[Therapeutic effect comparison of repairing digit degloving injury with two kinds of double island flap].
To compare the double dorsal phalangeal flap (DDPF) with the combination of digital neurovascular island flap (NVIF) and first dorsal metacarpal artery flap (FDMA) in terms of repairing digit degloving injury. From October 2005 to March 2008, DDPF was used to repair 9 patients (9 fingers) with degloving injury of the thumb and index finger and completely amputated thumb and index finger (group A). From August 1996 to June 2007, NVIF and FDMA were used to repair 13 patients (13 fingers) with the thumb degloving injury and completely amputated or necrotic thumb (group B). In group A, there were 7 males and 2 females aged 19-48 years old, there were 4 cases of thumb and index finger degloving injury repair and 5 cases of completely amputated thumb and index finger reconstruction, the skin defect ranged from 6.0 cm x 3.5 cm to 7.0 cm x 4.5 cm, and the interval between injury and operation was 3-10 hours. The size of DDPF harvested during operation was 4.0 cm x 3.5 cm-5.0 cm x 4.0 cm. In group B, there were 10 males and 3 females aged 18-50 years old, there were 5 cases of thumb degloving injury repair and 8 cases of completely amputated or necrotic thumb reconstruction, the skin defect ranged from 6.0 cm x 3.0 cm to 7.0 cm x 4.5 cm, and the interval between injury and operation was 3 hours-5 days, and the size of NVIF and FDMA harvested during operation was 3.5 cm x 3.0 cm-5.0 cm x 4.0 cm. The donor site was repaired with the full-thickness skin graft. All the flaps survived uneventfully except for 1 case in group A suffering from venous crisis 1 day after operation and 2 cases in group B suffering from FDMA artery crisis 4-12 hours after operation. Those flaps survived after symptomatic treatment. All the wounds healed by first intention. All patients in two groups were followed up for 1-12 years (average 3.2 years). All the donor sites were normal except for 3 cases in group B suffering from flexion contracture deformity of the proximal interphalangeal joint due to the scar contracture in the margin of NVIF donor site. According to Allen test, the skin temperature and color of the donor fingers in two groups were normal under room temperature; 1 case of group A and 6 NVIF donor fingers of group B were pale and cold under ice water. According to sensory recovery evaluation system, 16 fingers in group A were graded as S4, 1 as S3+, and 1 as S2; while in group B, 3 NVIF fingers were graded as S3, 6 NVIF fingers as S2, 4 NVIF fingers as S1, and 13 FDMA fingers as S4. The appearance of the recipient flap was satisfactory and the color was similar to the surrounding skin. The skin temperature and color of the flaps in two groups were normal under room temperature; 2 cases of group A and 4 recipient fingers of group B were pale and cold under ice water. In group A, all the palmar flap of the recipient finger achieved the reorientation of the recipient flap sensation; while in group B, 8 cases achieved the reorientation of the recipient flap sensation, and 5 cases had double sensation. For the two-point discrimination of the flap, group B was superior to that of group A in terms of the palmar aspect (P < 0.05), no significant difference was evident between two groups in terms of the dorsal aspect (P > 0.05), and the palmar aspect of each group was superior to the dorsal flap (P < 0.05). DDPF is less invasive to donor finger, easy to be operated, able to partially restore the sensory of the injured finger, and suitable for the repair of the degloving injury of the thumb and the index finger. Combination of NVIF and FDMA can restore the fine sensory of recipient palmar flap better and is applicable for those patients suffering from digital nerve defects from the proximal phalanx and with high demand for the recovery of thumb sensory.


Detection of the focal spot motion relative to the collimator axis of a linear accelerator under gantry rotation.
The potential for delivering high precision radiotherapy using linear accelerators (linacs) has been improved with the development of digital x-ray electronic portal imaging devices (EPID) for acquiring kilovoltage (kV) cone-beam CT and megavoltage (MV) images for patient positioning. EPIDs have also opened the possibilities of developing novel quality assurance and insight into radiotherapy equipment performance. The aim of this work was to measure the offset of the focal spot position (FSP) of a linac under gantry rotation relative to the collimator axis using an EPID. The focal spot was assumed to be a point source of MV x-ray generation. A special phantom was designed for measurement of FSP as a function of gantry angle on clinical linacs. The phantom was designed for attachment to the gantry head and supporting two tungsten-carbide ball-bearings at two different distances from the focal spot. The methodology was demonstrated on a series of images acquired of the phantom on three Elekta linacs in clinical use with 6 MV flattening-filter-free (FFF) beams. The gantry and collimator were rotated 360° in steps of 30°. For each position an image of the phantom was acquired using the EPID. Each series consisted of 169 EPID images. The images were analysed using in-house developed software. Analyses of the EPID images acquired with 6 MV FFF beams showed that the focal spot motion amplitudes relative to the collimator axis during gantry rotation in the longitudinal and lateral directions were less than 0.10 mm and 0.50 mm, respectively, for an optimized 6 MV FFF FSP calibrated linac. In a treatment planning system (TPS) the focal spot is assumed to be located on the rotation axis of the collimator at all gantry angles. This work introduces a method for quantifying the actual variation from this assumption in practice.


A tubular network associated with the brush-border surface of the Aedes aegypti midgut: implications for pathogen transmission by mosquitoes.
The mosquito Aedes aegypti is capable of transmitting a variety of pathogens to man and to other vertebrates. The midgut of this insect has been well-studied both as the tissue where the first contact occurs between ingested pathogens and the insect host, and as a model system for blood meal digestion in blood-sucking insects. To understand better the nature of the midgut surface encountered by parasites or viruses, we used scanning electron microscopy to identify the most prominent structures and cell morphologies on the luminal midgut surface. The luminal side of the midgut is a complex and layered set of structures. The microvilli that are found on most, but not all, cells are covered by a network of fine strands that we have termed the microvilli-associated network (MN). The MN strands are membranous, as shown by a membrane bilayer visible in cross sections of MN strands at high magnification in transmission electron micrographs. The MN is found in blood-fed as well as unfed mosquitoes and is not affected by chitinase treatment, suggesting that it is not related to the chitinous peritrophic membrane that is formed only after blood feeding. The cells in the midgut epithelium have two distinct morphologies: the predominant cell type is densely covered with microvilli, while cells with fewer microvilli are found interspersed throughout the midgut. We used lectins to probe for the presence of carbohydrates on the midgut surface. A large number of lectins bind to the luminal midgut surface, suggesting that a variety of sugar linkages are present on the structures visualized by electron microscopy. Some of these lectins partially block attachment of malaria ookinetes to the midgut surface in vitro. Thus, the mosquito midgut epithelium, like the lining of mammalian intestines, is complex, composed of a variety of cell types and extensively covered with surface carbohydrate that may play a role in pathogen attachment.


Sulphite oxidase as key enzyme for protecting plants against sulphur dioxide.
Sulphur dioxide (SO(2)) is known as a strongly damaging air pollutant. After conversion to sulphite in aqueous solution, it becomes a strong nucleophilic agent that attacks numerous compounds in the cell. Therefore, plants have developed a mechanism to control sulphite levels. Recently, we have cloned and characterized the enzyme sulphite oxidase (SO) from Arabidopsis thaliana. Yet, its physiological role remained unclear. Here, we describe results demonstrating that SO is essential for detoxifying excessive amounts of sulphite in the cell which is important for the survival of the plant. T-DNA-tagged A. thaliana plants lacking the enzyme showed a decrease in vitality during SO(2) fumigation and a change in their S-metabolites. The same was found with RNA-interference (RNAi) plants that were generated for tobacco. On the contrary, over-expression of SO helped the plant to survive SO(2) concentrations that are detrimental for non-transformed wild-type (WT) plants, as was shown with poplar plants which are known to be particularly sensitive to SO(2). Fumigation induced the expression of the enzyme as demonstrated by promoter-reporter gene fusion, by immunoblot analysis of SO-protein and by induction of enzyme activity. This implies that SO, as an otherwise constitutively expressed protein, is under additional control by SO(2) in the environment.


A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study on the effects of a herbal toothpaste on gingival bleeding, oral hygiene and microbial variables.
Different systems of traditional medicine of the Indian subcontinent, have used Acacia chundra Willd, Adhatoda vasica Nees., Mimusops elengi L., Piper nigrum L., Pongamia pinnata L. Pirerre, Quercus infectoria Olivier., Syzygium aromaticum L., Terminalia chebula Retz., Zingiber officinale Roscoe., individually or in combinations, to cure oral diseases. To investigate the oral hygiene and gingival health benefits of toothpaste formulated with a mixture of the above herbs (15% w/w). Sixty participants (test n = 30, control n = 30, mean age 23.6 +/- 2.25 vs 23.9 +/- 3.2 years) who fulfilled the selection criteria and had similar plaque (1.734 +/- 0.29 vs 1.771 +/- 0.33) and percentage of sites with gingival bleeding (19.6 +/- 7 vs 20.7 +/- 8) were studied in a double blind randomised clinical trial. Brushing instructions to all and a scaling for those with calculus were provided two weeks before baseline examination. One ml of resting saliva was collected to ascertain anaerobic (SAnB) and aerobic (SAB) bacterial counts, plaque index (PI), percentage sites with bleeding on probing (BOP) and pocket depth (PD) (at 6 sites/tooth) were recorded at baseline, followed by home use of the allocated toothpaste (test or placebo) twice a day for 12 weeks. Measurements were repeated at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. PI, BOP and SAnB decreased significantly in the test group at 4, 8, and 12 weeks compared to baseline measurements (Wilcoxon-Signed Rank Test, p < 0.01). There was no statistically significant improvement in PI, BOP, and SAnB in the placebo group. Our study indicates the beneficial effects of this herbal toothpaste (Sudantha) on oral hygiene and gingival health variables when compared with the placebo. Further clinical trials using patients with gingivitis are necessary to confirm the therapeutic benefits of this herbal toothpaste.


[Effects of stress and exercise tests on the functional state of cardiac performance and the state of adrenergic regulation in patients with ischemic heart disease].
In patients with coronary heart disease, stress was found to provoke both ischemic and arrhythmic responses. As compared with exercise test, stress caused arrhythmic reactions more frequently than ischemic ones. Stress was ascertained to provoke ischemic and arrhythmic reactions mainly via increased cardiac function. It also affected the myocardium and coronary bed by the direct action of catecholamines and other stress hormones.


Gender-related changes in increase of dopaminergic neurons in the olfactory bulb of Parkinson's disease patients.
Gender differences in dopaminergic related neurodegenerative diseases have hardly been studied until now. It is generally accepted that more men than women suffer from Parkinson's disease. One of the most prevalent symptoms in Parkinson's patients, hyposmia, does not show gender differences, while normally the sense of smell is better developed in females. Whether the change in dopamine in the olfactory bulb contributes equally to hyposmia in male and female Parkinson's patients is the subject of the present study. In a stereological study the total number of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive neurons in the olfactory bulbs of male and female Parkinson's patients and age-matched controls has been estimated. The present stereological study shows that the number of tyrosine hydroxylase positive cells in control females is significantly lower than those in control males. The number of dopaminergic cells in the olfactory bulbs of both male and female Parkinson's patients equals that of healthy males of the same age group. We therefore conclude that the hyposmia in Parkinson's disease patients cannot simply be ascribed to dopamine in the olfactory bulb.


Molecular weight dependence of reductions in the glass transition temperature of thin, freely standing polymer films.
We have used transmission ellipsometry to perform a comprehensive study of the glass transition temperature T(g) of freely standing polystyrene films. Six molecular weights M(w), ranging from 575 x 10(3) to 9100 x 10(3), were used in the study. For each M(w) value, large reductions in T(g) (as much as 80 degrees C below the bulk value) were observed as the film thickness h was decreased. We have studied in detail the dependence of the T(g) reductions on M(w) in a regime dominated by chain confinement effects. The empirical analysis presented is highly suggestive of the existence of a mechanism of mobility in thin freely standing films that is inhibited in the bulk and distinct from the usual cooperative motion associated with the glass transition.


Facilitation of corticostriatal plasticity by the amygdala requires Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release in the ventral striatum.
Motor learning and habit formation are thought to depend on corticostriatal synaptic plasticity. Moreover, basolateral amygdala (BLA) activity facilitates consolidation of striatal-dependent memories. Accordingly, BLA stimulation in vitro facilitates long-term potentiation (LTP) induction at corticostriatal synapses onto medium spiny neurons (MSNs). Although these effects were found to depend on N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation at BLA synapses and consequent Ca(2+) influx, it is unclear how this event can facilitate LTP at cortical synapses, even when the two inputs are not coactivated. Here, we aimed to shed light on this question, using whole cell recordings of MSNs in vitro. We first tested whether BLA inputs end at more proximal dendritic sites than cortical inputs. In this scenario, BLA synapses would experience stronger spike-related depolarizations and be in a strategic position to control the spread of second messengers. However, comparison of compound excitatory postsynaptic potentials and single-axon excitatory postsynaptic currents revealed that BLA and cortical synapses are intermingled. Next, we examined the sensitivity of cortical and BLA NMDA responses to ifenprodil because NR2A-containing NMDA receptors have faster kinetics than those containing NR2B subunits. However, the two inputs did not differ in this respect. Last, reasoning that propagating waves of Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release (CICR) could bridge temporal gaps between the two inputs, we tested the effects of CICR inhibitors on the BLA facilitation of corticostriatal LTP induction. Pharmacological interference with CICR blocked corticostriatal LTP induction. Thus our results are consistent with the notion that NMDA-dependent Ca(2+) influx at BLA synapses initiates propagating waves of CICR, thereby biasing active corticostriatal inputs toward synaptic potentiation.


[The combined treatment of patients with chronic persisting hepatitis at a health resort in Morshin].
A study of 153 patients with chronic persisting hepatitis indicates that galvanization of the liver within one hour after intake of mineral water furthers earlier disappearance or reduction of symptoms of the disease, improves the protein, pigmentary and lipid metabolism, reduces the initially elevated transaminase activity. The treatment favours accumulation in the liver of sulfate, sodium and magnesium ions contained in the mineral water.


Neutralizing IL-17 protects the optic nerve from autoimmune pathology and prevents retinal nerve fiber layer atrophy during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
Optic neuritis is a common inflammatory manifestation of multiple sclerosis (MS). In experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the optic nerve is affected as well. Here, we investigated whether autoimmune inflammation in the optic nerve is distinct from inflammation in other parts of the central nervous system (CNS). In our study, inflammatory infiltrates in the optic nerve and the brain were characterized by a high fraction of Ly6G(+) granulocytes whereas in the spinal cord, macrophage infiltrates were predominant. At the peak of disease, IL-17 mRNA abundance was highest in the optic nerve as compared with other parts of the CNS. The ratio of IL-17 vs IFN-γ producing CD4(+) T cells was higher in the optic nerve and brain than in the spinal cord and more effector CD4(+) T cells were committed to the Th17 transcriptional program in the optic nerve than in the spinal cord. IL-17 producing γδ T cells but rather not Ly6G(+) granulocytes themselves contributed to IL-17 production. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) studies on murine eyes revealed a decline in thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and the common layer of ganglion cells and inner plexiform layer (GCL+) after the recovery from motor symptoms indicating that autoimmune inflammation induced a significant atrophy of optic nerve fibers during EAE. Neutralization of IL-17 by treatment with anti-IL-17 antibodies reduced but did not abrogate motor symptoms of EAE. However, RNFL and GCL+ atrophy were completely prevented by blocking IL-17. Thus, the optic nerve compartment is particularly prone to support IL-17 mediated inflammatory responses during CNS autoimmunity and structural integrity of the retina can be preserved by neutralizing IL-17.


FATE OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS IN BRUISED TISSUE.
This investigation was initiated to determine the fate and behavior of a virulent marker strain of Staphylococcus aureus (MS) injected intramuscularly into both control and traumatized tissues. Control tissues appeared to possess a clearing mechanism highly active against this organism, whereas bruised tissues stimulated and supported its growth. This stimulation may be due to the presence of extrastromal hemoglobin in the bruised areas. By use of the disc-sensitivity procedure, extrastromal hemoglobin was found to enhance the growth of S. aureus (MS) and this stimulation was linearly dependent on concentration in the range of 0.002 to 0.008 mumole per disc. Physical and physiological factors affecting the fate of staphylococci in poultry tissues were studied. The results showed that the number of viable cells of S. aureus (MS) in the initial inoculum exerted little effect on the survival activity patterns of this organism in the traumatized tissues. Control tissues, however, only became infected when a suspension containing 1.34 x 10(9) cells of the marker strain was injected. Regardless of the concentration of cells of this test culture inoculated into bruised areas, the staphylococci did not increase in number above a log of 8.5 organisms per gram of tissue. The extent of both tissue damage and accumulation of blood and fluid seemed to play an important role in the fate of staphylococci in experimentally induced infection. A correlation was noted between the severity of the bruise and the rate of growth and multiplication of virulent staphylococci in the tissue. The rate of growth showed a 100-fold increase in 1 day in the severe bruise, in 2 days in the medium bruise, and in 3 days in the superficial bruise. Time-course studies revealed that virulent S. aureus (MS) was able to persist in bruised tissue for long periods of time (18 days) even in the absence of noticeable infection. Therefore, it is believed that bruised tissue is a source of contamination to other birds and a health hazard to man.


Use of a generalized linear mixed model to reduce excessive heterogeneity in petroleum spray oil bioassay data.
High heterogeneity (variance) is a consistent and significant problem in petroleum spray oil derived bioassay data. It can mask small statistical differences sought by researchers in relative toxicity or potency analysis. To compensate for excessive heterogeneity, researchers often use very large sample sizes to improve statistical accuracy. We present a statistical method of modeling heterogeneity extending the conventional probit model by adding random effects to it. We illustrate this by reanalyzing 26 of our own published experiments. Twelve of these had excessive heterogeneity that was significantly reduced in ten cases by including random replicate effects with or without random slopes. Five were further improved by allowing a nonlinear (spline) response. The result was tighter confidence intervals for the estimates of lethal dose.


Structured image reconstruction for three-dimensional ghost imaging lidar.
A structured image reconstruction method has been proposed to obtain high quality images in three-dimensional ghost imaging lidar. By considering the spatial structure relationship between recovered images of scene slices at different longitudinal distances, orthogonality constraint has been incorporated to reconstruct the three-dimensional scenes in remote sensing. Numerical simulations have been performed to demonstrate that scene slices with various sparse ratios can be recovered more accurately by applying orthogonality constraint, and the enhancement is significant especially for ghost imaging with less measurements. A simulated three-dimensional city scene has been successfully reconstructed by using structured image reconstruction in three-dimensional ghost imaging lidar.


Using stable isotope compositions of animal tissues to infer trophic interactions in Gulf of Mexico lower slope seep communities.
We analyzed the tissue carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur stable isotope contents of macrofaunal communities associated with vestimentiferan tubeworms and bathymodiolin mussels from the Gulf of Mexico lower continental slope (970-2800 m). Shrimp in the genus Alvinocaris associated with vestimentiferans from shallow (530 m) and deep (1400-2800 m) sites were used to test the hypothesis that seep animals derive a greater proportion of their nutrition from seeps (i.e. a lower proportion from the surface) at greater depths. To account for spatial variability in the inorganic source pool, we used the differences between the mean tissue δ(13)C and δ(15)N of the shrimp in each collection and the mean δ (13)C and δ(15)N values of the vestimentiferans from the same collection, since vestimentiferans are functionally autotrophic and serve as a baseline for environmental isotopic variation. There was a significant negative relationship between this difference and depth for both δ(13)C and δ(15)N (p=0.02 and 0.007, respectively), which supports the hypothesis of higher dependence on seep nutrition with depth. The small polychaete worm Protomystides sp. was hypothesized to be a blood parasite of the vestimentiferan Escarpialaminata. There was a highly significant linear relationship between the δ(13)C values of Protomystides sp. and the E. laminata individuals to which they were attached across all collections (p < 0.001) and within a single collection (p = 0.01), although this relationship was not significant for δ(15)N and δ(34)S. We made several other qualitative inferences with respect to the feeding biology of the taxa occurring in these lower slope seeps, some of which have not been described prior to this study.


Protective role of cyclosporine A and minocycline on mitochondrial disequilibrium-related podocyte injury and proteinuria occurrence induced by adriamycin.
Dysfunction of mitochondria is involved in podocyte injury in some kidney diseases, but the relationship between abnormal mitochondrial morphology and podocyte injury as well as the underlying mechanism is still unclear. This study aims to investigate dynamic changes of mitochondrial morphology and the potential molecular events in an adriamycin (ADR)-induced podocyte injury model. Podocyte apoptosis was evaluated by annexin V assay. Podocyte mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was measured with MitoCapture kit. Double staining was used to show the distribution changes of mitochondria and actin filament as well as mitofusin proteins and podocin. Mitochondrial shape descriptors were obtained using analySIS Image system. Effects of cyclosporine A (CsA) or minocycline (Mcy) on mitochondrial morphology were explored in ADR-induced nephropathy rats. ADR caused podocyte damage displaying as induction of cellular apoptosis and increase of activated caspase 3 and cytochrome c. The MMP level was decreased remarkably in ADR-treated podocytes. Mitochondrial morphological changes induced by ADR occurred rapidly from large and ellipsoid shape to the small, long and irregular. ADR significantly decreased surface area, perimeter and circularity, while increasing aspect ratio of mitochondria. In addition, mitochondria number transiently increased at 6 h following ADR application. Mitochondria intensity was increased along with punctate mitochondria formation, which co-localized with polymerized actin cytoskeleton in ADR podocytes. In ADR-induced nephropathy rats, 24-h proteinuria was decreased significantly by CsA or Mcy. ADR-induced abnormal changes of mitochondrial morphology were restored by CsA or Mcy. The induction of mitofusin proteins and the reduction of podocin in ADR rat glomeruli were rescued by CsA or Mcy. Mitochondrial dysfunction may be an early event in ADR-induced podocyte damage, and the protective role of CsA or Mcy may be mediated partially by improving mitochondrial function through inhibiting the induction of mitofusin proteins.


Effects of social and family factors on viral respiratory infection and illness in the first year of life.
A total of 131 infants were monitored from birth through the first year of life for respiratory viral infection and illness and evaluated for the relationship that these had to certain social and familial factors. The results showed no general patterns of association between viral infection and the study factors, but there were several significant individual associations. Excess influenza virus infection was found for black infants, infants with at least one sibling, and especially those with school age siblings. Rhinovirus infection rates were highest among girls attending daycare. In addition, significantly higher rates of lower respiratory disease (LRD) were seen in daycare infants and low socioeconomic infants and a definite trend to increasing amounts of LRD was seen with increasing family size. Protection from LRD seen in girls was apparently lost in daycare. No convincing differences for viral infection or respiratory illness were seen with parental smoking as an isolated factor.


A tetrameric peptide derived from bovine lactoferricin as a potential therapeutic tool for oral squamous cell carcinoma: A preclinical model.
Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the fifth most common epithelial cancer in the world, and its current clinical treatment has both low efficiency and poor selectivity. Cationic amphipathic peptides have been proposed as new drugs for the treatment of different types of cancer. The main goal of the present work was to determine the potential of LfcinB(20-25)4, a tetrameric peptide based on the core sequence RRWQWR of bovine lactoferricin LfcinB(20-25), for the treatment of OSCC. In brief, OSCC was induced in the buccal pouch of hamsters by applying 7,12-Dimethylbenz(a)anthracene, and tumors were treated with one of the following peptides: LfcinB(20-25)4, LfcinB(20-25), or vehicle (control). Lesions were macroscopically evaluated every two days and both histological and serum IgG assessments were conducted after 5 weeks. The size of the tumors treated with LfcinB(20-25)4 and LfcinB(20-25) was smaller than that of the control group (46.16±4.41 and 33.92±2.74 mm3 versus 88.77±10.61 mm3, respectively). Also, LfcinB(20-25)4 caused acellularity in the parenchymal tumor compared with LfcinB(20-25) and vehicle treatments. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that both LfcinB(20-25)4 and LfcinB(20-25) induced higher degree of apoptosis relative to the untreated tumors (75-86% vs 8%, respectively). Moreover, although the lowest inflammatory response was achieved when LfcinB(20-25)4 was used, this peptide appeared to induce higher levels of IgG antibodies relative to the vehicle and LfcinB(20-25). In addition the cellular damage and selectivity of the LfcinB(20-25)4 peptide was evaluated in vitro. These assays showed that LfcinB(20-25)4 triggers a selective necrotic effect in the carcinoma cell line. Cumulatively, these data indicate that LfcinB(20-25)4 could be considered as a new therapeutic agent for the treatment of OSCC.


Conceptual beliefs about human values and their implications: human nature beliefs predict value importance, value trade-offs, and responses to value-laden rhetoric.
Beliefs that may underlie the importance of human values were investigated in 4 studies, drawing on research that distinguishes natural-kind (natural), nominal-kind (conventional), and artifact (functional) beliefs. Values were best characterized by artifact and nominal-kind beliefs, as well as a natural-kind belief specific to the social domain, "human nature" (Studies 1 and 2). The extent to which values were considered central to human nature was associated with value importance in both Australia and Japan (Study 2), and experimentally manipulating human nature beliefs influenced value importance (Study 3). Beyond their association with importance, human nature beliefs predicted participants' reactions to value trade-offs (Study 1) and to value-laden rhetorical statements (Study 4). Human nature beliefs therefore play a central role in the psychology of values.


Analysis of dipolar-coupling-mediated coherence transfer in a homonuclear two spin-12 solid-state system
Homonuclear dipolar-mediated coherence transfer (DCT), a through-space transfer of magnetization between like spins, can yield otherwise difficult-to-obtain structural information for macromolecules by measuring the internuclear distances between two sites of interest. The behavior of a spin-12 system under DCT is analyzed in detail by computing the time development of the density matrix using the product operator formalism. The effect of coherence transfer (CT) via the homonuclear isotropic scalar coupling on DCT is examined. Analytical and computational results that yield useful information on the frequencies, first-maxima, and first-zero of CT for a uniaxially oriented or a single-crystal solid-state system are presented. The results predict that the evolution of the spin angular momentum operators under the homonuclear dipolar coupling Hamiltonian leads to "cylindrical mixing" unlike "isotropic mixing" due to the strong scalar coupling Hamiltonian. These results will find relevance in both the design of RF pulse sequences for the structural studies of uniaxially oriented biological solids and the interpretation of solution NMR results from proteins embedded in partially oriented bicelles. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.


Characterization of putative Haemophilus somnus isolates from tonsils of American bison (Bison bison).
Three Haemophilus somnus isolates (2a, 3a, and 27b) and one H. somnus-like (13b) isolate from tonsils of commercially reared American bison were compared with 2 known H. somnus isolates from cattle, namely, 2336, shown to cause respiratory disease, and 129Pt, from the prepuce of an asymptomatic bull. All H. somnus isolates, but not the H. somnus-like isolate, required CO2 for growth. Biochemical utilization profiles were identical for bison and bovine H. somnus isolates with the exception of alpha-fucosidase production by isolate 3a. Isolate 27a varied from 2a, 2336 and 129Pt by hemolysis of bovine erythrocytes. Isolate 13b hemolyzed sheep but not bovine or bison erythrocytes and varied from other isolates in biochemical utilization tests. Outer membrane protein profiles of 2a, 3a and 27a were almost identical with those of bovine isolate 2336 and similar to that of 129Pt, but quite different from that of 13b. Western blots of bison isolates were similar to that of the virulent bovine 2336 isolate, including detection of high molecular mass antigens above 100 kDa and the 76 kDa antigens associated with bovine IgG2 Fc binding characteristic of virulent strains, as well as antigens of approximately 78, 60 and 40 kDa. Producers and veterinarians should be aware that H. somnus may be carried by bison and may have potential for causing diseases in bison similar to those described in cattle and sheep.


Accuracy of MR coronary angiography in the evaluation of coronary artery stenosis.
To examine the accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) coronary angiography for the evaluation of coronary artery stenoses, and to compare the results with conventional angiography as the reference standard. Eighteen patients were examined. The pulse sequence was an ECG-triggered, T2-prepared, fat-suppressed 3D true fast imaging with steady state precession sequence with navigator respiratory gating. No contrast material was used. The 3D slabs were oriented axially, covering the whole heart. The MR images were evaluated for the presence of stenoses exceeding 50% luminal narrowing. The diagnostic accuracy of MR angiography was calculated, and was compared with conventional coronary angiography. All patients gave informed consent, and the study was approved by the institutional ethics committee. In conventional angiography, 16 stenoses were detected in 11 patients, and 7 patients were normal. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of MR coronary angiography for detecting coronary stenosis on segment-based analysis were 75%, 98%, 80%, 97%, and 96%, respectively. McNemar test demonstrated no significant difference between MR and conventional angiography (P = 0.62). MR coronary angiography is a non-invasive diagnostic method currently in a state of evolution. It has limitations, but can be regarded as an alternative noninvasive modality to detect coronary artery disease in selected patient in whom invasive angiography may be hazardous.


Sono-angiography for dialysis vascular access based on the freehand 2D ultrasound scanning.
Dialysis vascular access, preferably an autogenous arteriovenous fistula, remains an end stage renal disease (ESRD) patient's lifeline providing a means of connecting the patient to the dialysis machine. Once an access is created, the current gold standard of care for maintenance of vascular access is angiography and angioplasty to treat stenosis. While point of care 2D ultrasound has been used to detect access problems, we sought to reproduce angiographic results comparable to the gold standard angiogram (fistulogram) using ultrasound data acquired from a conventional 2D ultrasound scanner. A 2D ultrasound probe was used to acquire a series of cross sectional images of the vascular access including arteriovenous anastomosis of a subject with a radio-cephalic fistula. These 2D B-mode images were used for 3D vessel reconstruction by binary thresholding to categorize vascular versus non-vascular structures followed by standard image segmentation to select the structure representative of dialysis vascular access and morphologic filtering. Image processing was done using open source Python Software. The open source software was able to: (1) view the gold standard fistulogram images, (2) reconstruct 2D planar images of the fistula from ultrasound data as viewed from the top, analogous to computerized tomography images, and (3) construct a 2D representation of vascular access similar to the angiogram. We present a simple approach to obtain an angiogram-like representation of the vascular access from readily available, non-proprietary 2D ultrasound data in the point of care setting. While the sono-angiogram is not intended to replace angiography, it may be useful in providing 3D imaging at the point of care in the dialysis unit, outpatient clinic, or for pre-operative planning for interventional procedures. Future work will focus on improving the robustness and quality of the imaging data while preserving the straightforward freehand approach used for ultrasound data acquisition.


A Randomized Sham-Controlled Mixed Methods Pilot Study of the Feasibility of Acupuncture for Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy: Lessons Learned From Patient Experiences in Integrative Cancer Care.
Since there is a lack of effective pharmacological therapies for chemotherapy-induced neuropathy and many patients ask for integrative cancer therapies such as acupuncture, the objective of this pilot study was to describe patients' experiences, and to study the feasibility and short-term effects of genuine acupuncture for chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain and unpleasant sensations compared to sham acupuncture. The pilot study used mixed methods, collecting quantitative and qualitative data. Patients (n = 12) with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy after colorectal cancer were blindly randomized to genuine acupuncture or telescopic sham acupuncture. Individual interviews were conducted, and were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The patients registered pain and unpleasant sensations (100 mm Visual Analog Scales) before and after n = 120 sessions, n = 60 genuine and n = 60 sham acupuncture sessions. Five categories of patient experiences were described. The neuropathy negatively affected life. Physical activity was perceived to be important for health, but neuropathy was a barrier. The neuropathy required symptom-managing strategies. Acupuncture was pleasant and valuable, but some patients presented doubts regarding its effect mechanisms. After the genuine acupuncture sessions, pain (mean -2.0 steps relief during each session) and unpleasant sensations (-2.4) in the face was reduced more than after sham acupuncture (+0.1 steps worse pain, P = .018, +0.1 steps worse unpleasant sensations, P = .036). After genuine acupuncture, unpleasant sensations in the hands were reduced less (-0.23) compared to after sham acupuncture (-5.5, P = .002). Pain or unpleasant sensations in the feet did not change. Patients experienced that the neuropathy negatively changed their life and that acupuncture was pleasant and valuable. Patients receiving genuine acupuncture had short-term effects regarding pain and unpleasant sensations in the face compared to patients receiving sham acupuncture, while hands and feet did not improve. The patients were successfully blinded and complied with the acupuncture. We welcome future full-scaled randomized sham-controlled acupuncture studies.


Metabolism and body-burden of PCBs in lactating dairy cows.
This paper uses data from a detailed 4 month PCB mass balance study on lactating cows fed a naturally contaminated background diet to quantify the metabolism and body-burdens of a range of PCB congeners. Dietary intake fluxes and milk and faecal output fluxes reported previously are combined with subcutaneous fat and blood PCB concentrations and with data from tissue/organ samples from a slaughtered animal to estimate the degree of metabolism within the cow. A total body burden is derived, showing that fat deposits account for approximately 98% of total PCB present in the lactating cow. The daily intake through feed (ng day-1) accounted for between 0.9 and 1.5% of the total body burden for persistent congeners (e.g. PCB 153) and up to 43% for those congeners which are readily metabolised (e.g. PCB 52). Detailed balances for a range of tri- to octa-chlorinated PCBs are presented and clearly demonstrate that many congeners are metabolised effectively by lactating dairy cows (e.g. PCB 149) whilst others are efficiently transferred to human dairy food products. An approach to predicting the degree of metabolism for individual PCB congeners is presented which gives good agreement with observations.


[The hemodynamic profile of the response to amrinone treatment in severe heart failure].
The hemodynamic response to amrinone was analyzed in 19 patients with severe heart failure (NYHA III or IV). In 17 patients, 2 bolus of amrinone (0.75 mg/kg) were administered with an interval of 30 minutes, while a single bolus only was administered in 2 patients. In all patients the initial bolus was followed by continuous perfusion of Amrinone (10 micrograms/kg/min in 17 patients; 7 and 5 micrograms/kg/min in the remaining two). Cardiac index increased from 1.8 +/- 0.2 to 2.5 +/- 0.4 l/min/m2 (p less than 0.01), and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and mean right atrial pressure decreased significantly (from 24 +/- 5.2 to 14 +/- 6 mmHg, p less than 0.01; and from 8.7 +/- 6.5 to 3.2 +/- 3.4, p less than 0.05 respectively). There were no significant changes in mean blood pressure (93 +/- 17 versus 88 +/- 13), heart rate (81 +/- 15 versus 84 +/- 14 beats per minute) and systolic work index (26.4 +/- 10.7 versus 37.7 +/- 12.3 g-m/m2). The maximum effect was obtained at 60 minutes and maintained throughout the period of monitoring (8 hours). In the 2 patients who received a single bolus of amrinone the maximum effect was reached at 30 minutes (cardiac index 1.3 +/- 0.1 versus 2.5 +/- 0.1 l/min/m2; pulmonary capillary pressure 24 +/- 5 versus 16.8 +/- 6.5 mmHg; mean right atrial pressure 11 +/- 1 versus 3.5 +/- 3.5 mmHg), and was followed by a progressive loss of efficiency, until effect had totally disappeared and situation basal returned, between the third and fourth hours.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Characterization of Lipids in Saliva, Tears and Minor Salivary Glands of Sjögren's Syndrome Patients Using an HPLC/MS-Based Approach.
The diagnostic work-up of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) includes quantifying saliva and tear production, evaluation of autoantibodies in serum and histopathological analysis of minor salivary glands. Thus, the potential for further utilizing these fluids and tissues in the quest to find better diagnostic and therapeutic tools should be fully explored. Ten samples of saliva and tears from female patients diagnosed with pSS and ten samples of saliva and tears from healthy females were included for lipidomic analysis of tears and whole saliva using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry. In addition, lipidomic analysis was performed on minor salivary gland biopsies from three pSS and three non-SS females. We found significant differences in the lipidomic profiles of saliva and tears in pSS patients compared to healthy controls. Moreover, there were differences in individual lipid species in stimulated saliva that were comparable to those of glandular biopsies, representing an intriguing avenue for further research. We believe a comprehensive elucidation of the changes in lipid composition in saliva, tears and minor salivary glands in pSS patients may be the key to detecting pSS-related dry mouth and dry eyes at an early stage. The identified differences may illuminate the path towards future innovative diagnostic methodologies and treatment modalities for alleviating pSS-related sicca symptoms.


Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in rural areas of davanagere.
To study the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in the rural areas of Davanagere. Cross-sectional community-based study. Villages belonging to six sectors of the Davanagere Taluk. General population above 18 years. A community-based sample was chosen by a multistage sampling technique. Subjects were screened for hypertension by a house-to-house survey. Subjects with systolic blood pressure more than 140 and diastolic blood pressure more than 90 mm of Hg, on hypertensive treatment, and history of hypertension were classified as hypertensives. The data thus obtained was compiled and analyzed. The prevalence rate of hypertension in the study population was 18.3% (95% CI, 16.7-19.9%). Prevalence of hypertension was more in males 19.1% (95% CI, 16.7-21.5%) than in females 17.5% (95% CI, 14.9-20.1%); 11.6%, 5.6%, and 1.2% of the total subjects had Grade I, Grade II, and Grade III, respectively. Only 33.8% of them were aware of their hypertensive status. Hypertensives of 32.1% were on treatment, and 12.5% adequately controlled their BP. About 6.9% of the total hypertensives had severe hypertension. Proportions, One way Analysis of Variance, Chi-square test.


Biosensing using antibody-modulated motility of actin filaments on myosin-coated surfaces.
Motor proteins, such as myosin and kinesin, are biological molecular motors involved in force generation and intracellular transport within living cells. The characteristics of molecular motors, i.e., their motility over long distances, their capacity of transporting cargoes, and their very efficient energy consumption, recommend them as potential operational elements of a new class of dynamic nano-devices, with potential applications in biosensing, analyte concentrators, and biocomputation. A possible design of a biosensor based on protein molecular motor comprises a surface with immobilized motors propelling cytoskeletal filaments, which are decorated with antibodies, presented as side-branches. Upon biomolecular recognition of these branches by secondary antibodies, the 'extensions' on the cytoskeletal filaments can achieve considerable lengths (longer than several diameters of the cytoskeletal filament carrier), thus geometrically impairing or halting motility. Because the filaments are several micrometers long, this sensing mechanism converts an event in the nanometer range, i.e., antibody-antigen sizes, into an event in the micrometer range: the visualization of the halting of motility of microns-long cytoskeletal filaments. Here we demonstrate the proof of concept of a sensing system comprising heavy-mero-myosin immobilized on surfaces propelling actin filaments decorated with actin antibodies, whose movement is halted upon the recognition with secondary anti-actin antibodies. Because antibodies to the actin-myosin system are involved in several rare diseases, the first possible application for such a device may be their prognosis and diagnosis. The results also provide insights into guidelines for designing highly sensitive and very fast biosensors powered by motor proteins.


Transcriptional analysis of the Bacillus anthracis capsule regulators.
The poly-d-glutamic acid capsule of Bacillus anthracis is essential for virulence. Control of capsule synthesis occurs at the level of transcription and involves positive regulation of the capsule biosynthetic operon capBCAD by a CO2/bicarbonate signal and three plasmid-borne regulators: atxA, acpA, and acpB. Although the molecular mechanism for control of cap transcription is unknown, atxA affects cap expression via positive control of acpA and acpB, two genes with partial functional similarity. Transcriptional analyses of a genetically complete strain indicate that capB expression is several hundred-fold higher during growth in 5% CO2 compared to growth in air. atxA was expressed appreciably during growth in air and induced only 2.5-fold by CO2. In contrast, expression of acpA and acpB was induced up to 23-fold and 59-fold, respectively, by CO2. The 5'-end mapping of gene transcripts revealed atxA-regulated and atxA-independent apparent transcription start sites for capB, acpA, and acpB. Transcripts mapping to all atxA-regulated start sites were increased during growth in elevated CO2. The acpA gene has one atxA-regulated and one atxA-independent start site. acpB lies downstream of capBCAD. A single atxA-independent start site maps immediately upstream of acpB. atxA-mediated control of acpB appears to occur via transcriptional read-through from atxA-dependent start sites 5' of capB. One atxA-independent and two atxA-regulated start sites map upstream of capB. Transcription from the atxA-regulated start sites of capBCAD was reduced significantly in an acpA acpB double mutant but unaffected in mutants with deletion of only acpA or acpB, in agreement with the current model for epistatic relationships between the regulators.


Telehealth to the Rescue During COVID-19: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study Investigating Patients' Perception.
Background: The onset of the pandemic necessitated abrupt transition to telehealth consultations. Although there is a few tools that gauge the patients' perception about their experiences, none of them are contextualized to an emergency in the Middle East and North Africa region. Accordingly, this study aims at developing and validating a tool to address this gap, and deploying it to assess the patients' perception of telehealth services during COVID-19 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods: A convergent mixed methods design was adapted. A random selection of 100 patients from Dubai, UAE were invited to participate. Qualitative and quantitative datasets were collected using a tailor-made survey. The qualitative data, collected through open-ended questions, was analyzed using multi-staged thematic analysis. As for the quantitative data, it captured the patients' extent of satisfaction, and was assessed using SPSS (with a series of descriptive and inferential analyses). The qualitative and quantitative findings were then merged via joint display analysis. Results: Out of the 100 patients that were randomly selected, 94 patients participated in this study. The reliability score of Cronbach's Alpha for the instrument was 98.9%. The percentage of the total average of satisfaction was 80.67%. The Principal Component Analysis showed that 88.1% of the variance can be explained by the instrument (p < 0.001). The qualitative data analysis expanded upon the quantitative findings enabling a better understanding of the patients' perception. Three themes, revolving around the quality of the patient telehealth experiences, surfaced: "Factors that worked to the benefit of the patients," "Factors that the patients were not in favor of," and "Opportunities for improvements as perceived by the patients." Discussion: This study introduced a novel patient satisfaction with telehealth consultation survey contextualized to the COVID-19 times in Dubai, UAE. The participants were quite satisfied with the quality of their experience, however they suggested areas for improvement. Regional healthcare decision-makers can leverage the identified advantages and opportunities for improvement of telehealth. This will enable making informed decisions regarding the continuity of telehealth irrespective of how matters unfold in relation to the pandemic. It will also better prepare the healthcare sector for potential resurgence(s) of COVID-19 and/or the occurrence of other similar emergencies.


Polymerous Leaf Whorls in Vascular Plants: Developmental Morphology and Fuzziness of Organ Identities.
In vascular plants there are at least eight ways to develop polymerous whorls, i.e., whorls with four or more leaves. Six ways are presented and compared with literature to estimate organ identity (morphological significance) of the leaflike whorl members. New shoots (also seedlings) may start with dimerous or trimerous whorls. Then leaf number per whorl rises as follows: (1) Many taxa add more leaves per whorl continuously with increasing size of the apical meristem (e.g., Equisetum, Hippuris). (2) Taxa provided with interpetiolar stipules replace their stipules by leaves (e.g., Galium and allies). (3) Taxa with the capacity to form compound leaves shift basal leaflets around the whole node (e.g., Limnophila, probably also Ceratophyllum). Various whorled plants start shoot development with leaf inception along a helix, which is continued into the whorled region. Then polymerous whorls develop as follows: (4) Acacia longipedunculata forms helically arranged fascicles instead of single leaves before the production of complete whorls. (5) Acacia baueri and Acacia verticillata add supernumerary leaves between a first series of helically arranged leaves. (6) Hydrothrix produces an annular bulge around the node of each first-formed leaf. All additional leaves of a whorl arise on this annular bulge. Leaf identity of whorl members cannot be defined unequivocally in whorls with asynchronous (i.e., nonsimultaneous) development, dorsoventral distribution of lateral buds, and/or fewer vascular traces than leaves per node. It is heuristically stimulating to accept structural categories (e.g., shoot, leaf, leaflet, stipule) as fuzzy concepts, as developmental pathways that may overlap to some degree, leading to developmental mosaics (intermediates). For example, the whorled leaves of Utricularia purpurea resemble whole shoots, corroborating Arber's partial-shoot theory.


Comparison of in vitro human endothelial cell response to self-expanding stent deployment in a straight and curved peripheral artery simulator.
Haemodynamic forces have a synergistic effect on endothelial cell (EC) morphology, proliferation, differentiation and biochemical expression profiles. Alterations to haemodynamic force levels have been observed at curved regions and bifurcations of arteries but also around struts of stented arteries, and are also known to be associated with various vascular pathologies. Therefore, curvature in combination with stenting might create a pro-atherosclerotic environment compared with stenting in a straight vessel, but this has never been investigated. The goal of this study was to compare EC morphology, proliferation and differentiation within in vitro models of curved stented peripheral vessel models with those of straight and unstented vessels. These models were generated using both static conditions and also subjected to 24 h of stimulation in a peripheral artery bioreactor. Medical-grade silicone tubes were seeded with human umbilical vein endothelial cells to produce pseudovessels that were then stented and subjected to 24 h of physiological levels of pulsatile pressure, radial distention and shear stress. Changes in cell number, orientation and nitric oxide (NO) production were assessed in straight, curved, non-stented and stented pseudovessels. We report that curved pseudovessels lead to higher EC numbers with random orientation and lower NO production per cell compared with straight pseudovessels after 24 h of biomechanical stimulation. Both stented curved and stented straight pseudovessels had lower NO production per cell than corresponding unstented pseudovessels. However, in contrast to straight stented pseudovessels, curved stented pseudovessels had fewer viable cells. The results of this study show, for the first time, that the response of the vascular endothelium is dependent on both curvature and stenting combined, and highlight the necessity for future investigations of the effects of curvature in combination with stenting to fully understand effects on the endothelial layer.


Conditioned taste aversion but not adrenal activity develops to ICV administration of interleukin-1 in rats.
In a previous investigation with mice, the paired presentation of either odor or taste cues with the peripheral (IP) administration of the immunoactive peptide interleukin-1 (IL-1) led to the conditioned enhancement of glucocorticoid production. The present study found that an initial central infusion of IL-1 in the presence of saccharin cues produced a robust taste aversion but not a conditioned elevation of either ACTH or corticosterone production. These results indicate that the glucocorticoid response induced by centrally administered IL-1 in rats is independent of the behaviorally aversive properties of this cytokine which are conditionable. The differential effects of IP versus ICV administration of IL-1 on glucocorticoid conditioning requires a clearer specification of the respective signaling mechanisms and pathways activated by these two routes of administration.


Is there Lyme borreliosis in French Guiana? Descriptive study among patients referred for a suspected Lyme borreliosis in an Amazonian hospital between 2010 and 2022.
Lyme borreliosis (LB) existence in South America is debated, especially in the Amazon region. The infection with Lyme borreliae has never been reported in French Guiana where Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato is not found in ticks. We describe the final diagnosis and presumed place of acquisition in patients consulting for suspicion of LB. We retrospectively collected data from all consecutive patients consulting for a suspicion of LB between 2010 and 2021 at Cayenne Hospital, French Guiana. Patients were classified by an adjudication committee as confirmed LB if they met the criteria of the French consensus, as possible LB if they had compatible symptoms and a good outcome after appropriate treatment, or excluded when a differential diagnosis was found. The place of acquisition was discussed in case of possible or confirmed case. Twenty-six patients were included. Rheumatologic symptoms were the most reported (88 %) followed by neurological symptoms (61 %). Twenty-four (92 %) of these patients were born out of French Guiana. Diagnosis of LB was considered as confirmed in 2 patients (8 %), for whom the place of acquisition was likely mainland France, and as possible in 3 patients (11 %) with early localized LB presumably acquired in French Guiana. Functional somatic disorders were diagnosed in 13 (50 %) patients whereas 9 (35 %) were found with another disease. This study did not confirm the acquisition of LB in French Guiana. However, three possible autochthonous cases encourage clinicians working in the Amazon area to stay aware of LB.


Bayesian approach for the calibration of models: application to an urban stormwater pollution model.
In environmental modelling, estimating the confidence level in conceptual model parameters is necessary but difficult. Having a realistic estimation of the uncertainties related to the parameters is necessary i) to assess the possible origin of the calibration difficulties (correlation between model parameters for instance), and ii) to evaluate the prediction confidence limits of the calibrated model. In this paper, an application of the Metropolis algorithm, a general Monte Carlo Markov chain sampling method, for the calibration of a four-parameter lumped urban stormwater quality model is presented. Unlike traditional optimisation approaches, the Metropolis algorithm identifies not only a "best parameter set", but a probability distribution of parameters according to measured data. The studied model includes classical formulations for the pollutant accumulation during dry weather period and their washoff during a rainfall event. Results indicate mathematical shortcomings in the pollutant accumulation formulation used.


Dietary folic acid intake differentially affects methionine metabolism markers and hippocampus morphology in aged rats.
Folic acid (FA) is an emerging nutritional factor in the pathogenesis of diverse neurodegenerative disorders by still unknown mechanisms. The hippocampus is altered during the loss of cognitive abilities in humans and selectively affected when homocysteine increases. The aim was to evaluate the potential protective role of folic acid in the maintenance of biochemical markers related to the methionine cycle, as well as the integrity of the hippocampus as part of the brain in aged rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (18 months old) were assigned to four different folic acid groups (0 mg FA/kg diet, deficient; 2 mg FA/kg diet, control; 8 mg FA/kg diet, moderate supplementation; 40 mg FA/kg diet, extra supplementation) for 30 days. We evaluated several parameters related to the methionine cycle. In addition, hippocampus areas were immunostained for specific neuronal markers and astrocytes. Serum folate levels increased according to FA dietary level (p < 0.01). There was a significant increase in the serum homocysteine concentrations in the folic acid-deficient diet group (p < 0.01). However, brain S-adenosylmethionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine did not differ significantly between the folic acid groups. Consequently, the methylation ratio was also unchanged. The morphometric analysis did not show any differences in the number of neurons and astrocytes between groups, except when comparing the folic acid-deficient diet versus folic acid-supplemented diet in the striatum of the hippocampus. Clearly, the dietary FA deficiency negatively affects the methionine metabolism biomarkers, while excessive supplementation seems to be unnecessary for optimal maintenance of the methylation cycle and hippocampus integrity.


Pathology consultation. Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy.
The melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy is a usually benign neuroectodermally derived tumor with a predilection for the anterior maxilla of children who are less than 1 year of age. The lesion is considered to be readily treated by conservative excision, but it should be regarded as potentially malignant, even though there is infrequent expression of such malignancy.


Self-anointing behaviour in captive titi monkeys (Callicebus spp.).
Self-anointing behaviour using Bauhinia sp. was reported in two captive titi monkeys (Callicebus coimbrai and Callicebus barbarabrownae). The study was carried out from October 2013 to May 2014 during an experimental study investigating the gut passage time of these individuals at the Getúlio Vargas Zoobotanical Park, north-eastern Brazil. Although leaves, petioles and flowers of Bauhinia contain chemical substances that could affect the presence of ectoparasites, it is unclear if titi monkeys demonstrate self-anointing behaviour as a method of self-medication. However, due to the presence of large glands in C. coimbrai and C. barbarabrownae chests, and the high frequency of occurrence observed for the adult male, we cautiously suggest that the use of Bauhinia may be linked to olfactory communication.


[Method of surgical treatment of aneurysms of the peripheral vessels].
The author advocates active surgical tactics in aneurysm both in the stage of pulsatile hematoma and in immature aneurysm since only operation may prevent the development of such complications as hemorrhage, suppuration of the aneurysm, thrombosis of a major vessel, bacterial endarteritis, and bacterial endocarditis. The development of specialized medical service makes it possible to conduct a skilled operation, which greatly reduces the term of the patient's disability.


Identification and distribution of pathogens coinfecting with Brucella spp., Coxiella burnetii and Rift Valley fever virus in humans, livestock and wildlife.
Zoonotic diseases, such as brucellosis, Q fever and Rift Valley fever (RVF) caused by Brucella spp., Coxiella burnetii and RVF virus, respectively, can have devastating effects on human, livestock, and wildlife health and cause economic hardship due to morbidity and mortality in livestock. Coinfection with multiple pathogens can lead to more severe disease outcomes and altered transmission dynamics. These three pathogens can alter host immune responses likely leading to increased morbidity, mortality and pathogen transmission during coinfection. Developing countries, such as those commonly afflicted by outbreaks of brucellosis, Q fever and RVF, have high disease burden and thus common coinfections. A literature survey provided information on case reports and studies investigating coinfections involving the three focal diseases. Fifty five studies were collected demonstrating coinfections of Brucella spp., C. burnetii or RVFV with 50 different pathogens, of which 64% were zoonotic. While the literature search criteria involved 'coinfection', only 24/55 studies showed coinfections with direct pathogen detection methods (microbiology, PCR and antigen test), while the rest only reported detection of antibodies against multiple pathogens, which only indicate a history of co-exposure, not concurrent infection. These studies lack the ability to test whether coinfection leads to changes in morbidity, mortality or transmission dynamics. We describe considerations and methods for identifying ongoing coinfections to address this critical blind spot in disease risk management.


Perilipin-1 in hemodialyzed patients: association with history of coronary heart disease and lipid profile.
Perilipin-1 surrounds lipid droplets in both adipocytes and in atheroma plaque foam cells and controls access of lipases to the lipid core. In hemodialysis (HD) patients, dyslipidemia, malnutrition, inflammation and atherosclerosis are common. Thirty-six HD patients and 28 healthy volunteers were enrolled into the study. Ten HD patients suffered from coronary heart disease (CHD). Perilipin-1, triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), body mass index, albumin, geriatric nutritional risk index, normalized protein catabolic rate, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured. Perilipin-1 did not differ between HD patients and healthy volunteers. IL-6 and TNF-α were higher in HD patients. The evaluated nutritional markers and the markers of inflammation did not differ between HD patients with high perilipin-1 levels and HD patients with low perilipin-1 levels. Regarding the lipid profile, only HDL-C differed between HD patients with high perilipin-1 levels and HD patients with low perilipin-1 levels, and it was higher in the first subgroup. Perilipin-1 was significantly higher in HD patients without CHD. Perilipin-1 is detectable in the serum of HD patients and it is associated with increased HDL-C and decreased incidence of CHD.


Vitamin K deficiency, evaluated with higher serum ucOC, was correlated with poor bone status in women.
An increase in serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin concentrations suggests vitamin K deficiency. Clinical intervention studies suggested that the vitamin K supplementation might contribute to preventing bone loss in postmenopausal women. Evidence on the relationship between serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) levels and bone parameters of quantitative ultrasound (QUS) is limited. We examined the correlation between serum ucOC concentrations and bone status as measured by QUS among middle-aged and older Japanese men and women. The subjects were community-dwelling men (n = 358) and women (n = 503) aged ≥ 40 years in Japan. Heel QUS parameters, including the stiffness index, speed of sound, and broadband ultrasound attenuation, were measured. Serum ucOC concentrations were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Grip strength was measured in the dominant hand. Information on alcohol drinking, current smoking, exercise, and menopause in women was collected. Serum ucOC concentrations were significantly associated with age in both sexes. Serum ucOC concentrations in men were higher at ≥ 80 years than those in the age groups of 40-49, 50-59, and 60-69 years. Serum ucOC concentrations in women were higher in the age groups of 50-59 and 60-69 years than those at 40-49 years. Partial correlation analysis adjusting for covariates (age, body mass index, grip strength, alcohol drinking, current smoking, and exercise in men; age, body mass index, grip strength, alcohol drinking, current smoking, exercise, and menopause in women) showed that serum ucOC concentrations were negatively significantly correlated with all QUS parameters in women. Serum ucOC concentrations were not correlated with them in men. Vitamin K deficiency, evaluated with higher serum ucOC, was correlated with poor bone status in women.


Overcoming drug-tolerant cancer cell subpopulations showing AXL activation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition is critical in conquering ALK-positive lung cancer.
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALK-TKIs) induce a dramatic response in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with the ALK fusion gene. However, acquired resistance to ALK-TKIs remains an inevitable problem. In this study, we aimed to discover novel therapeutic targets to conquer ALK-positive lung cancer. We established three types of ALK-TKI (crizotinib, alectinib and ceritinib)-resistant H2228 NSCLC cell lines by high exposure and stepwise methods. We found these cells showed a loss of ALK signaling, overexpressed AXL with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and had cancer stem cell-like (CSC) properties, suggesting drug-tolerant cancer cell subpopulations. Similarly, we demonstrated that TGF-β1 treated H2228 cells also showed AXL overexpression with EMT features and ALK-TKI resistance. The AXL inhibitor, R428, or HSP90 inhibitor, ganetespib, were effective in reversing ALK-TKI resistance and EMT changes in both ALK-TKI-resistant and TGF-β1-exposed H2228 cells. Tumor volumes of xenograft mice implanted with established H2228-ceritinib-resistant (H2228-CER) cells were significantly reduced after treatment with ganetespib, or ganetespib in combination with ceritinib. Some ALK-positive NSCLC patients with AXL overexpression showed a poorer response to crizotinib therapy than patients with a low expression of AXL. ALK signaling-independent AXL overexpressed in drug-tolerant cancer cell subpopulations with EMT and CSC features may be commonly involved commonly involved in intrinsic and acquired resistance to ALK-TKIs. This suggests AXL and HSP90 inhibitors may be promising therapeutic drugs to overcome drug-tolerant cancer cell subpopulations in ALK-positive NSCLC patients for the reason that ALK-positive NSCLC cells do not live through ALK-TKI therapy.


Sleep patterns and sleep problems among schoolchildren in the United States and China.
Sleep patterns and sleep problems in children are not only influenced by a large number of biological and psychologic factors but also by cultural and social factors. Little is known about similarities and differences in sleep patterns and sleep problems among children across countries. We attempted to compare sleep patterns and sleep problems among schoolchildren from 2 countries with distinctive cultural contexts: the United States and China. The data come from 2 cross-sectional surveys in 3 elementary schools of Jinan City, People's Republic of China, and 3 elementary schools from a suburban school district in southeastern New England, United States. The Chinese sample consisted of 517 elementary school children (grades 1 to 5), and the US sample consisted of 494 elementary school children (grades kindergarten through 4). We used the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) to assess children's sleep patterns and sleep problems as reported by parents. Parents of the Chinese sample completed a Chinese version of the CSHQ. For children in both the US and Chinese samples, reported bedtime was delayed and sleep duration decreased with increasing age. Compared with the US children (grades 1-4), Chinese children went to bed approximately half an hour later (9:02 vs 8:27 pm) and woke up half an hour earlier (6:28 vs 6:55 am), resulting in an average sleep duration that was 1 hour less (9.25 vs 10.15 hours). Chinese children were rated significantly higher than the US children on almost all CSHQ scales, indicating more sleep problems in Chinese children. Common sleep problems observed for all children were difficulty falling asleep, having a fear of sleeping in the dark, sleep talking, restless sleep, teeth grinding during sleep, and daytime sleepiness. Shorter daily sleep duration was associated with difficulty falling asleep, struggling at bedtime, and trouble sleeping away for the US children, and with going to bed at different times and having a fear of sleeping alone for Chinese children. Short sleep duration was a main predictor of daytime sleepiness for Chinese children, whereas restless sleep and snoring predicted daytime sleepiness for the US children. As reported by parents, children in China went to bed later and woke up earlier and their sleep duration was 1 hour shorter than the US children. Chinese children were reported to have more sleep problems than their US counterparts. Daytime sleepiness was determined by sleep duration only for those who slept insufficiently. Unique school schedules and sleep practices may contribute to the differences in the sleep patterns and sleep problems of children from the United States and China.


Advantages and limitations of using national administrative data on obstetric blood transfusions to estimate the frequency of obstetric hemorrhages.
Obstetric hemorrhages are a frequent cause of maternal death all over the world, but are not routinely monitored. Health systems administrative databases could be used for this purpose, but data quality needs to be assessed. Using blood transfusion data recorded in administrative databases to estimate the frequency of obstetric hemorrhages. Research design A population-based study. Subjects Validation sub-sample: all mothers who gave birth in a French region in 2006-07 (35 123 pregnancies). Main study: all mothers who gave birth in France in 2006-07 (1 629 537 pregnancies). Linkage and comparison of administrative data on blood transfusions with data from the French blood agency ('gold standard'), and, based on this validation, the construction of a multivariable regression model to correct the number of pregnant women identified as having received a transfusion in the national administrative database. The blood transfusion rate observed in the gold standard was 7.12‰. The sensitivity of the administrative data was estimated at 66.3% and the positive predictive value at 91.3%. The estimated total number of pregnant women who received blood transfusions in France in 2006-07 was 10 941 (6.71‰). The administrative data, available in most countries, can be used to estimate the frequency of obstetric hemorrhages.


Dual Role of Gibberellin in Perennial Shoot Branching: Inhibition and Activation.
Shoot branching from axillary buds (AXBs) is regulated by a network of inhibitory and promotive forces, which includes hormones. In perennials, the dwarfed stature of the embryonic shoot inside AXBs is indicative of gibberellin (GA) deficiency, suggesting that AXB activation and outgrowth require GA. Nonetheless, the role of GA in branching has remained obscure. We here carried out comprehensive GA transcript and metabolite analyses in hybrid aspen, a perennial branching model. The results indicate that GA has an inhibitory as well as promotive role in branching. The latter is executed in two phases. While the expression level of GA2ox is high in quiescent AXBs, decapitation rapidly downregulated it, implying increased GA signaling. In the second phase, GA3ox2-mediated de novo GA-biosynthesis is initiated between 12 and 24 h, prior to AXB elongation. Metabolite analyzes showed that GA1/4 levels were typically high in proliferating apices and low in the developmentally inactive, quiescent AXBs, whereas the reverse was true for GA3/6. To investigate if AXBs are differently affected by GA3, GA4, and GR24, an analog of the branch-inhibitor hormone strigolactone, they were fed into AXBs of single-node cuttings. GA3 and GA4 had similar effects on GA and SL pathway genes, but crucially GA3 induced AXB abscission whereas GA4 promoted outgrowth. Both GA3 and GA4 strongly upregulated GA2ox genes, which deactivate GA1/4 but not GA3/6. Thus, the observed production of GA3/6 in quiescent AXBs targets GA1/4 for GA2ox-mediated deactivation. AXB quiescence can therefore be maintained by GA3/6, in combination with strigolactone. Our discovery of the distinct tasks of GA3 and GA4 in AXB activation might explain why the role of GA in branching has been difficult to decipher. Together, the results support a novel paradigm in which GA3/6 maintains high levels of GA2ox expression and low levels of GA4 in quiescent AXBs, whereas activation and outgrowth require increased GA1/4 signaling through the rapid reduction of GA deactivation and subsequent GA biosynthesis.


Insect herbivores associated with an evergreen tree Goniorrhachis marginata Taub. (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae) in a tropical dry forest.
Goniorrhachis marginata Taub. (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae) is a tree species found in Brazilian tropical dry forests that retain their leaves during the dry season. That being, we addressed the following question: i) How do insect diversity (sap-sucking and chewing), leaf herbivory and defensive traits (tannin and leaf sclerophylly) vary on the evergreen tree species G. marginata between seasons? The abundance of sap-sucking insects was higher in the dry season than in the rainy season. However, we did not verify any difference in the species richness and abundance of chewing insects between seasons. Leaf herbivory was higher in the rainy season, whereas leaf sclerophylly was higher in the dry season. However, herbivory was not related to sclerophylly. Insect herbivores likely decrease their folivory activity during the dry season due to life history patterns or changes in behaviour, possibly entering diapause or inactivity during this period. Therefore, G. marginata acts as a likely keystone species, serving as a moist refuge for the insect fauna during the dry season in tropical dry forest, and the presence of this evergreen species is crucial to conservation strategies of this threatened ecosystem.


Inherited Thrombophilia in Pediatric Venous Thromboembolic Disease: Why and Who to Test.
Venous thromboembolic disease in childhood is a multifactorial disease. Risk factors include acquired clinical risk factors such as a central venous catheter and underlying disease and inherited thrombophilia. Inherited thrombophilia is defined as a genetically determined tendency to develop venous thromboembolism. In contrast to adults, acquired clinical risk factors play a larger role than inherited thrombophilia in the development of thrombotic disease in children. The contributing role of inherited thrombophilia is not clear in many pediatric thrombotic events, especially catheter-related thrombosis. Furthermore, identification of inherited thrombophilia will not often influence acute management of the thrombotic event as well as the duration of anticoagulation. In some patients, however, detection of inherited thrombophilia may lead to identification of other family members who can be counseled for their thrombotic risk. This article discusses the potential arguments for testing of inherited thrombophilia, including factor V Leiden mutation, prothrombin mutation, and deficiencies of antithrombin, protein C, or protein S and suggests some patient groups in childhood, which may be tested.


Psychological defense in anticipation of anxiety: eliminating the potential for anxiety eliminates the effect of mortality salience on worldview defense.
A large body of research has shown that when people are reminded of their mortality, their defense of their cultural worldview intensifies. Although some psychological defenses seem to be instigated by negative affective responses to threat, mortality salience does not appear to arouse such affect. Terror management theory posits that the potential to experience anxiety, rather than the actual experience of anxiety, underlies these effects of mortality salience. If this is correct, then mortality-salience effects should be reduced when participants believe they are not capable of reacting to the reminder of mortality with anxiety. In a test of this hypothesis, participants consumed a placebo purported to either block anxiety or enhance memory. Then we manipulated mortality salience, and participants evaluated pro- and anti-American essays as a measure of worldview defense. Although mortality salience intensified worldview defense in the memory-enhancer condition, this effect was completely eliminated in the anxiety-blocker condition. The results suggest that some psychological defenses serve to avert the experience of anxiety rather than to ameliorate actually experienced anxiety.


Sentinel node detection in endometrial cancer using indocyanine green and fluorescence imaging-a case report.
Sentinel lymph node mapping in endometrial cancer can help to provide the prognostic information needed while avoiding the morbidity associated with a complete lymphadenectomy. Studies with blue dye and technetium colloid have only given about 80% detection rates whereas with indocyanine green injection and fluorescence imaging, it gives about 88-100% detection rates. Herein, we report a case where indocyanine green was injected intracervically and sentinel nodes were detected at the paraaortic nodal area.


A linear array silicon pixel detector: images of a mammographic test object and evaluation of delivered doses.
We present images of a mammographic test object obtained using a linear array silicon pixel detector capable of single-photon counting. The detector pixel size was 200 x 300 microns2 and images were acquired by scanning the test object between the laminar detector and the x-ray source with a scanning step of 100 microns. A molybdenum anode tube was used with two different filtrations: 2 mm aluminium and 25 microns molybdenum. Conventional film-screen images were also obtained in order to compare spatial and contrast resolution. In our digital images it is possible to recognize low-contrast details having dimensions smaller than or equal to the dimensions of details visible by means of a clinical mammographic unit. The detection of microcalcifications smaller than 150 microns was possible only when using the Mo filtration. However a copper wire of 50 microns diameter was detectable when embedded in a simulated tissue. We discuss in detail the mean glandular doses (MGDs) delivered during the image acquisition. The MGDs necessary to obtain good-quality images are always smaller than at a conventional mammographic unit. Since MGDs depend on the x-ray spectrum, the dose reduction becomes larger when the applied spectrum is harder than in film-screen acquisition (Al filtration and 35 kVp).


Surgical Skills Course for Fourth Year Medical Students Entering an Orthopaedic Surgery Residency.
This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Surgical skills training outside of the operating room is a critical component of surgical education. There has been little incorporation of these programs for medical students entering orthopaedic surgery residencies. As such, there is concern that incoming orthopaedic residents matriculate with skills below residency programs' expectations. This study aimed to assess the need for an orthopaedic surgical skills course during the 4 th year of medical school.An anonymous electronic survey was emailed to 1457orthopaedic surgery residents and 732 current orthopaedic residency applicants using application data from a single orthopaedic residency program during the 2015-2016 through 2017-2018 cycles. 200 resident and 31 applicant emails were returned undeliverable, resulting in distribution to 1257 residents and 701 applicants. 135 junior residents (11% response rate) and 181 applicants (26% response rate) completed portions of the survey. 76 of 117 (65%) residents and 170 of 181 (94%) applicants did not participate in a formal orthopaedic surgical skills course. 110 of 118 (93%) residents and 160 of 171 (94%) applicants indicated that implementing such a course before entering residency would be beneficial. Applicants rated basic fracture reduction (95%; 171/180), casting/splinting (94%; 170/180), and reading basic x-rays (90%; 162/180) as the most important potential course components.Most respondents were not exposed to an orthopaedic skills course prior to residency. Participants indicated that such a course would be beneficial to incoming orthopaedic residents. Pilot programs should be developed to optimize an orthopaedic preparatory skills course for 4 th year medical students pursuing careers in orthopaedic surgery.


Modeling cytoskeletal flow over adhesion sites: competition between stochastic bond dynamics and intracellular relaxation.
In migrating cells, retrograde flow of the actin cytoskeleton is related to traction at adhesion sites located at the base of the lamellipodium. The coupling between the moving cytoskeleton and the stationary adhesions is mediated by the continuous association and dissociation of molecular bonds. We introduce a simple model for the competition between the stochastic dynamics of elastic bonds at the moving interface and relaxation within the moving actin cytoskeleton represented by an internal viscous friction coefficient. Using exact stochastic simulations and an analytical mean field theory, we show that the stochastic bond dynamics lead to biphasic friction laws as observed experimentally. At low internal dissipation, stochastic bond dynamics lead to a regime of irregular stick-and-slip motion. High internal dissipation effectively suppresses cooperative effects among bonds and hence stabilizes the adhesion.


Bioavailability and bioaccessibility of cadmium in contaminated rice by in vivo and in vitro bioassays.
Consumption of rice is a major pathway of cadmium (Cd) exposure to humans with Cd bioavailability from rice being an important determinant of the potential health risk. We conducted both in vitro bioaccessibility (using four methods) and in vivo bioavailability (using a mouse model) of Cd from six rices. The relative bioavailability (RBA) for Cd ranged from 15 to 56%, 18 to 56% and 3.71 to 54% based on kidney, liver and femur, respectively, which was negatively correlated with total Cd concentration in contaminated rice (r2 = 0.74-0.94). Results of cadmium bioaccessibility in rice varied among different assays. When the relationship between the in vitro and in vivo data was assessed, all the correlations between the four in vitro methods and the mouse assay based on the liver or kidney were generally weak (r2 = 0.0006-0.52). Results of in vitro digestion models varied drastically among the different methods, suggesting that there were limitations for the in vitro methods to predict Cd relative bioavailability in contaminated rice. Together with the observation of poor correlations between the in vivo and in vitro results, it is strongly suggested that further exploration and more optimization of in vitro methods are required for use in human health risk assessment.


Proteomic determination of the lysine acetylome and phosphoproteome in the rat native inner medullary collecting duct.
Phosphorylation and lysine (K)-acetylation are dynamic posttranslational modifications of proteins. Previous proteomic studies have identified over 170,000 phosphorylation sites and 15,000 K-acetylation sites in mammals. We recently reported that the inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD), which functions in the regulation of water-reabsorption, via the actions of vasopressin, expresses many of the enzymes that can modulated K-acetylation. The purpose of this study was to determine the K-acetylated or phosphorylated proteins expressed in IMCD cells. Second we questioned whether vasopressin V2 receptor activation significantly affects the IMCD acetylome or phosphoproteome? K-acetylated or serine-, threonine-, or tyrosine-phosphorylated peptides were identified from native rat IMCDs by proteomic analysis with four different enzymes (trypsin, chymotrypsin, ASP-N, or Glu-C) to generate a high-resolution proteome. K-acetylation was identified in 431 unique proteins, and 64% of the K-acetylated sites were novel. The acetylated proteins were expressed in all compartments of the cell and were enriched in pathways including glycolysis and vasopressin-regulated water reabsorption. In the vasopressin-regulated water reabsorption pathway, eight proteins were acetylated, including the novel identification of the basolateral water channel, AQP3, acetylated at K282; 215 proteins were phosphorylated in this IMCD cohort, including AQP2 peptides that were phosphorylated at four serines: 256, 261, 264, and 269. Acute dDAVP did not significantly affect the IMCD acetylome; however, it did significantly affect previously known vasopressin-regulated phosphorylation sites. In conclusion, presence of K-acetylated proteins involved in metabolism, ion, and water transport in the IMCD points to multiple roles of K-acetylation beyond its canonical role in transcriptional regulation.


Verbal and nonverbal cognitive control in bilinguals and interpreters.
The present study explored the relation between language control and nonverbal cognitive control in different bilingual populations. We compared monolinguals, Dutch-French unbalanced bilinguals, balanced bilinguals, and interpreters on the Simon task (Simon & Rudell, 1967) and the Attention Network Test (ANT; Fan, McCandliss, Sommer, Raz, & Posner, 2002). All bilingual groups showed a smaller congruency effect in the Simon task than the monolingual group. They were also faster overall in the ANT. Furthermore, interpreters outperformed unbalanced, but not balanced, bilinguals in terms of overall accuracy on both tasks. In the ANT, the error congruency effect was significantly smaller for interpreters and balanced bilinguals. Using a measure of switching fluency in language production, this study also found direct evidence for a relation between language control and executive control. This relation was only observed in balanced bilinguals, where fluent switching was correlated with the Simon effect. These findings support the existence of a bilingual advantage and also indicate that different patterns of bilingual language use modulate the nature and extent of a cognitive control advantage in multilingual populations.


Accessing the Health Risk of Ingestion of Surface Water from Lucrécia and Parelhas Dams in Northeast Brazil Using the Sentinel Organism Drosophila melanogaster.
This study investigated the genotoxic risk of chronic exposure of hemolymph's cells of Drosophila melanogaster (Insecta, Diptera) to water samples from Boqueirão de Parelhas Dam and from Lucrécia Dam in the semiarid region of Brazil. The dams are located over the Pegmatite Province of Borborema, with rocks rich in uranium and thorium. Water samples hydrated a culture medium composed of mashed potatoes, where larvae of D. melanogaster fed for 24 h, before be underwent to the Comet assay. The same water was evaluated for the presence of dissolved Radon gas (222Rn) and concentrations of 11 toxic metals (Ag, Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn). The results indicated a genotoxic effect resulting from exposure to the waters of the Parelhas dam, in the samples of August 2018; and in Lucrécia dam, in January 2019. D. melanogaster stood out for its high sensitivity to monitor the genotoxic effects of compounds dissolved in public dams. And unlike to other essentially aquatic sentinel organisms, this species stood out as a model to concomitant studies of air and water possible contaminated, in a scenario of natural environmental radioactivity present in semiarid of Brazil.


[Value of using dietary factors in the prevention and treatment of ischemic heart disease].
Influence of differentiated use of the alimentary factors on the lipemia level, hemocoagulation activity, arterial pressure level, carbohydrate tolerance and catecholamine content in the blood plasma of CHD patients was shown under the conditions of controlled dietotherapy. Incorporation of diet in multimodality therapy and prevention of this disease under inpatient, sanatorium-prophylactic and outpatient conditions was emphasized.


Theoretical optimization of pulmonary-to-systemic flow ratio after a bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis.
A univentricle with parallel pulmonary and systemic circulations is inherently inefficient because mixing of pulmonary and systemic venous return occurs. Thus a cavopulmonary anastomosis is used as a staged palliative procedure to reduce volume overload in patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease. On the basis of oxygen uptake and consumption, an equation was derived that related cardiac output, pulmonary venous oxygen saturation, upper body oxygen consumption, and superior-to-inferior vena caval blood flow ratio (QSVC/QIVC) to oxygen delivery. The primary findings were as follows. 1) As QSVC/QIVC increases, total body oxygen delivery and arterial and superior vena caval oxygen saturations increase. 2) As QSVC/QIVC increases, lower body oxygen delivery and inferior vena caval oxygen saturation initially increase, then peak, and then decrease. 3) As the percentage of lower body oxygen consumption increases, oxygen delivery and saturation decrease. 4) A cavopulmonary anastomosis decreases the required cardiac output for a given oxygen delivery. Thus we concluded that a high systemic arterial oxygen saturation after cavopulmonary anastomosis requires a high percentage of upper body oxygen consumption and a high QSVC/QIVC and that the cavopulmonary anastomosis reduces the volume load on the single ventricle.


Individual-level risk factors for suicide mortality in the general population: an umbrella review.
Deaths by suicide remain a major public health challenge worldwide. Identifying and targeting risk factors for suicide mortality is a potential approach to prevention. We aimed to summarise current knowledge on the range and magnitude of individual-level risk factors for suicide mortality in the general population and evaluate the quality of the evidence. In this umbrella review, five bibliographic databases were systematically searched for articles published from database inception to Aug 31, 2022. We included meta-analyses of observational studies on individual-level risk factors for suicide mortality in the general population. Biological, genetic, perinatal, and ecological risk factors were beyond the scope of this study. Effect sizes were synthesised and compared across domains. To test robustness and consistency of the findings, evidence for small-study effects and excess significance bias (ie, the ratio between the overall meta-analysis effect size and that of its largest included study) was examined, and prediction intervals were calculated. Risk of bias was assessed by the Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews instrument. The protocol was pre-registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021230119). We identified 33 meta-analyses on 38 risk factors for suicide mortality in the general population. 422 (93%) of the 454 primary studies included in the meta-analyses were from high-income countries. A previous suicide attempt and suicidal ideation emerged as strong risk factors (with effect sizes ranging from 6 to 16). Psychiatric disorders were associated with a greatly elevated risk of suicide mortality, with risk ratios in the range of 4-13. Suicide risk for physical illnesses (such as cancer and epilepsy) and sociodemographic factors (including unemployment and low education) were typically increased two-fold. Contact with the criminal justice system, state care in childhood, access to firearms, and parental death by suicide also increased the risk of suicide mortality. Among risk factors for which sex-stratified analyses were available, associations were generally similar for males and females. However, the quality of the evidence was limited by excess significance and high heterogeneity, and prediction intervals suggested poor replicability for almost two-thirds of identified risk factors. A wide range of risk factors were identified across various domains, which underscores suicide mortality as a multifactorial phenomenon. Prevention strategies that span individual and population approaches should account for the identified factors and their relative strengths. Despite the large number of risk factors investigated, few associations were supported by robust evidence. Evidence of causal inference will need to be tested in high-quality study designs. Wellcome Trust.


Meta-analysis of surgical strategies in perforated left colonic diverticulitis with generalized peritonitis.
Surgical strategies for perforated diverticulitis (Hinchey stages III and IV) remain controversial. This systematic review aimed to compare the outcome of primary anastomosis, Hartmann procedure and laparoscopic lavage. A systematic literature search was conducted through Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register and Health Technology Assessment Database to identify randomized and non-randomized controlled trials involving patients with perforated left-sided colonic diverticulitis comparing different surgical strategies. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed systematically (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) and a meta-analysis was performed. After screening 4090 titles and abstracts published between 1958 and January 2018, 148 were selected for full text assessment. Sixteen trials (7 RCTs, 9 non-RCTs) with 1223 patients were included. Mortality rates were not significantly different between Hartmann procedure and primary anastomosis for Hinchey III and IV, neither in the meta-analysis of three RCTs (RR 2.03 (95% CI 0.79 to 5.25); p = 0.14, moderate quality of evidence) nor in the meta-analysis of six observational studies (RR 1.53 (95% CI 0.89 to 2.65); p = 0.13, very low quality of evidence). However, stoma reversal rates were significantly higher in the primary anastomosis group (RR 0.73 (95% CI 0.58 to 0.98); p = 0.008, moderate quality of evidence). Meta-analysis of four RCTs showed no significant difference between laparoscopic lavage for Hinchey III compared to sigmoid resection neither for mortality (RR 1.07 (95% CI 0.65 to 1.76); p = 0.79, moderate quality of evidence) nor for major complications (RR 0.86 (95% CI 0.69 to 1.08); p = 0.20, moderate quality of evidence). This systematic review suggests similar rates of complications but higher rates of colonic restoration after primary anastomosis compared to Hartmann procedure in perforated diverticulitis with generalized peritonitis (Hinchey III and IV). Results in laparoscopic lavage for Hinchey III are not superior to primary resection. However, further studies with a careful interpretation of the meaning of re-interventions are required.