.31; P=.02; number needed to test=12.6; 95% CI, 4.5 to 130). Troponin testing had no significant effect on catheterization incidence (18.2% vs 14.5%; RR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.72 to 1.92; P>.20) or other outcomes except follow-up echocardiography (13.4% vs 7.4%; RR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.11 to 4.69; P=.02). In a veterans population undergoing cardiac enzyme testing, CKTnI testing led to more ED discharges than CK testing alone but had no effect on inpatient care and was associated with more echocardiograms in a follow-up period.


In vitro digestion rate of fully gelatinized rice starches is driven by molecular size and amylopectin medium-long chains.
In current study, the effects of starch fine molecular structures on its in vitro digestibility at fully gelatinized stage were investigated. The digestion kinetics of 15 fully gelatinized rice starches were obtained and correlated with starch chain-length distributions and molecular size distributions. Both logarithm of slopes and parallel first-order kinetic model were applied to fit the digestion curves to a few kinetics-based parameters. Result showed there were two simultaneous digestion fractions (fast versus slow) for fully gelatinized rice starches. The rate constants of slowly-digestible fraction significantly correlated with starch molecular sizes, especially with that of amylopectin molecules. Hydrodynamically larger amylopectin molecules tend to contain more shorter branches but less long chains. This slows down the starch hydrolysis by α-amylase while the action of AMG is less antagonistically hindered, increasing overall digestion rate. This study provides important information for rice breeders and manufacturers to develop rice products with reduced starch digestibility.


[Solitary plasmacytoma. Diagnostic considerations and management attitude apropos of a case with mandibular involvement].
The solitary plasmocytoma of the mandible is a rare affection. This article describes the case of a man, 42 years old. A short review of the pathology is done. The treatment (surgery and radiotherapy) with their failures and complications is exposed.


Changes in fibrinolysis following exercise above and below lactate threshold.
This study sought to compare fibrinolytic responses to exercise above lactate threshold (LT) to longer-duration, equicaloric exercise below LT. Fifteen males performed cycle ergometer tests above (77% VO(2)peak) and below LT (41% VO(2)peak) to comparatively evaluate tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) responses. tPA activity significantly (P < 0.05) increased during the >LT test (pre-exercise = 1.57 +/- 0.44 IU ml(-1), post-exercise = 3.85 +/- 4.72 IU ml(-1)), but not the <LT test (pre-exercise = 1.51 +/- 0.36 IU ml(-1), post-exercise = 1.94 +/- 1.00 IU ml(-1)). Plasma tPA antigen significantly (P < 0.05) increased during both the >LT (pre-exercise = 8.32 +/- 4.48 ng ml(-1), post-exercise = 14.23 +/- 5.40 ng ml(-1)) and <LT (pre-exercise = 7.40 +/- 3.52 ng ml(-1), post-exercise = 9.03 +/- 3.25 ng ml(-1)) tests. Furthermore, post-exercise tPA antigen was greater (P < 0.05) following the >LT test. PAI-1 activity significantly (P < 0.05) decreased during both the >LT (pre-exercise = 15.00 +/- 2.73 AU ml(-1), post-exercise = 10.12 +/- 2.90 AU ml(-1)) and <LT (pre-exercise = 14.51 +/- 2.80 AU ml(-1), post-exercise=12.59 +/- 2.20 AU ml(-1)) tests, and the post-exercise PAI-1 activity was significantly (P < 0.05) lower during the >LT test. Our results suggest that exercise <LT can cause fibrinolytic responses and that exercise above LT elicits greater fibrinolytic responses than equicaloric exercise performed below LT.


Causal gene identification using combinatorial V-structure search.
With the advances of biomedical techniques in the last decade, the costs of human genomic sequencing and genomic activity monitoring are coming down rapidly. To support the huge genome-based business in the near future, researchers are eager to find killer applications based on human genome information. Causal gene identification is one of the most promising applications, which may help the potential patients to estimate the risk of certain genetic diseases and locate the target gene for further genetic therapy. Unfortunately, existing pattern recognition techniques, such as Bayesian networks, cannot be directly applied to find the accurate causal relationship between genes and diseases. This is mainly due to the insufficient number of samples and the extremely high dimensionality of the gene space. In this paper, we present the first practical solution to causal gene identification, utilizing a new combinatorial formulation over V-Structures commonly used in conventional Bayesian networks, by exploring the combinations of significant V-Structures. We prove the NP-hardness of the combinatorial search problem under a general settings on the significance measure on the V-Structures, and present a greedy algorithm to find sub-optimal results. Extensive experiments show that our proposal is both scalable and effective, particularly with interesting findings on the causal genes over real human genome data.


The source of chilopod sensory information: external structure and distribution of antennal sensilla in Scutigera coleoptrata (chilopoda, Scutigeromorpha).
The investigation of the antennae of Scutigera coleoptrata (Linnaeus, 1758) by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the presence of five types of sensilla: sensilla trichodea, beak-like sensilla, cone-shaped sensilla brachyconica on the terminal article, sensory cones at the antennal nodes, and the shaft organ. Alongside the presence and absence of antennal sensillar types, three unique characters were found in the Scutigeromorpha: the presence of long antennae with nodes bearing sensory cones, the presence of a bipartite shaft including the shaft organ, and the presence of beak-like sensilla. Neuroanatomical data showed that the animals' brains are equipped with well-developed primary olfactory and mechanosensory centers, suggesting that the antennae must be equipped with specialized sensilla to perceive chemosensory and mechanosensory cues. With the evidence provided in this article for the Scutigeromorpha, SEM data are available at last on the antennal sensilla for all five chilopod taxa, allowing a comparative discussion of antennal morphology in Chilopoda.


Infection studies on a reticuloendotheliosis virus contaminant of a commercial Marek's disease vaccine.
Reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) was isolated in cell cultures from commercial Marek's disease (herpesvirus of turkeys) vaccine and re-isolated from the organs of vaccinated chickens. Runting and feathering abnormalities were produced when 1-day-old specific pathogen free chickens were inoculated with REV. Histopathological lesions in infected chickens were hypoplasia of the thymus, bursa and spleen, and inflammation of the proventriculus, kidneys and liver. Serological responses to REV were detected by the indirect immunoflorescence test in chickens directly inoculated with contaminated vaccine, and spread of REV infection to in-contact chickens was demonstrated by histopathological and serological investigations.


Retraction Note: Al Kharj diabetic patients' perception about diabetes mellitus using revised-illness perception questionnaire (IPQ-R).
The editors have retracted this article [1] because it contains extensive overlap with an article published by the same authors in the Journal of Family & Community Medicine [2] and is therefore redundant.


Clinicopathologic factors influencing survival of patients with bile duct carcinoma: multivariate statistical analysis.
To evaluate the influence of various clinicopathologic factors on survival, a computer analysis was performed on 70 patients who underwent resection for bile duct carcinoma. Univariate analysis of overall survival involving all the patients identified 10 factors that were associated with a significant outcome: location of primary lesion (p = 0.01), pancreatic invasion (p = 0.004), duodenal invasion (p = 0.005), macroscopic and microscopic vascular involvement (p = 0.009 and p = 0.04), perineural invasion (p = 0.02), lymphatic vessel involvement (p = 0.04), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.02), histologic type (p = 0.02), and depth of cancer invasion (p = 0.04). However, when the interactive effects of these factors were taken into account, the pancreatic invasion and perineural invasion were selected as the two most significant prognostic factors in a multivariate analysis using the Cox stepwise proportional hazards model. The age, sex, size of the tumor, macroscopic type of lesions, hepatic infiltration, serosal invasion, resected surgical margin at the proximal and distal ends, exposed surgical margin, peritoneal dissemination, and hepatic metastasis were not significantly associated with prognosis.


[The hypofractionated radiotherapy in the treatment of the prostate cancer: radiate less to treat more].
The principle of the hypofractionation in radiotherapy is to deliver a higher dose by session and to reduce the duration of treatment. In the particular case of the cancer of prostate, a hypofractionned protocol allows to deliver an equivalent radiobiological dose identical even higher than a standard plan of irradiation. The hypofractionation is presented as a solution to improve the access to the care (fewer processing times by patient, more patients treated by machine) while increasing the quality of the care: better carcinologic control, less radiotoxicity. The objective of this article is to make a clarification on the hypofractionned radiotherapy in first intention in the treatment of the localized prostate cancer. We count three studies on large cohorts, comparing standard plans to 1.8-2 Gy/session and hypofractionned plans (2.5-3 Gy/session). The inferior carcinologic results of the two first comparative studies with regard to the study of phase I/II of the Cleveland clinic were owed to a sub-dosage of hypofractionned plans. The administered equivalent biological doses were lower than the at present recommended total doses and lower than the theoretical doses, calculated on the bases of an erroneous evaluation of the radiosensibility of the prostate cancer. In the comparative study of Arcangeli, the rate of survival without biological recurrence in 4 years (82%) was significantly to the advantage of the hypofractionned group, while reducing the duration of treatment of 3 weeks. Four comparative studies reported aigues/late toxicity, gastrointestinal (GI)/genito-urinary acceptable (GU) even lower with a hypofractionned plan. The hypofractionation is potentially the future of the radiotherapy in the treatment of the localized prostate cancer thanks to the technological innovation, but for all that does not constitute at present a standard.


Publisher Correction: Exploitation of the Leishmania exosomal pathway by Leishmania RNA virus 1.
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.


Addressing the impact of economic sanctions on Iranian drug shortages in the joint comprehensive plan of action: promoting access to medicines and health diplomacy.
The U.S Congress initiated sanctions against Iran after the 1979 U.S. Embassy hostage crisis in Tehran, and since then the scope of multilateral sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations Security Council have progressively expanded throughout the intervening years. Though primarily targeted at Iran's nuclear proliferation activities, sanctions have nevertheless resulted in negative public health outcomes for ordinary Iranian citizens. This includes creating vital domestic shortages to life-saving medicines, leaving an estimated 6 million Iranian patients with limited treatment access for a host of diseases. Sanctions have also crippled Iran's domestic pharmaceutical industry, leading to the disruption of generic medicines production and forcing the country to import medicines and raw materials that are of lower or questionable quality. Countries such as the United States have responded to this medical crisis by implementing export control exemptions with the aim of easing the trade of humanitarian goods (including certain pharmaceuticals and medical devices). However, despite these efforts, pharmaceutical firms and international banking institutions remain cautious about doing business with Iran, leaving the country faced with continuing shortages. We conducted a review of key characteristics of the Iranian drug shortage that identified 73 shortage drugs that closely tracked with the disease burden in the country. Additionally, 44 % of these drugs were also classified as essential medicines by the World Health Organization. A vast majority of these drugs were also covered under export control exemptions that theoretically should make them easier to procure, but nevertheless will still in shortage. Based on our review of the sanctions regulatory framework and key characteristics of the Iranian drug shortage, we propose policy intervention leveraging the recently negotiated P5 + 1 agreement that begins the process of providing Iran relief from the international economic sanctions regime. This specifically includes advocating for the application of "health diplomacy" in ongoing multilateral negotiations following commencement of "implementation day," by advocating for an additional set of reform measures incorporated into this historic negotiation that will finally address the humanitarian and medical crisis of drug shortages in Iran.


An Efficient Approach for 3,3-Disubstituted Oxindoles Synthesis: Aryl Iodine Catalyzed Intramolecular C-N Bond Oxidative Cross-Coupling.
Herein, we report the first intramolecular C-N bond formation of phenylpropanamide derivatives via organocatalytic oxidative reactions, affording 3,3-disubstituted oxindole derivatives with up to 99% yield. The high efficiency of this reaction is exemplified by the transition metal-free mild conditions and the ability to perform the reaction on a gram scale. Meanwhile, the DFT calculation of the catalytic oxidative transformation pathway has also been studied.


Direct injection ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the high-throughput determination of 11 illicit drugs and metabolites in wastewater.
The measurement of illicit drugs in wastewater is increasingly being adopted as a method for objective monitoring of population-level illicit drug use. This work describes the first small-volume direct-injection ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous determination of 11 illicit drugs and metabolites in wastewater. The method required an injection volume of only 30 µL of wastewater sample, the limits of detection (LOD) ranged from 0.4 ng/L to 2 ng/L and the lower limits of quantitation (LLOQ) ranged from 1 ng/L to 5 ng/L. Application of the method to real wastewater samples collected from wastewater treatment plants revealed morphine in all samples, together with other illicit drugs (methamphetamine, codeine, ketamine, and nor-ketamine) in some samples. Small-volume direct injection showed great potential as an efficient method for the high-throughput determination of illicit drugs in wastewater.


Administration of aspartame potentiates pentylenetetrazole- and fluorothyl-induced seizures in mice.
An association has recently been proposed between the incidence of seizures and prolonged consumption of the phenylalanine-containing artificial sweetener, aspartame. Since consumption of aspartame, unlike dietary protein, can elevate phenylalanine in brain, and thereby inhibit the synthesis and release of neurotransmitters known to protect against seizure activity, the effect of oral doses of aspartame on the sensitivity of mice to the proconvulsant agents, pentylenetetrazole and fluorothyl was studied. Doses of aspartame were used which increased phenylalanine more than tyrosine in brain, as occurs in humans after the consumption of any dose of aspartame. Pretreatment with aspartame significantly increased the percentage of animals convulsing after administration of pentylenetetrazole and significantly lowered the CD50 for this convulsant. The average time to onset of seizures induced by fluorothyl in control mice was 510 sec; pretreatment with oral doses of 1000, 1500 and 2000 mg/kg of aspartame 1 hr earlier significantly reduced the time required to elicit seizures (394, 381 and 339 sec, respectively). The seizure-promoting effect of aspartame could be demonstrated 30, 60 or 120 min after the 1000 mg/kg dose. The seizures induced by either convulsant were potentiated by equimolar amounts of phenylalanine, a major endogenous metabolite of aspartame, while the other metabolites, aspartic acid and methanol, were without effect. Administration together with aspartame of the large neutral amino acid valine, which competes with phenylalanine for entry into the brain, completely abolished the seizure-promoting effect of aspartame.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Characterization of CBL-CIPK signaling complexes and their involvement in cold response in tea plant.
Calcineurin B-like (CBL) proteins, a class of Ca2+-binding proteins, play vital roles in calcium signal transduction by interacting specifically with CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs), and these two gene families and their interacting complexes are involved in regulating plant responses to various environmental stimuli. In the present study, eight CBL and 25 CIPK genes were identified in tea plant and divided into four and five subfamilies, respectively. Analysis of the expression of these genes in response to abiotic stresses (mature leaves treated with cold, salinity, and PEG and young shoots treated with cold) revealed that CsCBL1/3/5 and CsCIPK1/4/5/6a/7/8/10b/10c/12/14a/19/23a/24 could be induced by at least two stresses. Under cold stress, CsCBL9 and CsCIPK4/6a/6b/7/11/14b/19/20 were upregulated in both mature leaves and young shoots, CsCBL1/3/5 and CsCIPK1/8/10a/10b/10c/12/14a/23a/24 were induced only in mature leaves, and CsCIPK5/25 were induced only in young shoots. Yeast two-hybrid analysis showed that CsCBL1 could interact with CsCIPK1/10b/12 but not with CsCIPK6a/7/11/14b/20. CsCBL9 was found to interact with CsCIPK1/10b/12/14b but not with CsCIPK6a/7/11/20. These results suggest divergent responses to cold stress regulated by CBL-CIPK complexes between tea plant and Arabidopsis, as well as between mature leaves and young shoots in tea plant. A model of Ca2+-CsCBL-CsCIPK module-mediated abiotic stress signaling in tea plant is proposed.


The effect of compression force on surface structure, crushing strength, friability and disintegration time of erythromycin acistrate tablets.
The surface roughness of erythromycin acistrate tablets was studied by non-contact laser profilometry. Seven roughness parameters and 3D fractal dimension were examined. The mechanical properties (including crushing strength, friability and disintegration time) were determined, and SEM data were taken from the tablets. According to the results, the crushing strength and the disintegration time of the tablets increased with increasing compression force. At higher compression forces the crushing strength reached a constant level. The friability of the tablets behaved quite unexpectedly and minimum friability was observed at a compression force of 14 kN. Except for fractal dimension, the roughness parameters behaved very much in the same way as the friability of the tablets. The SEM data supported the friability and surface roughness data of the tablets.


Characterization of serum ferritin in iron overload: possible identity to natural apoferritin.
Serum ferritins from a patient with haemochromatosis and from a patient with transfusional siderosis were compared with tissue isoferritins on the basis of their iron content, isoferritin spectrum and immunological properties. Both serum ferritins had a low iron content and corresponded to only the most basic isoferritins in liver. The serum ferritins were very similar to the natural apoferritin from liver in all respects.


Nipple discharge and abnormal galactogram. Results of a long-term study (1964-1990).
In case of abnormal nipple discharge of the female breast, galactography can detect variations of ductal calibre, intraductal alterations and ductal discontinuities. Between 1964 and 1990 we examined 2588 women by galactography and performed 826 duct excisions. In one out of 8 patients (13.4%) we diagnosed invasive carcinoma or ductal carcinoma in situ. In more than 40% a solitary ductal papilloma was detected. 13.7% of the patients were found to have extensive intraductal solid papillary or adenomatous epithelial proliferations. Comparison with collected statistical data reveals that other investigators are able to detect malignant changes in 1-23% of cases. We have managed the largest number of cases and have diagnosed pathologic ductal secretion in more than 3% of women we screened by physical inspection, mammography and sonography. The colour of the ductal discharge is of minor importance, as histologic analysis is mandated by the presence of ductal system alterations.


High-speed electro-optic modulation in topological interface states of a one-dimensional lattice.
Electro-optic modulators are key components in data communication, microwave photonics, and quantum photonics. Modulation bandwidth, energy efficiency, and device dimension are crucial metrics of modulators. Here, we provide an important direction for the miniaturization of electro-optic modulators by reporting on ultracompact topological modulators. A topological interface state in a one-dimensional lattice is implemented on a thin-film lithium-niobate integrated platform. Due to the strong optical confinement of the interface state and the peaking enhancement of the electro-optic response, a topological cavity with a size of 1.6 × 140 μm2 enables a large modulation bandwidth of 104 GHz. The first topological modulator exhibits the most compact device size compared to reported LN modulators with bandwidths above 28 GHz, to the best of our knowledge. 100 Gb/s non-return-to-zero and 100 Gb/s four-level pulse amplitude modulation signals are generated. The switching energy is 5.4 fJ/bit, owing to the small electro-optic mode volume and low capacitance. The topological modulator accelerates the response time of topological photonic devices from the microsecond order to the picosecond order and provides an essential foundation for the implementation of large-scale lithium-niobate photonic integrated circuits.


Acute effects of cadmium on the renin angiotensin system in rats.
The effect of cadmium acetate (1 mg/kg i.p.) on the renin angiotensin system was examined in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Blood pressure, plasma renin activity (PRA) and serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) levels were determined in the rats. Cadmium acetate produced a hypertensive response which was not associated with elevated PRA. However, ACE levels in the serum were significantly decreased in the cadmium-treated group as compared with normal controls (P less than 0.01).


Effects of nitrogen availability on pigmentation and carbon assimilation in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain SH-94-5.
Because pigments of phototrophs can be involved either in photosynthesis or photoprotection, pigmentation changes in response to nutrient availability can affect how cells interact with their solar environment. We investigated the impact of nitrogen availability both on pigmentation of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain SH-94-5 and on carbon assimilation by this strain in the presence or absence of UV radiation. Pigmentation changes in strain SH-94-5 due to ammonium exhaustion included phycobiliprotein degradation, an exponential decline in chlorophyll a content, and a net increase in beta-carotene. Following its replenishment, ammonium stimulated non-photosynthetic carbon assimilation for several hours prior to the resumption of photosynthesis and growth. Carbon fixation during this lag phase was concurrent with the metabolism of glycogen reserves, and it is likely that inorganic carbon was incorporated into glycogen-derived carbon skeletons primarily for amino acid synthesis. In contrast, carbon fixation was almost exclusively photosynthetic during exponential growth. UV-A radiation (320-400 nm) inhibited photosynthetic but not non-photosynthetic carbon assimilation. Only growing cells were inhibited, and the disappearance of inhibition following nitrogen depletion appeared to result from the reduction of cellular photosensitizing targets below a threshold level rather than from the inactivation of photosynthesis.


Wolman's disease: report of a case, with multiple studies.
We studied a case of Wolman's disease that is apparently the first to be reported in a black infant. Culture of the skin fibroblasts showed massive accumulation of neutral lipids, accompanied by decreased esterolytic activity as measured by fluorometric assay. Electrophoresis showed decreased activity of an esterase allotype, with low electrophoretic mobility.


Probable diffuse retinopathy caused by adalimumab in a patient with Crohn's disease.
Adalimumab is a tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) antagonist used to treat several immunologic diseases. It is believed that unexpected adverse events related to anti-TNF drugs will occur as administration of this drug becomes more widespread. We report the case of a 37-year-old woman who complained of nonspecific abnormalities of vision in both eyes one month after beginning treatment with adalimumab for Crohn's disease. The results of the initial ophthalmologic examination were normal. The visual fields showed diffuse and severe depression in both eyes. Other diseases that could have caused the visual field defects were ruled out. The results of electrophysiological tests were compatible with diffuse bilateral retinopathy. Treatment with adalimumab was discontinued. Six months later, visual field loss persists, although it has improved slightly. To our knowledge, this is the first report of diffuse retinopathy probable caused by systemic administration of adalimumab. This form of retinal toxicity should be considered in patients with disorders of vision treated with this drug.


The inability of nuclear dehydrogenating clostridia to oxidize bile salt hydroxyl groups.
In a survey of the intracellular bile salt oxidoreductase activity in fecal bacteria, 16 strains of nuclear dehydrogenating clostridia and 2 strains of non-nuclear dehydrogenating C. paraputrificum were demonstrated unable to oxidize cholate at any of the 3 OH groups. Since nuclear dehydrogenation at the delta-1 and delta-4 position requires a 3-oxo precursor steroid, it appears that these organisms require the presence of a 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenating organism for nuclear dehydrogenation.


Amikacin-acetyltransferase (AAC-6'/I) encoded by an IncH2 plasmid (pIE866) in Escherichia coli strains.
An amikacin resistance plasmid was detected in E. coli wild type strains isolated from polluted surface water. This conjugative 145 Md plasmid belongs to the IncH2 group and specifies amino-glycoside-acetyltransferase AAC-6'/I activity.


Implementing midwifery units in a European country: Situational analysis of an Italian case study.
Strong evidence recommends midwifery-led care for women with uncomplicated pregnancies. International research is now focusing on how to implement midwifery models of care in countries where they are not well established. In Europe, many countries like Italy are promoting midwifery-led care in national guidelines but often struggle to apply this change in practice. This study collected data on professional, organisational and service users' levels to conduct a situational analysis of an Italian service which is approaching the implementation of a midwifery unit. Participatory Action Research was used together with the support of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to conduct data collection and analysis. Forty-eight participants amongst professionals (midwives, obstetricians and neonatologists) and at organisational level (midwifery leaders and medical directors) were recruited; secondary data on service users' views was analysed via regional online surveys. Barriers and facilitators to the implementation were identified to assess the readiness of the local context. This study is the first to include professionals, managers and service users in a European context such as Italy. Facilitators to the implementation of the alongside midwifery unit were found in national guidelines, allocated funding, collaborative engagement and medical support. Hierarchical structures, a prevalent medical model and lack of trust and awareness of the evidence of safety of midwifery-led models were main barriers.


Iridium(III) Sensitisers and Energy Upconversion: The Influence of Ligand Structure upon TTA-UC Performance.
Six substituted ligands based upon 2-(naphthalen-1-yl)quinoline-4-carboxylate and 2-(naphthalen-2-yl)quinoline-4-carboxylate have been synthesised in two steps from a range of commercially available isatin derivatives. These species are shown to be effective cyclometallating ligands for IrIII , yielding complexes of the form [Ir(C^N)2 (bipy)]PF6 (where C^N=cyclometallating ligand; bipy=2,2'-bipyridine). X-ray crystallographic studies on three examples demonstrate that the complexes adopt a distorted octahedral geometry wherein a cis-C,C and trans-N,N coordination mode is observed. Intraligand torsional distortions are evident in all cases. The IrIII complexes display photoluminescence in the red part of the visible region (668-693 nm), which is modestly tuneable through the ligand structure. The triplet lifetimes of the complexes are clearly influenced by the precise structure of the ligand in each case. Supporting computational (DFT) studies suggest that the differences in observed triplet lifetime are likely due to differing admixtures of ligand-centred versus MLCT character instilled by the facets of the ligand structure. Triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) measurements demonstrate that the complexes based upon the 1-naphthyl derived ligands are viable photosensitisers with upconversion quantum efficiencies of 1.6-6.7 %.


Nitro-sonium tetra-fluorido-borate, NOBF4.
The crystal structure of oxido-nitro-gen(1+) tetra-fluorido-borate (nitro-sonium tetra-fluorido-borate), NO+BF4 -, was refined on the basis of single-crystal X-ray diffraction data at 150 K. The compound crystallizes in the baryte structure type with ortho-rhom-bic Pnma symmetry. The crystal structure exhibits cationic disorder with equal occupation of N and O atoms at the same site.


Construction and evaluation of an efficient C-Jun siRNA to downregulate matrix metalloproteinase in human keratinocytes and fibroblasts under UV exposure.
C-Jun and EGFR have not been explored as targets via the mechanism of RNA silencing. Hence, this study designed an efficient C-Jun-h-825 small interfering RNA (siRNA) and investigated its effect on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and collagen expression in human keratinocytes exposed to UV radiation. Five C-Jun siRNAs were designed and screened for their ability to downregulate C-Jun expression in human fibroblasts. These constructs were used to study changes in skin cancer-related protein expression. HaCaT cells were grouped into 5-carboxyfluorescien (FAM-labeled) C-Jun-h-825 siRNA + 2 hr prior irradiation; mock transfected + 2 hr prior irradiation; normal control; irradiation only for 2 hr; and Blank. Twenty-four hours posttransfection, mRNA and protein levels of MMP-I, MMP-III, collagen-I and collagen-III were determined using standard RT-PCR and ELISA kits. FAM-labeled C-Jun siRNA showed 80%-90% transfection efficiency. There was a significant increase in MMP-I and MMP-III and decrease in Col-I and III mRNA levels when the cells were exposed to UV irradiation without siRNA transfection compared to blank (p < .05). This effect was reversed upon transfection with C-Jun-h-825 (p < .01). Thus, C-Jun-h-825 siRNA might help restore skin collagen by decreasing MMP expression in cells exposed to UVA. Constructs and vectors designed herein have the potential to be translated into a treatment for photoaging induced skin cancer.


Predictors of von Willebrand disease in children.
Bleeding and bruising are common symptoms for which children are referred to a pediatric hematologist. Although bleeding scores have been validated to quantify bleeding risk in adults, there are no similar definitive data in children. The aim was to describe presenting bleeding symptoms in children and evaluate if these bleeding symptoms were predictive of von Willebrand disease (VWD) or low von Willebrand factor (VWF). We performed a retrospective chart review of consecutive pediatric patients referred for perceived bleeding symptoms to the coagulation clinic at The Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. All underwent a uniform bleeding symptom inventory and hemostatic testing. Single and multiple variable logistic regression models were created to predict either VWD, low VWF, or nonspecific defective platelet aggregation, using the predictor variables of family bleeding history, mucocutaneous bleeding, cutaneous bleeding, and surgical bleeding, based on The International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis (ISTH) bleeding definitions. Of 298 pediatric patients evaluated, 8% had VWD (VWF:RCo and VWF:Ag ≤ 30 IU/dl) and 34% had low VWF (VWF:RCo and VWF:Ag 30-50 IU/dl). Further, 16% had a nonspecific platelet aggregation disorder, 41% had normal hemostatic testing, and 1% had factor VIII or IX deficiency. In single and multiple variable logistic regression analysis, neither a personal or family bleeding history at presentation, nor the presence of two or more bleeding symptoms were predictive of VWD, low VWF, or nonspecific defective platelet aggregation. These findings suggest that qualitative assessment of bleeding symptoms alone is not useful in children.


High foliar affinity cellulose for the preparation of efficient and safe fipronil formulation.
In this work, fipronil was encapsulated within ethanediamine-modified carboxymethylcellulose (ACMC) to prepare an efficient and environmentally safe pesticide formulation (ACMCF). The chemical structure, morphology, foliar adhesion, bioactivity, and soil mobility of ACMCF were also systematically investigated. Results demonstrated that fipronil was encapsulated to form microcapsules successfully. Compared with the traditional fipronil emulsion (FE), ACMCF had a relatively high retention rate on cucumber and peanut leaves. The acute contact toxicity of ACMCF (LD50 = 0.151 μg a.i./bee) toward Apis mellifera was far lower than that of FE (LD50 = 0.00204 μg a.i./bee). Biological activity surveys confirmed that ACMCF has insecticidal ability against Plutella xylostella similar to that of FE. Moreover, the leaching and migration properties of ACMCF in three different kinds soils were weaker than those of FE. These results imply that ACMCF has promising application potential in increasing the effective utilization of fipronil and reducing risk to non-target organisms and the environment.


Adventitial vasa vasorum in balloon-injured coronary arteries: visualization and quantitation by a microscopic three-dimensional computed tomography technique.
The objective of this study was to examine the quantitative response of the adventitial vasa vasorum to balloon-induced coronary injury. Recent attention has focused on the role of vasa vasorum in atherosclerotic and restenotic coronary artery disease. However, the three-dimensional anatomy of these complex vessels is largely unknown, especially after angioplasty injury. The purpose of this study was to visualize and quantitate three-dimensional spatial patterns of vasa vasorum in normal and balloon injured porcine coronary arteries. We also studied the spatial growth of vasa vasorum in regions of neointimal formation. A novel imaging technique, microscopic computed tomography, was used for these studies. Four pigs were killed 28 d after coronary balloon injury, and four pigs with uninjured coronary arteries served as normal controls. The coronary arteries were injected with a low-viscosity, radiopaque liquid polymer compound. Normal and injured coronary segments were scanned using a microscopic computed tomography technique. Three-dimensional reconstructed maximum intensity projection and voxel gradient shading images were displayed at different angles and voxel threshold values, using image analysis software. For quantitation, seven to 10 cross-sectional images (40 normal and 32 balloon injured cross-sections) were captured from each specimen at a voxel size of 21 microm. Normal vasa vasorum originated from the coronary artery lumen, principally at large branch points. Two different types of vasa were found and classified as first-order or second-order according to location and direction. In balloon-injured coronary arteries, adventitial vasa vasorum density was increased (3.16+/-0.17/mm2 vs. 1.90+/-0.06/mm2, p = 0.0001; respectively), suggesting neovascularization by 28 d after vessel injury. Also, in these injured arteries, the vasa spatial distribution was disrupted compared with normal vessels, with proportionally more second-order vasa vasorum. The diameters of first-order and second-order vasa were smaller in normal compared with balloon-treated coronary arteries (p = 0.012 first-order; p < 0.001, second-order; respectively). The density of newly formed vasa vasorum was proportional to vessel stenosis (r = 0.81, p = 0.0001). Although the total number of vasa was increased after injury, the total vascular area comprised of vasa was significantly reduced in injured vessels compared with normals (3.83+/-0.20% to 5.42+/-0.56%, p = 0.0185). Adventitial neovascularization occurs after balloon injury. The number of new vessels is proportional to vessel stenosis. These findings may hold substantial implications for the therapy of vascular disease and restenosis.


Latent classes associated with the intention to use a symptom checker for self-triage.
It is currently unknown which attitude-based profiles are associated with symptom checker use for self-triage. We sought to identify, among university students, attitude-based latent classes (population profiles) and the association between latent classes with the future use of symptom checkers for self-triage. Informed by the Technology Acceptance Model and a larger mixed methods study, a cross-sectional survey was developed and administered to students (aged between 18 and 34 years of age) at a University in Ontario. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify attitude-based profiles that exist among the sample while general linear modeling was applied to identify the association between latent classes and future symptom checker use for self-triage. Of the 1,547 students who opened the survey link, 1,365 did not use a symptom checker in the past year and were thus identified as "non-users". After removing missing data (remaining sample = n = 1,305), LCA revealed five attitude-based profiles: tech acceptors, tech rejectors, skeptics, tech seekers, and unsure acceptors. Tech acceptors and tech rejectors were the most and least prevalent classes, respectively. As compared to tech rejectors, tech seekers and unsure acceptors were the latent classes with the highest and lowest odds of future symptom checker use, respectively. After controlling for confounders, the effect of latent classes on symptom checker use remains significant (p-value < .0001) with the odds of future use in tech acceptors being 5.6 times higher than the odds of future symptom checker use in tech rejectors [CI: (3.458, 9.078); p-value < .0001]. Attitudes towards AI and symptom checker functionality result in different population profiles that have different odds of using symptom checkers for self-triage. Identifying a person's or group's membership to a population profile could help in developing and delivering tailored interventions aimed at maximizing use of validated symptom checkers.


Intensity of highly anisotropic low-spin heme EPR signals.
A semi-empirical formula has been derived to calculate the concentration of low-spin heme compounds that are highly anisotropic, i.e. 3 less than gz less than 4, and where information only on the gz absorption is available.


Patient and family costs associated with tuberculosis, including multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, in Ecuador.
There is little published information on the costs of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) for patients and their families in low- or middle-income countries. Between February and July 2007, patients with microbiologically confirmed active TB who had received 2 months of treatment completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire on direct out-of-pocket expenditures and indirect costs from lost wages. Clinical data were abstracted from their medical records. Among 104 non-MDR-TB patients, total TB-related patient costs averaged US$960 per patient, compared to an average total cost of US$6880 for 14 participating MDR-TB patients. This represents respectively 31% and 223% of the average Ecuadorian annual income. The high costs associated with MDR-TB were mainly due to the long duration of illness, which averaged 22 months up to the time of the interview. This resulted in very long periods of unemployment. Most patients experienced a significant drop in income, particularly the MDR-TB patients, all of whom were earning less than US$100/month at the time of the interview. Direct and indirect costs borne by patients with active TB and their families are very high in Ecuador, and are highest for patients with MDR-TB. These costs are important barriers to treatment completion.


Measuring the robustness of network community structure using assortativity.
The existence of discrete social clusters, or 'communities', is a common feature of social networks in human and nonhuman animals. The level of such community structure in networks is typically measured using an index of modularity, Q. While modularity quantifies the degree to which individuals associate within versus between social communities and provides a useful measure of structure in the social network, it assumes that the network has been well sampled. However, animal social network data is typically subject to sampling errors. In particular, the associations among individuals are often not sampled equally, and animal social network studies are often based on a relatively small set of observations. Here, we extend an existing framework for bootstrapping network metrics to provide a method for assessing the robustness of community assignment in social networks using a metric we call community assortativity (rcom). We use simulations to demonstrate that modularity can reliably detect the transition from random to structured associations in networks that differ in size and number of communities, while community assortativity accurately measures the level of confidence based on the detectability of associations. We then demonstrate the use of these metrics using three publicly available data sets of avian social networks. We suggest that by explicitly addressing the known limitations in sampling animal social network, this approach will facilitate more rigorous analyses of population-level structural patterns across social systems.


Epidermoid cyst on frenulum of the penis: A case report.
Epidermoid cyst in the penis is uncommon and only a small number of cases have been reported. We presented a thirty-two-year-old male patient with a case of slow growing, mobilized, non-tender frenulum of the penis mass that developed in 10 years period. Surgery treatment was taken under local anesthesia. Pathological examination was revealed as epidermoid cyst. Care must be given during examination of these lesions to rule out another entity. If there is any indication, complete excision is the best treatment as another treatment may lead to the risk of recurrence.


Ambulation and multiple sclerosis.
Walking impairment is a common consequence of multiple sclerosis (MS) that can result in substantial limitations of daily activities and compromised quality of life. Walking impairment is often monitored as an indicator of disease and neurologic disability progression. The worsening of walking performance while undertaking a cognitive task underscores the role of nonmotor impairments in ambulation limitations. Walking impairment has ubiquitous and life-altering consequences, underscoring the importance of continued efforts to identify approaches to prevent and forestall this event, and to restore walking ability in persons with MS.


Qualitative study of social determinants of child marriage in Kurdish regions of Iran: Evidence for health promotion interventions.
One of the most thought-provoking problems in the world is child marriage that is affected by various factors. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the social determinants of child marriage in Kurdish regions of Iran. This qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis approach. The participants of the study were 30 Iranian-Kurdish women married under the age of 18 who were selected through purposeful and snowballing sampling. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews and face-to-face interviews and continued until the saturation of concepts was achieved. Graneheim and Lundman method was used to analyze the data, and Guba and Lincoln criteria were used to strengthen the research. In general, findings include 5 categories and 17 subcategories: 1 - economic factors (financial problems and economic benefits); 2 - sociocultural factors (social customs, cultural beliefs, community encouragement, social learning, gaining prestige, and social support); 3 - individual factors (physical characteristics, personality traits, lack of awareness of the damaging consequences of early marriage, and fear of the future); 4 - family factors (dysfunctional family, weak awareness of parents, and harm prevention); and 5 - structural factors (high demand, limited access to educational services, and the lack of supportive social and legal structures). By raising the level of awareness and attitude of girls and their families about the consequences of early marriage, creating the culture of correcting cultural beliefs and social misconceptions, passing appropriate laws, and the use of local and national media to prevent child marriage, this social harm can be reduced.


Ab initio study on the singlet states of Zn-RG (RG = He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn) molecules.
The computations on the potential energy curves (PECs) oftheground state and low-lying singlet excited states for Zn-RG (RG = He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn) molecule have been carried out using coupled-cluster with single and double excitations (CCSD), coupled-cluster with single and double excitations and perturbative contribution of connected triple excitations (CCSD(T)) methods and the equation-of-motion coupled cluster method restricted to single and double excitations (EOM-CCSD). The spectroscopic constants of all the bound states of Zn-RG have been calculated, and comparisons with the available experimental and theoretical works have been made for the ground state and C1Π state of the Zn-RG complexes, reasonable agreement is found. The transition dipole moments (TDMs) functions of C1Π-X1Σ+ and D1Σ+-X1Σ+ transitions, the vibrational band origins, rotational constants and Franck-Condon factors of C1Π-X1Σ+ transition have also been reported, which would be of value to understand the transition properties of Zn-RG. Our study is expected to be helpful for deep understanding on the electronic structure and spectroscopy of Zn-RG van der Waals molecules.


Ambient air pollution associated with incident asthma, subsequent cardiovascular disease and death: A trajectory analysis of a national cohort.
No previous study has examined the impact of air pollution on the cardiovascular disease (CVD) trajectory, especially among asthmatic subjects. Based on the UK Biobank cohort, we retrieved 292,227 adults free of asthma and CVD aged 37-73 years at recruitment (2006-2010). Annual mean concentrations of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NO2 and NOx) were assessed at each individual's addresses. We used multi-state models to estimate the associations of air pollution with the trajectory from healthy to incident asthma, subsequent CVD, and death. During a median follow-up of 11.7 years, a total of 6338 (2.2%) participants developed asthma, among which, 638 (10.1%) subsequently proceeded to CVD. We observed significant impacts of various air pollutants on the CVD dynamic transitions, with a more substantial effect of particulate matter pollutants than gaseous air pollutants. For example, the hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for per interquartile range increase in PM2.5 and PM10 were 1.28 (1.13, 1.44) and 1.27 (1.13, 1.43) for transitions from incident asthma to subsequent CVD. In conclusion, long-term air pollution exposure could affect the CVD trajectory. Distinguishing the effect of air pollutants on CVD transition stages has great significance for CVD health management and clinical prevention, especially among asthma patients.


Integrated multisectoral strategy to improve girls' and women's nutrition before conception, during pregnancy and after birth in India (Swabhimaan): protocol for a prospective, non-randomised controlled evaluation.
Swabhimaan is a community-based programme to improve adolescent girls' and women's nutrition in the rural areas of three Indian states-Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Odisha with high prevalence of undernutrition. Swabhimaan has a nested prospective, non-randomised controlled evaluation. Since 2017, five intervention sites receive community-led interventions through national government's livelihood mission supported women's self-help group federations and five control sites will initiate these activities 36 months later, in 2020. Community-led activities aim to improve coverage of 18 interventions including adequacy of food consumed, prevention of micronutrient deficiencies, access to basic health services and special care of nutritionally 'at risk' girls and women, improving hygiene and access to water and sanitation services and access to family planning services. The evaluation includes baseline (2016-2017), midline (2018-2019) and endline (2020-2021) surveys covering 6638 adolescent girls, 2992 pregnant women and 8755 mothers of children under 2. The final impact analysis will be by intention to treat, comparing primary and secondary outcomes in five intervention areas and five control areas. The primary outcomes are: (1) a 15% reduction in the proportion of adolescent girls with a body mass index (BMI) <18.5 kg/m2; (2) a 15% reduction in the proportion of mothers of children under two with a BMI <18.5 kg/m2 and (3) and a 0.4 cm improvement in mean mid-upper arm circumference among pregnant women. All procedures involving human subjects were approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Odisha and in compliance with guidelines laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki. Evidence will inform maternal and preconception nutrition policy at national and state level. 58261b2f46876 and CTRI/2016/11/007482; Pre-results.


Comparison of reproducibility precision on mass fraction in some interlaboratory studies of methods of food analysis.
The relationship between reproducibility standard deviation and mass fraction in food analysis has been studied in compilations of statistics from collaborative trials and from proficiency tests. There was a broad tendency for both categories of statistics to follow the Horwitz function although systematic deviations from it were easily detected at both extremes of the mass fraction range (below 10-7 and above 10-2). The two compilations were found to have very similar properties over the whole range of mass fractions, that is from about 10-10 (0.1 ppb) upwards. This similarity has implications for the determination of detection limit.


Activity improvement of a Kluyveromyces lactis aldo-keto reductase KlAKR via rational design.
Optically pure t-butyl 6-cyano-(3R, 5R)-dihydroxyhexanoate ((R)-1b) is the key chiral precursor for atorvastatin calcium, the most widely used cholesterol-lowering drug. Wild-type aldo-keto reductase KlAKR from Kluyveromyces lactis has ideal diastereoselectivity toward t-butyl 6-cyano-(5R)-hydroxy-3-oxohexanoate (1a, dep>99.5%) but poor activity. A rational engineering was used to improve the KlAKR activity. Based on homology modeling and molecular docking, two amino acid residues (295 and 296) were selected as mutation sites, and two rounds of site-saturation mutagenesis were performed. Among the mutants, KlAKR-Y295W/W296L exhibited the highest catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) toward 1a up to 12.37s(-1)mM(-1), which was 11.25-fold higher than that of wild-type KlAKR. Moreover, the majority of mutations have no negative impact on stereoselectivity. Using KlAKR-Y295W/W296L coupled with Exiguobacterium sibiricum glucose dehydrogenase (EsGDH) for cofactor regeneration, (R)-1b was accumulated up to 162.7mM with dep value above 99.5%. KlAKR-Y295W/W296L represents a robust tool for (R)-1b synthesis.


Race and sex-based disparities associated with carotid endarterectomy in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.
The indications for carotid endarterectomy (CEA) are well established. The aim of the current study was to investigate sex and race-based disparities in the incidence of CEA after adjusting for carotid artery stenosis risk factors. We conducted a prospective cohort analysis of 14,492 black and white participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study without prevalent stroke at baseline (1987-1989). We used Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for sociodemographic, cardiovascular, and disease severity risk factors to quantify the associations of sex and race with incident CEA. CEA was performed in 330 of 14,492 ARIC participants during a median of 27 years of follow-up [incidence rate 1.00 (95% CI 0.90-1.12) per 1000 persons-years]. The crude incidence of CEA varied significantly by sex [female vs. male: HR 0.60 (95% CI 0.48-0.74)] and race [black vs. white: HR 0.65 (95% CI 0.49-0.86)]. Adjustment for sociodemographic and cardiovascular risk factors, carotid intima-media thickness, and symptomatic status attenuated the association of sex with CEA [females vs. males HR 0.96 (0.76-1.22)], but black participants had a lower risk of incident CEA after adjustment [HR 0.68 (95% CI 0.49-0.95)]. We found significant variation in the incidence of CEA procedures based on race that was independent of traditional risk factors and carotid IMT. Whether this disparity is a reflection of differences in disease presentation or access to care deserves investigation.


Endocrine disrupting and carcinogenic effects of decabromodiphenyl ether.
Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209), an essential industrial flame retardant that is widely used, has recently been reported to be increasing in human serum. Due to the structural similarity between BDE209 and thyroid hormones, its toxic effects on the thyroid are of particular concern. Original articles in the PubMed database were collected using the terms "BDE209", "decabromodiphenyl ether", "endocrine disrupting", "thyroid", "carcinogenesis", "polybrominated diphenyl ethers", "PBDEs," and their synonyms from inception up to October of 2022. Of the 748 studies initially identified, 45 were selected, which emphasized the adverse effects of BDE209 on endocrine system. BDE209 may have a toxic effect not only on thyroid function but also on thyroid cancer tumorigenesis at multiple levels, such as by directly interfering with the TR, hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, enzyme activity, and methylation. However, it is impossible to draw a definitive conclusion on the exact pathway of thyroid toxicity from BDE209. Although the toxic effects of BDE209 on the thyroid have been well investigated, its tumorigenic effects remain unclear and further research is necessary.


Value of ultrasonography for observation of early healing of humeral shaft fractures.
Explore the value of ultrasonography for observation of early healing of humeral shaft fractures. Sixty-five humeral shaft fracture patients were recruited. They were examined sonographically with color Doppler ultrasonography (CDU) and/or power Doppler ultrasonography (PDU) during the 1st week, 2nd week, 3rd week, 4th week, 9th week, and 15th week after the initial surgical procedure of internal fixation. Formation of callus consolidation and the resistance indexes (RI) of blood flow in different durations were compared between the good healing group and bad healing (delayed fracture healing or nonunion) group. Ultrasound showed that 59 patients had good fracture healing. Within the 2nd and 4th week after surgery, the RI decreased over time (P < 0.05) and color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI/PDU) grading ranged from II to III. Six patients had bad fracture healing (delayed healing or nonunion). Insufficient or absent blood flow signals demonstrated that no callus was found in and/or around the fracture sites. CDFI grading ranged from 0 to I. There was significant difference compared with the good healing group (P < 0.05). CDFI/PDU is an easy, painless, and effective method for predicting the prognosis of humeral shaft fractures by estimating early healing.


Activity and work during pregnancy and the postpartum period: a cross-cultural study of 202 societies.
Cross-cultural information on 202 traditional societies was perused for data on customs surrounding the expected work load of pregnant and postpartum women. The most common single pattern of work activity during pregnancy was that of continuing full duties until the onset of labor. A bare majority of societies did encourage a lightening of work at some time during pregnancy. Postnatally, most societies did restrict maternal work activity; however, few suspended usual work duties for prolonged periods of time. About one half of societies expected a return to full duties within 2 weeks. Results suggest that the current American trend toward increased participation of women of childbearing age in the work force may be in keeping with the work loads of women in traditional societies.


Herd and environmental determinants of reproductive performance in Swedish dairy herds, 2001-2009.
This was a retrospective cohort study of Swedish dairy herds. Summary measures of production and reproductive performance, details of soil, moss mineral concentrations, and temperature and rainfall measurements at each herd location were available for the period September 2001 to August 2009. A Bayesian mixed-effects regression model including spatial and non-spatial heterogeneity terms was developed to quantify associations between hypothesised explanatory variables and mean herd breeding interval, defined as the difference between mean calving to last service interval and mean calving to first service interval for each fiscal year. Mean herd breeding intervals were shorter in herds with greater than 80% Swedish Red Cattle, herds with lower mean age at first calving, herds comprised of older cows and in larger herds. None of the soil composition or moss mineral concentration estimates were associated with mean herd breeding interval and the effect of temperature and rainfall on mean herd breeding interval was small. We conclude that environmental conditions (soil composition, moss mineral concentrations, environmental temperature and rainfall) had relatively minor effects on dairy herd reproductive performance in Sweden between 2001 and 2009.


Uncoupling mitochondrial activity maintains body [Formula: see text] during hemorrhage-induced O2 deficit in the anesthetized rat.
During a hemorrhagic shock (HS), O2 uptake ( [Formula: see text] ) decreases as soon as the rate of O2 delivery ( [Formula: see text] ) drops below a "critical level", a response accounted for by the reduction in mitochondrial O2supply. In urethane-anesthetized rats, [Formula: see text] was decreased within 20min from 21.5 to 2.8mlmin(-1) by slowly withdrawing 18mlkg(-1) of blood. This led to a reduction in [Formula: see text] from 6.1 to 2.4mlmin(-1) (n=5, p<0.01). Decoupling mitochondrial oxidative activity by injecting 2,4-DNP (6mgkg(-1), iv) before HS elevated [Formula: see text] to 11.9±1.2mlmin(-1) (n=6, p<0.01), which remained above control HS values throughout most of the hemorrhage. This was associated with higher levels of O2 extraction, cardiac output and ventilation than in control HS. [Formula: see text] relationship was shifted upward and to the left following DNP. In conclusion, cellular and systemic mechanisms, decreasing O2demand, account for a large part of HS induced [Formula: see text] decline resulting in an additional reduction in [Formula: see text] .


Decrease of 5hmC in gastric cancers is associated with TET1 silencing due to with DNA methylation and bivalent histone marks at TET1 CpG island 3'-shore.
Recent evidence has shown that the level of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5 hmC) in chromosomal DNA is aberrantly decreased in a variety of cancers, but whether this decrease is a cause or a consequence of tumorigenesis is unclear. Here we show that, in gastric cancers, the 5 hmC decrease correlates with a decrease in ten-eleven translocation 1 (TET1) expression, which is strongly associated with metastasis and poor survival in patients with gastric cancer. In gastric cancer cells, TET1-targeted siRNA induced a decrease in 5 hmC, whereas TET1 overexpression induced an increase in 5 hmC and reduced cell proliferation, thus correlating decreased 5 hmC with gastric carcinogenesis. We also report the epigenetic signatures responsible for regulating TET1 transcription. Methyl-CpG Binding Domain Sequencing and Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing identified unique CpG methylation signatures at the CpG island 3'-shore region located 1.3 kb from the transcription start site of TET1 in gastric tumor cells but not in normal mucosa. The luciferase activity of constructs with a methylated 3'-shore sequence was greatly decreased compared with that of an unmethylated sequence in transformed gastric cancer cells. In gastric cancer cells, dense CpG methylation in the 3'-shore was strongly associated with TET1 silencing and bivalent histone marks. Thus, a decrease in 5 hmC may be a cause of gastric tumorigenesis owing to a decrease in TET1 expression through DNA methylation coupled with bivalent marks in the 3'-shore of TET1.


Assessing changes and driving factors of energy consumption in China over 2000-2014: a perspective of final demand.
As the economy enters the new normal in China, more and more intellectuals are concerned about the energy consumption in the economic green transformation and development process; this article computes the energy consumption embodied in various final demand types by the utilization of the environmentally extended input-output (EEIO) model during 2000-2014. Then, the structural decomposition analysis is adopted for exploring energy consumption changes' driving factors considering various final demand categories. Furthermore, the decoupling between economic growth and energy consumption embodied in various final demand categories is revealed by the application of the Tapio model in China. The results indicate as below: (1) the energy consumption embodied in various final demand categories increased significantly during the study period; (2) the gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) was most conducive to the growth of energy consumption, while the construction department emerged as the greatest energy user in GFCF; (3) coal and oil were two main energy sources consumed regardless of any final demand categories; (4) in the three drivers, the scale effect had a primary contribution to increasing energy consumption. The intensity effect made a crucial contribution to mitigating energy consumption. The structural effect had a mild contribution to the energy consumption changes; (5) the five final demand categories were roughly characterized by the weak decoupling over the period 2000-2014. GFCF determined the decoupling index between economy growth and energy consumption largely. Finally, this article put forward implied policies concerning the reduction of energy utilization in China.


Correction.
[This corrects the article on p. 69 in vol. 14.][This corrects the article on p. 105 in vol. 14.].


ABT-737 increases tyrosine kinase inhibitor-induced apoptosis in chronic myeloid leukemia cells through XIAP downregulation and sensitizes CD34(+) CD38(-) population to imatinib.
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) tumorigenicity is driven by the oncogenic BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase. Specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have been designed and are now used for the treatment of CML. These TKI induce apoptosis in leukemic cells in a BIM-dependent mechanism. We hypothesized that an increase in BIM activity could sensitize CML cells to TKI. We blocked the anti-apoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family by using ABT-737, a Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL inhibitor. ABT-737 modified Bcl-2 protein interactions toward a pro-apoptotic phenotype. Its combination with TKI resulted in a strong synergism in CML cell lines. The association also induced a large decrease in X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP), followed by caspase-3 activation. This XIAP decrease was due to post-translational events. The mitochondrial serine protease HtrA2/Omi was identified as being responsible for this off-target effect. Then, ABT-737 and TKI cooperate at several levels to induce apoptosis of CML cells lines, and the benefit of this association was also observed in CML hematopoietic progenitors. Interestingly, a lethal effect was also observed in the more immature CD34(+)CD38(-) TKI-insensitive population. Combination therapy might by an interesting strategy for the treatment of CML patients.


Activating cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 2 (CYSLTR2) mutations in blue nevi.
Blue nevi are common melanocytic tumors arising in the dermal layer of the skin. Similar to uveal melanomas, blue nevi frequently harbor GNAQ and GNA11 mutations. Recently, recurrent CYSLTR2 and PLCB4 mutations were identified in uveal melanomas not harboring GNAQ or GNA11 mutations. All four genes (GNAQ, GNA11, CYSLTR2, and PLCB4) code for proteins involved in the same signaling pathway, which is activated by mutations in these genes. Given the related functional consequences of these mutations and the known genetic similarities between uveal melanoma and blue nevi, we analyzed a cohort of blue nevi to investigate whether CYSLTR2 and PLCB4 mutations occur in tumors lacking GNAQ or GNA11 mutations (as in uveal melanoma). A targeted next-generation sequencing assay covering known activating mutations in GNAQ, GNA11, CYSLTR2, PLCB4, KIT, NRAS, and BRAF was applied to 103 blue nevi. As previously reported, most blue nevi were found to harbor activating mutations in GNAQ (59%, n=61), followed by less frequent mutations in GNA11 (16%, n=17). Additionally, one BRAF (1%) and three NRAS (3%) mutations were detected. In three tumors (3%) harboring none of the aforementioned gene alterations, CYSLTR2 mutations were identified. All three CYSLTR2 mutations were the same c.386T>A, L129Q mutation previously identified in uveal melanoma that has been shown to lead to increased receptor activation and signaling. In summary, our study identifies CYSLTR2 L129Q alterations as a previously unrecognized activating mutation in blue nevi, occuring in a mutually exclusive fashion with known GNAQ and GNA11 mutations. Similar to GNAQ and GNA11 mutations, CYSLTR2 mutations, when present, are likely defining pathogenetic events in blue nevi.


Multisubunit RNA polymerases.
Transcription of the genetic information in all cells is carried out by multisubunit RNA polymerases (RNAPs). Comparison of the crystal structures of a bacterial and a eukaryotic RNAP reveals a conserved core that comprises the active site and a multifunctional clamp. Together with a further structure of eukaryotic RNAP bound to DNA and RNA, these results elucidate many aspects of the transcription mechanism, including initiation, elongation, nucleotide addition, processivity and proofreading.


Next-generation molecular diagnostics.
The classification of brain tumors is based on the time-honored tradition of histologic examination, coupled with clinicopathologic correlation, and is based on the fundamental importance of microscopic morphologic interpretation. Supplementation by immunohistochemical markers is of substantial value to distinguish related entities and to confirm morphologic impressions. The use of techniques such as fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) is also critical in specific situations. However, with these practices, it is clear that the use of state-of-the-art molecular techniques has great promise to add to classification to (1) reduce the subjectivity inherent in interobserver discordance, particularly with specific entities; and (2) elucidate the biologic diversity of entities that are not resolvable by routine methods. In this chapter, we discuss these possibilities, focusing on several tumor types affecting the central nervous system, including diffuse glioma and ependymoma.


Estimates of N2-fixation from variation in the natural abundance of 15N in Sonoran desert ecosystems.
The 15N abundance of tissues of five Prosopis specimens at our primary study site (a Prosopis woodland at Harper's Well in the Sonoran desert of Southern California) was determined over two growing seasons 1980 and 1981. The 15N abundance of soil and of tissues of presumed non-N2-fixing (control) plants was also measured. Prosopis tissues were significantly lower in 15N than either soil N or corresponding tissues of presumed non-N2-fixing plants which derive their N entirely from soil. Soil N was also significantly higher in 15N than atmospheric N2. We conclude that it is feasible to use variations in the natural abundance of 15N as an index of N2-fixation in this kind of ecosystem, and that N2-fixation is of considerable importance to Prosopis growing at this site.We also determined the 15N abundance of leaf tissue of presumed N2-fixing and control plants growing at the same site at six additional sites (five in the Sonoran desert of southern California and one in Baja California, Mexico near the town of Catavina). Four of these additional sites were dominated by Prosopis and two were mixed communities. There were statistically significant differences between the 15N abundances of the pooled legume population and control plants at all sites, although not every legume specimen exhibited this difference. From 15N abundance data we estimated the fractional contribution of biologically fixed N to the N economy of desert legumes. We concluded that N2-fixation is very important to Prosopis at six of seven sites in the Sonoran Desert. At the site where Prosopis did not appear to be fixing N2, N2-fixation was important only for legumes of the sub-family Papilionoideae, Lupinus, Dalea, Astragalus and Lotus.


Root angle modifications by the DRO1 homolog improve rice yields in saline paddy fields.
The root system architecture (RSA) of crops can affect their production, particularly in abiotic stress conditions, such as with drought, waterlogging, and salinity. Salinity is a growing problem worldwide that negatively impacts on crop productivity, and it is believed that yields could be improved if RSAs that enabled plants to avoid saline conditions were identified. Here, we have demonstrated, through the cloning and characterization of qSOR1 (quantitative trait locus for SOIL SURFACE ROOTING 1), that a shallower root growth angle (RGA) could enhance rice yields in saline paddies. qSOR1 is negatively regulated by auxin, predominantly expressed in root columella cells, and involved in the gravitropic responses of roots. qSOR1 was found to be a homolog of DRO1 (DEEPER ROOTING 1), which is known to control RGA. CRISPR-Cas9 assays revealed that other DRO1 homologs were also involved in RGA. Introgression lines with combinations of gain-of-function and loss-of-function alleles in qSOR1 and DRO1 demonstrated four different RSAs (ultra-shallow, shallow, intermediate, and deep rooting), suggesting that natural alleles of the DRO1 homologs could be utilized to control RSA variations in rice. In saline paddies, near-isogenic lines carrying the qSOR1 loss-of-function allele had soil-surface roots (SOR) that enabled rice to avoid the reducing stresses of saline soils, resulting in increased yields compared to the parental cultivars without SOR. Our findings suggest that DRO1 homologs are valuable targets for RSA breeding and could lead to improved rice production in environments characterized by abiotic stress.


Isolation practices: a historical perspective.
Isolation practices assume a major role in the activities of many hospital infection prevention and control programs, yet few of the practices have been studied for efficacy. The origins for some of these practices can be traced to the nursing literature published in the American Journal of Nursing in the early part of the century. Others originated with public health measures for quarantine of communicable diseases in the community or attempts to simulate operating room practices for compromised patients. This historical review presents information about isolation practices from the perspective of the American Journal of Nursing with additional information from some Centers for Disease Control and American Hospital Association publications. The American Journal of Nursing was selected because it is a major source for content of nursing textbooks from which most nurses first learn isolation practices. Nurses are also the persons primarily responsible for the implementation of isolation practices in hospitals. Two themes emerged from this historical review: (1) a continuing debate about the importance of the inanimate environment and the importance of the airborne route versus the importance of contact with moist body substances as major modes of transmission of infectious agents and (2) a continuing debate between those who believe in special isolation techniques only for persons with diagnosed infections and those who believe all persons may harbor potentially infectious agents and who therefore focus attention on assessment of care requirements where contact with body substances is anticipated. This review is intended to encourage critical evaluation of isolation practices in use in hospitals today.


Video-Based Deep Learning to Detect Dyssynergic Defecation with 3D High-Definition Anorectal Manometry.
We developed a deep learning algorithm to evaluate defecatory patterns to identify dyssynergic defecation using 3-dimensional high definition anal manometry (3D-HDAM). We developed a 3D-HDAM deep learning algorithm to evaluate for dyssynergia. Spatial-temporal data were extracted from consecutive 3D-HDAM studies performed between 2018 and 2020 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health. The technical procedure and gold standard definition of dyssynergia were based on the London consensus, adapted to the needs of 3D-HDAM technology. Three machine learning models were generated: (1) traditional machine learning informed by conventional anorectal function metrics, (2) deep learning, and (3) a hybrid approach. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using bootstrap sampling to calculate area-under-the-curve (AUC). To evaluate overfitting, models were validated by adding 502 simulated defecation maneuvers with diagnostic ambiguity. 302 3D-HDAM studies representing 1208 simulated defecation maneuvers were included (average age 55.2 years; 80.5% women). The deep learning model had comparable diagnostic accuracy [AUC 0.91 (95% confidence interval 0.89-0.93)] to traditional [AUC 0.93(0.92-0.95)] and hybrid [AUC 0.96(0.94-0.97)] predictive models in training cohorts. However, the deep learning model handled ambiguous tests more cautiously than other models; the deep learning model was more likely to designate an ambiguous test as inconclusive [odds ratio 4.21(2.78-6.38)] versus traditional/hybrid approaches. Deep learning is capable of considering complex spatial-temporal information on 3D-HDAM technology. Future studies are needed to evaluate the clinical context of these preliminary findings.


Transgenic mice expressing a constitutively active retinoic acid receptor in the lens exhibit ocular defects.
Retinoic acid receptors (RARs) modulate gene expression following association with retinoic acid (RA). In transient transfection, an RAR alpha-beta-galactosidase fusion protein (RAR-LacZ) was able to transactivate expression in the absence of RA. When expressed in the ocular lens of transgenic mice, this constitutively active RAR-LacZ fusion gene resulted in founder and progeny animals that exhibited cataracts and microphthalmia, both being characteristics of retinoid-induced teratogenesis. The transgenic phenotypes indicate that retinoid teratogenesis can be mimicked by expression of a constitutively active RAR-LacZ fusion protein in retinoid-sensitive tissues.


Pathological gambling subtypes: A comparison of treatment-seeking and non-treatment-seeking samples from Brazil and Canada.
Pathological gambling (PG) is a heterogeneous disorder. The identification and characterization of PG subtypes could lead to tailored treatment approaches, which may, in turn, improve treatment outcomes. To investigate PG subtypes based on personality traits across two different cultural and clinical settings. Consistent with the Pathways Model, we hypothesized the presence of three subtypes (behaviorally conditioned - BC, emotionally vulnerable - EV, and antisocial impulsivist - AI). 140 PG adults from São Paulo, Brazil (SP sample) and 352 adults with PG (n=214) or sub-clinical PG (n=138) from Toronto, Canada (TO sample) completed the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Latent-class analysis was used to investigate subtypes. A 2-class solution was the best model for the pooled SP and TO samples. Class 1 presented a normative personality profile and was composed exclusively of participants from Toronto (BC subtype). Class 2 was characterized by high novelty seeking, high harm avoidance, and low self-directedness, and included participants from both SP and TO (EV subtype). When sub-clinical PGs were excluded from the analysis, a single-class solution better characterized the SP and TO samples. Our results suggest that PG severity, rather than community or clinical settings, may have an effect on PG subtypes. The generalizability of the results is limited by the demographic and clinical features of the selected samples. Future neurobiological studies may contribute to the categorization of subjects into PG subtypes based on different underlying biological pathways.


Guest aggregation within poly(L-lactic acid)/pluronic P104 thin films.
Rhodamine 6G (R6G) doped thin films composed of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and Pluronic P104 were spin cast onto glass microscope slides and characterized by ultraviolet-visible, steady-state, and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The results show that R6G aggregation within the film increases as the R6G concentration and P104 loading increases. These results suggest an approach for studying drug distributions (monomers, aggregates) within biodegradable polymer formulations.


Malnutrition-Modulated Diabetes Mellitus in Children, Rare Disease with Atypical Presentation: Case Report.
Atypical diabetes is commonly reported in Africa. The objective of this case report is to highlight an unusual case of thin, severely hyperglycemic and ketone resistant teenager with history and signs of chronic under-nutrition to raise the awareness of clinicians on the existence of atypical phenotype of diabetes not fitting the current classification of diabetes. A 17-year-old male patient, known diabetic, was diagnosed in the health center as type1 diabetes for 8 months. He was on insulin for 3 months and discontinued for 5 months. He presented with polydipsia, polyuria, and weight loss since he discontinued the drug. On examination, he was severely wasted and underweight with unexplained bilateral parotid enlargement. On investigations;, he had hyperglycemic, glucosuria but no ketonuria. The patient was admitted with the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and severe acute malnutrition. He started insulin (1IU/Kg/day) subcutaneously and nutritional management. On follow-up, RBS and FBS remained high and insulin was escalated to 3.32 IU/kg/day. Subsequently, serial RBS and FBS, the measurements were in the acceptable range and the patient was gaining weight. As the weight increases, his demand for insulin was decreased and the dose of insulin was de-escalated to 1.2 IU/Kg/day over 3 months. Finally, the patient was discharged with 1.2 IU/Kg/day with a weight of 44 kg over 4 months of hospital course with the diagnosis of malnutrition-modulated diabetes. Now, the patient is in diabetic clinic follow-up with good glycemic control. Though there are unclear and uncertainties in malnutrition-modulated diabetes mellitus, clinicians need a high index of suspicion to reach the diagnosis especially in those countries where malnutrition is common. Early diagnosis and appropriate management of the patients demand are important in patient care and outcome.


Genetic factors in isolated and syndromic laryngeal cleft.
A laryngotracheoesophageal cleft (LC) is a rare congenital anomaly of the upper aerodigestive tract resulting from the absence of fusion of the posterior cricoid lamina, which affects an abnormal communication between the larynx, trachea and esophagus. The genetic etiology of LC remains elusive. The involvement of genetic factors in the development of LC is suggested by reports of familial occurrence, and the increased prevalence of component features among first-degree relatives of affected individuals and murine knockout models. No consistent pattern of inheritance has been found in nonsyndromic patients, except for cases associated with described syndromes. Once the syndrome related to the laryngeal cleft is considered, an active search for the cleft must be initiated. The genetic evaluation of patients with LCs should be guided by the type and location of the malformation, specific medical history and a detailed physical examination. The application of genetic approaches, such as microarrays and exome sequencing might lead to elucidating the etiology of LCs.


Physiological identification of afferent fibers and postsynaptic sensory neurons in the spinal cord of the intact, awake cat.
A method was developed to record from spinal cord cells in the awake, intact, partially restrained cat. Units were classified as afferent fibers or postsynaptic cells based on their ability to follow 100-Hz peripheral stimulation, the duration and configuration of the action potential waveform, and the number of spikes evoked by a single electrical pulse. These criteria are supported by independent observations of the location of the recording site, size of the receptive field, and adequate stimulus. Of 84 cutaneously activated units, 29 were classified as afferent fibers, 28 as postsynaptic cells, and 27 were not classified. No cutaneously activated unit was spontaneously active. In contrast, all 28 units (7 postsynaptic and 21 not classified) responding to joint position or movement were spontaneously active (5 to 40 Hz). No unit responded to both cutaneous and proprioceptive inputs. Evidence for convergence of cutaneous input from different types of receptors was limited to five postsynaptic neurons that responded to hair movement and to stimuli applied to the skin; two of these cells responded differentially to noxious pinch. Two of 24 postsynaptic cutaneous units ceased responding to electrical cutaneous stimuli when the cat was eating. The responses of 29 primary afferent fibers were not altered by the behavior of the cat. These results suggest that, in the awake cat (i) criteria based on neuronal responsiveness and action potential waveform can be used to distinguish adequately between afferent fibers and postsynaptic cells; and (ii) there is a tonic inhibitory control, greater than in the anesthetized or spinally transected cat, that varies with behavioral state and is directed primarily at spinal neurons receiving cutaneous input.


Urocortinergic system in the testes of normal and cryptorchid dogs.
Cryptorchidism is the most common disorder of the sexual development in dogs, occurring in 13% of the males. Unilateral cryptorchidism is more frequent than bilateral and the right testis seems to be more frequently affected. Urocortin (UCN) is a corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH)-related peptide which was observed to affect several functions in male genital organs. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of UCN, and its receptors CRHR1 and CRHR2 by immunohistochemistry, Western blot and real-time RT-PCR in the normal and cryptic testis of the dog. The results showed that UCN, CRHR2 and CRHR1 were expressed in normal and cryptic testes. UCN-immunoreactivity (IR) was distributed in germ cells of the normal and cryptic testis. In the normal testis, CRHR2-IR was found in germ and interstitial Leydig cells. In the cryptic testis CRHR2-IR was distributed in gonocytes and interstitial Leydig cells. CRHR1-IR was distributed in the vessel smooth musculature and peritubular myoid cells. UCN and CRHR2 mRNA expression levels were lower in the cryptic than in normal testes. These results suggest that UCN and its receptors might play a role in regulating the spermatogenesis and hormonal activity of interstitial Leydig cells of the dog testis.


What is new in epithelioid soft tissue tumors?
Epithelioid cell features mimicking carcinomas characterize a variety of histogenetically, phenotypically, and molecularly distinct subsets of mesenchymal neoplasms. In a pathogenetic sense, epithelioid soft tissue tumors basically fall into three main genetic categories: (1) switch/sucrose non-fermenting (SWI/SNF) complex-deficient tumors (with epithelioid sarcoma as their prototype); (2) epithelioid neoplasms driven by specific rare gene fusions (such as sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma with EWSR1 fusions and GLI1-related malignant epithelioid soft tissue neoplasms); and (3) a heterogeneous group encompassing epithelioid variants of diverse other entities. Notably, lesions in the first and third groups may display variable, occasionally prominent, rhabdoid cell morphology, thus further complicating their differential diagnosis. This review summarizes the main clinicopathological, phenotypic, and genotypic features of these diseases and discusses their pertinent differential diagnostic considerations.


Towards error categorisation in BCI: single-trial EEG classification between different errors.
Error-related potentials (ErrP) are generated in the brain when humans perceive errors. These ErrP signals can be used to classify actions as erroneous or non-erroneous, using single-trial electroencephalography (EEG). A small number of studies have demonstrated the feasibility of using ErrP detection as feedback for reinforcement-learning-based brain-computer interfaces (BCI), confirming the possibility of developing more autonomous BCI. These systems could be made more efficient with specific information about the type of error that occurred. A few studies differentiated the ErrP of different errors from each other, based on direction or severity. However, errors cannot always be categorised in these ways. We aimed to investigate the feasibility of differentiating very similar error conditions from each other, in the absence of previously explored metrics. In this study, we used two data sets with 25 and 14 participants to investigate the differences between errors. The two error conditions in each task were similar in terms of severity, direction and visual processing. The only notable differences between them were the varying cognitive processes involved in perceiving the errors, and differing contexts in which the errors occurred. We used a linear classifier with a small feature set to differentiate the errors on a single-trial basis. For both data sets, we observed neurophysiological distinctions between the ErrPs related to each error type. We found further distinctions between age groups. Furthermore, we achieved statistically significant single-trial classification rates for most participants included in the classification phase, with mean overall accuracy of 65.2% and 65.6% for the two tasks. As a proof of concept our results showed that it is feasible, using single-trial EEG, to classify these similar error types against each other. This study paves the way for more detailed and efficient learning in BCI, and thus for a more autonomous human-machine interaction.


A bonded provisional fixed prosthesis to be worn after implant surgery.
The procedure described provides an esthetic means for inserting a provisional fixed restoration immediately after implant placement surgery. When this procedure is used, it is not necessary to prepare the abutment teeth adjacent to the surgical site for subsequent fixed restorations. This provisional restorative procedure may also be used immediately after extraction of teeth, when abutment tooth preparation is not desired or possible, or after stage II implant surgery when healing caps are inserted.


Flow and Thermal Performance of a Water-Cooled Periodic Transversal Elliptical Microchannel Heat Sink for Chip Cooling.
Flow and thermal performance of transversal elliptical microchannels were investigated as a passive scheme to enhance the heat transfer performance of laminar fluid flow. The periodic transversal elliptical micro-channel is designed and its pressure drop and heat transfer characteristics in laminar flow are numerically investigated. Based on the comparison with a conventional straight micro- channel having rectangular cross section, it is found that periodic transversal elliptical microchannel not only has great potential to reduce pressure drop but also dramatically enhances heat transfer performance. In addition, when the Reynolds number equals to 192, the pressure drop of the transversal elliptical channel is 36.5% lower than that of the straight channel, while the average Nusselt number is 72.8% higher; this indicates that the overall thermal performance of the periodic transversal elliptical microchannel is superior to the conventional straight microchannel. It is suggested that such transversal elliptical microchannel are attractive candidates for cooling future electronic chips effectively with much lower pressure drop.


Differentiation of myocardial infarction and angina pectoris by processing ultrasonic color kinesis images.
The aim of this study was to develop a method for early, accurate differentiation between old myocardial infarction (OMI) and angina pectoris (AP) using color kinesis (CK) images. We first extracted exact end-diastolic and end-systolic contours from CK images and then extracted the features of cardiac function from two CK images (one at rest, the other after exercise) and investigated their effectiveness in differentiating old myocardial infarction and angina pectoris. We then evaluated the effectiveness of several features in recognizing coronary artery disease and used the effective features to show the differentiation results. First, we extracted exact end-diastolic and end-systolic contours from CK images with an active contour model. Second, we defined the features that seemed to be effective in recognizing coronary artery disease. The features are extracted from the region between the end-diastolic endocardial contour and end-systolic endocardial contour in two CK images: one obtained when the subject was at rest and the other after exercise. Nine features were considered effective for differentiating old myocardial infarction and angina pectoris, and the effectiveness in recognizing coronary artery disease, which includes old myocardial infarction and angina pectoris, was evaluated. Third, coronary artery disease is recognized by the effective features. Contours near a manual trace by a skilled physician were obtained using the proposed method. Multiple comparisons of the mean values of the extracted features were drawn among three groups: a healthy-subject group; an old myocardial infarction patient group; and an angina pectoris patient group. The feature effective in differentiating old myocardial infarction was the "area at rest"; those effective in differentiating angina pectoris were a "decrease in area" and a "decrease in movement." These effective features have almost always differentiated old myocardial infarction and angina pectoris. This study used the endocardial contour extraction technique with the dynamic contour model and evaluated the validity of the features of cardiac function; it then recognized coronary artery disease from the effective features. Multiple comparisons of the mean value of the extracted features among the healthy-subject group, the old myocardial infarction patient group, and the angina pectoris patient group has proved that the "area at rest" is effective in differentiating old myocardial infarction, and the "decrease in area" and "decrease in movement" are effective for differentiating angina pectoris.


[Amplitude reaction in binocular cortical visual evoked potentials in anamorphotic image relations].
The correction of astigmatism by means of spectacle lenses involves anamorphotic distorsions. Dramatic changes in image formation can be detected in the VECP.


Neurons of the rat hypothalamus reactive with antisera against endorphins, ACTH, MSH and beta-LPH.
In rat brains intraventricularly injected with colchicine, the same discrete neurons of the arcuate and ventromedial nuclei can be stained with antisera against alpha- and beta-endorphins, (1-24)ACTH, (17-39)ACTH, alpha- and beta-MSH, and beta-LPH, as demonstrated by comparative studies in consecutive serial sections. These neurons are strongly reactive with anti-(17-39)ACTH, anti-beta-endorphin, anti-alpha-MSH and anti-beta-MSH, and more faintly stained with anti-alpha-endorphin, anti-beta-LPH and anti-(1-24)ACTH. Exceptionally, neurons reactive with anti-(17-39)ACTH and anti-beta-endorphin are poorly stained or completely negative with anti-alpha-MSH and anti-beta-MSH. Immunoreactive fibers end in the lateral median eminence and in the arcuate nucleus proper, or form ascending pathways along the third ventricle. Comparative studies with other antisera or with the Falck and Hillarp technique show that these neurons differ from the elements producing LH-RH, somatostatin, neurophysin, oxytocin, vasopressin and dopamine. These results suggest that the same neurons of the rat hypothalamus synthesize several neuropeptides identical with or immunologically related to endorphins, ACTH, alpha-MSH and beta-LPH, probably arising from a common precursor molecule similar to that found in the corticotropic cells of the pituitary. These neuropeptides of a common cellular and molecular origin might be involved in basic processes of the central nervous system as neurotramsmitters or neuromodulators.