Molecular cloning and hormonal control in the ovary of connexin 31.5 mRNA and correlation with the appearance of oocyte maturational competence in red seabream.
Gap junctions are aggregates of intercellular channels, composed of the protein connexin (Cx), between adjacent cells. This study examined whether, in the ovary of the red seabream Pagrus major, the connexin gene essential for the production of RNA and protein during the acquisition of oocyte maturational competence is active. Mixed primers for this reaction were designed on the basis of the high sequence homology of selected regions of known connexin genes. Polymerase-chain-reaction-amplified cDNA fragments generated by 3' and 5' rapid amplication of cDNA ends were combined to generate full-length cDNA sequences. The resulting 2400 base pair cDNA had an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide containing 275 amino acid residues (31493 Da; Cx31.5). Hydropathicity analysis of the predicted amino acid sequence indicated that red seabream Cx31.5 has four major hydrophobic regions and four major hydrophilic regions indicative of a topology similar to that of known connexins. Typical connexin consensus sequences were also observed in the first and second extracellular loops. During the acquisition of oocyte maturational competence, red seabream Cx31.5 mRNA transcription levels increased after treatment with gonadotropin-II. It is therefore proposed that expression of Cx31.5 contributes to the acquisition of oocyte maturational competence in this species.


The impact of COVID-19 on surgical procedures in Japan: analysis of data from the National Clinical Database.
The spread of COVID-19 has restricted the delivery of standard medical care to surgical patients dramatically. Surgical triage is performed by considering the type of disease, its severity, the urgency for surgery, and the condition of the patient, in addition to the scale of infectious outbreaks in the region. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of surgical procedures performed and whether the effects were more prominent during certain periods of widespread infection and in the affected regions. We selected 20 of the most common procedures from each surgical field and compared the weekly numbers of each operation performed in 2020 with the respective numbers in 2018 and 2019, as recorded in the National Clinical Database (NCD). The surgical status during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the relationship between surgical volume and the degree of regional infection were analyzed extensively. The rate of decline in surgery was at most 10-15%. Although the numbers of most oncological and cardiovascular procedures decreased in 2020, there was no significant change in the numbers of pancreaticoduodenectomy and aortic replacement procedures performed in the same period. The numbers of most surgical procedures decreased in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the precise impact of surgical triage on decrease in detection of disease warrants further investigation.


Epidemiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A review of literature.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease of motor neurons, resulting in worsening weakness of voluntary muscles until death occurs from respiratory failure. The incidence of ALS in European populations is two to three people per year per 100,000 of the general population. In Europe, crude prevalences range from 1.1/100,000 population in Yugoslavia to 8.2/100,000 in the Faroe Islands. Major advances have been made in our understanding of the genetic causes of ALS, whereas the contribution of environmental factors has been more difficult to assess and large-scale studies have not yet revealed a replicable, definitive environmental risk factor. The only established risk factors to date are older age, male gender and a family history of ALS. Median survival time from onset to death is usually 3 years from the first appearance of symptoms. Older age and bulbar onset are consistently reported to have poorer outcomes. However, there are conflicting data regarding gender, diagnostic delay and El Escorial criteria. The rate of symptom progression has been revealed to be an independent prognostic factor. Psychosocial factors and impaired cognitive function are negatively related to ALS outcome, while nutritional status and respiratory function are also related to ALS prognosis. The effect of enteral nutrition on survival is still unclear, although noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) has been found to improve survival. These findings have relevant implications for the design of future trials.


Maternal obesity associated with inflammation in their children.
This study explored the association between maternal obesity during pregnancy and the inflammatory markers, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and the cytokine, adiponectin, in the offspring. Weight, height, Tanner stage and biomarkers were measured in thirty-four 12-year-old children, from the Infant Growth Study, who were divided into high risk (HR) and low risk (LR) groups based on maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI). The two groups differed markedly in their hs-CRP levels, but no group difference was found for the other three biomarkers. The odds ratio (OR) of HR children having detectable hs-CRP levels was 16 times greater than that of LR children after adjusting for confounding variables, including BMI z-score, Tanner stages and gender (OR: 16; 95% CI: 2-123). These results suggest that maternal obesity during pregnancy is associated with later development of elevated hs-CRP in the offspring, even after controlling for weight.


Prevalence of and risk factors for multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii colonization among high-risk nursing home residents.
To characterize the epidemiology of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii colonization in high-risk nursing home (NH) residents. Nested case-control study within a multicenter prospective intervention trial. Four NHs in Southeast Michigan. PARTICIPANTS Case patients and control subjects were NH residents with an indwelling device (urinary catheter and/or feeding tube) selected from the control arm of the Targeted Infection Prevention study. Cases were residents colonized with MDR (resistant to ≥3 classes of antibiotics) A. baumannii; controls were never colonized with MDR A. baumannii. For active surveillance cultures, specimens from the nares, oropharynx, groin, perianal area, wounds, and device insertion site(s) were collected upon study enrollment, day 14, and monthly thereafter. A. baumannii strains and their susceptibilities were identified using standard microbiologic methods. Of 168 NH residents, 25 (15%) were colonized with MDR A. baumannii. Compared with the 143 controls, cases were more functionally disabled (Physical Self-Maintenance Score >24; odds ratio, 5.1 [95% CI, 1.8-14.9]; P<.004), colonized with Proteus mirabilis (5.8 [1.9-17.9]; P<.003), and diabetic (3.4 [1.2-9.9]; P<.03). Most cases (22 [88%]) were colonized with multiple antibiotic-resistant organisms and 16 (64%) exhibited co-colonization with at least one other resistant gram-negative bacteria. Functional disability, P. mirabilis colonization, and diabetes mellitus are important risk factors for colonization with MDR A. baumannii in high-risk NH residents. A. baumannii exhibits widespread antibiotic resistance and a preference to colonize with other antibiotic-resistant organisms, meriting enhanced attention and improved infection control practices in these residents.


Drift and selection influence geographic variation at immune loci of prairie-chickens.
Previous studies of immunity in wild populations have focused primarily on genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC); however, studies of model species have identified additional immune-related genes that also affect fitness. In this study, we sequenced five non-MHC immune genes in six greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) populations that have experienced varying degrees of genetic drift as a consequence of population bottlenecks and fragmentation. We compared patterns of geographic variation at the immune genes with six neutral microsatellite markers to investigate the relative effects of selection and genetic drift. Global F(ST) outlier tests identified positive selection on just one of five immune genes (IAP-1) in one population. In contrast, at other immune genes, standardized G'(ST) values were lower than those at microsatellites for a majority of pairwise population comparisons, consistent with balancing selection or with species-wide positive or purifying selection resulting in similar haplotype frequencies across populations. The effects of genetic drift were also evident as summary statistics (e.g., Tajima's D) did not differ from neutrality for the majority of cases, and immune gene diversity (number of haplotypes per gene) was correlated positively with population size. In summary, we found that both genetic drift and selection shaped variation at the five immune genes, and the strength and type of selection varied among genes. Our results caution that neutral forces, such as drift, can make it difficult to detect current selection on genes.


The production and antiprotozoal activity of abietane diterpenes in Salvia austriaca hairy roots grown in shake flasks and bioreactor.
The biomass and concentration of bioactive quinone methide-type diterpenes in hairy roots of Salvia austriaca were determined and compared with levels of these metabolites in roots of field-grown plants. The cultures were maintained in shake flasks and a nutrient sprinkle bioreactor. Diterpene production was more efficient in the shake flask root culture than the bioreactor one. Biomass and diterpene production within the shake flask culture was evaluated using Schenk and Hildebrandt (SH), Gamborg (B5), and woody plant medium (WPM), with both full- and half-strength macro and micronutrient concentrations (1/2 SH, 1/2 B5, and 1/2 WPM). Among the tested media, SH medium proved to be most effective for biomass and diterpene production. In this medium, the transformed roots accumulated the levels of taxodone (3.89 mg g-1 DW; equivalent to 63.3 mg L-1), taxodione (1.15 mg g-1 DW; equivalent to 17.4 mg L-1), 15-deoxy-fuerstione (2.15 mg g-1 DW; equivalent to 32.5 mg L-1), and 7-(2'-oxohexyl)-taxodione (0.076 mg g-1 DW; equivalent to 1.1 mg L-1). Three diterpenes were also detected in the roots of S. austriaca intact plants, but their concentrations were lower than those in hairy root culture. No 7-(2'-oxohexyl)-taxodione was found in the roots of field-grown plants. The hairy roots were able to maintain high metabolite levels even for 6 years of cultivation. Taxodone, taxodione, 15-deoxy-fuerstione, and 7-(2'-oxohexyl)-taxodione were tested for in vitro activity against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, T. cruzi, and Plasmodium falciparum and their cytotoxicity was determined using L6 cells. Among these compounds, taxodione was the most active against T. brucei rhodesiense [IC50 = 0.05 µM with high selectivity, selectivity index (SI) = 38]. Taxodione was found to inhibit the growth of P. falciparum and T. cruzi by 50% at respective concentrations of 1.9 and 7.1 µM (SI values of 1.0 and 0.27). Other diterpenoids demonstrated weaker activity against tested parasites (IC50 values ranging from 0.62 to 194.7 µM) and lower selectivity (SI value ranged from 0.4 to 5.0).


Direct Quantification of Drug Loading Content in Polymeric Nanoparticles by Infrared Spectroscopy.
Nanotechnology has enabled the development of novel therapeutic strategies such as targeted nanodrug delivery systems, control and stimulus-responsive release mechanisms, and the production of theranostic agents. As a prerequisite for the use of nanoparticles as drug delivery systems, the amount of loaded drug must be precisely quantified, a task for which two approaches are currently used. However, both approaches suffer from the inefficiencies of drug extraction and of the solid-liquid separation process, as well as from dilution errors. This work describes a new, reliable, and simple method for direct drug quantification in polymeric nanoparticles using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, which can be adapted for a wide variety of drug delivery systems. Silk fibroin nanoparticles and naringenin were used as model polymeric nanoparticle carrier and drug, respectively. The specificity, linearity, detection limit, precision, and accuracy of the spectroscopic approach were determined in order to validate the method. A good linear relation was observed within 0.00 to 7.89% of naringenin relative mass with an R2 of 0.973. The accuracy was determined by the spike and recovery method. The results showed an average 104% recovery. The limit of detection and limit of quantification of the drug loading content were determined to be 0.3 and 1.0%, respectively. The method's robustness is demonstrated by the notable similarities between the calibrations carried out using two different equipment setups at two different institutions.


Epileptic spasms in clusters without hypsarrhythmia in infancy.
Spasms are defined as epileptic seizures characterized by brief axial contraction, in flexion, extension or mixed, symmetric or asymmetric, lasting from a fraction of a second to 1-2s, and are associated with a slow-wave transient or sharp and slow-wave complex, followed or not by voltage attenuation. Epileptic spasms usually appear in clusters and are age-dependent. This type of epileptic spasms associated with the particular EEG pattern, hypsar rhythmia, constitutes the basis for the diagnosis of West syndrome. The question is, how to nosologically define those patients who clearly present epileptic spasms in clusters without modified or typical hypsarrhythmia and with or without focal paroxysmal discharges on the interictal EEG. In the present series, the four patients show that epileptic spasms in clusters may occur in infancy, without hypsarrhythmia. They all presented the following features: normal neuropsychological development before onset of epileptic spasms, clusters of epileptic spasms, focal clinical and/or EEG abnormalities, normal neuroradiological imaging, neurometabolic investigations and karyotypes. In three of the patients, seizures were refractory to AEDs. Epileptic spasms in clusters without hypsarrhythmia that start in the first year of life represent a subtype of infantile spasms that generally are refractory to AEDs. It is not yet clear whether it should be considered as a variant of West syndrome or not [Published with Video sequence].


Progressive supranuclear palsy: the relationship between ocular motor dysfunction and psychological test performance.
The performance of patients with progressive supranuclear palsy on visual search and scanning tasks was related to the pattern of ocular deficits observed in these patients during horizontal refixation. Comparisons were made to age-matched normals and patients with Parkinson disease or cerebellar damage. The poor performance of the progressive supranuclear palsy group on visual search and scanning could not be attributed to the restricted range of vertical gaze or the large number of hypometric saccades during horizontal refixation. Instead, we believe that their impaired scanning resulted from the presence of square-wave jerks during attempted fixation.


Glucocorticoid receptor binding in bovine lens.
The present study demonstrates glucocorticoid receptor localization in the nuclei of cells of the anterior epithelium and bow region and its absence in all other regions of the lens. Both autoradiographic and biochemical studies show that triamcinolone acetonide is inactive whereas tetrahydrocortisol (previously considered to be an inactive metabolite of cortisol) is an active competitor of dexamethasone binding to the glucocorticoid receptor in the bovine lens. The consistency of these findings by both techniques supports the validity of this observation. In addition, it indicates that autoradiography can be used for studying glucocorticoid agonist/antagonist relationships in the human lens, where only small amounts of tissue are available.


The alcohol-preferring (P) and high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) rats--animal models of alcoholism.
The objective of this article is to review the literature on the utility of using the selectively bred alcohol-preferring (P) and high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) lines of rats in studies examining high alcohol drinking in adults and adolescents, craving-like behavior, and the co-abuse of alcohol with other drugs. The P line of rats meets all of the originally proposed criteria for a suitable animal model of alcoholism. In addition, the P rat exhibits high alcohol-seeking behavior, demonstrates an alcohol deprivation effect (ADE) under relapse drinking conditions, consumes amounts of ethanol during adolescence equivalent to those consumed in adulthood, and co-abuses ethanol and nicotine. The P line also exhibits excessive binge-like alcohol drinking, attaining blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of 200 mg% on a daily basis. The HAD replicate lines of rats have not been as extensively studied as the P rats. The HAD1,2 rats satisfy several of the criteria for an animal model of alcoholism, e.g., these rats will voluntarily consume ethanol in a free-choice situation to produce BACs between 50 and 200 mg%. The HAD1,2 rats also exhibit an ADE under repeated relapse conditions, and will demonstrate similar levels of ethanol intake during adolescence as seen in adults. Overall, the P and HAD1,2 rats have characteristics attributed to an early onset alcoholic, and can be used to study various aspects of alcohol use disorders.


Humans are not cooperative breeders but practice biocultural reproduction.
Alloparental care and feeding of young is often called "cooperative breeding" and humans are increasingly described as being a cooperative breeding species. To critically evaluate whether the human offspring care system is best grouped with that of other cooperative breeders. (1) Review of the human system of offspring care in the light of definitions of cooperative, communal and social breeding; (2) re-analysis of human lifetime reproductive effort. Human reproduction and offspring care are distinct from other species because alloparental behaviour is defined culturally rather than by genetic kinship alone. This system allows local flexibility in provisioning strategies and ensures that care and resources often flow between unrelated individuals. This review proposes the term "biocultural reproduction" to describe this unique human reproductive system. In a re-analysis of human life history data, it is estimated that the intense alloparenting typical of human societies lowers the lifetime reproductive effort of individual women by 14-29% compared to expectations based upon other mammals. Humans are not cooperative breeders as classically defined; one effect of the unique strategy of human biocultural reproduction is a lowering of human lifetime reproductive effort, which could help explain lifespan extension.


Compact multimode fiber beam-shaping system based on GPU accelerated digital holography.
Real-time, on-demand, beam shaping at the end of the multimode fiber has recently been made possible by exploiting the computational power of rapidly evolving graphics processing unit (GPU) technology [Opt. Express 22, 2933 (2014)]. However, the current state-of-the-art system requires the presence of an acousto-optic deflector (AOD) to produce images at the end of the fiber without interference effects between neighboring output points. Here, we present a system free from the AOD complexity where we achieve the removal of the undesired interference effects computationally using GPU implemented Gerchberg-Saxton and Yang-Gu algorithms. The GPU implementation is two orders of magnitude faster than the CPU implementation which allows video-rate image control at the distal end of the fiber virtually free of interference effects.


BHLHE41 promotes U87 and U251 cell proliferation via ERK/cyclinD1 signaling pathway.
The biological functions of BHLHE41 in the proliferation of glioblastoma remained unexplored. We aimed to investigate the biological roles and underlying molecular mechanisms of BHLHE41 in glioblastoma. We used multiple methods, including Western blot analysis, soft agar colony-formation assay, CCK8 assay, and flow cytometry, to evaluate the changes in multiple cellular functions after BHLHE41 knockdown or overexpression in U87 and U251 cell lines. The TCGA database was then used to analyze the associations between BHLHE41 expression with clinicopathological factors and the overall survival (OS) of glioma patients. This study determined that overexpression of BHLHE41 promoted glioma cell proliferation and colony formation. Besides, BHLHE41 upregulated cyclinD1, cyclinD3, and cyclinE1 expression and drove phase transition from G1 to S and G2 phases by upregulating these cyclins. In contrast, knockdown of BHLHE41 had an opposite effect on all of these parameters. However, BHLHE41 had no effect on apoptosis. Moreover, BHLHE41 activated MAPK/ERK signaling pathway to upregulate cyclinD1 expression. After the ERK signal pathway was blocked by a specific inhibitor, SCH772984, cyclinD1 upregulation was reversed. Furthermore, the median OS of low-grade glioma (LGG) patients with low to median level of BHLHE41 was 22.6 months, longer than that of the patients with high level of BHLHE41 (21.0 months). BHLHE41 has an important role in the proliferation of glioblastoma and could serve as a novel candidate for targeted therapy of glioblastoma.


Validation of the A&D UM-201 device for office blood pressure measurement according to the European Society of Hypertension International Protocol Revision 2010.
The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of the A&D UM-201 device coupled to several cuffs for different arm sizes for office blood pressure (BP) measurement according to the International Protocol of the European Society of Hypertension. Evaluation was carried out in 33 individuals. The mean age of the individuals was 59.3±13.2 years, systolic BP was 145.4±20.6 mmHg (range: 109-186 mmHg), diastolic BP was 87.3±18.0 mmHg (range: 50-124 mmHg), and arm circumference was 30.4±4.2 cm (range: 23-39 cm). The protocol requirements were followed precisely. The UM-201 monitor passed all requirements, fulfilling the standards of the protocol. On average, the device overestimated systolic BP by 3.0±2.1 mmHg and diastolic BP by 2.6±2.0 mmHg. These data show that the A&D UM-201 device coupled to several cuffs for different ranges of arm circumference fulfilled the requirements for validation by the International Protocol and can be recommended for clinical use in the adult population.


Niche partitioning and the role of intraspecific niche variation in structuring a guild of generalist anurans.
Intra-population niche differences in generalist foragers have captured the interest of ecologists, because such individuality can have important ecological and evolutionary implications. Few researchers have investigated how these differences affect the relationships among ecologically similar, sympatric species. Using stable isotopes, stomach contents, morphology and habitat preference, we examined niche partitioning within a group of five anurans and determined whether variation within species could facilitate resource partitioning. Species partitioned their niches by trophic level and by foraging habitat. However, there was considerable intraspecific variation in trophic level, with larger individuals generally feeding at higher trophic levels. For species at intermediate trophic levels, smaller individuals overlapped in trophic level with individuals of smaller species and larger individuals overlapped with the smallest individuals from larger species. Species varied in carbon isotopes; species with enriched carbon isotope ratios foraged farther from ponds, whereas species with depleted carbon isotope values foraged closer to ponds. Our study shows that these species partition their niches by feeding at different trophic levels and foraging at different distances from ponds. The intraspecific variation in trophic level decreased the number of individuals from each species that overlapped in trophic level with individuals from other species, which can facilitate species coexistence.


Integrative Literature Review of Factors Related to Breastfeeding in African American Women: Evidence for a Potential Paradigm Shift.
Human milk has widespread health benefits for infants, mothers, and society. However, not all populations of women, particularly African American women, engage in human milk feeding at high rates. Research aim: The purpose of this integrative literature review is twofold: (a) to examine factors that influence low rates of human milk feeding among African American women and (b) to introduce a need for a methodological paradigm shift to develop culturally relevant and effective interventions. The authors searched four electronic social science databases for peer-reviewed journal articles pertaining to human milk among African American women published from 1990 to 2015. Both coauthors independently assessed these articles using thematic analysis and validation. The database search yielded 47 peer-reviewed articles. Three main themes emerged explaining the human milk feeding disparity: (a) the social characteristics of women likely not to feed human milk (e.g., low socioeconomic status, single); (b) women's perceptions of human milk feeding; and (c) the quality of human milk feeding information provided by health care providers (i.e., limited human milk information). Current literature does include sociohistorical factors that have shaped current norms. Adding sociohistorical frameworks, paying particular attention to the embodied experience of historical trauma, could lead to the development of new evidence-based, culturally sensitive interventions to enhance human milk feeding in the African American community.


[Direct and indirect costs of schizophrenia].
In the present study the costs of schizophrenia in Germany were studied using the "bottom up" prevalence-based method. In a random sample of 180 schizophrenic patients stratified according to the most important care institutions, direct and indirect costs were retrospectively documented for a 12-month period. Depending on the place of recruitment and the extent of care provided, total yearly costs result between about DM 33,000 for a patient treated predominantly on an outpatient basis and about DM 126,000 for a patient requiring hospital care and about DM 135,000 for a patient in job rehabilitation. The direct yearly treatment costs were, as expected, lowest for patients recruited in the private practice of a psychiatrist and predominantly treated on an outpatient basis (DM 5,788), and were the highest in the psychiatric hospital (DM 64,661) and in job rehabilitation (DM 79,996). In the patients recruited in the outpatient domain, doctors' fees and medication together were responsible for only 4.5% of the total costs, whereas the indirect costs (e.g., through work incapacity) were responsible for 87% of the total yearly costs. For methodological reasons the total costs caused by schizophrenic psychoses in Germany per year can at present be estimated only roughly. A conservative estimate is between 8.5 and 18 billion DM per year. The study shows that schizophrenia is a very expensive illness, the direct and indirect costs of which are on the whole comparable to those of the common somatic illnesses. Therefore, also for economical reasons, sufficient financial means should be invested in the research and treatment of this severe illness.


The specific phenotype of depression in recent onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders: A symptom profile and network comparison to recent onset major depressive disorder without psychotic features.
The specific phenotype of depression in recent-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) and its relation to non-psychotic depression is unknown. Symptom profile and network analysis are complementary statistical techniques that may provide important insights into the presentation and relative importance of individual symptoms that give rise to depression. The aim of the current study was to characterise the profile and network of depressive symptoms in SSD and compare it to individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) without psychotic features. This study involved analysis of baseline data pertaining to 109 individuals with comorbid SSD and depression and 283 with MDD without psychotic features. Study cohorts were the Psychosis Recent Onset GRoningen Survey (PROGR-S) and Youth Depression Alleviation (YoDA) trials, respectively. Profile and network analyses revealed that SSD and MDD differed in the profile and relative importance of individual depressive symptoms. While reported sadness was the primary hallmark of depression in both SSD and MDD, individuals with depression in SSD were more likely to sleep more, and have lower lassitude and pessimism. While sadness had great importance in MDD and SSD, in SSD but not MDD lassitude, sleep, appetite, concentration difficulties, and inability to feel were important in the network of depressive symptoms. The specific phenotype of depression might be different in SSD compared to MDD. Symptom inequivalence or underlying functional mechanisms in SSD might result in depression in SSD that is similar to MDD with atypical features.


Impact of three miRNA signature as potential diagnostic marker for triple negative breast cancer patients.
Breast cancer is a highly aggressive type of cancer and has several subtypes, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which accounts for 25% of morbidity related to breast cancer. miRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate 60% of human genes. Dysregulated expression of miRNA in liquid biopsy of TNBC patients has the potential as a minimally invasive diagnostic biomarker. The Association of miRNA with TNBC was evaluated using in-silico analysis. Highly enriched miRNAs were selected for functional analysis to evaluate the role of miRNA in the progression of TNBC. The qRT-PCR-based expression analysis of miRNA was performed in 190 serum samples (139 TNBC and 51 healthy). Revealed the elevated expression of miRNA-155 and miRNA-21 in TNBC compared to control samples (P < 0.0001), while miRNA-205 was significantly downregulated in TNBC (P < 0.0001). The combined diagnostic value of the miRNA-205, miRNA-155 and miRNA-21 in cohort-I, cohort-II, and cohort-III was AUC of 96.1% (P < 0.0001), 94.9% (P < 0.0001), and 97.1% (P < 0.0001), respectively. Our study revealed that dysregulated expression of miRNA could be used as an independent indicator for discriminating TNBC from healthy patients. In addition, the combined predictive value of miRNA-205 + miRNA - 155 + miRNA-21 has higher AUC, sensitivity, and specificity in the diagnosis of TNBC in all three cohorts.


Does It Pay to Treat Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019? Social Perception of Physicians Treating Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019.
During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the public has often expressed great appreciation toward medical personnel who were often shown in the media expressing strong emotions about the situation. To examine whether the perception of people on a physician is in fact influenced by whether the physician treats patients with COVID-19 and the emotions they expressed in response to the situation, 454 participants were recruited in May 2020. Participants saw facial expressions of anger, sadness, happiness, and neutrality which supposedly were shown by physicians who were presented as working either in COVID-19 wards or in an internal medicine ward. Participants rated how competent, empathetic, caring, and likable each physician was, to what degree they would wish to be treated by each physician, and what salary each physician deserved. Physicians treating patients with COVID-19 were seen more positively and as deserving higher pay; they appeared more competent, caring, likable, and were more likely to be chosen as a caregiver compared to physicians not treating patients with COVID-19. The expressed emotions of physicians had a strong impact on how they were perceived, yet this effect was largely unrelated to whether they treated patients with COVID-19 or not such that happy physicians seemed more empathetic, caring, and likable than the physicians who showed negative emotions. Positive regard toward physicians treating patients with COVID-19 was associated with the fact that they were seen as saving lives and not due to the risk imposed by their work.


Who receives food stamps during adulthood? Analyzing repeatable events with incomplete event histories.
Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) from 1968 to 2005, we estimate the cumulative probability that young adults in the United States will receive food stamps during adulthood, and examine how that probability varies with an individual's income and education at age 25 as well as by race and gender. We find that the probability of first food stamp receipt as an adult declines sharply with age, indicating that most adult recipients do so by age 40. Also, those receiving food stamps in early adulthood are likely to receive them again. For these reasons, and because food stamp receipt is a repeatable event, life table analyses that include individuals who are not observed until after they become exposed to the risk of food stamp receipt (whom we label "late entrants") are likely to overstate cumulative participation during adulthood. For example, one often-cited study included individuals who enter their sample after age 20 (late entrants) and report that 50.8% of 20-year-olds are recipients by age 65. In contrast, when we exclude late entrants, we find that 39.2% of 20-year-olds and 29.7% of 25-year-olds receive benefits during adulthood.


Prediction of maximum expiratory flow rate from area-transmural pressure curve of compressed airway.
The site of greatest airway deformation in dog lungs was located during maximum expiratory flow by use of tantalum bronchography, fiberoptic bronchoscopy, and airway pressure measurements. A series of area vs. transmural pressure curves for each of these segments of the airway was produced after stepwise changes in transmural pressure. Measurements of area were made using cinephotography to elucidate the effect of time on airway compliance. The maximum flow rate was calculated using the t = 0.1 s compliance curve of the airway. An equation was derived so that maximum flow (V) could be calculated from the area (A) and transmural pressure (Ptm) of the flow-limiting segment. This equation, V = K-A square root of Ptm, implied that if V were constant then A must vary as Ptm-1/2. It was demonstrated that the area-transmural pressure curve of the flow-limiting segment showed this relationship between A and Ptm and that the flow calculated from this equation and the data from the A-Ptm curve gave flows identical to those measured during maximum expiration. The phenomena of effort-independent flow and negative effort dependence are also explained in terms of the area-transmural pressure curve of the flow-limiting segment.


Zolpidem and driving impairment.
Zolpidem, a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic, was identified in the blood of 29 subjects arrested for impaired driving. Zolpidem concentrations ranged from 0.05 to 1.4 mg/L (mean 0.29 mg/L, median 0.19 mg/L). In the subjects whose cases we reviewed where zolpidem was present with other drugs and/or alcohol, symptoms reported were generally those of CNS depression. Symptoms included slow movements and reactions, slow and slurred speech, poor coordination, lack of balance, flaccid muscle tone, and horizontal and vertical gaze nystagmus. In five separate cases, where zolpidem was the only drug detected (0.08-1.40 mg/L, mean 0.65 mg/L, median 0.47 mg/L), signs of impairment included slow and slurred speech, slow reflexes, disorientation, lack of balance and coordination, and "blacking out." Although no quantitative relationship between blood concentrations and degree of driving impairment is currently possible, it is reasonable to conclude that because of its specific activity as a sleep inducer, blood concentrations consistent with therapeutic doses of zolpidem have the potential to affect driving in a negative way, and that concentrations above the normal therapeutic range would further impair a person's level of consciousness and driving ability.


'It's not that we hate you': understanding children's gender attitudes and expectancies about peer relationships.
Widespread gender segregation, evident throughout elementary school, seems to imply that girls and boys have negative feelings and thoughts about one another, and classic theories of inter-group processes support this idea. However, research has generally overlooked children's feelings and perceptions about gender-related interpersonal interactions. This paper investigates the nature of children's attitudes about same- and other-gender peers, and explores how those attitudes relate to the expectancies and beliefs children hold about same- and other-gender peer interactions. Children (N= 98 fifth graders) completed questionnaires assessing their global liking of own- and other-gender peers (Yee & Brown, 1994), positive and negative attitudes about own- and other-gender peers, and outcome expectancies related to interacting with own- and other-gender peers. Results indicated that rather than being characterized by out-group negativity, children's inter-group gender attitudes are best characterized by an in-group positivity bias. Children's positive and negative affective attitudes were also significantly associated with outcome expectancies. In contrast, global liking of own- and other-gender peers was less predictive of outcome expectancies. Thus, the greater specificity of the affective attitude measures appeared to be a more predictive and potentially fruitful gauge of children's feelings about own- and other-gender peers. Results are discussed in terms of the need for finer grained and more extensive studies of children's gender-related feelings and cognitions about own- and other-gender peers.


Antioxidant and hypocholesterolaemic effects of Terminalia arjuna tree-bark powder: a randomised placebo-controlled trial.
To evaluate the antioxidant and hypocholesterolaemic effects of Terminalia arjuna tree bark (a popular cardiotonic substance in Indian pharmacopoeia) and to compare it with a known antioxidant, vitamin E, we performed a randomized controlled trial. One hundred and five successive patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) presenting to our centre were recruited and using a Latin-square design divided into 3 groups of 35 each. The groups were matched for age, lifestyle and dietary variables, clinical diagnosis and drug treatment status. None of the patients was on lipid-lowering drugs. Supplemental vitamins were stopped for one month before study began and American Heart Association Step II dietary advice was given to all. At baseline, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL and LDL cholesterol and lipid peroxide estimated as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were determined. Group I received placebo capsules; Group II vitamin E capsules 400 units/day; and Group III received finely pulverized T. arjuna tree bark-powder (500 mg) in capsules daily. Lipids and lipid peroxide levels were determined at 30 days follow-up. Response rate in various groups varied from 86% to 91%. No significant changes in total, HDL, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides levels were seen in Groups I and II (paired t-test p > 0.05). In Group III there was a significant decrease in total cholesterol (-9.7 +/- 12.7%), and LDL cholesterol (-15.8 +/- 25.6%) (paired t-test p < 0.01). Lipid peroxide levels decreased significantly in both the treatment groups (p < 0.01). This decrease was more in vitamin E group (-36.4 +/- 17.7%) as compared to the T. arjuna group (-29.3 +/- 18.9%). Terminalia arjuna tree bark powder has significant antioxidant action that is comparable to vitamin E. In addition, it also has a significant hypocholesterolaemic effect.


Deceleration of supersonic beams using inhomogeneous electric and magnetic fields.
Methods for the production of cold atomic and molecular samples relying on the deceleration of pulsed supersonic beams are described and a review of the corresponding literature is presented. These methods include multistage Stark deceleration, multistage Zeeman deceleration, and Rydberg-Stark deceleration. Recent applications of the cold samples produced with these techniques are summarized.


Astrocytes shape axonal signaling.
Axons perform two major functions that underlie the electrical activity of neurons. They generate action potentials in the axon initial segment and enable propagation of action potentials to the presynaptic terminal to trigger chemical signaling to postsynaptic neurons. The action potential waveform can be modulated by intrinsic factors such as axon geometry or biophysical properties that eventually enhance neurotransmitter release. This view has been extended by new evidence showing that extrinsic signals arising from astrocytes also control the action potential waveform and influence synaptic strength. This plasticity is independent of the tripartite structure formed by astrocytes with the neuronal pre- and postsynaptic elements. By shaping axonal action potential waveform, astrocytes act as extrinsic instructors of glutamatergic transmission in the hippocampus.


The effects of the phospholipase D-antagonist 1-butanol on seedling development and microtubule organisation in Arabidopsis.
The organisation of plant microtubules into distinct arrays during the cell cycle requires interactions with partner proteins. Having recently identified a 90-kDa phospholipase D (PLD) that associates with microtubules and the plasma membrane [Gardiner et al. (2001) Plant Cell 13: 2143], we exposed seeds and young seedlings of Arabidopsis to 1-butanol, a specific inhibitor of PLD-dependent production of the signalling molecule phosphatidic acid (PA). When added to agar growth media, 0.2% 1-butanol strongly inhibited the emergence of the radicle and cotyledons, while 0.4% 1-butanol effectively blocked germination. When normal seedlings were transferred onto media containing 0.2% and 0.4% 1-butanol, the inhibitor retarded root growth by about 40% and 90%, respectively, by reducing cell elongation. Inhibited plants showed significant swelling in the root elongation zone, bulbous or branched root hairs, and modified cotyledon morphology. Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy of root tips revealed that 1-butanol disrupted the organisation of interphase cortical microtubules. Butanol isomers that do not inhibit PLD-dependent PA production, 2- and 3-butanol, had no effect on seed germination, seedling growth, or microtubule organisation. We propose that production of PA by PLD may be required for normal microtubule organisation and hence normal growth in Arabidopsis.


Role of Aldosterone and Potassium Levels in Sparing Confirmatory Tests in Primary Aldosteronism.
The current clinical guidelines suggest that confirmatory tests for primary aldosteronism (PA) may be excluded in some of patients who have elevated plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) under plasma renin suppression. However, this has low-priority evidence and is under debate in use of serum potassium. This study aimed to investigate an appropriate setting for sparing confirmatory tests in PA. A retrospective cross-sectional study in a single referral center. This study included 327 patients who had hypertension under plasma renin suppression and underwent the captopril challenge test (CCT) between January 2007 and April 2019. CCT results were used to diagnose PA. Diagnostic value of PAC and serum potassium in confirmation of PA. Of the studied patients, 252 of 327 (77%) were diagnosed with PA. All 61 patients with PAC > 30 ng/dL were diagnosed with PA. In patients with PAC between 20 and 30 ng/dL, 44 of 55 (80%) were diagnosed with PA, while all 26 with PAC between 20 to 30 ng/dL who had spontaneous hypokalemia were diagnosed with PA. The proportion of unilateral PA determined by adrenal vein sampling (AVS) was higher in patients who had PAC > 30 ng/dL or those with spontaneous hypokalemia who had PAC between 20 and 30 ng/dL than those who did not meet the criteria (76% vs. 17%, P < .001). Confirmatory tests in PA could be spared in patients who have typical features of PA and these patients had a high probability of unilateral PA on AVS.


Dorsogluteal intramuscular injection depth needed to reach muscle tissue according to body mass index and gender: A systematic review.
The objective of this systematic review was to determine the needle length required to reach the dorsogluteal muscle based on body mass index and sex. Our aim was to provide evidence-based recommendations to current intramuscular injection guidelines from the result(s) of this review. Studies worldwide are documenting reduced medication effectiveness due to improperly placed dorsogluteal intramuscular injections because of incorrect needle length, wrong site selection and/or obesity. Current intramuscular injection guidelines lack specific instructions according to weight or sex. While there are similar concerns with other injectable sites, this review focuses solely on adult dorsogluteal intramuscular injections. A systematic review of relevant literature of dorsogluteal intramuscular injections based on body mass index and sex. This systematic review was reported using the PRISMA checklist 2020. The review protocol was registered with Center for Open Science (OSF). We analysed 1,412 articles from nine databases. We compared twelve studies that utilised computerised tomography or ultrasonography using The Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice Model and Guidelines. A significant number of dorsogluteal intramuscular injections are administered into subcutaneous tissue rather than muscle because needles are too short for populations with body mass indexes over 25, especially women. Poor landmarking often results in improperly placed injections. To prevent administering a dorsogluteal intramuscular injection into subcutaneous tissue, women with a BMI of 25 and over require needles longer than 38 mm (1.5 inches). Men have less subcutaneous tissue in the dorsogluteal area and only require longer needles if BMI is 35 and over. If skin-to-muscle depth is questionable in either sex, an ultrasound-guided intramuscular injection is warranted for accurate dorsogluteal placement. Landmarking and needle length are key to appropriately placed IM injections. Dorsogluteal injections are often injected into subcutaneous tissue rather than muscle because needles are not long enough to reach muscle, especially in women. Critical elements that determine placement of intramuscular injections into muscle versus subcutaneous tissue are sex, BMI, needle length and landmarking. Medications delivered into subcutaneous tissue may have reduced bioavailability.


Maturation of dendritic cells infected by recombinant adenovirus can be delayed without impact on transgene expression.
Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to dendritic cells is highly efficient and often used, but the relationship among cell maturation, viral infection and expression of a transferred gene remains unclear. To study this relationship, we introduced a recombinant replication-defective adenovirus encoding the gene for green fluorescent protein to normal human immature myeloid dendritic cells. We induced maturation by the addition of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6 and prostaglandin E2 to the medium and assessed cell maturity by the levels of the secreted p40 subunit of IL-12 and of membrane-bound CD83. We quantified the efficiency of gene expression by GFP fluorescence and analyzed the data by a mixed-model analysis of variance; the model explained more than 97% of the effects. CD83 expression and p40 secretion depended solely on incubation time and maturation medium. The cells cultured in the absence of maturation medium remained immature and maintained the ability to respond to the later addition of the maturation irrespective of adenovirus infection and transferred gene expression. This expression was independent of cell maturation. In comparison with mature cells, the transferred gene was expressed in immature dendritic cells with a lag compatible with the less effective initial step (infection and/or gene transfer) in the absence of the maturation medium rather than less effective later GFP synthesis. Expression of CD83 and p40 were unaffected by adenovirus infection and transferred gene expression. Thus, immature dendritic cells infected with recombinant adenoviruses can be matured when desired after transferred gene expression.


Regulation of human neuronal calcium channels by G protein betagamma subunits expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells.
We examined the ability of different G protein subunits to inhibit the activity of human alpha1B and alpha1E Ca2+ channels stably expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells together with beta1B and alpha2Bdelta Ca2+ channel subunits. Under normal conditions, Ca2+ currents in alpha1B-expressing cells showed little facilitation after a depolarizing prepulse. However, when we overexpressed the beta2gamma2 subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins, the time course of activation of the Ca2+ currents was considerably slowed and a depolarizing prepulse produced a large facilitation of the current as well as an acceleration in its time course of activation. Similar effects were not observed when cells were transfected with constitutively active mutants of the G protein alpha subunits alpha s, alpha i1, and alpha o or with the G protein beta2 and gamma2 subunits alone. Studies carried out in cells expressing alpha1E currents showed that overexpression of beta2gamma2 subunits produced pre-pulse facilitation, although this was of lesser magnitude than that observed with Ca2+ currents in alpha1B-expressing cells. The subunits beta2 and gamma2 alone produced no effects, nor did constitutively active alpha s, alpha i1, and alpha o subunits. Phorbol esters enhanced alpha1E Ca2+ currents but had no effect on alpha1B currents, suggesting that protein kinase C activation was not responsible for the observed effects. When alpha1E Ca2+ currents were expressed without their beta subunits, they exhibited prepulse facilitation. These results demonstrate that alpha1E Ca2+ currents are less susceptible to direct modulation by G proteins than alpha1B currents and illustrate the antagonistic interactions between Ca2+ channel beta subunits and G proteins.


Experiences of older vulnerable people with ischemic heart disease and their peer mentors: A qualitative process evaluation.
To understand the content and context of a realized peer mentor intervention, and to explore how mentors and mentees experienced the intervention. The study was designed as a qualitative process evaluation of a 24-week peer mentor intervention. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted from November 2021 to May 2022 in a purposeful sample of older vulnerable people with ischemic heart disease, referred to as mentees (n = 13), and their peer mentors (n = 12). Thematic analysis was used to analyse, categorize and interpret interview data. Five themes captured the content and context of the peer mentor intervention as experienced by mentors and mentees. 'Takes one to know one', stressing the importance of the mentor-mentee matching process; 'Varying demand for mentors', illustrating the difficulties in predicting who has the greatest need for mentoring; 'Varying degree of familiarity', describing the mentor-mentee relationship as a continuum from formal mentor to informal friend; 'Putting the patient first', illustrating how mentors support mentees based on their personal experiences of successful recovery while letting the mentee set the pace and goals; and 'Varying view of success', showing how intervention success is perceived differently by mentors and mentees. The study provides new knowledge on how and under what contextual circumstances a mentor intervention works. These findings are important for the implementation of future peer mentor interventions to achieve successful peer mentor support. Non-attendance and drop-out from the cardiac rehabilitation program are prevalent problems among older vulnerable people with cardiovascular disease. This study describes a low-cost peer mentor intervention that can support this group of patients. Standards for reporting qualitative research (SRQR) guided our study. A board of cardiovascular patients have contributed to the development and implementation of the intervention being evaluated.


[Magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) of the adrenals].
Thirty-eight MRT examinations were carried out in 35 patients who, between them, had 19 abnormalities in the adrenal glands. These included ten adenomas, three metastases, two carcinomas, two phaeochromocytomas, and two primary retroperitoneal tumours. MRT provides images of normal and abnormal adrenal glands which are equivalent to those of CT, with the exception that it cannot demonstrate calcification. Using a ratio of signal intensity from the adrenal tumours and the liver on T2-weighted images, it is usually possible to differentiate adenomas from metastases, carcinomas or phaeochromocytomas. The increased specificity of MRT is valuable in the investigation of patients with asymptomatic enlargement of the adrenal glands.


Grafting aptamers onto gold nanostars increases in vitro efficacy in a wide range of cancer cell types.
We report the design of a nanoconstruct that can function as a cell-type independent agent by targeting the ubiquitous protein nucleolin. Gold nanostars (AuNS) loaded with high densities of nucleolin-specific DNA aptamer AS1411 (Apt-AuNS) produced anticancer effects in a panel of 12 cancer lines containing four representative subcategories. We found that the nanoconstructs could be internalized by cancer cells and trafficked to perinuclear regions. Apt-AuNS resulted in downregulation of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 mRNA expression by ca. 200% compared to cells without the nanoconstructs. The caspase 3/7 activity (apoptosis) and cell death in cancer cells treated with Apt-AuNS increased by 1.5 times and by ca. 17%, respectively, compared to cells treated with free AS1411 at over 10 times the concentration. Moreover, light-triggered release of aptamer from the AuNS further enhanced the in vitro efficacy of the nanoconstructs in the cancer line panel with a 2-fold increase in caspase activity and a 40% decrease in cell viability compared to treatment with Apt-AuNS only. In contrast, treatments of the nanoconstructs with or without light-triggered release on a panel of normal cell lines had no adverse effects.


Psychoactive drug use among overweight psychiatric patients: problems aspects of anorectic drugs.
The relationship between anorectic drug (stimulant) treatment and subsequent drug abuse in overweight individuals has often been discussed but seldom systematically studied. One hypothesis is that anorectic treatment promotes the likelihood of drug-abuse patterns. The present study involved a group of overweight psychiatric patients (n=91) who were compared on the basis of whether or not they had used anorectic drugs in the past year and also whether or not they were currently using any form of psychoactive drugs. It was found that the use of anorectic drugs was mainly associated with weight problems, such as dieting difficulties, but not with amount of overweight. Anorectic use and other weight-problem variables do not seem to be strongly related to the psychiatric patient's drug problems.


Improved rat model for studying Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.
Sprague-Dawley rats treated for 8 weeks with cortisone acetate (25 mg per rat twice weekly) were immunosuppressed to variable degrees. A total of 55% lost over 12% of their initial body weight, had cortisol concentrations in serum more than five times greater than those of the controls, and had markedly depressed ratios of helper to non-helper T cells, in both the spleen and peripheral blood. Animals that gained weight during immunosuppression had cortisol concentrations in serum only three times higher than those of the controls, had normal ratios of helper to non-helper T cells in the spleen, and had only modestly reduced T-cell ratios in peripheral blood. The degree of Pneumocystis pneumonia was evaluated in impression smears and sections of lungs taken from immunosuppressed rats. Pneumocystis infections were more severe in the rats that showed the greatest weight loss. Weight change during immunosuppression may therefore be used as a reliable means for predicting the degree of Pneumocystis infection in living rats. This protocol allows the selection of uniformly infected rats for studies assessing drug therapy of Pneumocystis pneumonia.


Variants of the adiponectin and adiponectin receptor 1 genes and breast cancer risk.
Breast cancer risk is higher among obese women and women with diabetes. Adiponectin is a protein exclusively secreted by adipose tissue, circulating levels of which have been associated with breast cancer risk. Whether genetic variants within the adiponectin pathway are associated with breast cancer risk is unknown. To explore the association of genetic variants of the adiponectin (ADIPOQ) and adiponectin receptor 1 (ADIPOR1) genes with breast cancer risk, we conducted a case control study of female patients with breast cancer and healthy female controls from New York City recruited between 1999 and 2004. We genotyped 733 hospital-based breast cancer cases and 839 controls for 10 haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of ADIPOQ and ADIPOR1. Two ADIPOQ SNPs (rs2241766 and rs1501299), which have been associated with circulating levels of adiponectin, were associated with breast cancer risk [rs1501299*GG: odd ratios (OR), 1.80; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.14-2.85; rs2241766*TG: OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.46-0.80]. One ADIPOR1 SNP (rs7539542), which modulates expression of adiponectin receptor 1 mRNA, was also associated with breast cancer risk (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.28-0.92). Based on the known function of rs2241766 and rs1501299, we categorized individuals by adiponectin signaling status and found that, when compared with high signalers, intermediate signalers had a 4.16-fold increase in breast cancer risk (95% CI, 0.49-35.19), and low signalers had a 6.56-fold increase in breast cancer risk (95% CI, 0.78-54.89; P(trend) = 0.001). This is the first report of an association between functionally relevant variants of the adiponectin pathway and breast cancer risk. The results warrant further studies of the adiponectin pathway in breast cancer.


SCAR: Single-cell and Spatially-resolved Cancer Resources.
Advances in sequencing and imaging technologies offer a unique opportunity to unravel cell heterogeneity and develop new immunotherapy strategies for cancer research. There is an urgent need for a resource that effectively integrates a vast amount of transcriptomic profiling data to comprehensively explore cancer tissue heterogeneity and the tumor microenvironment. In this context, we developed the Single-cell and Spatially-resolved Cancer Resources (SCAR) database, a combined tumor spatial and single-cell transcriptomic platform, which is freely accessible at http://22.214.171.124/SCAR2023 or http://scaratlas.com. SCAR contains spatial transcriptomic data from 21 tumor tissues and single-cell transcriptomic data from 11 301 352 cells encompassing 395 cancer subtypes and covering a wide variety of tissues, organoids, and cell lines. This resource offers diverse functional modules to address key cancer research questions at multiple levels, including the screening of tumor cell types, metabolic features, cell communication and gene expression patterns within the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, SCAR enables the analysis of biomarker expression patterns and cell developmental trajectories. SCAR also provides a comprehensive analysis of multi-dimensional datasets based on 34 state-of-the-art omics techniques, serving as an essential tool for in-depth mining and understanding of cell heterogeneity and spatial location. The implications of this resource extend to both cancer biology research and cancer immunotherapy development.


Attenuated Post-Movement Beta Rebound Associated With Schizotypal Features in Healthy People.
Schizophrenia and schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) lie on a single spectrum of mental illness and converging evidence suggests similarities in the etiology of the 2 conditions. However, schizotypy is a heterogeneous facet of personality in the healthy population and so may be seen as a bridge between health and mental illness. Neural evidence for such a continuity would have implications for the characterization and treatment of schizophrenia. Based on our previous work identifying a relationship between symptomology in schizophrenia and abnormal movement-induced electrophysiological response (the post-movement beta rebound [PMBR]), we predicted that if subclinical schizotypy arises from similar neural mechanisms to schizophrenia, schizotypy in healthy individuals would be associated with reduced PMBR. One-hundred sixteen participants completed a visuomotor task while their neural activity was recorded by magnetoencephalography. Partial correlations were computed between a measure of PMBR extracted from left primary motor cortex and scores on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), a self-report measure of schizotypal personality. Correlations between PMBR and SPQ factor scores measuring cognitive-perceptual, interpersonal and disorganization dimensions of schizotypy were also computed. Effects of site, age, and sex were controlled for. We found a significant negative correlation between total SPQ score and PMBR. This was most strongly mediated by variance shared between interpersonal and disorganization factor scores. These findings indicate a continuum of neural deficit between schizotypy and schizophrenia, with diminution of PMBR, previously reported in schizophrenia, also measurable in individuals with schizotypal features, particularly disorganization and impaired interpersonal relations.


Validation of the AVITA BPM17 wrist blood pressure monitor for home blood pressure monitoring according to the European Society of Hypertension International Protocol revision 2010.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of the automated oscillometric wrist blood pressure monitor AVITA BPM17 for home blood pressure monitoring according to the International Protocol of the European Society of Hypertension revision 2010. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were sequentially measured in 33 adult Chinese (19 men, 45.7 years of mean age) using a mercury sphygmomanometer (two observers) and the AVITA BPM17 device (one supervisor). Ninety-nine pairs of comparisons were obtained from 33 participants for judgments in two parts with three grading phases. The AVITA BPM17 device achieved the targets in part 1 of the validation study. The number of absolute differences between device and observers within 5, 10, and 15 mmHg was 94/99, 98/99, and 98/99, respectively, for systolic blood pressure and 92/99, 99/99, and 99/99, respectively, for diastolic blood pressure. The device also fulfilled the criteria in part 2 of the validation study. Overall, 32 participants for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively, had at least two of the three device-observerss differences within 5 mmHg (required ≥24). None had all the three device-observers comparisons greater than 5 mmHg for systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The AVITA wrist blood pressure monitor BPM17 has passed the requirements of the International Protocol revision 2010, and hence can be recommended for home use in adults.


[The main stages and prospects of investigation of occupational loss of hearing in the flight personnel of civilian aviation].
The objective of the present paper is to review the main stages of investigations into the mechanisms of occupational loss of hearing in the light personnel of civilian aviation starting from the early period in the development of aviation (the first decades of the XXth century) up to the present time. Much attention is given to clinical and audiologic studies involving the flight personnel, elaboration of guidelines and instructions on elucidation, diagnosis, and expert examination of occupational deafness in the personnel of civilian aviation. Prospects for handling the problem in this country are discussed.


The case of pretense: observing actions and inferring goals.
When we observe an action, we know almost immediately what goal is pursued by the actor. Strikingly, this applies also to pretend action (pantomime), which provides relevant information about the manipulation itself but not about the manipulated objects. The present fMRI study addressed the issue of goal inference from pretend action as compared with real action. We found differences as well as commonalities for the brain correlates of inferring goals from both types of action. They differed with regard to the weights of the underlying action observation network, indicating the exploitation of object information in the case of real actions and manipulation information in the case of pretense. However, goal inferences from manipulation information resulted in a common network for both real and pretend action. Interestingly, this latter network also comprised areas that are not identified by action observation and that might be due to the processing of scene gist and to the evaluation of fit of putative action goals. These findings suggest that observation of pretense emphasizes the requirement to internally simulate the observed act but rule out fundamental differences of how observers cope with real and pretend action.


Diagnostic accuracy of cytokine levels (TNF-alpha, IL-2 and IFN-gamma) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis patients.
The determination of cytokine concentrations in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) may contribute to the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) since cytokines have been ascribed an important role in TB pathogenesis. To assess the diagnostic accuracy of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma and IL-2 levels in serum and BALF of smear-negative pulmonary TB patients. BALF was obtained from the affected lobe in patients with smear-negative TB or other pulmonary diseases (OPD), and from the right middle lobe in healthy controls. ELISA and a nephelometric method were used to detect cytokine and albumin levels. TNF-alpha levels in BALF were significantly elevated in the TB group (n = 15) compared with the OPD patients (n = 40) and controls (n = 17; p < 0.001). Although these three cytokines correlated well with each other in BALF (p < 0.0001, and r >or= 0.7, respectively), BALF IL-2 and IFN-gamma levels were not significantly different among the groups (p > 0.05). BALF TNF-alpha or IFN-gamma levels were significantly higher in patients with cavitary disease (n = 11) versus those without (n = 61; p < 0.05). However, no significant difference was found between cavitary (n = 7) and non-cavitary TB in cytokine levels (p > 0.05). Neither gender nor smoking status showed any statistical differences in cytokines in the groups (p > 0.05). Sensitivity and specificity of BALF TNF-alpha were found to be 73 and 76%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values for BALF TNF-alpha were 44 and 91%, respectively. In cases of smear-negative TB, BALF TNF-alpha can be a useful tool to identify healthy subjects rather than smear-negative TB patients.


Subintimal hemorrhage in an unruptured superior cerebellar artery aneurysm: prelude to rupture: case report.
An intracranial aneurysm that hemorrhages into the subintimal layer of the blood vessel is a rare clinical entity. Such a hemorrhage is distinct from dissecting aneurysms or pseudoaneurysms of the cerebral circulation and may represent an aneurysm in the process of rupturing. The authors report their experience in the management of a patient who presented with a subintimal hemorrhage of a superior cerebellar aneurysm. A 54-year-old man presented with a progressively worsening headache over the course of 3 days. A noncontrast computed tomographic scan did not demonstrate subarachnoid hemorrhage but was suggestive of a posterior circulation aneurysm. In the absence of subarachnoid hemorrhage on the computed tomographic scan, negative findings for xanthochromia in the cerebrospinal fluid, and no evidence of subarachnoid blood on magnetic resonance imaging, a conventional four-vessel cerebral angiogram was performed, which revealed a right superior cerebellar artery aneurysm. Further evaluation on magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated abnormal signal conforming to the aneurysm wall, suggesting the presence of a contained subintimal hemorrhage. The patient underwent a right frontotemporal craniotomy (half-and-half approach) for clip ligation of the superior cerebellar artery aneurysm. Subintimal hemorrhage of an aneurysm in the absence of subarachnoid hemorrhage may be conceptually considered an aneurysm in the process of rupturing. Thus, aneurysms found in the acute setting may benefit from further workup, such as magnetic resonance imaging or highly selective angiographic evaluation of the aneurysm itself. Timely surgical intervention may prevent otherwise imminent rupture into the subarachnoid space.


[The effect of straw in ground and pelleted form on the rumen fermentation and protozoa].
Cows possessing a large ruminal fistula were fed straw meal and pelleted wheat straw to investigate its effect on ruminal fermentation (concentration of NH3 and volatile fatty acids (FFS), pH, molar proportions of FFS, rates of FFS production) and on the protozoa population. The straw-concentrate mixture used in the present trial contained 40% of straw. The feeding of pelleted straw produced a significant rise in FFS concentrations (from 8.8. to 12.3 mMole/100 ml) and a corresponding decline of pH (from 6.7 to 6.1). With high molar proportions of acetate (72 mole%) the influence of the straw diet on molar FFS proportions was low. The NH3 peak observed 1 hr after feeding was higher with the pelleted straw than with the straw meal. The feeding of finely gound straw produced a higher level of FFS production (by 10%) than that of straw pellets. (3.88 and 4.29 mMole per gm DM). The number of protozoa (per ml of ruminal fluid) was 335,000 (straw meal) and 121,833 (pellets). The number of large infusorial cells (Isotricha, Diplodinium, Ophryoscolex) decreased correspondingly from 70,000 (straw meal) to 18,870 per ml (pellets). These results suggest that the feeding of pelleted straw-concentrate mixtures to cows as sole feed will not bring about optimum conditions for ruminal fermentation (FFS formation, protein synthesis) and for the layering of ruminal contents.


Peripheral vascular malformations - modern imaging.
Currently the major aim in peripheral vascular malformation diagnosis, crucial for subsequent management and treatment, is to identify its haemodynamic characteristics. Other significant features that should be specified by a radiologist are the exact location of the anomaly, its size, and its morphology. Until recently the diagnostic methods available for comprehensive evaluation of malformations have been rather limited. Moreover, they were often associated with the necessity of exposing the patient to X-ray radiation and with invasive procedures, as for example in angiography. The development of imaging techniques used in the diagnosis of vascular abnormalities in recent years, especially magnetic resonance imaging, has contributed to improved diagnostic value of the tests. In this article we review the currently available imaging modalities with particular consideration of magnetic resonance imaging and its capability to distinguish between high- and low-flow malformations.


A Review of Pathogens, Diseases, and Contaminants of Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) in North America.
Over the last 50 years, significant muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) harvest declines have been observed throughout North America. Several theories for the decline have been proposed, including increased parasite infections and disease within muskrat populations. No existing wholistic review of muskrat exposure to pathogens, contaminants, and diseases exists. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a thorough review of existing literature on muskrat pathogens, contaminants, and diseases across their natural range. This review is comprised of 131 articles from 1915 to 2019 and from 27 U.S. states and 9 Canadian provinces. A wide diversity of contaminants, toxins, and pathogens were reported in muskrats, with the most common diseases being cysticercosis, tularemia, Tyzzer's disease, and biotoxin poisoning from cyanobacteria. This review provides a summary of muskrat pathogens, contaminants, and diseases over a century that has observed significant population declines throughout the species' range in North America. Such data provide a baseline for understanding the potential role of disease in these declines. In addition, these data highlight critical knowledge gaps that warrant future research efforts.


[Formation of complexes between DNA and cationic amphiphile molecules by the fluorescent probe method].
The formation of complexes of DNA with dodecylamine, dodecyltrimethylammonium, tetradecyltrimethylammonium, and hexadecyltrimethylammonium was studied using a fluorescent probe pyrene. The dependences of the spectral parameters of the hydrophobic pyrene probe on the concentration of the cationic amphiphile in the presence and absence of DNA were obtained and analyzed. It is shown that, in the absence of DNA, these dependences exhibit only one S-shaped region, which corresponds to the micelle formation of the amphiphile, whereas in the presence of DNA there are two S-shaped regions, which indicates the cooperative formation of two types of DNA-cationic amphiphile complexes. For each of the four cationic amphiphiles, the critical concentrations for the micelle formation in the absence of DNA (C0) and the concentrations at which the first (Cd1) and the second complex with DNA are formed were determined. It was found that the Cd1 value is 15-40 times lower than C0. The Cd1 value does not depend on DNA concentration and is determined only by the length of the hydrocarbon chain and the structure of the amphiphile ionic fragment. The Cd1 value increases as the length of the aliphatic chain decreases and upon replacement of mobile hydrogen atoms in the ammonium fragment by methyl groups. It was shown that hydrophobic clusters of amphiphile arising upon complex formation with DNA play the role of cross-links promoting DNA aggregation, or DNA compactization in the case of dilute solution of high-molecular weight DNA. The structures of the first and second DNA-cationic amphiphile complexes are proposed, and the mechanism and nature of interactions that determine their formation are discussed.


Inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase in inflammatory arthritis.
There is considerable evidence that excessive nitric oxide (NO) synthesized from L-arginine by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) plays an important pathological role in inflammatory arthritis. Since NO synthesized by constitutive isoforms of NOS has a physiological role, a great deal of activity has been directed at identifying inhibitors of NOS that are selective for the induced isoform. The major chemical areas that have been described so far in the search for such selective iNOS inhibitors and the activity of some of these compounds in animal models of arthritis are reviewed.


Mental health problems in undocumented and documented migrants: a survey study.
Undocumented migrants (UM) frequently report mental health problems. It is unknown to what extent these migrants seek help for these problems in general practice and how these issues are explored, discussed, registered and treated by GPs. To gain insight in the registration and treatment of mental health problems in general practice of UM compared to documented migrants (DM). A survey study of general practice patient records of UM and DM in nine general practices in the Netherlands. Consultation rates, registration of mental health problems, prescription of psychotropic medication and referrals to mental health care institutions of UM and DM patients were compared. A total of 541 migrants were included (325 UM and 216 DM). UM consulted a GP significantly less than DM (3.1 versus 4.9 times per year). Only 20.6% of the UM had at least one mental health problem diagnosis registered compared to 44.0% of the DM. In both groups, ~10% mentioned at least one main mental health complaint during the consultation that was not coded in the record. No significant differences were found in the prescription of psychotropic medication between the two groups. UM were referred less to mental health care institutions but more often to psychiatrists than to psychologists. UM had less consultations with their GP, and in these consultations, less mental health problems were registered. UM were referred less to psychologists but more often to psychiatrists. GPs are advised to explore and register mental health problems more actively in UM.


Trends in Thyroid Cancer Incidence and Mortality in the United States, 1974-2013.
Thyroid cancer incidence has increased substantially in the United States over the last 4 decades, driven largely by increases in papillary thyroid cancer. It is unclear whether the increasing incidence of papillary thyroid cancer has been related to thyroid cancer mortality trends. To compare trends in thyroid cancer incidence and mortality by tumor characteristics at diagnosis. Trends in thyroid cancer incidence and incidence-based mortality rates were evaluated using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-9 (SEER-9) cancer registry program, and annual percent change in rates was calculated using log-linear regression. Tumor characteristics. Annual percent changes in age-adjusted thyroid cancer incidence and incidence-based mortality rates by histologic type and SEER stage for cases diagnosed during 1974-2013. Among 77 276 patients (mean [SD] age at diagnosis, 48 [16] years; 58 213 [75%] women) diagnosed with thyroid cancer from 1974-2013, papillary thyroid cancer was the most common histologic type (64 625 cases), and 2371 deaths from thyroid cancer occurred during 1994-2013. Thyroid cancer incidence increased, on average, 3.6% per year (95% CI, 3.2%-3.9%) during 1974-2013 (from 4.56 per 100 000 person-years in 1974-1977 to 14.42 per 100 000 person-years in 2010-2013), primarily related to increases in papillary thyroid cancer (annual percent change, 4.4% [95% CI, 4.0%-4.7%]). Papillary thyroid cancer incidence increased for all SEER stages at diagnosis (4.6% per year for localized, 4.3% per year for regional, 2.4% per year for distant, 1.8% per year for unknown). During 1994-2013, incidence-based mortality increased 1.1% per year (95% CI, 0.6%-1.6%) (from 0.40 per 100 000 person-years in 1994-1997 to 0.46 per 100 000 person-years in 2010-2013) overall and 2.9% per year (95% CI, 1.1%-4.7%) for SEER distant stage papillary thyroid cancer. Among patients in the United States diagnosed with thyroid cancer from 1974-2013, the overall incidence of thyroid cancer increased 3% annually, with increases in the incidence rate and thyroid cancer mortality rate for advanced-stage papillary thyroid cancer. These findings are consistent with a true increase in the occurrence of thyroid cancer in the United States.


Towards the prediction of complete protein--protein interaction networks.
We present a statistical method for the prediction of protein--protein interactions within an organism. This approach is based on the treatment of proteins as collections of conserved domains, where each domain is responsible for a specific interaction with another domain. By characterizing the frequency with which specific domain--domain interactions occur within known interactions, our model can assign a probability to an arbitrary interaction between any two proteins with defined domains. Domain interaction data is complemented with information on the topology of a network and is incorporated into the model by assigning greater probabilities to networks displaying more biologically realistic topologies. We use Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques for the prediction of posterior probabilities of interaction between a set of proteins; allowing its application to large data sets. In this work we attempt to predict interactions in a set of 40 human proteins, known to form a connected network, and discuss methods for future improvement.


TMPOP2 Inhibition Suppresses Pancreatic Cancer Cell Migration and Development by Repressing The JNK/STAT3 Pathway.
Pancreatic cancer is a malignancy with a poor prognosis and high mortality. The lincRNA TMPOP2 is highly expressed in gynecological cancers and may exhibit tumor-promoting functions. However, the function of TMPOP2 in pancreatic cancer is limited. TMPOP2 expression in pancreatic cancer and adjacent tissues is analyzed from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GTEx database. It shows the high expression of TMPOP2 in pancreatic cancer tissues. Similar results are observed in resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma tumors and adjacent tissues from 20 patients and the relative cell lines. When the pancreatic cell lines are transfected with si-TMPOP2, it shows that TMPOP2 downregulation inhibits the cells migration and EMT. Furthermore, the potential mechanism is explored by detecting the expression of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), phosphorylated JNK, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and phosphorylated STAT3. It suggests that TMPOP2 knockdown inactivates JNK and STAT3 phosphorylation. When a JNK activator (anisomycin) is added to the cells with si-NC or si-TMPOP2, it can partially reverse the migration and EMT inhibition of the cells with inhibited TMPOP2. TMPOP2 inhibition suppresses the migration and EMT of pancreatic cancer by repressing the JNK/STAT3 pathway. Thus, this may be a novel target for pancreatic cancer therapy.


A comparison of 16 weeks of continuous vs intermittent exercise training in chronic heart failure patients.
The authors compared the effects of continuous (CON) and intermittent (INT) exercise training programs on functional capacity, quality of life (QOL), and cardiac function in 23 congestive heart failure patients. Patients were randomized to CON exercise training (n=13; aged 66±7 years; peak oxygen consumption [VO(2)], 12.4±2.5 mL/kg/min; weight, 83±12 kg; left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF], 29.5%±7.2%) or INT exercise training (n=10; aged 59±11 years; VO(2), 12.2±6.5 mL/kg/min; weight, 87±24 kg; LVEF 27%±7.9%). These groups completed 16 weeks of stationary cycling at 70% VO(2) thrice weekly for 30 minutes continuously or 60 minutes (60 seconds work:60 seconds rest) intermittently; both groups completed the same absolute volume of work. Three QOL questionnaire responses, VO(2), LVEF, and regional tissue Doppler were quantified. After exercise training, VO(2) increased by 13% in the CON group (P=.12) and significantly by 21% in the INT group (P=.03), although not significantly between the groups (P=.72). In the CON group, Minnesota Living With Heart Failure score improved at 16 weeks (P=.02), while in the INT group, Hare-Davis scores improved (P=.02). Cardiac volumes, resting and peak LVEF, contractile reserve, and tissue velocities were all unchanged from baseline. Intermittent exercise may improve functional capacity to a greater extent than continuous exercise. QOL changes were variable between groups.


Synthesis and secretion of hemolysin by Escherichia coli.
Hemolytic Escherichia coli cells were found to synthesize and secrete significant amounts of hemolysin into a mineral salt-glucose medium containing hemoglobin. The release of de novo-synthesized hemolysin was stopped in the presence of energy metabolism inhibitors such as 2,4-dinitrophenol, sodium azide, or potassium cyanide, resulting in an accumulation of intracellular hemolysin. A similar effect was observed in the presence of procaine, a neuroactive drug which inhibits the processing of exoproteins. Small amounts of hemolysin were secreted into the medium within approximately 10 min of inhibition of protein synthesis by chloramphenicol. This represented the final release of preformed periplasmic hemolysin en route to secretion through the outer membrane and was not caused by adsorption of external hemolysin to the cell surface. This secretion was not energy dependent but was inhibited above pH 8 and at low temperatures (10 to 20 degrees C). We concluded that two transport processes are involved in hemolysin secretion. De novo-synthesized hemolysin is extruded by an energy-dependent process through the cytoplasmic membrane and probably requires processing. In the periplasmic space a small internal pool of preformed hemolysin is accumulated temporarily before being transported through the outer membrane. Release of hemolysin through the outer membrane does not require energy or de novo protein synthesis.


RegPhos 2.0: an updated resource to explore protein kinase-substrate phosphorylation networks in mammals.
Protein phosphorylation catalyzed by kinases plays crucial roles in regulating a variety of intracellular processes. Owing to an increasing number of in vivo phosphorylation sites that have been identified by mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics, the RegPhos, available online at http://csb.cse.yzu.edu.tw/RegPhos2/, was developed to explore protein phosphorylation networks in human. In this update, we not only enhance the data content in human but also investigate kinase-substrate phosphorylation networks in mouse and rat. The experimentally validated phosphorylation sites as well as their catalytic kinases were extracted from public resources, and MS/MS phosphopeptides were manually curated from research articles. RegPhos 2.0 aims to provide a more comprehensive view of intracellular signaling networks by integrating the information of metabolic pathways and protein-protein interactions. A case study shows that analyzing the phosphoproteome profile of time-dependent cell activation obtained from Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis, the RegPhos deciphered not only the consistent scheme in B cell receptor (BCR) signaling pathway but also novel regulatory molecules that may involve in it. With an attempt to help users efficiently identify the candidate biomarkers in cancers, 30 microarray experiments, including 39 cancerous versus normal cells, were analyzed for detecting cancer-specific expressed genes coding for kinases and their substrates. Furthermore, this update features an improved web interface to facilitate convenient access to the exploration of phosphorylation networks for a group of genes/proteins. Database URL: http://csb.cse.yzu.edu.tw/RegPhos2/


ERCC1 and XRCC1 as biomarkers for lung and head and neck cancer.
Advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma are both treated with DNA damaging agents including platinum-based compounds and radiation therapy. However, at least one quarter of all tumors are resistant or refractory to these genotoxic agents. Yet the agents are extremely toxic, leading to undesirable side effects with potentially no benefit. Alternative therapies exist, but currently there are no tools to predict whether the first-line genotoxic agents will work in any given patient. To maximize therapeutic success and limit unnecessary toxicity, emerging clinical trials aim to inform personalized treatments tailored to the biology of individual tumors. Worldwide, significant resources have been invested in identifying biomarkers for guiding the treatment of lung and head and neck cancer. DNA repair proteins of the nucleotide excision repair pathway (ERCC1) and of the base excision repair pathway (XRCC1), which are instrumental in clearing DNA damage caused by platinum drugs and radiation, have been extensively studied as potential biomarkers of clinical outcomes in lung and head and neck cancers. The results are complex and contradictory. Here we summarize the current status of single nucleotide polymorphisms, mRNA, and protein expression of ERCC1 and XRCC1 in relation to cancer risk and patient outcomes.


Transbronchial needle aspiration: a systematic review on predictors of a successful aspirate.
Transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) is a safe and useful sampling technique for the diagnosis of mediastinal adenopathies/masses, but its accuracy seems to be influenced by selected clinical and procedural aspects. We performed a systematic review to identify the main predictors of a successful transbronchial aspirate according to different clinical settings. We searched Medline and Embase for all studies evaluating predictors of TBNA diagnostic yield, published up to February 2012. Two authors reviewed all titles/abstracts and retrieved the full text of articles that are potentially relevant to identify studies according to predefined selection criteria. The methodological quality of studies was assessed through the revised Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool. Evidence synthesis was graded according to overall number of studies, patients involved and methodological features. Fifty-three studies, involving more than 8,000 patients and evaluating 23 potential predictive factors, were included. Major predictors in an unselected population, as well as in patients with suspected/known lung cancer, included lymph node size (short axis length ≥ 2 cm), presence of abnormal endoscopic findings, subcarinal and right paratracheal location, and the use of histological needle by an experienced bronchoscopist. Stage I and sampling of more than one lymph node stations were the only predictors of a successful TBNA result in patients with suspected sarcoidosis. The diagnostic yield of TBNA depends on selected clinical and procedural features. Knowledge of factors that predict a positive TBNA result may help optimize the diagnostic success of the procedure in different clinical settings.


Crossed Fused Ectopic Kidney: A Case Report.
Crossed fused ectopic kidney is an unusual congenital malformation of the urinary tract. This condition is usually identified in the autopsy specimen rather than in general clinical scenario. In this condition, both kidneys are located on one side of the midline and are fused with each other. This condition is generally asymptomatic and usually diagnosed as incidental finding. We came across a case of crossed fused left to right ectopia with inferior infusion with nephroptosis. Generally, in cases of crossed fused renal ectopia, one kidney is lower than the other one but in our report, both kidneys were present at the same level. Initially it was thought as cake kidney, but on careful inspection diagnosis of crossed fused left to right ectopia with inferior infusion was made. During workup of abdominal pain, this finding was detected with no gross abnormality except for a tiny calculus. After detailed discussion with the patient, regular follow up was done without any active intervention and during that period he remained clinically and radiologically stable. So in these conditions active intervention is not always mandatory and patient may remain asymptomatic without any intervention.


The effect of subcutaneous r-HuEPO in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy with anemia: a preliminary report.
Chemotherapy-related anemia in cancer patients is often encountered in clinical practice. It can reduce patient's compliance and tolerance to continuing chemotherapy. The mechanism of anemia may be ascribed to either decreasing serum EPO concentration or reducing sensitivity of EPO. Exogenous supply of EPO has shown to be effective in control of cancer-related anemia in early reports. This study preliminarily explored the efficacy and safety of r-HuEPO for cancer patients with anemia during the cytotoxic chemotherapy period in Taiwan. Sixteen cancer patients receiving cyclic chemotherapy with anemia (Hgb < or = 10.5 g/dl) and without other systemic organ dysfunction, cerebral metastasis, uncontrolled hypertension, or presence of anemia attributable to causes other than cancer and chemotherapy entered the study. All patients received r-HuEPO 150 u/kg subcutaneous injection tiw for a total of 16 weeks. The efficacy determinations was based on the effect of r-HuEPO on hematological parameters, transfusion requirements, quality of life assessment, and physician's global assessment. Safety was assessed based on clinical laboratory tests, vital sign measurements and the incidence and severity of adverse experiences. There were no changes of WBC and platelet count in 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks of r-HuEPO therapy. The mean hemoglobin values at baseline, week 4, 8, 12, and 16 were 9.2 +/- 1.0 g/dl, 11.4 +/- 0.9 g/dl, 11.6 +/- 1.8 g/dl, 11.8 +/- 1.8 g/dl, and 12.2 +/- 2.3 g/dl, respectively (p < 0.001). The mean hematocrit values at baseline, week 4, 8, 12, and 16 were 28.3 +/- 3.4%, 36.0 +/- 2.8%, 36.3 +/- 5.7%, 37.8 +/- 6.0%, and 40.1 +/- 7.1%, respectively (p < 0.0005). The use of r-HuEPO had the marginal effect on the increase of patient's energy and activity. No adverse impacts on patient's vital signs were noted except 2 incidences of systolic hypertension and one episode of diastolic hypertension in the week 4. Subcutaneous injection of r-HuEPO at the dose of 150 u/kg tiw was safe and effective in increasing patient's hematocrit and RBC mass, and decreasing their blood transfusion requirement. Whether the current dosage of 150 u/kg tiw is the optimal treatment for chemotherapy-related anemia still needs further study.


Double-layer fabrication scheme for large-area polymeric photonic crystal membrane on silicon surface by multibeam interference lithography.
We report on the fabrication of two-dimensional polymeric photonic crystal membranes on the surface of silicon using visible-light multibeam interference lithography. The structures are created by the interference of three beams of a green laser. A polymer buffer layer doped with a Rhodamine B laser dye, interlaid between the lithography layer and the silicon substrate, suppresses the effects of strong reflection and nonradiative absorption of silicon on the interference pattern. Large-area defect-free photonic crystal membranes are experimentally realized on silicon surface.


Restoring three-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography images with mean curvature motion.
The management of neurovascular disease requires precise information on the cerebral vascular anatomy. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is the gold standard against which other imaging modalities have to be measured. To improve the quality of three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) images, we present a novel concept in 3D image analysis. Five patients, harboring cerebral aneurysm, underwent DSA, computed tomography angiography (CTA) and MRA. MRA data were processed using a novel anisotropic curvature motion model. Three-dimensional reconstructions of CTA and MRA datasets were used for comparison. The 3D-reconstructed images accurately displayed all aneurysms. The anatomy of the anterior part of the circle of Willis was visualized reliably. The smoothened vessel surfaces enhanced the readability of the images. Regarding visual representation of the posterior part of the circle of Willis, the post-processed MRA showed the arterial segments less accurate than the standard modalities. This new approach is a promising tool for planning of neurovascular interventions and preoperative evaluation.


Effects of including corn distillers dried grains with solubles in dairy calf feeds.
A series of 5 trials was conducted to determine the effect of distillers dried grains with solubles (DG) in calf diets. Trial 1 compared 0 or 49% DG in 18% crude protein (CP) starters (as-fed basis) fed to calves initially 2 to 3 d old for 56 d. Digestibility was estimated during d 52 to 56 using chromic oxide. Trial 2 compared 0 or 39% DG in 16% CP growers fed to calves from 8 to 12 wk of age from 28 d. Trial 3 compared 0, 10, or 20% DG in 18% CP starters fed to calves initially 2 to 3 d old for 56 d. Trial 4 compared 0 or 20% DG in 16% CP growers fed to calves from 8 to 12 wk of age from 28 d. As DG increased in all diets, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and fat increased and calculated metabolizable energy was similar but not equalized. In trials 1 and 3, calves (n=48/trial) housed in individual pens were fed 26% CP, 17% fat milk replacer powder and weaned at 28 d. Trials 2 and 4 used calves (n=48/trial) housed in group pens (6 calves/pen) that had been weaned for 28 d before the trials' start. Trial 5 (n=18 calves) had the same starter treatments as trial 3 fed in combination with high or low milk replacer intake, with calves killed at 35 d to determine effects of DG and milk replacer intake on rumen development. In trial 1, average daily gain (ADG) was 6% greater and dry matter digestibility was 10% greater for calves fed 0% versus 49% DG. In trial 2, ADG (9%), feed efficiency (10%), and hip width change (19%) were greater for calves fed 0% versus 39% DG. Performance measures did not differ among starter treatments in Trials 3 and 5. In trial 4, ADG (4%), feed efficiency (5%), and hip width change (19%) were greater for calves fed 0% versus 20% DG. In trial 5, rumen development was not affected by DG inclusion, but was greater for calves fed milk replacer at 630 versus 940 g/d, which had greater starter intake. Overall, we conclude that high levels of distillers in calf starters and growers decrease growth of calves; however, starters with ≤ 20% DG allow for normal growth rates and rumen development.