Safety of concurrent treatment of cats with fluralaner and emodepsid-praziquantel.
Fluralaner is a novel systemic ectoparasiticide for cats providing immediate and persistent flea- and tick-control after a single topical dose. Emodepsid and praziquantel are routinely used to control intestinal worm infections in cats. The safety of concurrent use of fluralaner and a commercially available emodepsid-praziquantel combination topical solution was investigated using topical administrations at the maximum recommended dose rates. Few mild and transient clinical findings like erythema at the administration site and single incidences of salivation or vomiting were observed. All of which were consistent with the individual product leaflets. There were no findings suggesting an increased safety risk associated with the concurrent treatment of cats with fluralaner and emodepsid-praziquantel. Concurrent treatment with fluralaner, emodepsid and praziquantel is well tolerated in cats.


Accurate Molecular Orientation Analysis Using Infrared p-Polarized Multiple-Angle Incidence Resolution Spectrometry (pMAIRS) Considering the Refractive Index of the Thin Film Sample.
Infrared (IR) p-polarized multiple-angle incidence resolution spectrometry (pMAIRS) is a powerful tool for analyzing the molecular orientation in an organic thin film. In particular, pMAIRS works powerfully for a thin film with a highly rough surface irrespective of degree of the crystallinity. Recently, the optimal experimental condition has comprehensively been revealed, with which the accuracy of the analytical results has largely been improved. Regardless, some unresolved matters still remain. A structurally isotropic sample, for example, yields different peak intensities in the in-plane and out-of-plane spectra. In the present study, this effect is shown to be due to the refractive index of the sample film and a correction factor has been developed using rigorous theoretical methods. As a result, with the use of the correction factor, organic materials having atypical refractive indices such as perfluoroalkyl compounds ( n = 1.35) and fullerene ( n = 1.83) can be analyzed with high accuracy comparable to a compound having a normal refractive index of approximately 1.55. With this improved technique, we are also ready for discriminating an isotropic structure from an oriented sample having the magic angle of 54.7°.


PERSPECTIVE A UNITS-OF-EVOLUTION PERSPECTIVE ON THE ENDOSYMBIONT THEORY OF THE ORIGIN OF THE MITOCHONDRION.
Discussions of mitochondria and their hosts often conceptualize this relationship in a more or less modern form, focusing on the metabolic benefits of mitochondria to the host cell or on the possibility of intragenomic conflict. A more inclusive units-of-evolution perspective recognizes that both costs and benefits must be viewed from the level of the cells that initiated this interaction, the protomitochondrion and the primitive host cell. From this perspective, ecological and physiological considerations become central to the characterization of initial and subsequent host-mitochondria associations. Foremost among these considerations is the generation of superoxide radicals by modern mitochondria and the deleterious effects of these endogenous oxidants on modern eukaryotic cells. Because of their photosynthetic and aerobic ecologies, protomitochondria likely were relatively tolerant of such oxidants; anaerobic, heterotrophic, primitive host cells, on the other hand, likely were not. In the initial association of host and symbiont, the latter may have manipulated the former's life history by means of both endogenous oxidants and a superabundance of ATP. A resolution of this units-of-evolution conflict was necessary to continue this association, and this resolution, in a ritualized form, may have shaped the evolution of many features of modern eukaryotic cells and mitochondria, for example, the messenger functions of calcium ions, the regulatory role of phosphorylation cascades in cell-division cycles, the absence from the mitochondrial genome of replication factors, transcription factors, and adenine nucleotide carrier genes. The initial host-mitochondria interaction may have further channeled the evolution of multicellular eukaryotes, particularly animals, resulting in the association of mitochondria and the germinal plasm and in the use of extracellular ATP and endogenous oxidants as developmental signals. Evolutionary explanations for "free-radical" theories of development and aging are thus suggested.


[Unreported Intentional Life-Ending Acts in Physicians and Nurses].
Introduction Intentional life-ending acts (LA) including euthanasia and termination of life without explicit request are illegal in Germany and have not been extensively studied. In a pilot study, unreported LA administered by physicians and nurses in German health care were explored. Methods All hospitals and nursing homes registered in 2015 (n = 13 393) were contacted via mail or e-mail and physician and nursing staff were asked to complete an anonymous online-survey or the identical attached paper-pencil questionnaire. 4629 participants, including physicians (n = 356), nurses (n = 3121) und geriatric nurses (n = 1152) from a predominant in-patient working area responded to questions about LA at their workplace, requests for euthanasia and performance of LA. Results 2.25 - 4.01 % (172 participants) of all physicians and nurses indicated to have heard of euthanasia at their workplace in the last 12 months and 1.42 - 3.39 % (77 participants) indicated to have performed LA themselves. LA was more frequently administered by male participants, physicians and on intensive care units. More than one third of all participants who had administered LA (38.10 - 41.67 %) were never asked for it. Discussion This pilot study indicates that beside legal forms of passive and indirect euthanasia, illegal intentional life-ending acts are administered by physicians and nurses in all health-care areas under investigation.


[Analysis of relative factors influencing recurrence of endometriosis after operation treatment].
To explore the relative factors influencing the recurrence of endometriosis. Three hundred and fifty-six patients of endometriosis were treated with surgery and then followed up for 3 years. Seventy-five recurrent cases among them were analyzed retrospectively. The recurrent rate was different in the <or= 24 year age group (chi(2) = 11.212, P < 0.05), while there was no difference in the other age groups. According to pathological type, the recurrent rate of mixed pattern (29.2%) was significantly higher than that of the simple chocolate cyst (17.5%; chi(2) = 4.622, P < 0.05). The higher the clinical stage of the endometriosis, the higher the recurrent rate (P < 0.05). The recurrent rate of endometriosis in the third stage was different between laparoscopy and laparotomy (31.3% vs 11.3%; chi(2) = 7.971, P < 0.01). Mifepristone could prolong the interval of recurrence after operation [(13 +/- 4) vs (7 +/- 3) months; t = 4.575, P < 0.01]. Individualized therapeutic regimen should be made in treatment of endometriosis according to age, pathological type, and clinical stage. The recurrent rate could be reduced and the interval of recurrence could be prolonged using ovarian function inhibiting drugs for a short time post-operation.


Gene expression profiling of prostate tissue identifies chromatin regulation as a potential link between obesity and lethal prostate cancer.
Obese men are at higher risk of advanced prostate cancer and cancer-specific mortality; however, the biology underlying this association remains unclear. This study examined gene expression profiles of prostate tissue to identify biological processes differentially expressed by obesity status and lethal prostate cancer. Gene expression profiling was performed on tumor (n = 402) and adjacent normal (n = 200) prostate tissue from participants in 2 prospective cohorts who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer from 1982 to 2005. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from the questionnaire immediately preceding cancer diagnosis. Men were followed for metastases or prostate cancer-specific death (lethal disease) through 2011. Gene Ontology biological processes differentially expressed by BMI were identified using gene set enrichment analysis. Pathway scores were computed by averaging the signal intensities of member genes. Odds ratios (ORs) for lethal prostate cancer were estimated with logistic regression. Among 402 men, 48% were healthy weight, 31% were overweight, and 21% were very overweight/obese. Fifteen gene sets were enriched in tumor tissue, but not normal tissue, of very overweight/obese men versus healthy-weight men; 5 of these were related to chromatin modification and remodeling (false-discovery rate < 0.25). Patients with high tumor expression of chromatin-related genes had worse clinical characteristics (Gleason grade > 7, 41% vs 17%; P = 2 × 10-4 ) and an increased risk of lethal disease that was independent of grade and stage (OR, 5.26; 95% confidence interval, 2.37-12.25). This study improves our understanding of the biology of aggressive prostate cancer and identifies a potential mechanistic link between obesity and prostate cancer death that warrants further study. Cancer 2017;123:4130-4138. © 2017 American Cancer Society.


Precise feedback control underlies sensorimotor learning in speech.
Acquiring the skill of speaking in another language, or for that matter a child's learning to talk, does not follow a single recipe. People learn by variable amounts. A major component of speech learnability seems to be sensing precise feedback errors to correct subsequent utterances that help maintain speech goals. We have tested this idea in a speech motor learning paradigm under altered auditory feedback, in which subjects repeated a word while their auditory feedback was changed online. Subjects learned the task to variable degrees, with some simply failing to learn. We assessed feedback contribution by computing one-lag covariance between formant trajectories of the current feedback and the following utterance that was found to be a significant predictor of learning. Our findings rely on a novel use of information-rich formant trajectories in evaluating speech motor learning and argue for their relevance in auditory speech goals of vowel sounds.


[Intracranial metastasis of malignant tumors: clinical characteristics and MR imaging features].
To study the clinical characteristics and MR imaging features of intracranial metastasis from malignant tumors. 1271 patients who had history of primary tumor and suspected of cranial metastasis had MRI on Philips Gyroscan T5-NT MR scanner. The sequences included pre-contrast T(1)WI, FLAIR, and postcontrast transversal, sagittal, and coronal T(1)WI. All of the clinical data and MRI features of the patients were recorded and analyzed. Of 547 patients with intracranial metastasis, 393 came from lung cancer (71.9%), 10% of 547 patients were found to have the presenting symptoms of cranial metastasis. 526 had parenchymal cerebral metastasis, and 21 only meningeal metastasis. Of these 526 patients found to have brain metastasis, 164 had single metastasis (31.2%), and 362 multiple (68.8%). Most of the cerebral metastatic lesions showed uniform or ring enhancement after intravenous injection of contrast medium, dura-arachnoid metastasis showed continuous and thick-curve enhancement at the cerebral convex, but not extending to the sulcus, while pia-dura metastasis displayed as thin and linear or nodular enhancement extending to the adjacent sulci. The most common primary lesion with metastasis to the brain were lung cancers, followed by breast and gastrointestinal cancers. By using gadolinium-DTPA enhanced MR imaging, many single and small cerebral metastasis could be found earlier.


4-Methoxyphenylphosphonic acid: reactivity of Lawesson's reagent.
The title compound, C(7)H(9)O(4)P, obtained as a by-product of the reaction between Lawesson's reagent, (I), and CH(3)I, can be recognized as the final product of the S/O interchange reaction at the P atom of (I). Hydrogen bonds of type P-O-H.O=P link molecules into helical chains and form ten-membered hydrogen-bonded rings with the graph-set notation R(3)(2)(10). Weaker intermolecular contacts between P-O and a phenyl H atom link the chains into a three-dimensional lattice. The parent benzenephosphonic acid [Weakley (1976). Acta Cryst. B32, 2889-2890] does not adopt an analogous structure, but its arsenic analogue [Shimada (1960). Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn, 33, 301-304] does and can be regarded as isostructural. We rationalize these three structures in terms of their significant intermolecular interactions.


Internal nonlinear dynamics of a short lattice DNA model in terms of propagating kink-antikink solitons.
We study the internal nonlinear dynamics of an inhomogeneous short lattice DNA model by solving numerically the governing discrete perturbed sine-Gordon equations under the limits of a uniform and a nonuniform angular rotation of bases. The internal dynamics is expressed in terms of open-state configurations represented by kink and antikink solitons with fluctuations. The inhomogeneity in the strands and hydrogen bonds as well as nonuniformity in the rotation of bases introduce fluctuations in the profile of the solitons without affecting their robust nature and the propagation. These fluctuations spread into the tail regions of the soliton in the case of periodic inhomogeneity. However, the localized form of inhomogeneity generates amplified fluctuations in the profile of the soliton. The fluctuations are expected to enhance the denaturation process in the DNA molecule.


Retrograde transfer of testosterone to the porcine ovary in follicular and luteal phase of the estrous cycle in vivo.
This study was designed to determine the efficiency and rate of testosterone (T) retrograde transfer during the follicular and luteal phase of the estrous cycle in gilts (n=27). The efficiency and the rate of the retrograde transfer of T from the ovarian effluent into blood supplying the ovary were determined for the first time under in vivo conditions. Ovarian arterial blood concentration of T was higher than that in systemic blood during both, the follicular phase (p<0.01) and luteal phase (p<0.0001). The efficiency of the retrograde transfer of T into ovarian arterial blood was not dependent on concentration of testosterone in the ovarian venous blood. However, the efficiency and the rate of the retrograde transfer of T differed between phases of the estrous cycle. The presented results suggest that local retrograde transfer enriched the porcine ovary with an additional amount of T which may affect the ovarian secretory function.


Feeding on resistant rice leads to enhanced expression of defender against apoptotic cell death (OoDAD1) in the Asian rice gall midge.
The Asian rice gall midge (Orseolia oryzae) is a destructive insect pest of rice. Gall midge infestation in rice triggers either compatible or incompatible interactions leading to survival or mortality of the feeding maggots, respectively. In incompatible interactions, generation of plant allelochemicals/defense molecules and/or inability of the maggots to continue feeding on the host initiate(s) apoptosis within the maggots. Unraveling these molecular events, triggered within the maggots as a response to feeding on resistant hosts, will enable us to obtain a better understanding of host resistance. The present study points towards the likely involvement of a defender against apoptotic cell death gene (DAD1) in the insect in response to the host defense. The cDNA coding for the DAD1 orthologue in the rice gall midge (OoDAD1) consisted of 339 nucleotides with one intron of 85 bp and two exons of 208 and 131 nucleotides. The deduced amino acid sequence of OoDAD1 showed a high degree of homology (94.6%) with DAD1 orthologue from the Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor)--a major dipteran pest of wheat. Southern hybridization analysis indicated that OoDAD1 was present as a single copy in the genomes of the Asian rice gall midge biotypes (GMB) 1, 4 and 4 M. In the interactions involving GMB4 with Jaya (susceptible rice host) the expression level of OoDAD1 in feeding maggots gradually increased to 3-fold at 96 hai (hours after infestation) and peaked to 3.5-fold at 96 hai when compared to that at 24 hai. In contrast, expression in maggots feeding on RP2068 (resistant host) showed a steep increase of more than 8-fold at 24 hai and this level was sustained at 48, 72 and 96 hai when compared with the level in maggots feeding on Jaya at 24 hai. Recombinant OoDAD1, expressed in E. coli cells, when injected into rice seedlings induced a hypersensitive response (HR) in the resistant rice host, RP2068, but not in the susceptible rice variety, Jaya. The results indicate that the expression of OoDAD1 is triggered in the feeding maggots probably due to the host resistance response and therefore, is likely an important molecule in the initial stages of the interaction between the midge and its rice host.


Pulmonary microvascular and alveolar epithelial permeability characteristics in N-nitroso-N-methylurethane-injected dogs.
The subcutaneous injection of 5 to 6 mg/kg of body weight of N-nitroso-N-methylurethane (NNNMU) has been reported to cause acute alveolar injury in animals. To determine the permeability characteristics of the alveolar epithelium, we employed the in vivo saline-filled dog lung model and determined the time to 50 percent equilibration in minutes of a specific tracer in the blood and the lung model and determined the time to 50 percent equilibration in minutes of a specific tracer in the blood and the lung liquid (T 1/2) for endogenous serum albumin (MW 69,000 daltons, molecular radius 35 A) and exogenously administered 500,000 MW polydispersed dextrans (molecular radius 200 A). Compared to control animals, T1/2 decreased (permeability increased) in NNNMU-injected dogs from 3,500 +/- 100 to 682 +/- 160 minutes for albumin and from 20,000 +/- 250 to 2,790 +/- 750 minutes for 500,000 MW dextran (P less than 0.001). To determine the permeability characteristics of the pulmonary microvasculature, we employed the right lymph duct cannulation dog model and measured lymph flow/30 minutes, lymph albumin and dextran concentration, and lymph/plasma albumin and dextran ratios in control and NNNMU-injected dogs. Compared to control animals, lymph flow was significantly greater in NNNMU dogs, 2.07 +/- 1.1 vs .71 +/- .50 ml/30 minutes (P less than 0.01), respectively. We conclude that NNNMU injection increases permeability in both the alveolar epithelium and the pulmonary microvasculature.


Radiographic Pearls in the Evaluation of an Extradural Thoracic Meningioma: A Case Report.
Spinal meningiomas are the most common of adult spinal tumors. Spinal meningiomas account for up to 45% of all intradural spinal tumors in adults and up to 25% of all spinal tumors. While spinal meningiomas are traditionally classified as intradural lesions, up to 14% may have an extradural component. Preoperative evaluation and directed use of imaging techniques are key in these rare but observed cases, to accurately diagnose and direct therapy. In this report, the authors present a case of a 61-year-old female with an incidentally found, exclusively extradural thoracic meningioma treated with surgical resection, highlighting key radiographic pearls in the evaluation of these uncommon lesions.


The role of visual awareness for conflict adaptation in the masked priming task: comparing block-wise adaptation with trial-by-trial adaptation.
This study investigated the role of participants' visual awareness in the block-wise and the trial-by-trial adaptations. We employed a subliminal response compatibility task in which a prime arrow was briefly presented before the target arrow, and the participants were requested to indicate the direction of the target arrow. The direction of the prime and direction of the target were either the same (compatible trial) or different (incompatible trial). To examine block-wise adaptation, two blocks were conducted, i.e., the Neutral block (50% compatible and 50% incompatible trials) and the Incompatible block (10% compatible and 90% incompatible trials). The results showed the existence of the block-wise adaptation without participants' visual awareness. The compatibility effect on both response time and error rate (ER) was smaller in the Incompatible block than in the Neutral block. Moreover, a separate data analysis based on the preceding trial type revealed that the trial-by-trial adaptation of cognitive control was observed only in the ER. These results suggest the different role of visual awareness in the block-wise and trial-by-trial adaptations.


Direct Interaction of Sox10 With Cadherin-19 Mediates Early Sacral Neural Crest Cell Migration: Implications for Enteric Nervous System Development Defects.
The enteric nervous system, which regulates many gastrointestinal functions, is derived from neural crest cells (NCCs). Defective NCC migration during embryonic development may lead to enteric neuropathies such as Hirschsprung's disease (hindgut aganglionosis). Sox10 is known to be essential for cell migration but downstream molecular events regulating early NCC migration have not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to determine how Sox10 regulates migration of sacral NCCs toward the hindgut using Dominant megacolon mice, an animal model of Hirschsprung's disease with a Sox10 mutation. We used the following: time-lapse live cell imaging to determine the migration defects of mutant sacral NCCs; genome-wide microarrays, site-directed mutagenesis, and whole embryo culture to identify Sox10 targets; and liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry to ascertain downstream effectors of Sox10. Sacral NCCs exhibited retarded migration to the distal hindgut in Sox10-null embryos with simultaneous down-regulated expression of cadherin-19 (Cdh19). Sox10 was found to bind directly to the Cdh19 promoter. Cdh19 knockdown resulted in retarded sacral NCC migration in vitro and ex vivo, whereas re-expression of Cdh19 partially rescued the retarded migration of mutant sacral NCCs in vitro. Cdh19 formed cadherin-catenin complexes, which then bound to filamentous actin of the cytoskeleton during cell migration. Cdh19 is a direct target of Sox10 during early sacral NCC migration toward the hindgut and forms cadherin-catenin complexes which interact with the cytoskeleton in migrating cells. Elucidation of this novel molecular pathway helps to provide insights into the pathogenesis of enteric nervous system developmental defects.


Same-day versus next-day pegfilgrastim or pegfilgrastim-cbqv in patients with lymphoma receiving CHOP-like chemotherapy.
Aim: To compare the incidence of febrile neutropenia and related outcomes of prophylactic same-day versus next-day pegfilgrastim/pegfilgrastim-cbqv in patients with lymphoma receiving cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin, vincristine, prednisone (CHOP)-like chemotherapy. Methods: Retrospective, real-world, single-institution study. Results: 93 patients received 460 cycles of CHOP-like chemotherapy. The incidence of febrile neutropenia and grade 3/4 chemotherapy-induced neutropenia was 5 and 16.5%, respectively. In 401 cycles pegfilgrastim was administered same-day versus 12 cycles next-day. Febrile neutropenia occurred in 17 cycles versus 0 cycles (p = 1.00) and grade 3/4 chemotherapy-induced neutropenia in 65 cycles (16.2%) versus 1 cycle (16.7%; p = 1.00) with same-day versus next-day pegfilgrastim administration, respectively. Conclusion: Pegfilgrastim may be safely administered on the same day as chemotherapy in patients with lymphoma receiving CHOP-like chemotherapy.


[Intracranial meningiomas--criteria for selection of the optimum therapeutic modality].
The authors present their own proposal for a standard diagnostic procedure algorithm in intracranial meningiomas, which they used in their prospective, non-randomized longitudinal study in a group of 30 subjects within a year. The following four criteria were assessed in each patient: age, physical condition according the ASA classification, location of the meningioma on the MRI (superficial, the scull base) and the growth invasivity using selective DSA (ACI+ACE) and MRI (the vascularization type, the oedema index and the change in the oedema signal intensity in 3.5 hours). The criteria helped to establish the optimum therapeutic procedure for each patient: embolisation without a follow-up surgery (2 subjects), observation (2 subjects), pre-operative embolisation (5 subjects) and surgery without preceeding embolisation (21 subjects). This study did not assess the intracranial meningiomas treatment outcome. It highlights significance of the diagnostic procedures standardization in order to establish their optimum therapeutic modality.


Prostate cancer.
This synthesis of the literature on radiotherapy for prostate cancer is based on 53 scientific articles, including 4 randomized studies, 3 prospective studies, and 44 retrospective studies. These studies involve 52005 patients. The literature provides no apparent evidence to motivate radiotherapy, or any treatment, for highly differentiated T0 tumors. Some findings suggest that radiotherapy or surgery may be indicated for poorly differentiated tumors. The literature however shows no differences in tumor effects between these two methods for treating T0 tumors. Radiotherapy is milder and less mutilating. Conclusions cannot be drawn from the literature concerning whether surgery (radical prostatectomy) or external radiotherapy is preferable for T1 and T2 tumors. Most probably, some patients are more suitable for surgery, others for radiotherapy. More patients are, nevertheless, candidates for radiotherapy. The value of external radiotherapy for T3 tumors is documented. Radiotherapy is valuable as palliative treatment for T4 tumors. Radiotherapy may be valuable as localized, symptom-relieving treatment for generalized prostate cancer. Treatment given via a few high fractions saves patients' time, hospitalization, and resources. Concerning individualized treatment, the differentiation grade is important for the choice of treatment method, mainly in early, but even in late clinical stages. This may involve choosing between radiotherapy and endocrine therapy, or even choosing between radiotherapy and surgery. The value of external radiotherapy increases as the differentiation grade of the tumor decreases. It is essential to treat patients at facilities that have the diagnostic potential to establish the differentiation grade of tumors. The value of postoperative radiotherapy has not yet been demonstrated at any clinical stage of prostate cancer. Treatment results from interstitial brachytherapy alone appear to be clearly inferior to the results from other methods. The value of combining interstitial/external radiotherapy should be studied further.


Treatment alternatives of slaughterhouse wastes, and their effect on the inactivation of different pathogens: a review.
Slaughterhouse wastes are a potential reservoir of bacterial, viral, prion and parasitic pathogens, capable of infecting both animals and humans. A quick, cost effective and safe disposal method is thus essential in order to reduce the risk of disease following animal slaughter. Different methods for the disposal of such wastes exist, including composting, anaerobic digestion (AD), alkaline hydrolysis (AH), rendering, incineration and burning. Composting is a disposal method that allows a recycling of the slaughterhouse waste nutrients back into the earth. The high fat and protein content of slaughterhouse wastes mean however, that such wastes are an excellent substrate for AD processes, resulting in both the disposal of wastes, a recycling of nutrients (soil amendment with sludge), and in methane production. Concerns exist as to whether AD and composting processes can inactivate pathogens. In contrast, AH is capable of the inactivation of almost all known microorganisms. This review was conducted in order to compare three different methods of slaughterhouse waste disposal, as regards to their ability to inactivate various microbial pathogens. The intention was to investigate whether AD could be used for waste disposal (either alone, or in combination with another process) such that both energy can be obtained and potentially hazardous materials be disposed of.


Quality of Life Differences in Female and Male Patients with Fecal Incontinence.
To explore and compare quality of life (QoL) differences in female and male patients with fecal incontinence. Ninety-one patients with fecal incontinence (60 women, mean (SD) age 64.13 (9.72) years; 31 men, mean (SD) age 63.61 (13.33) years) were assessed for pathophysiology (anorectal manometry and ultrasound), clinical severity (Wexner and Vaizey scales), QoL (Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life Score [FIQL]) and health status (EQ-5D). External and internal anal sphincter impairment rates were 96.5% and 70.2%, respectively, in women, compared to 30% and 43.3% respectively in men (P< 0.05). Clinical severity was similar in both sexes, with mean (SD) Wexner scores of 10.95 (4.35) for women and 9.81 (4.30) for men, and mean (SD) Vaizey scores of 13.27 (4.66) for women and 11.90 (5.22) for men. Scores for women were significantly lower for all FIQL depression and coping subscales (P< 0.001) and the EQ-5D depression subscale (P< 0.01). EQ-5D index was 0.687 (0.20) for women and 0.835 (0.15) for men (P< 0.001). QoL was negatively affected by female gender (?1.336), anxiety/depression (?1.324) and clinical severity (?0.302), whereas age had a positive impact (0.055 per year) (P< 0.01). The pathophysiology of fecal incontinence differed between the sexes. For similar severity scores, impact on QoL was higher in women. Gender had the highest impact on QoL compared to other factors. QoL measurements should be part of assessment and treatment protocols.


Impact of biogenic substrates on sulfamethoxazole biodegradation kinetics by Achromobacter denitrificans strain PR1.
Pure cultures have been found to degrade pharmaceutical compounds. However, these cultures are rarely characterized kinetically at environmentally relevant concentrations. This study investigated the kinetics of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) degradation by Achromobacter denitrificans strain PR1 at a wide range of concentrations, from ng/L to mg/L, to assess the feasibility of using it for bioaugmentation purposes. Complete removal of SMX occurred for all concentrations tested, i.e., 150 mg/L, 500 µg/L, 20 µg/L, and 600 ng/L. The reaction rate coefficients (kbio) for the strain at the ng/L SMX range were: 63.4 ± 8.6, 570.1 ± 15.1 and 414.9 ± 124.2 L/g[Formula: see text]·day), for tests fed without a supplemental carbon source, with acetate, and with succinate, respectively. These results were significantly higher than the value reported for non-augmented activated sludge (0.41 L/(g [Formula: see text]·day) with hundreds of ng/L of SMX. The simultaneous consumption of an additional carbon source and SMX suggested that the energetic efficiency of the cells, boosted by the presence of biogenic substrates, was important in increasing the SMX degradation rate. The accumulation of 3-amino-5-methylisoxazole was observed as the only metabolite, which was found to be non-toxic. SMX inhibited the Vibrio fischeri luminescence after 5 min of contact, with EC50 values of about 53 mg/L. However, this study suggested that the strain PR1 still can degrade SMX up to 150 mg/L. The results of this work demonstrated that SMX degradation kinetics by A. denitrificans PR1 compares favorably with activated sludge and the strain is a potentially interesting organism for bioaugmentation for SMX removal from polluted waters.


[Archaebacteria and phylogeny of organisms].
The determination of the sequence similarity of the ribosomal 16S RNA of many bacteria and a few higher organisms has shown that the methanogenic, halophilic, and acido-thermophilic organisms are phylogenetically separated from the kingdoms of the Eubacteria and Eukaryotes thus representing a third kingdom called "Archaebacteria". Many biochemical and molecular biological features support this conclusion.


Deciphering the Mechanism of the Anti-Hypertensive Effect of Isorhynchophylline by Targeting Neurotransmitters Metabolism of Hypothalamus in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.
Essential hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease that can lead eventually to structural and functional alterations in the brain. Accumulating evidence has suggested that the increased activities in renin-angiotensin system and sympathetic nerve participated in the pathogenesis of hypertension that is related to the imbalance between neurotransmitters. The potential role in essential hypertension arising from alterations of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system remains understudied. Isorhynchophylline is a major oxindole alkaloid extracted from Uncaria rhynchophylla, which has been widely used for treating hypertension and neurodegenerative diseases. Whether isorhynchophylline acts on neurotransmitters to lower blood pressure has been hypothesized but rarely demonstrated unequivocally. Here, we studied the metabolic neurotransmitter profiles in the hypothalamus using a targeted metabolomic approach in spontaneously hypertensive rats after isorhynchophylline intervention. Our study demonstrated that isorhynchophylline exhibited a strong anti-hypertensive effect in spontaneously hypertensive rats by improving the neurotransmitter imbalance in the hypothalamus and inhibiting the overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system and sympathetic nerve system. Overall, this study played an essential role in enhancing our understanding of the mechanism of isorhynchophylline in essential hypertension and in providing theoretical evidence for future research and clinical application.


Subtle alterations in cerebrovascular reactivity in mild cognitive impairment detected by graph theoretical analysis and not by the standard approach.
There is growing support that cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) in response to a vasodilatory challenge, also defined as the cerebrovascular reserve, is reduced in Alzheimer's disease dementia. However, this is less clear in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The current standard analysis may not reflect subtle abnormalities in CVR. In this study, we aimed to investigate vasodilatory-induced changes in the topology of the cerebral blood flow correlation (CBFcorr) network to study possible network-related CVR abnormalities in MCI. For this purpose, four CBFcorr networks were constructed: two using CBF SPECT data at baseline and under the vasodilatory challenge of acetazolamide (ACZ), obtained from a group of 26 MCI patients; and two equivalent networks from a group of 26 matched cognitively normal controls. The mean strength of association (SA) and clustering coefficient (C) were used to evaluate ACZ-induced changes on the topology of CBFcorr networks. We found that cognitively normal adults and MCI patients show different patterns of C and SA changes. The observed differences included the medial prefrontal cortices and inferior parietal lobe, which represent areas involved in MCI's cognitive dysfunction. In contrast, no substantial differences were detected by standard CVR analysis. These results suggest that graph theoretical analysis of ACZ-induced changes in the topology of the CBFcorr networks allows the identification of subtle network-related CVR alterations in MCI, which couldn't be detected by the standard approach.


Neurocognitive perspectives in language outcomes of Early Head Start: Language and cognitive stimulation and maternal depression.
A neurocognitive, developmental framework was used to examine the effectiveness of Early Head Start (EHS) programs. Evidence has shown that caregiver variables impact early brain development. This study aimed to better understand this relation. Results showed that the EHS program made no significant impact, and at 3 years old, children were significantly behind population norms in language development, partially replicating previous findings with children from poverty backgrounds. EHS and parental depression were significant predictors of language and cognitive stimulation; however, depression and stimulation, but not involvement in EHS, were significant predictors of vocabulary. Implications for EHS programs are discussed, such as addressing caregiver variables (e.g., depression) and increasing focus on services to expectant families. Future directions also are discussed, such as understanding how young children's stress, within the context of caregiver variables, is related to neurocognitive outcomes.


Evidence of IgE-mediated hypersensitivity in allergic fungal sinusitis.
Despite documentation of specific immunologic hypersensitivity in a few case reports, controversy continues as to the role of allergy versus true infection in the clinical entity of allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS). Using a modified radioallergosorbent test (RAST) to multiple fungal antigens, 16 patients meeting the histologic criteria of AFS and with positive fungal cultures were compared to 5 control patients with similar preoperative clinical findings but without histologic or culture evidence of AFS. All patients were immunocompetent and none demonstrated histologic evidence of tissue invasion. All AFS patients were RAST-positive to at least one fungal antigen in the family of their cultured organism with positive defined as class 2 or greater. No control patient was RAST-positive to either dematiaceous or Aspergillus fungal antigens. Thus, modified RAST testing can aid in the routine clinical diagnosis of AFS, and it provides further serologic evidence for a type I hypersensitivity in the pathogenesis of AFS.


Ras signalling on the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi.
Current models evoke the plasma membrane (PM) as the exclusive platform from which Ras regulates signalling. We developed a fluorescent probe that reports where and when Ras is activated in living cells. We show that oncogenic H-Ras and N-Ras engage Raf-1 on the Golgi and that endogenous Ras and unpalmitoylated H-Ras are activated in response to mitogens on the Golgi and endoplasmic reticulum (ER), respectively. We also demonstrate that H-Ras that is restricted to the ER can activate the Erk pathway and transform fibroblasts, and that Ras localized on different membrane compartments differentially engages various signalling pathways. Thus, Ras signalling is not limited to the PM, but also proceeds on the endomembrane.


Iowa Case Management: innovative social casework.
This article describes the development of an innovative approach to case management for rural clients in drug abuse treatment. This innovative approach is discussed in the context of the broader field of case management-including social casework, public health, nursing, modern case management, and managed care. Because case management has been defined in many different ways, making comparisons of programs and models is difficult. The article presents an expanded set of criteria for comparing case management models. The Iowa Case Management model is compared with these other models across several dimensions. This article also describes the philosophy and goals of the Iowa model, as well as key activities in which clients and case managers participate. The authors discuss implications for practice and issues related to evaluation of case management.


A possible association of hypokalaemic periodic paralysis, autoimmune thyroiditis and neuromyotonia.
Acute hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HPP), a clinical syndrome characterised by acute systemic weakness and low serum potassium (K+), is a rare but treatable cause of acute limb weakness. Hypokalemia can be caused by K+ loss via the kidneys or extra renal routes mainly the gut, or due to transcellular potassium shifts where extracellular K+ will move into the cell. In the latter situation, although there is hypokalaemia, there is no deficit of K+ in the body. The main causes for intracellular shift of K+ are familial hypokalemic periodic paralysis, thyrotoxic periodic paralysis, barium poisoning, insulin excess and alkalosis. Although the association between thyrotoxicosis and HPP is known, HPP with hypothyroidism is extremely rare. We report a case of hypokalemic periodic paralysis associated with hypothyroidism and neuromyotonia.


Asthma medication use among adults with current asthma by work-related asthma status, Asthma Call-back Survey, 29 states, 2012-2013.
Asthma severity is defined as the intensity of treatment required to achieve good control of asthma symptoms. Studies have shown that work-related asthma (WRA) can be associated with poorer asthma control and more severe symptoms than non-WRA. Associations between asthma medications and WRA status were assessed using data from the 2012-2013 Asthma Call-back Survey among ever-employed adults (≥18 years) with current asthma from 29 states. Persons with WRA had been told by a physician that their asthma was work-related. Persons with possible WRA had asthma caused or made worse by their current or previous job, but did not have physician-diagnosed WRA. Asthma medications were classified as controller (i.e., long-acting β-agonist, inhaled corticosteroid, oral corticosteroid, cromolyn/nedocromil, leukotriene pathway inhibitor, methylxanthine, anti-cholinergics) and rescue (i.e., short-acting β-agonist). Demographic and clinical characteristics were examined. Associations between asthma medications and WRA status were assessed using a multivariate logistic regression to calculate adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs). Among an estimated 15 million ever-employed adults with current asthma, 14.7% had WRA and an additional 40.4% had possible WRA. Compared with adults with non-WRA, those with WRA were more likely to have taken anti-cholinergics (PR = 1.80), leukotriene pathway inhibitor (PR = 1.59), and methylxanthine (PR = 4.76), and those with possible WRA were more likely to have taken methylxanthine (PR = 2.85). Results provide additional evidence of a higher proportion of severe asthma among adults with WRA compared to non-WRA. To achieve optimal asthma control, adults with WRA may require additional intervention, such as environmental controls or removal from the workplace exposure.


A new technique for maintaining and monitoring conscious, stress-free rabbits in a steady state: its use in the determination of glucose kinetics.
1. A new technique is described for maintaining and monitoring conscious rabbits in a steady state. Solutions were infused and blood samples were withdrawn without major surgery and without causing stress. Cannulation, for infusion and blood sampling, was via the ear veins and arteries. 2. The validity of the technique is discussed with special reference to: the amount of blood removed from the animal; the use of a plasma substitute solution; the use of heparin; and assessing whether the animal was in a steady-state with respect to glucose. 3. The technique was used to determine glucose kinetics in the fasted rabbit after an injection of [2-(3)H]glucose with subsequent blood sampling over 2 h. A two compartment model was used to calculate certain physiological values, the two principal ones being the glucose uptake rate (3.30 +/- 0.24 (13) mg.kg-1.min-1) and the initial volume of distribution (74.8 +/- 7.8 (13) ml.kg-1). 4. The accuracy and precision of the results obtained from this study are discussed and shown to be more reliable than other published values.


Caspase cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein modulates amyloid beta-protein toxicity.
The amyloid beta-protein precursor (APP) is proteolytically cleaved to generate the amyloid beta-protein (Abeta), the principal constituent of senile plaques found in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In addition, Abeta in its oligomeric and fibrillar forms have been hypothesized to induce neuronal toxicity. We and others have previously shown that APP can be cleaved by caspases at the C-terminus to generate a potentially cytotoxic peptide termed C31. Furthermore, this cleavage event and caspase activation were increased in the brains of AD, but not control, cases. In this study, we show that in cultured cells, Abeta induces caspase cleavage of APP in the C-terminus and that the subsequent generation of C31 contributes to the apoptotic cell death associated with Abeta. Interestingly, both Abeta toxicity and C31 pathway are dependent on the presence of APP. Both APP-dependent Abeta toxicity and C31-induced apoptotic cell death involve apical or initiator caspases-8 and -9. Our results suggest that Abeta-mediated toxicity initiates a cascade of events that includes caspase activation and APP cleavage. These findings link C31 generation and its potential cell death activity to Abeta cytotoxicity, the leading mechanism proposed for neuronal death in AD.


Exact soliton solution and inelastic two-soliton collision in a spin chain driven by a time-dependent magnetic field.
We investigate dynamics of exact N-soliton trains in a spin chain driven by a time-dependent magnetic field by means of an inverse scattering transformation. The one-soliton solution indicates obviously the spin precession around the magnetic field and periodic shape variation induced by the time-varying field as well. In terms of the general soliton solutions, N-soliton interaction and particularly various two-soliton collisions are analyzed. The inelastic collision by which we mean the soliton shape change before and after collision appears is generally due to the time-varying field. We, moreover, show that complete inelastic collisions can be achieved by adjusting spectrum and field parameters. This may lead to a potential technique of shape control of soliton.


Identification of conditions which lead to unjustified requests for emergency treatment of hypertensive patients.
Aim To determine most common factors making patients with high blood pressure seek professionally unacceptable treatment of hypertension at the Emergency Department. Methods The survey was conducted at the Emergency Department of the Primary Health Care in Gradačac on randomly selected 207 patients who requested medical help because of high blood pressure. For all patients arterial blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) were measured. A survey about knowledge and attitudes regarding habits that affect high blood pressure as well as the socio-economic conditions was made. Results Prevalence of 10.3% was found with regard to visits to emergency care by patients due to high blood pressure. Most patients, 127(61.4 %), were overweight and 36(17.4%) were obese. Patients who rarely controlled their blood pressure were more frequent visitors of emergency medical services. Stressful situation occurs as a factor in a variety of forms. The survey showed that 76 (36.7%) patients sought medical help even though they had no blood pressure values that required emergency care. Conclusion Poorly organized health care system with no continuous and comprehensive preventive promotional programs caused by inappropriate use of resources in health care. The reorganization of primary care with full implementation of family medicine and greater integration of family medicine with other levels of the health care system should provide a better control and treatment of other diseases such as hypertension.


AAOHN Competencies.
The AAOHN Competency document is one of the core documents that define occupational health nursing practice. This article provides a description of the process used to update the competencies, as well as a description of the new competencies.


Vacuum phenomenon within the cervical spinal canal: CT demonstration of a herniated disc.
Gas within the cervical spinal canal in association with a surgically proven herniated disc is demonstrated by computed tomography. Although rarely seen and never previously reported, this unmistakable roentgen sign provides strong evidence for a herniated disc in the cervical as well as lumbar spine.


Facial basal cell carcinoma: A retrospective study of 67 cases.
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a slow-growing malignant tumor characterized by local invasiveness but an exceptionally rare metastatic potential. It ideally affects sun-exposed skin of older patients with more propensity for the facial region. To evaluate the different clinicopathological characteristics of the facial BCC and the efficacy and safety of diode laser for the treatment of these lesions. We retrospectively reviewed facial BCC lesions of < 1.5 cm in diameter and subjected them to diode laser ablation during the period from September 2016 to August 2021 at Al-Ramadi Teaching Hospital, Ramadi City, Iraq. Data matching the age, gender, duration, site, and clinical and histological types were registered for every subject. The functional and aesthetic outcomes and complications following diode laser ablation for each patient were also recorded. Of 67 patients with facial BCC, there was 65.67% from the age group ≥ 60 years and 58.21% males. The mean duration of the lesions was 5.15 ± 1.836 mo. The most involved location was the nose (29.85%). About half of the cases belong to the noduloulcerative type. Solid histological type comprises 40.3% of the cases, while the least was keratotic (13.4%). Moreover, 65.2% of the solid cases were from the age group ≤ 60 years and 38.6% of the adenoid type from the age group > 60 years (P value = 0.007). Excellent aesthetic and functional outcomes were reported in all cases after 6 mo of follow-up. Few complications were reported after diode laser ablation. Facial BCC was mostly seen in the elderly and men. The mean duration was 5.15 mo. The nose was the commonest involved site. Noduloulcerative lesions were seen in approximately half of the lesions. The age of the patients determined the histological type of the lesion (solid type was mostly seen in the age group ≤ 60 years, while, adenoid in the age group > 60 years). Diode laser ablation showed excellent functional and aesthetic outcomes following a 6-mo follow-up.


[CSF otorrhea: case report and management].
Mr G, sixty-seven years old, was admitted to our hospital for a liver transplant. He suffered from a cirrhosis due to an HBV infection, complicated by an hepatocellular carcinoma. During the perioperative care, a left otorrhea was discovered. According to the clinical history, this otorrhea had been present for six weeks and followed the completion of a myringotomy. The myringotomy had been performed with a view to place a transtympanic ventilation tube for the treatment of a serous otitis media inducing a conductive hearingloss. Clinical, biological, and radiological explorations revealed a CSF leak caused by the fact that the myringotomy had been done in a temporal meningo-encephalocele. A conservative treatment allowed to stop the otorrhea. We present a short discussion about temporal meningoencephalocele and, more generally, about CSF otorrhea.


Medico-legal Closed Case Trends in Canadian Plastic Surgery: A Retrospective Descriptive Study.
To enhance patient safety and prevent medico-legal complaints, we need to understand current trends and impacts. We aimed to characterize Canadian plastic surgery medico-legal patterns in many dimensions. This retrospective descriptive analysis of Canadian Medical Protective Association data between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2017 included closed regulatory body complaints and civil-legal actions involving plastic surgeons. We excluded class action legal cases and hospital complaints. We collected data on patient allegations, procedure types, healthcare-related patient harms, and peer expert criticisms. The primary outcome of interest was physician medico-legal outcome. We found 414 cases that met the inclusion criteria: 253 (61.1%) cases involved cosmetic procedures and 161 (38.9%) noncosmetic procedures. The annual incidence among plastic surgeon members of regulatory body complaints and civil-legal actions was 12.1% and 6.7%, for a combined incidence of 18.8%. The most common allegations were deficient clinical assessment, inadequate informed consent, delayed or misdiagnosis, and inadequate monitoring. Leading contributing factors were physician-patient communication breakdown, deficient clinical judgments, and inadequate documentation. The top procedural complications included cosmetic deformity, poor scarring, upper extremity stiffness or deficit, major structural injury, and mental health disorder. Less than half of cases (198/414, 47.8%) had unfavorable medico-legal outcomes for the surgeon. Patients were compensated in 86/198 (43.4%) of civil-legal cases. Plastic surgeons experience more medico-legal complaints for cosmetic versus noncosmetic procedures. To minimize medico-legal risks, plastic surgeons should focus on strong physician-patient communication, patient education/consent, thorough clinical assessment, minimizing potentially preventable complications, and maintaining relevant documentation.


Nutritional Evaluation of Oleogel Made from Micronutrient Rich Edible Oils.
The present study examined the nutritional properties of trans-free edible oleogels made from oil blends of rice bran and flaxseed in animal model. Oleogels were prepared by using mixture of palm stearin (PS) with cetyl laurate (CL) and palm stearin (PS) with cetyl caprylate (CC) as oleogelators. The oleogel samples were prepared with 15 weight % oleogelators (2:1 molar ratio of PS:CC or PS:CL) at 60°C with 1 hr constant stirring in blended oil. The prepared oleogel samples were subjected to DSC and XRD studies in order to evaluate their melting and crystal characteristics. Oleogel formed by using PS and CC showed the desired thermal characteristics. The peak melting temperature of the said sample was almost 44.5°C as determined by the DSC technique. The X-ray diffraction study clearly signified that the crystals were well developed. For nutritional evaluation, Male Wister rats were fed with prepared oleogel samples along with control diet for 4 weeks. Animals were divided into four groups. The control group was fed with normal stock diet containing blend of rice bran oil and flaxseed oil (4:1); one was fed with TFA rich vanaspati (TFA content is about 11.20%); experimental groups were fed with oleogel prepared by using PS:CC and oleogel prepared by using PS:CL respectively. Analysis of the blood lipid profile of the four groups was done. In vivo study established the cholesterol lowering properties of prepared oleogel samples which further enhanced the novelty of oleogel as healthy alternative of trans fat. The positive changes were more pronounced in case of rats fed with oleogel prepared with PS:CC as oleogelators. This study provides an elegant approach of producing trans-free edible quality oleogel with recognized cholesterol lowering property.


Isolation of outer membranes with an ordered array of surface subunits from Acinetobacter.
A method has been developed for the isolation of outer membranes from Acinetobacter sp. strain MJT/F5/199A. Washed cells were broken in a French press and, after deoxyribonuclease and ribonuclease treatment, removal of intact cells, and four washes in 20 mosmol phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, with centrifugation at 25,000 x g for 10 min, preparations of cell wall fragments from which almost all pieces of plasma membrane had been removed resulted. Treatment of the cell walls with lysozyme and further washing, in the presence of 20 mM MgCl(2), yielded preparations of outer membranes. Electron microscopy of freeze-etched preparations shows that a regular pattern of subunits is present on the outer surfaces of intact cells. After negative staining, these subunits are visible on isolated walls and outer membranes; they can be removed by brief treatment with papain. In section, the cell wall structure is that typical of gram-negative bacteria, but the subunits are not detectable on the surface of the outer membrane. The outer membrane retains the appearance of a "unit membrane" in the cell wall, isolated outer membrane, and papain-treated outer membrane fractions. Both cell walls and outer membranes contain a high percentage of protein (76 and 84%, respectively) and not more than 5% carbohydrate, of which glucose and galactose are constitutents. The outer membranes of this Acinetobacter thus differ in structure and composition from those of bacteria in the Enterobacteriaceae.


Spiromastixones Inhibit Foam Cell Formation via Regulation of Cholesterol Efflux and Uptake in RAW264.7 Macrophages.
Bioassay-guided evaluation shows that a deep sea-derived fungus, Spiromastix sp. MCCC 3A00308, possesses lipid-lowering activity. Chromatographic separation of a culture broth resulted in the isolation of 15 known depsidone-based analogues, labeled spiromastixones A-O (1-15). Each of these compounds was tested for its ability to inhibit oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL)-induced foam cell formation in RAW264.7 macrophages. Spiromastixones 6-8 and 12-14 significantly decreased oxLDL-induced lipid over-accumulation, reduced cell surface area, and reduced intracellular cholesterol concentration. Of these compounds, spiromastixones 6 and 14 exerted the strongest inhibitory effects. Spiromastixones 6 and 14 dramatically inhibited cholesterol uptake and stimulated cholesterol efflux to apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in RAW264.7 macrophages. Mechanistic investigation indicated that spiromastixones 6, 7, 12 and 14 significantly up-regulated the mRNA levels of ATP-binding cassette sub-family A1 (ABCA1) and down-regulated those of scavenger receptor CD36, while the transcription of ATP-binding cassette sub-family A1 (ABCG1) and proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) were selectively up-regulated by 6 and 14. A transactivation reporter assay revealed that spiromastixones 6 and 14 remarkably enhanced the transcriptional activity of PPARγ. These results suggest that spiromastixones inhibit foam cell formation through upregulation of PPARγ and ABCA1/G1 and downregulation of CD36, indicating that spiromastixones 6 and 14 are promising lead compounds for further development as anti-atherogenic agents.


Immunoelectron microscopic localization of the pX gene products in human T-cell leukemia virus type 1-producing cells.
The location of the pX gene products in human T-cell leukemia virus type 1-producing cells, MT-2 and HUT 102, was studied by immunoelectron microscopy using the direct and indirect peroxidase-labeled antibody methods. Fab'-peroxidase conjugates were prepared for the direct method with a maleimide compound from antisera to the carboxy-terminal region of the pX gene products. Positive immunostaining in MT-2 cells was detected in the endoplasmic reticulum, the outer and inner leaflets of the nuclear membrane, and inside their cisternae, but not in the plasma membrane and viral particles. Staining in the nucleus was faint. On the other hand, positive immunostaining in HUT 102 cells was detected diffusely in the euchromatin regions of the nucleus but not in the nucleoli, nuclear envelope, and cellular membrane systems. The location of the positive immunostaining in the HUT 102 nuclei was reconfirmed by the reaction in isolated nuclei. On the basis of both the immunoelectron microscopic and immunoblotting analyses of the pX gene products, it is suggested that the Mr 40,000 to 42,000 protein (p40x) is localized mainly in the euchromatin regions of the nuclei of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1-producing cells, and the Mr 68,000 protein (p68x) is localized mainly in the nuclear envelope and the endoplasmic reticulum of MT-2 cells. p68x detected in MT-2 cells with the anti-p40x serum was deduced to be a protein consisting of p40x and a part of env gene products and to share epitopes in common with p40x.


[Hematological emergencies].
In this short review some important hematologic emergencies, that have been discussed at a round table on the occasion of the 22, meeting of internal medicine in central Switzerland are outlined without intention to be complete. The following emergencies are featured: Anemia, increased hematocrit (polyglobulia), severe (unexpected) neutropenia, marked hyperleukocytosis and leukemias, severe thrombocytopenia; thrombocytopathies (hereditary or acquired), von Willebrand-disease, acquired or hereditary coagulation disorders (coagulopathies), acute venous thrombosis; acute hemolytic transfusion reaction, posttransfusion purpura, severe autoimmune hemolysis.


Metallothionein Prevents Age-Associated Cardiomyopathy via Inhibiting NF-κB Pathway Activation and Associated Nitrative Damage to 2-OGD.
Cardiac-specific metallothionein (MT) overexpression extends lifespan, but the mechanism underlying the effect of MT protection against age-associated cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remains elusive. To elucidate this, male wild-type and two lines of MT-transgenic (MT-TG) mice, MM and MT-1 (cardiac-specific overexpressing MT about 10- and 80-fold, respectively) at three representative ages (2-3, 9-10, and 18-20 months), were utilized. A stable human MT2A overexpressing cardiomyocytes (H9c2MT7) was also introduced. Histomorphology and echocardiographic analysis revealed that age-associated cardiac hypertrophy, remodeling, and dysfunction were ameliorated in MT-TG mice. Also, aging-accompanied NF-κB activation, characterized by increased nuclear p65 translocation, elevated DNA-binding activity, and upregulation of inflammatory cytokines, was largely attenuated by MT overexpression. Treatment of H9c2 cardiomyocytes with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), which mimicked an inflammatory environment, significantly increased NF-κB activity, and some age-related phenotypes appeared. The NF-κB activation was further proved to be pivotal for both age-associated and TNF-α-induced nitrative damage to cardiac 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (2-OGD) by virtue of NF-κB p65 gene silencing. MT inhibited NF-κB activation and associated nitrative damage to cardiac 2-OGD in both old MT-TG hearts and TNF-α-treated H9c2MT7 cardiomyocytes; these protective effects were abolished in H9c2MT7 cardiomyocytes by MT-specific gene silencing. Innovation and Conclusion: Together, these findings indicate that the protective effects of MT against age-associated CVD can be attributed mainly to its role in NF-κB inhibition and resultant alleviation of nitrative damage to 2-OGD. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 25, 936-952.


Commonly used botanicals and vitamins and their impact on blood pressure and blood loss in surgical gynaecology patients.
We wanted to determine botanical and vitamin use in surgical gynaecology patients at UHWI and their effects on blood pressure and blood loss. The study was prospective and observational. Before elective surgery, we evaluated 133 patients on the use of botanicals and vitamins. We measured pre- and intraoperative blood pressure and intraoperative blood loss to determine any association with botanical use. Botanicals were used by 68.4% of patients with a 45.1% use within 2 weeks before surgery, p = 0.002). Users were older (p = 0.024) and had more chronic illnesses (p = 0.003). They also had higher mean preoperative diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.016) but no statistically significant difference in intraoperative blood pressures. Blood loss was greater with recent use of certain anticoagulant botanicals. We conclude that the use of certain botanicals may increase blood pressure or increase surgical bleeding and patients and doctors should be aware of their risk.


[Spontaneous and induced programmed cell death in suspension cell cultures of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)].
Cotton suspension cells grew well in the MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg/L 2,4 D and 0.1 mg/L KT. Senescence occurred when the cells were unsubcultured. The cells began to lose their viabilities on the 17th day, and on the 21th day oligonucleosomal sized DNA fragments ( DNA ladder) could be detected. Oligonucleosomal sized DNA fragments ( DNA ladder) was the hallmark of the programmed cell death. Programmed cell death of cotton suspension cells could be induced respectively by some stress factors which included heatshock (42+/-3 degrees C for 8 hours), 10 micromol/L camptothecin, 20 micromol/L fumonisin B1 and 50 mmol/L cycloheximide. The cotton suspension cells which grew in the MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg/L 2,4 D and 0.1 mg/L KT differred physiologically from the cells in the MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg/L IBA and 0.1 mg/L KT, and they responded differentially to the heatshock, 10 micromol/L camptothecin and 20 micromol/L fumonisin B1, while the same to 50 mmol/L cycloheximide.


Induction of granulocytic differentiation by 2 pathways.
The CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBP alpha) transcription factor plays a critical role in granulocytopoiesis. Mice with a disruption of the C/EBP alpha gene demonstrate an early block in granulocytic differentiation, and disruption of C/EBP alpha function is a common theme in many types of human acute myelogenous leukemia, which is characterized by a block in myeloid development. To characterize further the nature of this block, we derived cell lines from the fetal liver of C/EBP alpha-deficient animals. These lines resembled morphologically the immature myeloid blasts observed in C/EBP alpha(-/-) fetal livers and did not express messenger RNA encoding early myeloid genes such as myeloperoxidase. Similarly, granulocytic markers such as Mac-1 and Gr-1 were not expressed; nor were erythroid and lymphoid surface antigens. Introduction of an inducible C/EBP alpha gene into the line revealed that conditional expression of C/EBP alpha induced the C/EBP family members C/EBP beta and C/EBP epsilon and subsequent granulocyte differentiation. Similar results were obtained when C/EBP alpha(-/-) cells were stimulated with the cytokines interleukin-3 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, but not with all-trans retinoic acid, supporting a model of at least 2 pathways leading to the differentiation of myeloid progenitors to granulocytes and implicating induction of other C/EBP family members in granulopoiesis.


Single-Port/Pneumovagina Technique for Two Further Applications.
To demonstrate a novel technique to surgically treat certain vaginal conditions. Technical video demonstrating 2 cases in which the technique is used. Gynecological Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery Unit at Clínica Universitaria (private clinic), Concepción, Chile. Local institutional review board was consulted, and this study was exempted from approval. Institutional ethics committee approved the study and publication of these data. A 35-year-old woman with a bicornuate unicollis uterus presented with dyspareunia. Her examination revealed an incomplete longitudinal vaginal septum. Her right hemivagina was slightly wider than the left one. With the patient under spinal anesthesia, we performed a complete resection of the septum using the single-port/pneumovagina technique (SPPT). A 36-year-old woman who was nulligravida presented with dyspareunia. On clinical exam she had a 3-cm leiomyoma in the proximal vaginal third. Doppler-powered pelvic ultrasound ruled out any vascular communication with the cervix. We performed a vaginal myomectomy using the SPPT under spinal anesthesia. In this particular case we used a fourth trocar in the gel cap to use a myoma screw. With this technique we created a pneumovagina occluding the introitus with the aid of a single-port device (GelPoint Path; Applied Medical, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA). We selected this particular device, designed for transanal surgery, because its access channel avoids gas leakage after applying gentle pressure on the cap. The working cannel is 4 × 4.5 cm, and up to 4 trocars can be inserted in the gel cap. We use 12 mm Hg of pressure to create the pneumovagina and 5 L/min flow to maintain it. Similar approaches have been described for treating eroded and/or infected sacrocolpopexy mesh [1-3]. One could question the utility of this approach over conventional vaginal surgery, and in this sense we believe it provides both the surgeon and surgical assistant a much more comfortable and ergonomic position while performing surgery. It also improves the view of anatomic structures for the surgical team, which in conventional vaginal surgery is limited only to the surgeon. Both procedures were uneventful. The operation time for the first patient was 5 minutes, and the patient was discharged 4 hours later. The operation time for the second patient lasted 35 minutes, and she was discharged 12 hours later. The creation of a pneumovagina with the application of a single-port device provides an excellent view of vaginal structures and allows the application of laparoscopic techniques to perform vaginal surgeries in a much more ergonomic fashion compared with conventional vaginal surgery.


From Genome Variation to Molecular Mechanisms: What we Have Learned From Yeast Mitochondrial Genomes?
Analysis of genome variation provides insights into mechanisms in genome evolution. This is increasingly appreciated with the rapid growth of genomic data. Mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) are well known to vary substantially in many genomic aspects, such as genome size, sequence context, nucleotide base composition and substitution rate. Such substantial variation makes mitogenomes an excellent model system to study the mechanisms dictating mitogenome variation. Recent sequencing efforts have not only covered a rich number of yeast species but also generated genomes from abundant strains within the same species. The rich yeast genomic data have enabled detailed investigation from genome variation into molecular mechanisms in genome evolution. This mini-review highlights some recent progresses in yeast mitogenome studies.


A multicenter randomized comparison between high-definition white light endoscopy and narrow band imaging for detection of gastric lesions.
Narrow band imaging (NBI) is generally considered to be useful for lesion characterization, but not enhanced detection of gastric lesions, because of the dark endoscopic view. We tested whether the new generation of NBI (190-NBI or 290-NBI), which is twice as bright as the previous version, would improve detection of premalignant gastric lesions compared with high-definition white light endoscopy (HD-WLE). This was a multicenter prospective randomized study involving five tertiary institutions in the Asia-Pacific region. A total of 579 patients aged older than 50 years who underwent diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were randomized to either HD-WLE or NBI. The outcome measurements were detection of intestinal metaplasia (IM), focal gastric lesions, and gastric cancers. Focal gastric lesions were detected in 83/286 (29%) and 119/293 patients (40.6%) by HD-WLE and by NBI, respectively (P=0.003). IM was detected in 22/286 patients (7.7%) by HD-WLE and in 52/293 patients (17.7%) by NBI (P<0.001). Gastric cancer were found in 7/286 (2.4%) and 3/293 patients (1%) in HD-WLE and NBI groups, respectively (P=0.189). NBI increased the detection rate of IM compared with HD-WLE.


Monte Carlo study of the phase transition in the critical behavior of the Ising model with shear.
The critical behavior of the Ising model with nonconserved dynamics and an external driving field mimicking a shear profile is analyzed by studying its dynamical evolution in the short-time regime. Starting from high-temperature disordered configurations (fully disordered configurations, FDC), the critical temperature Tc is determined when the order parameter, defined as the absolute value of the transversal spin profile, exhibits a power-law behavior with an exponent that is a combination of some of the critical exponents of the transition. For each value of the shear field magnitude, labeled as gamma, Tc has been estimated and two stages have been found: (1) a growing stage at low values of gamma, where Tc approximately gammapsi and psi=0.52(3), and (2) a saturation regime at large gamma. The same values of Tc(gamma) were found studying the dynamical evolution from the ground-state configuration with all spins pointing in the same direction. By combining the exponents of the corresponding power laws obtained from each initial configuration, the set of critical exponents was calculated. These values, at large external field magnitude, define a critical behavior different from that of the Ising model and of other driven lattice gases.


Properties and microstructure of thermo-pressed wheat gluten films: a comparison with cast films.
Wheat gluten films were prepared by thermo-pressing, and their mechanical properties were compared to those of cast films. The stress-strain relationship was established for films with various amounts of glycerol. Both relationships were quite different, revealing a different network organization. Thermo-pressed films presented higher stress values than cast films, but the effect of the glycerol amount was similar in both cases, an increase of the glycerol amount leading to a decrease of both films stress. The glycerol influence on the strain at break of thermo-pressed films was very limited, with strain values reaching a maximum around 200%. The role of disulfide bridges on themomoulded films mechanical properties was investigated, and it was shown that some rearrangements and a significative protein insolubilization occurred during the process. The effective flow porosity of the protein network for thermo-pressed films was estimated by water capillary rise measurements to about 7%. Scanning electron microscopy was used to obtain some information about the microstructure of both cast and thermo-pressed films.


Anthropogenic Anoxic History of the Tuvalu Atoll Recorded as Annual Black Bands in Coral.
Atoll islands are small, low-lying and highly vulnerable to sea level rise (SLR). Because these islands are fully composed of the skeletons from coral reef creatures, the healthy coral ecosystem plays a pivotal role in island resilience against SLR. The environmental deterioration of reefs caused by increases in the human population has been recently reported, but the timing and process are unknown. We investigated the annual black bands in a coral boring core from Fongafale Island, the capital of Tuvalu, which is a symbolic atoll country that is being submerged due to SLR. The iron redox state and microbial gene segments in the coral skeleton might be new environmental indicators that reveal the linkage between anthropogenic activity and coral reef ecosystems. Our findings provide the first demonstration that iron sulfide has formed concentrated black layers since 1991 under the seasonal anoxic conditions inside coral annual bands. Since the 1990s, increasing human activity and domestic waste-induced eutrophication has promoted sludge and/or turf algae proliferation with the subsequent seasonal destruction, resulting in sulfate reduction by anaerobic bacteria. With the recent climate variability, these anthropogenic effects have induced the mass mortality of branching corals, deteriorated the coral reef ecosystem and deprived the resilience of the island against SLR.


Ion Flux in Roots of Chinese Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook) under Aluminum Stress.
Chinese fir is a tall, fast-growing species that is unique to southern China. In Chinese fir plantations, successive plantings have led to a decline in soil fertility, and aluminum toxicity is thought to be one of the main reasons for this decline. In this study, Non-invasive Micro-test Technology was used to study the effect of aluminum stress on the absorption of 4 different ions in the roots of the Chinese fir clone FS01. The results are as follows: with increased aluminum concentration and longer periods of aluminum stress, the H+ ion flow gradually changed from influx into efflux; there was a large variation in the K+ efflux, which gradually decreased with increasing duration of aluminum stress; and 1 h of aluminum stress uniformly resulted in Ca2+ influx, but it changed from influx to efflux after a longer period of aluminum stress. Changes in the different concentrations of aluminum had the largest influence on Mg2+.


Meandering worms: mechanics of undulatory burrowing in muds.
Recent work has shown that muddy sediments are elastic solids through which animals extend burrows by fracture, whereas non-cohesive granular sands fluidize around some burrowers. These different mechanical responses are reflected in the morphologies and behaviours of their respective inhabitants. However, Armandia brevis, a mud-burrowing opheliid polychaete, lacks an expansible anterior consistent with fracturing mud, and instead uses undulatory movements similar to those of sandfish lizards that fluidize desert sands. Here, we show that A. brevis neither fractures nor fluidizes sediments, but instead uses a third mechanism, plastically rearranging sediment grains to create a burrow. The curvature of the undulating body fits meander geometry used to describe rivers, and changes in curvature driven by muscle contraction are similar for swimming and burrowing worms, indicating that the same gait is used in both sediments and water. Large calculated friction forces for undulatory burrowers suggest that sediment mechanics affect undulatory and peristaltic burrowers differently; undulatory burrowing may be more effective for small worms that live in sediments not compacted or cohesive enough to extend burrows by fracture.


LiCl inhibits the establishment of left-right asymmetry in larvae of the direct-developing echinoid Peronella japonica.
The effect of LiCl on the establishment of left-right (LR) asymmetry in larvae of the direct-developing echinoid Peronella japonica was investigated with special attention to the location of the amniotic opening and ciliary band pattern. The larvae of echinoids are LR symmetric, but shortly before metamorphosis the larval LR symmetry is lost as a result of the formation of an amniotic cavity (vestibule), part of the adult rudiment, on the left side of the body. P. japonica has been considered to be the only exception among the echinoids, because the amniotic cavity forms at the midline of the larval body. In the present study we discovered the following two different LR asymmetric traits in larvae of P. japonica: the opening of the amniotic cavity initially forms at the midline of the larval body but shifts to the left dorsal side, and a looped ciliary band that initially forms with LR symmetry becomes LR asymmetric as a result of the formation of a bulge on left dorsal side. The establishment of LR asymmetry in both the location of the amniotic opening and the change in the shape of the ciliary band was influenced by exposing embryos to LiCl. Quantitative analysis of the shift in amniotic opening showed that exposure of embryos to LiCl causes repression of leftward shifting of the amniotic opening in earlier stage larvae, and leftward or rightward shifting in later stage larvae. These findings suggest that LiCl is an effective means of impairing the establishment of LR asymmetry in sea urchin embryos.


Effect of inoculum, pH, and medium on the activity of ciprofloxacin against anaerobic bacteria.
The in vitro activity of ciprofloxacin against 30 Bacteroides fragilis group, 30 Clostridium, and 30 Peptococcaceae strains was determined by the agar dilution method in two different culture media at three pH and in three inoculum densities. In Wilkins-Chalgren agar the MICs for 90% of the strains were 0.12 micrograms/ml for B. fragilis, 0.5 micrograms/ml for Clostridium spp., and 2 micrograms/ml for Peptococcaceae. The pH and medium composition affected the MICs of ciprofloxacin.


Human mesenchymal stem cells attenuate pulmonary hypertension induced by prenatal lipopolysaccharide treatment in rats.
Intra-amniotic injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces pulmonary hypertension in newborn rats. This study was designed to test whether human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) reduce pulmonary hypertension and alleviate cardiac hypertrophy in prenatal LPS-treated rats. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were injected intraperitoneally with LPS (0.5 mg/kg per day) or untreated on gestational days 20 and 21. Human MSCs (3×10(5) cells and 1×10(6) cells) in 0.03 mL of normal saline (NS) were transplanted intratracheally on postnatal day 5. Four study groups were considered: normal, LPS+NS, LPS+MSCs (3×10(5) cells), and LPS+MSCs (1×10(6) cells). On postnatal day 14, lung and heart tissues were collected for measuring the arterial medial wall thickness (MWT) and β-myosin heavy chain (β-MHC) level as markers of pulmonary hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy, respectively. The LPS+NS group exhibited a significantly higher right ventricle (RV)/[left ventricle (LV)+ interventricular septum (IVS)] thickness ratio and MWT, a greater cardiomyocyte width, a greater number of cardiomyocyte nuclei per squared millimeter, and higher β-MHC expression than those observed in the normal group. Human MSC transplantation (3×10(5) cells and 1×10(6) cells) in LPS-treated rats reduced MWT and the RV/(LV+IVS) thickness ratio to normal levels. This improvement in right ventricular hypertrophy was accompanied by a decrease in toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor-κB, and tumor necrosis factor-α expression in the heart. Intratracheal human MSCs transplantation can attenuate pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy in prenatal LPS-treated rats; this attenuation may be associated with suppression of TLR4 expression via paracrine pathways.


Enzymatically Powered Surface-Associated Self-Motile Protocells.
Cell motility is central to processes such as wound healing, immune cell surveillance, and embryonic development. Motility requires the conversion of chemical to mechanical energy. An active area of research is to create motile particles, such as microswimmers, using catalytic and enzymatic reactions. Here, autonomous motion is demonstrated in adhesive polymer-based protocells by incorporating and harnessing the energy production of an enzymatic reaction. Biotinylated polymer vesicles that encapsulate catalase, an enzyme which converts hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen, are prepared and these vesicles are adhered weakly to avidin-coated surfaces. Upon addition of hydrogen peroxide, which diffuses across the membrane, catalase activity generates a differential impulsive force that enables the breakage and reformation of biotin-avidin bonds, leading to diffusive vesicle motion resembling random motility. The random motility requires catalase, increases with the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, and needs biotin-avidin adhesion. Thus, a protocellular mimetic of a motile cell.


Secondary aerosol formation during the dark oxidation of residential biomass burning emissions.
Particulate matter from biomass burning emissions affects air quality, ecosystems and climate; however, quantifying these effects requires that the connection between primary emissions and secondary aerosol production is firmly established. We performed atmospheric simulation chamber experiments on the chemical oxidation of residential biomass burning emissions under dark conditions. Biomass burning organic aerosol was found to age under dark conditions, with its oxygen-to-carbon ratio increasing by 7-34% and producing 1-38 μg m-3 of secondary organic aerosol (5-80% increase over the fresh organic aerosol) after 30 min of exposure to NO3 radicals in the chamber (corresponding to 1-3 h of exposure to typical nighttime NO3 radical concentrations in an urban environment). The average mass concentration of SOA formed under dark-oxidation conditions was comparable to the mass concentration formed after 3 h (equivalent to 7-10 h of ambient exposure) under ultraviolet lights (6 μg m-3 or a 47% increase over the emitted organic aerosol concentration). The dark-aging experiments showed a substantial increase in secondary nitrate aerosol (0.12-3.8 μg m-3), 46-100% of which is in the form of organic nitrates. The biomass burning aerosol pH remained practically constant at 2.8 throughout the experiment. This value promotes inorganic nitrate partitioning to the particulate phase, potentially contributing to the buildup of nitrate aerosol in the boundary layer and enhancing long-range transport. These results suggest that oxidation through reactions with the NO3 radical is an additional secondary aerosol formation pathway in biomass burning emission plumes that should be accounted for in atmospheric chemical-transport models.


Expression and function of tap in the gustatory and olfactory organs of Drosophila.
We have recently described the identification of a gene, tap, which encodes a bHLH protein expressed in one neuron of each larval chemosensory organ. Here we show that tap is expressed at a late stage in the development of one type of adult chemosensory organ, the gustatory bristles of the leg, wing and proboscis. We also show that tap is expressed very early in the development of a second type of chemosensory receptors, the olfactory organs of the antenna. The results of behavioral experiments suggest that the ectopic expression of tap affects the response to sugar and salt.


Overlapping genes: a new strategy of thermophilic stress tolerance in prokaryotes.
Overlapping genes (OGs) draw the focus of recent day's research. However, the significance of OGs in prokaryotic genomes remained unexplored. As an adaptation to high temperature, thermophiles were shown to eliminate their intergenic regions. Therefore, it could be possible that prokaryotes would increase their OG content to adapt to high temperature. To test this hypothesis, we carried out a comparative study on OG frequency of 256 prokaryotic genomes comprising both thermophiles and non-thermophiles. It was found that thermophiles exhibit higher frequency of overlapping genes than non-thermophiles. Moreover, overlap frequency was found to correlate with optimal growth temperature (OGT) in prokaryotes. Long overlap frequency was found to hold a positive correlation with OGT resulting in an abundance of long overlaps in thermophiles compared to non-thermophiles. On the other hand, short overlap (1-4 nucleotides) frequency (SOF) did not yield any direct correlation with OGT. However, the correlation of SOF with CAIavg (extent of variation of codon usage bias measured as the mean of codon adaptation index of all genes in a given genome) and IG% (proportion of intergenic regions) indicate that they might upregulate the aforementioned factors (CAIavg and IG%) which are already known to be vital forces for thermophilic adaptation. From these evidences, we propose that the OG content bears a strong link to thermophily. Long overlaps are important for their genome compaction and short overlaps are important to uphold high CAIavg. Our findings will surely help in better understanding of the significance of overlapping gene content in prokaryotic genomes.


Helicobacter pylori intragastric colonization and migration: Endoscopic manifestations and potential mechanisms.
After being ingested and entering the human stomach, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) adopts several effective strategies to adhere to and colonize the gastric mucosa and move to different regions of the stomach to obtain more nutrients and escape from the harsher environments of the stomach, leading to acute infection and chronic gastritis, which is the basis of malignant gastric tumors. The endoscopic manifestations and pathological features of H. pylori infection are diverse and vary with the duration of infection. In this review, we describe the endoscopic manifestations of each stage of H. pylori gastritis and then reveal the potential mechanisms of bacterial intragastric colonization and migration from the perspective of endoscopists to provide direction for future research on the effective therapy and management of H. pylori infection.


Biological significance of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in oral epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma.
The aim of this study was to determine the levels of 5-hydroxylmethylcytosine (5-hmC) in oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) compared with those in benign, reactive inflammatory lesions and to explore whether DNA hydroxymethylation may serve as a novel biomarker for early diagnosis and prognosis of OSCC. The study included normal mucosa from uninvolved margins of 9 fibromas, 10 oral lichen planus, 15 OED, and 23 OSCC. Cultured human keratinocyte lines from benign oral mucosa, OED, and OSCC, as well as a murine model in which OSCC was induced with 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide, were also evaluated. Progressive loss of 5-hmC from benign oral mucosal lesions to OED and OSCC was documented in patient samples. Decreased levels in 5-hmC that typify OED and OSCC were also detectable in human cell lines. Moreover, we characterized similar alterations in 5-hmC in an animal model of OED/OSCC. This study demonstrated that 5-hmC distinguishes OED and OSCC from benign lesions with high sensitivity and specificity. Consequently, loss of 5-hmC may be useful for the diagnosis of OED with potential implications for therapy of OSCC.


Effects of dietary L-arginine on laying performance and antioxidant capacity of broiler breeder hens, eggs, and offspring during the late laying period.
The effects of maternal L-arginine supplementation on laying performance and the antioxidant capacity of broiler breeder hens, egg yolk, and their one-day-old offspring were investigated. In a 9 wk experiment, 210 60-week-old Arbor Acres healthy female broiler breeders were randomly divided into 5 treatments with 6 replicates of 7 females and fed a corn and soybean meal diet with 5 arginine levels (0.96%, 1.16%, 1.36%, 1.56%, and 1.76% digestible arginine). Laying performance and anti-oxidant capacity of broiler breeder hens, eggs, and offspring were evaluated. Digestible arginine level in the broiler breeder diet had a significant effect on the laying rate (linear and quadratic effect, P<0.0001). The highest laying rate was obtained when the diet with 1.36% digestible arginine was fed. There was a significant effect of digestible arginine level in the broiler breeder diet on the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) levels and methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA) concentration in the broiler breeder serum, egg yolk and serum, and liver and breast of one-day-old offspring (linear and quadratic effect, P<0.05). The T-AOC level was highest and the MDA concentration lowest in all tissues when a diet with 1.36% digestible arginine was fed. No difference in glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activity in the broiler breeder serum was observed. There were significant effects of digestible arginine level in the broiler breeder diet on the GSH-PX activity of the egg yolk (linear effect, P<0.01; quadratic effect, P<0.05) and serum, liver, and breast of one-day-old offspring (linear and quadratic effect, P≤0.01). The GSH-PX activity in all tissues measured in this experiment was highest when the dietary digestible arginine was 1.36%. These results indicate that the diet with 1.36% digestible arginine (1,972 mg/d) is optimal to satisfy the nutritional needs of a female broiler breeder during the late laying period.


Biosorption of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol from Aqueous Medium Using Agro-waste: Pine (Pinus densiflora Sieb) Bark Powder.
Most industrial waste discharges are often contaminated with phenolic compounds, which constitute a major source of water pollution owing to their toxicity and low biodegradability. Development of cost-effective treatment of such industrial wastewater is therefore of paramount importance. Towards this end, we explore the efficacy of Pine bark powder (PBP), which is an agricultural solid waste material, as a low-cost biosorbent without any pre-treatment, for the adsorptive removal of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) from aqueous media. The PBP was thoroughly characterized and the effect of important adsorption parameters were examined in the present investigation. The batch equilibrium data were analyzed using well-known isotherm models. Freundlich isotherm model provided the best description of the equilibrium biosorption behavior. At 25 ± 1 °C, the maximum biosorption capacity (qmax) was 289.09 mg/g, which is higher than most biosorbents reported in the literature while the removal as high as 97% was obtained. Moreover, the biosorption process was fast, attaining equilibrium in less than 120 min of contact. The Elovich model accurately described the kinetics data. In view of high biosorption capacity and.


CMV and HSV-2 myeloradiculitis in an HIV infected patient.
While CMV myeloradiculitis is a known complication in AIDS patients with severe immunosuppression, HSV-2 necrotizing myeloradiculitis is rare and often associated with disabling a fatal outcome. We hereby describe a 46 year-old HIV infected patient with profound and sustained immunosuppression who presented with an acute ascending paraparesis and urinary retention. Lumbar spine MRI showed contrast enhancement at the conus medullaris and cauda equine, and both CMV and HSV-2 CSF PCR were positive. Despite treatment, the patient died 20 days later. We review the main diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of herpes virus associated myeloradiculitis and discuss the approach in similar cases.


Coalescence of isotropic droplets in overheated free standing smectic films.
A theoretical study of the interaction and coalescence of isotropic droplets in overheated free-standing smectic films (FSSF) is presented. Experimentally it is clear that merging of such droplets is extremely rare. On the basis of the general thermodynamic approach to the stability of FSSF, we determined the energy gains and losses involved in the coalescence process. The main contributions to the critical work of drop coalescence are due to the gain related to the decrease of the surface energy of the merging drops, which is opposed by the entropic repulsions of elementary steps at the smectic interface between them. To quantify the evolution of the merging drops, we use a simple geometrical model in which the volume of the smectic material, rearranged in the process of coalescence, is described by an asymmetrical pyramid at the intersection of two drops. In this way, the critical work for drop coalescence and the corresponding energy barrier have been calculated. The probability of the thermal activation of the coalescence process was found to be negligibly small, indicating that droplet merging can be initiated by only an external stimulus. The dynamics of drop merging was calculated by equating the capillary force driving the coalescence, and the Stokes viscous force slowing it down. For the latter, an approximation of moving oblate spheroids permitting exact calculations was used. The time evolution of the height of the neck between the coalescing drops and that of their lateral size are in good agreement with experiments.


Diagnosis of Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Using Real-Time PCR.
A real-time PCR assay is reported for identification of Lobesia botrana (Denis and Schiffermüller) collected in California. This assay multiplexes two independent TaqMan probe systems in a single reaction tube to reduce handling time and sample exposure to environmental contaminants. One probe system targets a segment of DNA located in the internal transcribed spacer region 2 (ITS2) that is present in the L. botrana genome but absent in native North American Tortricidae. The second probe system serves as a control for DNA quality by targeting a segment of the 18S rDNA gene that is conserved in L. botrana and all of the tested nontarget species. The assay successfully diagnosed 70 Lobesia botrana specimens and 95 nontarget specimens. No false-positive or false-negative results were observed supporting its application for identification of this pest in California.


Different levels of work-related stress and the effects on sleep, fatigue and cortisol.
The aim of the study was to relate different levels of work stress to measures of sleep and the diurnal pattern of salivary cortisol and subjective sleepiness. Thirty-four white-collar workers participated under two different conditions. One workweek with a relatively high stress level (H) and one with a lower stress level (L) as measured through self-rated stress during workdays. The workers wore activity monitors, filled out a sleep diary, gave saliva samples (for cortisol), and rated their sleepiness and stress during one workday and one free day. During the week with stress the number of workhours increased and total sleep time decreased. Sleepiness showed a significant interaction between weeks and time of day, with particularly high levels towards the evenings of the stress week. Cortisol also showed a significant interaction, with a more flattened pattern, probably due to increased evening levels during the stress week. Stress (restlessness) at bedtime was significantly increased during the stress week. The results demonstrate that a workweek with a high workload and much stress increases sleepiness and workhours, impairs sleep, and affects the pattern of diurnal cortisol secretion.


Translating mismatch repair mechanism into cancer care.
The first DNA mismatch repair gene was identified in Escherichia coli nearly fifty years ago. Since then, five decades of basic biomedical research on this important repair pathway have led to an extensive understanding of its molecular mechanism. The significance of this work was clearly highlighted in the early 1990's when mutations in the human homologs of the mismatch repair genes were identified as responsible for Lynch syndrome (also known as hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer), the most common form of hereditary colorectal cancer. Basic science research on mismatch repair in lower organisms directly led researchers to the discovery of this link between defective mismatch repair and cancer and continues to guide clinical decisions today. The knowledge that disrupted mismatch repair function gives rise to the nucleotide-level form of genomic instability called microsatellite instability continues to be an important diagnostic tool for identifying Lynch syndrome patients as well as sporadic cancer patients who suffer from mismatch repairdefective cancers. Today, clinicians are using the information about mismatch repair molecular mechanism to guide decisions about cancer therapy as well to devise new therapies. In this review, we will examine what is known about the molecular function of the human mismatch repair pathway. We will highlight how this information is being used in cancer diagnosis and treatment. We will also discuss strategies being designed to target the 10-15% of colorectal, endometrial, ovarian and other cancers with defective mismatch repair.