ABSTRACT Recent studies have revealed a close relationship between transcription, histone modification, and RNA processing. In fact, genome-wide analyses that correlate histone marks with RNA processing signals raise the possibility that specific RNA processing factors may modulate transcription and help to "write" chromatin marks. Here we show that the nuclear cap binding complex (CBC) directs recruitment of transcription elongation factors and establishes proper histone marks during active transcription. A directed genetic screen revealed that deletion of either subunit of the CBC confers a synthetic growth defect when combined with deletion of genes encoding either Ctk2 or Bur2, a component of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae ortholog of P-TEFb. The CBC physically associates with these complexes to recruit them during transcription and mediates phosphorylation at Ser-2 of the C-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase II. To understand how these interactions influence downstream events, histone H3K36me3 was examined, and we demonstrate that CBCΔ affects proper Set2-dependent H3K36me3. Consistent with this, the CBC and Set2 have similar effects on the ability to rapidly induce and sustain activated gene expression, and these effects are distinct from other histone methyltransferases. This work provides evidence for an emerging model that RNA processing factors can modulate the recruitment of transcription factors and influence histone modification during elongation.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the status of Oncomelania hupensis snails in Anhui Province in 2016, so as to provide the evidence for formulating the 13th Five-Year Plans for Schistosomiasis Control.

METHODS
In 2016, a snail survey was conducted in Anhui Province according to the National Programme of the Oncomelania Snail Survey, covering all snail habitats or historical snail habitats and suspected environments of snail breeding, and the results of the survey were analyzed.

RESULTS
In 2016, 22 848 environments were surveyed, and no schistosome-infected snails were found. There were 17 927 historical snail habitats in whole province, among which, the environments without changes, changed partly and changed completely accounted for 71.2%, 19.3% and 9.5%, respectively. The area of historical snail habitats was 1.410 billion m2. There were 4 830 environments with snail habitats covering an area of 0.265 billion m2 in 38 counties of 7 cities, including newly emerging area of 1 287.65 hm2 and reemerging area of 1 375.32 hm2. The density of living snails was 0.392 0 snails/0.1 m2, and the rate of frame with living snails was 12.93%. The type of marshland and lake regions, and the type of hilly and mountainous regions accounted for 22.4% and 77.6% of number of snail habitats, and accounted for 86.7% and 13.3% of areas of snail habitats, respectively. Among the different types of vegetation in snail habitats, grass was superior owe to accounting for 82.2% of the number of snail habitats, 57.3% of the area with snail habitats, and the highest density of living snails (0.413 9 snails/0.1 m2). Among the different types of environments in snail habitats, the ditch was superior owe to accounting for 56.8% of the number of snail habitats, the highest density of living snails (0.570 3 snails/0.1m2) and the highest rate of frame with living snails (18.57%), and the beach was superior owe to accounting for 87.8% of the area with snail habitats. In Anhui Province, the first year of snails and schistosome-infected snails being found was 1950 and 1952, respectively, and the latest year of schistosome-infected snails being found was 2012. The map showed that the most environments with snail habitats were distributed along the Yangtze River in Anhui Province.

CONCLUSIONS
For the first time, the investigation has built the database and map of snail spatial distribution, which truly reflect the historic and current status of snail distribution in Anhui Province and can provide the evidence for formulating the 13th Five-Year Plans for Schistosomiasis Control and improving the schistosomiasis prevention and control work in the future.


SUV39H1 is a histone 3 lysine 9 (H3K9)-specific methyltransferase that is important for heterochromatin formation and the regulation of gene expression. Chaetocin specifically inhibits SUV39H1, resulted in H3K9 methylation reduction as well as reactivation of silenced genes in cancer cells. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors inhibit deacetylases and accumulate high levels of acetylation lead to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In this study, we demonstrated that treatment with chaetocin enhanced apoptosis in human leukemia HL60, KG1, Kasumi, K562, and THP1 cells. In addition, chaetocin induced the expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2B (p15), E-cadherin (CDH1) and frizzled family receptor 9 (FZD9) through depletion of SUV39H1 and reduced H3K9 methylation in their promoters. Co-treatment with chaetocin and HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA) dramatically increased apoptosis and produced greater activation of genes. Furthermore, this combined treatment significantly increased loss of SUV39H1 and reduced histone H3K9 trimethylation responses accompanied by increased acetylation. Importantly, co-treatment with chaetocin and TSA produced potent antileukemic effects in leukemia cells derived from patients. These in vitro findings suggest that combination therapy with SUV39H1 and HDAC inhibitors may be of potential value in the treatment of leukemia.


Torsades de pointes, a French term that literally means "twisting of the points," is a lethal form of ventricular tachycardia named for its hallmark feature: polymorphic QRS complexes that appear to twist around the isoelectric line. Without treatment, few patients survive Torsades de pointes (TdP) once it develops. The key to preventing sudden cardiac death lies in early detection of warning signs.


Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is the most common cause of hypercalcemia; patients are usually asymptomatic and the cause in 80-85% of cases is a single parathyroid adenoma (PA). Parathyroid adenomas arise from clonal expansion of tumor cells and may be located either posteriorly to the thyroid lobes or in ectopic sites. The incidence of intrathyroidal PAs varies from 1% to 6% and although uncommon, they pose certain diagnostic difficulties which may complicate treatment. The identification of the adenoma requires a combination of clinical evidence, imaging information and cytological findings due to the challenging distinction between thyroid and parathyroid lesions. We present the case of a patient with a large, partially cystic intrathyroidal parathyroid adenoma which was initially identified as a malignant thyroid nodule. We discuss the caveats that present in these rare cases and the important clinical and histological features that aid in the final diagnosis. In the case of our patient the cytological similarities between thyroid malignant cells and parathyroid cells, in combination with the negative sestamibi scan, resulted in a more invasive surgery than that a single parathyroid adenoma would require. Clinicians need to be vigilant in terms of the similarities between parathyroid and thyroid cytology in order to provide optimal patient care in these rare cases.


This paper analyses the human sacrifice of Menoeceus in Euripides' Phoenissae. In the third epeisodion, Teiresias draws on the history of Thebes and its royal family to justify the sacrifice and the choice of Menoeceus as its victim. But what are the ritual or cultural models outside the dramatic fiction that inform this sacrifice and made it understandable for the contemporary ancient Athenian audience? To answer this question, I discuss possible similarities to pre-battle sacrifice, the pharmakos-ritual, and the mythical pattern of a hero who sacrifices himself for the community. The relation of this sacrifice to the foundation of Thebes, which itself plays a prominent role in the play's choral odes, is then examined in a concluding section. Here, the crucial question is whether the sacrifice restates the act of foundation and its violence or instead negates and invalidates it.


Density functional theory (DFT) is a widely used method for predicting equilibrium geometries of organometallic compounds involving transition metals, with a wide choice of functional and basis set combinations. A study of the role of basis set size in predicting the structural parameters can be insightful with respect to the effectiveness of using small basis sets to optimize larger molecular systems. For many organometallic systems, the metal-metal and metal-carbon distances are the most important structural features. In this study, we compare the equilibrium metal-ligand and metal-metal distances of six transition metal carbonyl compounds predicted by the Hood-Pitzer double-ζ polarization (DZP) basis set, against those predicted employing the standard correlation consistent cc-pVXZ (X = D,T,Q) basis sets, for 35 different DFT methods. The effects of systematically increasing the basis set size on the structural parameters are carefully investigated. The Mn-Mn bond distance in Mn2(CO)10 shows a greater dependence on basis set size compared to the other M-M bonds. However, the DZP predictions for re(Mn-Mn) are closer to experiment than those obtained with the much larger cc-pVQZ basis set. Our results show that, in general, DZP basis sets predict structural parameters with an accuracy comparable to the triple and quadruple-ζ basis sets. This finding is very significant, because the quadruple-ζ basis set for Mn2(CO)10 includes 1308 basis functions, while the equally effective double-ζ set (DZP) includes only 366 basis functions. Overall, the DZP M06-L method predicts structures that are very consistent with experiment.


To explore altered platelet function in recurrent coronary event risk among diabetic postinfarction patients, we investigated a function-altering genetic polymorphism (T145M) in the von Willebrand factor binding region of the platelet glycoprotein Ibα (GPIbα) subunit. The study comprised diabetic and nondiabetic patients of the Thrombogenic Factors and Recurrent Coronary Events postinfarction study. Cox proportional hazards multivariable modeling, adjusted for significant clinical covariates, was performed using the polymorphism and metabolic, inflammatory, and thrombogenic blood markers. Nondiabetic patients demonstrated risk for elevated lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2). In contrast, diabetic patients demonstrated significant and independent risk for the M allele of the T145M polymorphism (MT plus MM versus TT, hazard ratio [HR] 3.73, 95% CI 1.90–7.33, P < 0.001), hypertriglyceridemia (2.91, 1.52–5.56, P = 0.001), and elevated Lp-PLA2 (2.78, 1.45–5.35, P = 0.002). Joint risk (one, two, or three risk factors) expressed as relative outcome rates (compared with no risk factors) were 2.4, 4.0, and 8.2, respectively. We conclude that the M allele of the T145M polymorphism of the GPIbα subunit predicts risk for recurrent coronary events in diabetic postinfarction patients, but not in nondiabetic postinfarction patients, supportive of an important role for platelet hyperactivation in diabetic coronary heart disease.


We discuss the force-velocity relations obtained in a two-state crossbridge model for molecular motors. They can be calculated analytically in two limiting cases: for a large number and for one pair of motors. The effect of the strain-dependent detachment rate on the motor characteristics is studied. It can lead to linear, myosin-like, kinesin-like and anomalous curves. In particular, we specify the conditions under which oscillatory behavior may be found.


Abstract The study aimed to demonstrate the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1α) in soft tissue mesenchymal tumours (fibroma and fibrosarcoma) in dogs. An attempt was made to correlate the obtained results with density of blood vessels (expression of von Willebrand Factor, vWF), expression of Ki-67 proliferation antigen, and with intensity of apoptosis in studied tumours. The study was performed on paraffin sections of 15 fibromas and 40 fibrosarcomas sampled from 55 female dogs aged 6 to 16 years. Immunohistochemical staining against HIF-1α, vWF, and Ki-67 was performed. Apoptosis was detected with the use of TUNEL reaction. A significantly higher HIF-1α expression was noted in fibrosarcomas in comparison to fibromas (P < 0.0001). HIF-1α expression in fibromas manifested strong positive correlation with tumour vascularity (r = 0.67, P = 0.007). Moreover, HIF-1α expression in fibrosarcomas manifested a moderate positive correlation with tumour malignancy grade (r = 0.44, P = 0.004), tumour vascularity (r = 0.52, P < 0.001), Ki-67 antigen expression (r = 0.42; P = 0.007), and TUNELpositive cells (r = 0.37, P = 0.017). Expression of HIF-1α was detected in 86.7% of fibroma type tumours and in 100% of fibrosarcomas. In all studied tumours expression of HIF-1α manifested positive correlation with the density of blood vessels, and in fibrosarcomas it correlated also with malignancy grade, intensity of Ki-67 expression, and with intensity of apoptosis in tumour cells.


. Gitelman syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive renal tubular disease characterized by hypokalemia, metabolic alkalosis, and hypocalciuria. The syndrome develops as a result of various mutations in the SLC12A3 gene. This manuscript aims to highlight the association of Gitelman Syndrome with nephrocalcinosis in a 48-year-old female patient who presented with pain and cramps in the lower limbs.


Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006

4640

6-thioguanine (6-TG) is a chemotherapeutic base analogue that can be incorporated into DNA during replication, and can induce toxicity in leukaemia cells by eliciting an error-prone DNA mismatch repair (MMR) response. Miscoding by 6-TG generates an S6-methylthioguanine:thymine base-pair which is recognised by the MutSα DNA MMR heterodimer (MSH2/MSH6). It is possible that other chemotherapeutic DNA base analogues may also interact with DNA mismatch repair to elicit a cellular response. To test this hypothesis, human cell lines either proficient (HL60, TK6) or deficient (HL60R, MT1) in DNA mismatch repair were treated with one of the following chemotherapeutic DNA base analogues; 6-TG, fludarabine or ara-C. The HL60R human leukaemia cell line is amplified for the MSH3 gene and was consistently tolerant to the killing effects of 6-TG, fludarabine or ara-C when compared to the parental HL60 cell line. The MT1 B-cell line is mutated in both copies of the MSH6 gene and was also tolerant to the killing effects of 6-TG when compared to the parental TK6 line. By contrast, MT1 was sensitive to the killing effects of fludarabine and ara-C. These data suggest that cellular DNA MMR status modifies the killing effects of all three base analogues investigated, but that fludarabine and ara-C interact with DNA MMR via a different mechanism to that of 6-TG. One possible explanation for these results is that ara-C and fludarabine, unlike 6-TG, can cause DNA replication slippage and can generate a substrate for the MutSβ DNA MMR heterodimer (MSH2/MSH3). To test this hypothesis, single-stranded oligonucleotides were constructed containing either a site-specific 6-TG or ara-C lesion and used as substrates for DNA polymerase. Translesion synthesis using either klenow fragment or human DNA polymerase α demonstrated that ara-C does indeed cause single-base replication slippage in vitro , whereas 6-TG appears not to. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that DNA mismatch repair proteins can bind to extrahelical bases paired opposite an ara-C lesion, but only when the extrahelical base is a pyrimidine. These data suggest that DNA MMR status modifies cellular response to fludarabine and ara-C, as well as 6-TG, but that the nature of the response may be determined by the structure of the DNA substrate.


Over the past decade there has been a creative rebirth in the practice of illustration. Boosted by the art worlds acceptance of graffiti and street art, the ubiquitous nature of foolproof vector programs, the re-adoption of illustration by avant-garde fashion labels, the proliferation of character design in two- and three-dimensions, and the technical capabilities of digital delivery, contemporary illustration has more applications, methodologies and fans than ever before. With modes of production ranging from the reimagined traditions of drawing, painting and collage, to the wide range of computer-based applications, and a myriad of unique combinations of both hand and digital means, todays illustrators are breaking the mould in terms of production. This book will investigate these myriad ways of working and creating, by featuring portfolios of images from a diverse range of more than 80 contemporary practitioners, some of whom have never before been featured in a book. Drawn from around the world, each portfolio will be accompanied by analysis and an interview with the illustrator. Building into a collection that showcases new talent and focuses on current trends, this book will offer a definitive guide to illustration in the new millennium.


We compare the theoretical limits of iodine quantification for the photon counting multibin and dual energy technologies. Dual energy systems by necessity have to make prior assumptions in order to quantify iodine. We explicitly allow the multibin system to make the same assumptions and also allow them to be wrong. We isolate the effect of technology from imperfections and implementation issues by assuming both technologies to be ideal, i.e., without scattered radiation, unity detection efficiency and perfect energy response functions, and by applying the Cramér-Rao lower bound methodology to assess the quantification accuracy. When priors are wrong the maximum likelihood estimates will be biased and the mean square error of the quantification error is a more appropriate figure of merit. The evaluation assumes identical X-ray spectra for both methodologies and for that reason a sensitivity analysis is performed with regard to the assumed X-ray spectrum. We show that when iodine is quantified over regions of interest larger than 6 cm2, multibin systems benefit by independent estimation of three basis functions. For smaller regions of interest multibin systems can increase quantification accuracy by making the same prior assumptions as dual energy systems.


Abstract The aim of this study is to investigate gasification technologies and gasification of biomass for gaseous products. The gasification of biomass is a thermal treatment, which results in a high proportion of gaseous products and small quantities of char (solid product) and ash. At temperatures of approximately 873–1,273 K, solid biomass undergoes thermal decomposition to form gas-phase products that typically include H2, CO, CO2, CH4, H2O, and other gaseous hydrocarbons. Hydrogen gas was produced on a pilot scale by steam gasification of charred cellulosic waste material. The yield from steam gasification increases with increasing water to sample ratio. The yields of hydrogen from the pyrolysis and the steam gasification increase with the increase of temperature. In general, the gasification temperature is higher than that of pyrolysis and the yield of hydrogen from the gasification is higher than that of the pyrolysis.


The bandwidth balancing (BWB) scheme has been used on distributed queue dual bus (DQDB) networks to improve the fairness of bandwidth allocation. Flexible dynamic bandwidth allocation can be achieved by using nonuniform BWB modular values. However, the local load condition in each station is ignored. The authors change the BWB scheme to be adaptive based on the local traffic intensity in each station. No additional hardware is required except a simple queue length monitor. The fairness of access delay time for heavily loaded networks is improved, while the original static BWB scheme remains more effective for lower load levels. The transient time for reaching throughput steady state is reduced at the cost of some overshooting. Variations of adaptive BWB schemes are discussed and analyzed numerically.<<ETX>>


The character of Daphnis, who has intriguing significance in folklore and religion, becomes an important literary figure in Theocritus, who, in his narrative of Daphnis' death, makes him the founding figure of his new genre, bucolic poetry. Theocritus' successors, Bion of Smyrna in his Adonidis Epitaphium, and the anonymous author of Bionis Epitaphium, refer to Daphnis – inevitably the Theocritean Daphnis – and transform his figure, adapting it to the themes and purposes of their poems. After them, in founding Latin bucolic poetry, Virgil appropriates Daphnis, not only in order to pay tribute to the previous literary tradition, but as a point of departure (and of arrival) in his reflection on bucolic poetry and his relationship with his great Syracusan predecessor. The paper aims to retrace the path of Daphnis, to understand, in the treatment reserved for him by each poet, the elements of vitality and originality that his great inventor Theocritus gave him and that his successors developed at different levels. Virgil, in particular, is able to employ the figure of Daphnis and charge it with a new significance, in order to highlight the great difference between his own poetry and Theocritus' bucolic production.


In this paper we propose a new algorithm for the design of a lead generation library for the purpose of drug discovery. The algorithm is based on a modification of the deterministic annealing algorithm used for clustering and locational optimization problems. The algorithm addresses two key criteria namely, diversity and representativeness of compounds in the obtained library. Thus the time-intensive process of finding a lead compound for drug discovery can he accelerated using this technique of library design.


The paper deals with the subject of efficiency of power input in ferro-alloy furnaces and discusses the electrical factors to be considered in the design of the leads for achieving such efficiency. It also describes a new system of reguation, whereby the furnace temperature is kept constant by keeping the energy input constant by means of true watt regulation. Also several factors in design and construction, are discussed, which help to keep the load-factor of the operation as close to 100 per cent as possible.


Abstract Seven new glycosides (1–7) and seventeen known analogues (8–24) were isolated from the leaves of Datura metel L. The structures of these compounds were all elucidated by detailed spectroscopic analyses and comparison with literature values. All isolates were evaluated for cytotoxicity against Hela, MGC-803, Ishikawa cell lines and compounds 6, 7, 14–17 and 24 exhibited different degrees of antiproliferative effects.


Most LLIE algorithms focus solely on enhancing the brightness of the image and ignore the extraction of image details, leading to losing much of the information that reflects the semantics of the image, losing the edges, textures, and shape features, resulting in image distortion. In this paper, the DELLIE algorithm is proposed, an algorithmic framework with deep learning as the central premise that focuses on the extraction and fusion of image detail features. Unlike existing methods, basic enhancement preprocessing is performed first, and then the detail enhancement components are obtained by using the proposed detail component prediction model. Then, the V-channel is decomposed into a reflectance map and an illumination map by proposed decomposition network, where the enhancement component is used to enhance the reflectance map. Then, the S and H channels are nonlinearly constrained using an improved adaptive loss function, while the attention mechanism is introduced into the algorithm proposed in this paper. Finally, the three channels are fused to obtain the final enhancement effect. The experimental results show that, compared with the current mainstream LLIE algorithm, the DELLIE algorithm proposed in this paper can extract and recover the image detail information well while improving the luminance, and the PSNR, SSIM, and NIQE are optimized by 1.85%, 4.00%, and 2.43% on average on recognized datasets.


Intestinal amebiasis due to various degrees of ulceration of the large bowel and rectum following infection withEndameba histolyticais a very common ailment throughout those parts of the Caribbean littoral where the United Fruit Company maintains hospitals. A survey of the reports of the medical department of the company for the last ten years shows that the acute phase of this infection, amebic dysentery, is prevalent and very generally distributed; and where this is true there is inevitably a large proportion of infection, which, even though dysentery is not active, produces all manner of symptoms referable to the gastro-intestinal tract, and at times abscess of the liver and even more serious complications. Following a small, and local outbreak of amebic dysentery in 1925, in Santa Marta, Colombia, confined mostly to American employees, a survey was made by Kofoid, Swezy, Boyers and James1which uncovered approximately 60 per cent


Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by Leishmania species. Cutaneous leishmaniasis presents as papules that evolve to nodules/plaques that may ulcerate. The diagnosis is mainly clinical and may be confirmed by cutaneous biopsy. In HIV patients, Leishmania co-infection can lead more easily to visceral leishmaniasis and atypical cutaneous lesions. We describe a case of a patient with cutaneous leishmaniasis and pancytopenia which led to the diagnosis of a previously unknown HIV infection. A 41-year-old male patient presented with a 6 month history of 2 ulcerated nodules on the face. Cutaneous leishmaniasis was suspected and confirmed by skin biopsy. Treatment with itraconazole was performed with complete regression of the lesions. He also mentioned asthenia, anorexia and significant weight loss. Complementary study revealed pancytopenia and spleen infiltration. A myelogram and serology were performed, with a positive test for HIV1. This clinical case highlights the importance of a global evaluation of the patient.


Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Abstract Perceived discrimination is associated with symptoms of cognitive dysfunction (SOCD) among middle-age and older persons living with HIV (PLWH). We aimed to explore how the association between perceived discrimination and SOCD was mediated by mental health symptoms and social isolation. The sample included 321 PLWH, ages 45 years and older, for a multicenter cross-sectional study. Structural equation modeling showed an acceptable model fit and a significant total indirect effect between perceived discrimination and SOCD. All three indirect effect pathways were significant, suggesting that perceived discrimination could influence SOCD through mental health symptoms, through social isolation, or through mental health symptoms and then social isolation. Our study demonstrates that perceived discrimination is a concern for the management of cognitive function among middle-age and older PLWH. Both mental health symptoms and social isolation are critical elements in the design and evaluation of interventions for promoting cognitive health.


Abstract:Older adults experiencing homelessness are a growing population with high rates of medical, psychiatric, and substance use-related health conditions. This mixed-methods study sampled older adults experiencing homelessness admitted to an academic safety-net hospital. We analyzed chart review data on the cohorts' medical and psychiatric conditions and their health care utilization. Qualitative interviews examined the impact of the congregate shelter environment on health. The sixteen participants with experiences living in a shelter had high rates of depression (56%), alcohol use disorder (52%) and hypertension (39%). Annually, participants averaged 2.8 hospitalizations and 8.5 emergency department visits. Forty-four percent (44%) of participants were discharged from hospital to shelter. Qualitative interviews linked living in congregate shelters to challenges meeting daily physical and psychological needs and barriers to medical system engagement. Our study highlights the complex health and psychological needs of this population, and challenges meeting those needs across congregate shelters and acute hospital settings.


[reaction: see text] A novel one-pot procedure for the three-component coupling reaction of isocyanates, aldehydes, and dienophiles (IAD reaction) has been developed. Condensation of isocyanates and aldehydes and subsequent Diels-Alder reactions with electron-deficient dienophiles furnishes endo-selective amino-substituted cyclohexenes in good yield.


The process of green crop fractionation (GCF) has been recommended for producing high quality feed and food grade products for animal and human consumption respectively. The pressed crop (PC) residue released during fractionation is considered as a feed product which is fibrous in nature containing adequate nutrients to fulfil the requirements of cattle. This product is more digestible than whole unfractionated crop. The digestibility of PC residue increases due to the mechanical treatment i.e. maceration. Most of the proteins are extracted in juice and therefore the protein content in PC residue is less, in comparison to that in unfractionated foliage. Furthermore during pressing a large amount of moisture is released in the form of juice. The PC residue is thus low moisture product with low protein content. This character of PC enables to make good quality of silage. The leaf protein concentrate (LPC) obtained during GCF is free from indigestible fibre and it contains high proportions of proteins which are nutritionally superior. For this reason, its use in the nutrition of human beings and non - ruminants has been advocated. Apart from proteins, it contains appreciable amounts of vitamin A, minerals, fats and vitamin E. Studies of various places in India and abroad indicated its suitability in human nutrition.
Three crops, i.e., Vigna, cowpea and Dolichos were selected to find out its production potential before and after fractionation. These were earlier found suitable for fractionation and have been recommended for LP production. It is indicated that the crops are highly productive and can be raised without much use of fertiliser. As all the three crops were leguminous they would fix nitrogen and save fertilizer input. The data indicated that all the three crops produced appreciable amounts of PC residue as well as LPC and these crops could be employed for commercial production of leaf protein and fibrous residue. Their comparison with lucerne revealed that as these crops as annual; they could produce the products only during particular season. Hence detail investigation and crop sequence studies are required to produce LPC round the year from such suitable crops.


Introduction Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis (CVST) has an estimated incidence of 1.32–1.57/100,000/yr, with death or severe disability in less than 10%. There is a reported elevated incidence in young -middle age females. The majority of reported epidemiologic and outcome data has been collected outside the United States (US). Available US data shows low representation of the Appalachian region, which has relatively a higher burden of disease and lower socioeconomic level. The objective of this study was to examine the gender characteristics of CVST patients in the United States, with greater representation of the Appalachian region. Methods Data were collected in a retrospective cohort using the Kentucky Appalachian Stroke Registry (KApSR), collected from admissions in a Comprehensive Stroke Center serving 554,300 from the central-eastern United States. All diagnosed CVST patients found in the database from 2010–2018 greater than 18 years of age were included in the data set. Descriptive data were computed using SPSS statistics. Results 101 patients diagnosed with CVST were included. 58 patients were female (57.4%). Median age was 44 years. The National Institutes of Health Stoke Scale (NIHSS) was reported for 32 female and 21 male patients. Median NIHSS was.5 in females and 0 in males at admission. Median length of stay was 7 days in females vs. 4 days in males. Discharge data were available for 51 female and 33 Male patients. Of female patients, 28 (55%) were discharged to home, 17(33%) were transferred to continued care, 4(8%) were transferred to hospice and 2(4%) died within 48 hours of admission. Of male patients, 25(76%) were discharged to home, 7 (21%) were transferred to continued care, and 1 (3%) was transferred to hospice. Female patients had a higher burden or comorbidities and multimorbidity compared to male patients. Conclusion The results of this study indicate a higher burden of comorbidity, more severe presentation, and worse prognosis in female patients. This is in contrast to the majority of CVST research, many of which have found the male sex to be an independent risk factor for worse outcomes. This may reflect a particular variant among the Appalachian population Disclosures S. Walsh-Blackmore: 1; C; University of Kentucky Center for Clnical and Translational Sciences Professional Student Mentored Research Fellowship. J. Fraser: None. P. Kitzman: None. M. Dobbs: None.


Up to now, temperature sex differentiation has been demonstrated in a single fish species, #Menidia menidia#. This study analyzes this hypothesis in #Oreochromis niloticus#. Treatments at 36 °C, covering the hormone sensitive period, increased the proportion of males (33% to 81%).The male proportion was affected by treatments starting not later than 13 days after fertilization and lasting 10 days or more. Survival rates were not affected by treatments. Functional masculinization of genetic females was demonstrated by the sex-ratio analysis of 10 temperature-treated males. Sex reversal by temperature treatment was also confirmed on a genotypic female population. The response to temperature strongly depends upon the breeding pairs. Hight temperatures override sex chromosome influence in #Oreochromis niloticus#. Therefore, #Oreochromis niloticus# sex is determined by genetic factors, temperature level, and genotype-temperature interactions. Temperature-dependent sex differentiation may occur more frequently in fish than previously thought, despite the presence of functional sex chromosomes. (Resume d'auteur)


The primacy of practice in the development of knowledge is one of materialism's fundamental tenets. Most arguments supporting it have been strictly philosophical. However, over the past thirty years cognitive science has provided mounting evidence supporting the primacy of practice. Particularly striking is its finding that thought is fundamentally metaphoric—that images emerging from everyday embodied activities not only make ordinary experiences intelligible, but also underpin our more abstract engagements with the world, elaborated in disciplines such as ethics and science. Cognitive science's implications must now be absorbed into critical realism. Cognitive science bolsters critical realism by providing a scientifically-grounded analysis of the passage from body to mind and the fundamental unity between them, while sustaining their distinctiveness. Its implications for critical realism ripple out in four waves: first, critical realism's understanding of the mind/body relationship; second, its concepts of the process that connects theory and practice, and what that means for critical realism's view of intellectual production, the place of metaphor in scientific theorization, and cultural development; its view of culture as a complex whole; and finally, its theory of human agency as embodied and intentional.


PURPOSE
Schwannoma arising from high cervical spinal root are common among the spinal schwannomas.Here, we prospectively recorded the clinical features, radiological features, surgical approaches & findings,postoperative follow up & ultimate neurological outcome of high cervical spinal schwannomas and then we evaluated the records retrospectively.

METHOD
Here, schwannomas arising from C1, C2 and C3 spinal nerve roots were regarded as high cervical spinal schwannoma. All patients with high cervical spinal schwannomas that were consecutively operated micro-neurosurgically from 2006-2010 were included in the study. Postoperatively all patients were followed up regularly both clinically and neuro-radiologically (MRI of cervical spine).

RESULTS
Average follow up was 31.5 months. The mean age of the series was 35.8 years (range 10-61 years). There were 8 male and 7 female patients. The mean duration of symptoms at the time of presentation was 32 months (range 06 months-5 years). Two schwannomas were completely extradural, seven were intradural and rest six were interdural or hourglass type (both extra and intradural) as identified during surgery. The standard midline posterior approach was used in all patients. A C2 hemilaminectomyor C2 laminectomy with or without cutting of posterior arch of atlas was used for most intradural and large interdural C2 schwannomas. Tumor removal was complete in all cases. Preservation of the nerve root fibers was not possible in 9 cases and was possible only in 3 cases. In two patients CSF leak developed after operation. One patient who had severe myelopathic features with bed sore failed toimprove and expired 5 months after operation. Rest of the patients showed postoperative improvement in their preoperative symptoms and returned to their normal life by the end of sixth month. There was no tumor recurrence in any patient till last follow up.

CONCLUSION
Proper 3-D anatomical orientation & physiological knowledge, deep neuro-radiological observation,pathological appreciations and micro-neurosurgical skill and expertization can make the surgical management of these tumors ( in a surgically complex site) simple with gratifying result (i.e.neurological outcome) without extensive bone removal or soft tissue manipulation through a standard midline posterior approach.


Background: In South Africa, entrepreneurship literature demonstrates that three out of four businesses collapse within 3 years of their inception. A plethora of research effort identifies factors such as the lack of finance and access to markets as the leading causes for the high attrition rates amongst emerging businesses. This study finds the narrative to be limiting and inadequate as it does not address the possible gap between entrepreneurs' expectations and their realities of managing their businesses. Aim: To present the entrepreneurship gaps framework (EGF), an early-stage business diagnostic tool that seeks to assess entrepreneurs' preparedness. Setting: This study focused on emerging entrepreneurs operating within the limits of developing economies. The framework can be used by emerging entrepreneurs, capacity development institutions and lenders. Methods: A descriptive research design supported by a mixed-method research approach was employed. This was coupled by a two-phase data collection procedure which took place within Limpopo province with 215 participants. Explorative data analysis based on discrete choice models was further implemented. Results: Findings on the EGF illustrated the ability of the framework to act as a more comprehensive diagnostic mechanism that improves early-stage entrepreneurship survival. Conclusion: Entrepreneurship gaps framework is a decision-making tool that can be used by lenders and capacity development institutions to evaluate the emerging entrepreneur with respect to specific areas of business. This results in the necessary support for improving entrepreneur preparedness being provided to entrepreneurs. Secondly, entrepreneurs are likely to benefit from the EGF, if used as a self-diagnostic tool to measure their business preparedness and experience.


Colorectal cancer remains a major cause of cancer related
mortality and morbidity. Therefore, primary chemoprevention
would be a desirable option. Recently, the trace element
selenium (Se), has been evaluated in clinical trials,
as a possible chemopreventive agent, in cancer. Several
possible mechanisms for its potential anticarcinogenic effects
have been proposed, however the exact mechanisms,
by which selenium compounds exert these properties, is
largely unknown.
Results from epidemiological studies have been mixed and
inconclusive. The true nature of the association between
selenium deficiency and incidence of colorectal adenomas
or cancer remains controversial. However, the limited clinical
data suggest a potential benefit of Se supplementation.
Yet, more conclusive evidence is needed before any dietary
recommendation can be decided.
Key words: Colorectal cancer, adenomas, prevention,
selenium, selenoproteins, selenomethionine
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers


For a country to become fully democratic, the majority of the population needs to be involved in the politics of that country. This requires people to be aware of what is happening, and to be able to participate in the country's political processes. VotoSocial is a crowdsourcing system launched during the 2013 Honduran government elections. It retrieved the official polling table records in digitized form from the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (the Government's elections authority) and provided them to the Internet community to be counted and the digitizations verified. VotoSocial was thereby able to verify the accuracy of the official polling results. We found no evidence of fraud in the digitization process, but statistical analysis revealed a data behavior usually associated with incremental fraud in an electoral process. VotoSocial shows that social media-powered crowdsourcing systems can increase a population's political awareness during elections, thus providing a motive to build similar platforms in other countries with political systems marked by electoral fraud.


Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory, (auto) immune disease of the central nervous system (CNS). The aim of the study was to determine the distribution of cognitive disorders in MS in relation to demographic parameters, degree of clinical disability and depression. The prospective study included 135 subjects with MS in the Clinic of Neurology of the University Clinical Center in Tuzla. The first group consisted of women (101 respondents) and the second of men (34 respondents). Clinical assessment instruments were: Expanded Disability Status Scale Score, Mini Mental Status, Beck Depression Scale, Battery of Cognitive Function Assessment Tests: Wechsler Intelligence Scale, Revised Beta Test, Raven Coloured Progressive Matrix, Wechsler Memory Verification Scale, Audio Memory Test learning, Rey-Osterriecht complex character test, verbal fluency test. There were no significant differences between the mentioned groups in age, level of education, duration of the disease, severity of disease symptoms or in the prevalence of certain forms of MS. Cognitive disorders are present in 40-60 % of subjects with MS. Visuospatial, visuoconstructive, visuoperceptive functions, mnestic functions were most affected in both groups of respondents. There was no difference in the level of depression in relation to sex. Poor results of cognitive parameters in 32.7 % can be considered the cause of high scores of EDSS in female patients and in 29.2 % in patients, which is not statistically significant. The correlation between depression and EDSS is positive but not statistically significant in both sexes. Cognitive disorders are heterogeneous regardless of sex. Cognitive impairment in MS patients is related to impairment of working ability and memory, executive functions and attention. Subjects with a more severe degree of clinical disability had poorer cognitive functions.


Parturition was induced in 8 catheterized sows 24-27 h after a single injection of the prostaglandin F (PGF) analogue, cloprostenol (200 micrograms, intramuscular), given at 105-106 days (4 sows) and 109-111 days (4 sows); term = 115 days. All catheterized fetuses were in good condition during the course of the induction and a normal percentage of live births occurred, although the subsequent viability of the piglets appeared to depend on the presence of an adequate suckling reflex. Maternal endocrine changes following cloprostenol included: (1) a rapid drop in plasma progesterone, which fell to below 5 ng/ml within 4 h, (2) a subsequent rise in 13, 14 dihydro-15-oxo prostaglandin F (PGFM) at about 6 h, with an increase in the venous-arterial difference across the uterus, (3) a large prepartum rise in PGFM from about 12 h, (4) a transient rise and fall in plasma cortisol immediately after the cloprostenol and a subsequent rise during labour, and (5) no detectable change in total unconjugated plasma oestrogen. During failed induction (2 sows) maternal progesterone levels remained above 5 ng/ml. In the fetuses, no changes in plasma progesterone were detectable following cloprostenol or during labour although there was a significant increase at birth. Fetal plasma cortisol concentrations had increased significantly 2 h after the cloprostenol, but a much greater cortisol surge began at 16-20 h reaching a maximum at birth. Fetal plasma oestrogen levels also increased just before delivery. These findings show that when farrowing is induced prematurely, the majority of the maternal endocrine changes are similar to those preceding spontaneous labour. However, the gradual rise in fetal plasma cortisol, which normally begins 4-6 days before term, is circumvented; instead a very rapid fetal cortisol surge begins after rather than before the drop in maternal progesterone and rise in PGFM. This results in high neonatal plasma cortisol levels in both catheterized and non-operated piglets and may well account for their viability.


Abstract Four isolipidic and isoenergetic diets with different protein:carbohydrate (CH) contents (48:38, 52:34, 56:30, 60:26) were fed to juvenile Senegalese sole (22·01 (sem 0·01) g) during 104 d. Oral glucose tolerance tests were performed at the beginning (4 d) and at the end (104 d) of the experiment to assess the effect of the dietary treatment on glucose tolerance. Samples of blood, liver and muscle of all dietary groups were also obtained at the initial and final phases of the trial at different postprandial times (0, 1, 5 and 10 h after feeding) in order to analyse glucose and NEFA in plasma, and metabolites and enzyme activities involved in glycogen metabolism, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and lipogenesis pathways in liver and muscle. The results obtained in this study suggest a good glucose tolerance in Senegalese sole. This species tolerated important amounts of CH in the diet without showing any deleterious signs in terms of growth or any metabolic disorders. After 104 d of feeding diets with an important amount of CH (48:38 and 52:34), the control of glycaemia was maintained and even postprandial glucose levels in plasma were (in general) lower than at the beginning of the experiment. This reasonable tolerance to glucose is also reflected by an increased use of glucose through glycolysis in liver (indicated by glucokinase activity), and the absence of changes in lipogenic potential in the same tissue (indicated by ATP citrate lyase activity). No clear changes were induced in the muscle by the dietary treatments.


Purpose To investigate the change in corneal toricity and associated refractive astigmatism after discontinuation of long-term orthokeratology (ortho-k) lens wear. Methods This study investigated 136 subjects aged between 6 and 14 (9.1 ± 1.5) years old at the commencement of ortho-k treatment, who had been undergoing overnight ortho-k treatment for 24 to 72 (37.4 ± 11.9) months. Corneal refractive power and manifest refraction were measured and compared before ortho-k and 1 month after discontinuation of ortho-k lens wear. Changes in corneal curvature were analyzed. Corneal curvature data from a historical longitudinal study were used as control. Results Compared to pre-ortho-k values, the corneal curvature became significantly flatter in the flatter meridian (−0.22 ± 0.27 D, P < 0.001) and steeper in the steeper meridian (0.06 ± 0.34 D, P=0.032) after cessation of ortho-k lens wear, resulting in a significant increase in corneal toricity (0.28 ± 0.43 D, P < 0.001), which is associated with an increase in refractive astigmatism (0.57 ± 0.57 D, r=0.465, P < 0.001). The amount of residual corneal flattening in the flatter meridian is significantly affected by the length of ortho-k treatment (t=−2.965, P=0.004) and the baseline age of subject (t=−2.841, P=0.005), but not by the baseline spherical or cylindrical refractive error (both P > 0.05). In the historical control group, there is no significant change in the corneal curvature over two years in children wearing spectacle lenses (both meridians, P > 0.05). Change of corneal toricity was more significant in the ortho-k group than in the spectacle control group (P=0.001). Conclusions Long-term ortho-k lens wear increases corneal toricity after discontinuation of the treatment, which is associated with an increase in refractive astigmatism. A more pronounced change in corneal toricity was found in subjects who were younger to start ortho-k and have been in a longer period of treatment. This trial is registered with http://www.chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR-TNRC-11001210).


Objective: To assess the epidemiology and outcome of patients with cirrhosis following critical care unit admission. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Critical care units in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland participating in the U.K. Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre Case Mix Programme. Patients: Thirty-one thousand three hundred sixty-three patients with cirrhosis identified of 1,168,650 total critical care unit admissions (2.7%) admitted to U.K. critical care units between 1998 and 2012. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Ten thousand nine hundred thirty-six patients had alcohol-related liver disease (35%). In total, 1.6% of critical care unit admissions in 1998 had cirrhosis rising to 3.1% in 2012. The crude critical care unit mortality of patients with cirrhosis was 41% in 1998 falling to 31% in 2012 (p < 0.001). Crude hospital mortality fell from 58% to 46% over the study period (p < 0.001). Mean(SD) Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score in 1998 was 20.3 (8.5) and 19.5 (7.1) in 2012. Mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score for patients with alcohol-related liver disease in 2012 was 20.6 (7.0) and 19.0 (7.2) for non–alcohol-related liver disease (p < 0.001). In adjusted analysis, alcohol-related liver disease was associated with increased risk of death (odds ratio, 1.51 [95% CI, 1.42–1.62; p < 0.001]) with a year-on-year reduction in hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 0.95/yr, [0.94–0.96, p < 0.001]). Conclusions: More patients with cirrhosis are being admitted to critical care units but with increasing survival rates. Patients with alcohol-related liver disease have reduced survival rates partly explained by higher levels of organ failure at admission. Patients with cirrhosis and organ failure warrant a trial of organ support and universal prognostic pessimism is not justified.


Objectives : The present study was aimed to overcome the problems associated with the drug such as bioavailability, to reduce the dosage regimen, half life and to determine the appropriateness of niosomal formulation as a drug carrier. Methods: The niosomal suspension was prepared by thin film technique, by varying ratios of span 60 and cholesterol and varying the concentration of span 60. The prepared four formulations were evaluated for various parameters. Results: The optimized formulation had a vesicular size of 250-400nm .Varying the concentration of span 60 ,the entrapment efficiency demonstrated that it had a considerable task.The highest entrapment efficiency was  95.3%. The kinetics study confirmed that the liberation of drug from the niosomal suspension is in a restricted manner. The statistical optimization showed that NS2 is the optimized formulation. The gastrointestinal enzymes showed no significant change in the release of drug from the formulation. The Zone of Inhibition showed that Optimized formulation has better activity than the marketed formulation. The MIC was found to be 0.05mg , hence can be used as a efficient carrier for delivery of Cefixime. Conclusion: The present study concludes that the prepared Niosomal suspension is a convenient and efficiency carrier for the delivery of antibacterial drug. Besides this, it provided controlled delivery of drug.


Breathing variability and ventilatory response to carbon dioxide (SCO2) were studied after premedication with moradol, in healthy subjects and those with acute pain syndrome. Inverse relationship between SCO2 and breathing variability was established. SCO2 was the highest in the group of patients with acute pain syndrome and the lowest in patients after premedication with moradol.


We demonstrate low-voltage operation of a strained InGaAs-GaAs interdigitated hetero n-i-p-i modulator (or stacked SEED) that is grown and fabricated using a shadow-mask growth technique for making the metal contacts to the n- and p-layers separately. An absorption change of 6/spl times/10/sup 3/ cm/sup -1/ with an applied bias as low as /spl sim/1 V is observed in an unoptimized structure. Optical switching of the unbiased structure is also demonstrated.


The issues of global warming and occurrence of the greenhouse effect are widely discussed on a global scale. Various methods of reducing greenhouse gas emissions are actively being investigated and tested, including technologies for sequestration of carbon dioxide, the implementation of which is carried out in the form of CC(U)S (carbon capture, utilization and storage) projects related to capture, disposal and, in some cases, use of CO2. In Russia, CC(U)S technologies are not yet used, but there is a significant potential for their development and distribution. CC(U)S technologies acquire a special role in the context of the development of the energy and industrial sectors of Russia, which are key sources of emissions, and the geological objects belonging to them are potential carbon storages. The purpose of this study is to conceptually analyze the CC(U)S technological cycle and typify such projects, assess the prospects for their implementation in Russia, and identify social effects from the implementation of CC(U)S projects. The main results of the study are presented in the form of a typology of CC(U)S projects, a strategic analysis of the prospects for introduction of such technologies in Russia, as well as development of approaches to assessing social effects with systematization and highlighting a set of indicators for their assessment, which can serve as a basis for re-estimation of the values of CC(U)S projects. The main research methods used were methods of decomposition, systematization and typology, as well as strategic analysis with a focus on relevant practical materials on the topic of the work. Directions for further research are related to the substantiation of the methodology for assessing social effects of CC(U)S projects, including for the conditions of Russia, based on the principles of balancing the interests of key participants.


Parrots are generally considered monogamous, forming strict pairs when breeding. Echo parakeets are unusual in that, although traditional breeding pairs occur, there are also multi-male breeding groups. This raises questions about the potential for extra-pair copulations. Genotype data were obtained from the dominant male and female in eight breeding groups (including three with profiles of attendant auxiliary males) and their 36 offspring. A further 34 offspring were available from eight breeding groups where profiles were available for a single parent. This study utilized four microsatellite genetic markers, originally developed for the African grey parrot. Parentage testing was undertaken using genotype comparisons with the dominant pair within the breeding group as well as auxiliary males where available. Although four markers were insufficient to provide conclusive evidence they do suggest that extra-pair copulation occurs in this species. The echo parakeet is classified as endangered (<500 birds) and understanding its mating system would be valuable in its future conservation.


Food security has been and always will be a human concern. Food security has always been fragile, threatened by a variety of factors including plant disease epidemics. Several plant disease epidemics of the past lead to questions like: What happened? How did people deal with these epidemics? What were the social and political consequences? This volume deals with such questions in six selected chapters. Chapter 1 discusses black stem rust of wheat in antiquity, and how its epidemics were perceived by the ancients. Chapter 2 reconstructs a forgotten epidemic of yellow stripe rust, 1846, on rye, a staple food in Continental Europe.Chapter 3 describes the epidemics of potato late blight in Continental Europe, 1844-46, that caused the Continental Famine and - in the longer reach - contributed to the European revolutions of 1848. Chapter 4 studies the impact of plant disease on the food situation in the neutral Netherlands during World War I. Chapter 5 looks at belligerent Germany during World War I, ravaged by plant disease. Chapter 6 treats the problem of under-rating and over-estimating the effect of plant diseases on the course of history: the effects of ergot on political events in Russia, 1722, and in France, 1779, of black stem rust on wheat on the Russian Famine, 1932/3, and of rice brown spot on the Bengal Famine, 1943. This publication is of interest to plant pathologists, historians, economists and sociologists, interested in history, and with a focus on food.


In this paper we propose a framework inspired by interacting particle physics and devised to perform clustering on multidimensional datasets. To this end, any given dataset is modeled as an interacting particle system, under the assumption that each element of the dataset corresponds to a different particle and that particle interactions are rendered through gaussian potentials. Moreover, the way particle interactions are evaluated depends on a parameter that controls the shape of the underlying gaussian model. In principle, different clusters of proximal particles can be identified, according to the value adopted for the parameter. This degree of freedom in gaussian potentials has been introduced with the goal of allowing multiresolution analysis. In particular, upon the adoption of a standard community detection algorithm, multiresolution analysis is put into practice by repeatedly running the algorithm on a set of adjacency matrices, each dependent on a specific value of the parameter that controls the shape of gaussian potentials. As a result, different partitioning schemas are obtained on the given dataset, so that the information thereof can be better highlighted, with the goal of identifying the most appropriate number of clusters. Solutions achieved in synthetic datasets allowed to identify a repetitive pattern, which appear to be useful in the task of identifying optimal solutions while analysing other synthetic and real datasets.


This electronic Propagation is the most important spatial characteristics of bioelectrical signals, whereas time delay estimation (TDE) is the most effective quantitative method in the spatial propagation feature extraction of biomedical signals. A new robust TDE algorithm using the variable step-size affine projection ( RVSAPA) and its application experiments are presented in this paper. Due to it is free of the assumption that the biomedical signals and noises are certain known stochastic distribution, the algorithm is more robust than many traditional analysis methods. Simulation and real application experiments are conducted to precise estimate the evoked potentials (EP) latency changes under background electroencephalograph (EEG) noises and analyze the propagation velocities of gastric myoelectrical activity (GMA) during different phases of the migrating myoelectrical complex (MMC).


The article is dedicated to the Muslim / Malay community in Singapore. The author dwells to analyse of historical and socio-political aspects, which affected on its modern development, considered the activities of its main institutions and organizations, and concluded the prospects for the full integration of the Malay community into the construct of united Singapore nation.


Some of the recent publications have reported a decline in semen quality in the last few decades. This phenomenon is associated with environmental factors, particularly with exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The aim of this publication is to critically review the literature on exposure to the following 6 ubiquitous environmental non-persistent EDCs: bisphenol A, triclosan, parabens, synthetic pyrethroids, organophosphate pesticides and phthalates, and on their influence on semen quality measured as sperm concentration, sperm volume, total sperm count, motility, total motile count, morphology, sperm motion, sperm DNA damage (comet extent, tail length, tail distributed moment, percent of DNA located in the tail (tail%), DNA fragmentation index, high DNA stainability, X:Y ratio and aneuploidy. Several electronic databases were systematically searched until 31 August 2016. Studies were qualified for the review if they: linked environmental exposure to non-persistent EDCs to semen quality outcomes, were published in English after 2006 (and, in the case of phthalates, if they were published after 2009) and were conducted in the case of humans. Out of the 970 references, 45 articles were included in the review. This review adds to the body of evidence that exposure to non-persistent EDCs may affect semen quality parameters and decrease semen quality. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2018;31(4):377–414


Measuring the temperature on the dry sterilizer is very necessary because the temperature inside the dry sterilizer has the possibility that the temperature is not the same as the temperature that has been set and is displayed on the display. If the temperature in the dry sterilizer does not match the standard setting temperature for the sterilization process, then the sterilization process is said to be imperfect The purpose of this study is to record and monitor whether the distributed temperature in the sterilization chamber corresponds to the setting temperature. The workings of the temperature data logger tool is that the type K thermocouple temperature sensor will detect the temperature which then enters the analog signal conditioning circuit which then enters the ATMegga 2560 which has been given a program and processed in such a way, then the temperature will be displayed on a 4x20 character LCD. Temperature measurement data will be saved to the SD Card every 10 seconds in the form of a TXT file. This research has been used to record 2 sterilizers and compared with the Madgetech OctTemp2000 data logger. Based on data measurements and comparisons, the average error was obtained at a temperature of 50ºC with the smallest error value of 0.7% and the largest value of 3.9%. At a temperature of 100ºC, the smallest error value is 1.6% and the largest is 10.5%. Then at a temperature of 120ºC the smallest error value is 0.0% and the largest is 8.5%. This research can be used to help analyze the distribution of temperature in a room. With these measurement results, it can be said that this study still has afairly high error value at several measurement points.


Extra-weak chemiluminescence was detected in the organ homogenate and blood of tocopherol-deficient rats by use of a newly devised single photon counting apparatus. The spectrum distribution showed that the chemiluminescence had emission peaks at wavelengths between 500 and 650 nm corresponding to the simultaneous transition of singlet molecular oxygen (1O2), 2[1 delta g] leads to 2[3 epsilon g-]. This chemiluminescence was quenched by the presence of free radical scavengers, butyl hydroxytoluene and d-alpha-tocopherol. It was stimulated by D2O and 1O2-emission enhancer, 1,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane. The chemiluminescent intensities in tissue of rats fed a tocopherol-free diet for seven months were higher than those of rats fed a normal diet which contained 15 mg of tocopherol per 100 g of diet. The considerable increase of light emission was observed especially in liver, kidney, heart, lung and brain homogenates. The intensity of tocopherol-deficient liver chemiluminescence corresponded to 22 x 10(3) photons per sec . cm2. The results indicated that the chemiluminescence was directly related to the generation of 1O2 involving free radical reactions in the tocopherol-deficient rat tissues.


Clostridium difficile associated disease (CDAD) constitutes a large majority of nosocomial diarrhea cases and is mediated by the effects of two secreted toxins, toxin A (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB). Key toxin-neutralizing epitopes have been discovered within the carboxy-terminal receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the toxins, which has generated interest in developing the RBD as a vaccine target. The elderly mount an impaired humoral response to C. difficile toxins leading to more severe and recurrent disease; however, it has yet to be determined what underlying mechanisms lead to lower anti-toxin titers, thus higher incidence of severe and recurrent disease. While numerous platforms have been studied, very few data describe the potential of DNA vaccination against CDAD. We created highly optimized plasmids encoding the RBD from TcdA and TcdB and immunized C57BL/6 mice and rhesus macaques intramuscularly followed by in vivo electroporation. In these animal models, vaccination induced significant levels of anti-RBD antibodies within the serum and feces that could neutralize toxins in an in vitro cytotoxicity assay. Moreover, mice that were actively immunized with the DNA vaccine or given passive transfer of immunized non-human primate sera were protected from a lethal intraperitoneal challenge of purified C. difficile toxins. Finally, immunized mice were significantly protected following orogastric challenge with strains of C. difficile spores that were homologous (VPI 10463; n=10/10) and heterologous (hypervirulent UK1; n=4/8) strains to our vaccine antigens. These data demonstrate the robust immunogenicity and efficacy of a TcdA/B RBD-based DNA vaccine in preclinical models of acute toxin-associated disease.


In this paper, we present a new deadlock-free fault-tolerant adaptive routing algorithm for the 2D mesh NoC interconnections. The main contribution of this routing algorithm is that it allows both, routing of messages in the networks incorporating the regions not necessarily rectangular, and routing to all nodes which are not completely blocked by faulty nodes. The proposed routing algorithm is based on a modified turn model and well known XY algorithm. We detail the basic principle of this routing algorithm, prove its deadlock freeness, its feasibility and efficiency through the simulation results.


We offer a range of training courses, including Food Safety in Catering level 2 (classroom based), to suit your business and personal development requirements.


Objective T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a rare hematological malignancy with a poor prognosis. The present study aims to identify the precise risk grouping of children with T-ALL. Methods We analyzed the outcomes for 105 consecutive patients treated using the Chinese Children's Cancer Group ALL-2015 (CCCG-ALL-2015) protocol registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-IPR-14005706) between 2015 and 2020 in our center. Nine out of 21 clinical and biological indicators were selected for the new scoring system based on the analysis in this study. Results The 5-year overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), and disease-free survival (DFS) rates for the 105 patients were 83.1 ± 4.8%, 72.4 ± 5.6%, and 78.4 ± 3.6%, respectively. Based on the new scoring system, 90 evaluable children were regrouped into low-risk (n=22), intermediate-risk (n=50), and high-risk (n=18) groups. The 5-year survival (OS, EFS, and RFS) rates for all patients in the low-risk group were 100%, significantly higher than the rates for those in the intermediate-risk group (91.2 ± 5.2%, 74.4 ± 8.6%, and 82.5 ± 6.2%, respectively) and high-risk group (59.0 ± 13.2%, 51.9 ± 12.4%, and 51.9 ± 12.4%, respectively) (all P values < 0.01). Conclusion The CCCG-ALL-2015 program significantly improved the treatment outcomes for childhood T-ALL as compared with the CCCG-ALL-2008 protocol. Our new refined risk grouping system showed better stratification among pediatric T-ALL patients and better potential in evaluating therapeutic efficacy.


ABSTRACT The life course approach effectively responds to pressing health needs and fills critical gaps to improve health outcomes in the era of COVID-19 and beyond. This article outlines four main reasons to adopt and implement the life course approach in public health at national and local levels: (i) the approach effectively responds to new health trends and evidence, (ii) it fills longstanding gaps in care, (iii) it best addresses health inequities, and (iv) it can help achieve more with less.


Nowadays, telecommunication systems are growing more and more complex, generating a large amount of alarms that cannot be effectively managed by human operators. The problem is to detect significant combinations of alarms describing an issue in real-time. In this article, we present a powerful heuristic algorithm that constructs dependency graphs of alarm patterns. More precisely, it highlights patterns extracted from an alarm flow obtained from a learning process with a small footprint on network management system performance. This algorithm helps to detect issues in real-time by effectively delivering concise alarm patterns. Furthermore, it allows the proactive analysis of the functioning of a network by computing the general trends of this network. We evaluate our algorithm on an optical network alarm data set of an existing operator. We find similar results as the expert analysis performed for this operator by Alcatel-Lucent Customer Services.


In the UAV flight process, when subjecting to strong airflow, attitude adjustment is delayed, resulting in the poor flight stability. Therefore, an improved Smith UAV controller is proposed based on neural network training. And the establishment of UAV flight control system model with parameter uncertainties is taken in the environment of disturbances and modeling errors, the improved Smith neural network is used for training, attitude adjustment and time delay compensation of UAV flight. Given the steady-state error caused by time delay, the state feedback adaptive adjustment is used to adjust the actuator input for flight attitude values in strong airflow. The adjustment of the UAV center speed is carried out, the center of gravity is moved down. In multilayer neural network, the Smith training is used for approximation of multivariate function, reduce the delay of the UAV flight attitude adjustment to achieve optimal control. The simulation results show that the method has the advantages of less time delay for aircraft attitude adjustment, which has steady state tracking performance of attitude parameters, improving the stability of flight control. Besides, the real-time performance of control command receiving and sending is improved to ensure the stability of UAV flight.


Semiconductor fabrication processes have evolved enormously with time, largely driven by the demand for advanced device architectures and increased performance. To continue to drive innovation and to achieve the desired electrical functionality required by today's market, the industry relies on a number of highly sophisticated chemicals and materials. The semiconductor industry has traditionally adopted risk-based programs to reduce exposure potentials and environmental emissions or found safer alternatives when possible. For example, the industry was successfully able to phase out the use of perfluorooctanyl sulfonates (PFOS) and was able to surpass its 10-year goal in reducing the emissions of perfluorocompound (PFC) gases from semiconductor fabs. These two examples highlight recent voluntary initiatives undertaken by the industry to ensure the continued safe and responsible use of chemicals in semiconductor manufacturing processes.

In June 2016, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act was signed into law significantly amending the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) which is the main chemical safety law in the United States. TSCA has a broad scope and applies to the full life cycle of a chemical substance (i.e., manufacturing, processing, use, and disposal). Since TSCA reform the process as well as the data required to bring new chemicals to the market has changed dramatically. Therefore, chemical issues which have historically been managed singularly between the EPA and a specific company may be more effectively dealt with through industry-wide consortiums, including both chemical manufacturers and users. Consortiums of this nature are likely better positioned to generate data and information relevant to the entire life cycle of a chemical.

For example, EPA recently denied low volume exemption requests (LVEs) for photoacid generators (PAGs) due to increased concerns regarding the environmental, health, and safety aspects of onium–based compounds. To address EPA's concerns, a "PAG onium" consortium was formed to fill critical data gaps throughout the life cycle of these chemicals that will allow for a more accurate assessment of the potential risks associated with the use of these chemistries. Other photolithography chemistries that are under an increased level of scrutiny include short chain perfluorinated compounds (e.g., perfluorobutanesulfonic acid derivatives) and N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP).

This talk will discuss how recent changes to the regulatory landscape have changed EPA's chemical reviews and the resulting implications on the information/ data required to evaluate a chemical before bringing it to market.


"The research report deals with intensified and extended intensified vocation- al guidance measures and the possibilities of evaluating them. (Extended) intensified vocational guidance is offered in many places to help young people in their transition to training. The analysis of a survey within the Federal Employment Agency showed that these measures are extremely heterogeneous and pursue very differing goals. The report presents some of these measures and the approaches used in accompanying research. It becomes apparent that, while these studies are valuable as practical reports, they do not meet the demands of scientific evaluation. For this reason, current evaluation projects are then outlined and a concept for further evaluations that meet scientific requirements developed; furthermore concepts for the evaluation of individual types of measures that have been implemented in North Rhine-Westphalia and Thuringia as of summer 2010 are presented. The report concludes by making the suggestion that less individual measures or types of measures are evaluated in future but rather that one concentrates on the offers that are available in individual schools, communities or regions and how these interact." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))


The rapid expansion of the Canadian gambling industry since 1969 has generated substantial profits for provincial governments and industry operators. As gambling expands its reach and regulatory structures evolve, a growing body of researchers is starting to scrutinize the industry and its socio‐economic impacts on Canadians. This article provides background information on Canada's gambling industry and presents an overview of essential information resources.


Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of developmental disabilities whose etiology remains elusive. The endocannabinoid (eCB) system modulated neurotransmission and neuronal plasticity. Evidence points to the involvement of this neuromodulatory system in the pathophysiology of ASD. Herein we investigated if there was disruption of eCB system in ASD and if pharmacological modulators of eCB system might have a therapeutic potential. Methods: We examined three major components of eCB system, namely, endogenous cannabinoids, their receptors and associated enzymes, in ASD children as well as in VPA-induced ASD animal model. Meanwhile we specially increased 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) by administering JZL184, a selective inhibitor of monoacylglycerol lipase, the hydrolytic enzyme for 2-AG, and to examine ASD-like behaviors in VPA-induced rats. Results: Autistic children and VPA-induced rats exhibited the reduced eCBs content, elevated degrading enzymes, and up-regulation of CBRs. We found that repetitive and stereotypical behaviors, hyperactivity, sociability, social preference, and cognitive functioning were improved after acute and chronic JZL184 treatment. The major efficacy of JZL184 was observed at the dose of 3mg/kg for both affecting eCB system and ASD-like behaviors. Conclusions: There were a lower eCB signaling in autistic children and ASD animal model, and boosting 2-AG could ameliorate ASD-like phenotypes in animals. Collectively, the results suggest a novel approach to ASD treatment.


Kelud crater observation using closed-circuit television (CCTV) has not been used as the main guide in the world of volcanology. This is caused by observations manually by volcanologist who is not certain and depends on their ability and experience. In practice, there is still obstacles haze in the image taken from CCTV record. This paper present color attenuation prior method to eliminate haze on the digital image. The results obtained showed that the selected method is capable of eliminating sparse haze and moderate haze but not dense haze.


This paper presents an approach to animate realistic interactions between tree branches and raindrops, based on physical theory. Tree branches and petioles are represented by a model namely ETPSM (extended three-prism spring model) with three-prism structures, which can be flexibly controlled by four kinds of spring systems. The branches and leaves are animated due to the bidirectional transference of kinetic energy between raindrops and the branch system. The interactions between them can be well simulated by an efficient technique, specially designed for liquid motion on non-rigid objects with hydrophilic surfaces. When the branches are impacted by a raindrop, they will vibrate and twist, and the raindrops will flow along the leaf vein, merge into larger ones, or hang on the leaf apex, and the branch will rebound and vibrate for a while after the raindrop falls off the leaf, finally into a rest place. Experimental results show that this approach can be used to efficiently and realistically simulate these interactions between tree branches and raindrops; meanwhile, it can efficiently and easily simulate the elastic deformation of rod under the influence of external forces, such as rotation and vibration.


Over geological time, the earth's surface and climate have changed, rearranging continental plates and oscillating between a hothouse and snowglobe. These changes have left lasting impressions on the diversity, richness, and distribution of earth's inhabitants. Identifying evolutionary commonalities as a result of these events is one of the main aims of the field of macroevolution. It is also the main theme which unites my thesis: investigating the influence of changes to the Australian climate and landscape on the organisms that call Australia home. Empirically, this has required extenstively sampling Australian vertebrate groups for phylogenetic, distributional, ecological, and morphological trait data. Methodologically, this has required implementing and building phylogenetic comparative methods to better understand the diversity that surrounds us. As a continent, Australia gained its independence somewhere between 40–30 million years ago when it separated from Antarctica and began drifting north towards Asia. Prior to this, the Australian plate existed alongside South America, Africa, and India, as part of the supercontinent Gondwana. In the intervening millions of years, Australia has remained isolated, and so even comparatively recent immigrant lineages have speciated in situ, resulting in a number of iconic endemic terrestrial vertebrate radiations. These radiations are great for comparative studies because they provide replicated groups which have diversified under similar environmental influences. Importantly though, they differ in absolute diversity, ecology, and behavior. My research has investigated how changes due to the isolation of the Australian plate, continental aridification, and grassland expansion have impacted the Australian fauna. In my opening chapter I discuss how the separation of Australia from Antarctica may have precipitated a mass extinction event in a relatively understudied group of lizards, the pygopodoid geckos. Next I present evidence that the Miocene aridification of Australia likely reduced the rate of phenotypic evolution of terrestrial vertebrates by facilitating allopatric speciation and niche conservatism. In the following chapter I test the hypothesis that the diversification of macropod marsupials is linked to the Plio-Pleistocene expansion of C4 grasses. Finally, I present the idea that the immense disparity in body size of Australian varanid lizards is the result of character displacement and competition occurring on a continental scale. Ultimately, the inferences we can draw about evolutionary changes occurring on deep time scales are exciting because they are often intuitive. In no place else does this seem truer than in Australia, which is a natural laboratory for macroevolutionary studies.


Alpha-Synuclein is a core component of the proteinaceous aggregates observed in several neurodegenerative diseases. A central role of alpha-synuclein in neurodegeneration was demonstrated by the discovery of missense alpha-synuclein mutations in familial Parkinson's disease. However, the specific mechanism by which alpha-synuclein contributes to these diseases remains unclear. A recent study by Sharon et al. linked the presence of specific fatty acids to the appearance of alpha-synuclein oligomers in vivo. alpha-Synuclein oligomers might be a first step in the formation of alpha-synuclein aggregates present in a number of neurodegenerative diseases, although their cytotoxicity remains to be directly demonstrated.


BACKGROUND
In acute pancreatitis, oxygen free radicals (OFRs) and cytokines have been shown to play a role in the failure of pancreatic microcirculation and the development of local tissue damage. We studied the effects of trimetazidine (TMZ), a potent antioxidant and anti-ischemic agent, on acute pancreatitis.

METHODS
Rats were randomized into 3 groups: a control group (n = 15), a study group (n = 15) in which acute pancreatitis was induced with with L-arginine, and a treatment group (n = 15) in which pancreatitis was induced and treated with TMZ intraperitoneally. The rats were followed for 24 hours. At the 24th hour we determined serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), amylase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), interleukin 1-β (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and the pancreatic tissues were analyzed histopathologically.

RESULTS
The AST (p < 0.001), ALT (p < 0.01), amylase (p < 0.001), LDH (p < 0.01), TNF-α (p < 0.01), IL-1β (p < 0.001) and IL-6 (p < 0.001) levels, and pancreatic tissue edema (p < 0.01), hemorrhage (p < 0.05), acinar cell necrosis (p < 0.001) and level of perivascular inflammation (p < 0.01), were significantly lower in the treatment group than the study group.

CONCLUSION
Trimetazidine markedly decreases biochemical and histopathologic changes during the early stages of acute pancreatitis, thus preserving the pancreas histologically.


Viruses manipulate cell biology to utilize monocytes/macrophages as vessels for dissemination, long-term persistence within tissues and virus replication. Viruses enter cells through endocytosis, phagocytosis, macropinocytosis or membrane fusion. These processes play important roles in the mechanisms contributing to the pathogenesis of these agents and in establishing viral genome persistence and latency. Upon viral infection, monocytes respond with an elevated expression of proinflammatory signalling molecules and antiviral responses, as is shown in the case of the influenza, Chikungunya, human herpes and Zika viruses. Human immunodeficiency virus initiates acute inflammation on site during the early stages of infection but there is a shift of M1 to M2 at the later stages of infection. Cytomegalovirus creates a balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory processes by inducing a specific phenotype within the M1/M2 continuum. Despite facilitating inflammation, infected macrophages generally display abolished apoptosis and restricted cytopathic effect, which sustains the virus production. The majority of viruses discussed in this review employ monocytes/macrophages as a repository but certain viruses use these cells for productive replication. This review focuses on viral adaptations to enter monocytes/macrophages, immune escape, reprogramming of infected cells and the response of the host cells.


When waves are incident to a sandy beach from two opposite directions, a cuspate foreland or a land-tied island may develop. A typical land-tied island can be seen offshore of Shodoshima Island in the Seto Inland Sea. Another example is Chiringashima Island located in the south part of Satsuma Peninsula, Kyushu. In both cases, the island and land are connected by an extremely slender sand bar that has been stably maintained for a long time, suggesting that it is stable against wave action from both sides of the sand bar. We developed a numerical model for predicting the elongation of a sand bar of a land-tied island using the BG model (a three-dimensional model for predicting beach changes based on Bagnold's concept).


This paper describes a software system designed to support atmospheric studies with ultrasonic thermo-anemometer data processing. The system is capable of processing files containing sets of immediate values of temperature, three orthogonal wind velocity components, humidity, and pressure. The paper presents a technological scheme for selecting the necessary meteorological parameters depending on the observation time, the averaging interval, and the period between the immediate values. The data processing consists of three stages. At the initial stage, a query for the necessary meteorological parameters is executed. At the second stage, the system calculates the standard statistical characteristics of the meteorological fields, such as mean values, dispersion, standard deviation, asymmetric coefficients, kurtosis, correlation, etc. The third stage prepares to compute the atmospheric turbulence parameters. The system creates new arrays of data to process and calculate the second order statistical moments that are important for solving problems of atmospheric surface layer physics, predicting the pollutant dispersion in the atmosphere, etc. The calculation results are visualized and stored on a hard disk.


many authors have argued that thalamic and callosal mechanisms can provide rapid cortical generalisation of discharges originating at a cortical level. The importance of the brain stem and midbrain in seizures is shown by the possibility of evoking generalised motor seizures (by chemical or electrical means) in rodents after supracollicular section or total cortical ablation. The importance of the corpus callosum in seizure generalisation is shown by the protection callosectomy provides against the generalisation of focal cortical seizures. Pathology shows that generalised seizures are rarely a consequence of brain stem lesions but may be associated with cortical lesions. Electroencephalographic studies with depth electrodes in generalised seizures have predominantly revealed paroxysmal activity originating in the cortex rather than deep structures. This volume provides a slightly polemical account of the reticular core of the brain and its role in experimental seizures. There are in total 11 chapters (contributed by the editors and seven other authors). An historical introduction is followed by an anatomical summary and four chapters based principally on experimental studies in rodents that described seizures induced electrically or chemically at the level of the brain stem or spinal cord. Fromm and Terrence review their studies of the effects of antiepileptic drugs on the trigeminal complex. These provide interesting differentiations of antiabsence drugs from phenytoin and carbamazepine in terms of their actions on descending excitation and inhibition. Ronald Browning describes the effects of reticular cerebellar or nigral lesions on seizures in rats and cats. A chapter by Jinnai and Mukawa describes clinical observations in man and the use of Forel-H-tomy. This is based on 40 years of clinical experience. aided by the classical experiments of Jinnai and Hayashi on spread of seizure activity from cortex to motor output in dogs and monkeys. This contribution appears somewhat out ofcontext but provides a corrective to the focus ofthe rest ofthe earlier chapters. It emphasises the classical methods for studying functional pathways and the therapeutic potential of such knowledge, but is not concerned with the reticular core. Two final chapters attempt a synthesis. Burnham and Browning reformulate a reticular core hypothesis based substantially on rodent experiments. Fromm in his overall summary accepts that seizure initiation in man is most probably a cortical phenomenon but seeks to retain a role for the brain stem in seizure hemispheric generalisation (which is debatable) and in motor expression of generalised seizures (which is incontrovertible). This volume provides a valuable summary of current research on the brain stem for those researching mechanisms of seizure spread and initiation. Progress in understanding the patho-anatomy of epilepsy is going to depend on study of cellular mechanisms and the interaction of all the systems of the brain, notable among which are the limbic system and the basal ganglia. This volume successfully illuminates the space around one lamppost.


Dielectric waveguide with deep subwavelength mode confinement based on coupled semiconductor nanowires is proposed.Through the coupling between two adjacent nanowires with high refractive indexes, light can be efficiently confined in the nano-gap between the nanowires with a low refractive index. Numerical simulations indicate that the effective mode area of such a waveguide can be as small as Λ 2 0 /200, which is one order of magnitude smaller than that of a single nanowire, and such a mode confinement is comparable to that of hybrid plasmonic waveguide. It is also shown that from the view of real applications, possible existing low refractive index oxidization layers of nanowires, low refractive index substrate and small deviation of nanowire dimensions do not have significant influence on the property of the waveguide. As the propagation length is theoretically infinite for dielectric waveguides, such a coupled nanowire waveguide with deep subwavelength mode confinement may have important applications in future integrated photonic circuits.


Objectives This study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of thrombolysis followed by early PCI via transradial artery approach in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods From September 2009 to March 2010, all consecutive STEMI patients within 12 h from symptom onset or thrombolysis in the Department of Cardiology of the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University were enrolled. All eligible STEMI patients were divided into two groups according to patients received thrombolysis or not: early PCI group (E-PCI group, patients received thrombolytic agents in non-PCI capable hospital and immediately transferred to receive early PCI) and primary PCI group (P-PCI group, patients received primary PCI). Coronary angiography (CAG) and PCI were performed immediately after admission via transradial artery approach for patients in both groups with standard technique. According to the results of angiography, PCI was performed unless the blood flow of IRA achieved TIMI flow grade 3 without significant stenosis. Thrombus score, TIMI flow grade (TFG) of IRA before and after PCI, corrected TIMI frame count (CTFC), TIMI myocardial perfusion grade (TMPG) post PCI were analysed. Bleeding complications was also observed and evaluated. All patients were followed up for 6 months to assess major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Results A total of 161 cases were enrolled, with 53 cases in E-PCI group and 108 cases in P-PCI group. The patients in E-PCI group were younger than those in P-PCI group (51.36±12.24 vs 57.31±9.87, p=0.003). The other baseline clinical characteristics such as gender distribution, baseline levels of serum BNP, SCr and Hb, and the medication therapies were similar between the two groups (all p>0.05). The mean time from symptom onset to thrombolysis was 3.62±1.85 h in E-PCI group, and the time from thrombolysis to PCI was 5.13±3.03 h. Compared to P-PCI group, the mean time from onset to PCI was longer in E-PCI group (8.75±2.86 vs 6.03±3.19 h, p<0.001). There were no differences in door to balloon time and IRA distribution between the two groups. Of the 53 patients treated with thrombolysis, 51 patients underwent early PCI when transferred to our hospital except two patients who only underwent CAG. In the P-PCI group, 106 patients underwent primary PCI, while two patients underwent CAG. Before PCI procedure, the thrombus score of IRA in E-PCI group was lower, and the percentage of TIMI 3 flow was higher (both p<0.05) compared to those in P-PCI group. TFG of IRA after PCI was similar, and there was no significant difference in the volume of contrast medium (p>0.05). However, cTFC of IRA post PCI in E-PCI group was lower than that in P-PCI group (28.12±5.06 vs 30.89±8.74, p<0.05), and rate of TMPG 3 in E-PCI group was higher than that in P-PCI group (82.8% vs 68.0%, p<0.05). All of the implanted stents were drug-eluting stents. No differences were found in the stent implantations between the two groups (all p>0.05). There was a trend toward lower in the peak value of serum CK-MB in E-PCI group. No significant differences were found in the incidence of bleeding complications and hospital stay between the two groups. There was a trend of better left ventricular function 7 days after PCI in E-PCI group than that in P-PCI group. After 6-month follow-up, the left ventricular function was improved in both the two groups (all p<0.05), and there was still a better trend in E-PCI group. Overall, there was no significant difference in 6-month MACE between the two groups (p=0.977). Conclusions The myocardial perfusion and left ventricular function were better in patients underwent thrombolysis followed by early PCI, without increases of bleeding complications and incidence of MACE. It is safe and efficacious for STEMI patients to receive thrombolysis followed by early PCI via transradial artery approach.


Fenugreek is used as a spice, vegetable and a important medicinal crops cultivated throughout the world. Since antioxidant properties have been linked to health benefits of natural products, such properties were studied salt concentrations (0, 50, 100,150 and 200 mM NaCl) effect on plant growth mineral contents composition, antioxidant responses and phenolilc contents. Results showed a reduction of dry weights of leaves stems and roots growth. These changes were associated with decreased in water content, K and Ca concentrations and a highly increased in Na and Cl contents in different organs. Catalase, guaiacol peroxidase activities and total phenolic content significantly increased in fenugreek leaves. Data reported here revealed the variation of phenolic compound contents at different organs in the presence of salt, who suggested the use of Fenugreek in commercial and economic applications.