Opening Up the Continuing Professional Development Imagination: Bringing the Clinical Workplace Into View.
This Foundations paper introduces the "Working as Learning Framework (WALF)" to the continuing professional development community. Developed by researchers in the domain of workplace learning, the WALF draws upon theories and concepts from economics, sociology of work, and sociocultural theories of learning. The Framework provides conceptual tools to analyze interconnections between workplaces, the organization of work tasks, and learning. Through these interconnections, the Framework introduces the concepts of "expansive learning environments" and "restrictive learning environments." This paper provides an overview of the WALF before discussing possible implications for continuing professional development educators and researchers. Ultimately, this Foundations paper invites readers to engage with the rich scholarship on workplace learning informed by sociocultural concepts of learning and complemented by research on work and workplaces.


Effects of peptide YY (PYY) on mouth to caecum intestinal transit time and on the rate of gastric emptying in healthy volunteers.
The effect of an infusion of two doses of peptide YY (PYY), a novel putative gastrointestinal hormone, has been assessed on mouth to caecum intestinal transit time and on the rate of gastric emptying after ingestion of an inert 200 ml liquid meal thought unlikely to interrupt fasting gastrointestinal motility patterns. A low dose of PYY was chosen to give plasma concentrations within the range seen postprandially in healthy subjects, while the high dose mimicked the raised levels seen in several malabsorptive conditions. During infusion of PYY at 0.18 pmol/kg/min plasma concentrations rose from a basal of 8 +/- 2 pmol/l to 38 +/- 5 pmol/l and at 0.51 pmol/kg/min to 87 +/- 10 pmol/l. Mouth to caecum transit time was delayed from 67 +/- 4 mins on the saline infusion day to 94 +/- 7 mins (p less than 0.01) on the low dose and 192 +/- 9 mins (p less than 0.001) on the high dose infusion day. Time to 50% gastric emptying was prolonged from 37 +/- 8 mins during saline infusion to 63 +/- 10 mins (p less than 0.05) during low and 130 +/- 12 mins (p less than 0.001) during high dose infusion. Thus the infusion of PYY shows a dose related inhibition of mouth to caecum intestinal transit time and of the rate of gastric emptying and suggests this novel hormonal peptide to be of importance in gastrointestinal physiology.


Neuroimaging of chronic pain: phantom limb and musculoskeletal pain.
New developments in brain imaging lead to a better understanding of cortical and subcortical processes involved in pain perception and the establishment of chronic pain. For different forms of chronic pain long-term changes in cortical structures have been described. In patients with phantom limb pain and back pain alterations in the somatotopic organization of the primary somatosensory (SI) could be observed. The amount of this reorganization is correlated with the subjective pain rating. These changes, which are based on processes of neuronal plasticity, can partially be reversed by analgesic interventions. For the investigation of cortical processes concerning reorganization, EEG and MEG methods are most suitable because of their high temporal and spatial resolution. In conclusion, these findings open a new way for therapeutic interventions to prevent the development of chronic pain.


The anterior approach to the shoulder from the lateral position.
An alternative method of operating on the anterior structures of the shoulder is presented. With the patient in the decubitus lateral position, the joint is readily accessible without cutting the conjoined tendon or performing an osteotomy of the coracoid process. The lateral decubitus positioning of the patient allows the surgeon to reinsert the arthroscope into the shoulder after open surgery to check the repair. This approach eliminates repositioning the patient to the supine position. It can be performed without a surgical assistant if the scrub technician is able to rotate the arm at certain times during the operation.


Endovascular Repair of Peripheral Arterial Disease: Midterm Results From a Single Center.
One thousand consecutive patients who underwent endovascular repair in an 8-year period were studied retrospectively to evaluate technical success, freedom from reinterventions, early clinical outcome, and risk factors for restenosis/occlusion. Mean ± SD Rutherford class was 3.29 ± 0.8. A total of 755 patients have claudication, 423 from rest pain, and 569 from ischemic ulceration. A total of 552 men and 448 women (mean ± SD = 69.84 ± 8 years; range = 19-89 years) underwent endovascular repair. A total of 698 patients received local anesthesia and 302 general anesthesia. A total of 447 patients received percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, 650 stents were placed; 231 atherectomies were performed and 171 patients received hybrid approach. The procedure was successful in 847 patients (84%). There was no early death. There were 151 early occlusions (95 underwent surgery, 56 received stents), 121 dissections (39 underwent surgery, 56 received stents and 26 medical treatment), 32 hematoma, and 13 early leaks. Mean ± SD Rutherford class improved to 3.02 ± 0.9. Freedom from reintervention rate at 8 years was 76%. A total of 63 patients underwent surgery and 59 cellular therapy. A total of 134 finger, 142 below-knee, and 29 above-knee amputations were reported. Endovascular interventions can be performed with a satisfactory technical success and low complication rates; however, nonfatal complications and catheter-based reinterventions are frequent.


Effect of postmortem treatments on the tenderness of meat from Hereford, Brahman and Brahman-cross beef cattle.
The effect of postmortem aging (7, 14, 21 or 28 d), high-voltage electrical stimulation (stimulated or not stimulated) and blade tenderization (none or once; crossbreds only) on the sensory and cooking properties of meat from four beef breeds or breed-types (purebred Hereford, purebred Brahman, Hereford x Brahman and Brahman x Hereford) was determined. The meat from purebred Brahman cattle that was not electrically stimulated was less tender and more variable in tenderness than that from other breed-types but electrical stimulation reduced these differences in tenderness. The Brahman crossbred steers produced meat that was not different in tenderness or variability in tenderness from that of purebred Hereford steers, although all were only judged "slightly tender." Electrical stimulation reduced the length of postmortem aging needed to reach a given level of tenderness regardless of breed or breed-type. Meat from crossbred animals that was blade-tendernized was not different in tenderness from meat that was electrically stimulated. The results of this investigation indicate that purebred Brahman muscle was inherently less tender, but postmortem tenderization procedures produced meat that was similar tenderness to that of the other breed-types used in this study.


Renal carbonic anhydrase.
Carbonic anhydrase is a zinc metalloenzyme widely distributed throughout the tissues of the body. This enzyme exists in a number of isozymic forms in most mammalian species. Significant advances over the past decade have been made in characterizing the nature of renal carbonic anhydrase. In the kidney, this enzyme is thought to play a pivotal role in urinary acidification and bicarbonate reabsorption. Two distinct isozymes of carbonic anhydrase have now been identified in the mammalian kidney. A soluble cytoplasmic form, similar if not identical to human erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase C, accounts for the bulk of the renal carbonic anhydrase activity. In addition, a membrane-bound form constituting only about 2--5% of the renal activity has been found in the brush border and basolateral fractions of kidney homogenates. The histochemical and immunocytochemical localization of these isozymes along the nephron and collecting duct system of various mammalian species suggests that marked heterogeneity exists. The Editorial Review examines the biochemical and morphological approaches that have been used to elucidate the nature of renal carbonic anhydrase and to assess its distribution along the urinary tubule. Possible physiological roles for the renal carbonic anhydrases are considered for the different segments of the nephron and collecting duct system.


Light and electron microscopic studies of antibiotic associated colitis in the hamster.
Lincomycin and its analogue, clindamycin, are capable of producing mild to severe colonic mucosal injury in humans (antibiotic associated colitis). Patients with the disorder may have severe diarrhoea, pseudomembranous plaques, confluent pseudomembranes, and/or a frank, diffuse haemorrhagic colitis. The present study was designed to assess the Golden Syrian hamster as an animal model for antibiotic associated colitis and to describe lesions seen in the animal model by light, transmission electron, and scanning electron microscopy. A colitis was produced in Golden Syrian hamsters by oral or parenteral administration of lincomycin, clindamycin, or N-demethyl clindamycin. Animals were killed at intervals and microscopic studies made of sequential morphological changes in the ileum, caecum, and colon. The microscopic lesions in the early stages of the disorder were abnormalities within the brush border, cellular oedema, and hyperaemia. Changes in the intracellular organelles were observed in more severely damaged epithelial cells. Epithelial hyperplasia resulted in the piling up of cells on the mucosal surfaces. In specimens with the most severe damage, complete loss of epithelium from the mucosal surface was observed. Pseudomembranous plaques were occasionally seen. Comparison of the clinical, gross, and histological features of the animal disease with the human disorder suggest that, although minor differences are present, the hamster model is suitable for experimental studies of antibiotic associated colitis.


Deep Sensing for Compressive Video Acquisition.
A camera captures multidimensional information of the real world by convolving it into two dimensions using a sensing matrix. The original multidimensional information is then reconstructed from captured images. Traditionally, multidimensional information has been captured by uniform sampling, but by optimizing the sensing matrix, we can capture images more efficiently and reconstruct multidimensional information with high quality. Although compressive video sensing requires random sampling as a theoretical optimum, when designing the sensing matrix in practice, there are many hardware limitations (such as exposure and color filter patterns). Existing studies have found random sampling is not always the best solution for compressive sensing because the optimal sampling pattern is related to the scene context, and it is hard to manually design a sampling pattern and reconstruction algorithm. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end learning approach that jointly optimizes the sampling pattern as well as the reconstruction decoder. We applied this deep sensing approach to the video compressive sensing problem. We modeled the spatio-temporal sampling and color filter pattern using a convolutional neural network constrained by hardware limitations during network training. We demonstrated that the proposed method performs better than the manually designed method in gray-scale video and color video acquisitions.


Long-term outcomes of Japanese type 2 diabetic patients with biopsy-proven diabetic nephropathy.
We evaluated the structural-functional relationships and the prognostic factors for renal events, cardiovascular events, and all-cause mortality in type 2 diabetic patients with biopsy-proven diabetic nephropathy. Japanese type 2 diabetic patients with biopsy-proven diabetic nephropathy (n = 260) were enrolled. Patients were stratified by albuminuria (proteinuria) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at the time of renal biopsy. The outcomes were the first occurrence of renal events (requirement of dialysis or a 50% decline in eGFR from baseline), cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, coronary interventions, or nonfatal stroke), and all-cause mortality. The factors associated with albuminuria (proteinuria) regardless of eGFR were hematuria, diabetic retinopathy, low hemoglobin, and glomerular lesions. The factors associated with low eGFR regardless of albuminuria (proteinuria) were age and diffuse, nodular, tubulointerstitial, and vascular lesions. The glomerular, tubulointerstitial, and vascular lesions in patients with normoalbuminuria (normal proteinuria) and low eGFR were more advanced compared to those in patients with normoalbuminuria (normal proteinuria) and maintained eGFR. In addition, compared to patients with micro-/macroalbuminuria (mild/severe proteinuria) and low eGFR, their tubulointerstitial and vascular lesions were similar or more advanced in contrast to glomerular lesions. The mean follow-up period was 8.1 years. There were 118 renal events, 62 cardiovascular events, and 45 deaths. The pathological determinants were glomerular lesions, interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA), and arteriosclerosis for renal events, arteriosclerosis for cardiovascular events, and IFTA for all-cause mortality. The major clinical determinant for renal events and all-cause mortality was macroalbuminuria (severe proteinuria). Our study suggests that the characteristic pathological lesions as well as macroalbuminuria (severe proteinuria) were closely related to the long-term outcomes of biopsy-proven diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes.


Plastic Roads in Asia: Current Implementations and Should It Be Considered?
The rapid economic and industrial growth experienced in the Asian region has significantly increased waste production, particularly single-use plastic. This surge in waste poses a significant challenge for these countries' municipal solid waste management systems. Consequently, there is a pressing need for progressive and effective solutions to address the plastic waste issue. One promising initiative involves utilizing used plastic to produce components for asphalt pavement. The concept of plastic road technology has gained traction in Asia, with 32 countries displaying varying levels of interest, ranging from small-scale laboratory experiments to large-scale construction projects. However, as a relatively new technology, plastic road implementation requires continuous and comprehensive environmental and health risk assessments to ascertain its viability as a reliable green technology. This review paper presents the current findings and potential implementation of plastic-modified asphalt in Asian countries, with particular attention given to its environmental and human health impacts. While plastic asphalt roads hold promise in waste reduction, improved asphalt properties, and cost savings, it is imperative to thoroughly consider the environmental and health impacts, quality control measures, recycling limitations, and long-term performance of this road construction material. Further research and evaluation are needed to fully understand the viability and sustainability of plastic asphalt roads. This will enable a comprehensive assessment of its potential benefits and drawbacks, aiding in developing robust guidelines and standards for its implementation. By addressing these considerations, it will be possible to optimize the utilization of plastic waste in road construction and contribute to a greener and more sustainable future.


Functional outcomes in early (T1/T2) supraglottic cancer: a systematic review.
Organ preserving surgery (OPS) and radiotherapy (RT) are both accepted treatment options for early stage supraglottic cancer (SGC). Radiation has supplanted surgery in most cases, because of the perception that surgery results in poorer functional outcomes. However, evidence suggests that OPS with a neck dissection may be associated with improved survival. Our objective was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to compare functional outcomes of OPS and RT for early SGC. We searched Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to identify studies. Studies were included if they reported functional outcomes on 10 or more patients with early stage SGC treated with radiation or OPS, including open partial laryngectomy, transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) or transoral robotic surgery (TORS). Two reviewers independently screened articles for relevance using pre-determined criteria. From 7720 references, we included 10 articles (n = 640 patients). 50% (n = 320) of patients were treated with surgery. Three head-to-head RT versus OPS papers were included, however different outcome measures were used for each group. Intractable aspiration management (including total laryngectomy or permanent tracheostomy) following OPS was reported in five papers representing 186 patients; the definitive intractable aspiration management rate was 2.6% (95% CI 1.0-6.8%). Four papers reported permanent G-tube rate for the surgical group (n = 198), calculating a rate of 5.3% (95% CI 2.6-10.5%), this was not reported for the RT group in any papers. One study reported quality of life. Two studies reported objective voice measures. This systematic review revealed a paucity of objective measures and significant data heterogeneity, rendering the comparison of functional outcomes following OPS versus RT for early SGC limited. Future research should include objective measures of functional outcomes including laryngectomy rate, g-tube rate, tracheostomy dependence, quality of life, and voice quality measures.


Effective population size, gene flow, and species status in a narrow endemic sunflower, Helianthus neglectus, compared to its widespread sister species, H. petiolaris.
Species delimitation has long been a difficult and controversial process, and different operational criteria often lead to different results. In particular, investigators using phenotypic vs. molecular data to delineate species may recognize different boundaries, especially if morphologically or ecologically differentiated populations have only recently diverged. Here we examine the genetic relationship between the widespread sunflower species Helianthus petiolaris and its narrowly distributed sand dune endemic sister species H. neglectus using sequence data from nine nuclear loci. The two species were initially described as distinct based on a number of minor morphological differences, somewhat different ecological tolerances, and at least one chromosomal rearrangement distinguishing them; but detailed molecular data has not been available until now. We find that, consistent with previous work, H. petiolaris is exceptionally genetically diverse. Surprisingly, H. neglectus harbors very similar levels of genetic diversity (average diversity across loci is actually slightly higher in H. neglectus). It is extremely unlikely that such a geographically restricted species could maintain these levels of genetic variation in isolation. In addition, the two species show very little evidence of any genetic divergence, and estimates of interspecific gene flow are comparable to gene flow estimates among regions within H. petiolaris. These results indicate that H. petiolaris and H. neglectus likely do not represent two distinct, isolated gene pools; H. neglectus is probably more accurately thought of as a geographically restricted, morphologically and ecologically distinct subspecies of H. petiolaris rather than a separate species.


Functional evaluation allows ACMG/AMP-based re-classification of CNGA3 variants associated with achromatopsia.
CNGA3 encoding the main subunit of the cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel in cone photoreceptors is one of the major disease-associated genes for achromatopsia. Most CNGA3 variants are missense variants with the majority being functionally uncharacterized and therefore hampering genetic diagnosis. In light of potential gene therapy, objective variant pathogenicity assessment is essential. We established a medium-throughput aequorin-based luminescence bioassay allowing mutant CNGA3 channel function assessment via quantification of CNGA3 channel-mediated calcium influx in a cell culture system, thereby enabling American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics/Association for Molecular Pathology-based variant re-classification. We provide functional read-out obtained for 150 yet uncharacterized CNGA3 missense substitutions of which 55 were previously categorized as variants of uncertain significance (VUS) identifying 25 as functionally normal and 125 as functionally abnormal. These data enabled the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics/ Association for Molecular Pathology-based variant re-classification of 52/55 VUS as either benign, likely benign, or likely pathogenic reaching a VUS re-classification rate of 94.5%. Our aequorin-based bioassay allows functionally ensured clinical variant interpretation for 150 CNGA3 missense variants enabling and supporting VUS re-classification and assuring molecular diagnosis to patients affected by CNGA3-associated achromatopsia, hereby identifying patients eligible for future gene therapy trials on this disease.


[Method for studying the adaptation of Escherichia coli to the acidification of the medium].
Apparatus permitting to regulate the growth rate of turbidostat culture of microorganisms has been worked out. The process of adaptation of culture microorganisms to the medium acidity has been investigated by the stabilization of growth rate method. The correlation coefficients between adaptation time and changes of acid concentration in medium have been determined. The effect of aeration and density of microorganisms on the parameters of adaptation process has been considered. The conclusion concerning prospects of the growth rate stabilization method application for studying the regularities of culture microorganisms adaptation to the action of the stress has been made.


The retina: oxidative stress and diabetes.
A prominent and early feature of the retinopathy of diabetes mellitus is a diffuse increase in vascular permeability. As the disease develops, the development of frank macular oedema may result in vision loss. That reactive oxygen species production is likely to be elevated in the retina, and that certain regions of the retina are enriched in substrates for lipid peroxidation, may create an environment susceptible to oxidative damage. This may be more so in the diabetic retina, where hyperglycaemia may lead to elevated oxidant production by a number of mechanisms, including the production of oxidants by vascular endothelium and leukocytes. There is substantial evidence from animal and clinical studies for both impaired antioxidant defences and increased oxidative damage in the retinae of diabetic subjects that have been, in the case of animal studies, reversible with antioxidant supplementation. Whether oxidative damage has a causative role in the pathology of diabetic retinopathy, and thus whether antioxidants can prevent or correct any retinal damage, has not been established, nor has the specific nature of any damaging species been characterised.


Antipsychotics for agitation and psychosis in people with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.
Typical and atypical antipsychotics are widely used to treat agitation and psychosis in dementia. However, whether or not they are beneficial is uncertain. Some trials have yielded negative results and effectiveness may be outweighed by harms. To assess the efficacy and safety of antipsychotics for the treatment of agitation and psychosis in people with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. We searched ALOIS, the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group's register, MEDLINE (Ovid Sp), Embase (Ovid SP), PsycINFO (Ovid SP), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Web of Science Core Collection (ISI Web of Science), LILACS (BIREME), ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization's meta-register, and the International Clinical Trials Registry Portal on 7 January 2021. Two review authors independently screened the title and abstract of the hits, and two review authors assessed the full text of studies that got through this screening. We included randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm trials comparing the effects of antipsychotics and placebo for the treatment of agitation or psychosis in people with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia, or both, irrespective of age, severity of cognitive impairment, and setting. (The majority of) participants had to have clinically significant agitation (including aggression) or psychosis or both at baseline. We excluded studies about antipsychotics that are no longer available in the USA or EU, or that are used for emergency short-term sedation. We also excluded head-to-head trials and antipsychotic withdrawal trials. The primary outcomes were (1) reduction in agitation or psychosis in participants with agitation or psychosis, respectively at baseline, and (2) the number of participants with adverse events: somnolence, extrapyramidal symptoms, any adverse event, any serious adverse event (SAE), and death. Two review authors independently extracted the necessary data and assessed risk of bias with the Cochrane risk of bias tool. We calculated the pooled effect on agitation and psychosis for typical and atypical antipsychotics separately, and the pooled risk of adverse effects independent of the target symptom (agitation or psychosis). We used RevMan Web for the analyses. The search yielded 8233 separate hits. After assessing the full-text of 35 studies, we included 24 trials that met the eligibility criteria. Six trials tested a typical antipsychotic, four for agitation and two for psychosis. Twenty trials tested an atypical antipsychotic, eight for agitation and 12 for psychosis. Two trials tested both drug types. Seventeen of 26 comparisons were performed in patients with Alzheimer's disease specifically. The other nine comparisons also included patients with vascular dementia or mixed dementia. Together, the studies included 6090 participants (12 to 652 per study). The trials were performed in institutionalised, hospitalised and community-dwelling patients, or a combination of those. For typical antipsychotics (e.g. haloperidol, thiothixene), we are uncertain whether these drugs improve agitation compared with placebo (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.57 to -0.15, 4 studies, n = 361); very low-certainty evidence, but typical antipsychotics may improve psychosis slightly (SMD -0.29, 95% CI -0.55 to -0.03, 2studies, n= 240; low-certainty evidence) compared with placebo. These drugs probably increase the risk of somnolence (risk ratio (RR) 2.62, 95% CI 1.51 to 4.56, 3 studies, n = 466; moderate-certainty evidence) and increase extrapyramidal symptoms (RR 2.26, 95% CI 1.58 to 3.23, 3 studies, n = 467; high-certainty) evidence. There was no evidence regarding the risk of any adverse event. The risks of SAEs (RR 1.32, 95% CI 0.65 to 2.66, 1 study, n = 193) and death (RR 1.46, 95% CI 0.54 to 4.00, 6 studies, n = 578) may be increased slightly, but these estimates were very imprecise, and the certainty was low. The effect estimates for haloperidol from five trials were in line with those of the drug class. Atypical antipsychotics (e.g. risperidone, olanzapine, aripiprazole, quetiapine) probably reduce agitation slightly (SMD -0.21, 95% CI -0.30 to -0.12, 7 studies, n = 1971; moderate-certainty evidence), but probably have a negligible effect on psychosis (SMD -0.11, 95% CI -0.18 to -0.03, 12 studies, n = 3364; moderate-certainty evidence). These drugs increase the risk of somnolence (RR 1.93, 95% CI 1.57 to 2.39, 13 studies, n - 3878; high-certainty evidence) and are probably also associated with slightly increased risk of extrapyramidal symptoms (RR 1.39, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.68, 15 studies, n = 4180; moderate-certainty evidence), serious adverse events (RR 1.32, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.61, 15 studies, n= 4316; moderate-certainty evidence) and death (RR 1.36, 95% CI 0.90 to 2.05, 17 studies, n= 5032; moderate-certainty evidence), although the latter estimate was imprecise. The drugs probably have a negligible effect on the risk of any adverse event (RR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.09, 11 studies, n = 2785; moderate-certainty evidence). The findings from seven trials for risperidone were in line with those for the drug class. There is some evidence that typical antipsychotics might decrease agitation and psychosis slightly in patients with dementia. Atypical antipsychotics reduce agitation in dementia slightly, but their effect on psychosis in dementia is negligible. The apparent effectiveness of the drugs seen in daily practice may be explained by a favourable natural course of the symptoms, as observed in the placebo groups. Both drug classes increase the risk of somnolence and other adverse events. If antipsychotics are considered for sedation in patients with severe and dangerous symptoms, this should be discussed openly with the patient and legal representative.


π Berry phase and Zeeman splitting of Weyl semimetal TaP.
The recent breakthrough in the discovery of Weyl fermions in monopnictide semimetals provides opportunities to explore the exotic properties of relativistic fermions in condensed matter. The chiral anomaly-induced negative magnetoresistance and π Berry phase are two fundamental transport properties associated with the topological characteristics of Weyl semimetals. Since monopnictide semimetals are multiple-band systems, resolving clear Berry phase for each Fermi pocket remains a challenge. Here we report the determination of Berry phases of multiple Fermi pockets of Weyl semimetal TaP through high field quantum transport measurements. We show our TaP single crystal has the signatures of a Weyl state, including light effective quasiparticle masses, ultrahigh carrier mobility, as well as negative longitudinal magnetoresistance. Furthermore, we have generalized the Lifshitz-Kosevich formula for multiple-band Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations and extracted the Berry phases of π for multiple Fermi pockets in TaP through the direct fits of the modified LK formula to the SdH oscillations. In high fields, we also probed signatures of Zeeman splitting, from which the Landé g-factor is extracted.


[Functional redistribution of caspase activities in K562 cells, induced for differentiation and apoptosis by thiazophosphol derivatives].
Activity of caspases 3, 9, 6 has been investigated in erythroleukemia K562 cells under conditions of induction or inhibition of erythroid differentiation using cyclophosphane (N'-bis-(beta-chlorethyl)-N'-O-trimethyl ester of diamide of phosphoric acid, antitumour agent of oncologic practice) and two newsynthetic thiazophosphol derivatives--2-t-butylamino-4-thioxo-4-chloromethyl-1,3,4-thiazophosphol-2-in, 2-anilino-4-thioxo-4-chloromethyl-1,3,4-thiazophosphol-2-in as modulators of differentiation. The treatment of K562 cells with cyclophosphane and the t-butylamine thiazophosphol derivative was accompanied by the induction of erythroid differentiation, activation of caspase 3 and caspase 9, followed by subsequent induction of apoptosis. Treatment of cancer cells with the aniline thiazophosphol derivative led to a loss of erythroid differentiation in cells and increased expression of the monocyte lineage associated surface antigen, activation of caspases 3, 9, 6, and induction of apoptosis. In the latter case the level of activity of caspase 3 was lower than in the cells treated in the presence of other compounds. Possible functional redistribution of activity of cell caspases involved in the realization of different directions of differentiation and apoptosis in K562 cells is discussed.


Adhaeribacter aerophilus sp. nov., Adhaeribacter aerolatus sp. nov. and Segetibacter aerophilus sp. nov., isolated from air samples.
Three bacterial isolates from air samples in Korea, designated strains 6424S-25(T), 6515J-31(T) and 6424S-61(T), were characterized using a polyphasic approach. The cells were strictly aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming and rod-shaped. Phylogenetic analysis of their 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed a clear affiliation with the phylum Bacteroidetes. Strains 6424S-25(T) and 6515J-31(T) showed 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of 92.7-94.8 % to type strains of recognized species of the genus Adhaeribacter and strain 6424S-61(T) was closely related to Segetibacter koreensis Gsoil 664(T) (93.9 % similarity). The G+C contents of the DNA of strains 6424S-25(T), 6515J-31(T) and 6424S-61(T) were 44.5, 43.9 and 38.4 mol%, respectively. Major fatty acids of strains 6424S-25(T) and 6515J-31(T) were summed feature 4 (iso-C₁₇:₁ I and/or anteiso-C₁₇ :₁ B), iso-C₁₅:₀ and C₁₆:₁ω5c. The fatty acid content of strain 6424S-61(T) mainly comprised iso-C₁₅ :₁ G and iso-C₁₅:₀. Comparative analysis of phenotypic and phylogenetic traits indicated that strains 6424S-25(T) and 6515J-31(T) represented two novel species of the genus Adhaeribacter and that strain 6424S-61(T) should be considered as a novel species of the genus Segetibacter. The names Adhaeribacter aerophilus sp. nov. (type strain 6424S-25(T) =KACC 14118(T) =NBRC 106134(T)), Adhaeribacter aerolatus sp. nov. (type strain 6515J-31(T) =KACC 14117(T) =NBRC 106133(T)) and Segetibacter aerophilus sp. nov. (type strain 6424S-61(T) =KACC 14119(T) =NBRC 106135(T)) are proposed for these organisms.


Magnetic resonance urography.
Excellent contrast resolution and lack of ionizing radiation make magnetic resonance urography (MRU) a promising technique for noninvasively evaluating the entire urinary tract. While MRU currently lags behind CT urography (CTU) in spatial resolution and efficiency, new hardware and sequence developments have contributed to a resurgence of interest in MRU techniques. By combining unenhanced sequences with multiphase contrast-enhanced and excretory phase imaging, a comprehensive assessment of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and surrounding structures is possible with image quality rivaling that obtained with other techniques. At the same time, formidable challenges remain to be overcome and further clinical validation is necessary before MRU can replace other forms of urography. In this article, we demonstrate the current potential of MRU to demonstrate a spectrum of urologic pathology involving the kidneys, ureters, and bladder while discussing the limitations and current status of this evolving technique.


Homogeneous, liposome-based assay for total complement activity in serum.
This is a rapid, homogeneous, liposome-based assay for total complement activity in human serum. Liposome-encapsulated enzyme is unmasked by the action of complement on liposomes carrying surface-bound immune complexes. The amount of unmasked enzyme, proportional to the concentration of added complement, is quantified by measuring the absorbance of enzymically produced product at 410 nm. Complement activity in serum samples is extrapolated from a standard curve generated from dilutions of a guinea pig serum containing a known activity of complement. Interassay CVs were less than 7.0% and intra-assay CVs less than 2.8% for serum pools with complement activities spanning the normal range. Test results correlate as well with those of the hemolytic complement test (r = 0.80) as the latter correlates with itself (r = 0.82), and also correlate reasonably with measurements of complement components C3 (r = 0.62) and C4 (r = 0.74). Values for a normal population are reported. Advantages of this test include stability of reagents, speed, accuracy, simplicity, and avoidance of radioisotopes.


Molecularly imprinted polymer coatings for open-tubular capillary electrochromatography prepared by surface initiation.
Molecularly imprinted polymer coatings were synthesized in fused-silica capillary columns by the use of a surface-coupled radical initiator. The coatings were prepared using either toluene, dichloromethane, or acetonitrile in the prepolymerization mixtures and were 0.15-2 microm thick as determined by scanning electron microscopy. Solvent-dependent differences in appearance were observed. All the molecularly imprinted polymer-based open-tubular capillary columns were able to separate the enantiomers of propranolol by means of electrochromatography. Electrochromatographic performance was found to be dependent on the type of solvent used during the synthesis.


Longevity and quality of FPDs: a retrospective study of restorations 30, 20, and 10 years after insertion.
The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the longevity and clinical performance of fixed partial dentures (FPD) 30, 20, and 10 years after insertion. A total of 289 FPDs were inserted in 1966/67, 1976/77, and 1986/87. For patients with FPDs presumably still in function, an evaluation according to the CDA criteria was made. For 64 of the FPDs (22%), no information was available. Seventy-nine patients with 94 FPDs (33%) were clinically examined, and 44 of the FPDs (15%) were reported to be still in function by the patients' current clinicians. The remaining 87 FPDs (30%) were considered lost to follow-up. These FPDs had either been removed for various reasons--in most cases dental caries, lost retention, or fractured abutment teeth--or the patient could not be contacted. Eighty-four percent of the FPDs inserted in 1966/67 were still in function after 20 years, compared to 64% of those inserted in 1976/77. Apart from an increase in wear and discoloration, the oldest FPDs had excellent marginal fit and anatomic shape. The survival rate of 30-year-old FPDs was high; 53% remained in function after 30 years. Based on the CDA criteria, 78% of the restorations were rated satisfactory in all subgroups. The FPDs placed in 1966/67 obtained the highest ratings in color, anatomy, and margin integrity.


[Reaction time to dichotic visual stimulation and its relationship to cerebral hemispheric specialization].
There is a renewed interest in the study of the cerebral hemispheric specialization given its physiological, physiopathological, clinical and educational relevancy. According to this, a stimulus is better processed in one of the cerebral hemispheres. The visual dichotic stimulation allows to present a stimulus selectively to one of the hemispheres, and this was used in the present study for the measurement of the reaction time (TR) and for the establishment of its correlation with an objective and validated measure of the cerebral hemispheric specialization. Ninety eight persons with an average age of 22.2 +/- 0.7 (X +/- EE) years were studied by means of the Oldfield protocol for the determination of the Cerebral Hemispheric Lateralization Index (IL). Additionally, the age, the sex and the date of last menstruation in the case of females, were registered. The dichotic stimulation and the determination of the visual TR was accomplished by computer with a time resolution of 100 microseconds. The stimulus consisted of the random presentation of a white square on a black background in a computer monitor, to which the subject had to respond by pressing a key with his best hand. The reaction time was registered 10 times in each visual field for a total of 20 records per eye. The IL of the sample was predominantly right (66.32 +/- 4.64), and significantly smaller in males than in females (p < 0.05). The TR to stimuli in the left visual field was significantly greater (p < 0.05) than in the right visual field for both eyes. When analyzing the global results of each cerebral hemisphere, a TR significantly smaller for the left hemisphere (304.33 +/- 4.1 ms) than for the right (312.35 +/- 4.5 ms, p < 0.05) was observed. These results suggest that the cerebral hemispheric specialization, expressed as a smaller response time, cannot alone be only the product of a better intrinsic hemispheric processing of the information, but also of the anatomical relationships of the proximity of the hemisphere that receives the stimulus and the center or area that will generate the response, as is the case of the motor center located in the left hemisphere in the immense majority of the right-handed subjects in the sample and in the general population.


Full compliance with Respiratory syncytial virus prophylaxis was associated with fewer respiratory-related hospital admissions in preterm children: A cohort study.
Although well documented in randomised trials, the efficacy of prophylaxis against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in real-word conditions is less studied. The objective was to assess the impact of partial versus full RSV prophylaxis for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) and ARI-related hospital admissions in preterm children. This study included children born preterm in 2011 in France who were eligible for RSV prophylaxis and received at least one palivizumab dose from October 2011 to March 2012. Full prophylaxis was defined as receiving at least one palivizumab dose for each month of RSV exposure in the community. Children with full and partial prophylaxis were matched, and odds of ARIs and ARI-related hospital admission were compared by logistic regression. Full prophylaxis concerned 861/1083 (80%) children. As compared with full prophylaxis, partial prophylaxis was not associated with ARI occurrence (odds ratio OR 1.3, 95% confidence interval CI 0.9-1.9) but was significantly associated with ARI-related hospital admission during the RSV epidemic (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-2.9). During the 2011-2012 RSV epidemic, hospital admission rates were higher for preterm children with partial than full RSV prophylaxis. Improving compliance could help alleviate the burden of RSV on healthcare systems.


Multi-kinase control of environmental stress responsive transcription.
Cells respond to changes in environmental conditions by activating signal transduction pathways and gene expression programs. Here we present a dataset to explore the relationship between environmental stresses, kinases, and global gene expression in yeast. We subjected 28 drug-sensitive kinase mutants to 10 environmental conditions in the presence of inhibitor and performed mRNA deep sequencing. With these data, we reconstructed canonical stress pathways and identified examples of crosstalk among pathways. The data also implicated numerous kinases in novel environment-specific roles. However, rather than regulating dedicated sets of target genes, individual kinases tuned the magnitude of induction of the environmental stress response (ESR)-a gene expression signature shared across the set of perturbations-in environment-specific ways. This suggests that the ESR integrates inputs from multiple sensory kinases to modulate gene expression and growth control. As an example, we provide experimental evidence that the high osmolarity glycerol pathway is an upstream negative regulator of protein kinase A, a known inhibitor of the ESR. These results elaborate the central axis of cellular stress response signaling.


Progress towards the 2020 fast track HIV/AIDS reduction targets across ages in Ethiopia as compared to neighboring countries using global burden of diseases 2017 data.
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.3, targets to eliminate HIV from being a public health threat by 2030. For better tracking of this target interim Fast Track milestones for 2020 and composite complementary measures have been indicated. This study measured the Fast Track progress in the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia across ages compared to neighboring countries. The National Data Management Center for health's research team at the Ethiopian Public Health Institute has analyzed the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 secondary data for the year 2010 to 2017 for Ethiopia and its neighbors. GBD 2017 data sources were census, demographic and a health survey, prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, antiretroviral treatment programs, sentinel surveillance, and UNAIDS reports. Age-standardized and age-specific HIV/AIDS incidence, prevalence, mortality, Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), incidence:mortality ratio and incidence:prevalence ratio were calculated with corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Ethiopia and neighboring countries recorded slow progress in reducing new HIV infection since 2010. Only Uganda would achieve the 75% target by 2020. Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda already achieved the 75% mortality reduction target set for 2020. The incidence: prevalence ratio for Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda were < 0.03, indicating the countries were on track to end HIV by 2030. Ethiopia had an incidence: mortality ratio < 1 due to high mortality; while Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda had a ratio of > 1 due to high incidence. The HIV incidence rate in Ethiopia was dropped by 76% among under 5 children in 2017 compared to 2010 and the country would likely to attain the 2020 national target, but far behind achieving the target among the 15-49 age group. Ethiopia and neighboring countries have made remarkable progress towards achieving the 75% HIV/AIDS mortality reduction target by 2020, although they progressed poorly in reducing HIV incidence. By recording an incidence:prevalence ratio benchmark of less than 0.03, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda are well heading towards epidemic control. Nonetheless, the high HIV/AIDS mortality rate in Ethiopia for its incidence requires innovative strategies to reach out undiagnosed cases and to build institutional capacity for generating strong evidence to ensure sustainable epidemic control.


Importance of achieving a complete response in multiple myeloma, and the impact of novel agents.
The goal of treatment for multiple myeloma (MM) is to improve patients' long-term outcomes. One important factor that has been associated with prolonged progression-free and overall survival is the quality of response to treatment, particularly achievement of a complete response (CR). There is extensive evidence from clinical studies in the transplant setting in first-line MM demonstrating that CR or maximal response post-transplant is significantly associated with prolonged progression-free and overall survival, with some studies demonstrating a similar association with postinduction response. Supportive evidence is also available from studies in the nontransplant and relapsed settings. With the introduction of bortezomib, thalidomide, and lenalidomide, higher rates of CR are being achieved in both first-line and relapsed MM compared with previous chemotherapeutic approaches, thereby potentially improving long-term outcomes. While standard CR by established response criteria has been shown to have differential prognostic impact compared with lesser responses, increasingly sensitive analytic techniques are now being explored to define more stringent degrees of CR or elimination of minimal residual disease (MRD), including multiparameter flow cytometry and polymerase chain reaction. Demonstrating eradication of MRD by these techniques has already been shown to predict for improved outcomes. Here, we review the prognostic significance of achieving CR in MM and highlight the importance of CR as an increasingly realizable goal at all stages of treatment. We discuss clinical management issues and provide recommendations relevant to practicing oncologists, such as the routine use of sensitive techniques for assessment of disease status to inform evidence-based decisions on optimal patient management.


Saccharide expression on wounded endothelial cell monolayers in vitro.
Monolayer cultures of porcine aortic endothelial cells were used as a model of the endothelium of large arteries. Linear wounds were produced in such cultures by scraping and the subsequent sequence of events in nearby cells was analysed. The earliest detectable event was cellular spreading at the margins of the wounds (2 h) followed by cell migration (starting at 6-8 h) and cell proliferation in regions adjacent to the wound (16 h and later). Cell spreading was associated with the appearance of saccharides selectively at the spreading margins of the cells, which bound the lectins, ConA, LCA and PSA, and were sensitive to alpha-mannosidase. Terminal alpha-mannosyl residues were therefore present. The appearance of these saccharides suggests a mechanism by which monocytes might adhere to and/or migrate through the endothelium of vessels at sites of cellular response to injury.


BMS Expands Cancer Drug Portfolio via Mirati.
Bristol Myers Squibb's acquisition of Mirati Therapeutics is poised to strengthen the former's position in the targeted therapy market, not only with the KRASG12C inhibitor adagrasib but also with Mirati's other assets, including a potential first-in-class PRMT5 inhibitor.


Expression and significance of tumoral suppressor p53 gene in lung adenocarcinomas.
The mutations of p53 tumoral suppressor gene are the most frequent genetic modifications identified till now in lung cancer, suggesting that these alterations represent critical stages in malignant cellular transformation of respiration ways. Conformational changes induced by these mutations are associated with stabilisation of the product of p53 gene and the accumulation of the mutant protein in malignant cells' nuclei, in quantities that can be immunohistochemically detected: immunohistochemistry can be used as an indirect indicator of the genome alteration. Eight cases of lung adenocarcinoma were immunohistochemically analysed (formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded specimens), in order to find the p53 suppressor expression. The overexpression of p53 protein was detected using an antigenous system and Monoclonal Mouse Anti-Human p53 protein, and it was detected in 5 (62.5%) of the 8 examined adenocarcinomas. In the examined cases, p53 overexpression was limited only to neoplastic cells, the nuclear staining being considered specific. p53 high level was correlated to: histological differentiation degree, smoking, the stage of the tumor and to the survival rate of the patients. The association of smoking with p53 overexpression suggests that p53 gene is a target of specific mutagenes in smokers.


Non-target-site glyphosate resistance in Conyza bonariensis is based on modified subcellular distribution of the herbicide.
Conyza spp. were the first broadleaf weeds reported to have evolved glyphosate resistance. Several mechanisms have been proposed for glyphosate resistance. In an effort to elucidate the mechanism of this resistance in Conyza bonariensis, possible target-site and non-target-site mechanisms were investigated in glyphosate-resistant (GR) C. bonariensis biotypes. Using differential glyphosate applications and analyses of shikimate accumulation, we followed the herbicide effect in different plant organs and monitored the herbicide's apparent mobility. We found high shikimate levels in the roots and young leaves of glyphosate-sensitive (GS) plants, regardless of the site of application, whereas in GR plants, shikimate accumulated mainly in treated young leaves. 14 C-glyphosate studies, however, revealed the expected source-to-sink translocation pattern in both GS and GR plants. Sequencing of the appropriate EPSPS DNA fragments of GR and GS plants revealed no alteration at the Pro106 position. These data support the hypothesis that the glyphosate resistance of our C. bonariensis GR biotypes is associated with altered subcellular distribution of glyphosate, which keeps the herbicide sequestered away from the EPSPS target site in the chloroplast. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.


Effects of a spiritual care training for nurses.
Despite the fact that spiritual care is an essential part of nursing care according to many nursing definitions, it appears to be quite different in practice. A spirituality training for nurses may be necessary to give spiritual care the attention it deserves. In a trial a pre-tested "spirituality and nursing care" training was provided to nurses from four different nursing wards in a non-academic, urban hospital. Prior to the training and six weeks after the training, nurses and all patients were asked to fill up a questionnaire. In addition, the number of referrals from nurses to the chaplaincy was examined. Compared to before (n=44 patients), after the training (n=31), the patients from the intervention wards experienced more receptiveness and support when asking questions about illness and meaning. There were also specific changes in nurses' attitudes and knowledge, changes in clinical practice such as documenting spiritual needs and the number of referrals to the chaplains was higher. The results indicate that a training in spiritual care for nurses may have positive effects on health care that patients can experience.


Symptom duration and pathologic staging of colorectal cancer.
A large proportion of patients with colorectal cancer continue to present with relatively advanced and therefore incurable tumours. While delay in diagnosis is often felt to have been a contributing factor, the validity of this has seldom been questioned. Two hundred and eleven consecutive large bowel cancer patients have been prospectively studied with respect to their duration of symptoms and pathologic stage: 7.1% presented with Dukes A tumours and a mean symptom duration of 11.2 months; 38.9% with Dukes B tumours and a mean symptom duration of 4.9 months; 22.3% with Dukes C1 tumours and a mean symptom duration of 5.3 months; 3.8% with Dukes C2 tumours and a mean symptom duration of 3.9 months and 26% with stage D disease and a mean symptom duration of 3.8 months. There was no tendency for a longer symptomatic period in patients with more advanced disease. Indeed the Dukes A patients had a significantly longer duration of symptoms than those with all other stages of disease. It is argued that diagnosis at a more favourable pathologic stage would only be possible by presymptomatic tumour detection.


The Negative Interactive Effects of Nostalgia and Loneliness on Affect in Daily Life.
Research has suggested that nostalgia is a mixed, albeit predominantly positive emotion. One proposed function of nostalgia is to attenuate the negative consequences of loneliness. This restorative effect of nostalgia, however, has been demonstrated with cross sectional and experimental methods that lack ecological validity. In studies that have measured nostalgia in daily life, however, nostalgia has been negatively related to well-being. We propose an alternative theory that posits that the effect of nostalgia on well-being depends on the event or experience that elicits nostalgia. We tested this theory by measuring daily states of nostalgia, loneliness, and affect across five daily diary studies (N = 504; 6,004 daily reports) that lasted for 14 days. Using multilevel modeling, we found that nostalgia and loneliness were negatively related to positive affect and positively related to negative affect. The negative effects of nostalgia on affective well-being were significantly stronger on days when people felt more lonely as opposed to less lonely. Viewed alternatively, the negative effects of loneliness on affective well-being were stronger on days when people felt more vs. less nostalgic. Thus, in contrast to experimental findings, nostalgia did not attenuate, but rather exaggerated the negative effects of loneliness on affective well-being. These findings support a theoretical account that proposes that the effect of nostalgia on well-being depends on the natural context in which nostalgia is elicited.


How many different types of femora are there in primary hip osteoarthritis? An active shape modeling study.
We assessed the variation in proximal femoral canal shape and its association with geometric and demographic parameters in primary hip OA. In a retrospective cohort study, the joint geometry of the proximal femur was evaluated on radiographs and corresponding CT scans of 345 consecutive patients with end-stage hip OA. Active shape modeling (ASM) was performed to assess the variation in endosteal shape of the proximal femur. To identify natural groupings of patients, hierarchical cluster analysis of the shape modes was used. ASM identified 10 independent shape modes accounting for >96% of the variation in proximal femoral canal shape within the dataset. Cluster analysis revealed 10 specific shape clusters. Significant differences in geometric and demographic parameters between the clusters were observed. ASM and subsequent cluster analysis have the potential to identify specific morphological patterns of the proximal femur despite the variability in proximal femoral anatomy. The study identified patterns of proximal femoral canal shape in hip OA that allow a comprehensive classification of variation in shape and its association with joint geometry. Our data may improve future stem designs that will optimize stem fit and simultaneously allow individual restoration of hip biomechanics.


Investigating the Range of Symptom Endorsement at Initiation of a Graduated Return-to-Play Protocol After Concussion and Duration of the Protocol: A Study From the National Collegiate Athletic Association-Department of Defense Concussion, Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE) Consortium.
Organizations recommend that athletes should be asymptomatic or symptom-limited before initiating a graduated return-to-play (GRTP) protocol after sports-related concussion, although asymptomatic or symptom-limited is not well-defined. (1) There will be a range (ie, beyond zero as indicator of "symptom-free") in symptom severity endorsement when athletes are deemed ready to initiate a GRTP protocol. (2) Baseline symptom severity scores and demographic/preinjury medical history factors influence symptom severity scores at the commencement of the GRTP protocol. (3) Greater symptom severity scores at GRTP protocol initiation will result in longer protocol duration. (4) Symptom severity scores will not differ between those who did and did not sustain a repeat injury within 90 days of their initial injury. Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Across 30 universities, athletes (N = 1531) completed assessments at baseline and before beginning the GRTP protocol, as determined by local medical staff. Symptom severity scores were recorded with the symptom checklist of the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-3rd Edition. Nonparametric comparisons were used to examine the effect of medical, demographic, and injury factors on symptom endorsement at GRTP protocol initiation, as well as differences in symptom severity scores between those who did and did not sustain a repeat injury within 90 days. A Cox regression was used to examine the association between symptom severity scores at GRTP protocol initiation and protocol duration. Symptom severity scores at the time when the GRTP protocol was initiated were as follows: 0 to 5 (n = 1378; 90.0%), 6 to 10 (n = 76; 5.0%), 11 to 20 (n = 42; 3.0%), and ≥21 (n = 35; 2.0%). Demographic (sex and age), medical (psychiatric disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning disorder), and other factors (baseline symptom endorsement and sleep) were significantly associated with higher symptom severity scores at the GRTP initiation (P < .05). The 4 GRTP initiation time point symptom severity score groups did not significantly differ in total time to unrestricted RTP, χ2(3) = 1.4; P = .73. When days until the initiation of the GRTP protocol was included as a covariate, symptom severity scores between 11 and 20 (P = .02; hazard ratio = 1.44; 95% CI, 1.06-1.96) and ≥21 (P < .001; hazard ratio = 1.88; 95% CI, 1.34-2.63) were significantly associated with a longer GRTP protocol duration as compared with symptom severity scores between 0 and 5. Symptom severity scores at GRTP initiation did not significantly differ between those who sustained a repeat injury within 90 days and those who did not (U = 29,893.5; P = .75). A range of symptom severity endorsement was observed at GRTP protocol initiation, with higher endorsement among those with higher baseline symptom endorsement and select demographic and medical history factors. Findings suggest that initiation of a GRTP protocol before an absolute absence of all symptoms is not associated with longer progression of the GRTP protocol, although symptom severity scores >10 were associated with longer duration of a GRTP protocol. Results can be utilized to guide clinicians toward optimal GRTP initiation (ie, balancing active recovery with avoidance of premature return to activity).


Population differentiation in perch Perca fluviatilis: environmental effects on gene flow?
Environmental parameters were used to investigate barriers to gene flow and genetic differentiation in the Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis L.) at a small geographical scale in an archipelago system. Significant genetic differentiation was found among locations. Distance per se did not play a major role in the reduction of gene flow. Instead, the largest genetic differences between populations correlated with major changes in environmental conditions, such as temperature at time of spawning. The results show that genetic divergence can arise between populations in habitats thought to be highly connected, and that environmental variables can influence the level of gene flow between populations, including those that are at small spatial scales (tens of kilometres). The importance of a landscape approach when investigating genetic differentiation and defining barriers to gene flow is highlighted.


[Several peculiarities of the purine-base fixation of the substrate in the active sites of myosin Ca2+-ATPase].
A comparative study of kinetic parameters (Km and V) of hydrolysis by heavy meromyosin of several synthetic ATP analogs with substituents at positions N(1) and N(C6) of the purine ring was carried out. Analysis of changes in the Km values suggests that the purine base of ATP is fixed in the active center due to the formation of a hydrogen bond between N1 and the proton donor group of the protein as well as between the 6-NH2-amino group of the nucleotide and the proton acceptor group of the protein. It was shown that the rate of catalytic conversion of the substrate is determined by the mode of binding of its purine ring. Depending on the properties of the substituent radical, the latter either prevents the binding by causing little or no increase in the rate of hydrolysis or causes the displacement of the whole substrate molecule in the active center, which leads to the deceleration of hydrolysis.


Personal-professional connections in palliative care occupational therapy.
This qualitative study examined the experiences of occupational therapists working in palliative care. Multiple qualitative interviews were conducted with each of eight occupational therapists working with people who are terminally ill. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed for recurring and unique themes. Five themes emerged: satisfaction, hardship, coping, spirituality, and growth. Common themes, while resonating through all participants' stories, were experienced in a uniquely personal way by each participant. The result was the discovery of an individualized "personal-professional connection" for each participant. The exploration of personal-professional connections can contribute to the understanding of occupational therapy practice in palliative care. Furthermore, these individual stories may resonate for other occupational therapists and inspire personal and professional reflection; validation of feelings and issues can arise from parallel comparisons. Therapists may in tum gain insight into the relationship between their own personal and professional experiences.


Classical factor X deficiency. Report of a further case.
A case of classical factor X deficiency is reported. The propositus is a 28-year-old male who presented easy bruising, epistaxis, hematomas, hematuria and occasional hemartrosis since early childhood. The severely prolonged prothrombin time was corrected by normal serum but not by adsorbed normal plasma. The abnormality was not corrected by the plasma of a patient with factor X deficiency, but by the plasma of patients with factor II or VII deficiencies. Partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin consumption and the thromboplastin generation test were abnormal. The thromboelastogram showed a prolonged 'K' and 'r' together with a normal 'ma'. Factor X was very low (smaller than 1%). Platelet tests were normal. No factor X band or precipitates were seen on electroimmunoassay and on the cross-over electrophoresis. The non-consanguineous parents and several other members of the family were found to be heterozygotes.


Health Effects of Soy Isoflavones and Green Tea Catechins on Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases Based on Urinary Biomarker Levels.
Plant polyphenols have various health effects. Genistein, which is abundant in soybeans, and epigallocatechin-3-gallate, which is abundant in green tea, are major flavonoids, a subclass group of polyphenols. Several epidemiological studies have shown that these flavonoids have beneficial effects against cancer and cardiovascular diseases. However, other studies did not show such effects. Several confounding factors, including recall bias, are related to these inconsistent findings, and the determination of metabolites in the urine may be useful in reducing the number of confounding factors. Equipment, which can be used by research participants to collect samples from a portion of voided urine within 24 h without the help of medical workers, has been developed for epidemiological investigations. Previous studies, in which flavonoid metabolites in these urine samples were measured, revealed that soy intake was correlated with a reduced risk of certain types of cancer and cardiovascular diseases worldwide. Although soybeans and green tea consumption may have protective effects against cancer and cardiovascular diseases, further clinical studies that consider different confounding factors are required to provide evidence for the actual impact of dietary flavonoids on human diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular diseases. One possible mechanism involved is discussed in relation to the downregulation of reactive oxygen species and the upregulation of 5'-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase elicited by these flavonoids.


Remote ischemic preconditioning does not influence lectin pathway protein levels in head and neck cancer patients undergoing surgery.
Cancer patients who undergo tumor removal, and reconstructive surgery by transfer of a free tissue flap, are at high risk of surgical site infection and ischemia-reperfusion injury. Complement activation through the lectin pathway (LP) may contribute to ischemia-reperfusion injury. Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) is a recent experimental treatment targeting ischemia-reperfusion injury. The study aims were to investigate LP protein plasma levels in head and neck cancer patients compared with healthy individuals, to explore whether RIPC affects LP protein levels in head and neck cancer surgery, and finally to examine the association between postoperative LP protein levels and the risk of surgical site infection. Head and neck cancer patients (n = 60) undergoing tumor resection and reconstructive surgery were randomized 1:1 to RIPC or sham intervention administered intraoperatively. Blood samples were obtained preoperatively, 6 hours after RIPC/sham, and on the first postoperative day. LP protein plasma levels were measured utilizing time-resolved immunofluorometric assays. H-ficolin and M-ficolin levels were significantly increased in cancer patients compared with healthy individuals (both P ≤ 0.02). Conversely, mannan-binding lectin (MBL)-associated serine protease (MASP)-1, MASP-3, collectin liver-1 (CL-L1), and MBL-associated protein of 44 kilodalton (MAp44) levels were decreased in cancer patients compared with healthy individuals (all P ≤ 0.04). A significant reduction in all LP protein levels was observed after surgery (all P < 0.001); however, RIPC did not affect LP protein levels. No difference was demonstrated in postoperative LP protein levels between patients who developed surgical site infection and patients who did not (all P > 0.13). The LP was altered in head and neck cancer patients. LP protein levels were reduced after surgery, but intraoperative RIPC did not influence the LP. Postoperative LP protein levels were not associated with surgical site infection.


Oxoprothracarcin, a novel pyrrolo[1,4]benzodiazepine antibiotic from marine Streptomyces sp. M10946.
A novel pyrrolo[1,4]benzodiazepine antibiotic, designated oxoprothracarcin (3), was isolated from the marine strain Streptomyces sp. M10946 along with three known secondary metabolites, cyclo(D)-Pro-(D)-Val (1), cyclo(D)-Pro-(D)-Leu (2), and limazepine A (4). The chemical structures of these substances were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses, including 1D- and 2D-NMR and ESI-MS. Antitumor and antibacterial assays indicated that compounds 1-4 weakly inhibit the growth of MDA-MB-231 and A549 cells. The isolation of compound 3 with a high yield (36 mg/10 L) indicated that this marine S. sp. M10946 may provide new lead compounds for structural modification and drug screening.


Preventing bloodstream infections: a measurable national success story in quality improvement.
Over the past decade, advances in the quality of care have been slow. One area of success, however, has been in combating central line-associated bloodstream infections. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that the number of patients in US intensive care units suffering a central-line infection declined by 63 percent between 2001 and 2009. We describe the multistep process taken by many stakeholders-states, federal agencies, hospital associations, regulatory and nonprofit associations, clinicians, and local hospitals-to collaborate on the successful reduction and eradication of these infections. Having begun in Michigan, this program has spread to forty-five states, has shown sustained results in reducing hospital-associated infections and mortality, and constitutes an important measurable national success story in quality improvement and a model for improving the health and safety of Americans.


Longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging in a rat brain glioma model.
In order to investigate the properties of water motion within and around brain tumors as a function of tumor growth, longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was carried out in a rat brain glioma (C6) model. As tumors grew in size, significant anisotropy of water diffusion was seen both within and around the tumor. The tissue water surrounding the tumor exhibited high planar anisotropy, as opposed to the linear anisotropy normally seen in white matter, indicating that cells were experiencing stress in a direction normal to the tumor border. When tumors were sufficiently large, significant anisotropy was also seen within the tumor because of longer-range organization of cancer cells within the tumor borders. These findings have important implications for diffusion-weighted MRI experiments examining tumor growth and response to therapy.


Initiation of oral breathing in lambs in response to airway obstruction: mechanisms.
Our aim was to assess the mechanisms determining the reflex formation of an oral airway in response to nasal obstruction (NO) and tracheal obstruction (TO). In nine conscious lambs (14-37 days old) NO was effected by blockade of nasal tubes; TO was later effected by blockade of an endotracheal tube. We measured arterial O2 saturation, PO2, PCO2, and pH and the depth and duration of inspiratory efforts when mouth opening (MO) occurred. Responses were compared when NO and TO followed breathing of room air, rebreathed air, and 100% O2. After both NO and TO, MO was initiated most rapidly after lambs rebreathed air and least rapidly after they breathed 100% O2. Similar changes in blood gases and pH were measured when MO occurred after air breathing and rebreathing; however, the extent of these changes was greater during TO than during NO. After 100% O2 was breathed, MO occurred when lambs were still hyperoxic, but they were more hypercapnic and acidemic than after breathing air or rebreathed air. There were no differences, related to prebreathed gases or site of airway occlusion, in the depth of inspiratory efforts at the time of MO. We conclude that the formation of an oral airway requires a critical level of inspiratory drive in the presence of airway obstruction. After the prebreathing of different gases, differences in response latency and blood gases at the time of MO can be attributed to the attainment of this threshold level of inspiratory drive. The formation of an oral airway is facilitated by, but not dependent on, receptors in the upper airway.


Inhibition of Toxoplasma gondii growth by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate is cell cycle specific and leads to population synchronization.
Successful completion of the Toxoplasma cell cycle requires the coordination of a series of complex and ordered processes that results in the formation of two daughters by internal budding. Although we now understand the order and timing of intracellular events associated with the parasite cell cycle, the molecular details of the checkpoints that regulate each step in Toxoplasma gondii division is still uncertain. In other eukaryotic cells, the use of cytostatic inhibitors that are able to arrest replication at natural checkpoints have been exploited to induce synchronization of population growth. Herein, we describe a novel method to synchronize T. gondii tachyzoites based on the reversible growth inhibition by the drug and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate. This method is an improvement over other strategies developed for this parasites as no prior genetic manipulation of the parasite was required. RH tachyzoites blocked by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate exhibited a near uniform haploid DNA content and single centrosome indicating that this compound arrests parasites in the G1 phase of the tachyzoite cell cycle with a minor block in late cytokinesis. Thus, these studies support the existence of a natural checkpoint that regulates passage through the G1 period of the cell cycle. Populations released from pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate inhibition completed progression through G1 and entered S phase approximately 2 h post-drug release. The transit of drug-synchronized populations through S phase and mitosis followed a similar timeframe to previous studies of the tachyzoite cell cycle. Tachyzoites treated with pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate were fully viable and completed two identical division cycles post-drug release demonstrating that this is a robust method for synchronizing population growth in Toxoplasma.


Conditional regulation of Puf1p, Puf4p, and Puf5p activity alters YHB1 mRNA stability for a rapid response to toxic nitric oxide stress in yeast.
Puf proteins regulate mRNA degradation and translation through interactions with 3' untranslated regions (UTRs). Such regulation provides an efficient method to rapidly alter protein production during cellular stress. YHB1 encodes the only protein to detoxify nitric oxide in yeast. Here we show that YHB1 mRNA is destabilized by Puf1p, Puf4p, and Puf5p through two overlapping Puf recognition elements (PREs) in the YHB1 3' UTR. Overexpression of any of the three Pufs is sufficient to fully rescue wild-type decay in the absence of other Pufs, and overexpression of Puf4p or Puf5p can enhance the rate of wild-type decay. YHB1 mRNA decay stimulation by Puf proteins is also responsive to cellular stress. YHB1 mRNA is stabilized in galactose and high culture density, indicating inactivation of the Puf proteins. This condition-specific inactivation of Pufs is overcome by Puf overexpression, and Puf4p/Puf5p overexpression during nitric oxide exposure reduces the steady-state level of endogenous YHB1 mRNA, resulting in slow growth. Puf inactivation is not a result of altered expression or localization. Puf1p and Puf4p can bind target mRNA in inactivating conditions; however, Puf5p binding is reduced. This work demonstrates how multiple Puf proteins coordinately regulate YHB1 mRNA to protect cells from nitric oxide stress.


On the structures, lifetimes, and infrared spectra of alkylmercury hydrides.
A series of six small alkylmercury hydrides of the general formula RHgH with R=methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, and 3-butenyl were obtained by reduction in vacuo of the corresponding mercury halide with tributyltin hydride in the presence of a radical inhibitor. These very reactive compounds, which have to be removed from the reaction mixture as they are formed, were characterized by (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. The IR spectra of n-propyl-, isopropyl-, n-butyl-, and 3-butenylmercury hydride were recorded for the first time. All compounds were then studied by density functional theory calculations on the basis of a recent theoretical assessment for alkylmercury compounds performed by our group. Comparison of the experimental and theoretical results allowed the assignment of the vibrational modes in an unambiguous way, in spite of the low intrinsic stability of some of the derivatives investigated. The experimental procedure implemented for registering the IR spectra of these unstable species in the gas phase allowed us to obtain reasonable estimates of their lifetimes.


Losartan inhibits EGFR transactivation in vascular smooth muscle cells
Angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced molecular signaling pathways play a significant role in the progression of cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension and atherosclerosis. In addition to the well-known effects of Ang II, it may activate epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in a process known as transactivation, which contributes to vascular pathologies. The aim of this study was to determine whether losartan could reduce EGFR transactivation induced by Ang II. Additionally, we evaluated the roles of heparin-binding epidermal-like growth factor (HB-EGF) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in Ang II-induced EGFR transactivation. Vascular smooth muscle cells were isolated from a rat aorta and grown in primary culture. Ang II-induced EGFR phosphorylation (tyrosine 1068) and ERK1/2 MAPK phosphorylation (threonine 202 and tyrosine 204) were evaluated by western blotting. Ang II induced EGFR phosphorylation through the Ang II type I receptor (P < 0.05). The transactivation process was inhibited by losartan and mediated by HB-EGF and MMPs. Ang II transactivates EGFR in an AT1R-dependent manner. The results of this study show that losartan, a widely used antihypertensive agent, can suppress EGFR phosphorylation (Y1068) upon Ang II stimulation in vascular smooth muscle cells. EGFR inhibition is a candidate therapy for combating cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis.


Patient characteristics, microbiology, and mortality of infective endocarditis after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.
Infective endocarditis (IE) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is associated with a high mortality and surgery is rarely performed. Thus, to inform on preventive measures and treatment strategies, we investigated patient characteristics and microbiology of IE after TAVI. Using Danish nationwide registries, we identified patients with IE after TAVI, IE after non-TAVI prosthetic valve (nTPV), and native valve IE. Patient characteristics; overall, early (≤12 month), and late IE (>12 month) microbiology; and unadjusted and adjusted mortality were compared. We identified 273, 1022, and 5376 cases of IE after TAVI, IE after nTPV and native valve IE. Age and frailty were highest among TAVI IE (4.8%; median age 82 years; 61.9% frail). Enterococcus spp. was common for IE after TAVI (27.1%) and IE after nTPV (21.2%) compared with native valve IE (11.4%). Blood culture negative IE was rare IE after TAVI (5.5%) compared with IE after nTPV (15.2%) and native valve IE (13.5%). The unadjusted 90-day mortality was comparable, but the 5-year mortality was highest for IE after TAVI (75.2% vs. 57.2% vs. 53.6%). In 1-90 days and 91-365 days Cox models adjusted for patient characteristics and bacterial etiology there was no significant difference in mortality rates. Patients with IE after TAVI are older and frailer, enterococci and streptococci are often the aetiologic agents, and rarely blood culture negative compared with other IE patients. Future studies regarding antibiotic prophylaxis strategies covering enterococci should be considered in this setting.


Construction of full-length infectious cDNA clones of Apple stem grooving virus using Gibson Assembly method.
Apple stem grooving virus (ASGV) belongs to the genus Capillovirus within the family Betaflexiviridae. In this work, we described the construction of full-length infectious cDNA clones of ASGV isolate jilin-shaguo (JL-SG) using the Gibson Assembly approach (New England BioLabs). The isolate was previously detected in a Chinese pear-leaf crab apple (Malus asiatica Nakai.) in Baicheng, Jilin province, China. Two full-length cDNA clones of ASGV JL-SG were obtained, and they are identical to each other in sequence. The full-length cDNA clone was infectious on Chenopodium quinoa, Nicotiana glutinosa, and N. occidentalis 37B via agroinfiltration. Through sap inoculation, the infection was additionally spread to C. amaranticolor. N. benthamiana could not be infected, neither through agroinfiltration nor sap inoculation. In infected herbaceous plants, typical ASGV particles with morphology of flexuous filaments were observed by transmission electron microscope (TEM). Moreover, seeds of infected N. glutinosa and N. occidentalis 37B were collected and germinated, the seedlings were ASGV-free in RT-PCR test, suggesting ASGV JL-SG is not seed-transmissible in the tested Nicotiana species. In addition, the cDNA clone was agroinfiltrated into seedlings of Malus pumila cv. Fuji. The infection was symptomless, and can be spread to C. quinoa via sap inoculation, causing typical symptoms. ASGV JL-SG was also detected by RT-PCR in the infected Fuji plants, however, no virion was observed by TEM.


Meta-Analysis of Effectiveness and Safety of Botulinum Toxin in the Treatment of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is characterized by pain, limited range of motion, swelling, skin changes, vasomotor instability, and patchy bone demineralization. Conservative management strategies for CRPS include physical and occupational therapy, psychosocial and behavioral therapy, and pharmacotherapy. However, some patients still experience CRPS symptoms after receiving conventional treatments. Therefore, botulinum toxin (BoNT) has been applied to patients with CRPS in several trials considering its analgesic effect in musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain; however, the results were controversial. We conducted the study to explore the effectiveness and safety of BoNT in patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). A search was performed using the following electronic databases up to 19 October 2022: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library. We included both randomized controlled trials and nonrandomized controlled studies involving patients with complex regional pain syndrome managed with botulinum toxin. Cochrane risk-of-bias tool and Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist were used for quality assessment for randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies. Only randomized controlled trials entered the meta-analysis. The primary outcome was the visual analogue scale of pain presented as a weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The secondary outcome was the risk of adverse events presented as an odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI. We analyzed eight articles with 176 patients, including three randomized controlled trials with 62 participants. The age of the patients ranged from 23.8 to 51 years old. The duration of the disease ranged from 2.2 to 11.8 years. The proportion of females ranged from 16.6% to 100%. The route of administration of BoNT included: (1) lumbar sympathetic block (LSB), (2) intramuscular injection, (3) subcutaneous or intradermal injection (SC/ID). Improvement in pain was revealed in six studies, and adverse events were all self-limited and temporary. Meta-analysis revealed a significant reduction in pain at the first follow-up between 3 weeks to 1 month after intervention (WMD, -1.036, 95% CI, -1.673 to -0.400) but not at the second follow-up between 2 to 3 months after treatment (WMD, -0.895, 95% CI, -2.249 to 0.458). Subgroup analyses between LSB and SC/ID were nonsignificant at both follow-up periods (p = 0.422, 0.139). The risk of adverse events was similar between the BoNT and control group (OR, 0.698, 95% CI, 0.136 to 3.581). In conclusion, BoNT may be effective and safe for alleviating pain in patients with CRPS. However, we could not draw definite conclusions due to small sample size and high between-study heterogeneity. The limited number of participants may conceal the possibility of serious adverse events. Further large-scale randomized controlled trials are warranted to delineate the role of BoNT in CRPS.


Laboratory and field testing of bednet traps for mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) sampling in West Java, Indonesia.
Surveillance of medically important mosquitoes is critical to determine the risk of mosquito-borne disease transmission. The purpose of this research was to test self-supporting, exposure-free bednet traps to survey mosquitoes. In the laboratory we tested human-baited and unbaited CDC light trap/cot bednet (CDCBN) combinations against three types of traps: the Mbita Trap (MIBITA), a Tent Trap (TENT), and a modified Townes style Malaise trap (TSM). In the laboratory, 16 runs comparing MBITA, TSM, and TENT to the CDCBN were conducted for a total of 48 runs of the experiment using 13,600 mosquitoes. The TENT trap collected significantly more mosquitoes than the CDCBN. The CDCBN collected significantly more than the MBITA and there was no difference between the TSM and the CDCBN. Two field trials were conducted in Cibuntu, Sukabumi, West Java, Indonesia. The first test compared human-baited and unbaited CDCBN, TENT, and TSM traps during six nights over two consecutive weeks per month from January, 2007 to September, 2007 for a total of 54 trapnights. A total of 8,474 mosquitoes representing 33 species were collected using the six trapping methods. The TENT-baited trap collected significantly more mosquitoes than both the CDCBN and the TSM. The second field trial was a comparison of the baited and unbaited TENT and CDCBN traps and Human Landing Collections (HLCs). The trial was carried out from January, 2008 to May, 2008 for a total of 30 trap nights. A total of 11,923 mosquitoes were collected representing 24 species. Human Landing Collections captured significantly more mosquitoes than either the TENT or the CDCBN. The baited and unbaited TENT collected significantly more mosquitoes than the CDCBN. The TENT trap was found to be an effective, light-weight substitute for the CDC light-trap, bednet combination in the field and should be considered for use in surveys of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, arboviruses, and filariasis.


Co/Ni-polyoxotungstate photocatalysts as precursor materials for electrocatalytic water oxidation.
An open-core cobalt polyoxometalate (POM) [(A-α-SiW9O34)Co4(OH)3(CH3COO)3]8-Co(1) and its isostructural Co/Ni-analogue [(A-α-SiW9O34)Co1.5Ni2.5(OH)3(CH3COO)3]8-CoNi(2) were synthesized and investigated for their photocatalytic and electrocatalytic performance. Co(1) shows high photocatalytic O2 yields, which are competitive with leading POM water oxidation catalysts (WOCs). Furthermore, Co(1) and CoNi(2) were employed as well-defined precursors for heterogeneous WOCs. Annealing at various temperatures afforded amorphous and crystalline CoWO4- and Co1.5Ni2.5WO4-related nanoparticles. CoWO4-related particles formed at 300 °C showed substantial electrocatalytic improvements and were superior to reference materials obtained from co-precipitation/annealing routes. Interestingly, no synergistic interactions between cobalt and nickel centers were observed for the mixed-metal POM precursor and the resulting tungstate catalysts. This stands in sharp contrast to a wide range of studies on various heterogeneous catalyst types which were notably improved through Co/Ni substitution. The results clearly demonstrate that readily accessible POMs are promising precursors for the convenient and low-temperature synthesis of amorphous heterogeneous water oxidation catalysts with enhanced performance compared to conventional approaches. This paves the way to tailoring polyoxometalates as molecular precursors with tuneable transition metal cores for high performance heterogeneous electrocatalysts. Our results furthermore illustrate the key influence of the synthetic history on the performance of oxide catalysts and highlight the dependence of synergistic metal interactions on the structural environment.


Leisure participation and the retirement process.
The influence of pre-retirement leisure activity patterns on retirement planning and attitudes toward retirement was investigated. Sixty male retirees answered a questionnaire designed to collect data regarding sociodemographic variables, the degree of preretirement planning, the type and extent of leisure participation before and after retirement, and attitudes about retirement. The results show that a high degree of pre-retirement leisure participation correlates with a high degree of pre-retirement planning. No statistically significant relationships were demonstrated between pre-retirement planning and retirement attitudes or between pre-retirement leisure participation and retirement attitudes. The influence of specific types of activities on the retirement process was also examined and results are presented.


Ocular anisometropia and laterality.
To study the difference in refraction between right and left eyes (anisometropia) in different age groups, look for evidence of eye laterality (more refractive error in one eye) and compare the size of anisometropia in the myopic and emmetropic ranges. The study was based on children in Hong Kong (examined at the age of 6 years and again at the age of 8.5 years) and their parents (aged 26-60 years). In all age groups the difference between right and left eyes in sphere and cylinder was modest, in most cases < or = 0.25 D. In both children and their parents a tendency towards spherical right eye laterality was found in the myopic individuals (p < 0.05). This was not the case with the cylinder. In the 8.5-year-old children and in their parents, the numerical size of spherical anisometropia increased with myopia (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Cylindrical anisometropia did not exhibit such an increase. In Hong Kong children and their parents we found a tendency towards more spherical myopia in right eyes (laterality) in myopic cases. The numerical size of spherical anisometropia also increased in myopia in these groups. Cylindrical anisometropia appeared to be independent of spherical ametropia. In most cases right/left differences in both sphere and cylinder were small and our findings justify the use of data from one eye only in publications on refraction.


Impact of adaptive gastric electrical stimulation on weight, food intake, and food intake rate in dogs.
Gastric electrical stimulation (GES) has been studied for decades as a promising treatment for obesity. Stimulation pulses with fixed amplitude and pulse width are usually applied, but these have limitations with regard to overcoming habituation to GES and inter-subject variation. This study aims to analyze the efficacy of an adaptive GES protocol for reducing food intake and maintaining lean weight in dogs. Six beagle dogs were implanted with a remotely programmable gastric stimulator. An adaptive protocol was designed to increase the stimulation energy proportionally to the excess of food consumption, with respect to the dogs' maintenance energy requirements. After surgery and habituation to experimental conditions, the dogs went through both a control and a stimulation period of 4 weeks each, in a randomized order. The stimulation parameters were adapted daily. Body weight, food intake, food intake rate, and postprandial cutaneous electrogastrograms (EGG) were recorded to assess the effect of adaptive GES. Adaptive GES decreased food intake and food intake rate (p < 0.05) resulting in weight maintenance. In the absence of GES, the dogs gained weight (p < 0.05). Postprandial EGG dominant frequency was accelerated by GES (p < 0.05). The strategy of adapting the stimulation energy was effective in causing significant mid-term changes. Adaptive GES is effective for reducing food intake and maintaining lean weight. The proposed adaptive strategy may offer benefits to counter habituation and adapt to inter-subject variation in clinical use of GES for obesity.


Making health equality a reality: the Bronx takes action.
In response to growing evidence of racial and ethnic disparities in health, Bronx Health REACH, a coalition of health care providers and community and faith-based organizations, is engaged in an effort to identify and eliminate the root causes of health disparities in their Bronx neighborhood. The group has gained a community perspective on health disparities that it has developed into a seven-point advocacy agenda: universal health insurance, an end to segregation in health facilities based on insurance status, accountability for state uncompensated care funds, culturally competent care for all, greater health workforce diversity, an expansion of public health education, and environmental justice.


Personalized Biometrics of Physical Pain Agree with Psychophysics by Participants with Sensory over Responsivity.
The study of pain requires a balance between subjective methods that rely on self-reports and complementary objective biometrics that ascertain physical signals associated with subjective accounts. There are at present no objective scales that enable the personalized assessment of pain, as most work involving electrophysiology rely on summary statistics from a priori theoretical population assumptions. Along these lines, recent work has provided evidence of differences in pain sensations between participants with Sensory Over Responsivity (SOR) and controls. While these analyses are useful to understand pain across groups, there remains a need to quantify individual differences more precisely in a personalized manner. Here we offer new methods to characterize pain using the moment-by-moment standardized fluctuations in EEG brain activity centrally reflecting the person's experiencing temperature-based stimulation at the periphery. This type of gross data is often disregarded as noise, yet here we show its utility to characterize the lingering sensation of discomfort raising to the level of pain, individually, for each participant. We show fundamental differences between the SOR group in relation to controls and provide an objective account of pain congruent with the subjective self-reported data. This offers the potential to build a standardized scale useful to profile pain levels in a personalized manner across the general population.


Photonic nanojet-enabled optical data storage.
We show that our recently reported microwave photonic jet technique for detection of deeply subwavelength pits in a metal substrate can be extended to optical wavelengths for purposes of high-density data storage. Three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain computational solutions of Maxwell's equations are used to optimize the photonic nanojet and pit configuration to account for the Drude dispersion of an aluminum substrate in the spectral range near lambda= 400 nm. Our results show that nanojet-illuminated pits having lateral dimensions of only 50 nm x 80 nm yield a contrast ratio 27 dB greater than previously reported using a lens system for pits of similar area. Such pits are much smaller than BluRay features. The high detection contrast afforded by the photonic nanojet could potentially yield significant increases in data density and throughput relative to current commercial optical data-storage systems while retaining the basic geometry of the storage medium.


The Selective Separation of Carnosic Acid and Rosmarinic Acid by Solid-Phase Extraction and Liquid-Liquid Extraction: A Comparative Study.
Rosmarinus officinalis leaves (ROLs) are widely used in the food and cosmetics industries due to their high antioxidant activity and fascinating flavor properties. Carnosic acid (CA) and rosmarinic acid (RA) are regarded as the characteristic antioxidant components of ROLs, and the selective separation of CA and RA remains a significant challenge. In this work, the feasibility of achieving the selective separation of CA and RA from ROLs by solid-phase extraction (SPE) and liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) was studied and compared. The experiments suggested that SPE with CAD-40 macroporous resin as the adsorbent was a good choice for selectively isolating CA from the extracts of ROLs and could produce raw CA with purity levels as high as 76.5%. The LLE with ethyl acetate (EA) as the extraction solvent was more suitable for extracting RA from the diluted extracts of ROLs and could produce raw RA with a purity level of 56.3%. Compared with the reported column chromatography and LLE techniques, the developed SPE-LLE method not only exhibited higher extraction efficiency for CA and RA, but can also produce CA and RA with higher purity.