Educators agree that dental students' involvement in research plays an important role in their development and contributes to the future of dental education. However, dental schools are challenged to provide the time and support necessary to nurture their students in undertaking research activities. The aim of this study was to examine student participation in a predoctoral student research program at one U.S. dental school and to track participants' outcomes both before and after introduction of an additional, highly selective research scholarship program. Research participation was recorded for all predoctoral dental students in the graduating classes of 2005-15. The number of years of participation was also tracked for each student who participated in research. The results showed that, since the inception of the research honors scholarship in 2005, there has been a more than threefold increase in the number of dental students participating in research each year. The number of students who do multiple years of research has tripled, and the number of students' poster presentations at national academic meetings has risen tenfold in those ten years. The introduction of a competitive award that recognizes exceptional research by students has added to the research profile of the school and has shown success in encouraging students to become involved in research throughout their four years in dental school.


Antinociceptive activity of aqueous extract of Lepidium Sativum L. in mice Abstract Purpose: In the present study the aqueous extract of Lepidium Sativum L. (family: Brassicaceae) was investigated for possible antinociceptive effect in Swiss - albino male mice. Material and Methods: In this experiment three groups of male mice were used (n=6). Two models were used to study the effects of the extracts on nociception, acetic acid-induced writhing test and hot plate test in mice. Lepidium Sativum extract was administered in the dose of 20 mg/kg orally 30 minutes prior to pain induction. Results: The aqueous extract showed significant (p < 0.05) analgesic activity evidenced by increase in the reaction time by hot plate method and significant (p < 0.05) reduction in acetic acid - induced writhings in mice with a maximum effect of 27.00 % reduction. These effects were compared with the control and standard drug, diclofenac sodium (50 mg/kg, p.o). Conclusion: The results indicate that aqueous extract of Lepidium Sativum possesses a significant antinociceptive activity in central and peripheral pain models in mice and therefore, it can be used as supplemental therapy in acute or chronic pain conditions. Keywords: Antinociception, aqueous extract, Lepidium Sativum L., Hot plate, Writhing test.


At a time when the government is considering major reforms to the National Grid for Learning, this pamphlet asks: How can the next stage of investment in ICT most benefit learners and teachers? What are the particular concerns of commercial partnerships in this field? How might we ensure that the UK develops an innovative market in the best quality educational content in the world? The authors argue that the government needs to develop a deeper understanding and more coherent approach to the complex policy issues raised by ICT in education, and outlines steps that should be taken to ensure policy success in this area. The full text of this pamphlet can be downloaded from the IPPR website.


Recent drilling of salt dome flanks in the Mississippi Salt basin has resulted in important new discoveries and the opening of a frontier play. This play is focused on gas/condensate reserves in several Cretaceous formations, most notably the Upper Cretaceous Eutaw and lower Tuscaloosa intervals and Lower Cretaceous Paluxy and Hosston formations. As many as eight domes have been drilled thus far; sandstones in the upper Hosston Formation comprise the primary target. Production has been as high as 3-5 Mcf* and 500-1200 bbl of condensate per day, with estimated ultimate reserves in the range of 0.2 to 1.5 MBOE (million barrels oil equivalent) per well. As typified by discovery at Dry Creek salt dome, traps are related to faulting, unconformities, and updip loss of permeability. Previous drilling at Dry Creek, and in the basin generally, avoided the flank areas of most domes, due to geologic models that predicted late-stage (Tertiary) piercement and breached accumulations. Recent data from Dry Creek and other productive domes suggest that growth was episodic and that piercement of Tertiary strata did not affect deeper reservoirs charged with hydrocarbons in the Late Cretaceous.


Despite being one of the fastest growing economies in the world in recent years, the average Indian remains relatively poor due to a highly-skewed income distribution and inequitable access to basic social and economic services. The poorer half jostles for less than 4.1% of national wealth while relational inequities continue to rise across states. This gap of more than four times between the richest and the poorest state in India is seen to be responsible for one of the highest level of disparity in the developing world, subsequently affecting delivery mechanisms and access to basic social services such as basic education, healthcare, credit institutions, law enforcement justice mechanisms and other basic amenities (drinking water and sanitation).
This study provides an in-depth assessment of each Indian State's performance in ensuring access to basic social and economic services (including access to basic health care, education, credit or financial services, water and sanitation facilities and access to justice-law enforcing institutions) to its citizens. The objective of this in-depth data analysis is to initiate policy level discussions on minimizing levels of unequal opportunities for citizens residing across identified states of the country.
We theoretically use a Mini-Max approach (inverse to the Maxi-Min utilitarian principle) in understanding the relative dimensions of social and economic inequality present across states in India. The objective of using such a concept is to promote minimum access to some identified social and economic services that enable people (across states) to develop capabilities which are instrumental towards the maximization of their well-being over a period of time. The five fundamental pillars constituting as basic services to be safeguarded and provided by agencies of the state include:
a) Access to Basic Amenities (Drinking water and sanitation facilities) b) Access to Education c) Access to Basic Healthcare services d) Access to Credit and Financial service e) Access to Justice (Public Institutions of law enforcement).
In terms of methodology, we use a principle component analysis for deriving the index values for each pillar. The states based on index value have been classified as leaders, above average performing states, average performing states, below average performing states and least performing states. The classification acts as a scorecard for the persistence of access inequality in the Indian states and will draw the attention of policymakers towards states that lag behind in the implementation of the various policies and reforms. Such a method of ranking also enables states to identify their counterparts who have successfully ensured greater progress in terms of providing basic social and economic services at nearer proximity and as per the state population needs.


Purpose. To evaluate the prevalence of HIV seropositivity among patients with malignant conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and carcinoma in situ (CIS) and to reassess the potential linkage, albeit well documented, between ocular surface epithelial dysplasia (OSED) and HIV infection. Patients and Methods. A case-control design study was conducted in an African provincial hospital. Twenty-three African black patients underwent excisional biopsy of conjunctival malignant lesions. In 18 of these patients, ELISA for HIV antibodies was performed prior to the excisional biopsy. Results. Pathological evaluation revealed SCC in 12 (52%) patients, CIS in six (26%) patients, and Kaposi sarcoma (KS) in five (22%) patients. Eighteen patients (78.3%) agreed to take a serological HIV test, and among these, seropositivity for HIV was significantly (p < 0.01) higher (92.3%, 12 of 13) in the SCC/CIS subgroup than in a control group with benign conjunctival lesions (28.5%, two of seven). The most common (91.7%) clinical finding in the SCC/CIS/HIV group (12 patients) was corneal overriding. Conjunctival malignancy was the first presenting sign for AIDS in 50% of our patients. Conclusions. A significantly high rate of HIV seropositivity was found in a group of African black patients with conjunctival SCC/CIS compared with a control group with benign conjunctival lesions. The direct correlation between HIV infection and SCC/CIS was reconfirmed in a case-control study. Therefore, an HIV test should probably be performed in cases of conjunctival SCC/CIS or dysplasia, especially among patients in high-risk populations.


Five distinguished banking and accounting scholars explore the role of liquidity at not only the "macro" level of the economy, but also at the level of individual companies. The first of the four main speakers, who is the author of the preceding article, restates his argument that the stability of financial systems can be increased by directing bank regulators and executives to find the optimal combination of liquidity and capital requirements. The second of the four speakers shifts the focus to liquidity management by non‐financial companies, with particular emphasis on their use of lines of credit and their role in helping companies weather the financial crisis. The third speaker places liquidity in the context of capital markets, and presents suggestive evidence that improvements in corporate disclosure and transparency have beneficial effects on both the level and volatility of liquidity in those markets. The panel is rounded out by a discussion of liquidity in corporate bond markets and the proposal of a new way to measure such liquidity.


Preface Regulating International Banking: Rationale, History, and Future Prospects by Ronnie J. Phillips and Richard D. Johnson Are Banks and Their Regulators Outdated? by Benton E. Gup Designing the New Architecture for U.S. Banking by George G. Kaufman What Is Optimal Financial Regulation? by Richard J. Herring and Anthony M. Santomero The Optimum Regulatory Model for the Next Millennium-Lessons from International Comparisons and the Australian-Asian Experience by Carolyn Currie Banking Trends and Deposit Insurance Risk Assessment in the 21st Century by Steven A. Seelig Supervisory Goals and Subordinated Debt by Larry Wall Market Discipline for Banks: A Historical Review by Charles G. Leathers and J. Patrick Raines Market Discipline and the Corporate Governance of Banks: Theory vs. Evidence by Benton E. Gup Message to Basle: Risk Reduction Rather than Management by Johannes Juttner Drafting Land Legislation for Developing Countries: An Example from East Africa by Norman J. Singer Index


First-price auction experiments find often substantial overbidding which is typically related to risk aversion. We introduce a model where some bidders use constrained linear bids. As with risk aversion this leads to overbidding if valuations are high, but in contrast to risk aversion the model predicts underbidding if valuations are low. We test this model with the help of experiments, compare bidding in first-price and second-price auctions and study revenue under different treatments. We conclude that at least part of the commonly observed overbidding is an artefact of experimental setups which rule out underbidding. Constrained linear bids seem to fit observations better


Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) microparticles, modified by surface coupling agent 3-aminopropyl triethoxy silane (APTES), were used to fabricate thermally conductive epoxy/BN composites, and the effects of modified-BN content on the thermal and insulating properties were investigated. It was found that incorporation of h-BN particles in the epoxy matrix significantly enhanced the thermal conductivity of the composites. With 30 wt% modified-BN loading, the thermal conductivity of the composites was 1.178 W m−1 K−1, 6.14 times higher than that of the neat epoxy. Fabricated epoxy/BN composites exhibited improved thermal stability, storage modulus, and glass transition temperature with increased BN content. The composites also possessed excellent electrical insulation properties. These results revealed that epoxy/BN composites are promising as efficient heat-releasing materials for thermal management and microelectronic encapsulation.


Vestibular lesions may cause imbalance that long outlasts vertigo. Photographic analysis in five cases showed defects not only of the tilting reactions, which are of labyrinthine origin, but also of certain other postural reactions, notably the counterpoising and protective stepping reactions. All of these reflexes are unconscious and consequently such patients are rendered unstable in several ways simultaneously and may have difficulty describing their symptoms.


About 95% of Malawi's electricity needs are provided by hydropower using the Shire River cascaded hydro schemes and Wovwe mini hydro plant in the Northern Region. The total installed capacity of 302MW (20% of which is lost during transmission) does not meet the current demand. Only 7.6% of the Malawian population has access to electricity. This figure accounts for 20% of the urban population and only 1% of the rural population. Distributed generation is by definition the type of generation with capacities of about 10MW or less and interconnected at a substation, distribution feeder or customer load levels. Distributed generation technologies include internal combustion engine-generators, wind turbines, fuel cells, small and micro sized hydro schemes and photovoltaics. Since for distributed generation systems generation and consumption of the power is localized, resistive losses during transmission and distribution are minimized. The sizes of distributed generation systems is small as such they have lower capital costs than huge centralized installations. This paper discusses the potential of distributed generation and how it can help in meeting the electricity demand for Malawi. Copyright © IJRETR, all rights reserved. Key terms: distributed generation, generation capacity, capital costs, electricity demand, Malawi


Hydroxyurea (HU) and Thalidomide (Th), apart from their properties, are discussed that can induce apoptosis in several cell types and tissues. The aim of this study is to analyse the effect of HU and Th in plasmin(ogen) activation system on proteolytic activity of normal and hypertrophied rat kidney, in the absence or presence of euglobulin as a source of plasminogen. Adult male Wistar rats 230-260 g of weight and aged of six months were divided into two main groups A and B. Animals belonging to the second group were operated to unilaterally nephrectomy. Both groups were divided in subgroups, i.e.: Group A to subgroups A1, A2, A3 and A4 and Group B to subgroups B1, B2, B3 and B4. The animal subgroups were injected with HU and Th as following: Group A 1 and B 1 were injected with NaCl 9% o (Controls), groups A 2 and B 2 were injected with HU (4.5 mg/k.b.w), groups A 3 and B 3 were injected with Th (15.45 mg/k.b.w.) and groups A 4 and B 4 were injected with HU and Th in combination as above. The proteolytic activity of hypertrophied and no hypertrophied rat kidneys was determined in 0.1 ml of homogenated kidney tissue according to Goodwin ́s method in the presence or absence of euglobulin, as a source of plasminogen, and estimated from the aminoacids released in a fresh casein buffer. Euglobulin was prepared according to the method of Hougie. Our results showed increased proteolytic activity in normal rat kidney tissue under the effect of HU and Th alone or in combination of treatment, which was much more evident in the absence of euglobulin. This increase may be due to plasminogen activators release. In contrast, the proteolytic activity of hypertrophied rat kidney was found decreased at 2 hours, statistically significant in the presence of euglobulin. Our results suggest that these findings will contribute to elucidate the mechanisms of HU and Th action in extracellular proteolysis of renal cells, concerning activation of the plasmin(ogen) system, and will probably demonstrate new strategies to regulate renal cell proteolysis at renal pathology.


The high-pressure behavior of technologically important visible-light photocatalytic semiconductor InNbO4, adopting a monoclinic wolframite-type structure at ambient conditions, was investigated using synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopic measurements, and first-principles calculations. The experimental results indicate the occurrence of a pressure-induced isostructural phase transition in the studied compound beyond 10.8 GPa. The large volume collapse associated with the phase transition and the coexistence of two phases observed over a wide range of pressure shows the nature of transition to be first-order. There is an increase in the oxygen anion coordination number around In and Nb cations from six to eight at the phase transition. The ambient-pressure phase has been recovered on pressure release. The experimental pressure-volume data when fitted to a Birch-Murnaghan equation of states yields the value of ambient pressure bulk modulus as 179(2) and 231(4) GPa for the low- and high-pressure phases, respectively. The pressure dependence of the Raman mode frequencies and Grüneisen parameters was determined for both phases by experimental and theoretical methods. The same information is obtained for the infrared modes from first-principles calculations. Results from theoretical calculations corroborate the experimental findings. They also provide information on the compressibility of interatomic bonds, which is correlated with the macroscopic properties of InNbO4.


FM 2012 is the eighteenth in a series of symposia organized by Formal Methods Europe, an independent association whose aim is to stimulate the use of, and research on, formal methods for software development. The symposia have been notably successful in bringing together innovators and practitioners in precise mathematical methods for software and systems development, industrial users, as well as researchers. In August 2012, the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers (Le Cnam Paris), hosted FM 2012 in Paris (France). The special theme of FM 2012 was "Interdisciplinary Formal Methods", with a goal of highlighting the development and application of formal methods in connection with a variety of disciplines including medicine, biology, human cognitive modeling, human automation interactions and aeronautics. We were honored to have three invited speakers whose talks emphasized the special theme. Pr Martin Abadi, with his talk titled "Software Security -- A Formal Perspective", discussed software security with an emphasis on low-level attacks and defenses and on their formal aspects. Dr Asaf Degani gave a talk titled "Formal Methods in the Wild: Trains, Planes, & Automobiles". Through this talk, Dr Degani drew upon his experience with aerospace and automotive applications to provide a perspective on how formal methods could improve the design of such applications. Finally, Dr Alan Wassyng, in his talk titled "Who are we, and what are we doing here?, stressed the importance of viewing formal methods from a rigorous software engineering perspective, and discussed his experiences with the certification of software intensive systems. All three talks raised the awareness of the community to the fact that formal methods live in the intersection of disciplines; research in this domain must also consider how to increase the industrial impact of formal methods. FM 2012 welcomed submissions in the following areas, among others: - Interdisciplinary formal methods: techniques, tools and experiences demonstrating formal methods in interdisciplinary frameworks, such as formal methods related to maintenance, human automation interaction, human in the loop, system engineering, medicine and biology. - Formal methods in practice: industrial applications of formal methods, experience with introducing formal methods in industry, tool usage reports, experiments with challenge problems. - Tools for formal methods: advances in automated verification and model-checking, integration of tools, environments for formal methods, experimental validation of tools. - Role of formal methods in software and systems engineering: development processes with formal methods, usage guidelines for formal methods, method integration. - Theoretical foundations: all aspects of theory related to specification, verification, refinement, and static and dynamic analysis. - Teaching formal methods: insight, evaluations and suggestions for courses of action regarding the teaching of formal methods, including teaching experiences, educational resources, the integration of formal methods into the curriculum, the definition of a formal methods body of knowledge, etc. We solicited two types of contributions: research papers and tool demonstration papers. We received submissions from 39 countries around the world: 162 abstracts followed by 132 full submissions. The selection process was rigorous. Each paper received at least four reviews. We obtained external reviews for papers that lacked expertise within the Program Committee. The program committee, after long and very careful discussions of the submitted papers, decided to accept only 28 full papers, and 7 tool papers which corresponds to an overall acceptance rate of approximately 26 %. Some of the accepted papers were additionally shepherded by expert members of the PC to ensure the quality of their final version. The accepted papers made a scientifically strong and exciting program, which triggered interesting discussions and exchange of ideas among the FM participants. The accepted papers cover several aspects of formal methods, including verification, synthesis, runtime monitoring, testing and controller synthesis, as well as novel applications of formal methods in interesting domains such as satellites, autonomous vehicles and disease dynamics. We would like to thank all authors who submitted their work to FM 2012. Without their excellent contributions we would not have managed to prepare a strong program. We are grateful to the Program Committee members and external reviewers for their high-quality reviews and dedication. Finally, we wish to thank the Steering Committee members for their excellent support. The logistics of our job as Program Chairs were facilitated by the EasyChair system.


This study investigated personal and life-style-related variables and stress levels in dual-earner families in the preschool stage of family development. The sample was composed of 92 families receiving child day care through a major day care provider in the Upper Midwest. The Family Inventory of Life Events and Changes was used to measure the family stress level. The majority of dual-earner families in this sample were experiencing a moderate level of family stress based on national stress level norms calculated for families in the preschool stage of development. Parental age and age of children were statistically related to the family stress level. Life-style-related variables statistically significant in this study were amount of income and satisfaction with income level, satisfaction with child care, and flexibility in vacation scheduling. Parents who could easily schedule vacations during the same time period had significantly lower family stress levels than parents who had difficulty scheduling vacations together, p < .003. Additionally, parents who reported being forced to take separate vacations because of their work schedules had statistically higher scores on family stress than parents who had never had to take separate vacations because of work schedules, p< .002.


Abstract: Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxins are safe biological insecticidal proteins whose usefulness has long been recognized. The first commercialized Bt insecticidal formulations were composed of spore-crystal preparations derived from wild-type strains. These products generally have a limited insecticidal host range and several genetically modified strains have, therefore, been constructed in this study using conjugation procedure. However, addition of a new plasmids to Bt strains already harboring other genes often resulted in broader - spectrum. Bacillus thuringiensis serovar Kurstaki , Bacillus subtilis and four of their transconjugants were used in this study as a biocontral agents against lepidopterous cotton pest. Bacterial transconjugants were evaluated for their hybrid vigor in relation to the mid parents and better parent. This evaluation was related to survival and mortality percentages induced in Spodoptera littoralis larvae. Two groups of bioinsecticides; crystals, crystals + endospores were used to be evaluated in this study. The results appeared that bioinsecticides containing crystals + endospores was more effective than crystals for increasing mortality percentage and reducing survival percentage. This effective was including reduction in the mean number of Spodoptera littoralis larvae feeding on leaves sprayed with crystals + endospores. Increasing mortality percentage of crystals + endospores was due to higher toxicological effects than that of crystals. This recommended bioinsecticide biologists to use crystals + endospores in all bioinsecticides formulations. Higher positive efficiency was appeared at 168 h of treatments. Recombinant Bacillus thuringiensis was more effective as biocontrol agents against lepidopteran pests at the early instars, because susceptibility was decreased with larval development. This indicated that the first instars were more susceptible to Bt sprayed plants than the later instar stages. The combined effects of crystals + endospores produced higher mortality. This factor was important to be considered in designing resistance management strategies.


The last two decades in literary studies have been marked by increasing interest in evolutionary theories of art involving psychology, cognitive science, biology, neurology, etc., all somehow related to Darwinism. A common conclusion of various researches is that storytelling is an adaptation that has signiÞ cantly contributed to human survival as a species, making man Homo Fictus rather than Homo Sapiens. A number of reasons are given as to why people tell stories and how stories make us human. In this article, I would like to argue that telling stories indeed has a high survival value, not only because Boyd (On the Origin of Stories 2009) claims art develops creativity and encourages cooperation, or because Gottschall (The Storytelling Animal 2012) believes we need to make sense of the world and satisfy our hunger for meaning by imposing patterns, but also because storytelling can be a survival technique. In this sense, the Þ ctional Shahrazad o ers an option to existentially threatened individuals. The possible survival value of telling stories will be illustrated by the characters from the novels of William Golding and Yann Martel who employ the same defensive mechanism of storytelling to di erent e ect.


CoSe2 nanorods are prepared via hydrothermal approach and characterized by using various techniques to examine crystallinity, crystallite size, morphology, and defects present within. CoSe2 is grafted on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) for oxygen reactions in a non-aqueous medium. Li-O2 batteries are assembled in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and investigated for charge-discharge cycles at various current densities. Li-O2 battery with CoSe2@g-C3N4 delivers 2158 mAh g−1 discharge capacity at 0.1 mA cm−2 current density. The charging potential of the Li-O2 battery is reduced by 280 mV in a combination of CoSe2 and g-C3N4. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of the Li-O2 battery shows that charge transfer resistance of CoSe2 catalyst is reduced from 311 Ω to 181 Ω by adding g-C3N4. Tetra-ethylene glycol dimethyl ether also used as electrolyte to ensure better performing in terms of stability of the cell in comparison to DMSO electrolyte. Upon illumination of solar light without any redox mediator, the overpotential of charging step can be reduced. Under solar light illumination, the charging potential plateau shows a reduction of 330 and 170 mV in CoSe2 and CoSe2@g-C3N4 samples, respectively.


Background and Purpose Imaging studies of traumatic brain injury demonstrate that the cerebellum is often affected. We aim to examine fractional anisotropy alteration in acute-phase mild traumatic brain injury patients in cerebellum-related white matter tracts. Materials and Methods This prospective study included 47 mild traumatic brain injury patients in the acute stage and 37 controls. MR imaging and neurocognitive tests were performed in patients within 7 days of injury. White matter integrity was examined by using diffusion tensor imaging. We used three approaches, tract-based spatial statistics, graphical-model-based multivariate analysis, and region-of-interest analysis, to detect altered cerebellar white matter integrity in mild traumatic brain injury patients. Results Results from three analysis methods were in accordance with each other, and suggested fractional anisotropy in the middle cerebellar peduncle and the pontine crossing tract was changed in the acute-phase mild traumatic brain injury patients, relative to controls (adjusted p-value < 0.05). Higher fractional anisotropy in the middle cerebellar peduncle was associated with worse performance in the fluid cognition composite (r = -0.289, p-value = 0.037). Conclusion Altered cerebellar fractional anisotropy in acute-phase mild traumatic brain injury patients is localized in specific regions and statistically associated with cognitive deficits detectable on neurocognitive testing.


ABSTRACT order to discover whether the nonverbal responses to literature of primary grade children--in the form of drawings--provide significant information about their feelings toward literature, this study measured primary children's responses to "The Giving Tree." Winety children in four grade levels (kindergarten through third grade) listened to the story as it was read to them and then chose three crayons from a total of eight colors to draw whatever came to mind in a five-minute period. A content analysis of drawings indicated colors and settings students "borrowed" from the book and those students used independently. Results showed that children's drawings do give an insight into children's reactions to literature and that age made a difference in children's responses, with younger children responding more to the tree and older children interpreting the story as an account of people's inhumanity toward themselves. (Tables of findings are included.) (JM)


Representation and Cartelization This article discusses the relationship between political representation and cartelization. Proponents of the cartel party theory argue as if cartelization and political representation were opposites: insofar as political parties empirically approximate the cartel party type, they will also, so the argument goes, distance themselves from normatively entrenched ideas and ideals about representation. The article questions and critiques this view. Drawing on Hanna Pitkin's view of political representation as acting in the interests of the represented in a responsive manner, I discuss the di ffi culties in teasing out what it means to represent and be represented according to the cartel party theory. The article concludes that the proponents of the cartel party theory have not provided any convincing reasons for assuming that representation and cartelization are necessarily opposites, but also that our entrenched understanding of political representation o ff ers little guidance as to the nature of this relationship.


In the previous issue of this journal the authors celebrated in an article the discovery of the Korotkoff sounds, in 1905, and presented the historical facts that determined the important role of the University of São Paulo's Nursing School (EEUSP) in the development of the oldest blood pressure research line in Brazilian Nursing: "Cuff Width Influence in Blood Pressure Measurement." This new article presents the scientific production derived from the studies carried out by nurses with a PhD from EEUSP during and after their doctoral programs in the area. The path each researcher followed in his/her group and laboratory is emphasized. The data presented is aimed at offering a number of qualitative and quantitative indicators that make possible to evaluate the impact of the research that they have carried out, as well as the development of knowledge in the area.


Several experiments have revealed an Endogenous Opioid System (EOS)-circadian rhythm. The brain-borne hormone, melatonin (MEL) has been shown to regulate the organism photoperiodic activity and may be implicated in the EOS-circadian rhythm. To explore this hypothesis, we studied the effect of functional pinealectomy on the EOS-circadian rhythm by measuring the immunoreactive content of Met-Enkephalin, Leu-Enkephalin and Synenkephalin in both hypothalamus and hippocampus of the rat brain, using standard radioimmunoassay procedures. Experimental animals exposed to white fluorescent light (WFL) for 15days (<50lux), displayed a disruption of the EOS-circadian rhythm, showing that absence of MEL induced a significant decrease of tissue content of enkephalin peptides at 01:00h during the dark-phase of the 24-h circadian rhythm, when compared to control rats. Functional pinealectomized rats exposed to 4 or 6h period of darkness (used to revert the effects induced by the absence of melatonin) significantly increased the tissue content of ME-IR and LE-IR, when compared to both controls and non-exposed WFL-treated rats. In addition, subcutaneous administration of exogenous melatonin (10, 100, 150, 300, 600microg/kg), in WFL-treated animals produced significant dose-dependent increases of ME-IR in both brain regions tested. Finally, luzindole (melatonin receptor antagonist) administration, was not able to prevent the enkephalin tissue increase, induced with the MEL administration (150microg/kg). This data suggest that MEL not only regulates the EOS-circadian rhythm, but also appears to modulate their synthesis in the rat brain from their respective neurons.


Breakdown of self-tolerance is an important common mechanism in autoimmunity. We use machine learning (ML) to identify common patterns and dissimilarities between type 1 diabetes (T1D) , rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) based on immune phenotyping. PBMCs were isolated from patients with T1D, RA, SLE, and controls. A FACS approach was applied, and a traditional analysis was compared to a ML method implemented on R and based on self-organizing maps (Fig) . Our pipeline includes unsupervised pre-gating, normalization, FlowSOM clustering, and a statistical model (GLMM) , to check for significant differential abundances of cell populations among the autoimmune conditions. After applying our automated workflow to one T cell panel we could identify 14 new cell clusters present in all the samples. The GLMM test revealed a cluster with a significant difference (p=0.035) and a trending one (p=0.059) on the abundance across the different diseases. In particular, CD4pos T cells expressing high IL-7 receptor (CD127) levels and median amounts of CD15s but low CD25, CD161 and FoxP3 are increased in T1D whereas CD4+CD25++CD15s+FoxP3lowCD161lowCD45RA- cells are increased in SLE.
 In conclusion, our ML workflow identifies a new subtype of T cells significantly increased in T1D. This unsupervised analysis approach for large datasets enables the discovery of new biomarkers complementing traditional workflows.

 J.Vera-ramos: None. B.Prietl: None. L.Herbsthofer: None. V.Pfeifer: None. P.López-garcía: None. M.Stradner: Consultant; AbbVie Inc., AstraZeneca, Speaker's Bureau; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. T.Pieber: Advisory Panel; Arecor, Novo Nordisk A/S, Research Support; AstraZeneca, European Union, JDRF, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Sanofi, Speaker's Bureau; Novo Nordisk A/S, Roche Diagnostics.

 JDRF, LRA, & NMSS Joint RFA (2-SRA-2021-1043-S-B)


Summary Introduction: India has a rich diversity of ethnomedicinal plants where the preparations from plants are used in treatment of various infection and ailments. Objectives: The detailed survey was done to gather the information about potential preparation of ethno-medicinal plants by the local communities of the study area. Methods: Data on 54 ethnomedicinal plants were recorded with the help of 19 men and 18 women aged between 45 and 60. Direct observation, group discussion and semi structured interview were used to collect the ethnobotanical information of the study area. Results: Prevalent ethnomedicinal uses of the plants were used for treating diarrhoea, asthma, dysentery, and other human ailments. The most commonly plant parts gathered were leaves (28.78 %) followed by bark (19.69 %), root (12.12 %), flower (10.60 %), fruit (9.09 %), seed and whole plant (7.57 % each), stem (4.54 %). It was observed from the investigation that the ethnomedicinal plants used most frequently in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery (29 taxa) followed by other liver problems (7 taxa), healing cut and wounds, tooth problems, blood dysentery, piles, asthma, fractured bones, scorpion/insects bite (2 taxa), skin diseases, urinary disorder and headache, menstrual disorder, infertility, stone problems, cold and cough, muscle pain and swelling, memory enhancer, killing of liver worms in children, insects repellent, bronchial catarrh (1 taxa each). Conclusion: The folk knowledge and ethnomedicinal preparation recorded in the present study area can be implemented in future for pharmacological and biological assay which could be further lead to new drug development.


ABSTRACT The hallmark of Legionnaires' disease is replication ofLegionella pneumophila within cells in the alveolar spaces. The mechanisms by which L. pneumophila replicates intracellularly and kills the host cell are largely not understood. We have recently shown that within 3 h of initiation of the infection and prior to intracellular replication, L. pneumophilainduces apoptosis in macrophages, alveolar epithelial cells, and peripheral blood monocytes, which correlates with cytopathogenicity (L.-Y. Gao and Y. Abu Kwaik, Infect. Immun. 67:862–870, 1999). In this report, we show that the ability of L. pneumophila to induce apoptosis is, largely, not growth phase regulated. We demonstrate that the induction of apoptosis by L. pneumophila in macrophages is mediated through the activation of caspase 3. The enzymatic activity of caspase 3 to cleave a specific synthetic substrate in vitro is detected in L. pneumophila-infected macrophages at 2 h after infection and is maximal at 3 h, with over 900% increase in activity. The activity of caspase 3 to cleave a specific substrate [poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, or PARP] in vivo is also detected at 2 h and is maximal at 3 h postinfection. The activity of caspase 3 to cleave the synthetic substrate in vitro and PARP in vivo is blocked by a specific inhibitor of caspase 3. The kinetics of caspase 3 activation correlates with that of L. pneumophila-induced nuclear apoptosis. Inhibition of caspase 3 activity blocks L. pneumophila-induced nuclear apoptosis and cytopathogenicity during early stages of the infection. Consistent with the ability to induce apoptosis, extracellular L. pneumophila also activates caspase 3. Three dotA/icmWXYZ mutants of L. pneumophila that are defective in inducing apoptosis do not induce caspase 3 activation, suggesting that expression and/or export of the apoptosis-inducing factor(s) is regulated by thedot/icm virulence system. This is the first description of the role of caspase 3 activation in induction of nuclear apoptosis in the host cell infected by a bacterial pathogen.


So far, general circulation model studies have not been able to capture the magnitude and characteristics of the observed 11-year solar signal in the stratosphere satisfactorily. Here results from model experiments with the Freie Universitat Berlin Climate Middle Atmosphere Model are presented that are in considerable agreement with observations. The experiments used realistic spectral solar irradiance changes, ozone changes from a two-dimensional radiative-chemical-transport model, and a relaxation toward observed equatorial wind profiles throughout the stratosphere. During Northern Hemisphere winter a realistic poleward downward propagation of the polar night jet (PNJ) anomalies, significantly weaker planetary wave activity, and a weaker mean meridional circulation under solar maximum conditions are reproduced in the model. The observed interaction between the Sun and the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) is captured and stratospheric warmings occur preferentially in the west phase of the QBO. Only the magnitude of the anomalies during the dynamically active season improves, whereas the summer signal and the signal at low latitudes are still too weak. The results emphasize the important role of equatorial winds in achieving a more realistic solar signal by producing a more realistic wind climatology. Furthermore, they confirm recent results that equatorial winds in the upper stratosphere, the region dominated by the Semiannual Oscillation, are an important factor in determining interannual variability of the PNJ.


Monitoring the engineered structures is becoming more vital in terms of reliable design of new and assessment of existing structures. As technological capabilities of the modern sensing instruments develop, different types of sensors have been in use as a part of monitoring systems. For the last two decades, the geosensors those are part Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) have rapidly gained popularity in studies such as crustal deformations and long-period structural systems (i.e. bridges, high-rises). GNSS system is indeed combination of GPS and GLONASS satellite constellations those were established by the USA and Russian governments, respectively. Due to its huge potential in scientific researches in addition to navigation, there have been several attempts to establish or improve satellite constellations such as Galileo by EU countries, Compass by China and IRNSS by India. Turkish Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS-TR) network system has significantly improved the observation tolerances of the geosensors in scientific researchers. Hence, the studies aiming to give a better understanding in the use of GNSS sensors in monitoring the dynamic motions of the observation points either on the ground or on the top of a building is extremely important for near future. The results presented here have been acquired as a part of research project funded by Istanbul Kultur University in 2013 summer. The current study used a single-axis shake table for creating harmonic and random motions and the combination of LVDT, three-axis accelerometers and a GNSS receiver those measure at 50Hz, 110Hz and 100Hz, respectively. The synchronization of the data has been accomplished using GPS-based satellite clocks embedded to the sensors. The corrections of the GNSS receiver measurements were taken with respect to classical base station at 5km and CORS-TR networks. Very interesting results found in the comparison of the dynamic motion characteristics and the GNSS correction sources.


The protection and sustainable use of aquatic resources require a better understanding of fresh water sources, limnic ecosystems and oceans. The effects of global change, intensive use of natural resources and the complex interactions between humans and the environment show different effects at different scales. Current research approaches are not sufficient to appropriately take account of the heterogeneity and dynamics of aquatic ecosystems. A major challenge in applied environmental research is to extend methods for holistic monitoring and long-term observation technologies with enhanced resolution over both space and time. In this study, turbidity and the content of dissolved organic matter (DOM) are key parameters, as they are of importance for assessing the health of aquatic ecosystems and the state of ecosystem services, e.g. the provision of drinking water. Photonics and optical sensors as well as integrated circuits and open-source based components open interesting possibilities to overcome the current lack of adaptive and service-oriented sensor systems. An open source based optical sensor system was developed, which enables a user-specific, modular and adaptive in-situ monitoring of the turbidity and the dissolved organic substance content almost in real time. Quantification is based on attenuation or transmission measurements with two narrowband LEDs and corresponding detectors in the ultraviolet (DOM content) and infrared range (turbidity) of the electromagnetic spectrum. The developed in-situ sensor system shows a very high agreement with the results obtained using a laboratory photometer but with less methodological effort. First tests carried out in the area close to the city of Leipzig (Saxony, Germany) show promising results. The in-situ sensor system is able to acquire the optical attenuation with a sampling rate up to 0.1hz. Due to the fact that data is visualized directly with the help of web services, even the quality of data collection can be improved by assisting the selection of sampling points or a direct spatio-temporal data feedback.. What this approach illustrates is the fact that open-source technologies and microelectronics can now be used to implement resilient and promising sensor systems that can set new standards in terms of performance and usability within applied environmental research.


Lowering serum total cholesterol is shown to decrease the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in Western countries,but evidence is limited regarding cerebral infarction (CI). The present study used the Kyushu Lipid Intervention Study to examine the risks of CHD events and CI in relation to reduction in serum total cholesterol. Subjects were 4,615 men aged 45-74 years with serum total cholesterol of 220 mg/dl (5.68 mmol/L) or greater who had no history of CHD events or stroke. CHD events and CI numbered 125 and 92, respectively, in a 5-year follow-up. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, the relative risks of CHD events and CI for 15% or greater reduction in total cholesterol, compared with less than 5% reduction, were 0.78 (95% confidence limit [CL]0.46-1.32) and 0.39 (95% CL 0.22-0.69), respectively. As compared with on-treatment cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dl (6.20 mmol/L)or higher, the risk of CHD events was approximately 50% lower across 3 categories below 240 mg/dl (6.20 mmol/L), and that of CI was 70%lower at 2 categories below 220 mg/dl (5.68 mmol/L). Lowering serum total cholesterol below 220 mg/dl (5.68 mmol/L) seems desirable with regard to the prevention of CI.


Subsequently to the publication of the above article, the authors have realized that Fig. 3 was published with an error: Essentially, the image selected for Masson's staining of the Leonurine group in Fig. 3A (the right-hand panel) was inadvertently selected from Fig. 4 in an article published previously by the same group [Zhu H, Jiang X, Li X, Hu M, Wan W, Wen Y, He Y and Zheng X: Intramyocardial delivery of VEGF165 via a novel biodegradable hydrogel induces angiogenesis and improves cardiac function after rat myocardial infarction. Heart Vessels 31: 963‑975, 2016]. However, owing to the time that has elapsed since this article was published, the authors no longer had access to their original data; therefore, they were granted permission by the Editor to repeat the experiments shown in Fig. 3, and the revised version of Fig. 3 is shown below. Note that this error did not significantly affect the results or the conclusions reported in this paper. All the authors agree to the publication of this Corrigendum, are grateful to the Editor of Molecular Medicine Reports for allowing them the opportunity to correct this error, and apologize to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Molecular Medicine Reports 18: 1582‑1590, 2018; DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2018.9084].


The goal of this investigation was to determine whether there are alterations in DNA methylation patterns in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Material and Methods: Controlled prospective observational case-control study. Within the ASD group, children were sub-classified based on the presence (AMR subgroup) or absence (ANMR subgroup) of neurodevelopmental regression during the first 2 years of life. We analyzed the global levels of DNA methylation, reflected in LINE-1, and the local DNA methylation pattern in two candidate genes, Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule (NCAM1) and Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) that, according to our previous studies, might be associated to an increased risk for ASD. For this purpose, we utilized blood samples from pediatric patients with ASD (n = 53) and their corresponding controls (n = 45). Results: We observed a slight decrease in methylation levels of LINE-1 in the ASD group, compared to the control group. One of the CpG in LINE-1 (GenBank accession no.X58075, nucleotide position 329) was the main responsible for such reduction, highly significant in the ASD subgroup of children with AMR (p < 0.05). Furthermore, we detected higher NCAM1 methylation levels in ASD children, compared to healthy children (p < 0.001). The data, moreover, showed higher NGF methylation levels in the AMR subgroup, compared to the control group and the ANMR subgroup. These results are consistent with our prior study, in which lower plasma levels of NCAM1 and higher levels of NGF were found in the ANMR subgroup, compared to the subgroup that comprised neurotypically developing children. Conclusions: We have provided new clues about the epigenetic changes that occur in ASD, and suggest two potential epigenetic biomarkers that would facilitate the diagnosis of the disorder. We similarly present with evidence of a clear differentiation in DNA methylation between the ASD subgroups, with or without mental regression.


Terrestrial light detection and ranging (LiDAR) offers significant advantages over conventional techniques for measuring the centimeter-scale surface roughness of natural surfaces, such as sea ice. However, the laser scanning technique is inherently limited, principally by the following: 1) the high inclination scanning angle of the sensor with respect to nadir; 2) the precision of the laser ranging estimate; and 3) the beam divergence of the laser. In this paper, we introduce a numerical model that has been designed to simulate the acquisition of LiDAR data over a regular rough surface. Results from the model compare well (r2 = 0.97) with LiDAR observations collected over two experimental surfaces of known roughness that were constructed from medium-density fibreboard using a computer numerical control three-axis router. The model demonstrates that surface roughness parameters are not sensitive to minor variations in the LiDAR sensor's range and laser beam divergence, but are slightly sensitive to the precision of the ranging estimate. The model also demonstrates that surface roughness parameters are particularly sensitive to the inclination angle of the LiDAR sensor. The surface RMS height is underestimated, and the correlation length is overestimated as either the inclination angle of the sensor or the true roughness of the surface increases. An isotropic surface is also increasingly observed as an anisotropic surface as either the inclination angle or the true surface roughness increases. Based on the model results, we propose a set of calibration functions that can be used to correct in situ LiDAR measurements of surface roughness.


Animals pollinate 87% of the world's flowering plant species. Therefore, how pollinators respond to human-induced land-use change has important implications for plants and the species that depend on them. Here, we synthesize the published literature on how land-use change affects the main groups of pollinators: bees, butterflies, flies, birds, and bats. Responses to land-use change are predominantly negative but are highly variable within and across taxa. The directionality of pollinator response varies according to study design, with comparisons across gradients in surrounding landscape cover finding largely negative responses and comparisons across local land-use types finding largely positive responses. Furthermore, among the studies using landscape designs, most were performed in systems where landuse change is extreme, and such studies find stronger negative effects than those performed in more moderate systems. Across multiple taxa, dietary specialists show greater sensitivity to land use than do generalists. There is a need for studies of pollinator species composition and relative abundance, rather than simply species richness and aggregate abundance, to identify the species that are lost and gained with increasing land-use change.


Mineral-microbe interactions play important roles in the biogeochemical cycling of elements. Manipulating mineral-microbe interactions and optimizing the consequences of such interactions can be used to benefit society. ABSTRACT Potassium feldspar (K2O·Al2O3·6SiO2) is considered to be the most important source of potash fertilizer. The use of microorganisms to dissolve potassium feldspar is a low-cost and environmentally friendly method. Priestia aryabhattai SK1-7 is a strain with a strong ability to dissolve potassium feldspar; it showed a faster pH drop and produced more acid in the medium with potassium feldspar as the insoluble potassium source than in the medium with K2HPO4 as the soluble potassium source. We speculated whether the cause of acid production was related to one or more stresses, such as mineral-induced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the presence of aluminum in potassium feldspar, and cell membrane damage due to friction between SK1-7 and potassium feldspar, and analyzed it by transcriptome. The results revealed that the expression of the genes related to pyruvate metabolism, the two-component system, DNA repair, and oxidative stress pathways in strain SK1-7 was significantly upregulated in potassium feldspar medium. The subsequent validation experiments revealed that ROS were the stress faced by strain SK1-7 when interacting with potassium feldspar and led to a decrease in the total fatty acid content of SK1-7. In the face of ROS stress, strain SK1-7 upregulated the expression of the maeA-1 gene, allowing malic enzyme (ME2) to produce more pyruvate to be secreted outside the cell using malate as a substrate. Pyruvate is both a scavenger of external ROS and a gas pedal of dissolved potassium feldspar. IMPORTANCE Mineral-microbe interactions play important roles in the biogeochemical cycling of elements. Manipulating mineral-microbe interactions and optimizing the consequences of such interactions can be used to benefit society. It is necessary to explore the black hole of the mechanism of interaction between the two. In this study, it is revealed that P. aryabhattai SK1-7 faces mineral-induced ROS stress by upregulating a series of antioxidant genes as a passive defense, while overexpression of malic enzyme (ME2) secretes pyruvate to scavenge ROS as well as to increase feldspar dissolution, releasing K, Al, and Si into the medium. Our research provides a theoretical basis for improving the ability of microorganisms to weather minerals through genetic manipulation in the future.


Myeloma outcomes have improved dramatically over the last decade as a result of novel therapies, several of which are now commonly continued to disease relapse. Physicians who do not work in haematology are therefore more likely than ever before to be consulted by a patient with myeloma, either for an unrelated condition or with a side effect of myeloma or its treatment. Myeloma is also the cancer most likely to be diagnosed in accident and emergency departments or by the acute physician and so an awareness of its presentation and management is especially important in these settings to enable early diagnosis and limit the morbidity associated with end organ damage. This review summarizes the presenting features of disease, diagnostic criteria for myeloma and related plasma cell disorders, and discusses current management.


OBJECTIVES
To determine the concentrations of circulating endostatin and angiostatin in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and to assess its relationship to disease subsets, evolution phase, organ involvement and nailfold capillaroscopic changes.

METHODS
Endostatin and angiostatin serum levels were measured by ELISA in a cohort of 57 patients with SSc, and correlated with disease subsets, evolution phase, organ involvement and nailfold capillaroscopic changes.

RESULTS
Endostatin and angiostatin serum levels were significantly higher in patients with SSc than in healthy controls. Also, angiostatin was elevated in diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) and limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc), but not in pre-SSc, while endostatin was increased in all SSc subsets. Moreover, endostatin was augmented in lcSSc, with or without CREST syndrome, whereas angiostatin was increased exclusively in patients with CREST. Analysis according to disease evolution phase found that endostatin was elevated in all phases while angiostatin was only significantly higher in intermediate and late phases of disease. Analysis regarding organ involvement revealed that angiostatin was significantly higher in patients with osteoarticular involvement and with more serious lung affection; no significant differences were found for endostatin. Finally, endostatin was significantly increased in all nailfold capillaroscopy stages, while angiostatin was only elevated in active and late phases.

CONCLUSIONS
In accordance with previous studies, we found that endostatin and angiostatin concentrations are elevated in SSc patients. Additionally, we recognised the important role that endostatin might play as an early disease marker and realized that angiostatin is a marker of late disease and relates to lung disease severity.


A survey of some packet-switched routing methods for massively parallel computers is presented. Some of the techniques are applicable to both shared-memory and message-passing architectures. These routing methods are compared in terms of their efficiency in supporting programming models, efficiency in mapping to parallel machines, and practicality. Among the outlined methods, three nonadaptive techniques and some adaptive routing algorithms are discussed. >


How does abstract and concrete thinking about health messages impact the mental representation about a public health issue and the consequent attitudes and knowledge? The dissertation assesses in two studies how situated factors such as mood or construal level, individual preferences for abstract and concrete thinking, and cultural differences due to holistic and central thinking affect the influence of health messages on attitudes and behavioral intentions (i.e., organ or blood donation). The dissertation introduces a new coding procedure for thought listings to measure the concrete or abstract construal level of media users. Results show that individuals in a positive mood (vs. a negative mood) and from a collectivistic cultural background (vs. individualistic) show more positive attitudes, report stronger intentions to act and judge blood donation to be more relevant, partially because the participants showed a more abstract construal of the blood donation message. These results are limited to the non-narrative presentation of information.


This study explores nonverbal communication measured in a television medical drama using the NAAS framework for investigating doctor-patient interactions viewed through the lens of communication accommodation theory. It aims to find how doctors in the television series Grey's Anatomy exhibit a select set of nonverbal communication elements to accommodate their fictional patients. Of significance, the study draws attention to the impact of televised medical programs on real-life doctor-patient encounters, focusing on under-researched aspects of communication in this context. Eight episodes of the series Grey's Anatomy were coded for four nonverbal behaviors during physician consultations with a single patient in each program. Only the first and last minutes of conversation were included in the analysis. Descriptive statistics demonstrate how doctors and patients behave in general across all episodes. A factor calculated from differences of proportions between patient and physician behaviors indicates whether doctors accommodate patients and consequently influence patient satisfaction. The analysis finds that the amount of nonverbal behavior between the parties was balanced, with doctors accommodating and not accommodating in equal frequency. The study discusses the implications not only on medical drama but also on the professional medical field, noting that television not only reflects real-life but also can establish communication expectations for better or worse. Utilizing the NAAS to understand how fictionalized interactions occur informs the medical community on how better to prepare doctors for patient communication.


The 38 months incidence of cardiac rupture in a coronary care unit was found to be 10/460 or 2.1%. The patients at high risk were elderly people with a first transmural infarct, digitalized, experiencing recurring pain without a pericardial friction rub. 7/10 heart ruptures occurred within 36 hours after the first symptoms of infarction. Decreasing left ventricular work may be an effective method for preventing rupture of infarcted myocardium.


In this paper, we investigate on the problem of energy-efficient traffic grooming under sliding scheduled traffic model for IP over WDM optical networks, so as to minimize the total energy consumption of the core network. We present a two-layer auxiliary graph model and propose a new energy-efficient traffic grooming heuristic named Two-Dimension Green Traffic Grooming (TDGTG) algorithm, which takes both space and time factors into consideration for network energy efficiency. We compare our proposed TDGTG algorithm with the previous traffic grooming algorithms for scheduled traffic model in terms of total energy consumption and blocking probability. The simulation results in three typical carrier topologies show the efficiency of our proposed TDGTD algorithm.


Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a life-threatening complication of acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) patients. Increasing evidence suggests that histamine ameliorates the pathology of renal injury. However, data on the association between histamine levels and postoperative AKI in ATAAD patients are limited. The purpose of our study was to explore the incidence and independent risk factors of postoperative AKI, with special emphasis on the relationship between preoperative plasma histamine levels and the severity of postoperative ATAAD-AKI. This retrospective single-center study evaluated 160 patients with ATAAD admitted to the Beijing Anzhen Hospital aortic surgery database between April 2020 and December 2021. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the potential risk factors for postoperative ATAAD-AKI. A subgroup analysis was performed to investigate the association between preoperative plasma histamine levels and the severity of postoperative ATAAD-AKI or continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). ATAAD-AKI occurred in 84 of 160 patients (52.5%), including 32 with stage 1 (38.1%), 14 with stage 2 (16.7%), 38 with stage 3 (45.2%), and 34 (21.3%) received postoperative CRRT. The in-hospital mortality rate was 19.0% (16/84) in the AKI group and 2.6% (2/76) in the non-AKI group (P = .02). Preoperative lower plasma histamine levels (odds ratio [OR], 1.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10–1.52; P = .004) were an important factor related to postoperative ATAAD-AKI in multivariate logistic regression analysis. Subgroup analysis revealed that low preoperative plasma histamine level was independently associated with postoperative ATAAD-AKI (stage 3) (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.10–1.73; P = .005) and CRRT (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.13–1.79; P = .008). Low preoperative plasma histamine level was an independent prognostic indicator of postoperative AKI in patients with ATAAD, especially for postoperative AKI (stage 3) and CRRT. Preoperative plasma histamine levels may serve as potential protective biomarkers of postoperative ATAAD-AKI.


Cell patterning is becoming increasingly popular in neuroscience because it allows for the control in the location and connectivity of cells. A recently developed cell patterning technology uses patterns of an organic polymer, parylene-C, on a background of SiO2. When cells are cultured on the parylene-C/SiO2 substrate they conform to the underlying parylene-C geometry. Parylene-C is, however, just one member of a family of parylene polymers that have varying chemical and physical properties. In this work, we investigate whether two commercially available mainstream parylene derivatives, parylene-D, parylene-N and a more recent parylene derivative, parylene-HT to determine if they enable higher fidelity hNT astrocyte cell patterning compared to parylene-C. We demonstrate that all parylene derivatives are compatible with the existing laser fabrication method. We then demonstrate that parylene-HT, parylene-D and parylene-N are suitable for use as an hNT astrocyte cell attractive substrate and result in an equal quality of patterning compared to parylene-C. This work supports the use of alternative parylene derivatives for applications where their different physical and chemical properties are more suitable.


The thesis described an application of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to a specific characterisation of a complex biological process stream. Its use is for the monitoring and control of a downstream process in which alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is to be recovered from a broth of homogenised yeast. Other than the product ADH, the yeast homogenate consists of contaminants such cell debris, protein, nucleic acids, lipids and others. While the first two represented a large fraction of the total contaminant and could be removed sufficiently by centrifugation and fractional precipitation, respectively. The remains residuals of contaminants often poses a fouling problem to the final stage of hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) purification. The fouling has been minimised by the inserting a flocculation process at the early stage of recovery so that the problem contaminants are removed and the overall recovery is enhanced. A low budget instrument has been developed for sensitivity in the region of the NIR spectrum (from 1900 to 2500 nm) where preliminary work found distinctive NIR signatures from cell debris, protein and RNA in the yeast homogenate. The instrument is configured as a scanning spectrophotometer. Multivariate calibration technique with partial least squares (PLS) has been used for the three mentioned contaminants calibration. Two types of samples are used for calibrating the NIR instrument. In one case samples are prepared by adding materials representative of the contaminates to clarified yeast homogenate. In the other samples are taken from the process stream after flocculation and floe removal. In the former case the contaminant levels are well known but are outside the range of interest; in the latter there is uncertainty of analysis of contaminant level but the calibration is in the range of interest. The NIR instrument together with the calibration models has demonstrated potential in rapid monitoring of contaminants.


It is frequent within tritium processing systems that a small amount of hydrogen isotopes (Q/sub 2/) must be separated from an inert gas such as He, Ar and N/sub 2/. Thus, a study of presently available technologies for effecting such a separation was performed. A "base case" and seven technology alternatives were Identified and a simple design of each was prepared. These technologies included oxidation-adsorption-metal bed reduction, oxidation-adsorption-palladium membrane reactor, cryogenic adsorption, cryogenic trapping, cryogenic distillation, hollow fiber membranes, gettering and permeators. It was found that all but the last two methods were unattractive for recovering Q/sub 2/ from N/sub 2/. Reasons for technology rejection included (1) the method unnecessarily turns the hydrogen isotopes into water, resulting in a cumbersome and more hazardous operation, (2) the method would not work without further processing, and (3) while the method would work, it would only do so in an impractical way. On the other hand, getters and permeators were found to be attractive methods for this application. Both of these methods would perform the separation in a straightforward, essentially zero-waste, single step operation. The only drawback for permeators was that limited low-partial Q/sub 2/ pressure data is available. The drawbacks for getters are their susceptibility to irreversible and exothermic reaction with common species such as oxygen and water, and the lack of long-term operation of such beds. More research is envisioned for both of these methods to mature these attractive technologies.


In contrast to previous research on interethnic contact, which is static in nature, this article provides a dynamic analysis. The aim is to explain individuals' changes in interethnic contact over time by considering relevant time-constant and time-varying characteristics. We investigate the effects of these characteristics measured at time one (t1) on the change in interethnic contact between t1 and time two (t2), thereby providing better estimates of causal relationships. A theory of preferences, opportunities, and third parties is used for identifying potential predictors of interethnic contact. The hypotheses are tested with panel data collected among Turkish, Moroccan, Surinamese, and Antillean immigrants in the Netherlands. The findings show that static research provides good estimates for time-constant characteristics, but it tends to overestimate the role of time-varying characteristics. Moreover, while education, language proficiency, low concentration of immigrants in the neighbourhood, and a native partner clearly lead to the development of more interethnic contact over time, there is indication that these characteristics might just as well be consequences of such contact.


ABSTRACT In a 1922 monograph on the California chaparral, William S. Cooper called attention to some patches of chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) growing robustly on deep alluvial soils on the west side of the lower Sacramento Valley. He submitted that these patches were relicts of "the true regional climax," suggesting that centuries of Indian burning accounted for the prevalence of grass instead of brush when the Sacramento Valley was first seen by Europeans. We examined available historical evidence and found that Cooper was right in concluding that the chamise patches he saw were vestiges of a much more extensive (ca. 4000 ha) aboriginal stand. Whether the controlling local influence was edaphic or anthropogenic, and whether the local pattern had any wider regional implications, are questions that remain open to speculation.


1. CURVILINEAR COORDINATES 1.1Curvilinear Coordinate System in E3 1.2 Elementary Arc Length 1.3 Length of a Vector 1.4 Angle betweenTwo Non-null Vectors 1.5 Reciprocal Base System 1.6 On the Meaning of Covariant Derivatives 1.7 Intrinsic Differentiation 1.8 Parallel Vector Fields 2. GEOMETRY OF SPACE CURVES 2.1 Serret-Frenet Formulae 2.2 Equation of a Straight Line in Curvilinear Coordinate system 2.3 Some Results on Curvature and Torsion. How to Find out Curvature and Torsion of Space Curves 2.4 Helix 3. INTRINSIC GEOMETRY OF A SURFACE 3.1 Curvilinear Coordinates of a Surface 3.2 The Element of Length and the Metric Tensor 3.3 The First Fundamental Form 3.4 Directions on a Surface. Angle between Two Directions 3.5 Geodesic and its Equations 3.6 Parallelism with respect to a Surface 3.7 Intrinsic and Covariant Differentiation of Surface Tensors 3.8 The Riemann-Christoffel Tensor. The Gaussian Curvature of a Surface 3.9 The Geodesic Curvature of a Curve on a Surface 4. THE FUNDAMENTAL FORMULAE OF A SURFACE 4.1 The Tangent Vector to a Surface 4.2 The Normal Vector to a Surface 4.3 The Tensor Derivation of Tensors 4.4 Gauss's Formulae: The second Fundamental Form of a Surface 4.5 Weingarten's Formulae: The Third Fundamental Form of a Surface 4.5 The Equations of Gauss and Codazzi 5. CURVES ON A SURFACE 5.1 The Equations of a Curve on a Surface 5.2 Meusnier's Theorem 5.3 The principal curvatures 5.4 The Lines of Curvature 5.5 The Asymptotic Lines. Enneper's Formula 5.6 The Geodesic Torsion of a Curve on a Surface


Hyperpolarization-activated HCN pacemaker channels are critical for the generation of spontaneous activity and the regulation of excitability in the heart and in many types of neurons. These channels produce both a voltage-dependent current (Ih) and a voltage-independent current (Iinst or VIC). In this study, we explored the molecular basis of the voltage-independent current. We found that for the spHCN isoform, VIC averaged ∼4% of the maximum HCN conductance that could be activated by hyperpolarization. Cyclic AMP increased the voltage-independent current in spHCN to ∼8% of maximum. In HCN2, VIC was ∼2% of the maximal current, and was little affected by cAMP. VIC in both spHCN and HCN2 was blocked rapidly both by ZD7288 (an HCN channel blocker that is thought to bind in the conduction pore) and by application of Cd2+ to channels containing an introduced cysteine in the pore (spHCN-464C or HCN2-436C). These results suggest that VIC flows through the main conduction pathway, down the central axis of the protein. We suspected that VIC simply represented a nonzero limiting open probability for HCN channels at positive voltages. Surprisingly, we found instead that the spHCN channels carrying VIC were not in rapid equilibrium with the channels carrying the voltage-dependent current, because they could be blocked independently; a single application of blocker at a depolarized potential essentially eliminated VIC with little change in Ih. Thus, VIC appears to be produced by a distinct population of HCN channels. This voltage-independent current could contribute significantly to the role of HCN channels in neurons and myocytes; VIC flowing through the channels at physiological potentials would tend to promote excitability by accelerating both depolarization and repolarization.


Introduction Interrupted aortic arch (IAA) is a rare congenital heart disease and is often associated with other cardiovascular anomalies,including ventricular septal defect (VSD), truncus arteriosus,aorto-pulmonary window and various types of single ventricle.One staged repair of interrupted aortic arch (IAA) was first described by Barratt-Boyes et al.One-stage repair incorporating direct arch anastomosis was first described by Trusler in 1975.As outcomes of neonatal cardiac surgery have been improved, primary complete repair of IAA and concomitant congenital heart disease in neonatal period has been gradually applied in many institutions. Methods Retrospective chart review and data base of patients operated for interrupted aortic arch from 2007 to 2016 has been reviewed. Results 22 patients underwent interrupted aortic arch repiar between 2007 to 2016. Mean Age at the one stage repair was 5 day.Mean age at the second stage repair was 8 months.15 patients(68.1%) were female and 7 patients(31.8%) were male.Di George syndrome was associted in 9 patients(40.9%).Type B (81.9%) was the most common. Mean weight at one stage repair was 3.15 kg at one stage repair.A variety of concmmitent procedures were performed same time including VSD repair in 19 patients( 86.3%),AP window repair in one patient (4.5%),Left pulmonary artery reimplntation in one patient(4.5%) and trucus arteriosus repair in one patient (4.5%).Mean total bypass time and cross clamp time was 174 minutes and 89 minutes respectively.The mean circulatory arrest time was 28 minutes.Postoperative mean ventilatory support was 6 days.The overall mortality was one patient(4.5%). Conclusion Surgical outcomes for Interrupted aortic arch has significantly improved in last decade. One stage repair with concommitent procedures can be undertaken with good results.


Simple Summary The knowledge on the nutritive value of feeds is essential to feed animals with adequate diets and to optimize production with minimal environment impact. In situ degradation is an important tool for nutritionists because it is a reliable, cheap, and fast way to assess information on feed digestion in ruminants. However, the lack of standards procedures for in situ trials with cattle in the tropics may compromise the reliability of information obtained from those studies. Thus, we aimed to generate useful information for animal scientists on how to perform that kind of study using adequate and minimal resources yet keeping accuracy to interpret feed characteristics. Our findings indicated an important variation among animals on the estimates of the rumen degradation rate of feeds, and taking into account that variation can allow for a more adequate comparison among feeds. On the other hand, we also found that an in situ trial cannot be performed using fewer than three animals, otherwise the risk of obtained biased and imprecise information increases. Minimum sets of incubation times were defined and evaluated. They can be used to decrease the costs and the labor when tropical feeds are evaluated through in situ trials with cattle. Abstract Our objectives were to evaluate the variability among animals regarding to the degradation rate of the potentially degradable fraction of dry matter, crude protein, and neutral detergent fiber, as well as to establish the minimum number of animals and provide a standardized design of sampling times for in situ ruminal degradation assays of tropical feeds with cattle. Seven feeds were evaluated, four concentrates and three forages. The incubations were performed using five rumen-cannulated Nellore heifers (328 ± 9.8 kg of body weight). The complete sets of incubation sampling times encompassed 16 time points for forage samples (0–240 h) and 13 time points for concentrate samples (0–144 h). The profiles were adjusted using both fixed and mixed model approaches. When the variation among animals on the degradation rate was considered using the mixed model approach, the precision of the adjusted degradation profiles was increased. Moreover, the utilization of a low number of animals increases the probability to obtain biased estimates of degradation rate and increased random variances. A minimum of three animals is recommended for in situ trials with cattle. Minimum designs of sampling times regarding number and position of incubation times were proposed, discussed, and recommended to assess the dynamics of tropical feed degradation.


The study was conducted to isolate and determine the antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia from urine samples over a 2-year period (August 2013-September 2015) at the La Paz Medical Center, Malabo. A retrospective analysis of 785 urine culture samples over a 2-year period August 2013-September 2015 was carried out according to the routine protocol of urinalysis. Bacterial etiological agents were isolated from 155 (19.7%) samples with highest prevalence of Escherichia coli (55.5%) followed by Klebsiella pneumonia (23.2%), Proteus mirabilis (4.5%), Pseudomonas species (3.2%), Enterobacter species (2.6%), Enterococcus faecalis (2.6%) and others species (8.4%). The E. coli and K. pneumonia represent 78.7% of all isolated bacterial strains. The E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates possess highly resistant to ampicillin, Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole, Doxycycline, Amoxicicline/Clavulanic acid. Whereas K. pneumonia demonstrated also to be highly resistant to Gentamycin, Cefuroxime and Ceftriaxon, low level of resistance to Piperacilin/Tazobactam, Amikacin and the lowest to Imipenem. The alarming level of MDR strains to the first choice antibiotics treatment was observed.


BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence suggests that peritoneal cytokine concentrations may predict anastomotic leak after colorectal surgery, but previous studies have been underpowered. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to test this hypothesis by using a larger prospectively collected data set. DESIGN: This study is an analysis of prospectively collected data. SETTINGS: This study was conducted at 3 public hospitals in Auckland, New Zealand. PATIENTS: Patients undergoing colorectal surgery recruited as part of 3 previous randomized controlled trials were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data on peritoneal and plasma levels of interleukin-6, interleukin-8, interleukin-10, and tumor necrosis factor-&agr; on day 1 after colorectal surgery were reanalyzed to evaluate their predictive value for clinically important anastomotic leak. Area under receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed. RESULTS: A total of 206 patients with complete cytokine data were included. The overall anastomotic leak rate was 8.3%. Concentration levels of peritoneal interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 on day 1 after colorectal surgery were predictive of anastomotic leak (area under receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.72 and 0.74; p = 0.006 and 0.004). Plasma cytokine levels of interleukin-6 were higher on day 1 after colorectal surgery in patients who had an anastomotic leak, but this was a poor predictor of anastomotic leak. Levels of other peritoneal and plasma cytokines were not predictive. LIMITATIONS: The study was not powered a priori for anastomotic leak prediction. Although the current data do suggest that peritoneal levels of interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 are predictive of leak, the discriminative value in clinical practice remains unclear. CONCLUSIONS: Peritoneal levels of interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 on day 1 after colorectal surgery can predict clinically important anastomotic leak.


This study explores the diffusive properties of human eye movements during a language comprehension task. In this task, adults are given auditory instructions to locate named objects on a computer screen. Although it has been convention to model visual search as standard Brownian diffusion, we find evidence that eye movements are hyperdiffusive. Specifically, we use comparisons of maximum-likelihood fit as well as standard deviation analysis and diffusion entropy analysis to show that visual search during language comprehension exhibits Lévy-like rather than Gaussian diffusion.


A key role in the carcinogenic action of Helicobacter pylori is played by the effector protein CagA, the first identified oncoprotein of the bacterial world. However, the present knowledge in regard to the bacterial injection of CagA into epithelial cells (through a type IV secretion system) and its intracellular fate is based primarily on experimental studies in vitro. Our study was aimed to investigate, in H. pylori-infected human gastric epithelium, CagA delivery and intracellular distribution in order to identify any in vivo counterpart of the cell injection mechanism described in vitro and any intracellular cytoplasmic site of preferential CagA distribution, thus shedding light on the natural history of CagA in vivo. By transmission electron microscopy and ultrastructural immunocytochemistry (which combine precise molecule localization with detailed analysis of bacterial-host cell interaction and epithelial cell ultrastructure), we investigated endoscopic biopsies of gastric antrum from H. pylori-infected dyspeptic patients. Our findings provide support for CagA direct injection into gastric epithelial cells at bacterial adhesion sites located on the lateral plasma membrane and for its cytosolic intracellular distribution with selective concentration inside peculiar proteasome-rich areas, which might be site not only of CagA degradation but also of CagA-promoted crucial events in gastric carcinogenesis.


Abstract Introduction: Gallstone disease is a very common gastro-intestinal disorder which is present world wide. They may form because of many different disorders and the basis for it is impaired metabolism of cholesterol, bilirubin and bile acid and is characterized by formation of stones in hepatic or common bile duct or gall bladder. There has been a discussion, regard to the relation of thyroid disorders and gallstone disease, there are several explanations for a possible relation between hypothyroidism and gallstone disease. Further, sphincter of Oddi expresses thyroid hormone receptors and thyroxine has a direct pro-relaxing effect on sphincter, recent studies have also demonstrated low bile flow in hypothyroid patients. Hence, the aim of our study is to study relation of thyroid profile in patients of gall stone disease. Methods: Data was collected by estimating thyroid profile in patients of gall stone disease who were admitted in department of general surgery, Dr SN Medical College, Jodhpur from January 2015 to December 2016. Statistical analysis was done on collected data and p value was determined. P value <0.05 indicates statistically significant association. Results: In our study conducted on 50 patients, only 3(6%) had hypothyroidism and all of them were females. Most common age group having hypothyroidism was 45–60 years RESULTS-In. None of the male was hypothyroid. This non-significance can be due to the fact that those patients who were already diagnosed as having thyroid disorders were not included in the study and even in those patients having hypothyroidism with gallstone disease; it could not be solely attributed to deranged thyroid profile because all patients had associated higher BMI and dyslipidaemia. Conclusion: There is no statistically significant correlation between deranged thyroid profile and gallstone disease. Keywords: Gallstone disease, thyroid profile, hypothyroidism, BMI, dyslipidaemia Cite this Article Latika Sharma, Poojan Purohit, Rohit Dhawan et al. Relation of Thyroid Profile in Gall Stone Disease Patients. Research and Reviews: Journal of Surgery. 2017; 6(2): 8–12p.


Background: There is significant public concern in England about health carers wearing uniform in public places and that contaminated uniforms may contribute to the spread of healthcare-associated infections (HCAI). Evidence of a link between contaminated uniforms and HCAI, or that wearing uniforms in public spaces may contribute to the spread of infection from the healthcare environment to the wider community, has not previously been systematically assessed. Methods: A comprehensive review was conducted that focused on patient perceptions of the significance and infection risks of uniforms and microbiological and clinical evidence of the infection risks to patients from contaminated uniforms. Results: Uniforms play an important role in the public's perception of healthcare professionals. This is constructed from social and cultural images leading patients to judge the professionalism and trustworthiness of practitioners based on the clothes they wear. The colour and design of uniforms may reinforce socially constructed concepts of cleanliness that result in unachievable expectations. Evidence directly related to the laundering of uniforms is limited. Small scale studies show that uniforms and white coats become progressively contaminated during clinical care and most microbial contamination originates from the wearer of the uniform. Although some studies theorise that uniforms may transmit HCAI, no studies demonstrated this in practice. A small number of studies evaluated the phases of the wash cycle in hospital laundries for patient linen but not uniforms. They indicate that micro-organisms are removed and killed during laundering, and dilution during washing and rinsing is important. Significant reductions in micro-organisms occur at lower temperatures more commonly used in home laundering. A small number of studies show that home laundering provides effective decontamination. We found no recent studies that accounted for advances in domestic washing machine and detergent technology or that addressed the theoretical infection risk linked with wearing uniforms in public places. Conclusion: Despite the limited amount and quality of the evidence, the general public's perception is that uniforms pose an infection risk when worn inside and outside clinical settings. This is reinforced by media comment and a lack of clear, accessible information and may have a damaging effect on the relationship between professionals and patients and the public image of healthcare workers. There is no good evidence to suggest uniforms are a significant risk, that home laundering is inferior to commercial processing of uniforms or that it presents a hazard in terms of cross-contamination of other items in the wash-load with hospital pathogens. It is essential that the evidence is considered in a balanced way and not over-emphasised in the development of uniform policy and that the general principles of infection control are stressed.


The pathogenesis of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) remains unknown. Recently, it was postulated that suppression of regulatory T cells (Treg) leads to massive proteinuria in INS, although there is some controversy. Considering the important role of cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte‐associated protein 4 (CTLA‐4) in Treg‐mediated immune suppression, the aim of this study was therefore to clarify the involvement of Treg and CTLA‐4 in the pathogenesis of INS. Fifteen patients with INS were enrolled. Their blood was sampled twice, once at onset and once at remission induced by glucocorticoid. Although median Treg number was significantly lower at onset than in healthy children, it increased at remission. Similarly, serum CTLA‐4 concentration significantly increased at remission compared with onset. Furthermore, a positive significant correlation was observed between Treg number and serum CTLA‐4 level. This suggests that Treg and CTLA‐4 are involved in the induction of remission in INS.


The most common systemic mycoses imported into France are the histoplasmosis caused by H. capsulatum, which comes from Black Africa and from the French overseas departments and territories (Guyane, Martinique, Guadeloupe, New Caledonia), and the histoplasmosis caused by the larger H. duboisii, which is exclusively Central African. In recent years, histoplasmosis has become an opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients, particularly those with AIDS. Blastomycosis, imported from North America as well as from North Africa and Central Africa, and paracoccidioidomycosis, imported from Latin America, are pulmonary mycoses with cutaneous manifestations on the face and extremities and with various deep localizations which often follow a chronic course. Coccidioidomycosis, strictly limited to the desertic regions in the western part of the American continent, is also a pulmonary mycosis with multiple granulomas in the skin, bones, lymph nodes and meninges. Penicilliosis caused by Penicillium marneffei is a mycosis from South-East Asia which has recently been observed in European AIDS patients who had travelled in that part of the world.


AIM
To investigate the effects of Ginkgo biloba extract on cytoprotective factors in rats with duodenal ulcer.

METHODS
Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: sham operation without ginkgo, sham operation with ginkgo, duodenal ulcer without ginkgo, and duodenal ulcer with ginkgo. Rats with duodenal ulcer were induced by 500 mL/L acetic acid. Rats with ginkgo were intravenously injected with Ginkgo biloba extract from the tail at a dose of 0.5 mg/(kg/d) for 7 and 14 days.

RESULTS
Pathological result showed that duodenal ulcer rats with ginkgo improved mucosal healing and inflammation compared with those without ginkgo after 7 d treatment. After 14 d treatment, duodenal ulcer rats with ginkgo significantly increased weight gain (34.0+/-4.5 g versus 24.5+/-9.5 g, P<0.05) compared with those without ginkgo. Duodenal ulcer rats significantly increased cell proliferation (27.4+/-4.0 and 27.8+/-2.3 BrdU-labeled cells in duodenal ulcer rats with and without ginkgo versus 22.4+/-3.5 and 20.8+/-0.5 BrdU-labeled cells in sham operation rats with and without ginkgo, P<0.05) compared with sham operation rats. Mucosal prostaglandin E(2) concentration significantly increased by 129% (P<0.05) in duodenal ulcer rats with ginkgo compared with that in those without ginkgo. Duodenal ulcer rats without ginkgo significantly decreased superoxide dismutase activity in the duodenal mucosa and erythrocytes (19.4+/-6.7 U/mg protein versus 38.1+/-18.9 U/mg protein in the duodenal mucosa, and 4.87+/-1.49 U/mg protein versus 7.78+/-2.16 U/mg protein in erythrocytes, P<0.05) compared with sham operation rats without ginkgo. However, duodenal ulcer rats with ginkgo significantly increased erythrocyte superoxide dismutase activity (8.22+/-1.92 U/mg protein versus 4.87+/-1.49 U/mg protein, P<0.05) compared with those without ginkgo. Duodenal ulcer rats without ginkgo significantly increased plasma lipid peroxides (4.18+/-1.12 micromol/mL versus 1.60+/-1.10 micromol/mL and 1.80+/-0.73 micromol/mL, P<0.05) compared with sham operation rats without ginkgo and duodenal ulcer rats with ginkgo during the experimental period.

CONCLUSION
Ginkgo biloba extract can improve weight gain and mucosal healing in duodenal ulcer rats by the actions of cytoprotection and antioxidation.


Growth suitability as assessment indicators for medicinal plants cultivation was proposed based on chemical quality determination and ecological factors analysis by Maxent and ArcGIS model. Notopterygium incisum, an endangered Chinese medicinal plant, was analyzed as a case, its potential distribution areas at different suitability grade and regionalization map were formulated based on growth suitability theory. The results showed that the most suitable habitats is Sichuan province, and more than 60% of the most suitable areawas located in the western Sichuan such as Aba and Ganzi prefectures for N. incisum. The results indicated that habitat altitude, average air temperature in September, and vegetation types were the dominant factors contributing to the grade of plant growth, precipitation and slope were the major factors contributing to notopterol accumulation in its underground parts, while isoimperatorin in its underground parts was negatively corelated with precipitation and slope of its habitat. However, slope as a factor influencing chemical components seemed to be a pseudo corelationship. Therefore, there were distinguishing differences between growth suitability and quality suitability for medicinal plants, which was helpful to further research and practice of cultivation regionalization, wild resource monitoring and large-scale cultivation of traditional Chinese medicine plants.


Angle resolved studies of SiO2/SiC samples utilizing the Si 2p and Si 1s core levels and the Si KLL Auger transitions are reported. Samples with total oxide thicknesses from ca. 5 to 118 A are investigated. The data collected show that two oxidation states only, Si+1 and Si+4, are required to explain and model recorded Si 2p, Si 1s and Si KLL spectra. For all samples investigated the intensity variations observed in the core level components versus electron emission angle are found to be well described by a layer attenuation model when assuming that the sub-oxide, Si+1, is located at the interface. The SiO2 chemical shift is found to be larger in the Si 1s level than in the Si 2p level and moreover to depend on the thickness of the oxide layer.


Introduction Children brought to the ER with signs of difficulty in breathing such as polypnea, accessory muscle use, flaring of the nostrils, dyspnea, wheezing, grunting, can initially misguide the doctor to a pulmonary disease, but further investigations can diagnose a cardiac malformation. Case series presentation, management and outcome Case 1. A previously healthy 3 months old boy is brought to the ER for grunting especially during sleeping, polypnea and dry coughing. Oxygen saturation showed 84% on room air and 89% with oxygen. Chest X-ray showed cardiomegaly. Echocardiography certified totally anomalous venous drainage into the coronary sinus. He underwent surgery with favourable results. Case 2. 14 months old boy with previous history of recurrent bronchiolitis presented to the ER for dyspnea, wheezing, dry cough and rhinorrhea accompanied by pallor. Although he didn't have heart murmur, Chest X-ray showed cardiomegaly. Echocardiography certified the diagnoses of Ebstein disease with moderate tricuspid insufficiency. He never got operated; however, he is alive with no signs of pulmonary hypertension. Case 3. 5 weeks old boy is brought to the ER for polypnea, dyspnea, dry cough and difficulty in breastfeeding. He also had pallor and bilateral crackles. Heart murmur was inaudible and oxygen saturation was 90% on room air. Echocardiography showed severe coarctation of the aorta. He got cardiac surgery with good results. Case 4. 4 months old girl presented at the ER for wheezing, cough, dyspnea and grunting. She had pallor, rhonchi and no heart murmur. Oxygen saturation showed 85% on room air and 99% with oxygen; chest X-ray showed cardiomegaly. Echocardiography diagnosed the child with dilated cardiomyopathy. He initially got specific treatment with good results and he had no indication of surgery. Conclusions All cases were initially presumed to be acute pulmonary diseases. Chest X-rays and oxygen saturation monitoring along with specific clinical features (failure to thrive, cyanosis, pallor and fatigue during breastfeeding) are useful for orienting towards congenital cardiac malformations. Auscultation is not a reliable evaluation since heart murmur it is not always pathologic and it depends on the severity of the heart defect and on the physician's skills and praxis. Since echocardiography is the key in diagnosis, there should be done short courses for basic children echocardiography for ER paediatricians.