Minimal but significant improvement in survival for non-hepatitis C-related adult liver transplant patients beyond the one-year posttransplant mark.
Although 1-year survival rates following liver transplantation over the last 20 years may have improved, there is doubt about improvement in long-term survival. We examined survival with and without initial 12-month mortality in adult liver transplant recipients over a 20-year period. Patient and allograft survival for 3 different time periods was compared: 1986-1994 (group 1, n = 547), 1995-2000 (group 2, n = 735), and 2000-2005 (group 3, n = 749). After this, all deaths in the first 12 months of each group were removed. Patient and allograft survival was then once again compared across the 3 groups. There was significant improvement in both patient and allograft survival across the 20-year period (P < 0.001). Overall patient and allograft survival improved in non-hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients but not in HCV patients. A similar comparison with deaths in the first year removed, however, showed no difference in patient survival (P = 0.07) and only a marginal improvement in allograft survival (P = 0.048) between the 3 time periods. When patients were divided into HCV-positive and HCV-negative groups with deaths in the first year removed, there was, however, improved patient and allograft survival in the HCV-negative group but not in the HCV-positive group. The causes of death between 1 and 5 years were then compared. There were 48 deaths in period 1, 63 in period 2, and 43 in period 3 (P = not significant). There were more deaths due to cardio/cerebrovascular disease and hepatitis B virus recurrence in the first time period, but there were more deaths due to recurrent HCV and de novo malignancy in later time periods. In conclusion, although overall survival following liver transplantation in adults seems to be improving over time, the long-term results are not, particularly in HCV patients.


Significance of buoyancy in turbulence closure for computational fluid dynamics modelling of ultraviolet disinfection in maturation ponds.
Buoyancy-driven turbulent dispersion in a maturation pond is studied using a combination of field measurements and computational fluid dynamics. Modelling flow in maturation ponds requires turbulent closure models because of the large physical size and the need to model on diurnal timescales. Simulation results are shown to be more sensitive to the inclusion of a buoyancy production term appearing in the turbulent transport equations than to the model choice. Comparisons with experimental thermal profiles show that without this term, thermal mixing is over-predicted. When including the term, stratification occurs but thermal mixing is under-predicted in the lower water column. In terms of pond performance, the effect of this term is to cause increased surface die-off of Escherichia coli during sunlight hours due to the generation of stratification. It is recommended that future modelling consider and implement this term.


Bovine immunoglobulin G does not have an inhibitory effect on diagnostic polymerase chain reaction utilizing magnetic bead extraction methods as demonstrated on the detection of Bovine viral diarrhea virus in dairy calves.
The objective of the current study was to investigate if the presence of colostral-derived immunoglobulin G (IgG) in blood is an inhibitor of diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV). Eleven precolostral and 11 postcolostral blood samples in ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) anticoagulant as well as serum samples were collected from 11 Holstein bull calves. Calves were fed 3 liters of colostrum once, by oroesophageal tubing. Postcolostral, blood, and serum samples were collected at 48 hr of age. Serum IgG concentrations were determined in the precolostral and postcolostral serum samples using radial immunodiffusion. The blood samples (precolostral and postcolostral) were spiked with BVDV, and 2 diagnostic PCR extraction methods were applied to each sample. The extraction and amplification efficiencies of the 2 PCR methods on the precolostral and postcolostral EDTA blood samples were evaluated. Two of the 11 calves had inadequate passive transfer of colostral immunoglobulins at 48 hr of age based on the serum IgG concentrations. All blood samples from calves were negative for BVDV prior to the spiking with the virus. Evaluation of the 2 different methods among 3 different virus concentrations demonstrated that there was no difference in extraction or amplification efficiency in precolostral and postcolostral samples. The results of this study suggest that bovine IgG is not an inhibitor of PCR used for detection of BVDV in cattle. The methods used in the current study are acceptable for PCR detection of BVDV in cattle.


Recent advances in microfluidic platforms for single-cell analysis in cancer biology, diagnosis and therapy.
Understanding molecular, cellular, genetic and functional heterogeneity of tumors at the single-cell level has become a major challenge for cancer research. The microfluidic technique has emerged as an important tool that offers advantages in analyzing single-cells with the capability to integrate time-consuming and labour-intensive experimental procedures such as single-cell capture into a single microdevice at ease and in a high-throughput fashion. Single-cell manipulation and analysis can be implemented within a multi-functional microfluidic device for various applications in cancer research. Here, we present recent advances of microfluidic devices for single-cell analysis pertaining to cancer biology, diagnostics, and therapeutics. We first concisely introduce various microfluidic platforms used for single-cell analysis, followed with different microfluidic techniques for single-cell manipulation. Then, we highlight their various applications in cancer research, with an emphasis on cancer biology, diagnosis, and therapy. Current limitations and prospective trends of microfluidic single-cell analysis are discussed at the end.


Post-operative management of pain following major abdominal and thoracic operations.
To study the common methods of analgesia and their effectiveness in post-operative patients and to assess the occurrence of common post-operative complications related to pain. A prospective descriptive study. Three general surgical wards and one cardiothoracic ward at the Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, between 1st September 1996 and 30th November 1996. One hundred and six adult patients admitted in the hospital for thoracotomy and/or laparotomy over a period of three months. Overall, 60% of the patients did not achieve adequate pain relief during the first 72 hours after surgery. Age, sex, weight, drug and type of operation did not influence pain score significantly. All but two patients were not prepared psychologically about expectations after surgery. Over ninety seven per cent received pethidine while 2.8% had morphine. The drugs were prescribed and administered with too little attention to the patient' s response and too much concern about adverse effects and narcotic addiction. The results suggest that the standard of post-operative pain relief is poor. Patients need to be told more about what to expect (and demand). The medical and nursing staff need further education in how to prescribe and administer analgesia with reference to individual drug response. Other more effective methods of pain control should be introduced.


EEG and Eye-Tracking Error-Related Responses During Predictive Text Interactions: A BCI Case Study.
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) employ various paradigms which afford intuitive, augmented control for users to navigate digital technologies. In this study we explore the application of these BCI concepts to predictive text systems: commonplace interactive and assistive tools with variable usage contexts and user behaviors. We conducted an experiment to analyze user neurophysiological responses under these different usage scenarios and evaluate the feasibility of a closed-loop, adaptive BCI for use with such technologies. We recorded electroencephalogram (EEG) and eye tracking (ET) data from participants while they completed a self-paced typing task in a simulated predictive text environment. Participants completed the task with different degrees of reliance on the predictive text system (completely dependent, completely independent, or their choice) and encountered both correct and incorrect text generations. Data suggest that erroneous text generations may evoke neurophysiological responses that can be measured with both EEG and pupillometry. Moreover, these responses appear to change according to users' reliance on the predictive text system. Results show promise for use in a passive, hybrid, BCI with a closed-loop, adaptive framework, and support a neurophysiological approach to the challenge of real-time human feedback on system performance.


Breath carbon monoxide as an indication of smoking habit in the military setting.
The breath carbon monoxide (CO) monitor has been shown to be an effective tool in predicting smoking habits. This study aims to assess whether the breath CO level can be employed to determine a person's smoking habit in the military setting and to analyse various factors that can influence the breath CO levels. 155 navy personnel were questioned on their smoking habits in phase one of the study. The subjects were explained the objective of the study and instructed to provide two breaths into the CO monitor (EC-50 Smokerlyser, Bedford Instruments, Kent, UK). In a subsequent single blind study, 40 trainees were not told of the purpose of the study and were assessed via a questionnaire and smokerlyser estimation. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the data and assess distribution. Depending on the distribution, a two-sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test were used to test for a significant difference between CO levels among smokers and non-smokers. In phase one, the mean breath CO levels were 11.6 (plus or minus 6.2) ppm for smokers and (1.9 plus or minus 0.9) ppm for non-smokers (p-value less than 0.0001). A cut-off level of 5 ppm gave a sensitivity of 96 percent and a specificity of 98 percent. The high CO levels were clustered within five hours of the last cigarette smoked. Therefore, this value may not reliably predict smoking habits if an individual smoked more than five hours before the test. Of the 40 subjects in phase two, five smokers who stated that their last cigarette smoked was 48 hours before the breath test had a mean CO level greater than 5 ppm. (range of 5.5 to 18.0 ppm). On further questioning, all admitted to having smoked on the day of the test. The breath CO monitor has good potential for use as an adjunct in future smoking control assessments and a reading greater than 5 ppm strongly suggests that the military outpatient is a smoker.


Surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation: integrative review.
When atrial fibrillation (AF) is present in pre-operative open heart surgeries, including coronary artery bypass grafting and valve operations, it represents an independent risk factor for cardiac events and reduced survival. Due to the complexity of the subject, especially when evaluating success rates (reversion and maintenance of normal sinus rhythm), a consensus statement was recently proposed by the International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery (ISMICS), in order to determine whether the intraoperative ablation of AF promotes favorable clinical outcomes in patients undergoing other cardiac operations in comparison with individual operations without ablation. The aim of this paper is to present published data which has contributed to consensus statement and can be useful as update source. The integrative review was the methodology that provides synthesis of knowledge and applicability of results of significant studies about presented topic.


[Managers of territory in the Family Health Strategy: analysis and profile of qualification necessities].
The study aimed at elaborating the socio-demographic and educational profile of managers of territory of the Family Health Strategy and to identify the qualification types or process of permanent education that the managers have or to the ones that are inserted, the cultural- scientific development of them. The investigation is of exploratory-descriptive type, carried out in Sobral - Ceará, with 28 managers of territory of the Strategy of Health of the Family in the period of November of 2006 to June of 2007. For the collection of data it was used a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The socio-demographic profile of the managers shows that 57.2% are in the age group from 25 to 34 years; 92.9% are of the feminine sex; 78.6% are married; 57.2% have a monthly wage in the ESF of R$1,800.00 to 2,000.00, 100% are male nurses; 71.4% possess specialization in the modality of Multi-Professional Residence in Health of the Family; 57.1% present qualification necessity in administration in health and human people's administration. It is suggested that the Municipal and Social Action Secretary of Health will be able to establish the attributions and to evaluate the profile of the managers during the nomination, and to confront them with the profile that the system demands.


VASCULAR-RELATED NAC-DOMAIN6 and VASCULAR-RELATED NAC-DOMAIN7 effectively induce transdifferentiation into xylem vessel elements under control of an induction system.
We previously showed that the VASCULAR-RELATED NAC-DOMAIN6 (VND6) and VND7 genes, which encode NAM/ATAF/CUC domain protein transcription factors, act as key regulators of xylem vessel differentiation. Here, we report a glucocorticoid-mediated posttranslational induction system of VND6 and VND7. In this system, VND6 or VND7 is expressed as a fused protein with the activation domain of the herpes virus VP16 protein and hormone-binding domain of the animal glucocorticoid receptor, and the protein's activity is induced by treatment with dexamethasone (DEX), a glucocorticoid derivative. Upon DEX treatment, transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants carrying the chimeric gene exhibited transdifferentiation of various types of cells into xylem vessel elements, and the plants died. Many genes involved in xylem vessel differentiation, such as secondary wall biosynthesis and programmed cell death, were up-regulated in these plants after DEX treatment. Chemical analysis showed that xylan, a major hemicellulose component of the dicot secondary cell wall, was increased in the transgenic plants after DEX treatment. This induction system worked in poplar (Populus tremula x tremuloides) trees and in suspension cultures of cells from Arabidopsis and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum); more than 90% of the tobacco BY-2 cells expressing VND7-VP16-GR transdifferentiated into xylem vessel elements after DEX treatment. These data demonstrate that the induction systems controlling VND6 and VND7 activities can be used as powerful tools for understanding xylem cell differentiation.


Modeling historic incidence trends implies early field cancerization in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Patterns of cancer incidence, viewed over extended time periods, reveal important aspects of multistage carcinogenesis. Here we show how a multistage clonal expansion (MSCE) model for cancer can be harnessed to identify biological processes that shape the surprisingly dynamic and disparate incidence patterns of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in the US population. While the dramatic rise in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) in the US has been largely attributed to reflux related increases in the prevalence of Barrett's esophagus (BE), the premalignant field in which most EAC are thought to arise, only scant evidence exists for field cancerization contributing to ESCC. Our analyses of incidence patterns suggest that ESCC is associated with a premalignant field that may develop very early in life. Although the risk of ESCC, which is substantially higher in Blacks than Whites, is generally assumed to be associated with late-childhood and adult exposures to carcinogens, such as from tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and various industrial exposures, the temporal trends we identify for ESCC suggest an onset distribution of field-defects before age 10, most strongly among Blacks. These trends differ significantly in shape and strength from field-defect trends that we estimate for US Whites. Moreover, the rates of ESCC-predisposing field-defects predicted by the model for cohorts of black children are decreasing for more recent birth cohorts (for Blacks born after 1940). These results point to a potential etiologic role of factors acting early in life, perhaps related to nutritional deficiencies, in the development of ESCC and its predisposing field-defect. Such factors may explain some of the striking racial differences seen in ESCC incidence patterns over time in the US.


Thortveitite-type Tm2Si2O7.
Single crystals of dithulium disilicate, Tm2Si2O7, were obtained in flux synthesis experiments in the system SiO2-Tm2O3-LiF at ambient pressure. The compound belongs to the group of sorosilicates, i.e. it is based on [Si2O7]-units and crystallizes in the thortveitite (Sc2Si2O7) structure type. The Tm(3+) cation (site symmetry .2.) occupies a distorted octa-hedral site, with Tm-O bond lengths in the range 2.217 (4)-2.289 (4) Å. Each of the octa-hedra shares three of its edges with adjacent [TmO6] groups, resulting in the formation of layers parallel to (001). The individual [SiO4] tetra-hedra are more regular, i.e. the differences between the bond lengths between Si and the bridging and non-bridging O atoms are not very pronounced. The layers containing the octa-hedra and the sheets containing the [Si2O7] groups (point group symmetry 2/m) form an alternating sequence. Linkage is provided by sharing common oxygen vertices.


Acquisition and Classification of Lung Sounds for Improving the Efficacy of Auscultation Diagnosis of Pulmonary Diseases.
Lung diseases are the third leading cause of death worldwide. Stethoscope-based auscultation is the most commonly used, non-invasive, inexpensive, and primary diagnostic approach for assessing lung conditions. However, the manual auscultation-based diagnosis procedure is prone to error, and its accuracy is dependent on the physician's experience and hearing capacity. Moreover, the stethoscope recording is vulnerable to different noises that can mask the important features of lung sounds which may lead to misdiagnosis. In this paper, a method for the acquisition of lung sound signals and classification of the top 7 lung diseases has been proposed for improving the efficacy of auscultation diagnosis of pulmonary disease. An electronic stethoscope has been constructed for signal acquisition. Lung sound signals were then collected from people with COPD, upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), pneumonia, bronchiectasis, bronchiolitis, asthma, and healthy people. Lung sounds were analyzed using a wavelet multiresolution analysis. To choose the most relevant features, feature selection using one-way ANOVA was performed. The classification accuracy of various machine learning classifiers was compared, and the Fine Gaussian SVM was chosen for final classification due to its superior performance. Model optimization was accomplished through the application of Bayesian optimization techniques. A test classification accuracy of 99%, specificity of 99.2%, and sensitivity of 99.04%, have been achieved for the 7 lung diseases using the optimized Fine Gaussian SVM classifier. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method has the potential to be used as a decision support system for the classification of lung diseases, especially in those areas where the expertise and the means are limited.


Two novel mutations in the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH)-cytochrome b5 reductase gene of a patient with generalized type, hereditary methemoglobinemia.
Hereditary methemoglobinemia due to reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) cytochrome b5 reductase (b5R) deficiency is classified into two types, an erythrocyte (type I) and a generalized (type II). We investigated the b5R gene of a patient with type II from a white United Kingdom (UK) family and found that the patient was a compound heterozygote for two novel mutations. The first mutation was a C-to-A transversion changing codon 42 (TAC: Tyr) to a stop codon in the one allele. From this mutant allele, the product without the catalytic portion of the enzyme is generated. The second one was a missense mutation at codon 95 (CCC-->CAC) in the other allele with the result that Pro changed to His within the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-binding domain of the enzyme. To characterize effects of this missense mutation on the enzyme function, we compared glutathione S-transferase (GST)-fused b5R with the GST-fused mutant enzyme with the codon 95 missense mutation (P95H) expressed in Escherichia coll. The mutant enzyme showed less catalytic activity, less thermostability, and a greater susceptibility to trypsin than did the normal counterpart. The absorption spectrum of the mutant enzyme in the visual region differed from that of the wild-type. These results suggest that this amino acid substitution influences both secondary structure and catalytic activity of the enzyme. The compound heterozygosity for the nonsense and the missense mutations apparently caused hereditary methemoglobinemia type II in this patient.


Roadmap from Microbial Communities to Individuality Modeling for Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge.
Biological models describing anaerobic digestion (AD) of sewage sludge have been widely applied to test various control and operation strategies. Anaerobic digestion model 1 (ADM1) provides a generic platform that includes the main processes of AD, excluding homoacetogenesis and the microbial structure. Homoacetogenic bacteria have been identified as important competitors for hydrogen consumption and acetate production. Although recent advances in meta-omics techniques have improved our characterization of AD microbial communities, conventional models treat functional groups as homogeneous and overlook the physiology and behavior of microbial individuality, limiting insights into mechanisms governing process performance. A novel microbial individuality model (MIM) that integrates kinetics, energetics, and agent-based modeling to describe a microbiome's behavior as heterogenic populations, including homoacetogenesis, was developed. The MIM was validated with two datasets from previous studies through daily biogas production, methane content, compound concentrations, and microbial relative abundance changes. The MIM identified the emergence of Methanosaeta at low concentrations of acetate. Moreover, this simulation supports experimental studies confirming that the overlooked homoacetogenesis is an important hydrogen sink in AD. Validated MIMs are expected to provide insights into syntrophic and competitive interactions among microbiomes in AD systems while testing different operational parameters in a virtual environment. The MIM offers a methodological framework to other biological treatment systems and their microbial community dynamics.


Abdominal adhesiolysis: inpatient care and expenditures in the United States in 1994.
Adhesion formation represents a major complication after lower abdominal operations. It is postulated that a shift in surgical practice in recent years toward the use of less invasive techniques, such as laparoscopy, may be associated with a reduction in the incidence of intraperitoneal adhesions and in the rate of adhesiolysis procedures. Using an attributable-risk methodology, this cost-of-illness study was designed to estimate the hospitalization rate and expenditures for adhesiolysis in the United States in 1994 and to examine changes in attributable expenditures since 1988. A national hospital discharge data base was used to identify all abdominal adhesion procedures performed in the United States in 1994. Total hospitalization expenditures were based on Medicare payment rates for adhesiolysis hospitalizations and physician services, which were applied to the total number of inpatient days attributed to adhesiolysis. The results were compared with published rates and expenditures attributed to adhesiolysis in 1988. Adhesiolysis was responsible for 303,836 hospitalizations during 1994, primarily for procedures on the digestive and female reproductive systems. These procedures accounted for 846,415 days of inpatient care and $1.3 billion in hospitalization and surgeon expenditures. Although the adhesiolysis hospitalization rate has remained constant since 1988, inpatient expenditures have decreased by nearly 10% because of a 15% decrease in the average length of stay. The increased use of laparoscopy during this 6-year period does not appear to be associated with a concomitant reduction in the adhesiolysis hospitalization rate, suggesting that the causes of adhesion formation warrant further research.


Allelopathic effect of methanolic extracts of genetically modified and non-genetically modified canola on soybean.
This study on the effect of genetically modified (GM) and non-GM canola on soybean was carried out for physiological and biochemical biosafety assessment of GM canola. Methanolic extracts of GM and non-GM canola were assessed on seed germination and growth of soybean (Glycine max L.) under sterilized conditions. The extracts applied were of 3, 5, and 10% concentrations. The results showed that methanolic extracts of both GM and non-GM canola improved the germination percentage. However, germination rate index was significantly decreased with concomitant increase in mean germination time of soybean. A significant rate of decrease was observed in root fresh weight while increase in shoot length took place; when treatment of GM canola extracts were applied, however, no effect was observed in shoot fresh weight. A significant increase in protein contents, as well as phenolic, carotenoids, proline, and chlorophyll a content, was observed when different GM canola treatments (3, 5, and 10%) were applied to soybean; however, a significant rate of reduction in chlorophyll b content was observed by the application of GM canola treatment. Similar results were observed for superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase activities. A significant increase in the sugar content levels was observed when GM canola treatments (3, 5, and 10%) were applied to soybean.


Increased mammographic screening and use of percutaneous image-guided core biopsy in non-palpable breast cancer: impact on surgical treatment.
Major efforts are being directed at the early diagnosis of breast cancer. The diagnosis rate of non-palpable tumors is steadily growing as a result of increased screening by mammography. In most patients with non-palpable lesions, percutaneous image-guided biopsies have replaced wire localization with surgical excision for obtaining tissue diagnosis. In recent years the Israel Ministry of Health initiated a mammograpy screening program. Percutaneous image-guided biopsies have also become widely available. To assess the impact of these changes on breast cancer surgical treatment in our hospital. The charts of 483 patients operated on in our department for primary breast carcinoma during the years 1997 to mid-2001 were reviewed. Data on the mode of diagnosis, tumor stage, resection margins, and number and types of operations were recorded and analyzed. The term non-palpable tumors relates to tumors necessitating wire localization for surgical excision. The percentage of patients diagnosed with non-palpable tumors rose from 16.2% in 1997 to 47.4% in 2001, with an average size of 2.6 cm for palpable and 1.7 cm for non-palpable tumors. The rate of preoperative diagnosis for non-palpable tumors rose from 6.2% in 1997 to 96.4% in 2001. The rate of involved or very close margins was reduced by 73% in the patient group diagnosed preoperatively as compared to those without a preoperative diagnosis (10.6% vs. 39.4%). Finally, the percentage of patients who had two operations fell from 56.2% in 1997 to 11.1% in 2001. The mammography screening program in Jerusalem in 1997-2001 was effective in increasing the relative percentage of non-palpable breast cancers with reduced tumor size at diagnosis. The improved availability of preoperative tissue diagnosis in these patients reduced the number of surgical procedures needed.


Insufficient decontamination in Sewage treatment plants induce the risk of artificial selection of extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing Escherichia coli.
Quantitative data about extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing E. coli (ESBLEC) in the wastewaters are scarce, especially in developing countries. These data could be useful to raise awareness about the potential risk of spreading ESBLEC strains in the community. Water samples were collected weekly over a 10-week period, from one urban sewage treatment plant (STP), one rural STP and one hospital complex's wastewater (HWW) in Turkey. Mean E. coli and ESBLEC loads were determined for each sampling point. For the 580 ESBLEC isolated, antimicrobial resistance profiles, phylogenetic grouping, presence of common beta-lactamese-typesand integrons were studied using PCR. The mean ESBLEC ratio was accounted for 0.58%, 0,12%, 1.53% of the total E. coli in urban, rural untreated wastewater and HWW, respectively. These values were higher for the outlets. The mean number of different antimicrobial classes to which the strains were resistant was highest in urban STP (4.0± 1.6). The antimicrobial resistance ratios of ESBLEC strains isolated from HWW were observed to be in between those of urban and rural STPs. The most common phylogenetic group was C composing (29.7%) and the most susceptible strains belonged to phylogroup B1. Wastewater treatments without sufficient decontamination, resulting in artificial selection of ESBLEC might lead to public health risk as these strains reach communities through environment. To avoid such risks and protect the human health as well as the environment, well-established decontamination measures imposing barriers against this artificial selection should be implemented.


Value of neonicotinoid seed treatments to US soybean farmers.
The benefits of neonicotinoid seed treatment to soybean farmers have received increased scrutiny. Rather than use data from small-plot experiments, this research uses survey data from 500 US farmers to estimate the benefit of neonicotinoid seed treatments to them. As seed treatment users, farmers are familiar with their benefits in the field and have economic incentives to only use them if they provide value. Of the surveyed farmers, 51% used insecticide seed treatments, averaging 87% of their soybean area. Farmers indicated that human and environmental safety is an important consideration affecting their pest management decisions and reported aphids as the most managed and important soybean pest. Asking farmers who used seed treatments to state how much value they provided gives an estimate of $US 28.04 ha-1 treated in 2013, net of seed treatment costs. Farmer-reported average yields provided an estimated average yield gain of 128.0 kg ha-1 treated in 2013, or about $US 42.20 ha-1 treated, net of seed treatment costs. These estimates using different data and methods are consistent and suggest the value of insecticide seed treatments to the US soybean farmers who used them in 2013 was around $US 28-42 ha-1 treated, net of seed treatment costs. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.


Efficacy of a Novel Intraoperative Engineered Sharps Injury Prevention Device: Pilot Usability and Efficacy Trial.
The American College of Surgeons reports 88,320 intraoperative needlestick injuries (NSIs) per year, resulting in US $376 to US $2456 in costs per NSI. Engineered sharps injury prevention (ESIP) devices protect against NSIs. To our knowledge, no study has been published to date to demonstrate clinical effectiveness of an intraoperative ESIP device. Operative Armour is a wearable arm cuff that can be donned during surgical closure to allow surgeons to keep a suture pack and sharps protection container on their forearm. We characterize Operative Armour's ESIP device effectiveness in a tertiary hospital, hypothesizing that this device will decrease NSI risk by decreasing behaviors associated with NSIs: needle passing and handling. A prospective case-control study was conducted with institutional review board quality improvement designation in which authors observed skin closures of plastic surgery procedures. To ensure accuracy, one surgeon was observed at a time. Control surgeries were purely observational; intervention cases involved surgeon use of the device during skin closure. Outcomes of interest included needle passing, needle handling, lost needles, and loaded waiting needles. Surgeons were observed in 50 control and 50 intervention cases. Operative Armour eliminated needle passing during skin closure. One NSI occurred in one control case; no NSIs were observed in intervention cases (P=.36). The mean number of loaded and unprotected waiting needles was also significantly decreased in the intervention group from 2.3 to 0.2 (P<.001). Furthermore, a multivariable linear regression established that Operative Armour significantly decreased the number of needle adjustments by hand per stitch observed (F4, 21.68=3.72; P=.01). In fact, needle adjustments by hand decreased overall (1 adjustment per 10 stitches vs 1 adjustment per 5 stitches, P=.004), and adjustments occurred half as frequently with use of Operative Armour in free flap reconstruction (1 adjustment per 10 stitches vs 1 adjustment per 5 stitches, P=.03) and a quarter as frequently in other breast reconstruction cases such as mastopexy (1 adjustment per 20 stitches vs 1 adjustment per 5 stitches, P=.002). Operative Armour effectively functions as an ESIP device by decreasing intraoperative needle passing and handling. Although sample size prohibits demonstrating a decrease in NSIs during observed cases, by decreasing behaviors that drive NSI risk, we anticipate an associated decrease in NSIs with use of the device.


Identity and Gender Recognition Using a Capacitive Sensing Floor and Neural Networks.
In recent publications, capacitive sensing floors have been shown to be able to localize individuals in an unobtrusive manner. This paper demonstrates that it might be possible to utilize the walking characteristics extracted from a capacitive floor to recognize subject and gender. Several neural network-based machine learning techniques are developed for recognizing the gender and identity of a target. These algorithms were trained and validated using a dataset constructed from the information captured from 23 subjects while walking, alone, on the sensing floor. A deep neural network comprising a Bi-directional Long Short-Term Memory (BLSTM) provided the most accurate identity performance, classifying individuals with an accuracy of 98.12% on the test data. On the other hand, a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) was the most accurate for gender recognition, attaining an accuracy of 93.3%. The neural network-based algorithms are benchmarked against Support Vector Machine (SVM), which is a classifier used in many reported works for floor-based recognition tasks. The majority of the neural networks outperform SVM across all accuracy metrics.


Update on rifampin drug interactions, III.
Rifampin is a potent inducer of cytochrome P-450 oxidative enzymes. Examples of well-documented, clinically significant interactions include warfarin, oral contraceptives, cyclosporine, glucocorticoids, ketoconazole, theophylline, quinidine, digitoxin, and verapamil. Recent reports have demonstrated clinically relevant interactions with protease inhibitors, zidovudine, delavirdine, itraconazole, nifedipine, midazolam or triazolam, nortriptyline, and doxycycline. To avoid reduced therapeutic response, therapeutic failure, or toxic reactions when rifampin is added to or discontinued from medication regimens, clinicians need to be cognizant of these interactions. Enhanced knowledge of known interactions will continue to develop, including research on induction of specific cytochrome P-450 isoenzymes. New rifampin interactions will be discovered with further investigations.


A population-based retrospective cohort study of surgical trends and outcomes of pediatric urolithiasis in Ontario, Canada (2002-2019).
The worldwide incidence of pediatric urinary stone disease (PUSD) is increasing. However, there is no commensurate data on whether this translates to an increasing need for surgical intervention for PUSD, given the role of conservative management. We aimed to evaluate the trends and outcomes of clinically significant PUSD, using administrative databases to identify patients surgically treated for PUSD. This retrospective population-based cohort study assessed the incidence and trends of surgically treated PUSD and outcomes in Ontario, Canada in patients <18 years of age who underwent their first PUSD procedure between 2002 and 2019 utilizing administrative databases held at the Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). We assessed the incidence of surgically treated PUSD, demographics, initial surgical treatment and imaging modality, and risk factors for repeat intervention within 5 years. Statistical analyses summarized demographics, surgical trends, and logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for repeat surgical intervention. We identified 1149 patients (mean age 11.3 years), with 59.6% older than 12 years. There was a decrease in the number of PUSD procedures performed per year that was close to statistical significance (p = 0.059) and a trend towards increased utilization of ureteroscopy (URS) compared with Shockwave Lithotripsy (SWL). In addition, there was a significant increase in the proportion of females surgically treated with PUSD (p = 0.001). In the 706 patients followed for 5 years, 17.7% underwent a repeat procedure within 6 months, while 20.4% underwent a repeat procedure from 6-months to 5 years. Renal stone location (OR 2.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.62-4.80, p = 0.0002) and index SWL (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.20-2.31, p = 0.0025) were risk factors for repeat surgical intervention within the first 6-months. There was an increasing utilization of ultrasound (US) compared to computerized tomography (CT) (p = 0.0008). Despite the literature reporting increasing PUSD incidence, we observed a non-significant decrease in the number of surgical PUSD procedures performed. Exclusion of those treated conservatively may explain our results. The increase in the proportion of females treated reflects the narrowing gender gap in stone disease. A trend towards increased URS utilization was observed and re-intervention rates were similar to previous studies. The overall rate of surgically treated PUSD did not show an increasing trend in Ontario, Canada from 2002 to 2019. URS was the most common surgical treatment modality, with a corresponding decline in SWL rates. PUSD was associated with a high surgical re-intervention rate within 6 months.


A new family of trinuclear nickel(II) complexes as single-molecule magnets.
Three new trinuclear nickel (II) complexes with the general composition [Ni3 L3 (OH)(X)](ClO4 ) have been prepared in which X=Cl(-) (1), OCN(-) (2), or N3(-) (3) and HL is the tridentate N,N,O donor Schiff base ligand 2-[(3-dimethylaminopropylimino)methyl]phenol. Single-crystal structural analyses revealed that all three complexes have a similar Ni3 core motif with three different types of bridging, namely phenoxido (μ2 and μ3 ), hydroxido (μ3 ), and μ2 -Cl (1), μ1,1 -NCO (2), or μ1,1 -N3 (3). The nickel(II) ions adopt a compressed octahedron geometry. Single-crystal magnetization measurements on complex 1 revealed that the pseudo-three-fold axis of Ni3 corresponds to a magnetic easy axis, being consistent with the magnetic anisotropy expected from the coordination structure of each nickel ion. Temperature-dependent magnetic measurements indicated ferromagnetic coupling leading to an S=3 ground state with 2J/k=17, 17, and 28 K for 1, 2, and 3, respectively, with the nickel atoms in an approximate equilateral triangle. The high-frequency EPR spectra in combination with spin Hamiltonian simulations that include zero-field splitting parameters DNi /k=-5, -4, and -4 K for 1, 2, and 3, respectively, reproduced the EPR spectra well after a anisotropic exchange term was introduced. Anisotropic exchange was identified as Di,j /k=-0.9, -0.8, and -0.8 K for 1, 2, and 3, respectively, whereas no evidence of single-ion rhombic anisotropy was observed spectroscopically. Slow relaxation of the magnetization at low temperatures is evident from the frequency-dependence of the out-of-phase ac susceptibilities. Pulsed-field magnetization recorded at 0.5 K shows clear steps in the hysteresis loop at 0.5-1 T, which has been assigned to quantum tunneling, and is characteristic of single-molecule magnets.


Lamin A/C mutation analysis in a cohort of 324 unrelated patients with idiopathic or familial dilated cardiomyopathy.
Lamin A/C mutations are a well-established cause of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), although their frequency has not been examined in a large cohort of patients. We sought to examine the frequency of mutations in LMNA, the gene encoding lamin A/C, in patients with idiopathic (IDC) or familial dilated cardiomyopathy (FDC). Clinical cardiovascular data, family histories, and blood samples were collected from 324 unrelated IDC probands, of whom 187 had FDC. DNA samples were sequenced for nucleotide alterations in LMNA. Likely protein-altering mutations were followed up by evaluating additional family members, when possible. We identified 18 protein-altering LMNA variants in 19 probands or 5.9% of all cases (7.5% of FDC; 3.6% of IDC). Of the 18 alterations, 11 were missense (one present in 2 kindreds), 3 were nonsense, 3 were insertion/deletions, and 1 was a splice site alteration. Conduction system disease and DCM were common in carriers of LMNA variants. Unexpectedly, in 6 of the 19 kindreds with a protein-altering LMNA variant (32%), at least one affected family member was negative for the LMNA variant. Lamin A/C variants were observed with a frequency of 5.9% in probands with DCM. The novel observation of FDC pedigrees in which not all affected individuals carry the putative disease-causing LMNA mutation suggests that some protein-altering LMNA variants are not causative or that some proportion of FDC may be because of multiple causative factors. These findings warrant increased caution in FDC research and molecular diagnostics.


Roles of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma on Brain and Peripheral Inflammation.
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) has been implicated in the pathology of numerous diseases involving diabetes, stroke, cancer, or obesity. It is expressed in diverse cell types, including vessels, immune and glial cells, and neurons. PPARγ plays crucial roles in the regulation of cellular differentiation, lipid metabolism, or glucose homeostasis. PPARγ ligands also exert effects on attenuating degenerative processes in the brain, as well as in peripheral systems, and it has been associated with the control of anti-inflammatory mechanisms, oxidative stress, neuronal death, neurogenesis, differentiation, and angiogenesis. This review will highlight key advances in the understanding of the PPARγ-related mechanisms responsible for neuroprotection after brain injuries, both ischemia and traumatic brain injury, and it will also cover the natural and synthetic agonist for PPARγ, angiotensin receptor blockers, and PPARγ antagonists, used in experimental and clinical research. A better understanding of the pleiotropic mechanisms and applications of these drugs to improve the recovery and to repair the acute and chronic induced neuroinflammation after brain injuries will pave the way for more effective therapeutic strategies after brain deficits.


[Western blot technique standardization of the diagnosis of human fasciolosis using Fasciola hepatica excreted-secreted antigens].
To evaluate the performance of the enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot assay (EITB, Western blot) using excretory/secretory antigens from adult forms of Fasciola hepatica (Fh E/S Ag) for the diagnosis of human fasciolosis. Antigens were obtained after 18 hours of incubation in culture medium Minimum Essential Eagle, prepared at a protein concentration of 0.15 ug/uL and run against a pool of sera of patients with proven fasciolosis (confirmed by the finding of parasite eggs in the stool microscopy). Antigens of 10, 12, 17, 23, 27, 30, 36, 43, 66 and 136 kDa were detected and used to develop the Western blot technique. The sensitivity was evaluated using sera from 67 fasciolosis patients, and the specificity using sera from 57 patients with other parasitic diseases, and 10 from healthy individuals. Out of the 67 sera, 64 reacted with the 23 kDa band and 61 with the one of 17 kDa. These two bands were not detected in sera from patients with other parasitic diseases or in those from healthy volunteers and thus could be considered specific and diagnostic. The sensitivity of the test, using the bands of 17 and 23 kDa, was 95.5% for positive reactions to at least one of these two bands, being its specificity 100% with a positive predictive value of 100% and negative predictive value of 95.71%.


First trimester phthalate exposure and anogenital distance in newborns.
Is first trimester phthalate exposure associated with anogenital distance (AGD), a biomarker of prenatal androgen exposure, in newborns? Concentrations of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) metabolites in first trimester maternal urine samples are inversely associated with AGD in male, but not female, newborns. AGD is a sexually dimorphic measure reflecting prenatal androgen exposure. Prenatal phthalate exposure has been associated with shorter male AGD in multiple animal studies. Prior human studies, which have been limited by small sample size and imprecise timing of exposure and/or outcome, have reported conflicting results. The Infant Development and the Environment Study (TIDES) is a prospective cohort study of pregnant women recruited in prenatal clinics in San Francisco, CA, Minneapolis, MN, Rochester, NY and Seattle, WA in 2010-2012. Participants delivered 787 infants; 753 with complete data are included in this analysis. Any woman over 18 years old who was able to read and write English (or Spanish in CA), who was <13 weeks pregnant, whose pregnancy was not medically threatened and who planned to deliver in a study hospital was eligible to participate. Analyses include all infants whose mothers provided a first trimester urine sample and who were examined at or shortly after birth. Specific gravity (SpG) adjusted concentrations of phthalate metabolites in first trimester urine samples were examined in relation to genital measurements. In boys (N = 366), we obtained two measures of anogenital distance (AGD) (anoscrotal distance, or AGDAS and anopenile distance, AGDAP) as well as penile width (PW). In girls (N = 373), we measured anofourchette distance (AGDAF) and anoclitoral distance (AGDAC). We used multivariable regression models that adjusted for the infant's age at exam, gestational age, weight-for-length Z-score, time of day of urine collection, maternal age and study center. Three metabolites of DEHP were significantly and inversely associated with both measures of boys' AGD. Associations (β, 95% confidence interval (CI)) between AGDAS and (log10) SpG-adjusted phthalate concentrations were: -1.12 (-2.16, -0.07) for mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), -1.43, (-2.49, -0.38) for mono-2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl phthalate (MEOHP), and -1.28 (-2.29, -0.27) for mono-2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl (MEHHP). Associations were of similar magnitude for AGDAP. Associations were weaker and not statistically significant for PW. No other phthalate metabolites were associated with any genital measurement in boys. No phthalate metabolites were associated with either AGD measure in girls. Exposure assessment was based on a single first trimester urine sample, which may have introduced exposure misclassification. In addition, significant between-center differences suggest that this measurement is difficult to standardize. Our findings are consistent with multiple rodent studies and most human studies which were far smaller. The data we report here suggest that even at current low levels, environmental exposure to DEHP can adversely affect male genital development resulting in reproductive tract changes that may impact reproductive health later in life. These findings have important implications for public policy since most pregnant women are exposed to this ubiquitous chemical. Funding for TIDES was provided by the following grants from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: R01ES016863-04 and R01 ES016863-02S4. The authors report no conflict of interest.


TiO2 nanotubes as a therapeutic agent for cancer thermotherapy.
We report the photothermal properties as well as the in vitro cell test results of titanium oxide nanotubes (TiO(2) NTs) as a potential therapeutic agent for cancer thermotherapy in combination with near-infrared (NIR) light. TiO(2) NTs are found to have a higher photothermal effect upon exposure to NIR laser than Au nanoparticles and single-wall carbon nanotubes, which have also attracted considerable interest as therapeutic agents for cancer thermotherapy. The temperature increase of a TiO(2) NT/NaCl suspension during NIR laser exposure is larger than that of a TiO(2) NT/D.I. water suspension due to the heat generated by the formation of Na(2)TiF(6). According to the in vitro cell test results the cells exposed to NIR laser without TiO(2) NT treatment have a cell viability of 96.4%. Likewise, the cells treated with TiO(2) NTs but not with NIR irradiation also have a cell viability of 98.2%. Combination of these two techniques, however, shows a cell viability of 1.35%. Also, the cell deaths are mostly due to necrosis but partly due to late apoptosis. These results suggest that TiO(2) NTs can be used effectively as therapeutic agents for cancer thermotherapy due to their excellent photothermal properties and high biocompatibility.


Moringa oleifera hydroethanolic extracts effectively alleviate acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in experimental rats through their antioxidant nature.
The aim of the study was to investigate the in vitro antioxidant properties Moringa oleifera Lam. (MO) extracts and its curative role in acetaminophen (APAP)-induced toxic liver injury in rats caused by oxidative damage. The total phenolic content and antioxidant properties of hydroethanolic extracts of different MO edible parts were investigated by employing an established in vitro biological assay. In the antihepatotoxic study, either flowers or leaves extract (200 mg/kg or 400 mg/kg, i.p) were administered an hour after APAP administration, respectively. N-Acetylcysteine was used as the positive control against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity. The levels of liver markers such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and the levels of oxidative damage markers including malondialdehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) protein adduct, reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were analysed and compared between experimental groups. Among MO edible parts the flower extracts contain the highest total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity, followed by leaves extract. The oxidative marker MDA, as well as 4-HNE protein adduct levels were elevated and GSH, SOD and CAT were significantly decreased in groups treated with hepatotoxin. The biochemical liver tissue oxidative markers measured in the rats treated with MO flowers and leaves hydroethanolic extracts showed a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in the severity of the liver damage. The results of this study strongly indicate the therapeutic properties of MO hydroethanolic extracts against acute liver injury and thereby scientifically support its traditional use.


Differential regulation of two FLNA transcripts explains some of the phenotypic heterogeneity in the loss-of-function filaminopathies.
Loss-of-function mutations in the X-linked gene FLNA can lead to abnormal neuronal migration, vascular and cardiac defects, and congenital intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO), the latter characterized by anomalous intestinal smooth muscle layering. Survival in male hemizygotes for such mutations is dependent on retention of residual FLNA function but it is unclear why a subgroup of males with mutations in the 5' end of the gene can present with CIPO alone. Here, we demonstrate evidence for the presence of two FLNA isoforms differing by 28 residues at the N-terminus initiated at ATG+1 and ATG+82 . A male with CIPO (c.18_19del) exclusively expressed FLNA ATG+82 , implicating the longer protein isoform (ATG+1 ) in smooth muscle development. In contrast, mutations leading to reduction of both isoforms are associated with compound phenotypes affecting the brain, heart, and intestine. RNA-seq data revealed three distinct transcription start sites, two of which produce a protein isoform utilizing ATG+1 while the third utilizes ATG+82 . Transcripts sponsoring translational initiation at ATG+1 predominate in intestinal smooth muscle, and are more abundant compared with the level measured in fibroblasts. Together these observations describe a new mechanism of tissue-specific regulation of FLNA that could reflect the differing mechanical requirements of these cell types during development.


Pathologist Computer-Aided Diagnostic Scoring of Tumor Cell Fraction: A Swiss National Study.
Tumor cell fraction (TCF) estimation is a common clinical task with well-established large interobserver variability. It thus provides an ideal test bed to evaluate potential impacts of employing a tumor cell fraction computer-aided diagnostic (TCFCAD) tool to support pathologists' evaluation. During a National Slide Seminar event, pathologists (n = 69) were asked to visually estimate TCF in 10 regions of interest (ROIs) from hematoxylin and eosin colorectal cancer images intentionally curated for diverse tissue compositions, cellularity, and stain intensities. Next, they re-evaluated the same ROIs while being provided a TCFCAD-created overlay highlighting predicted tumor vs nontumor cells, together with the corresponding TCF percentage. Participants also reported confidence levels in their assessments using a 5-tier scale, indicating no confidence to high confidence, respectively. The TCF ground truth (GT) was defined by manual cell-counting by experts. When assisted, interobserver variability significantly decreased, showing estimates converging to the GT. This improvement remained even when TCFCAD predictions deviated slightly from the GT. The standard deviation (SD) of the estimated TCF to the GT across ROIs was 9.9% vs 5.8% with TCFCAD (P < .0001). The intraclass correlation coefficient increased from 0.8 to 0.93 (95% CI, 0.65-0.93 vs 0.86-0.98), and pathologists stated feeling more confident when aided (3.67 ± 0.81 vs 4.17 ± 0.82 with the computer-aided diagnostic [CAD] tool). TCFCAD estimation support demonstrated improved scoring accuracy, interpathologist agreement, and scoring confidence. Interestingly, pathologists also expressed more willingness to use such a CAD tool at the end of the survey, highlighting the importance of training/education to increase adoption of CAD systems.


Safety of Bifidobacterium animalis Subsp. Lactis (B. lactis) Strain BB-12-Supplemented Yogurt in Healthy Children.
Probiotics are live microorganisms that may provide health benefits to the individual when consumed in sufficient quantities. For studies conducted on health or disease endpoints on probiotics in the United States, the Food and Administration has required those studies to be conducted as investigational new drugs. This phase I, double-blinded, randomized, controlled safety study represents the first requirement of this pathway. The purpose of the study was to determine the safety of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (B lactis) strain BB-12 (BB-12)-supplemented yogurt when consumed by a generally healthy group of children. The secondary aim was to assess the effect of BB-12-supplemented yogurt on the gut microbiota of the children. Sixty children ages 1 to 5 years were randomly assigned to consume 4 ounces of either BB-12-supplemented yogurt or nonsupplemented control yogurt daily for 10 days. The primary outcome was to assess safety and tolerability, as determined by the number of reported adverse events. A total of 186 nonserious adverse events were reported, with no significant differences between the control and BB-12 groups. No significant changes due to probiotic treatment were observed in the gut microbiota of the study cohort. BB-12-supplemented yogurt is safe and well-tolerated when consumed by healthy children. The present study will form the basis for future randomized clinical trials investigating the potential effects of BB-12-supplemented yogurt in different disease states.


Regulation of Clostridial Toxin Gene Expression: A Pasteurian Tradition.
The alarming symptoms attributed to several potent clostridial toxins enabled the early identification of the causative agent of tetanus, botulism, and gas gangrene diseases, which belongs to the most famous species of pathogenic clostridia. Although Clostridioides difficile was identified early in the 20th century as producing important toxins, it was identified only 40 years later as the causative agent of important nosocomial diseases upon the advent of antibiotic therapies in hospital settings. Today, C. difficile is a leading public health issue, as it is the major cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in adults. In particular, severe symptoms within the spectrum of C. difficile infections are directly related to the levels of toxins produced in the host. This highlights the importance of understanding the regulation of toxin synthesis in the pathogenicity process of C. difficile, whose regulatory factors in response to the gut environment were first identified at the Institut Pasteur. Subsequently, the work of other groups in the field contributed to further deciphering the complex mechanisms controlling toxin production triggered by the intestinal dysbiosis states during infection. This review summarizes the Pasteurian contribution to clostridial toxin regulation studies.


Parenting Practices and Emerging Adult Sexual Health: The Role of Residential Fathers.
Emerging adulthood is a developmental period with high rates of sexual risk behavior. Effective parenting practices can reduce the likelihood of this behavior, but most research on the protective effects of parenting focuses on mothers. Research is needed to assess the role of paternal parenting in regards to their children's sexual risk behavior, particularly for children of teen mothers, who show a greater likelihood of risky sexual behaviors than those with older mothers. We investigated associations between residential fathers' parenting processes-communication, disapproval of teen sexual behavior, parental presence, and closeness-during adolescence and sexual risk behaviors reported by their children in emerging adulthood. Using multiple group structural equation modeling with data from 7399 participants at Wave I and Wave III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), we examined whether and how residential fathers' parenting relates to their children's sexual risk behavior independent of mothers' parenting processes, and whether these associations differ across children's sex and for children of teen and older mothers. We found that adolescents' perceptions of higher father disapproval of teen sexual behavior predicted lower levels of sexual risk behavior during emerging adulthood with no significant differences across emerging adults' sex or for children of teen relative to older mothers. Our findings suggest that teens' relationships with their fathers during adolescence are important for their future sexual health, despite a general understanding of emerging adulthood as a period characterized by independence and separation from parents. Additionally, our results suggest that even though children of teen mothers show greater likelihood of risky sexual behaviors than those of older parents, the processes through which fathers can support teens' sexual health may be similar.


Elasticity of the porcine lens capsule as measured by osmotic swelling.
As an alternative to purely mechanical methods, optical tracking of passive osmotic swelling was used to assess mechanical properties of the porcine lens capsule. A simple model was developed accounting for the permeability of the lens fiber cells and capsule to water, the concentration of fixed charges in the fiber cells, and the capsule's resistance to the swelling of fiber cells. Fitting the model solution to experimental data provided an estimate of the elastic modulus of the lens capsule under the assumption of linear isotropic elasticity. The calculated elastic modulus at a fixed charge density of 20 mol m(-3) was 2.0+/-0.5 MPa (mean+/-95% confidence interval; n=15) for 0.1% saline solution, 0.64+/-0.3 MPa (n=10) for 0.2% saline solution, and 0.28+/-0.5 MPa (n=6) for 0.5% saline solution. These values are comparable to previously reported moduli of elasticity for the porcine lens capsule at small strains (<10%), and the slight increase with hypotonicity is consistent with the nonlinear mechanical behavior of the lens capsule. Although limited by being a single measurement on a heterogeneous tissue, osmotic swelling provides a quantitative assessment of the stiffness of the lens capsule without requiring dissection or manipulation of the lens. Thus, the new method could be useful for small animal models.


Steady-state fully noninductive current driven by electron cyclotron waves in a magnetically confined plasma
A steady-state, fully noninductive plasma current has been sustained for the first time in a tokamak using electron cyclotron current drive only. In this discharge, 123 kA of current have been sustained for the entire gyrotron pulse duration of 2 s. Careful distribution across the plasma minor radius of the power deposited from three 0. 5-MW gyrotrons was essential for reaching steady-state conditions. With central current drive, up to 153 kA of current have been fully replaced transiently for 100 ms. The noninductive scenario is confirmed by the ability to recharge the Ohmic transformer. The dependence of the current drive efficiency on the minor radius is also demonstrated.


The mouse genome: experimental examination of gene predictions and transcriptional start sites.
The completion of the mouse and other mammalian genome sequences will provide necessary, but not sufficient, knowledge for an understanding of much of mouse biology at the molecular level. As a requisite next step in this process, the genes in mouse and their structure must be elucidated. In particular, knowledge of the transcriptional start site of these genes will be necessary for further study of their regulatory regions. To assess the current state of mouse genome annotation to support this activity, we identified several hundred gene predictions in mouse with varying levels of supporting evidence and tested them using RACE-PCR. Modifications were made to the procedure allowing pooling of RNA samples, resulting in a scaleable procedure. The results illustrate potential errors or omissions in the current 5' end annotations in 58% of the genes detected. In testing experimentally unsupported gene predictions, we were able to identify 58 that are not usually annotated as genes but produced spliced transcripts (approximately 25% success rate). In addition, in many genes we were able to detect novel exons not predicted by any gene prediction algorithms. In 19.8% of the genes detected in this study, multiple transcript species were observed. These data show an urgent need to provide direct experimental validation of gene annotations. Moreover, these results show that direct validation using RACE-PCR can be an important component of genome-wide validation. This approach can be a useful tool in the ongoing efforts to increase the quality of gene annotations, especially transcriptional start sites, in complex genomes.


Sympatric chimpanzees and gorillas harbor convergent gut microbial communities.
The gut microbial communities within great apes have been shown to reflect the phylogenetic history of their hosts, indicating codiversification between great apes and their gut microbiota over evolutionary timescales. But because the great apes examined to date represent geographically isolated populations whose diets derive from different sources, it is unclear whether this pattern of codiversification has resulted from a long history of coadaptation between microbes and hosts (heritable factors) or from the ecological and geographic separation among host species (environmental factors). To evaluate the relative influences of heritable and environmental factors on the evolution of the great ape gut microbiota, we assayed the gut communities of sympatric and allopatric populations of chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas residing throughout equatorial Africa. Comparisons of these populations revealed that the gut communities of different host species can always be distinguished from one another but that the gut communities of sympatric chimpanzees and gorillas have converged in terms of community composition, sharing on average 53% more bacterial phylotypes than the gut communities of allopatric hosts. Host environment, independent of host genetics and evolutionary history, shaped the distribution of bacterial phylotypes across the Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria, the four most common phyla of gut bacteria. Moreover, the specific patterns of phylotype sharing among hosts suggest that chimpanzees living in sympatry with gorillas have acquired bacteria from gorillas. These results indicate that geographic isolation between host species has promoted the evolutionary differentiation of great ape gut bacterial communities.


Heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction: emerging frontiers in clinical characteristics, prognosis, and treatment.
Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome resulting from the impairment of ventricular filling or ejection of blood or both, leading to considerable morbidity and mortality. Based on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), the 2016 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guideline firstly classified patients with LVEF in the range of 40% to 49% into heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction. Since then, more and more clinical studies targeting HF with mid-range ejection fraction emerged, indicating that they may benefit from similar therapies to those with LVEF ≤40%. So the latest ESC guideline of HF changed the term 'heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction' to 'heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction' (HFmrEF). Simultaneously, burgeoning evidence indicating the emergence of novel technologies (such as speckle tracking echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance quantitative imaging), and new biomarkers were conducive to evaluating HF from different perspectives. In this review, we summarized the research progress of HFmrEF in clinical characteristics, prognosis, and treatment, hoping to help cardiologists better evaluate and treat patients of HFmrEF.


Unraveling the formation mechanism of graphitic nitrogen-doping in thermally treated graphene with ammonia.
Nitrogen-doped graphene (N-graphene) has attractive properties that has been widely studied over the years. However, its possible formation process still remains unclear. Here, we propose a highly feasible formation mechanism of the graphitic-N doing in thermally treated graphene with ammonia by performing ab initio molecular dynamic simulations at experimental conditions. Results show that among the commonly native point defects in graphene, only the single vacancy 5-9 and divacancy 555-777 have the desirable electronic structures to trap N-containing groups and to mediate the subsequent dehydrogenation processes. The local structure of the defective graphene in combining with the thermodynamic and kinetic effect plays a crucial role in dominating the complex atomic rearrangement to form graphitic-N which heals the corresponding defect perfectly. The importance of the symmetry, the localized force field, the interaction of multiple trapped N-containing groups, as well as the catalytic effect of the temporarily formed bridge-N are emphasized, and the predicted doping configuration agrees well with the experimental observation. Hence, the revealed mechanism will be helpful for realizing the targeted synthesis of N-graphene with reduced defects and desired properties.


[Therapy of progressive chronic polyarthritis. Clinical studies of the effectiveness of azathioprine].
The present paper reports on the experience obtained in patients during treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with Azathioprine. The duration of treatment was on the average 16.5 months (minimum 1 month, maximum 54 months). The arthritic pains could be alleviated or even stopped completely in 73% of the cases. In 53.6% of the cases the morning stiffness was influenced favourably. The analgetic dose could be reduced in 54% of patients, who additionally received analgetics. Rheumatic attacks appeared rarely and also were of shorter duration and less severe. Therefore it can be concluded that Azathioprine has decreased the progredience of the disease. The main side-effects were gastrointestinal upsets. In 2 cases therapy had to be discontinued due to leucopenia. The results show that Azathioprine seems to be valuable for the treatment of severe rheumatoid arthritis. The overall effect can be considered as successful, but long-term therapy is necessary.


[Safety measures in gastrectomy for peptic ulcer of marked severity].
During the period from 1981 till 1989 87 resections for ulcerous injuries of particular severity were made in connection with the inflammation, destruction or spread of sclerosis in the pyloroduodenal zone. Measures of safety were complex and came to refusal from buried sutures in closing the duodenal stump, predominant use of Billroth-II resection in modifications foreseeing the creation of the Brown anastomosis (after Balfour, Roux), drainage of the abdominal cavity and actions for the liquidation of postoperative complications. Relaparotomy resulting from complications was necessary for 9 patients. One patient of 87 died.


Missing Oral Health-Related Data in the interRAI-HC - Associations with Selected Variables of General Health and the Effect of Multiple Imputation on the Relationship between Oral and General Health.
Missing data within the comprehensive geriatric assessment of the interRAI suite of assessment instruments potentially imply the under-detection of conditions that require care as well as the risk of biased statistical results. Impaired oral health in older individuals has to be registered accurately as it causes pain and discomfort and is related to the general health status. This study was based on interRAI-Home Care (HC) baseline data from 7590 subjects (mean age 81.2 years, SD 6.9) in Belgium. It was investigated if missingness of the oral health-related items was associated with selected variables of general health. It was also determined if multiple imputation of missing data affected the associations between oral and general health. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine if the prevalence of missingness in the oral health-related variables was associated with activities of daily life (ADLH), cognitive performance (CPS2) and depression (DRS). Associations between oral health and ADLH, CPS2 and DRS were determined, with missing data treated by 1. the complete-case technique and 2. by multiple imputation, and results were compared. The individual oral health-related variables had a similar proportion of missing values, ranging from 16.3% to 17.2%. The prevalence of missing data in all oral health-related variables was significantly associated with symptoms of depression (dental prosthesis use OR 1.66, CI 1.41-1.95; damaged teeth OR 1.74, CI 1.48-2.04; chewing problems OR 1.74, CI 1.47-2.05; dry mouth OR 1.65, CI 1.40-1.94). Missingness in damaged teeth (OR 1.27, CI 1.08-1.48), chewing problems (OR 1.22, CI 1.04-1.44) and dry mouth (OR 1.23, CI 1.05-1.44) occurred more frequently in cognitively impaired subjects. ADLH was not associated with the prevalence of missing data. When comparing the complete-case technique with the multiple imputation approach, nearly identical odds ratios characterized the associations between oral and general health. Cognitively impaired and depressive individuals had a higher risk of missing oral health-related information. Associations between oral health and ADLH, CPS2 and DRS were not influenced by multiple imputation of missing data. Further research should concentrate on the mechanisms that mediate the occurrence of missingness to develop preventative strategies.


Cell-free synthesis and assembly of connexins into functional gap junction membrane channels.
Several different gap junction channel subunit isotypes, known as connexins, were synthesized in a cell-free translation system supplemented with microsomal membranes to study the mechanisms involved in gap junction channel assembly. Previous results indicated that the connexins were synthesized as membrane proteins with their relevant transmembrane topology. An integrated biochemical and biophysical analysis indicated that the connexins assembled specifically with other connexin subunits. No interactions were detected between connexin subunits and other co-translated transmembrane proteins. The connexins that were integrated into microsomal vesicles assembled into homo- and hetero-oligomeric structures with hydrodynamic properties of a 9S particle, consistent with the properties reported for hexameric gap junction connexons derived from gap junctions in vivo. Further, cell-free assembled homo-oligomeric connexons composed of beta1 or beta2 connexin were reconstituted into synthetic lipid bilayers. Single channel conductances were recorded from these bilayers that were similar to those measured for these connexons produced in vivo. Thus, this is the first direct evidence that the synthesis and assembly of a gap junction connexon can take place in microsomal membranes. Finally, the cell-free system has been used to investigate the properties of alpha1, beta1 and beta2 connexin to assemble into hetero-oligomers. Evidence has been obtained for a selective interaction between individual connexin isotypes and that a signal determining the potential hetero-oligomeric combinations of connexin isotypes may be located in the N-terminal sequence of the connexins.


Treatment of Diabetic Kidney Disease: Current and Future.
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the major cause of end-stage kidney disease. However, only renin-angiotensin system inhibitor with multidisciplinary treatments is effective for DKD. In 2019, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor showed efficacy against DKD in Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE) trial, adding a new treatment option. However, the progression of DKD has not been completely controlled. The patients with transient exposure to hyperglycemia develop diabetic complications, including DKD, even after normalization of their blood glucose. Temporary hyperglycemia causes advanced glycation end product (AGE) accumulations and epigenetic changes as metabolic memory. The drugs that improve metabolic memory are awaited, and AGE inhibitors and histone modification inhibitors are the focus of clinical and basic research. In addition, incretin-related drugs showed a renoprotective ability in many clinical trials, and these trials with renal outcome as their primary endpoint are currently ongoing. Hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors recently approved for renal anemia may be renoprotective since they improve tubulointerstitial hypoxia. Furthermore, NF-E2-related factor 2 activators improved the glomerular filtration rate of DKD patients in Bardoxolone Methyl Treatment: Renal Function in chronic kidney disease/Type 2 Diabetes (BEAM) trial and Phase II Study of Bardoxolone Methyl in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease and Type 2 Diabetes (TSUBAKI) trial. Thus, following SGLT2 inhibitor, numerous novel drugs could be utilized in treating DKD. Future studies are expected to provide new insights.


Immunomodulatory activities of small host defense peptides.
Recent studies have demonstrated that in addition to their antimicrobial activity, cationic host defense peptides, like the human cathelicidin LL-37, perform many activities relating to innate immunity, including the induction or modulation of chemokine and cytokine production, alteration of gene expression in host cells, and inhibition of proinflammatory responses of host cells to bacterial components such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vitro and in vivo. To investigate if these properties are shared by smaller peptides, two cathelicidin peptides derived from bovine neutrophils, the 13-mer indolicidin and Bac2A, a linear 12-amino-acid derivative of bactenecin, were compared to the 37-amino-acid peptide LL-37. Indolicidin, like LL-37, inhibited LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) secretion, even when added up to an hour after the addition of Escherichia coli O111:B4 LPS to the human macrophage/monocyte-like THP-1 cell line. In contrast, Bac2A demonstrated no significant antiendotoxin activity. At low concentrations, indolicidin and LL-37 acted synergistically to suppress LPS-induced production of TNF-alpha. Indolicidin was analogous to LL-37 in its ability to induce the production of the chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) in a human bronchial cell line, 16HBE14o(-), but it was unable to induce production of IL-8 in THP-1 cells. In contrast, Bac2A was unable to induce IL-8 in either cell type. Conversely, Bac2A was chemotactic for THP-1 cells at concentrations between 10 and 100 mug/ml, while indolicidin and LL-37 were not chemotactic at these concentrations for THP-1 cells. This indicates that in addition to the potential for direct microbicidal activity, cationic host defense peptides may have diverse and complementary abilities to modulate the innate immune response.


Cognition and long-term use of ganja (Cannabis).
Neuropsychological variables and urine cannabinoid metabolites were evaluated in ten subjects born, raised, and educated in the United States and having histories of heavy or prolonged use of cannabis. No impairment of cognitive function was found. Cannabinoid metabolites in excess of 50 nanograms per milliliter were present in the ten urine samples. The tetrahydrocannabinol content of cannabis exceeded 8.0%.


Effects of CDT on Hemodynamics and Quality of Life in a Subgroup of Patients with Lower Limb Deep Vein Thrombosis Carel: A Case-Control Study.
To explore the effects of combined catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) on hemodynamics and quality of life in a subgroup of patients with lower limb deep vein thrombosis carel by using a case-control study. Eighty-four patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT: acute DVT and chronic DVT) of lower extremities treated in our hospital from April 2017 to June 2021 were randomly assigned into the control group (n = 42) and the research group (n = 42). The control group only received routine nursing combined with CDT; the research group was treated with cluster nursing l combined with CDT. The clinical efficacy, the difference in limb circumference, hemorheology, hemodynamics, coagulation index and life quality before and after treatment, and the nursing satisfaction scores were calculated. The effects of cluster nursing l combined with CDT on hemodynamics and life quality in patients with DVT of lower extremities were analyzed. The clinical curative effect of the research group was better than that of the control group (P < 0.05). After intervention, the difference in the thigh and leg perimeter in the research group was reduced, and the difference in the thigh and leg perimeter in the research group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). After intervention, the whole blood low shear viscosity, plasma viscosity, platelet aggregation rate, and fibrinogen in the research group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). After intervention, segmental venous volume (SVC), maximum venous blood flow (MVO), and SVC/MVO in the research group were significantly higher than those before intervention, VRT was significantly prolonged, and MVO and venous pressure recovery time (VRT) were significantly higher than those in the control group. After intervention, D-dimer and fibrinogen decreased, prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time increased in the research group, and the improvement of blood coagulation index in the research group was significantly better than that in the control group (P < 0.05). After intervention, the scores of quality of life in the research group decreased, and the scores of physiological function, psychological function, social function, and health self-cognition in the research group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The satisfaction of patients in the research group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The application of cluster nursing l combined with CDT can effectively prevent lower limb venous thrombosis after operation and can enhance patients' hemorheology, hemodynamics, and blood coagulation function and significantly promote their life quality, nursing satisfaction is high, and it is worth popularizing and applying in clinic.


Nep1, a Schizosaccharomyces pombe deneddylating enzyme.
Nedd8 is a ubiquitin-like modifier that is attached to the cullin components of E3 ubiquitin ligases. More recently, p53 has also been shown to be Nedd8-modified. Nedd8 attachment occurs in a manner similar to that observed for other ubiquitin-like modifiers. In the present study, we report on the characterization of Nep1, a deneddylating enzyme in fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe). Unlike loss of ned8, deletion of the nep1 gene is not lethal, although nep1.d cells are heterogeneous in length, suggesting a defect in cell-cycle progression. Viability of nep1.d cells is dependent on a functional spindle checkpoint but not on the DNA integrity checkpoint. Deletion of a related gene (nep2), either alone or in combination with nep1.d, also has little effect on cell viability. We show that Nep1 can deneddylate the Pcu1, Pcu3 and Pcu4 cullins in vitro and that its activity is sensitive to N-ethylmaleimide, consistent with the idea that it is a member of the cysteine protease family. nep1.d cells accumulate Nedd8-modified proteins, although these do not correspond to modified forms of the cullins, suggesting that, although Nep1 can deneddylate cullins in vitro, this is not its main function in vivo. Nep1 can be co-precipitated with the signalosome subunit Csn5. Nep1 itself is present in a high-molecular-mass complex, but the presence of this complex is not dependent on the production of intact signalosomes. Our results suggest that, in vivo, Nep1 may be responsible for deneddylating proteins other than cullins.


Role of exercise-induced calmodulin protein kinase (CaMK)II activation in the regulation of omega-6 fatty acids and lipid metabolism genes in rat skeletal muscle.
Activation of calmodulin dependent protein kinase (CaMK)II by exercise is beneficial in controlling membrane lipids associated with type 2 diabetes and obesity. Regulation of lipid metabolism is crucial in the improvement of type 2 diabetes and obesity associated symptoms. The role of CaMKII in membrane associated lipid metabolism was the focus of this study. Five to six weeks old male Wistar rats were used in this study. GC×GC-TOFMS technique was used to determine the levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid, arachidonic acid and 11,14-eicosadienoic acid). Carnitine palmitoyltransferase (Cpt-1) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (Acc-1) genes expression were assessed using quantitative real time PCR (qPCR). From the results, CaMKII activation by exercise increased the levels of arachidonic acid and 11,14-eicosadienoic acid while a decrease in the level of linolenic acid was observed in the skeletal muscle. The results indicated that exercise-induced CaMKII activation increased CPT-1 expression and decreased ACC-1 expression in rat skeletal muscle. All the observed increases with activation of CaMKII by exercise were aborted when KN93, an inhibitor of CaMKII was injected in exercising rats. This study demonstrated that CaMKII activation by exercise regulated lipid metabolism. This study suggests that CaMKII can be a vital target of therapeutic approach in the management of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity that have increased to epidemic proportions recently.


[Pulmonary granulomatosis in chronic active hepatitis of viral origin (report of a case)].
The authors describe pulmonary granulomatosis in a male patient with chronic active hepatitis of viral etiology with persistence of hepatitis B virus in blood serum and liver tissue. The presence of active virus infection with proven hepatitis B virus replication, evidenced by demonstration of HBeAg and HBcAb in blood serum, suggests an importance of universal etiological factor in the development of liver and lung lesions in the given patient, which is confirmed indirectly by demonstration of HBsAg in the cells of lavage fluid.


[Effect of a mathematical model and number of measurements on accuracy in fetal weight estimation using ultrasound].
The problem of foetal weight estimation has not been satisfactorily solved to date. We studied quantitatively the influence of the mathematical approach and the number of distance measurements of different parts of the foetal body, on the accuracy of prospective calculation of the actual foetal weight. Of 230 foetuses of known gestational age we measured via ultrasound 13 lengths of head, rump and extremities during the last three days before delivery. 22 types of formulas were analysed. To decide on the best mathematical way of calculation we recalculated all coefficients in all formulas for each study group. In this way each formula can yield best possible results for the presented group. Three formulas yield very good results--a logarithmic type using 7 measured distances, and 2 linear types of formulas using 10 and 11 measured distances. The standard deviations of the differences (calculated weight minus actual weight) range from 216 g to 219 g. The frequency of differences greater than +/- 15% of the calculated weight ranges between 3.0% and 4.3% of the cases. Miscalculations of more than 700 g (absolutely) have not been noted. In addition, five other formulas (logarithmic and linear types with 5 to 8 measurements) have yielded good results. Using 5 to 8 measurements, the logarithmic types of formulas are better than the linear ones. The mathematical types of formulas cannot achieve the improvements resulting from a greater number of measurements.


Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C sepsis and septic arthritis in an HIV-positive man.
A patient with well-controlled HIV-1 infection presented with fever and rigors, a widespread maculopapular rash, and severe generalised arthralgia. Sepsis of unknown aetiology was diagnosed, and treatment with broad-spectrum antimicrobials commenced. Following initial clinical improvement, a right knee septic arthritis developed. Microscopy and culture of the joint aspirate were negative for organisms but 16S rDNA PCR identified Neisseria meningitidis DNA, subsequently verified as capsular genogroup C, thus confirming a diagnosis of disseminated meningococcal sepsis with secondary septic arthritis.


Variant in GALNT3 Gene Linked with Reduced Coronary Artery Disease Risk in Chinese Population.
Our previous study found expression of GALNT3 gene was reduced in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients, and it contributed to endothelial injury by regulating apoptosis and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression. GALNT3 gene may be a potential target for future therapeutic intervention of CAD. However, none reports linking the GALNT3 gene to susceptibility of CAD. This study investigated the variant associations of GALNT3 gene and CAD. Thirteen single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in and around the GALNT3 gene were tagged and analyzed in CAD patients (n = 1515) and control individuals (n = 5019), and the SNPs with CAD were tested with multiple logistic regression analysis in an additive genetic model (with one degree of freedom) after adjusting for age and sex. Expression of GALNT3 gene was detected by real-time PCR and Western blot. Luciferase reporter assays were used to detect the allele-specific effect of rs4621175 on transcriptional activity. Two GALNT3 markers, rs13427924 and rs4621175, were significantly associated with CAD (odds ratio [OR] = 0.87, p = 1.01 × 10-3 and OR = 0.75, p = 2.51 × 10-4, respectively), and the risk A allele of rs4621175 was associated with lower GALNT3 expression in both mRNA and protein level; also, A allele showed decreased reporter activity. In addition, we found the level of GALNT3 negatively correlated with MMP-2 gene expression. This study identified GALNT3 as a novel gene that rendered patients susceptible to CAD, and the A allele of a disease-associated variant rs4621175 linked reduced CAD risk through decreased GALNT3 expression. These results confirmed the role of GALNT3 gene in CAD and provided new insights into the genetic regulation of the GALNT3 gene with respect to the pathogenesis of CAD.


Providing orientation programs to new graduate nurses: points to consider.
Staff educators know the importance of orientation for nurses and strive to develop effective orientation programs in both general and specialized clinical areas. However, little is written about what constitutes a 'good' orientation, especially for the new graduate. This article provides a summary of the current literature on nursing orientation and provides an overview of various timelines utilized in different settings, frameworks to guide the development and implementation of an orientation and a brief description of the mentor and preceptor roles. Implications for staff educators, nurse managers, and the organization are described.


Associations between colostrum management, passive immunity, calf-related hygiene practices, and rates of mortality in preweaning dairy calves.
Calves are particularly vulnerable to health issues before weaning and experience high rates of mortality. Poor colostrum quality or substandard colostrum management, combined with poor hygiene, can increase disease susceptibility, contributing to elevated mortality rates. This study aimed to assess colostrum and calf management together with subsequent mortality rates in preweaning calves. Forty-seven Irish spring-calving, pasture-based dairy herds were enrolled in the study. To investigate whether colostrum and hygiene practices change as the calving season progresses, each farm was visited in both the first and last 6 wk of the calving season. The concentration of IgG in 250 colostrum samples and 580 calf serum samples was determined by radial immunodiffusion assay. Mean colostrum IgG concentration was 85 mg/mL, and mean calf serum IgG concentration was 30.9 and 27.1 mg/mL, respectively, in the first and last 6 wk of the calving season. Smaller herd size and younger age at sampling were associated with higher calf serum IgG concentration. Dairy breed calves were associated with higher serum IgG concentrations compared with beef breed calves; no association was detected based on sex. For feeding equipment hygiene, we assessed the presence of protein residues and found that hygiene levels tended to worsen from the first to the final 6 wk of the calving season. We found no association between feeding equipment hygiene and herd size or 28-d calf mortality rate. Colostrum and calf management practices were not associated with either calf serum IgG concentration or 28-d calf mortality rate. We found that IgG concentration in colostrum produced in Irish dairy herds was generally good, although large variation existed, emphasizing the need for assessment of colostrum before feeding. Results also suggested that hygiene practices associated with calf rearing can be improved, particularly in the latter half of the calving season.


Novel human genome variants associated with alcohol use disorders identified in a Lithuanian cohort.
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive alcohol use, loss of control over alcohol intake, and a negative emotional state when not using (1). Abusive alcohol consumption directly affects a person's physical and psychological health and social life. The World Health Organization has shown that Lithuania is a leading country in pure alcohol consumption in the world (2). The aim of this study is to find novel genome variants that are associated with the AUD in the Lithuanian cohort. A case-control study included 294 individuals of Lithuanian ethnicity, who were divided into two groups based on their habits of alcohol use. Single nucleotide polymorphism array analysis was performed using Illumina HiScanSQ™ genome analyzer. Our study showed that rs686141T>C variant in NALCN gene is more prevalent in the non-drinker group compared to the alcohol drinker group (relative allele frequency, respectively: 0.38 and 0.27, OR = 0.60 (CI 95% 0.37-0.98), p = 0.0408). Meanwhile, rs6354C>A, in SLC6A4 gene, variant's genotype distribution showed statistically significant difference between the non-drinker and alcohol drinker group (distribution of genotypes in the case group: 9/72/172 (CC/CA/AA) and in the control group: 5/7/29, p = 0.0264). We analyzed 23 genes associated with AUD and identified two novel genome variants (rs686141T>C and rs6354C>A). The study shows that genome analysis is an important tool for AUD research. The results supplement the known information about genes associated with AUD.


Ultra-small and recyclable zero-valent iron nanoclusters for rapid and highly efficient catalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol in water.
The synthesis of nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) nanoclusters with dimensions ranging from 20 to 100 nm for the control of environmental pollutants has received substantial attention. However, due to the strong van der Waals and magnetic attraction forces of ZVI, synthesizing ZVI nanoclusters with a subnanometre size while retaining their surface activity and avoiding aggregation is challenging. Moreover, NZVI particles can be oxidized easily after the removal of contaminants even in anoxic environments, which makes the recovery and recycling of the particles very difficult. Here, for the first time, ultra-small zero-valent iron (ZVI) nanoclusters are successfully prepared in a micelle assisted method under mild conditions, and can be recycled simply. It is found that by encapsulating Fe3+ within the micelles, controlling the release of sulfur ions (S2-) from thiourea and forming the FeS nanoparticles as intermediates, the ZVI nanoclusters are produced with a precisely controlled size (<1 nm). A large number of zero-valent iron nanoclusters were assembled into quasi-spherical assemblages (with around 5 nm size), in which most of the nanoclusters exist discretely because of being coated by entangled hydrocarbon chains of the surfactant. The ZVI nanoclusters (with a diameter of <1 nm) exhibit excellent dispersibility and accessibility in solution, presenting significantly enhanced catalytic activity in the removal of p-nitrophenol from water. The as-prepared ZVI nanoclusters possess excellent stability and durability with the aid of NaBH4. Their catalytic activity/reusability can be comparable to those of the commonly used noble metal catalysts.


The impact of illicit drug use and harmful drinking on quality of life among injection drug users at high risk for hepatitis C infection.
Heavy alcohol use, hepatitis C and illicit drug use each have been shown to have negative impacts on health-related quality of life (HRQL). To date, considerations of HRQL have not played a prominent role in the design and measurement of intervention strategies for out-of-treatment at-risk populations. Data were collected from out-of-treatment IDUs recruited through street outreach in North Carolina. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine the independent effects of HCV status, harmful drinking (AUDIT), and illicit drug use on HRQL (SF-36). Fifty-one percent of 619 study participants tested HCV-positive; 57% met criteria for harmful or hazardous drinking and 63% reported daily use of hard drugs. HRQL scores for this population were significantly lower than those of the general population. Multiple linear regression analyses demonstrated that harmful levels of alcohol consumption and use of methamphetamine in the past month had the strongest associations with reduced HRQL. Given the high rates of HCV in most IDU communities, new harm reduction approaches are needed for these populations which focus beyond prevention to the functioning and well being of those already infected. In particular, reducing heavy alcohol use in addition to slowing HCV progression shows promise for improving HRQL.