[Risk of Burnout syndrome in medical professionals in Córdoba City, Argentina]
Burnout syndrome is a chronic, adaptive disorder, being considered the most important cause of work injury of psychosocial cause. The objective was to know the risk of burnout in Córdoba city's physician and its relationship with sociodemographic factors and clinical and surgical specialties. An observational cross-sectional study was performed in 10 care centers in Córdoba City. Physicians were interviewed, we ask about sociodemographic variables and the Maslach Burnout Inventory questionnaire was done to objectify the risk of Burnout. The age was stratified by decades from 20 to 60 years. p < a 0,05 was considered significant. 483 physicians were interviewed, 62,1% were women, 70% were between 20 and 40 years of age; 54.2% single, 42.9% had a time of exercised in the profession below 5 years. 66 of the total (16,5%) had a high risk of burnout, it was associated with the fact to work in a public establishment (p < 0.00001), to be single (p < 0.009), to work more than 60 h (p<0.001), sleeping less than 42 h per week (p < 0.005), less than five years of profession (p < 0.0002); to be from 20 to 29 years old ( p <0.0005) , the protective factor was to have children (p <0.006). There were no differences between clinical and surgical specialties. Young professionals, with lower family restraint and greater labor demand, are those that present a greater risk of burnout. Institutions should identify their risk professionals and develop mechanisms for the protection and treatment of those affected.


Setting up the first genitourinary clinic in Malta and an audit of the initial performance.
The first genitourinary (GU) clinic was set up in Malta in January 2000. An audit was conducted to evaluate the demand for such a service and its effectiveness during the first 6 years after its introduction. Case notes from the first 6 years were reviewed, and data were collected for gender, age, sexual orientation, symptoms, diagnosis, condom use, referral source, total number of attendances, and contact tracing. The total number of attendances increased from 760 in the first year to 1832 in 2005. The male to female ratio decreased from 2.3 in 2000 to 1.6 in 2005, as more females attended. The number of partners treated per index case was 0.25. Eighty per cent of attendees were self-referred; 16% were referred by their general practitioner (GP). Only 10% admitted to using a condom regularly. Twenty-nine per cent of asymptomatic attendees in 2005 were diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Fifty-three cases of gonorrhoea were diagnosed by the GU clinic during the first 6 years, with 17% of isolates showing resistance to ciprofloxacin in 2005. A total of 38 cases of syphilis were diagnosed compared to only a handful of cases reported in the 25 years prior to the introduction of the service. The increasing attendance, as revealed by this audit, reflects a growing demand for the service offered by the GU clinic in Malta. Numerous STIs are being diagnosed and treated, including syphilis, which has re-emerged in Malta as it has in the rest of Europe. The prevalence of ciprofloxacin-resistant gonorrhoea has been increasing, a trend that has also been documented in other European countries. In addition to successful management of STIs, the GU clinic would further benefit from a public health campaign aimed at encouraging asymptomatic sexually active individuals to attend for an STI screen, while simultaneously promoting responsible sexual behaviour.


Comparison of two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (EIA) kits with immunofluorescence and isolation in cell culture for detection of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Rapid diagnosis of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections is based upon detection of viral antigen in cells obtained from the respiratory tract and usually employs immunofluorescence (IF) reactions or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (EIA). The Pathfinder EIA kit (Kallestad Diagnostics) was compared with the Abbott EIA kit by evaluating each against isolation of RSV in cell culture and detection of antigen by IF. The Pathfinder kit identified 116 of 129 culture-positive and 72 of 90 culture-negative specimens; the sensitivity was 90 percent and the specificity was 80 percent. The sensitivity of the Abbott EIA test compared to isolation of RSV in cell culture was 91% (115 of 127), and the specificity was 83% (74 of 89). Of 165 specimens evaluated by IF, the Pathfinder kit detected 97 of 105 IF-positive and 45 of 60 IF-negative specimens, giving a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 75%. The Abbott EIA compared similarly with IF, showing a sensitivity of 91% (98 of 108) and a specificity (42 of 54) of 78%. Visual reading of the Kallestad test resulted in a sensitivity of 92%, a specificity of 91%, positive predictive value of 95%, and negative predictive value of 86%. The Pathfinder EIA kit compared well with IF and the Abbott EIA for detection of RSV antigen but performed faster than the Abbott test and offers the option of a visual reading.


[Statins in coronary patients: a solved issue?].
Statin prescription in patients with coronary artery disease is justified by numerous randomized controlled trials. These trials were conducted in various clinical conditions such as acute coronary syndrome and stable angina. Statin therapy was nearly always associated with better clinical outcomes. These benefits were highly significant in stable coronary patients with hypercholesterolemia and less striking in the first days of acute coronary syndrome. However, in patients with or without acute coronary syndrome, long-term prognosis was favorably influenced in patients on statin therapy. In patients with coronary artery disease, physicians must prescribe a well-tolerated statin as soon as possible, and verify long-term compliance in every patient.


Novel I1-imidazoline S43126 enhance insulin action in PC12 cells.
The I(1)-imidazoline receptor is a novel target for drug development for hypertension and insulin resistance, major disorders associated with type 2 diabetes. In the present study, we examined the effects of a novel imidazoline agonist S43126, on phosphorylation of protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) in PC12 cells. We further examined the effects of S43126 on insulin stimulated PKB and ERK phosphorylation. PC12 cells were treated with varying doses of S43126 (10(-10) to 10(-6) M) or insulin (10(-10) to 10(-6) M) or combination treatment with insulin (10(-6) M) and varying doses of S43126 (10(-6) - 10(-11) M) for 10 min. Western blot analysis of treated samples showed that S43126 increased both ERK1/2 and PKB phosphorylation by 5 fold. Combination treatment with insulin (10(-6) M) and varying doses of S43126 (10(-6) - 10(-11) M) enhanced phosphorylation of PKB and ERK1/2 above the level of insulin alone, in a dose and time dependent manner. Treatment with siRNA against Nischarin (mouse homologue of I(1)-imidazoline receptor) reduced the phosphorylation of both ERK and PKB following combination treatments. These results indicate that S43126 has the potential to augment insulin action and should be further studied as a possible candidate drug for the treatment of insulin resistance states.


Biochemistry in toxicological studies also needs precision.
Mehdizadeh et al. (2021) reported the impact of biochar on cadmium toxicity in Ocimum ciliatum. As far as the conclusions may be correct (and the positive impact of various biochars is known in numerous experimental setups/species), several numerical mistakes reported in results are not acceptable in any scientific journal. It seems that reviewers and handling editor overlooked these problems and biochemical aspects of this work (along with the impact of biochar on Cd accumulation) can be cited only with great doubts about the correctness of the results. Generally, it is a challenge for reviewers and publishers, mainly in the actual time of a huge load of submissions, not to overlook basic technical mistakes. It is also a challenge for the authors to study literature and to verify uncertain data.


Brain structural changes in schizophrenia patients with persistent hallucinations.
Schizophrenia is characterised by the presence of a heterogeneous range of symptoms. Although there is a consensus regarding ventricular enlargement and regional grey matter deficits, the brain structural correlates of specific symptoms, such as auditory hallucinations, are not clearly defined. We used an automated voxel-wise analysis of dual-echo spin-echo MRI data from 28 patients with schizophrenia characterised by persistent hallucinations and 32 healthy controls. Patients demonstrated grey matter (GM) volume decrements in the insula bilaterally, and in the right superior temporal and fusiform gyri, and left inferior temporal gyrus. With the exception of the insula, these GM volume losses were correlated with severity of auditory hallucinations. GM excesses were observed in the right caudate nucleus and middle temporal gyrus. White matter deficits were observed adjacent to the left superior temporal gyrus, in the right internal capsule and inferior longitudinal fasciculus. These findings support the proposition that there are structural changes in the neural circuits underlying broader processing of affect-laden information in patients with schizophrenia prone to experiencing auditory hallucinations. Such deficits may obscure important cues for recognition of internal speech, contributing to failures of self-monitoring.


Sex differences in intuitive eating and its relationship with body mass index among adults aged 18-40 years in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.
Intuitive eating (IE) is eating without judgment, relying only on physiological hunger and satiety. Sex differences in IE have been reported; however, none of the studies have explicitly examined IE and its relationship with body mass index (BMI) in the Saudi Arabian population. Thus, this study aimed to investigate sex differences in IE and its relationship with BMI in the Saudi population. A cross-sectional online survey of 360 participants (18 years or older) with self-reported weight and height was conducted. IE was measured using the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2). Separate multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to determine if total IE and its subscale scores differed across sexes. It was also conducted to assess the relationship between IE and BMI across sexes. Women had higher total IE score, eating for physical rather than emotional reasons (EPR), and body-food choice congruence (BFCC) scores compared to men (p = 0.013, p = 0.01, p <0.001, respectively). The analysis showed a significant negative association between total IE, BFCC, EPR scores, and BMI in women compared to men (p = 0.023, p = 0.01, p = 0.003, respectively). The data on the sex differences in IE and its subscales and their different association with BMI encourage tailing nutrition-related recommendations in the context of intuitive eating based on sexes. Future studies are needed to explore how intuitive eating functions differently in women compared to men and explore the causal relationship between IE and BMI in this population.


Features of childhood cancer in primary care: a population-based nested case-control study.
This study investigated the risk of cancer in children with alert symptoms identified in current UK guidance, or with increased consultation frequency in primary care. A population-based, nested case-control study used data from the General Practice Research Database. In all, 1267 children age 0-14 years diagnosed with childhood cancer were matched to 15,318 controls. Likelihood ratios and positive predictive values (PPVs) were calculated to assess risk. Alert symptoms recorded in the 12 and 3 months before diagnosis were present in 33.7% and 27.0% of cases vs 5.4% and 1.4% of controls, respectively. The PPV of having cancer for any alert symptom in the 3 months before diagnosis was 0.55 per 1000 children. Cases consulted more frequently particularly in the 3 months before diagnosis (86% cases vs 41% controls). Of these, 36% of cases and 9% of controls had consulted 4 times or more. The PPV for cancer in a child consulting 4 times or more in 3 months was 0.13 per 1000 children. Alert symptoms and frequent consultations are associated with childhood cancer. However, individual symptoms and consultation patterns have very low PPVs for cancer in primary care (e.g., of 10,000 children with a recorded alert symptom, approximately 6 would be diagnosed with cancer within 3 months).


Commentary on "Integrating network theory into the study of integrated healthcare".
As medicine continues to advance, fragmentation problems in care delivery - and the promise of care integration to solve them - will remain central. But focused research over the past thirty years has yet to uncover the key factors that enable integrated care. In their paper, Burns and colleagues offer a path to new discovery in this well-trodden area: drawing on network theory to better understand the social processes through which integrated care is produced. Social processes are a vital and understudied aspect of integration, and applying network theory may help to refocus integration in a more comprehensive way. However, to transform our understanding of integrated care - and to enable impact in practice - will require expansion beyond the usual network approaches to also capture the communication and work processes that occur among entities. This is no small endeavor. It will take considerable humility, open-mindedness, and focus.


Molecular defects of type III procollagen in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV.
Fibroblasts from most patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) type IV, a disorder characterized by fragility of skin, blood vessels, and internal organs, secrete reduced amounts of type III procollagen. In 7 of 8 cell strains analyzed, we found evidence of structural defects in half of the type III procollagen chains synthesized, such as deletions or bona fide amino acid substitutions, which cause delayed formation and destabilization of the collagen triple helix and, as a consequence, reduced secretion of the molecule. The data suggest that EDS type IV is often caused by heterozygosity for mutations at the COL3A1 locus, which affect the structure of type III procollagen. The triple-helical region of the molecule, like the homologous region of type I procollagen, appears to be particularly vulnerable.


A nurse-led positive psychological intervention among elderly community-dwelling adults with mild cognitive impairment and depression: A non-randomized controlled trial.
Older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and depression have a higher dementia conversion rate, which requires timely intervention. A non-randomized controlled trial was conducted to explore the effect of a nurse-led positive psychological intervention (PPI) in relieving depression and promoting cognition in this population. A total of 70 older adults were enrolled, with 35 each in the intervention and control groups. The control group received one-to-one health education, and the intervention group received a 40- to 60-minute PPI for eight successive weeks. During the intervention, most participants reached the standard of active participation, and 2.86% continued to complete homework every day during follow-up. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group at the end of intervention (t = -3.64, p < 0.05) and at 3-month follow-up (t = -4.48, p < 0.05). Interaction effects of time and group on PHQ-9 scores (F = 8.11, p < 0.001), with significant differences between the groups in scores (F = 9.11, p < 0.05) and times (F = 23.58, p < 0.05) was observed. In the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scale, the intervention group had significantly higher scores than controls at the end of intervention (t = 7.28, p < 0.05) and 3-month follow-up (t = 8.01, p < 0.05). Cognition in the two groups was significantly affected by intergroup effects (F = 42.80, p < 0.001), interaction effects (F = 30.38, p < 0.001), and time effects (F = 33.67, p < 0.05). Although the effects tended to decrease in follow-up, the nurse-led PPI was feasible and valid in relieving depression and promoting cognition among older participants with MCI and depression. The present findings warrant further exploration. A nurse-led positive psychological intervention was applicable among elderly MCI adults with depression and effective in relieving depression and promoting cognition.


Who wins the combat, CAR or TCR?
Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy has drawn increasing attention over the last few decades given its remarkable effectiveness and breakthroughs in treating B cell hematological malignancies. Even though CAR-T cell therapy has outstanding clinical successes, most treated patients still relapse after infusion. CARs are derived from the T cell receptor (TCR) complex and co-stimulatory molecules associated with T cell activation; however, the similarities and differences between CARs and endogenous TCRs regarding their sensitivity, signaling pathway, killing mechanisms, and performance are still not fully understood. In this review, we discuss the parallel comparisons between CARs and TCRs from various aspects and how these current findings might provide novel insights and contribute to improvement of CAR-T cell therapy efficacy.


B-cell nature malignant lymphoma probably caused by EB-virus infection.
In cells in a haemopericardium associated with a B-cell malignant lymphoma, immature herpes type virus particles were found by electron microscopy. Epstein-Barr virus associated nuclear antigen (EBNA) and virus capsid antigen (VCA) were also found, both in the tumor cells, in the bloody pericardial fluid and in cultivated cells. Serological studies revealed high anti-toxoplasma antibody levels both in the pericardial fluid and in serum. Both EB virus and toxoplasma infections are assumed to have played an important role on the pathogenesis of the present case.


Cocaine enhances the changes in extracellular dopamine in nucleus accumbens associated with reinforcing stimuli: a high-speed chronoamperometric study in freely moving rats.
Numerous data suggest that the mesocorticolimbic dopamine (DA) system is critically involved in the organization and regulation of goal-directed behaviours of various types as well as in the mediation of the psychogenic effects of cocaine. To test the hypothesis that cocaine not only alters levels of extracellular DA within the mesolimbic DA system, but in addition changes the response of this system to reinforcing environmental stimuli, a study using high-speed chronoamperometry was done to evaluate the effects of cocaine (15 mg/kg, i.p.) on extracellular DA in the nucleus accumbens and to assess the effects of cocaine on the response evoked by the presentation of tail-pinch and palatable food. Cocaine was found to induce long-term biphasic changes in extracellular DA (an increase followed by a decrease) and, more importantly, to enhance DA increases evoked by both tail-pinch and food. The powerful enhancing action of cocaine on DA release, triggered by significant environmental stimuli and associated with behaviours of different types, is considered to be a possible primary mechanism of its rewarding or euphorigenic effect.


Biochemical characterization of EphA2 antagonists with improved physico-chemical properties by cell-based assays and surface plasmon resonance analysis.
Amino acid conjugates of lithocholic acid (LCA) have been recently described as effective disruptors of the EphA2-ephrin-A1 interaction able to inhibit EphA2 phosphorylation in intact cells and thus able to block prometastatic responses such as cellular retraction and angiogenesis. However, these LCA-based compounds were significantly more potent at disrupting the EphA2-ephrin-A1 interaction than at blocking phenotype responses in cells, which might reflect an unclear mechanism of action or a metabolic issue responsible for a reduction of the compound concentration at the cell's surface. Through the synthesis of new compounds and their examination by a combination of cell-based assays and real-time interaction analysis by surface plasmon resonance, we showed at molecular level that l-tryptophan conjugates of lithocholic acid disrupt EphA2-ephrin-A1 interaction by targeting the EphA 2 receptor and that the presence of a polar group in position 3 of steroid scaffold is a key factor to increase the effective concentration of the compounds in cancer cell lines.


"You nearly feel a little bit like you've less right to grieve": a qualitative study on the impact of cancer on adult siblings.
Family members of cancer patients experience a range of challenges and are impacted in various ways by cancer. To our knowledge, the impact of cancer on adult siblings has yet to be explored. Sibling relationships are one of the longest relationships individuals have across the lifespan. Thus, the current study sought to investigate the perspectives of siblings of those who previously had cancer. Ten participants were recruited using purposive sampling. A qualitative, cross-sectional design was implemented with both virtual and in-person semi-structured interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. The researchers identified five themes relating to both the impact of cancer on siblings and the supports they received: changes in family relationships, sibling's grief is forgotten, benefits of social support networks, supporting their sibling and caregiving and self-support. Cancer organizations and support services should focus on signposting services for siblings in order to ensure they can access support. Further research is needed with siblings to gain greater insight into what supports siblings feel are available for them to access, whether there are any for them to access or how supports can be improved. The provision of appropriate psychological support for siblings of cancer patients will ensure they can provide optimal support and care to their siblings. This will in turn benefit cancer patients along their cancer trajectory as adequate support from their caregivers will enhance their quality of life.


Transuterine transmission of Aspergillus terreus in a case of disseminated canine aspergillosis.
Aspergillus terreus was isolated from the organs of a German Shepherd pup removed from the bitch by cesarean intervention. In the following days, the bitch developed signs of canine disseminated aspergillosis and was euthanized. The fungus was isolated from a necrotic lesion in the uterus and other organs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the transuterine transmission of A. terreus during a case of canine disseminated aspergillosis.


Interleukin-6-producing cells in a human glioblastoma cell line are not affected by ionizing radiation.
We investigated the production of interleukin 6 (IL-6) by a radioresistant human glioblastoma cell line G5 after single radiation events of 3, 6 and 9 Gy. The total cell number and IL-6 concentration in culture supernatant were assessed 24-96 h after irradiation. The radiation impeded or stopped G5 cell growth in a dose-dependent manner, but unexpectedly did not affect the IL-6 concentration in cell culture media that increased in the same range as in non-irradiated cultures. Furthermore, using flow cytometry, we found that the IL-6 positive cells expansion was unaffected by radiation. These findings suggested that this small (about 1%) fraction of G5 cells, constitutively producing IL-6, is highly radioresistant.


Epidemiology of primary glaucoma: prevalence, incidence, and blinding effects.
Certain general conclusions can be drawn from a series of 56 studies on glaucoma prevalence. Even in the most recently published studies the rate of undiagnosed glaucoma is particularly high. Another fairly constant finding is the discrepancy between the clinical and epidemiologic diagnoses of glaucoma. The prevalence of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) has been increasing, and this trend is undoubtedly due at least in part to advances in diagnostic technology. The decreasing prevalence of primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) is due to the adoption of more stringent criteria for the diagnosis of this form of glaucoma. Prevalence increases proportionately with age for each racial group. African or African origin populations had the highest POAG prevalence at all ages but the increase in prevalence of POAG is steeper for white populations. PACG is commonest in Asian ethnic groups, with the exception of the Japanese. Low-tension glaucoma (LTG) is quite common in the Japanese population. Over 80% of those with PACG live in Asia, while POAG disproportionately affects those of African derivation. Women are more affected by glaucoma. Very few incidence studies have been completed, because the cost of examining large samples is high. There are only two recent studies conducted on persons of African descent in Barbados (West Indies) and on white inhabitants of Rotterdam (Netherlands). Risk of incident glaucoma was highest among persons classified as having suspect POAG at baseline, followed by those with ocular hypertension. No difference in incidence of POAG between men and women was found. The more recent studies which included routine visual-field testing reveal rates of blinding glaucoma <10% in many countries, including those that are developing.


Pasifika women's knowledge and perceptions of cervical-cancer screening and the implementation of self-testing in Aotearoa New Zealand: A qualitative study.
In Aotearoa New Zealand, Pasifika women have a higher rate of cervical cancer incidence and mortality than European/Other women and a lower screening rate. Despite actions to reduce the barriers, there has been little change in screening coverage for Pasifika women since 2007. Novel strategies are therefore required. Persistent cervical infection with oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) causes virtually all cervical cancers and HPV testing will be implemented in Aotearoa in 2023, with women being able to choose to self-test. We undertook a qualitative focus group (FG) study with Pasifika women to explore their perspectives on the barriers to, and facilitators of, HPV self-testing and how best to implement this in Aotearoa. A trained female Pasifika Research Assistant facilitated participant recruitment and the FGs. Eligible participants self-identified as Pasifika, were aged 30-69 years, in the Wellington area, who had never been screened or who were overdue (≥5 years) for cervical-cancer screening. Recruitment was predominantly through Pasifika key-informant networks and in collaboration with Pasifika primary care providers. Participants were offered face-to-face FGs but, due to occasional Covid-19 restrictions and personal preferences, FGs via Zoom were also used. The FGs were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The FG transcripts were thematically analysed. Seven FGs were conducted with 24 participants. We identified five main themes around barriers and potential facilitators of HPV self-testing in Pasifika women: 1) perceptions and knowledge of cervical-cancer screening; 2) challenges to engaging in organised cervical screening; 3) perceptions of self-testing for HPV and challenges women face when deciding to self-test; 4) enthusiasm for an HPV self-test; and 5) information and communication. Knowledge about cervical cancer and screening varied considerably among participants, with some never having heard about cervical-cancer screening. The main challenges that were raised were personal privacy and confidentiality and time management. There was consensus around the need for adequate, consistent, and accurate accessible information to boost the confidence of women undertaking self-testing. In general, the participants were eager for self-testing to be made available soon. This was accompanied by the need for the promotion and implementation of self-testing to include a collective/community approach consistent with Pasifika worldviews. Although participants were enthusiastic about HPV self-testing, multi-level and interacting barriers exist to participation by Pasifika women in HPV self-testing. Implementation of self-testing in Aotearoa New Zealand should be accompanied by clear information about the entire process, using culturally appropriate tailored educational campaigns in different Pasifika languages. The study was supported by the Collaboration for Cancer Research Aotearoa New Zealand (CCR).


An electron microscopic study of lipid absorption in the pyloric caeca of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdnerii) fed wax ester--rich zooplankton.
Rainbow trout were killed 4 and 18 h after being fed wax ester-rich marine zooplankton and the absorptive epithelium of the pyloric caeca examined by electron microscopy. Numerous osmiophilic drops were seen in the lamina propria underlying the epithelium of fish killed at both times, but these drops were only abundant within columnar epithelial cells of fish killed 4 h after feeding. Pinocytotic profiles were not common at the luminal plasma membranes, nor were osmiophilic droplets seen in the terminal web area between the luminal plasma membrane and the extensive smooth endoplasmic reticulum. Numerous osmiophilic droplets, 30--100 nm in diameter, were present in the cisternae of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum with up to five separate droplets per individual cisterna. Columnar epithelial cells also contained up to 100 large osmiophilic drops ("conglomerates") which tended to be concentrated in the supranuclear (Golgi) regions. The conglomerates were 250--1200 nm in diameter and were themselves made up of smaller droplets 30--400 nm in diameter. Conglomerates were present both within intracellular membranes and free in the cytoplasm. Osmiophilic droplets in the intercellular spaces and lamina propria were similar in size to individual droplets within conglomerates. We conclude that triacylglycerols are elaborated in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum, transferred to and processed in the Golgi region and finally discharged serosally as chylomicron-like particles of not greater than 400 nm diameter.


Antibiotics from basidiomycetes. XVIII. Strobilurin C and oudemansin B, two new antifungal metabolites from Xerula species (Agaricales).
Two new antifungal (E)-beta-methoxyacrylates, strobilurin C and oudemansin B, were isolated from cultures of Xerula longipes and Xerula melanotricha. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Both antibiotics inhibit the growth of a wide variety of saprophytic and phytopathogenic fungi at very low concentrations. Like strobilurins A, B, and oudemansin A the new metabolites are potent inhibitors of respiration.


Antiseptic properties of two calix[4]arenes derivatives on the human coronavirus 229E.
Facing the lack in specific antiviral treatment, it is necessary to develop new means of prevention. In the case of the Coronaviridae this family is now recognized as including potent human pathogens causing upper and lower respiratory tract infections as well as nosocomial ones. Within the purpose of developing new antiseptics molecules, the antiseptic virucidal activity of two calix[4]arene derivatives, the tetra-para-sulfonato-calix[4]arene (C[4]S) and the 1,3-bis(bithiazolyl)-tetra-para-sulfonato-calix[4]arene (C[4]S-BTZ) were evaluated toward the human coronavirus 229E (HCoV 229E). Comparing these results with some obtained previously with chlorhexidine and hexamidine, (i) these two calixarenes did not show any cytotoxicity contrary to chlorhexidine and hexamidine, (ii) C[4]S showed as did hexamidine, a very weak activity against HCoV 229E, and (iii) the C[4]S-BTZ showed a stronger activity than chlorhexidine, i.e. 2.7 and 1.4log₁₀ reduction in viral titer after 5min of contact with 10⁻³mol L⁻¹ solutions of C[4]S-BTZ and chlorhexidine, respectively. Thus, the C[4]S-BTZ appeared as a promising virucidal (antiseptic) molecule.


A functional assessment of the relative cardiotoxicity of adriamycin and epirubicin in the rat.
The cardiotoxicity of the two anthracyclines, adriamycin and epirubicin, were studied in 14-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats after the intravenous administration of single doses of 1-4 mg/kg of adriamycin and 2-6 mg/kg of epirubicin. These doses of the two drugs were well tolerated with little acute toxicity. Acute toxicity was characterised by a transient reduction in body weight with recovery within 14 days. The cardiac output of the rats was measured at 4-weekly intervals, for up to 20 weeks, using an external counting technique with the radioactive tracer, 99mTc. The time-related changes in cardiac function in the rat after adriamycin and epirubicin were similar. The time course of the changes in cardiac output were biphasic. There was an initial phase of rapid decline in cardiac output in the first 12 weeks (phase I) and a second phase of persistent depression in cardiac function (phase II) after 12 weeks. The late progression of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity could be predicted from the measurements of cardiac output at 12 weeks. The relative cardiotoxicity of adriamycin and epirubicin was evaluated from the reductions in cardiac output and from the incidence of deaths related to cardiotoxicity. Both methods of evaluation showed that adriamycin was approximately twice as cardiotoxic as epirubicin. This relationship was independent both of the dose level of drugs used and of the damage level used for the evaluation. Dose-response curves were steeper for adriamycin than for epirubicin. The present findings agree with the somewhat limited clinical data suggesting that the present rat model is highly predictive and clinically relevant.


Shoulder pain: are there predictive factors of response to treatment and of ultrasound findings?
Shoulder pain is a common cause of consultation in Primary Health Care, and may correspond to up to 30% of the reasons for consultation. Pathology of the rotator cuff is the most common cause of pain. Ultrasound is a valuable diagnostic tool in assessing shoulder disorders; it can be as effective as magnetic resonance imaging. To determine the predictive factors of response to treatment and ultrasound findings in shoulder pain. We performed an analysis of the patients' cases sent to the rheumatology consultation with shoulder pain, every patient had an echography shoulder evaluation, and the rheumatologist decided treatment based on the guidelines for the treatment of shoulder tendinopathies. The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) and muscle relaxant medications as well as the following techniques: corticosteroids local injection, barbotage, capsular distension and physiotherapy programs were some of the variables assessed. Posteriorly, the patients were clinically assessed in a follow-up visit. A total of 119 patients were evaluated. There was a statistically significant relationship between the time from the beginning of the symptomatology and treatment response. Diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension and dyslipidaemia were statistically significantly associated with some rotator cuff lesions and distention of the subscapular bursa. Age is the main predictor of rotator cuff ultrasound findings. In patients with shoulder pain, early intervention positively influences the response to treatment. Thus, it is important that these patients are evaluated more promptly. Some comorbidities seem to be associated with a higher risk of specific rotator cuff lesions. No relationship was found between response to treatment and age, sex, occupation, previous treatments or type of therapy selected. The associations found in this study seem to have clinical implications. Prevention of rotator cuff disease is a matter of major relevance as well as early institution of treatment.


[Genetic causes of impaired wound healing. Rare differential diagnosis of the non-healing wound].
Chronic leg ulcers affect about 1% of the German population. The intense search for the underlying cause of impaired wound healing is an essential requirement for successful therapy. The most common causes comprise chronic venous insufficiency (70%), peripheral arterial occlusive disease (10%) and diabetes mellitus. Besides vasculitis, infectious diseases and tumors, genetic diseases may constitute the underlying cause for impaired wound healing. In this review various rare genetic diseases causing chronic wounds like the Klinefelter-Syndrome, immunological diseases including the TAP-deficiency-syndrome and the leukocyte adhesion deficiency-syndromes, red blood cell disorders, thalassemia, thrombotic diseases, progeroid syndromes and inherited connective tissue disorders are presented.


Mosaic particles formed by wild-type hepatitis B virus core protein and its deletion variants consist of both homo- and heterodimers.
Co-expression in Escherichia coli of wild-type (wt) hepatitis B virus core protein (HBc) and its naturally occurring variants with deletions at amino acid positions 77-93 or 86-93 leads to formation of mosaic particles, which consist of three dimer subunit compositions. These compositions are wt/variant HBc heterodimers and two types of homodimers, formed by wt HBc or the variant HBc themselves. Mosaic particles were found also when both HBc deletion variants 77-93 and 86-93 were co-expressed in E. coli. These findings are discussed in terms of their significance for hepatitis B virus pathogenesis and prospective use of mosaic particles in vaccine development.


Famciclovir (FAMVIR).
Famciclovir is an antiviral with efficacy and safety comparable to aciclovir, but famciclovir's more favorable pharmacokinetic profile enables a less frequent dosing regimen. Future trials will likely determine famciclovir's role in the suppression of HBV.


Effect of xenon binding to a hydrophobic cavity on the proton pumping cycle in bacteriorhodopsin.
To understand the functional role of apolar cavities in bacteriorhodopsin, a light-driven proton pump found in Halobacterium salinarum, we investigated the crystal structure in pressurized xenon or krypton. Diffraction data from the P622 crystal showed that one Xe or Kr atom binds to a preexisting hydrophobic cavity buried between helices C and D, located at the same depth from the membrane surface as Asp96, a key residue in the proton uptake pathway. The occupation fraction of Xe or Kr was calculated as approximately 0.32 at a pressure of 1 MPa. In the unphotolyzed state, the binding of Xe or Kr caused no large deformation of the cavity. However, the proton pumping cycle was greatly perturbed when an aqueous suspension of purple membrane was pressurized with xenon gas; that is, the decay of the M state was accelerated significantly (~5 times at full occupancy), while the decay of an equilibrium state of N and O was slightly decelerated. A similar but much smaller perturbation in the reaction kinetics was observed upon pressurization with krypton gas. In a glycerol/water mixture, xenon-induced acceleration of M decay became less significant in proportion to the water activity. Together with the structure of the xenon-bound protein, these observations suggest that xenon binding helps water molecules permeate into apolar cavities in the proton uptake pathway, thereby accelerating the water-mediated proton transfer from Asp96 to the Schiff base.


Root form and canal anatomy of maxillary first premolars: a cone-beam computed tomography study.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the root and canal morphology of permanent maxillary first premolars in a Polish population using cone-beam computed tomography scanning (CBCT) and to compare the classifications by Vertucci and Ahmed et al. Images of 350 maxillary first premolars were analyzed. Scans were obtained from 226 patients: 131 women and 95 men. The root canal configurations were classified according to Vertucci and a new system by Ahmed et al. In addition, the number of roots and the level where roots bifurcated were identified. The results were submitted to statistical analysis. Most maxillary first premolars had two roots (69.1%). Most bifurcations were located in the coronal part of the root (44.2%) and the least in the apical part (15.3%). Bifurcation in the coronal part of the root was observed more often in the teeth of men than women. In turn, bifurcation in the central or apical part was significantly more common in women than in men. The most common canal configuration of the maxillary first premolars was type IV (78.2%) according to Vertucci and 2FPB1P1 (65.4%) according to the new classification. Among the remaining cases, almost all types of canals described by Vertucci, and many combinations of codes given in the new classification were demonstrated. The maxillary first premolars displayed a wide range of root and canal anatomical variations. The new system for classifying canal morphology based on Ahmed et al. is more accurate than the Vertucci classification.


Chronic anemia due to mitomycin C is drug dose-dependent, normocytic, progressive, related to erythropoietin levels and quantitatively predictable: implications for radiochemotherapy.
Mitomycin C (MC) is used as therapy against solid tumors, also combined with other chemotherapeutic agents or radiotherapy. It may cause acute, subacute, or chronic anemia capable of modifying the results of chemo- and radiotherapy. Erythropoietin may be lowered by cancer itself or because of chemoradiotherapy. There are few studies investigating the relationship between erythropoietin and chronic anemia.We prospectively analyzed the chronic anemia and erythropoietin in 38 patients with solid cancer. Patients were 40 to 82 years of age. MC was randomly given every 3 weeks as a single drug at 10 or 20 mg/m². When myelotoxicity occurred the next therapy cycle was delayed until recovery. RBC indices, hemolysis, erythropoietin, liver and kidney function were studied. MC cycles were 136 (3.6 ± 1.4 per pt), 32 being delayed because of myelotoxicity.Hematocrit, hemoglobin and RBC were inversely related to the cumulative dose (r = 0.70 to 0.86; p 0.03 to 0.01) of MC. Other tests remained stable. Anemia occurred almost twofold earlier in the 20 mg/m² group (p=0.049). basal erythropoietin, already lower than in age and sex watched 81 non cancerous subjects (p<0.001), decreased during MC therapy (p<0.01). For each given MC mg/m² a 0.0372 Hb mg/dl reduction occurred. Chronic anemia due to MC is accompanied by erythropoietin reduction. These results can help in designing chemoradiotherapy.


Examining data visualization pitfalls in scientific publications.
Data visualization blends art and science to convey stories from data via graphical representations. Considering different problems, applications, requirements, and design goals, it is challenging to combine these two components at their full force. While the art component involves creating visually appealing and easily interpreted graphics for users, the science component requires accurate representations of a large amount of input data. With a lack of the science component, visualization cannot serve its role of creating correct representations of the actual data, thus leading to wrong perception, interpretation, and decision. It might be even worse if incorrect visual representations were intentionally produced to deceive the viewers. To address common pitfalls in graphical representations, this paper focuses on identifying and understanding the root causes of misinformation in graphical representations. We reviewed the misleading data visualization examples in the scientific publications collected from indexing databases and then projected them onto the fundamental units of visual communication such as color, shape, size, and spatial orientation. Moreover, a text mining technique was applied to extract practical insights from common visualization pitfalls. Cochran's Q test and McNemar's test were conducted to examine if there is any difference in the proportions of common errors among color, shape, size, and spatial orientation. The findings showed that the pie chart is the most misused graphical representation, and size is the most critical issue. It was also observed that there were statistically significant differences in the proportion of errors among color, shape, size, and spatial orientation.


Children in limbo: a study of New York City "boarder babies".
Some children not in need of medical care are living on hospital wards-some spend a few days, some, many years. This article presents the findings of a pilot study made to find out who these children are and why they are there. It suggests that stigmatizing labels as well as bureaucratic indifference may contribute to the denial of alternate care for these children.


Erratum: Studying Communication Problems for Emergency Management of SARS and H7N9 in China.
[This corrects the article on p. 177 in vol. 10, PMID: 30581257.].


Inflammatory nail conditions. Part 1: nail changes in psoriasis.
Nail changes are visible in a variety of inflammatory dermatoses. The commonest dermatological condition with nail manifestations is chronic plaque psoriasis. This two-part article reviews the nail signs in psoriasis in Part 1, and the nail changes in cutaneous lichen planus and alopecia areata in Part 2. It provides a brief summary of the salient points in the clinical features, management and prognosis of these entities, with practical recommendations that may be beneficial to all dermatologists.


Epsilon wave uncovered by exercise test in a patient with desmoplakin-positive arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.
Epsilon waves are a major criterion for the diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) but are an insensitive sign. Recently, exercise testing has been shown to uncover epsilon waves in asymptomatic patients carrying mutations in the PKP2 gene. We describe a case of an asymptomatic carrier of a mutation in the DSP gene who had a normal baseline electrocardiogram and an exercise-induced epsilon wave. This finding suggests that exercise testing may be valuable for the diagnosis of ARVC and that exercise-induced epsilon waves may be found in various genetic subtypes of this disease.


Value of a centralized surveillance system during a national epidemic of endophthalmitis.
A centralized registry of cases was established when it became apparent that an outbreak of Candida parapsilosis endophthalmitis in California was due to intrinsic contamination of a nationally distributed ocular irrigation solution. The purposes were to detect cases, to identify patients at risk, to collect and disseminate clinical information regarding the infection, and to make available information and experience regarding treatment. As a result of these efforts, all patients exposed to the solution were reviewed by their physicians and numerous cases of infection were detected. In contrast, Food and Drug Administration-mandated procedures, traditionally focused on manufacturing standards, were effective in recalling the contaminated solution but failed to provide physicians with adequate information to identify and care for patients at risk.


Cerebro-cerebellar functional connectivity profile of an epilepsy patient with periventricular nodular heterotopia.
Periventricular nodular heterotopia (PNH) is a rare malformation of cortical development often associated with drug resistant focal onset epilepsy. The link between nodules and neocortex have been demonstrated with depth electrodes investigations showing that seizures may arise from both structures. In the last years fMRI resting-state (fMRI-RS) have received a surge in interest due to its capability to track non-invasively physiological and pathological relevant differences in brain network organization. We performed a cerebro-cerebellar voxel-wise and region-of-interest resting state fMRI (RS-fMRI) functional connectivity analysis in a seizure-free epilepsy patient with a PNH in the right temporal horn. Our finding confirms a spontaneous synchronization between PNH and its surrounding cortex, specifically in the inferior temporal, fusiform and occipital gyrus. We also found a significant connectivity with bilateral cerebellum, more intense and widespread on the PNH cerebellar contralateral lobule. RS-fMRI confirmed its potential as a promising tool for non-invasive mapping of cortical and subcortical brain functional organization.


Guiding future paediatric drug studies based on existing pharmacokinetic and efficacy data: Cardiovascular drugs as a proof of concept.
Off-label drug use in the paediatric population is common, and the lack of high-quality efficacy studies poses patients at risk for failing pharmacotherapy. Next to efficacy studies, pharmacokinetic (PK) studies are increasingly used to inform paediatric dose selection. As resources for paediatric trials are limited, we aimed to summarize existing PK and efficacy studies to identify knowledge gaps in available evidence supporting paediatric dosing recommendations, thereby taking paediatric cardiovascular drugs as proof of concept. For each cardiovascular drug, paediatric indication and prespecified age group, together comprising one record, the authorized state was assessed. Next, for off-label records, the highest level of evidence was scored. High-quality efficacy studies were defined as meta-analysis or randomized controlled trials. Other comparative research, noncomparative research or consensus-based expert opinions were considered low quality. The level of evidence for PK studies was scored per drug and per age group, but regardless of indication. A total of 58 drugs included 417 records, of which 279 (67%) were off-label. Of all off-label records, the majority (81%) were not supported by high-quality efficacy studies, but for 140 of these records (62%) high-quality PK studies were available. We demonstrated that for the majority of off-label cardiovascular drugs, only low-quality efficacy studies were available. However, high-quality PK studies were frequently available. Combining these PK data with extrapolation of efficacy data from adults may help to close the current information gap and prioritize the drugs for which clinical studies and safety data are urgently needed.


[Standardisation of radioprotection dosimetry (author's transl)].
Reference is made to the need for reliable standardisation of the dosimetry of ionising radiations for the purposes of protection. The position in Italy and its deficiencies are examined, and organisational models adopted in other countries are described, along with ways in which suitable solutions to the Italian situation could be found.


Responsiveness to stimulation during paradoxical sleep in infants.
11 healthy children were repeatedly studied during 2 sleep cycles in 2 sessions at 2,6, 12 and 20 wk of life. Three acoustic stimuli, light and tactile stimulus were applied in a randomized order in intervals ranging randomly from 30 to 120 sec. Continuous polygraphic recordings were made of respiration, REMs, EEG and EMG of biceps and triceps brachii. The effect of stimuli on the length of paradoxical sleep, REMs and EMG was assessed. There were age-related changes in the number of REMs after stimuli. At 2 and 6 wk no stimulus elicited any change. At 12 wk the children responded with an increased number of rapid eye movements to acoustic stimuli, at 20 wk they responded to acoustic stimuli and light. The conclusion is that, as far as REMs are concerned, responsiveness during paradoxical sleep changes with age. There was a difference in the incidence of EOG responses and EMG responses. These findings show that it is not possible to assess responsiveness in infants during PS by one measure only.


Endoscopic decompression in "toxic megacolon".
Endoscopic decompression of the bowel in "toxic megacolon" is presented in two cases as an alternative procedure to Turnbull's technique using multiple bowel fistulas. In our opinion this technique seems to be a substantial improvement in the treatment of "toxic megacolon" and may even help to prevent ileotomy-colotomy in some cases.


MicroRNAs and target molecules in bladder cancer.
Bladder cancer (BC) is considered as one of the most common malignant tumors in humans with complex pathogenesis including gene expression variation, protein degradation, and changes in signaling pathways. Many studies on involved miRNAs in BC have demonstrated that they could be used as potential biomarkers in the prognosis, response to treatment, and screening before the cancerous phenotype onset. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate many cellular processes through their different effects on special targets along with modifying signaling pathways, apoptosis, cell growth, and differentiation. The diverse expression of miRNAs in cancerous tissues could mediate procedures leading to the oncogenic or suppressor behavior of certain genes in cancer cells. Since a specific miRNA may have multiple targets, an mRNA could also be regulated by multiple miRNAs which further demonstrates the actual role of miRNAs in cancer. In addition, miRNAs can be utilized as biomarkers in some cancers that cannot be screened in the early stages. Hence, finding blood, urine, or tissue miRNA biomarkers by novel or routine gene expression method could be an essential step in the prognosis and control of cancer. In the present review, we have thoroughly evaluated the recent findings on different miRNAs in BC which can provide comprehensive information on better understanding the role of diverse miRNAs and better decision making regarding the new approaches in the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, and treatment of BC.


G-protein-coupled receptor-associated A-kinase anchoring proteins AKAP5 and AKAP12: differential trafficking and distribution.
A-kinase Anchoring Proteins (AKAPs) define an expanding group of scaffold proteins that display a signature binding site for the RI/RII subunit of protein kinase A. AKAP5 and AKAP12 are multivalent (with respect to protein kinases and phosphatases) and display the ability to associate with the prototypic member of G protein-coupled receptors, the beta(2)-adrenergic receptor. We probed the relative abundance, subcellular distribution and localization of AKAP5 and AKAP12 in human embryonic kidney HEK293 and epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells. HEK293 cells are relatively rich in AKAP5 (found mostly in association with the cell membrane); whereas A431 cells are rich in AKAP12 (found distributed both in the cytoplasm and in association with the cell membrane). In biochemical analysis of subcellular fractions and in whole-cell imaging, the membrane localization of AKAP5 was decreased in response to treating cells with the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol, whereas membrane association of AKAP12 was increased initially in response to agonist treatment. These data demonstrate quantitatively a clearly different pattern of AKAP-receptor association for AKAP5 versus AKAP12. AKAP5 remains associated with its G-protein-coupled receptor, at the cell membrane, docked with the receptor during agonist-induced internalization and later receptor recycling after agonist wash-out. AKAP12-receptor docking, in contrast, is dynamic, driven by agonist stimulation (accounting for movement of AKAP12 from the cytoplasm to the cell membrane). AKAP12 then is internalized with the beta(2)-adrenergic receptor, but segregates away from the G-protein-coupled receptor upon recycling of the internalized receptor to the cell membrane. Thus these homologous, AKAPs that dock G-protein-coupled receptors have markedly different patterns of trafficking, docking, and re-distribution.


A longitudinal mixed methods study describing 4th year baccalaureate nursing students' perceptions of inclusive pedagogical strategies.
Creating inclusive learning environments-those in which all students thrive-is a priority as nursing educators are charged with preparing a diverse workforce to care for a diverse patient population. Yet, faculty are hindered by a dearth of evidence-based pedagogical strategies to promote inclusion. This longitudinal mixed methods study uniquely addresses this evidence gap by describing relationships among inclusive pedagogical strategies and student outcomes in 81 4th-year baccalaureate nursing students. Across the academic year, students participated in two focus groups and completed surveys at three timepoints on classroom and clinical belongingness, self-confidence and satisfaction with learning, and self-efficacy in the clinical setting. Students' reports of satisfaction and confidence in learning, clinical self-efficacy, and clinical belongingness were significantly higher when they characterized their learning environment as inclusive. Underrepresented students, however, reported significantly lower classroom and clinical belongingness at all three survey timepoints and shared examples of unaddressed breaches in inclusivity which undermined confidence and belongingness. Focus group participants evaluated pedagogical strategies and highlighted faculty's pivotal role in creating inclusive learning environments. Inclusive pedagogical strategies may increase students' sense of belongingness, satisfaction and confidence in learning, and self-efficacy. Study results may assist faculty and inform future interventions.


Genetic marker of norepinephrine synthesis predicts individual differences in post-error slowing: a pilot study.
When our brain detects the commission of an error, we slow down immediately thereafter: a phenomenon called post-error slowing (PES). Some researchers have speculated that slowing after unexpected errors or negative feedback is related to the activity of the neuromodulatory locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system. In the present pilot study, we tested whether individual differences in the size of PES are related to differences in genetic predisposition related to norepinephrine synthesis. In a sample of 100 healthy adults, we studied the dependency of an individual's size of PES on the DBH5'-ins/del polymorphism-a variation in the DBH gene associated with the production of the enzyme dopamine β-hydroxylase, which catalyzes the conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine. DBH5'-ins/del heterozygotes, who have intermediate levels of plasma DβH activity, showed increased PES in a Simon task compared to del/del homozygotes and ins/ins homozygotes, who have low and high levels of plasma DβH activity, respectively. This outcome pattern presents preliminary evidence that the size of PES varies with DβH activity and, presumably, NE release according to an inverted U-shape: intermediate levels of DβH activity and NE release are associated with larger post-error adjustments.


Virulence factors, antimicrobial resistance pattern and molecular analysis of Enterococcal strains isolated from burn patients.
The enterococci are emerging as a significant cause of hospital acquired infections. The pathogenesis of enterococci is attributed to the production of virulence factors and resistance to antibiotics. The purpose of the study was to assess the prevalence of genes encoding virulence factor, antimicrobial resistance determinant and molecular characteristic of enterococci isolated from burn patients. A total of 57 enterococci isolated from wound specimens of patients with burn injury were characterized by phenotypic and genotypic methods. The efaA was the most frequently detected gene (100%), followed by ace (89.1%), asa1 (54.3%), gelE (50%), cylA (30.4%), esp (23.9%) and hyl (8.7%) among Enterococcus faecalis isolates. The Enterococcus faecium strains carried asa1 and ace genes. All isolates were susceptible to tigecycline and vancomycin. Inducible resistance to clindamycin was not observed and 64% of isolates had resistance to erythromycin. High-level gentamicin resistance (HLGR) was seen in 65.2% of E. faecalis strains. The aac(6')-Ie-aph(2″)-Ia gene was found in 47.8% of E. faecalis isolates. Our data indicated that the efaA, ace and asa1 were most frequent genes encoding virulence factors among Enterococci isolated from burn wound infection and the incidence of virulence factor genes was higher in E. faecalis rather than other isolates. The molecular analysis demonstrated high genetic diversity among Enterococcus populations from burn patients.


Evidence that the hamster tunicamycin resistance gene encodes UDP-GlcNAc:dolichol phosphate N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase.
A cDNA clone isolated from Chinese hamster ovary cells conferred elevated GlcNAc-1-P-transferase (GPT) activity and resistance to tunicamycin in transfected cells (Zhu, X., and Lehrman, M. A. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 14250-14255). It had been assumed that this cDNA, termed TRG for tunicamycin resistance gene, encoded GPT enzyme. However, other functions were not ruled out. Thus, by one of several mechanisms, the TRG protein could have instead functioned by activation of the transfected host's endogenous GPT enzyme. To analyze the biochemical function of the TRG protein, hamster TRG cDNA was stably expressed at high levels in Chinese hamster ovary cells. In addition, several antipeptide polyclonal antibodies directed against the predicted TRG protein were obtained. With these tools in hand, experiments were performed to test the hypothesis that the TRG encodes GPT enzyme, as well as to rule out other possible functions for the TRG protein. These experiments included examination of the effects of solubilization of membranes on TRG-dependent GPT activity, the apparent binding of tunicamycin to the TRG protein, and the immunoadsorption of GPT activity with TRG protein-specific antibodies. From these results, we conclude that the hamster TRG most likely encodes GPT enzyme.


Adherence of Helicobacter pylori cells and their surface components to HeLa cell membranes.
Four Helicobacter pylori strains were used to develop in vitro methods to assess adherence to HeLa cells. Using direct detection by microscopy, adhesion scores increased with the initial bacteria-to-cell ratio. The urease method assessed H. pylori bound to HeLa cells by their urease activity. The percentage of the original inoculum adhering to HeLa cells remained constant for initial ratios from 10(2) to 10(5) bacteria per cell. An ELISA using anti-H. pylori serum assessed whole bacteria or components bound to HeLa cell fractions. By all three methods, the four H. pylori strains were adherent to HeLa cells or membranes whereas Campylobacter fetus and Providencia control strains were not. The adherence of H. pylori whole cells decreased following extraction with saline, water, or glycine buffer and most of the superficial adhering material (SAM) was present in the saline or water extracts. SAM bound better to HeLa membranes than to calf fetuin or bovine serum albumin (BSA); binding was inhibited by preincubation of SAM with HeLa membranes but not with fetuin or BSA or by pretreatment of HeLa membranes with neuraminidase. These data indicate that SAM has a specific receptor on the HeLa cell membranes. By gel exclusion chromatography of bacterial extracts, the most adherent components were found in the fractions which also contained the highest urease activity; these fractions included urease subunit antigens. We conclude that adherence of H. pylori can be assessed by microtiter assays and involves bacterial surface material which co-purifies with urease and is different from the N-acetyl-neuraminyl-lactose binding hemagglutinin.


Follicle-stimulating hormone is negatively associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a Chinese elderly population: a retrospective observational study.
Several studies have explored the connection between follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the impact of FSH elevation on NAFLD remains a topic of debate. Hence, this investigation aimed to evaluate the potential correlation between FSH levels and NAFLD in the aging population. This was a retrospective observational cross-sectional study between July 2017 and August 2018 in our hospital. We used data obtained from 455 patients over 60 years old. Anthropometrics and laboratory tests were performed for each patient. NAFLD was diagnosed by sonographic features and the fatty liver index (LFI). Of the 455 patients, 200 (43.96%) had NAFLD on their ultrasound and 169 (37.14%) had NAFLD according to the LFI. An intraclass correlation coefficient of the two methods was 80.4% (P < 0.001). People with NAFLD on their ultrasound showed lower FSH levels (52.68 vs. 61.39 IU/L) and more unfavorable metabolic profiles. FSH was negatively correlated with age, alanine aminotransferase, estradiol, testosterone, systolic blood pressure, waist, body mass index, fasting blood glucose, postload plasma glucose and positive associated with total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol by Spearman correlation analysis (all P < 0.05). By controlling for all confounding factors, the odds ratios (OR) of FSH for NAFLD were determined in elderly individuals, both men and women, aged 60-70 years and over 70 years. These ORs were found to be 0.937, 0.982, 0.983, and 0.973, respectively, with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) of 0.892-0.984 (P = 0.009), 0.971-0.993 (P = 0.002), 0.967-0.999 (P = 0.033), and 0.958-0.989 (P = 0.001). In addition, our findings demonstrated no significant correlation between FSH and advanced fibrosis when adjusting for potential covariates. The OR for advanced fibrosis was 0.979 (95% CI, 0.938-1.022, P = 0.339). Additionally, ROC curve analysis showed an optimal cut-off value of 66.91 for women and 15.25 for men for NAFLD diagnosis. There was an inverse relationship observed between levels of FSH in the blood serum and NAFLD in the elderly population. These findings suggest that reduced FSH levels might serve as a potential risk factor or biomarker for NAFLD in the elderly.


Multi-parametric sensing by multi-channel molecular fluorescent probes based on excited state intramolecular proton transfer and charge transfer processes.
Considering the applications of fluorescent probes and the information they provide, their brightness of fluorescence and photostability are of paramount importance. However, in the case of steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy, the amount of information can be increased by the application of multi-channel probes, via a multi-band fluorophore introduced in the probe molecule. In most cases, the use of such a multi-band (or multi-channel) fluorophore can also be combined with the concomitant introduction of one or several analyte receptors. Most often, the design of ratiometric probes with multi-band fluorescence emission are based on phenomena such as photoinduced intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) or excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT). Although ICT probes were up to recently the most popular, ESIPT probes and among them 3-hydroxyflavone derivatives, were shown to be the most productive. Several general problems were resolved by this family of probes, as for example the measurement of local dielectric constant, local H-bond accepting ability, water local concentration and ATP concentration in small volumes. Incorporation of such multi-channel probes into lipid membranes allowed to measure the different membrane potentials and to detect cell apoptosis. Also, it enabled to recognize and characterize the rafts formation in different lipid bilayers and peculiar features of the charged membrane interface. Such probes are also able to provide a concentration-dependent fluorescence signals upon binding of H+, Mg2+and Ba2+ions, and thus to recognize these different cations. The multi-channel probes are effective tools in the study of interactions of macromolecules such as peptides, proteins and nucleic acids. The most useful feature is that they inform simultaneously about several physical parameters, in this way giving a better insight in the investigated system. Thus, by comparing the reviewed probes with other modern fluorescent approaches, it can be concluded they are more informative and accurate tools.


[Professional consequences of systemic sclerosis].
Work disability is a major issue in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and seems to be substantially higher than other connective tissue diseases. Working ability results from complex interactions between factors related to socio-demographic characteristics, SSc specificities and working conditions. Working ability is related to global disability, altered hand function, fatigue, pain, type of work and opportunities to adapt workstation. Work disability is responsible for reduced income in patients with SSc.


Challenges of Applying Automated Polysomnography Scoring at Scale.
Automatic polysomnography analysis can be leveraged to shorten scoring times, reduce associated costs, and ultimately improve the overall diagnosis of sleep disorders. Multiple and diverse strategies have been attempted for implementation of this technology at scale in the routine workflow of sleep centers. The field, however, is complex and presents unsolved challenges in a number of areas. Recent developments in computer science and artificial intelligence are nevertheless closing the gap. Technological advances are also opening new pathways for expanding our current understanding of the domain and its analysis.


The value of magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of orbital floor fractures.
The value of MRI in the diagnosis of acute orbital floor fractures has not been clearly defined. We therefore compared MR findings with CT findings in patients with orbital trauma. In 30 patients with isolated orbital trauma both coronal CT and coronal MRI were used to examine the orbits and the adjacent paranasal sinuses. Visualization of anatomical landmarks, the kind and extent of traumatic lesions, as well as artifacts were scored. The scores were compared using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test. Interexamination agreement between the two methods was calculated using a kappa analysis. All examinations had diagnostic quality: 30 fractures of the orbital floor (9 right and 21 left orbital floor fractures) were identified. In addition, CT showed fractures of the medial orbital wall in 19 patients (63.3%), of the lateral wall in 10 patients (33.3%), of the zygomatic arch in 2 patients (6.7%), and of the maxillary sinus in 4 patients (13.3%). Soft tissue herniation was shown in 13 patients (inferior rectus muscle twice, orbital fat in 11 cases). Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated soft tissue herniation in 21 patients: muscle in 4, orbital fat in 17 cases. Magnetic resonance imaging is able to demonstrate orbital floor fractures as sensitively as CT, but CT is superior to MRI in showing small and associated fractures; therefore, CT remains in orbital fractures the imaging modality of choice. Magnetic resonance imaging is superior to CT in showing soft tissue herniations; therefore, MRI may have a role as an adjunct to CT if soft tissue entrapment remains unclear.


Induction of Human Motor Cortex Plasticity by Theta Burst Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation.
Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) is a promising noninvasive brain stimulation technique with advantages of high spatial precision and ability to target deep brain regions. This study aimed to develop a TUS protocol to effectively induce brain plasticity in human subjects. An 80-second train of theta burst patterned TUS (tbTUS), regularly patterned TUS (rTUS) with the same sonication duration, and sham tbTUS was delivered to the motor cortex in healthy subjects. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to examine changes in corticospinal excitability, intracortical inhibition and facilitation, and the site of plasticity induction. The effects of motor cortical tbTUS on a visuomotor task and the effects of occipital cortex tbTUS on motor cortical excitability were also tested. The tbTUS produced consistent increase in corticospinal excitability for at least 30 minutes, whereas rTUS and sham tbTUS produced no significant change. tbTUS decreased short-interval intracortical inhibition and increased intracortical facilitation. The effects of TMS in different current directions suggested that the site of the plastic changes was within the motor cortex. tbTUS to the occipital cortex did not change motor cortical excitability. Motor cortical tbTUS shortened movement time in a visuomotor task. tbTUS is a novel and efficient paradigm to induce cortical plasticity in humans. It has the potential to be developed for neuromodulation treatment for neurological and psychiatric disorders, and to advance neuroscience research. ANN NEUROL 2022;91:238-252.


Constraining extreme precipitation projections using past precipitation variability.
Projected changes of future precipitation extremes exhibit substantial uncertainties among climate models, posing grand challenges to climate actions and adaptation planning. Practical methods for narrowing the projection uncertainty remain elusive. Here, using large model ensembles, we show that the uncertainty in projections of future extratropical extreme precipitation is significantly correlated with the model representations of present-day precipitation variability. Models with weaker present-day precipitation variability tend to project larger increases in extreme precipitation occurrences under a given global warming increment. This relationship can be explained statistically using idealized distributions for precipitation. This emergent relationship provides a powerful constraint on future projections of extreme precipitation from observed present-day precipitation variability, which reduces projection uncertainty by 20-40% over extratropical regions. Because of the widespread impacts of extreme precipitation, this has not only provided useful insights into understanding uncertainties in current model projections, but is also expected to bring potential socio-economic benefits in climate change adaptation planning.


Only one of a wide assortment of manganese-containing SOD mimicking compounds rescues the slow aerobic growth phenotypes of both Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains lacking superoxide dismutase enzymes.
A variety of manganese-containing coordination compounds, frequently termed superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimics, have been reported to have SOD activity in vitro and to be effective at improving conditions related to increased oxidative stress in multicellular organisms. We tested the effectiveness of several of these compounds in substituting for authentic SOD enzymes in two simple systems--the prokaryote Escherichia coli and the single-celled eukaryote, Saccharomyces cerevisiae--where strains are available that completely lack cytoplasmic SOD activity and are thus significantly impaired in their ability to grow aerobically. Most of the compounds tested, including Euk-8 and Euk-134, manganese salen derivatives developed by Eukarion; M40403, a manganese complex of a bis(cyclohexylpyridine)-substituted macrocyclic ligand developed by Metaphore; and several manganese porphyrin derivatives, were ineffective in both systems. Only the manganese tetrapyridyl porphyrin complex MnTM-2-PyP and two close relatives were effective in rescuing aerobic growth of E. coli lacking SOD, and, in the case of sod1Delta yeast, only MnTM-2-PyP itself was fully effective. Surprisingly, several compounds reported to be beneficial in other in vivo model systems (Euk-8, Euk-134, M40403) were actually toxic to these organisms lacking SOD, although they had no effect on the wild-type parent strains. Our results suggest the possibility that the beneficial effects of some of the so-called "SOD mimic drugs" may be due to some property other than in vivo superoxide dismutase activity.


Ensembles of change-point detectors: implications for real-time BMI applications.
Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) have been widely used to study basic and translational neuroscience questions. In real-time closed-loop neuroscience experiments, many practical issues arise, such as trial-by-trial variability, and spike sorting noise or multi-unit activity. In this paper, we propose a new framework for change-point detection based on ensembles of independent detectors in the context of BMI application for detecting acute pain signals. Motivated from ensemble learning, our proposed "ensembles of change-point detectors" (ECPDs) integrate multiple decisions from independent detectors, which may be derived based on data recorded from different trials, data recorded from different brain regions, data of different modalities, or models derived from different learning methods. By integrating multiple sources of information, the ECPDs aim to improve detection accuracy (in terms of true positive and true negative rates) and achieve an optimal trade-off of sensitivity and specificity. We validate our method using computer simulations and experimental recordings from freely behaving rats. Our results have shown superior and robust performance of ECPDS in detecting the onset of acute pain signals based on neuronal population spike activity (or combined with local field potentials) recorded from single or multiple brain regions.


Furosemide dynamics in conscious rabbits: modulation by arginine vasopressin.
The aims of this study were to assess the influence of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) on the pharmacodynamics and kinetics of furosemide. To this purpose, the response and the kinetics of furosemide (5 mg/kg i.v.) were studied in two groups of rabbits, one control and one receiving an infusion of AVP (2.5 ng/kg/min). The infusion of AVP generated mean plasma levels of 35 pg/ml, and in these rabbits osmolal clearance was increased, free water clearance was reduced, and renal plasma flow was reduced by 25% (p < 0.05). High AVP plasma levels increased the natriuresis (p < 0.01) and the urinary excretion of prostaglandin E2 (UPgE2V; p < 0.01). The increase in UPgE2V was associated with AVP plasma concentrations (r = 0.8248; p < 0.001). AVP reduced the increment in natriuresis and diuresis elicited by furosemide from 163 +/- 20 to 87 +/- 20 mumol/min (p < 0.05) and from 1.22 +/- 0.11 to 0.83 +/- 0.13 ml/min (p < 0.05). The infusion of AVP enhanced furosemide metabolic clearance but diminished its renal clearance, resulting in a decrease in the rate of furosemide urinary secretion. It was concluded that high plasma levels of AVP reduce furosemide natriuresis, presumably because of a decrease in furosemide urinary secretion.


Pathogenesis of Lactobacillus casei-induced polyarthritis in Lewis rats: 2. Time related changes in organ weights and liver enzymes.
Hepatic enzymes and organ weights were measured in LEW/N female rats during the acute and the chronic phases of L. casei-induced arthritis on day 3 and days 30 and 59, respectively. In the acute phase, day 3, adrenal and spleen weights were increased and thymus weights were decreased in L. casei arthritic rats as compared to normal control rats. Adrenal, liver, kidney, spleen and thymus weights of arthritic rats were in the normal range on days 30 and 59. Liver cytochrome P450, aminopyrine N-demethylase and analine hydroxylase were reduced in livers of L. casei-treated rats on day 3 as compared to normal controls. On days 30 and 59 hepatic enzymes in L. casei-arthritic rats were in the normal range. Unlike adjuvant arthritis in which changes in liver enzymes alter drug metabolism; after the acute onset of L. casei-induced arthritis, hepatic enzymes return to the normal range.


High-energy phosphates metabolism and recovery in reperfused ischaemic hearts.
The aim of this study was to assess how coronary flow, oxygen supply and energy demand affect myocardial ATP, phosphocreatine and their metabolites during oxygen shortage and recovery. Isolated rat hearts were exposed for 20 min to either low-flow ischaemia or hypoxaemia at the same oxygen supply, followed by return to baseline conditions (20 min). Seventy-three hearts were divided into four groups: ischaemic or hypoxaemic, spontaneously beating or paced to increase energy demand. During O2 shortage, myocardial performance was less in ischaemic, spontaneously beating hearts (SpIs), than in the other groups (14 +/- 1% of baseline vs. 25-48%). Consequently, the tissue levels of ATP, total adenylates and phosphocreatine were maintained in SpIs, in contrast to marked decreases in the other groups. Upon reflow, the recovery of performance and of myocardial ATP was 94 +/- 5% in SpIs (P = NS vs. baseline) compared with 64-85% (P < 0.05 vs. baseline) in the other groups. The degree of recovery was positively related to the ischaemic contents of ATP (P = 0.03) and adenylates (P = 0.001), but not to that of phosphocreatine (P = NS). The maintenance of the ATP pool under low oxygen supply conditions is essential for good recovery. The most important factors that determine the ATP pool size are the energy demand, which increases the formation of diffusible ATP catabolites, and the coronary flow, which removes these catabolites, rather than the oxygen supply per se.


Simultaneous recording of subcutaneous temperature and total locomotor activity in Bos taurus and Bos indicus raised in a subtropical region of Argentina.
The aim of this study was to evaluate some physiological parameters as total locomotor activity and subcutaneous temperature in two different bovine breeds under tropical environment. In this study, total locomotor activity and subcutaneous temperature were evaluated in 18 clinically healthy female cows. All cows were divided into 3 groups: group A1 was constituted by 6 Holstein Bos taurus, group A2 was constituted by 6 female Herford Bos taurus cows, and group B was constituted by 6 female Bradford Bos indicus cows. Data recording of total locomotor activity (TLA) and subcutaneous temperature (ST) was performed by means of a subcutaneous thermometer (Thermocron) and an actimeter ACTIWATCH® (Cambridge Neurotechnology Ltd.) based on accelerometer technologies equipped on all subjects to record TLA. At the same time, thermal and hygrometric recording were carried out, considering the subtropical climate of Santa Fe. The application of GLM for statistical analysis showed a significant effect (P < 0.05) on statistical model and time of the day on TLA and ST for all groups; no significative effects on animal parameters were found for ST and TLA except for group B. Circadian parameters have been evaluated according to the single cosinor procedure of ST that showed a diurnal daily rhythmicity for all investigated groups and TLA which is focused almost during the photophase for groups A1 and A2 and during scotophase for group B. Considering different species and breeds, and different environmental conditions, this study suggested that some subjects may be much more able to adapt themselves to environmental stress than others. During their evolution from Bos taurus, zebu cattle (Bos indicus) have acquired genes that confer thermotolerance. Subjects from Bos indicus breeds are better able to regulate body temperature in response to heat stress than Bos taurus subjects.


Familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in a neonate: Case report and literature review.
Familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (FHL) is a potentially fatal disease that rarely presents in the neonatal period. Timely diagnosis is a key challenge owing to the atypical clinical manifestations. Here, we describe a case of FHL type 3 with disease onset in the early neonatal period and review the relevant literature. Our findings may provide insights into the diagnosis and treatment of this rare disease. A 6-day-old male neonate presented with fever, hepatosplenomegaly, cytopenia, hyperferritinemia, hypofibrinogenemia, hemophagocytosis, and hypertriglyceridemia. Considering the clinical picture (prolonged fever, progressive hepatosplenomegaly, high triglycerides, low fibrinogen, and high ferritin), along with abnormal natural killer-cell activity, combining sequence analysis of genomic DNA results (compound heterozygous mutations of UNC13D), the patient was finally diagnosed with FHL type 3 (FHL3). The patient was initially treated with HLH-1994 protocol and subsequently switched to an oral regimen of ruxolitinib due to incomplete remission of the disease. The trend of change in weekly cytokine levels, neutrophil counts, hemoglobin, and platelet counts indicated that the complete remission was not achieved after the treatment of HLH-1994 protocol. The platelet counts fluctuated within the normal range after oral administration of ruxolitinib. But soon after, the patient did not respond to treatment and eventually died of respiratory failure. Timely diagnosis of FHL is challenging. This case report illustrates that thrombocytopenia can be the first clinical sign of FHL with neonatal onset. Genetic testing, detection of cytokines, and flow cytometry should be performed as soon as possible to confirm the diagnosis. Given the high morbidity and mortality of FHL, pediatricians should have a high suspicion index for this disease.


Burn treatment in a new burn unit in Gizan, Saudi Arabia.
During the 2 years and 9 months when a new burn unit was under Danish leadership, 348 admitted patients were treated. Exposure treatment and Ringer's lactate were used for burn shock. Due to lack of blood, infections and discharge against medical advice, only 106 patients had operations. Fifty-six patients died from their burns and concomitant diseases, 44 of these were women, often with very extensive burns. Our results are comparable to those reported from departments in similar geographic areas. The special problems in treatment are discussed.


Bone in the breast: A case report of a metaplastic breast cancer with osseous differentiation.
Metaplastic breast carcinoma is an uncommon malignant tumor with various pathologic subtypes. Diagnosis is often challenging due to the wide spectrum of clinical and imaging presentations. Here, we present the case of a very rare subtype of metaplastic breast carcinoma-a mixed-type metaplastic breast cancer with osseous differentiation in a 55-year-old female patient. The clinical presentation, imaging-pathology diagnosis, and treatment options are reviewed. Knowing this rarely reported but aggressive breast cancer is very important for clinicians to establish a timely diagnosis for effective management.


Using LinkedIn for Continuing Community of Practice Among Hand Surgeons Worldwide.
Hand surgeons need continuing professional development due to rapid advancement in the field. Traditional approaches have proven to be challenging due to the nature of surgical practice and other demands. Social media sites have shown the potential to build an online community of practice. One of the authors (VR) started Hand Surgery International on LinkedIn in February 2011. The number of members increased from 38 in the beginning to 4106 members by August 13, 2015, with members from all over the world. Half of them are from plastic surgery, with 16.8% hand and 17.8% orthopedic surgery; 63.8% of them are consultants. There were 151 discussion topics, which generated 1238 comments at an average of 8.2 comments per discussion thread. The topics focused on management of difficult patients, seeking consensus, and searching information. The features participants found most useful included case-based discussion, polls/surveys, and network opportunity. Members perceived the LinkedIn community as user-friendly and easy to use. It does not require significant technical knowledge. For the question "How would you rate the overall ease of using this platform?" 42% answered "strongly agree" and 37% "agree". The LinkedIn group serves as an effective means for continuing professional development for hand surgeons.


IrAM-An alpha2-macroglobulin from the hard tick Ixodes ricinus: characterization and function in phagocytosis of a potential pathogen Chryseobacterium indologenes.
The universal protease inhibitors of the alpha(2)-macroglobulin (alpha(2)M) family are evolutionarily conserved constituents of innate immunity, presumably because they guard organisms against undesired proteolytic attacks of a different origin. Here, we determined the primary structure of alpha(2)-macroglobulin from the hard tick Ixodes ricinus (IrAM) by sequencing of overlapping PCR products. Predicted disulfide and glycosylation patterns, post-translational cleavage and alternative splicing within its 'bait region' demonstrate that IrAM is closely related to the alpha(2)-macroglobulin from the soft tick Ornithodoros moubata. The IrAM message is expressed in all tick developmental stages and tissues, except for the gut, and the protein was detected to be mainly present in the hemolymph. Silencing of IrAM by dsRNA interference markedly reduced the phagocytosis of a potential pathogen, Chryseobacterium indologenes, by tick hemocytes both in vitro and in vivo. In contrast, phagocytosis of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi or a commensal bacteria Staphylococcus xylosus was not affected by the IrAM knock-down. Similar results were obtained upon deactivation of all thioester proteins in tick hemolymph by methylamine. We have further demonstrated that phagocytosis of C. indologenes is dependent on an active metalloprotease secreted by the bacteria. These data indicate that interaction of tick alpha(2)-macroglobulin with a protease of an invading pathogen is linked with cellular immune response.


Pelvic floor muscle activity patterns in women with and without stress urinary incontinence while running.
High-impact activities are often related to urine leakage in women, so deeper insight into continence mechanisms of pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) while running is needed. Therefore, simultaneous information about the intensity of PFM muscle activity and fibre recruitment behavior at each time point of the gait cycle can help in understanding PFM activity patterns. We aimed to analyse spectral changes of the pre- and post-initial contact phase during running at 3 different speeds and to compare women with stress urinary continence (SUI) to those without SUI by using a wavelet approach. PFM electromyography (EMG) was recorded during 7, 11 and 15km/h treadmill running and analysed with Morse wavelets. The relative distribution of power was extracted during 6 time intervals of 30ms, from 30ms before to 150ms after initial contact. We included 28 women without SUI (mean [SD] age 38.9 [10.3] years) and 21 with SUI (mean age 46.1 [9.9] years). The groups did not differ in power spectra for each time interval. However, we found significantly less EMG intensity in the lower frequency bands but more intensity in the higher frequency bands in the pre-initial contact phase than at post-initial contact. Morse wavelets could be used to extract differences between pre- and post-initial contact activation behavior of PFMs during different running speeds as well as spectral changes toward high or low frequencies. This information sheds light on specific differences in involuntary reflexive activation patterns while running. Muscular preparation and adaptation a few milliseconds before initial contact could be helpful.


Discontinuous foraging behavior of necrophagous Lucilia sericata (Meigen 1826) (Diptera Calliphoridae) larvae.
Larvae of the necrophagous Blowfly Lucilia sericata (Diptera Calliphoridae) live on vertebrate cadavers. Although continuously feeding was previously assumed for this species, we hypothesized that larvae do not feed constantly. According to this hypothesis, their crop should not always be full, which should be reflected in crop surfaces. We dissected and measured the crops of larvae of the same age and bred in the same conditions. Crop surfaces of 117 larvae just removed from the food ranged from 0 to 16.6 mm(2) (mean=5.325±2.84 mm(2)). The distribution of these crop surfaces indicates a continuous variation of satiation/feeding activity in the population. Starving experiments showed a quite long digestive process. After 90 min of starving, the decrease in crop surfaces became obvious, but 150 min were necessary to observe more than a half of the population with an empty crop (less than 2 mm(2)). No more differences were observed after 150, 180 and 240 min of starving. We finally used starved larvae to observe the kinetic of food absorption and the duration of the food-intake phase. Our results indicates that larvae can ingest faster than they digest. After 5 min spent in the food, 70% of the larvae had a crop surface larger or equal to 8 mm(2). We observed for the first time an over-feeding of the larvae, with high crop surfaces overrepresented compared to larvae never starved (control). Together, these results indicate that larvae do not feed continuously, and regulate their foraging behavior. We propose that the foraging behavior of the larvae creates a permanent movement inside the larval masses. This turnover/scramble competition may be linked to the larval-mass effect, i.e. the local temperature increase observed in large necrophagous larvae aggregates.


Learning Cascade Attention for fine-grained image classification.
Fine-grained image classification is a challenging task due to the large inter-class difference and small intra-class difference. In this paper, we propose a novel Cascade Attention Model using the Deep Convolutional Neural Network to address this problem. Our method first leverages the Spatial Confusion Attention to identify ambiguous areas of the input image. Two constraint loss functions are proposed: the Spatial Mask loss and the Spatial And loss; Second, the Cross-network Attention, applying different pre-train parameters to the two stream architecture. Also, two novel loss functions called Cross-network Similarity loss and Satisfied Rank loss are proposed to make the two-stream networks reinforce each other and get better results. Finally, the Network Fusion Attention merges intermediate results with the novel entropy add strategy to obtain the final predictions. All of these modules can work together and can be trained end to end. Besides, different from previous works, our model is fully weak-supervised and fully paralleled, which leads to easier generalization and faster computation. We obtain the state-of-the-art performance on three challenge benchmark datasets (CUB-200-2011, FGVC-Aircraft and Flower 102) with results of 90.8%, 92.1%, and 98.5%, respectively. The model will be publicly available at https://github.com/billzyx/LCA-CNN.


The gecko visual pigments: a microspectrophotometric study.
1. A dual system of visual pigments having absorbance maxima in the green and blue respectively has been found in the retinas of geckos both by single cell microspectrophotometry and by the method of extraction. Microspectrophotometry has shown the system to be present in four species of geckos representing four genera. Along with previous work with extracts (Crescitelli, 1972) this indicates a fundamental property in this family of lizards. No other photopigments have been detected.2. For Gekko gekko, the species most intensively studied, the two pigments have absorbance maxima at 521 and 467 nm respectively. Both are based on vitamin A(1) and both are characterized by absorbance spectra that nearly conform to the Dartnall nomogram.3. In situ, the 521-pigment is not temperature-sensitive, and has virtually the same absorbance spectrum at 23 degrees C as at 5 degrees C. On extraction into digitonin solution, however, the absorbance spectrum of the pigment becomes temperature-dependent and, though identical when measured at low temperature (2-5 degrees C) with the constant in situ curve, is displaced to shorter wave-lengths at higher temperatures (10-25 degrees C). Thus the extract spectrum is relevant to the in situ spectrum only at low temperature (and in the presence of chloride ions).4. Unlike the rhodopsins of several vertebrates, the gecko 521-pigment displays no evidence of a meta-III stage in the sequence of products following photic bleaching, even at low temperatures. This is true for the pigment in situ as well as in the extracted condition.


Costs of Summer Youth Employment to Prevent Violence: an Analysis and Implementer's Tool.
Gun homicide rates have risen 35% across the USA since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. One promising intervention to prevent violent crime is summer youth employment programs (SYEPs), which provide youth with meaningful workplace experiences, prosocial engagements, and developmental opportunities during the summer months, when many otherwise lack structure. This paper presents a cost analysis of violence prevention-focused SYEPs to help implementers understand the costs generally and in their own community contexts-to advocate for adoption and secure funding of, effectively budget for, and successfully implement SYEPs. Researchers use an ingredient-based costing approach and provide a template for implementers to use and adapt for their context. SYEPs with the goal of reaching youth who are justice-involved or at risk of being victims or perpetrators of violence can cost $3331 per youth assisted, with 54% of this cost directly paid to youth through stipends. Cost per youth is driven by the intensity of the mentoring and support that community organizations provide to the program participants. Knowing the cost per youth assisted can inform further analysis, implementation, and expansion of SYEPs.