Family-based analyses reveal novel genetic overlap between cytokine interleukin-8 and risk for suicide attempt.
Suicide is major public health concern. It is imperative to find robust biomarkers so that at-risk individuals can be identified in a timely and reliable manner. Previous work suggests mechanistic links between increased cytokines and risk for suicide, but questions remain regarding the etiology of this association, as well as the roles of sex and BMI. Analyses were conducted using a randomly-ascertained extended-pedigree sample of 1882 Mexican-American individuals (60% female, mean age = 42.04, range = 18-97). Genetic correlations were calculated using a variance components approach between the cytokines TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8, and Lifetime Suicide Attempt and Current Suicidal Ideation. The potentially confounding effects of sex and BMI were considered. 159 individuals endorse a Lifetime Suicide Attempt. IL-8 and IL-6 shared significant genetic overlap with risk for suicide attempt (ρg = 0.49, pFDR = 7.67 × 10-03; ρg = 0.53, pFDR = 0.01), but for IL-6 this was attenuated when BMI was included as a covariate (ρg = 0.37, se = 0.23, pFDR = 0.12). Suicide attempts were significantly more common in females (pFDR = 0.01) and the genetic overlap between IL-8 and risk for suicide attempt was significant in females (ρg = 0.56, pFDR = 0.01), but not in males (ρg = 0.44, pFDR = 0.30). These results demonstrate that: IL-8 shares genetic influences with risk for suicide attempt; females drove this effect; and BMI should be considered when assessing the association between IL-6 and suicide. This finding represents a significant advancement in knowledge by demonstrating that cytokine alterations are not simply a secondary manifestation of suicidal behavior, but rather, the pathophysiology of suicide attempts is, at least partly, underpinned by the same biological mechanisms responsible for regulating inflammatory response.


Rapid and scalable plant-based production of a cholera toxin B subunit variant to aid in mass vaccination against cholera outbreaks.
Cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) is a component of an internationally licensed oral cholera vaccine. The protein induces neutralizing antibodies against the holotoxin, the virulence factor responsible for severe diarrhea. A field clinical trial has suggested that the addition of CTB to killed whole-cell bacteria provides superior short-term protection to whole-cell-only vaccines; however, challenges in CTB biomanufacturing (i.e., cost and scale) hamper its implementation to mass vaccination in developing countries. To provide a potential solution to this issue, we developed a rapid, robust, and scalable CTB production system in plants. In a preliminary study of expressing original CTB in transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana, the protein was N-glycosylated with plant-specific glycans. Thus, an aglycosylated CTB variant (pCTB) was created and overexpressed via a plant virus vector. Upon additional transgene engineering for retention in the endoplasmic reticulum and optimization of a secretory signal, the yield of pCTB was dramatically improved, reaching >1 g per kg of fresh leaf material. The protein was efficiently purified by simple two-step chromatography. The GM1-ganglioside binding capacity and conformational stability of pCTB were virtually identical to the bacteria-derived original B subunit, as demonstrated in competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, surface plasmon resonance, and fluorescence-based thermal shift assay. Mammalian cell surface-binding was corroborated by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. pCTB exhibited strong oral immunogenicity in mice, inducing significant levels of CTB-specific intestinal antibodies that persisted over 6 months. Moreover, these antibodies effectively neutralized the cholera holotoxin in vitro. Taken together, these results demonstrated that pCTB has robust producibility in Nicotiana plants and retains most, if not all, of major biological activities of the original protein. This rapid and easily scalable system may enable the implementation of pCTB to mass vaccination against outbreaks, thereby providing better protection of high-risk populations in developing countries.


Bioimpedance vector analysis predicts hospital length of stay in acute heart failure.
Congestion in acute heart failure (AHF) affects survival curves and hospital length of stay (LOS). The evaluation of congestion, however, is not totally objective. The aim of this study was to verify the accuracy of bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) in predicting the LOS in AHF patients. This is a retrospective study. A total of 706 patients (367 male; mean age: 78 ± 10 y) who had been admitted to hospital with an AHF event were enrolled. All underwent anthropometric and clinical evaluation, baseline transthoracic echocardiography, and biochemical and BIVA evaluations. The comparison among the clinical characteristics of congestion, LOS, and hyperhydration status revealed that the higher the hydration status, the longer the LOS (from 7.36 d [interquartile range: 7.34-7.39 d] in normohydrated patients to 9.04 d [interquartile range: 8.85- 9.19 d] in severe hyperhydrated patients; P < 0.05). At univariate analysis, brain natriuretic peptide, blood urea nitrogen, New York Heart Association class, hemoglobin, hydration index, and peripheral edema all had a statistically significant influence on LOS. At multivariate analysis, only brain natriuretic peptide (P < 0.0001), blood urea nitrogen (P = 0.011), and hydration index (P < 0.0001) were significantly associated to LOS. Congestion evaluated by BIVA is an independent predictor of length of total hospital stay in HF patients with acute decompensation. The quick and reliable detection of congestion permits the administration of target therapy for AHF, thus reducing LOS and treatment costs.


Cruciferous vegetable consumption and multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of 41 systematic reviews and meta-analyses of 303 observational studies.
Background: Epidemiological studies evaluating the associations between the consumption of cruciferous vegetables (CV) and diverse health outcomes have generated inconsistent findings. Therefore, we carried out an umbrella review to systematically summarize existing evidence on this topic. Methods: This study had been registered at PROSPERO (no. CRD42021262011). Relevant systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies were identified by searching PubMed, Web of science, and Embase databases from inception up to March 15, 2021. Observational studies investigating the association between CV intake and multiple health outcomes in humans were eligible for inclusion. The validated AMSTAR (A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews) instrument was utilized for assessing the methodological quality of the included systematic reviews. For each meta-analysis, we assessed the summary effect size by using fixed and random effects models, 95% prediction intervals, heterogeneity, evidence of small-study effects, and excess significance bias. Results: Our umbrella review included 41 meta-analyses of 303 individual studies involving 13 394 722 participants. Twenty-four health outcomes including cancers (n = 23), cardiovascular disease (n = 12), mortality (n = 5), and metabolic diseases (n = 1) were evaluated. The summary random effects estimates were significant at P < 0.05 in 24 meta-analyses - all of which reported decreased risks of health outcomes. All were of moderate methodological quality in our study. Of the 41 meta-analyses, we observed suggestive evidence for beneficial associations between gastric cancer, lung cancer, endometrial cancer, and all-cause mortality. Moreover, 16 associations were supported by weak evidence, including breast cancer, lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, colon cancer, colorectal adenoma, colorectal neoplasm, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and total cancer. Conclusions: It revealed that CV intake might be associated with beneficial effects on several health-related outcomes (gastric cancer, lung cancer, endometrial cancer, and all-cause mortality). Other associations could be genuine, but substantial uncertainty remains. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the relationship between the consumption of CV and various health outcomes as well as robust randomized controlled trials in the future.


Group practices need to ensure year 2000 compliance of their electronic systems.
In a group practice, the year 2000 date problem can affect accounting, payment, and billing systems, as well as medical equipment. With the turn of the century drawing closer, group practices should ensure that all the electronic systems that affect their businesses will be year 2000 compliant. Group practices should develop a plan to address all of the possible year 2000 issues that can affect their electronic systems. A three-step procedure that will help group practices implement such a plan comprises creating an inventory of all systems that could be affected, investigating each system's compliance, and getting written assurance of year 2000 compliance from all relevant third parties.


Negative-pressure pulmonary Hemorrhaging Due to Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
A 24-year-old man with a history of bloody sputum for 6 months was referred to our hospital with suspected alveolar hemorrhaging due to vasculitis. Chest computed tomography showed ground-glass opacities in both lungs, and an examination of his bronchoalveolar lavage fluid showed alveolar hemorrhaging. However, no evidence of vasculitis was found, and subsequent polysomnographic testing confirmed that he had severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Since the alveolar hemorrhaging improved after the initiation of continuous positive airway pressure treatment, the diagnosis was negative-pressure alveolar hemorrhaging due to severe OSA.


The comparative toxicology of narasin in laboratory animals.
The toxicology of narasin has been extensively investigated in several species of laboratory animals. Acute median lethal po doses varied considerably between species (> 10 to 40.8 mg/kg). Animals of various species given acutely toxic doses of narasin manifested similar clinical signs of toxicity, including anorexia, hypoactivity, leg weakness, ataxia, depression and diarrhea. Clinical effects were usually delayed 1 to several days, depending on the dose, and some were reversible even with continued narasin administration. In repeated dose toxicity studies, narasin dosages have been demonstrated at which animals could be exposed daily for long periods of time without producing harmful effects. The no-observed effect levels (NOELs) by the dietary route were 60 ppm in mice and 15 ppm in rats after 3 mo of dosing and 15 ppm in rats after 1 y. In dogs, NOELs were 1 mg/kg body weight after 3 mo and 0.5 mg/kg body weight after 1 y of dosing. In breeding animals, narasin did not affect reproductive performance through 4 generations and was not teratogenic. Two-y chronic bioassays in 2 rodent species showed that narasin did not produce cumulative toxicity or carcinogenicity. In genetic toxicity tests narasin was not mutagenic to bacterial or mammalian cells and did not induce DNA repair or sister chromatid exchange. Narasin neither caused dermal toxicity nor skin sensitization, but was a severe eye irritant in rabbits. In dogs, local irritation and systemic toxicity occurred following repeated inhalation exposure to narasin aerosol concentrations greater than 0.114 mg/M3 of air.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


A profile of non-practising registered nurses who attended a professional re-entry course in Pretoria & Johannesburg in 1992: their expectations and implications for employing bodies.
Twenty non-practising nurses who attended nurse re-entry courses in Pretoria and Johannesburg during 1992, agreed to complete questionnaires which were used to do this survey. Of the respondents 100% were female and 75% were married. The majority of these non-practising nurses had acquired at least six years professional experience before leaving the profession-mostly to be able to fulfil their family obligations. Surprisingly, 100% of the respondents considered re-entering the profession, even those who worked in fields outside nursing. As many as 90% of these non-practising nurses would re-enter the profession if they could find part-time positions enabling them to fulfil their family obligations as well. This implied that the majority would prefer from 08:00 till 13:00 on weekdays, but some would prefer to work night duty, during the afternoons or over weekends when their husbands could take care of their children. Eighteen factors were identified which could influence these non-practising nurses' decisions to re-enter the profession, but 85% indicated that the ability to work in the department of their choice would play a significant role in this regard. Of the respondents 80% regarded the re-entry course which they attended as being a successful update of nursing knowledge and skills. However, future re-entry courses could be more effective if the hospital's professional nurses were more knowledgeable about the educational needs of those candidates assigned to their units.


A micromethod for quantitative determination of iodoamino acids in thyroglobulin.
We describe a new method for quantification of iodoamino acids after enzymatic hydrolysis of thyroglobulin. The procedure involves separation of monoiodotyrosine (MIT), di-iodotyrosine, tri-iodothyronine and thyroxine by reverse phase HPLC with a Vydac C18 stationary phase and a mobile phase of water-acetonitrile-acetic acid. The separation is monitored by sensitive spectrophotometric detection through a 96-well microplate system based on the catalytic Sandell-Kolthoff reaction of iodide on the oxidation of arsenic(III) by cerium(IV). This new microassay is particularly convenient because of its high sensitivity and its rapidity (less than 2 h). It can detect 1 pmol MIT and 0.5 pmol of the other three iodoamino acids with a recovery higher than 96%. Moreover, the 96-well microplate system allows many samples to be tested simultaneously and avoids the use of radiolabeled iodine.


Virological suppression reduces clinical progression in patients with multiclass-resistant HIV type 1.
The virological and immunological outcomes in patients carrying multiclass-resistant HIV-1, their predictors, and their impact on disease progression were investigated. Antiretroviral-experienced patients carrying at least one primary resistance mutation (IAS-USA 2006) to two to three classes of antiretroviral drugs were analyzed for achieving an HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/ml, a CD4 count increase of >200 cells/microl from baseline, and progression to an AIDS-defining event or death. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier estimates and predictors of different outcomes were analyzed using Cox's regression models. A total of 236 patients were identified. Of these 73% reached HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/ml. Higher genotypic sensitivity score of the salvage regimen, lower viral load, and more recent calendar year at genotyping were independently associated with virological response. Immunological response (58%) was predicted by a more recent calendar year, the achievement of an undetectable viral load, and higher CD4 counts at genotyping. Thirty-three patients showed clinical progression: achieving HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/ml predicted AIDS-free survival, independently from other significant cofactors. In individuals with multiclass-resistant HIV-1, virological suppression and immunological recovery are becoming more easily accessible with more recent therapies. The achievement of virological suppression is a strong predictor of reduced clinical progression.


[Effects of astragalus (ASI, SK) on experimental liver injury].
The saponins (ASI, SK) used in this study was extracted from the root of Astragalus membranaceous Bge and Astragalus sieversianus Pull. ASI and SK were found to protect liver from chemical injury induced by CCl4, D-galactosamine and acetaminophen in mice. The two saponins were shown to impede the elevation of SGPT level, decrease the MDA content and increase the GSH concentration in mouse liver. Obvious improvement of histological changes were also observed. The protective action of ASI and SK against the hepatotoxicity was also shown in experiments using primary cultured rat hepatocytes. The average value of GPT in the medium treated with different concentration of ASI and SK (0.00075-0.18 mmol/L) was lower than that in control. Analyzing through multiple linear correlation, we showed that the lowering of SGPT was negatively related to the increase of GSH, positively related to the decrease of MDA in mice given CCl4 or acetaminophen in combination with ASI or SK. These results indicate that the hepato-protective effects of ASI and SK may be due to their anti-oxidation activities, since the content of liver protein in mice given ASI or SK was more than that in the controls. Moreover, the level of hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450 in all mice given the two saponins were significantly increased, the liver metabolism and immunoregulating action produced by ASI and SK may be also involved in their hepato-protective effects.


How often should general practitioners provide nutrition care to patients? A forecasting activity to determine the target frequency for chronic-disease management in Australia.
Supporting patients to have healthy dietary behaviours contributes significantly to preventing and managing lifestyle-related chronic diseases. 'Nutrition care' refers to any practice provided by a health professional to support a patient to improve their dietary behaviours and subsequent health outcomes. Approximately 3% of consultations by Australian general practitioners (GPs) involve the provision of nutrition care. The aim of the present paper was to forecast the potential implications of a higher frequency of nutrition care by GPs. Evidence on the effect of improved dietary behaviours on chronic disease outcomes, number of Australian adults estimated to have poor dietary behaviours and effectiveness of GPs providing nutrition care were taken into consideration. Using hypertension as a case example, for GPs to provide nutrition care to all hypertensive adults who would benefit from improved dietary behaviours, GPs would need to provide nutrition care in a target rate of 4.85% of consultations or 4.5 million different patients each year. The target aligns with the existing priorities for supporting chronic-disease prevention and management in Australia by increasing the rate that brief lifestyle interventions are provided by primary health professionals. This conservative target presents a considerable challenge for GPs, support staff, researchers and policy makers, but can be used to inform future interventions to support nutrition care by GPs.


Surgical approaches for cervical spine facet dislocations in adults.
The choice of surgical approach for the management of subaxial cervical spine facet dislocations is a controversial subject amongst spine surgeons. Reasons for this include differences in the technical familiarity and experience of surgeons with the different surgical approaches, and variable interpretation of image studies regarding the existence of a traumatic intervertebral disc herniation and of the neurological status of the patient. Moreover, since the approaches are dissimilar, important variations are likely in neurological, radiographical and clinical outcomes. To compare the effects (benefits and harms) of the different surgical approaches used for treating adults with acute cervical spine facet dislocation. We searched the Cochrane Bone, Joint and Muscle Trauma Group Specialised Register (9 May 2014), The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library, 2014 Issue 4), MEDLINE (1946 to April Week 5 2014), MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations (8 May 2013), EMBASE (1980 to 2014 Week 18), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences (9 May 2014), trial registries, conference proceedings and reference lists of articles to May 2014. We included randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials that compared surgical approaches for the management of adults with acute cervical spine facet dislocations with and without spinal cord injury. Two review authors independently selected studies, assessed risk of bias and extracted data. We included one randomised and one quasi-randomised controlled trial involving a total of 94 participants and reporting results for a maximum of 84 participants. One trial included patients with spinal cord injuries and the other included patients without spinal cord injuries. Both trials compared anterior versus posterior surgical approaches. Both trials were at high risk of bias, including selection bias (one trial), performance bias (both trials) and attrition bias (one trial). Data were pooled for one outcome only: non-union. Reflecting also the imprecision of the results, the evidence was deemed to be of very low quality for all outcomes; which means that our level of uncertainty about the estimates is high.Neither trial found differences between the two approaches in neurological recovery or status, as shown in one study by small clinically insignificant differences in NASS (Northern American Spine Society) neurological scores (0 to 100: optimal score) at one year of follow-up: anterior mean score: 85.23 versus posterior mean score: 83.86; mean difference (MD) 1.37 favouring anterior approach, 95% confidence interval (CI) -9.76 to 12.50; 33 participants; 1 study). The same trial found no relevant between-approach differences at one year in patient-reported quality of life measured using the 36-item Short Form Survey physical (MD -0.08, 95% CI -7.26 to 7.10) and mental component scores (MD 2.88, 95% CI -3.32 to 9.08). Neither trial found evidence of significant differences in long-term pain, or non-union (2/38 versus 2/46; risk ratio (RR) 1.18, 95% CI 0.04 to 34.91). One trial found better sagittal and more 'normal' alignment after the anterior approach (MD -10.31 degrees favouring anterior approach, 95% CI -14.95 degrees to -5.67 degrees), while the other trial reported no significant differences in cervical alignment. There was insufficient evidence to indicate between-group differences in medical adverse events, rates of instrumentation failure and infection. One trial found that the several participants had voice and swallowing disorders after anterior approach surgery (11/20) versus none (0/22) in the posterior approach group: RR 25.19, 95% CI 1.58 to 401.58); all had recovered by three months. Very low quality evidence from two trials indicated little difference in long-term neurological status, pain or patient-reported quality of life between anterior and posterior surgical approaches to the management of individuals with subaxial cervical spine facet dislocations. Sagittal alignment may be better achieved with the anterior approach. There was insufficient evidence available to indicate between-group differences in medical adverse events, rates of instrumentation failure and infection. The disorders of the voice and swallowing that occurred exclusively in the anterior approach group all resolved by three months. We are very uncertain about this evidence and thus we cannot say whether one approach is better than the other. There was no evidence available for other approaches. Further higher quality multicentre randomised trials are warranted.


Distinct roles of striatal direct and indirect pathways in value-based decision making.
The striatum is critically involved in value-based decision making. However, it is unclear how striatal direct and indirect pathways work together to make optimal choices in a dynamic and uncertain environment. Here, we examined the effects of selectively inactivating D1 receptor (D1R)- or D2 receptor (D2R)-expressing dorsal striatal neurons (corresponding to direct- and indirect-pathway neurons, respectively) on mouse choice behavior in a reversal task with progressively increasing reversal frequency and a dynamic two-armed bandit task. Inactivation of either D1R- or D2R-expressing striatal neurons impaired performance in both tasks, but the pattern of altered choice behavior differed between the two animal groups. A reinforcement learning model-based analysis indicated that inactivation of D1R- and D2R-expressing striatal neurons selectively impairs value-dependent action selection and value learning, respectively. Our results suggest differential contributions of striatal direct and indirect pathways to two distinct steps in value-based decision making.


Novel DNA extraction assay for molecular identification of Aedes spp eggs.
Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus represent the two most important species of mosquitoes in relation to dengue virus transmission both in the Americas and Asia. However, the study of theses species generally requires the establishment of a colony for the larvae to hatch, or waiting for the adult development to perform its taxonomic classification, which is time consuming. Thus, the establishment of new methods aimed at obtaining DNA directly from the mosquito eggs is relevant. Accordingly, we compared a new approach based on Chelex(®) 100 resin with the standard STE method to extract DNA from the eggs of Aedes spp to molecularly identify these vectors. The Chelex(®) 100 resin approach was very efficient, as satisfactory amounts of DNA were obtained, making it possible to amplify and sequence a mitochondrial DNA barcode region widely used to identify species. The STE protocol yielded substantial amounts of DNA, but the 260/280 optical density ratio indicated a low quality, precluding amplification. This new method proved quite effective in obtaining DNA from even a single mosquito egg, and it can thus be applied in population genetic studies of various vector insects to enhance monitoring programs.


Targeted Isolation of Anti-Trypanosomal Naphthofuran-Quinone Compounds from the Mangrove Plant Avicennia lanata.
The discovery of new secondary metabolites from natural origins has become more challenging in natural products research. Different approaches have been applied to target the isolation of new bioactive metabolites from plant extracts. In this study, bioactive natural products were isolated from the crude organic extract of the mangrove plant Avicennia lanata collected from the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia in the Setiu Wetlands, Terengganu, using HRESI-LCMS-based metabolomics-guided isolation and fractionation. Isolation work on the crude extract A. lanata used high-throughput chromatographic techniques to give two new naphthofuranquinone derivatives, hydroxyavicenol C (1) and glycosemiquinone (2), along with the known compounds avicenol C (3), avicequinone C (4), glycoquinone (5), taraxerone (6), taraxerol (7), β-sitosterol (8) and stigmasterol (9). The elucidation and identification of the targeted bioactive compounds used 1D and 2D-NMR and mass spectrometry. Except for 6-9, all isolated naphthoquinone compounds (1-5) from the mangrove plant A. lanata showed significant anti-trypanosomal activity on Trypanosoma brucei brucei with MIC values of 3.12-12.5 μM. Preliminary cytotoxicity screening against normal prostate cells (PNT2A) was also performed. All compounds exhibited low cytotoxicity, with compounds 3 and 4 showing moderate cytotoxicity of 78.3% and 68.6% of the control values at 100 μg/mL, respectively.


Effects of interval training at the ventilatory threshold on clinical and cardiorespiratory responses in elderly humans.
This study assessed clinical and cardiorespiratory responses after an interval training programme in sedentary elderly adults using the ventilatory threshold (Vth) as the index of exercise training intensity. A selection of 22 subjects were randomized into two groups: 11 subjects served as the training group (TG) and the others as controls (CG). Maximal exercise tests were performed on a treadmill before (T0), each month (T1, T2) and after the 3-month interval training programme period (T3). The TG subjects were individually trained at the heart rate corresponding to Vth measured at T0, T1 and T2 as the breakpoint in the oxygen uptake-carbon dioxide production relationship. Their training programme consisted of walking/jogging sessions on a running track twice a week. The sessions consisted of varying durations of exercise alternating with active recovery in such a way that the subjects slowly increased their total exercise time from an initial duration of 30 min to a final duration of 1 h. During training the heart rate was continuously monitored by a cardiofrequency meter. Compared with the daily activities of the controls, no training programme-related injuries were observed in TG. Moreover, programme adherence (73%) and attendance (97.3%) were high. The maximal oxygen uptake and Vth were increased in TG, by 20% (P<0.05) and 26% (P<0.01), respectively. Interval training at Vth also significantly increased maximal O2 pulse (P<0.05) and maximal ventilation (P<0.01). A significant decrease in submaximal ventilation (P<0.05) and heart rate (P<0.01) was also noted. These results would suggest that for untrained elderly adults, an interval training programme at the intensity of Vth may be well-tolerated clinically and may significantly improve both maximal aerobic power and submaximal exercise tolerance.


In vivo antiviral potential of Glycyrrhiza glabra extract against Newcastle disease virus.
Newcastle disease is highly infectious viral disease causing huge economic losses worldwide. These losses can be prevented by control of viral diseases. Medicinal plants have been traditionally used for treatment of different diseases since long. In this study the effect of extracts from Glycyrrhiza glabra leaves are investigated against Newcastle disease virus (NDV) by an in-vivo assay. Seven groups of nine-day-old embryonated chicken eggs were inoculated with various treatments of different plant extracts. All the groups except uninoculated negative control group were inoculated with velogenic NDV strain; five groups received different concentrations of the three extracts. Daily observe the rate of embryo survival. Allantoic fluid from treated eggs was collected for hem agglutination test. Results showed that embryo survival rate was higher 300µg/mL treated group as all the extracts showed antiviral activity. Similarly, the plant extracts effectively control virus as no viruses were identified in the allantoic fluids of all groups treated with low doses of plant. The current results have clearly verified that all the extracts especially that of methanol 300µg/mL from leaves of Glycyrrhiza glabra have strong antiviral activity against NDV in vivo.


Synchronously diagnosed lymph nodal collision tumor of malignant melanoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma: case report.
Synchronous composite tumors have been described but are uncommon. Moreover, simultaneous occurrence of synchronous tumors in the same tissue or organ is even less common. We report a case of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma and malignant melanoma (MM) occurring synchronously in the same lymph node. Several cases of an association between cutaneous malignancies and lymphoproliferative disorders have been reported. Some of which included CLL and MM, occurring in the same patient often CLL after MM. The risk of having CLL after MM has been reported to be increased. Various genetic and environmental etiologies have been postulated, but have as yet not been proven. To our knowledge this is the first time that synchronous occurrence of these two malignant processes in the same tissue is described. In this case it is important that the melanoma was recognized in the excised lymph node, as this finding had much more critical treatment and long term survival consequences.


Kerfuffle: a web tool for multi-species gene colocalization analysis.
The evolutionary pressures that underlie the large-scale functional organization of the genome are not well understood in eukaryotes. Recent evidence suggests that functionally similar genes may colocalize (cluster) in the eukaryotic genome, suggesting the role of chromatin-level gene regulation in shaping the physical distribution of coordinated genes. However, few of the bioinformatic tools currently available allow for a systematic study of gene colocalization across several, evolutionarily distant species. Furthermore, most tools require the user to input manually curated lists of gene position information, DNA sequence or gene homology relations between species. With the growing number of sequenced genomes, there is a need to provide new comparative genomics tools that can address the analysis of multi-species gene colocalization. Kerfuffle is a web tool designed to help discover, visualize, and quantify the physical organization of genomes by identifying significant gene colocalization and conservation across the assembled genomes of available species (currently up to 47, from humans to worms). Kerfuffle only requires the user to specify a list of human genes and the names of other species of interest. Without further input from the user, the software queries the e!Ensembl BioMart server to obtain positional information and discovers homology relations in all genes and species specified. Using this information, Kerfuffle performs a multi-species clustering analysis, presents downloadable lists of clustered genes, performs Monte Carlo statistical significance calculations, estimates how conserved gene clusters are across species, plots histograms and interactive graphs, allows users to save their queries, and generates a downloadable visualization of the clusters using the Circos software. These analyses may be used to further explore the functional roles of gene clusters by interrogating the enriched molecular pathways associated with each cluster. Kerfuffle is a new, easy-to-use and publicly available tool to aid our understanding of functional genomics and comparative genomics. This software allows for flexibility and quick investigations of a user-defined set of genes, and the results may be saved online for further analysis. Kerfuffle is freely available at http://atwallab.org/kerfuffle, is implemented in JavaScript (using jQuery and jsCharts libraries) and PHP 5.2, runs on an Apache server, and stores data in flat files and an SQLite database.


Enumeration and characterization of human killer and natural killer cells by a modified single-cell assay.
Human natural killer (NK) and killer (K) cells were assayed in a modified single-cell cytotoxicity assay using poly-L-lysine-coated cover slips. When human Chang liver cells were used as targets, 20% of the lymphocytes formed conjugates and 2% were active NK cells. When anti-Chang antibodies were present, the proportion of target-binding cells (TBC) increased to 30% and that of the cytotoxic effector cells (comprising NK + K) to 6%. With the mouse mastocytoma cells (P815), which are not susceptible to NK, similar proportions of lymphocytes formed conjugates, and 6-9% were active as K cells. By an in situ rosetting assay a significant fraction of the TBC and cytotoxic effector cells bound either C3b or C3bi in both systems, with a certain predominance of C3bi-binding cells among the K cells. However, by indirect immunofluorescence, significantly more OKT3+ cells than OKM1+ cells were TBC or cytotoxic in the Chang cell system, whereas the OKT3+/OKM1+ ratios for both TBC and cytotoxic cells were 1:1 in the mouse mastocytoma system. The results indicate that TBC, NK and K cells are heterogeneous with respect to surface marker expression and that effector cells of different phenotypes predominate in different target systems.


The mortality of first and second generation Irish immigrants in the U.K.
The Irish have generally been ignored in studies of the health needs of ethnic groups in the U.K. despite being the largest immigrant group and having the highest Standardised Mortality Ratio of all first generation immigrants. Using the OPCS Longitudinal Study, the present paper shows that this excess mortality persists into the second generation Irish in the U.K., regardless of the part of Ireland from which their parents originated or whether one or both parents were Irish. The effects of social class, age, sex, year of entry to the U.K. and period of death are explored, and variations with these factors are found to be complex.


Distinct gene expression in demyelinated white and grey matter areas of patients with multiple sclerosis.
Demyelination of the central nervous system is a prominent pathological hallmark of multiple sclerosis and affects both white and grey matter. However, demyelinated white and grey matter exhibit clear pathological differences, most notably the presence or absence of inflammation and activated glial cells in white and grey matter, respectively. In order to gain more insight into the differential pathology of demyelinated white and grey matter areas, we micro-dissected neighbouring white and grey matter demyelinated areas as well as normal-appearing matter from leucocortical lesions of human post-mortem material and used these samples for RNA sequencing. Our data show that even neighbouring demyelinated white and grey matter of the same leucocortical have a distinct gene expression profile and cellular composition. We propose that, based on their distinct expression profile, pathological processes in neighbouring white and grey matter are likely different which could have implications for the efficacy of treating grey matter lesions with current anti-inflammatory-based multiple sclerosis drugs.


AIDS prevention in late adolescent college students from Spain and Portugal.
The aim of this study was to determine the factors related to the adoption of effective methods for preventing AIDS, particularly condom use, in university students from Spain and Portugal. A cross-sectional and cross-cultural study. Data were obtained by questionnaire. The variables analysed in the sample of Spanish and Portuguese students were: the perceptions of benefits and barriers to condom use; perceived self-efficacy in the negotiation of condom use; and in using a condom in difficult situations; and the perceptions of vulnerability, severity and risk. The data showed similarities between the Spanish and Portuguese students in the high frequency of condom use and the weight of self-efficacy for negotiating and ensuring condom use. However, data also reflected differences between the countries especially with regard to the weight of benefits and costs in the adoption of prevention methods. These findings suggest that the different realities for each country or context must be considered in the design of AIDS prevention programmes aimed at late adolescents. Whereas in both countries prevention programmes should encourage the ability to negotiate condom use, Portuguese programmes must underline the benefits of condom use, and Spanish programmes should aim to analyse the importance of barriers to condom use for the students to reduce these and to replace costs with benefits.


IMMUNOLOGIC RELATIONSHIP OF DONOVANIA GRANULOMATIS TO GRANULOMA INGUINALE.
1. A washed bacterial suspension of Donovan microorganisms cultivated in the yolk of chick embryos was used as an antigen in intracutaneous tests in 6 cases of granuloma inguinale in the active stage of the disease. These injections were responded to by an extensive erythematous and edematous reaction that reached its height in 24 hours and disappeared within 48 hours later. Four control cases without granuloma inguinale did not react to the injection to any greater extent than would be expected from the slight trauma incident to them. The skin of the reacting patients responded in a similar manner but to a lesser extent to a filtrate of infected yolk. Simultaneous control injections of filtered normal yolk demonstrated that sensitivity to normal yolk was not responsible for the reactions. 2. A mucoid material present in infected yolk, soluble in N/100 NaOH, and precipitable by N/100 HCl was recovered and purified by repeated acid precipitation, extraction with ether, washing in distilled water, and dissolution in N/100 NaOH. We regard this material to be of capsular origin. 3. The presumptive capsular material injected intradermally elicited a somewhat different and milder reaction in patients with active granuloma inguinale, but we regard it as specific. 4. The "capsularrdquo; material in suitable dilution elicited distinct precipitation reactions when mixed with the serum from 18 of 19 cases of active granuloma inguinale. Serum from 1 active case showed no precipitation. Sixty-four serums, including 6 from lymphopathia venereum patients and 18 from Wassermann- or Kahn-positive patients, and 1 from an early chancroid failed to precipitate. Two serums from a total of 66 used as controls showed a precipitate in the presence of the capsular material. These patients gave no history or evidence of granuloma inguinale. 5. The "capsular" material fixed complement in the presence of serum from patients with granuloma inguinale. Serum from 12 of 15 cases of granuloma inguinale demonstrated complement fixation. Three failed to fix complement. Of 19 control serums 18 failed to fix complement in the presence of the capsular material and 1 fixed only a very slight amount of complement. None of these serums nor the capsular material itself was anticomplementary. 6. The high proportion of precipitation and complement fixation reactions obtained from patients with active granuloma inguinale is indicative of a specific immunological relationship of the Donovan microorganism cultivated in embryonic yolk to the disease, granuloma inguinale. 7. We suggest that one or all of these methods might be so standardized as to be of distinct diagnostic value.


Meta-Analysis of Short vs. Prolonged Dual Antiplatelet Therapy after Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation and Role of Continuation with either Aspirin or a P2Y12 Inhibitor Thereafter.
The optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation is an ongoing debate and novel data has emerged. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess outcomes of short vs. control DAPT duration. In addition, the role of single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) after DAPT with either aspirin or P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy was analyzed. The authors searched MEDLINE and Cochrane databases and proceedings of international meetings for randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing ≤ 3 months with ≥ 6 months DAPT after DES implantation. The primary and co-primary outcomes of interest were definite or probable stent thrombosis (ST) and bleeding. In addition, we performed an analysis on studies who continued with either aspirin or P2Y12 monotherapy after DAPT. 9 RCTs comprising 41,864 patients were included and we analyzed a short DAPT duration of median 1.5 months vs. 12.1 months in the control group. The risk for ST was similar with short vs. control DAPT duration (0.5 vs. 0.5%; hazard ratio 1.17[95% CI 0.89-1.54]; p=0.26). Bleeding was significantly reduced with short vs. control DAPT duration (1.9 vs. 3.0%; 0.65[0.54-0.77]; p<0.0001).ST was not different between short vs. control DAPT duration in the analysis of the 4 RCTs who continued with aspirin after DAPT and the 5 P2Y12 RCTs, respectively, and no heterogeneity was detected (p=0.861). Bleeding was also reduced with short vs. control DAPT in both the aspirin (1.2 vs. 1.7%; 0.71[0.51-0.99]; p=0.04) and P2Y12 inhibitor studies (2.1 vs. 3.4%; 0.62[0.47-0.80]; p=0.0003) and no heterogeneity was detected (p=0.515). Our meta-analysis shows that short DAPT ≤ 3 months followed by SAPT reduces bleeding and is not associated with an increase in ST. The results were consistent within the aspirin and P2Y12 SAPT studies.


Impact of delays in cell infection and virus production on HIV-1 dynamics.
Analysed is a mathematical model for HIV-1 infection with two delays accounting, respectively, for (i) a latent period between the time target cells are contacted by the virus particles and the time the virions enter the cells and (ii) a virus production period for new virions to be produced within and released from the infected cells. For this model, the basic reproduction number is identified and its threshold property is discussed: the uninfected steady state is proved to be globally asymptotically stable if and unstable if . In the latter case, an infected steady state occurs and is proved to be locally asymptotically stable. The formula for shows that increasing either of the two delays will decrease . This may suggest a new direction for new drugs-drugs that can prolong the latent peri od and/or slow down the virus production process.


Mixed Copper States in Anodized Cu Electrocatalyst for Stable and Selective Ethylene Production from CO2 Reduction.
Oxygen-Cu (O-Cu) combination catalysts have recently achieved highly improved selectivity for ethylene production from the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). In this study, we developed anodized copper (AN-Cu) Cu(OH)2 catalysts by a simple electrochemical synthesis method and achieved ∼40% Faradaic efficiency for ethylene production, and high stability over 40 h. Notably, the initial reduction conditions applied to AN-Cu were critical to achieving selective and stable ethylene production activity from the CO2RR, as the initial reduction condition affects the structures and chemical states, crucial for highly selective and stable ethylene production over methane. A highly negative reduction potential produced a catalyst maintaining long-term stability for the selective production of ethylene over methane, and a small amount of Cu(OH)2 was still observed on the catalyst surface. Meanwhile, when a mild reduction condition was applied to the AN-Cu, the Cu(OH)2 crystal structure and mixed states disappeared on the catalyst, becoming more favorable to methane production after few hours. These results show the selectivity of ethylene to methane in O-Cu combination catalysts is influenced by the electrochemical reduction environment related to the mixed valences. This will provide new strategies to improve durability of O-Cu combination catalysts for C-C coupling products from electrochemical CO2 conversion.


Successful long-term outcome after renal transplantation in a patient with atypical haemolytic uremic syndrome with combined membrane cofactor protein CD46 and complement factor I mutations.
Atypical haemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is often associated with a high risk of disease recurrence and subsequent graft loss after isolated renal transplantation. Evidence-based recommendations for a mutation-based management after renal transplantation in aHUS caused by a combined mutation with complement factor I (CFI) and membrane cofactor protein CD46 (MCP) are limited. We describe a 9-year-old boy with a first manifestation of aHUS at the age of 9 months carrying combined heterozygous mutations in the CFI and MCP genes. At the age of 5 years, he underwent isolated cadaveric renal transplantation. Fresh frozen plasma was administered during and after transplantation, tapered and finally stopped after 3 years. During the 5-year follow-up after transplantation there have been no signs of aHUS recurrence and graft function has remained good. The combination of heterozygous MCP and CFI mutations with aHUS might have a positive impact on the post-transplant course, possibly predicting a lower risk of aHUS recurrence after an isolated cadaveric renal transplantation.


Effects of obesity-related anthropometric indices and body composition on erectile dysfunction mediated by coronary artery disease: A Mendelian randomization study.
The causal relationship between obesity-related anthropometric indicators/body composition and erectile dysfunction has not been established in previous observational studies. We screened single nucleotide polymorphisms significantly associated with exposure from genome-wide association studies as instrumental variables (p < 5.0 × 10-8 ). The summary statistics for erectile dysfunction were collected from a genome-wide association study with a sample size of 223,805. Exposure and outcome populations included are of European ancestry. We used univariate and multivariate Mendelian randomization (i) to investigate the causal relationship between genetically predicted obesity-related anthropometric indicators/body composition and erectile dysfunction and (ii) to examine the mediating role of coronary artery disease. Mendelian randomization analysis was conducted using an inverse variance weighted method. A series of sensitivity analyses validated the results of the Mendelian randomization analysis. Causal estimates are expressed as odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Obesity-related anthropometric indicators/body composition were associated with an increased risk of erectile dysfunction in univariate Mendelian randomization analyses. For the 1-SD increase in body mass index, the odds ratio was 1.841 (95% confidence interval: 1.049-1.355, p = 0.006). For the 1-SD increase in waist circumference and hip circumference, the odds ratios were 1.275 (95% confidence interval: 1.101-1.478, p = 0.001) and 1.156 (95% confidence interval: 1.015-1.317, p = 0.009), respectively. The odds ratio for the 1-SD increase in whole body fat mass was 1.221 (95% confidence interval: 1.047-1.388, p = 0.002). For the 1-SD increase in leg fat percentage (left and right), the odds ratios were 1.256 (95% confidence interval: 1.006-1.567, p = 0.044) and 1.285 (95% confidence interval: 1.027-1.608, p = 0.028), respectively. For the 1-SD increase in leg fat mass (left and right), the odds ratios were 1.308 (95% confidence interval: 1.108-1.544, p = 0.001) and 1.290 (95% confidence interval: 1.091-1.524, p = 0.003), respectively. For the 1-SD increase in arm fat mass (left and right), the odds ratios were 1.269 (95% confidence interval: 1.113-1.447, p < 0.001) and 1.254, respectively. Multivariate Mendelian randomization analysis showed that after adjusting for coronary artery disease, some genetic predispositions to obesity-related anthropometric indicators and body composition were still associated with an increased risk of erectile dysfunction. Significant associations were found for waist circumference-erectile dysfunction (odds ratio: 1.218, 95% confidence interval: 1.036-1.432), leg fat percentage (left)-erectile dysfunction (odds ratio: 1.245, 95% confidence interval: 1.035-1.497), leg fat mass (left)-erectile dysfunction (odds ratio: 1.264, 95% confidence interval: 1.051-1.521), arm fat mass (right)-erectile dysfunction (odds ratio: 1.186, 95% confidence interval: 1.024-1.373), and arm fat mass (left)-erectile dysfunction (odds ratio: 1.17, 95% confidence interval: 1.018-1.360). Meanwhile, coronary artery disease mediated the effects of fat on erectile dysfunction, and the proportion of coronary artery disease-mediated cases ranged from 10% to 22%. There is a potential causal relationship between obesity-related anthropometric indicators/body composition and erectile dysfunction. Higher waist circumference, leg fat percentage, and arm fat mass may increase the risk of erectile dysfunction, and coronary artery disease partly mediates this overall effect. Understanding the causal relationship between obesity and erectile dysfunction and the mediating role of coronary artery disease may provide more information for erectile dysfunction intervention and prevention strategies.


Primary left atrial haemangioendothelioma.
We describe the case of a 21-year-old female patient with epithelioid haemangioendothelioma of the roof of the left atrium. The patient underwent radical resection of the tumour with large disease-free margins, which required reconstruction of left and right atrial superior walls. The prognosis is unpredictable, but life expectancies ranging from 1 to 20 years have been described. There is no single treatment that can be prescribed but, because of their biologic behaviour, epithelioid haemangioendotheliomas must be regarded as fully malignant neoplasms and ought to be resected radically to prevent metastatic disease, and to improve life expectancy and quality of life.


Digital interventions in mental health: evidence syntheses and economic modelling.
Economic evaluations provide evidence on whether or not digital interventions offer value for money, based on their costs and outcomes relative to the costs and outcomes of alternatives. (1) Evaluate and summarise published economic studies about digital interventions across different technologies, therapies, comparators and mental health conditions; (2) synthesise clinical evidence about digital interventions for an exemplar mental health condition; (3) construct an economic model for the same exemplar mental health condition using the previously synthesised clinical evidence; and (4) consult with stakeholders about how they understand and assess the value of digital interventions. We completed four work packages: (1) a systematic review and quality assessment of economic studies about digital interventions; (2) a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials on digital interventions for generalised anxiety disorder; (3) an economic model and value-of-information analysis on digital interventions for generalised anxiety disorder; and (4) a series of knowledge exchange face-to-face and digital seminars with stakeholders. In work package 1, we reviewed 76 economic evaluations: 11 economic models and 65 within-trial analyses. Although the results of the studies are not directly comparable because they used different methods, the overall picture suggests that digital interventions are likely to be cost-effective, compared with no intervention and non-therapeutic controls, whereas the value of digital interventions compared with face-to-face therapy or printed manuals is unclear. In work package 2, we carried out two network meta-analyses of 20 randomised controlled trials of digital interventions for generalised anxiety disorder with a total of 2350 participants. The results were used to inform our economic model, but when considered on their own they were inconclusive because of the very wide confidence intervals. In work package 3, our decision-analytic model found that digital interventions for generalised anxiety disorder were associated with lower net monetary benefit than medication and face-to-face therapy, but greater net monetary benefit than non-therapeutic controls and no intervention. Value for money was driven by clinical outcomes rather than by intervention costs, and a value-of-information analysis suggested that uncertainty in the treatment effect had the greatest value (£12.9B). In work package 4, stakeholders identified several areas of benefits and costs of digital interventions that are important to them, including safety, sustainability and reducing waiting times. Four factors may influence their decisions to use digital interventions, other than costs and outcomes: increasing patient choice, reaching underserved populations, enabling continuous care and accepting the 'inevitability of going digital'. There was substantial uncertainty around effect estimates of digital interventions compared with alternatives. This uncertainty was driven by the small number of studies informing most comparisons, the small samples in some of these studies and the studies' high risk of bias. Digital interventions may offer good value for money as an alternative to 'doing nothing' or 'doing something non-therapeutic' (e.g. monitoring or having a general discussion), but their added value compared with medication, face-to-face therapy and printed manuals is uncertain. Clinical outcomes rather than intervention costs drive 'value for money'. There is a need to develop digital interventions that are more effective, rather than just cheaper, than their alternatives. This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42018105837. This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 26, No. 1. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.


Express yourself: how PP2A-B55Pab1 helps TORC1 talk to TORC2.
The control of cell fate, growth and proliferation in response to nitrogen availability is a tightly controlled process, with the two TOR complexes (TORC1 and TORC2) and their effectors playing a central role. PP2A-B55Pab1 has recently been shown to be a key element in this response in fission yeast, where it regulates cell cycle progression and sexual differentiation. Importantly, a recent study from our group has shown that PP2A-B55Pab1 acts as a mediator between the activities of the two TOR signaling modules, enabling a crosstalk that is required to engage in the differentiation program. In this review, we recapitulate the studies that have led to our current understanding of the interplay between TOR complexes. Moreover, we discuss several aspects of the response to nitrogen availability that still require further attention, and which will be important in the future to fully realize the implications of phosphatase activity in the context of TOR signaling.


Ramadan Fasting Exerts Immunomodulatory Effects: Insights from a Systematic Review.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and is observed by Muslims as a month of fasting. All Muslim adults are expected to fast; nevertheless certain subgroups, including sick, frail subjects, and pregnant women, among others, are exempted. Ramadan fasting has been shown to impact on body systems in different manners. The influence of Ramadan fasting on immune system regulation remains elusive; however, immune system changes, such as the modulation of body response to various infectious, stressful, and other harmful events, are of great interest during fasting. In this paper, we performed an extensive systematic literature review of different scholarly databases (ISI/Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed,/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Directory of Open Access Journals, EbscoHOST, Scirus, Science Direct, the Cochrane Library, and ProQuest), using the following key words: "fasting," "Ramadan," "Islam," and "immunity." Conclusions drawn from these findings included: (1) Ramadan fasting has been shown to only mildly influence the immune system and the alterations induced are transient, returning to basal pre-Ramadan status shortly afterward. (2) Ramadan fasting during the second trimester of pregnancy was shown to be safe and did not result in negative fetal outcomes, or maternal oxidative status alterations. (3) In cardiac patients, Ramadan fasting can have beneficial effects including lipid profile improvement and alleviation of oxidative stress. (4) In asthmatic patients as well as in patients with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and autoimmune disorders, fasting was safe. (5) In psychiatric patients, such as those suffering from schizophrenia, fasting could increase immunologic markers. (6) Fasting Muslim athletes who maintain intensive training schedule during Ramadan showed fluctuations of immunologic markers.


Semantic Snapping for Guided Multi-View Visualization Design.
Visual information displays are typically composed of multiple visualizations that are used to facilitate an understanding of the underlying data. A common example are dashboards, which are frequently used in domains such as finance, process monitoring and business intelligence. However, users may not be aware of existing guidelines and lack expert design knowledge when composing such multi-view visualizations. In this paper, we present semantic snapping, an approach to help non-expert users design effective multi-view visualizations from sets of pre-existing views. When a particular view is placed on a canvas, it is "aligned" with the remaining views-not with respect to its geometric layout, but based on aspects of the visual encoding itself, such as how data dimensions are mapped to channels. Our method uses an on-the-fly procedure to detect and suggest resolutions for conflicting, misleading, or ambiguous designs, as well as to provide suggestions for alternative presentations. With this approach, users can be guided to avoid common pitfalls encountered when composing visualizations. Our provided examples and case studies demonstrate the usefulness and validity of our approach.


Bioresorbable scaffolds: a new paradigm in percutaneous coronary intervention.
Numerous advances and innovative therapies have been introduced in interventional cardiology over the recent years, since the first introduction of balloon angioplasty, but bioresorbable scaffold is certainly one of the most exciting and attracting one. Despite the fact that the metallic drug-eluting stents have significantly diminished the re-stenosis ratio, they have considerable limitations including the hypersensitivity reaction to the polymer that can cause local inflammation, the risk of neo-atherosclerotic lesion formation which can lead to late stent failure as well as the fact that they may preclude surgical revascularization and distort vessel physiology. Bioresorbable scaffolds overcome these limitations as they have the ability to dissolve after providing temporary scaffolding which safeguards vessel patency. In this article we review the recent developments in the field and provide an overview of the devices and the evidence that support their efficacy in the treatment of CAD. Currently 3 devices are CE marked and in clinical use. Additional 24 companies are developing these kind of coronary devices. Most frequently used material is PLLA followed by magnesium.


Distal border fragments and shape of the navicular bone: radiological evaluation in lame horses and horses free from lameness.
The significance of distal border fragments of the navicular bone is not well understood. There are also no objective data about changes in thickness and proximal/distal extension of the palmar cortex of the navicular bone. To describe the distribution of distal border fragments and their association with other radiological abnormalities of the navicular bone and describe the shape of the navicular bone in sound horses and horses with foot-related lameness, including navicular pathology. Sound horses had radiographs acquired as part of a prepurchase examination. Lame horses had forelimb lameness abolished by palmar nerve blocks performed at the base of the proximal sesamoid bones. Diagnosis was assigned prospectively based on results of local analgesia and all imaging findings. The thickness of the palmar cortex of the navicular bone and size of proximal/distal extensions were measured objectively. Other radiological abnormalities were evaluated subjectively and each navicular bone graded. Fifty-five sound and 377 lame horses were included. All measurements were larger in lame compared with sound horses except the size of the distal extension of the palmar cortex. Fragments were observed in 3.6 and 8.7% of sound and lame horses respectively and in 24.1% of horses with a diagnosis of primary navicular pathology. There was an association between fragments and overall navicular bone grade, radiolucent areas at the angles of the distal border of the navicular bone and number and size of the synovial invaginations. The palmar cortex of the navicular bone was thicker in lame compared with sound horses. Distal border fragments were most frequent in horses with navicular pathology. Evaluation of changes in shape of the navicular bone may also be important for recognition of pathological abnormalities of the bone.


Methotrexate-Related Lymphoproliferative Disorder Presenting with Severe Swelling of the Elbow Joint: A Case Report.
A patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who was being treated with methotrexate (MTX) therapy presented with severe swelling of the left elbow. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a tumor-like lesion around the elbow joint. Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography indicated multiple lesions in the lung and the lymph nodes. An open biopsy of a cervical lymph node was performed, and MTX-related lymphoproliferative disorder (MTX-LPD) was diagnosed. After cessation of the MTX therapy, the elbow swelling regressed, and the patient was in remission of MTX-LPD. MTX-LPD should be considered in the differential diagnosis when a patient with RA develops severe joint swelling while on MTX therapy.


Modified sequential sac ligation and staged closure technique for the management of giant omphalocele.
This study aimed to describe sac ligation and sequential closure for the management of giant omphalocele (GO) and analyze its outcomes. The medical records of 13 neonates with GO treated at a tertiary general hospital between July 2012 and April 2020 were reviewed. Sac ligation and progressive external compression were performed on most cases immediately after birth. Staged closure with or without a prosthetic patch was conducted after a period of sac suspension. Sac ligation-traction-compression was performed on 12 cases, of which 10 underwent staged closure, one with delayed closure. One patient with coexistent esophageal atresia was deemed ineligible for surgery. Among those who had undergone staged closure, 9 survived; however, one neonate who complicated with bilateral diaphragmatic eventration and severe ventilator-associated pneumonia died from multiple-organ failure. Pentalogy of Cantrell was excluded. One patient in whom primary closure was performed after birth died aged 29 h. Pneumonia was the most common infection among patients (5/13), with three having ventilator-associated pneumonia. The median durations of mechanical ventilation and hospital stay were 22.2 days (range, 1-151) and 44.2 days (range, 2-152), respectively, and 25.6 days and 46.4 days, respectively, among patients with staged closure. Among five infants who required oxygen support for more than 28 days, four had pulmonary hypoplasia. Aside from abdominal wall defects, other major comorbidities and pulmonary hypoplasia influence the prognosis of GO. Sac ligation and staged closure is a effective choice for GO. Retrospective Study Level of Evidence: Level IV.


Availability of calorie information on online food delivery service platforms among major chain restaurants in Canadian provinces with different calorie labelling policies.
This study aimed to characterize the availability of calorie labelling on major online food delivery (OFD) platforms for the largest restaurant brands in Canada to examine differences in provinces with and those without mandatory calorie labelling regulations. Data were collected for the 13 largest restaurant brands with locations in Ontario (with mandatory menu labelling) and Alberta and Quebec (with no mandatory menu labelling) from the web applications of the three largest OFD platforms in Canada. Data were sampled from three selected restaurant locations within each province (n = 117 locations across all provinces) on each platform. Univariate logistic regression models were used to test differences in the presence and amount of calorie labelling and other nutritional information across provinces and platforms. The analytical sample included 48,857 food and beverage items (n = 16,011 in Alberta, n = 16,683 in Ontario, and n = 16,163 in Quebec). Items were more likely to have menu labelling in Ontario (68.7%) than in Alberta (44.4%, OR = 2.75, 95% CI 2.63-2.88) or Quebec (39.1%, OR = 3.42, 95% CI 3.27-3.58). In Ontario, 53.8% of restaurant brands had calorie labelling for > 90% of items, compared to 23.0% in Quebec and 15.4% in Alberta. The presence of calorie labelling also differed across platforms. Nutrition information from OFD services differed across provinces with and those without mandatory calorie labelling. Chain restaurants on OFD service platforms were more likely to provide calorie information in Ontario, where calorie labelling is mandatory, compared to elsewhere where no such policy exists. In all provinces, calorie labelling was inconsistently implemented across OFD service platforms.


[Clinical study of elderly patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma arising in the thyroid].
The study group comprised 10 patients who were referred between 1992 and 1996 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma arising in the thyroid gland. There were three men and seven women, with a median age of 75 years, and seven of the group had a history of Hashimoto's disease. All 10 patients had hypothyroidism; anti-microsomal antibody was positive in six. The lymphoma was of the diffuse type in all patients (B cell, 9; T cell, 1). Five patients had stage I and five had stage II. Generally, four courses of COP-BLAM therapy were given, followed by radiotherapy (30 Gy). Complete remission was achieved in all patients, and they remained alive and disease-free for a median period of 40 months. Ultrasonography revealed diffuse, an-or hypoechoic confluent nodules, and there was intensification of the posterior acoustic enhancement in most patients. With early diagnosis non-Hodgkin's lymphoma arising in the thyroid of elderly patients, mainly women, can be cured with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.


Free Fatty Acid Receptor 4 (GPR120) Stimulates Bone Formation and Suppresses Bone Resorption in the Presence of Elevated n-3 Fatty Acid Levels.
Free fatty acid receptor 4 (FFA4) has been reported to be a receptor for n-3 fatty acids (FAs). Although n-3 FAs are beneficial for bone health, a role of FFA4 in bone metabolism has been rarely investigated. We noted that FFA4 was more abundantly expressed in both mature osteoclasts and osteoblasts than their respective precursors and that it was activated by docosahexaenoic acid. FFA4 knockout (Ffar4(-/-)) and wild-type mice exhibited similar bone masses when fed a normal diet. Because fat-1 transgenic (fat-1(Tg+)) mice endogenously converting n-6 to n-3 FAs contain high n-3 FA levels, we crossed Ffar4(-/-) and fat-1(Tg+) mice over two generations to generate four genotypes of mice littermates: Ffar4(+/+);fat-1(Tg-), Ffar4(+/+);fat-1(Tg+), Ffar4(-/-);fat-1(Tg-), and Ffar4(-/-);fat-1(Tg+). Female and male littermates were included in ovariectomy- and high-fat diet-induced bone loss models, respectively. Female fat-1(Tg+) mice decreased bone loss after ovariectomy both by promoting osteoblastic bone formation and inhibiting osteoclastic bone resorption than their wild-type littermates, only when they had the Ffar4(+/+) background, but not the Ffar4(-/-) background. In a high-fat diet-fed model, male fat-1(Tg+) mice had higher bone mass resulting from stimulated bone formation and reduced bone resorption than their wild-type littermates, only when they had the Ffar4(+/+) background, but not the Ffar4(-/-) background. In vitro studies supported the role of FFA4 as n-3 FA receptor in bone metabolism. In conclusion, FFA4 is a dual-acting factor that increases osteoblastic bone formation and decreases osteoclastic bone resorption, suggesting that it may be an ideal target for modulating metabolic bone diseases.


Evidence for a Window of Enhanced Plasticity in the Human Motor Cortex Following Ischemic Stroke.
In preclinical models, behavioral training early after stroke produces larger gains compared with delayed training. The effects are thought to be mediated by increased and widespread reorganization of synaptic connections in the brain. It is viewed as a period of spontaneous biological recovery during which synaptic plasticity is increased. To look for evidence of a similar change in synaptic plasticity in the human brain in the weeks and months after ischemic stroke. We used continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) to activate synapses repeatedly in the motor cortex. This initiates early stages of synaptic plasticity that temporarily reduces cortical excitability and motor-evoked potential amplitude. Thus, the greater the effect of cTBS on the motor-evoked potential, the greater the inferred level of synaptic plasticity. Data were collected from separate cohorts (Australia and UK). In each cohort, serial measurements were made in the weeks to months following stroke. Data were obtained for the ipsilesional motor cortex in 31 stroke survivors (Australia, 66.6 ± 17.8 years) over 12 months and the contralesional motor cortex in 29 stroke survivors (UK, 68.2 ± 9.8 years) over 6 months. Depression of cortical excitability by cTBS was most prominent shortly after stroke in the contralesional hemisphere and diminished over subsequent sessions (P = .030). cTBS response did not differ across the 12-month follow-up period in the ipsilesional hemisphere (P = .903). Our results provide the first neurophysiological evidence consistent with a period of enhanced synaptic plasticity in the human brain after stroke. Behavioral training given during this period may be especially effective in supporting poststroke recovery.


Correlation of long-term care facility vaccination practices between seasons and resident types.
Influenza vaccination varies widely across long-term care facilities (LTCFs) due to staff behaviors, LTCF practices, and patient factors. It is unclear how seasonal LTCF vaccination varies between cohabitating but distinct short-stay and long-stay residents. Thus, we assessed the correlation of LTCF vaccination between these populations and across seasons. The study design is a national retrospective cohort using Medicare and Minimum Data Set (MDS) data. Participants include U.S. LTCFs. Short-stay and long-stay Medicare-enrolled residents age ≥ 65 in U.S. LTCFs from a source population of residents during October 1st-March 31st in 2013-2014 (3,042,881 residents; 15,683 LTCFs) and 2014-2015 (3,143,174, residents; 15,667 LTCFs). MDS-assessed influenza vaccination was the outcome. Pearson correlation coefficients were estimated to assess seasonal correlations between short-stay and long-stay resident vaccination within LTCFs. The median proportion of short-stay residents vaccinated across LTCFs was 70.4% (IQR, 50.0-82.7%) in 2013-2014 and 69.6% (IQR, 50.0-81.6%) in 2014-2015. The median proportion of long-stay residents vaccinated across LTCFs was 85.5% (IQR, 78.0-90.9%) in 2013-2014 and 84.6% (IQR, 76.6-90.3%) in 2014-2015. Within LTCFs, there was a moderate correlation between short-stay and long-stay vaccination in 2013-2014 (r = 0.50, 95%CI: 0.49-0.51) and 2014-2015 (r = 0.53, 95%CI: 0.51-0.54). Across seasons, there was a moderate correlation for LTCFs with short-stay residents (r = 0.54, 95%CI: 0.53-0.55) and a strong correlation for those with long-stay residents (r = 0.68, 95%CI: 0.67-0.69). In LTCFs with inconsistent influenza vaccination across seasons or between populations, targeted vaccination protocols for all residents, regardless of stay type, may improve successful vaccination in this vulnerable patient population.


Protein-bound glycogen is linked to tyrosine residues.
Tyrosine-glycogen obtained from retina proteoglycogen by exhaustive proteolytic digestion was radiolabelled with 125I. The 125I-labelled tyrosine-glycogen was degraded by amylolytic digestion to a very small radioactive product, which was identified as iodotyrosine by h.p.l.c. The amylolytic mixture used released glucose and maltose that were alpha-linked to the phenolic hydroxy group of p-nitrophenol. No free iodotyrosine was found before or after the intact [125I]iodotyrosine-glycogen was subjected to two cycles of the Edman degradation procedure. The linkage between protein and glycogen was alkali-stable. Therefore it is concluded that the protein-bound glycogen was O-glycosidically linked to the phenolic hydroxy group of tyrosine. The amino acid has not been heretofore found to be involved in the linkage of carbohydrates to proteins.


The inevitable journey to being.
Life is evolutionarily the most complex of the emergent symmetry-breaking, macroscopically organized dynamic structures in the Universe. Members of this cascading series of disequilibria-converting systems, or engines in Cottrell's terminology, become ever more complicated-more chemical and less physical-as each engine extracts, exploits and generates ever lower grades of energy and resources in the service of entropy generation. Each one of these engines emerges spontaneously from order created by a particular mother engine or engines, as the disequilibrated potential daughter is driven beyond a critical point. Exothermic serpentinization of ocean crust is life's mother engine. It drives alkaline hydrothermal convection and thereby the spontaneous production of precipitated submarine hydrothermal mounds. Here, the two chemical disequilibria directly causative in the emergence of life spontaneously arose across the mineral precipitate membranes separating the acidulous, nitrate-bearing CO2-rich, Hadean sea from the alkaline and CH4/H2-rich serpentinization-generated effluents. Essential redox gradients-involving hydrothermal CH4 and H2 as electron donors, CO2 and nitrate, nitrite, and ferric iron from the ambient ocean as acceptors-were imposed which functioned as the original 'carbon-fixing engine'. At the same time, a post-critical-point (milli)voltage pH potential (proton concentration gradient) drove the condensation of orthophosphate to produce a high energy currency: 'the pyrophosphatase engine'.


Luminal and peritubular ionic substitutions and intracellular potential of the rabbit proximal convoluted tubule.
Transepithelial (psi T) and basolateral (psi BL) potential difference was measured in rabbit proximal convoluted tubules perfused in vitro. In control solution without protein, the mean psi BL was -54 +/- 2.2 mV (n = 57). Luminal substitution of K by Na had no effect. Complete luminal substitution of glucose and alanine, 110 mM substitution of Na or NaCl produced transient hyperpolarizations of psi BL of 14, 10, and 13 mV, respectively, with a return close to the control value within 4-8 min in all cases. Returning to control solution produced similar time-course transient depolarizations of psi BL of 17, 11, and 16 mV, respectively, again with a return to the control value in 4-10 min. Omission of glucose and alanine in the perfusate produced a decrease in cell volume of 14% that was maximal in 4 min with a complete recovery in the post-control period. A 110 mM luminal or peritubular substitution of Cl by cyclamate produced no significant effect on psi BL after taking into account the large psi T generated by the diffusion of Cl across the paracellular pathway. On the other hand, complete peritubular substitution of K by Na and 110 mM substitution of Na or NaCl produced sustained but reversible depolarizations of psi BL of 37.5, 10.2, and 20.4 mV, respectively. The transient nature of the hyperpolarization following luminal substitution of glucose, alanine, or Na can be interpreted in terms of changes in the intracellular sodium activity that would affect the Na-K-ATPase pump. Similarly, the sustained depolarization seen after a peritubular substitution of K and Na would also be compatible with a decrease in the basolateral ionic pump activity.


Acute severe exercise facilitates neutrophil extracellular trap formation in sedentary but not active subjects.
Neutrophil extracellular trap (NET), a newly revealed antimicrobial strategy, is usually evoked by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nicotinamide adenine denucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activation. In addition, the acute severe exercise (ASE)-induced oxidative stress in neutrophils depends on the subject's physical fitness. We investigated whether ASE exerted differential effects on NET formation in sedentary and physically active subjects. Young males, 10 sedentary and 10 physically active, underwent an ASE (pedaling on a bicycle ergometer with increasing loads until exhaustion). Neutrophils were isolated from blood specimens drawn before and immediately after ASE for assaying NET formation along with redox-related parameters and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). In the sedentary group, (1) after ASE, NET formation increased spontaneously and in response to stimulation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate; (2) ASE increased cytosolic ROS, decreased glutathione, and suppressed ΔΨm in neutrophils; (3) removing ROS or inhibiting NADPH oxidase prevented the ASE-facilitated NET formation; and (4) suppressing ΔΨm prevented the ASE-facilitated NET formation. On the contrary, these ASE effects on neutrophils did not happen in the active group. ASE in sedentary but not active subjects facilitated NET formation via elevating the NADPH oxidase-generated ROS and suppressing the ΔΨm.


Antagonism of corticotropin-releasing hormone alters serotonergic-induced changes in brain temperature, but not sleep, of rats.
Serotonin is involved in many physiological processes, including the regulation of sleep and body temperature. Administration into rats of low doses (25, 50 mg/kg) of the 5-HT precursor l-5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) at the beginning of the dark period of the 12:12-h light-dark cycle initially increases wakefulness. Higher doses (75, 100 mg/kg) increase nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. The initial enhancement of wakefulness after low-dose 5-HTP administration may be a direct action of 5-HT in brain or due to 5-HT-induced activation of other arousal-promoting systems. One candidate arousal-promoting system is corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Serotonergic activation by 5-HTP at the beginning of the dark period also induces hypothermia. Because sleep and body temperature are influenced by circadian factors, one aim of this study was to determine responses to 5-HTP when administered at a different circadian time, the beginning of the light period. Results obtained show that all doses of 5-HTP (25-100 mg/kg) administered at light onset initially increase wakefulness; NREM sleep increases only after a long delay, during the subsequent dark period. Serotonergic activation by 5-HTP at light onset induces hypothermia, the time course of which is biphasic after higher doses (75, 100 mg/kg). Intracerebroventricular pretreatment with the CRH receptor antagonist alpha-helical CRH does not alter the impact of 5-HTP on sleep-wake behavior but potentiates the hypothermic response to 50 mg/kg 5-HTP. These data suggest that serotonergic activation by peripheral administration of 5-HTP may modulate sleep-wake behavior by mechanisms in addition to direct actions in brain and that circadian systems are important determinants of the impact of serotonergic activation on sleep and body temperature.


A Comparison between Children with ADHD and Children with Epilepsy in Self-Esteem and Parental Stress Level.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is frequently associated with negative psychological outcomes. This study explores the relationship between self-esteem, ADHD symptoms and parental stress. It compares children with ADHD, children with epilepsy (E) and typical developmental controls (TD). Participants included 65 children (aged 9-12 yrs) and their parents. The assessment was conducted by Multidimensional Self-Concept Scale (MSCS), Parent Stress Index (PSI) and Conners' Parent Rating Scales-Revised. Significant differences were found in Social, Competence and Academic areas of self-esteem between children with ADHD, with E and TD. Moreover, parents of children with ADHD showed a higher overall stress than both other groups. In conclusion, it seems important to evaluate the psychological aspects of ADHD con-dition, both in children and in parents, in order to suggest an individual multimodal treatment.


Psychological Burden and Willingness to Pay Among Korean Rosacea Patients and Their Association With Rosacea Phenotype and Severity: A Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study.
Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory disorder that can adversely affect the patient's quality of life (QOL). However, few studies have examined the association between the psychological burden and willingness to pay (WTP) with rosacea features and severity. The study aimed to determine the overall psychological burden and WTP among Korean rosacea patients and identify factors that may contribute, such as patient demographics, clinical features, and rosacea severity. This prospective cross-sectional study recruited Koreans with rosacea. All were asked to complete a questionnaire on their demographics, rosacea-related symptoms, self-rated severity, dermatology life quality index (DLQI), and WTP. The clinical features were assessed by a board-certified dermatologist. The investigator's global assessment and global flushing severity score (GFSS) were used to determine the clinical severity of rosacea. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify factors contributing to the psychological burden and WTP. Out of 201 rosacea patients, 147 (73.1%) were female, and 54 (26.9%) males, with a median age of 50.1 years. Their median DLQI score was 8 (interquartile range [IQR]): 4.0-13.0). The median WTP per month for the control of rosacea was $100, with relative WTP (WTP/household income per month x 100) being 3.3%. According to the multiple regression model, phymatous change (β = .153, p = .030), DLQI score (β = .152, P = .045), and GFSS (β = .154, P = .041) contributed most to the WTP. Rosacea patients experience substantial psychological and economic burdens. More vigorous treatment should be performed for those with phyma and severe flushing whose QOL is most severely affected.


Localized malignant mesothelioma. A clinicopathologic and flow cytometric study.
Six examples of malignant mesothelioma appearing as a localized pleural mass are described. There were four women and two men, ranging in age from 42 to 76 years. A history of asbestos exposure was obtained from three patients. The tumors ranged in size from 2.8 to 10 cm. Two were pedunculated and four were sessile with broad-based pleural attachments. Histologically, three tumors were purely epithelioid and three were biphasic. Immunohistochemical stains in all six cases were positive for cytokeratin and negative for carcinoembryonic antigen. Five were also positive for epithelial membrane antigen. Five were negative for Leu-M1, while one showed focal staining in a peripheral membrane pattern. Electron microscopy in two purely epithelioid tumors showed long, thin microvilli, well-developed desmosomes, and numerous tonofilaments. Flow cytometry showed an aneuploid DNA content in four tumors and a diploid content in one. Flow cytometry in five cases identified a DNA aneuploid cell population in four tumors and a diploid population in one. Three patients showed signs of local recurrences 4, 7, and 18 months after excision and died of their disease 12, 10, and 24 months after diagnosis, respectively. Three patients are well with no evidence of disease 8, 24, and 96 months after diagnosis. These findings indicate that malignant mesotheliomas of the pleura may rarely appear as a localized mass. The biologic behavior of such tumors is difficult to predict, but some patients survive disease-free for a long time after surgical excision.


Effect of insulin-like growth factor-I/somatomedin C on thymidine incorporation in cultured psoriatic keratinocytes after growth arrest in growth factor-free medium.
Near confluent cultures of human keratinocytes will arrest in GO/G1 of the cell cycle when they are placed into growth factor (GF)-free medium with a Ca++ concentration below 0.1 mM for 4 days. Addition of certain growth factors will stimulate the cell to re-enter the growth cycle and move into the S-phase after 7-12 h. Insulin-like growth factor/somatomedin C (IGF-I) was found to be the most active factor in promoting 3H-dT incorporation among several growth factors evaluated in this system. This system was applied to keratinocytes cultured from uninvolved skin of psoriatic patients and keratinocytes from clinically healthy skin of nonpsoriatic control persons. 3H-dT incorporation in response to 50 ng IGF-I per ml medium was significantly more stimulated in psoriatic keratinocytes (7.0 +/- 0.41 fold) than in normal keratinocytes (2.9 +/- 0.49 fold). There was no significant difference between the age of donors or the time cells were in culture when the measurements were performed. The stimulatory effect became even more apparent when cultures were growth-arrested in the presence of heparin, which mainly causes a suppression of the 'background' incorporation of 3H-dT occurring in the absence of exogenous GF (psoriatic: 35.0 +/- 2.2 fold; normal: 9.3 +/- 2.1 fold). The increased response of psoriatic keratinocytes to IGF-I does not appear to be related to a difference in time required for the cells to traverse from the presumed restriction point in GO/G1 to the beginning of S (7-10 h) and the middle of S (approximately 19 h).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The effect of intranasal azelastine and beclomethasone on the symptoms and signs of nasal allergy in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis.
A double-blind, randomized, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study involving 130 patients was conducted at 9 centres in the U.K. to assess the effect of 6 weeks of treatment with azelastine nasal spray (azelastine) and beclomethasone dipropionate nasal spray (BDP) on the symptoms of perennial rhinitis. Efficacy was assessed by patients recording daily the severity of the symptoms of rhinitis on 10-cm visual analogue scales. Analysis of this diary data showed significant reductions in sneezing, blocked nose, running nose, and itching nose during azelastine treatment. Patients on BDP recorded a consistent reduction in rhinitis symptoms, but these reductions were significant only for sneezing on treatment day 7. When rhinitis symptoms were assessed by clinical investigators on a 4-point scale, the scores obtained following treatment with the 2 study medications showed little change from baseline or "active" treatment scores. There was no evidence of a consistent change in nasal airway resistance, measured using anterior rhinomanometry, following treatment with either BDP or azelastine. Azelastine nasal spray and BDP nasal spray were well tolerated by the patients and the relative incidence of adverse events was similar in the azelastine and placebo/azelastine treatment groups, except that taste perversion occurred more frequently during azelastine treatment than during placebo/azelastine treatment. There was no evidence of an increased incidence of somnolence or fatigue in patients who received azelastine nasal spray. Overall, the results of this study indicate that azelastine administered twice daily as an intranasal spray is a safe and efficacious treatment for the symptoms of rhinitis in patients suffering from mild to moderate perennial rhinitis.


Racial Differences in Perceived Food Swamp and Food Desert Exposure and Disparities in Self-Reported Dietary Habits.
Both food swamps and food deserts have been associated with racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in obesity rates. Little is known about how the distribution of food deserts and food swamps relate to disparities in self-reported dietary habits, and health status, particularly for historically marginalized groups. In a national U.S. sample of 4305 online survey participants (age 18+), multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to assess by race and ethnicity the likelihood of living in a food swamp or food desert area. Predicted probabilities of self-reported dietary habits, health status, and weight status were calculated using the fitted values from ordinal or multinomial logistic regression models adjusted for relevant covariates. Results showed that non-Hispanic, Black participants (N = 954) were most likely to report living in a food swamp. In the full and White subsamples (N = 2912), the perception of residing in a food swamp/desert was associated with less-healthful self-reported dietary habits overall. For non-Hispanic Blacks, regression results also showed that residents of perceived food swamp areas (OR = 0.66, p < 0.01, 95% CI (0.51, 0.86)) had a lower diet quality than those not living in a food swamp/food desert area. Black communities in particular may be at risk for environment-linked diet-related health inequities. These findings suggest that an individual's perceptions of food swamp and food desert exposure may be related to diet habits among adults.


Parasites, diet and stable isotopes of shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius) from Frobisher Bay, Canada.
Shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius) from Frobisher Bay, Baffin island, is a slow growing long-lived species. A wide range of diet items were present in the stomachs of the shorthorn sculpins sampled but 2-3 diet items (amphipod species) comprised 99.5% of total food consumed. These amphipods were present in the stomachs in similar proportions among all age classes of shorthorn sculpin. Several new host records for parasites were reported and mean numbers of parasite species increased with shorthorn sculpin age. The increased diversity of parasite species and higher delta15N values in older/larger individuals suggest that their diets were more diverse and the prey items consumed had higher delta15N values. By contrast, the value of delta13C in dominant diet items masked the delta13C values of minor diet items. We conclude that parasites and stable isotope values provide complementary data on feeding patterns of the shorthorn sculpin. The ubiquitous marine acanthocephalan, Echinorhynchus gadi, was found at high prevalences (87-100%) and mean intensities (28-35), and were localized in the midgut. In contrast to other studies on acanthocephalans, E. gadi did not influence fish condition as measured by condition factor, liver somatic and gonado-somatic indices.


RACK1 is a ribosome scaffold protein for β-actin mRNA/ZBP1 complex.
In neurons, specific mRNAs are transported in a translationally repressed manner along dendrites or axons by transport ribonucleic-protein complexes called RNA granules. ZBP1 is one RNA binding protein present in transport RNPs, where it transports and represses the translation of cotransported mRNAs, including β-actin mRNA. The release of β-actin mRNA from ZBP1 and its subsequent translation depends on the phosphorylation of ZBP1 by Src kinase, but little is known about how this process is regulated. Here we demonstrate that the ribosomal-associated protein RACK1, another substrate of Src, binds the β-actin mRNA/ZBP1 complex on ribosomes and contributes to the release of β-actin mRNA from ZBP1 and to its translation. We identify the Src binding and phosphorylation site Y246 on RACK1 as the critical site for the binding to the β-actin mRNA/ZBP1 complex. Based on these results we propose RACK1 as a ribosomal scaffold protein for specific mRNA-RBP complexes to tightly regulate the translation of specific mRNAs.


A survey of perceptions and practices of complementary alternative medicine among Canadian gastroenterologists.
Despite a high prevalence of complementary alternative medicine (CAM) use among inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, there is a dearth of information about the attitudes and perceptions of CAM among the gastroenterologists who treat these patients. To characterize the beliefs, perceptions and practices of gastroenterologists toward CAM use in patients with IBD. A web-based survey was sent to member gastroenterologists of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology. The survey included multiple-choice and Likert scale questions that queried physician knowledge and perceptions of CAM and their willingness to discuss CAM with patients. Fifty-three per cent of respondents considered themselves to be IBD subspecialists. The majority (86%) of gastroenterologists reported that less than one-half of their patient population had mentioned the use of CAM. Only 8% of physicians reported initiating a conversation about CAM in the majority of their patient encounters. Approximately one-half (51%) of respondents were comfortable with discussing CAM with their patients, with lack of knowledge being cited as the most common reason for discomfort with the topic. Most gastroenterologists (79%) reported no formal education in CAM. While there was uncertainty as to whether CAM interfered with conventional medications, most gastroenterologists believed it could be effective as an adjunct treatment. Our findings demonstrate that gastroenterologists were hesitant to initiate discussions about CAM with patients. Nearly one-half were uncomfortable or only somewhat comfortable with the topic, and most may benefit from CAM educational programs. Interestingly, most respondents appeared to be receptive to CAM as adjunct therapy alongside conventional IBD treatment.


Recording parameters of spatially modulated coherent wavefronts.
Various parameters of recording spatially modulated coherent light have been studied, with particular emphasis on the parameters related to constructing holograms. These include the ratio of the reference beam's intensity to that of the signal beam, the offset angle, the film's transfer characteristic, and the recording wavelength. Experimental results were obtained by recording interference patterns on highresolution film using the 6328-å line of the He-Ne laser. The bias level of the interference pattern was varied so as to vary the operating point on the curve representing the film's amplitude transmittance vs exposure characteristics. The percent modulation and the spatial frequency were also varied at each of the operating points. Interference patterns were recorded, using the 4880-åand 5145-å lines from the argon laser. From these data, the optimum bias level and the ratio of the signal beam to the reference beam for recording interference patterns are determined. The modulation transfer function of the film can also be determined.