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23260397 | Recent advances in flow MRI. | The past five years have seen exciting new developments in Flow MRI. Two-dimensional images are now routinely acquired in 100-200 ms and, in some cases, acquisition times of 5-10 ms are possible. This has been achieved not only by advances in the implementation of existing pulse sequences but also in data acquisition strategies, such as Compressed Sensing and Bayesian approaches, and technical advices in parallel imaging and signal enhancement methods. In particular, the short imaging timescales that are now achieved offer significant opportunities in the study of transient flow phenomena. |
23260394 | Measurement and correction of stimulated echo contamination in T2-based iron quantification. | The purpose of this study was to characterize the effects of stimulated echo contamination on MR-based iron measurement derived from quantitative T2 images and develop a method for retrospective correction. Two multiple spin-echo (MSE) pulse sequences were implemented with different amounts of stimulated echo contamination. Agarose-based phantoms were constructed that simulate the relaxation and susceptibility properties of tissue with different concentrations of dispersed (ferritin-like) and aggregated (hemosiderin-like) iron. Additionally, myocardial iron was assessed in nine human subjects with transfusion iron overload. These data were used to determine the influence of stimulated echoes on iron measurements made by an MR-based iron quantification model that can separately measure dispersed and aggregated iron. The study found that stimulated echo contamination caused an underestimation of dispersed (ferritin-like) iron and an overestimation of aggregated (hemosiderin-like) iron when applying this model. The relationship between the measurements made with and without stimulated echo appears to be linear. The findings suggest that while it is important to use MSE sequences with minimal stimulated echo in T2-based iron quantification, it appears that data acquired with sub-optimal sequences can be retrospectively corrected using the methodology described here. |
23260395 | Integration of structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging improves mild cognitive impairment detection. | The identification of mild cognitive impairments (MCI) via either structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) or functional MRI (fMRI) has great potential due to the non-invasiveness of the techniques. Furthermore, these techniques allow longitudinal follow-ups of single subjects via repeated measurements. sMRI- or fMRI-based biomarkers have been adopted separately to diagnose MCI; however, there has not been a systematic effort to integrate sMRI- and fMRI-based features to increase MCI detection accuracy. This study investigated whether the detection of MCI can be improved via the integration of biomarkers identified from both sMRI and fMRI modalities. Regional volume sizes and neuronal activity levels of brains from MCI subjects were compared with those from healthy controls and used to identify biomarkers from sMRI and fMRI data, respectively. In the subsequent classification phase, MCI was automatically detected using a support vector machine algorithm that employed the identified sMRI- and fMRI-based biomarkers as an input feature vector. The results indicate that the fMRI-based biomarkers provided more information for detecting MCI than the sMRI-based biomarkers. Moreover, the integrated feature sets using the sMRI- and fMRI-based biomarkers consistently showed greater detection accuracy than the feature sets based only on the fMRI-based biomarkers. The results demonstrate that integration of sMRI and fMRI modalities can provide supplemental information to improve the diagnosis of MCI relative to either the sMRI or fMRI modalities alone. |
23260393 | Automatic segmentation of brain MRI in high-dimensional local and non-local feature space based on sparse representation. | Automatic extraction of the varying regions of magnetic resonance images is required as a prior step in a diagnostic intelligent system. The sparsest representation and high-dimensional feature are provided based on learned dictionary. The classification is done by employing the technique that computes the reconstruction error locally and non-locally of each pixel. The acquired results from the real and simulated images are superior to the best MRI segmentation method with regard to the stability advantages. In addition, it is segmented exactly through a formula taken from the distance and sparse factors. Also, it is done automatically taking sparse factor in unsupervised clustering methods whose results have been improved. |
23260391 | Perfusion and diffusion sensitive 13C stimulated-echo MRSI for metabolic imaging of cancer. | Metabolic imaging with hyperpolarized [1-(13)C]-pyruvate can rapidly probe tissue metabolic profiles in vivo and has been shown to provide cancer imaging biomarkers for tumor detection, progression, and response to therapy. This technique uses a bolus injection followed by imaging within 1-2 minutes. The observed metabolites include vascular components and their generation is also influenced by cellular transport. These factors complicate image interpretation, especially since [1-(13)C]lactate, a metabolic product that is a biomarker of cancer, is also produced by red blood cells. It would be valuable to understand the distribution of metabolites between the vasculature, interstitial space, and intracellular compartments. The purpose of this study was to better understand this compartmentalization by using a perfusion and diffusion-sensitive stimulated-echo acquisition mode (STEAM) MRSI acquisition method tailored to hyperpolarized substrates. Our results in mouse models showed that among metabolites, the injected substrate (13)C-pyruvate had the largest vascular fraction overall while (13)C-alanine had the smallest vascular fraction. We observed a larger vascular fraction of pyruvate and lactate in the kidneys and liver when compared to back muscle and prostate tumor tissue. Our data suggests that (13)C-lactate in prostate tumor tissue voxels was the most abundant labeled metabolite intracellularly. This was shown in STEAM images that highlighted abnormal cancer cell metabolism and suppressed vascular (13)C metabolite signals. |
23260392 | High resolution dynamic cardiac MRI using partial separability of spatiotemporal signals with a novel sampling scheme. | The partial separability (PS) of spatiotemporal signals has been exploited to accelerate dynamic cardiac MRI by sampling two datasets (training and imaging datasets) without breath-holding or ECG triggering. According to the theory of partially separable functions, the wider the range of spatial frequency components covered by the training dataset, the more accurate the temporal constraint imposed by the PS model. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a new sampling scheme for the PS model in order to cover a wider range of spatial frequency components. In this paper, we propose the use of radial sampling trajectories for collecting the training dataset and Cartesian sampling trajectories for collecting the imaging dataset. In vivo high resolution cardiac MRI experiments demonstrate that the proposed data sampling scheme can significantly improve the image quality. The image quality using the PS model with the proposed sampling scheme is comparable to that of a commercial method using retrospective cardiac gating and breath-holding. The success of this study demonstrates great potential for high-quality, high resolution dynamic cardiac MRI without ECG gating or breath-holding through use of the PS model and the novel data sampling scheme. |
23260390 | Linezolid dependence in Staphylococcus epidermidis bloodstream isolates. | We document linezolid dependence among 5 highly linezolid-resistant (LRSE) Staphylococcus epidermidis bloodstream isolates that grew substantially faster at 32 µg/mL linezolid presence. These isolates carried the mutations T2504A and C2534T in multiple 23S rRNA copies and 2 mutations leading to relevant amino acid substitutions in L3 protein. Linezolid dependence could account for increasing LRSE emergence. |
23260389 | Prognostic significance of weight gain during definitive chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. | The successful treatment of locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is still compromised by poor locoregional and distant control rates. Given the morbidity associated with treatment, it is critical to determine clinical prognostic factors to risk stratify patients before and after aggressive therapy. This study aimed to discern the prognostic value of weight gain during CRT in patients with locally advanced NSCLC. This was a retrospective analysis of 92 patients treated with definitive split-course CRT between 2004 and 2010 at Rush University Medical Center. Weight gain was defined as a weight change greater than the highest quartile of change between the start and finish of CRT (4.5 lb). Overall survival (OS), locoregional progression-free survival (PFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were determined using Kaplan-Meier analysis, and the cumulative incidences of locoregional and distant recurrence were calculated. Cox regression (multivariate analysis) was used to determine independent predictors of OS. With a median follow-up of 50 months for surviving patients, the median, 3- and 5-year OS probabilities were 25 months, 37%, and 29%, respectively. The 3-year cumulative risks of locoregional and distant metastases were 51% and 64%. Patients who experienced weight gain were significantly more likely to survive (3-year OS, 55% vs. 31%; P = .04) and prolonged DMFS resulted. Weight gain was the only significant predictor of survival on multivariate analysis. Weight gain during split-course CRT was associated with superior OS and DMFS. The presence of weight gain may have utility in risk stratification after CRT as well as in identifying novel treatment approaches for patients with locally advanced NSCLC. |
23260386 | [Comparative cost-effectiveness analysis between darunavir/ritonavir and other protease inhibitors in treatment-naive human immunodeficiency syndrome type 1-infected patients in Spain]. | GESIDA (AIDS Study Group) has proposed preferred regimens of antiretroviral treatment as initial therapy in HIV infected patients. The objective of this analysis is to compare the costs and effectiveness of darunavir/r QD and other ritonavir-boosted (/r) protease inhibitors (PIs) currently recommended in GESIDA guidelines for treatment-naïve patients. A cost-efficacy model compared the boosted PIs recommended as preferred or alternative treatment choices, each used with a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor backbone. Efficacy was measured by 48-week virological response (viral load < 50 copies/mL) adjusted by baseline viral load and CD4 cell count. To generate efficiency frontiers and cost-efficacy ratios, one-year antiretroviral therapy costs in Spain, and 48-week efficacy values were used. The model estimated that starting treatment with darunavir/r QD was the most cost-effective choice compared with the other preferred PI/r based therapies. The average cost per patient with a virological response was lower for darunavir/r QD (13,420€) than for atazanavir/r QD (14,000€), or lopinavir/r BID (13,815€). Among the preferred PI/r-based therapies, darunavir/r QD also was estimated to be the most efficient option for treatment-naïve patients. Atazanavir/r QD and lopinavir/r BID were found to be «dominated» by darunavir/r) and, consequently, were outside the efficiency frontier of PI/r-based first-line treatment. Given a fixed budget of 10 million euros for PI/r-based first-line therapy, the model estimated that darunavir/r QD would yield more responders (745) than atazanavir/r QD (714), or lopinavir/r BID (724). At the same time, darunavir/r QD would reduce the number of individuals failing treatment (150) compared with atazanavir/r QD (172) and lopinavir/r BID (286). In this model, darunavir/r QD was found to be the most cost-effective choice, among the preferred PI/r-based therapies recommended in the Spanish guidelines for treatment-naïve patients. |
23260385 | [Community-onset Staphylococcus aureus infection in neonates]. | Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of neonatal community-onset infections. The emergence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus infections in this age group has been reported in USA in the last few years; however there are no studies in Spain. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiological, clinical and microbiological characteristics of S. aureus community-onset infections in neonates. We prospectively reviewed the S. aureus infections in neonates over a three year period (2007-2009) in the Pediatric Emergency Department of Hospital 12 de Octubre in Madrid (Spain). We recorded 30 cases of neonatal S. aureus community-onset infections. Only one isolated (3.3%) was resistant to methicillin, and two (6.7%) were PVL(+). Despite the emergence of MRSA outside the hospital in pediatric population in Spain, CA-MRSA and SA PVL(+) infections are not frequent in neonates. |
23260384 | [Linezolid resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus: phenotypical and genotypical characteristics and sensitivity to antibiotic combinations]. | We recovered 22 coagulase-negative staphylococci isolates in our hospital to study their identity, susceptibility, epidemiological profile, linezolid resistance mechanisms, and the possibilities of different antibiotic combinations. Isolate identification was performed using mass spectrometry (Vitek-MS, bioMérieux). Susceptibility testing was carried out with the Vitek-2 system and the broth microdilution method according to CLSI guidelines. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed to analyze the genetic relationship between isolates. Linezolid resistance mechanisms were evaluated by PCR/sequencing: presence of cfr gene, point mutations in domain V of 23S ribosomal RNA and additional ribosomal mutations (in the rplC, rplD and rplV genes). The in vitro activity of linezolid was investigated alone and in combination with another three antibiotics acting on different cellular targets, using E-test strips. Twenty isolates were identified as Staphylococcus epidermidis, and 2 as Staphylococcus hominis. PFGE showed that isolates belonged to diverse clones, 21 of them presented mutations in the domain V region of 23S rRNA and the cfr gene was found in 54.5%. Prior administration of linezolid was documented in most of cases. Linezolid in combination with gentamicin showed a synergistic activity in 45.5% of isolates. Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most prevalent linezolid-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci. All isolates showed increased MIC values compared to other anti-staphylococcal drugs and several linezolid resistance mechanisms. Our data suggest that linezolid plus gentamicin could be a synergistic combination against linezolid-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci. |
23260383 | Role of Kupffer cells and toll-like receptor 4 in acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure. | Significant morbidity associated with acute liver failure (ALF) is from the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been shown to play an integral role in the modulation of SIRS. However, little is known about the mechanistic role of TLR4 in ALF. Also, no cell type has been identified as the key mediator of the TLR4 pathway in ALF. This study examines the role of TLR4 and Kupffer cells (KCs) in the development of the SIRS following acetaminophen (APAP)-induced ALF. Five groups of mice were established: untreated wild-type, E5564-treated (a TLR4 antagonist), gadolinium chloride -treated (KC-depleted), clodronate-treated (KC-depleted), and TLR4-mutant. Following APAP administration, 72-h survival, biochemical and histologic liver injury, extent of lung injury and edema, and proinflammatory gene expression were studied. Additionally, TLR4 expression was determined in livers of wild-type and KC-depleted mice. Following APAP administration, wild-type, TLR4-mutant, E5564-treated, and KC-depleted mice had significant liver injury. However, wild-type mice had markedly worse survival compared with the other four treatment groups. TLR4-mutant, E5564-treated, and KC-depleted mice had less lung inflammation and edema than wild-type mice. Selected proinflammatory gene expression (interleukin 1β, interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor) in TLR4-mutant, E5564-treated, and KC-depleted mice was significantly lower compared with wild-type mice after acute liver injury. This study demonstrates that survival in APAP-induced ALF potentially correlates with the level of proinflammatory gene expression. This study points to a link between TLR4 and KCs in the APAP model of ALF and, more importantly, demonstrates benefits of TLR4 antagonism in ALF. |
23260382 | A study on the mutual causation of suicide reporting and suicide incidences. | Little research has been done on the complex relationships between the effect of news reporting on suicide incidence and vice versa (i.e., mutual causation). Furthermore, few studies have examined whether the entry of a new media outlet into a market changes the media dynamics in that market. A recursive two-way feedback model was used to test for mutual causation between suicide reporting and suicide incidence on a daily basis. We applied the model to examine the effect of the arrival of the Apple Daily (AD) newspaper in Taiwan and whether its suicide reporting affected the suicide incidence and suicide reporting of two other newspapers, the United Daily (UD) and the China Times (CT). The AD's entry into Taiwan led to a major shift in the relationship between suicide incidence and suicide reporting. The AD stimulated more suicide coverage by the UD and the CT the following day; conversely, the UD and the CT had no such impact on the AD. Before the entry of the AD, there was little correlation between daily suicide incidence and suicide reporting, but the suicide reporting of the UD and CT correlated significantly with daily suicide incidence after the entry of the AD. Media impact was assessed by number of news items; detailed content analysis of the reporting was not conducted. The vicious business competition facing new dailies in Taiwan's media market has changed the mass media ecology. Efforts to prevent suicide by regulating the media should closely monitor not only the behavior of newcomers, but also the established news media's reaction to new competitors. |
23260381 | The bidirectional relationships between alcohol, cannabis, co-occurring alcohol and cannabis use disorders with major depressive disorder: results from a national sample. | Alcohol use disorders (AUD) and cannabis use disorders (CUD) are common in the United States (US), and are associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). Co-occurring alcohol and cannabis use/use disorders (AUD+CUD), though understudied, have been found to be associated with greater adverse outcomes than alcohol or cannabis use/use disorders alone. There is a paucity of research on the co-occurring relationships of the two disorders with depression. Data came from Waves 1 and 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a population-based longitudinal survey of the adult non-institutionalized, civilian population in the US. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the associations between: 1) baseline AUD, CUD, and co-occurring AUD+CUD with incident MDD at follow-up and 2) baseline MDD with incident AUD, CUD, and co-occurring AUD+CUD at follow-up, adjusted for potential confounding variables. For Aim 1, most of the AUD and CUD were positively associated with MDD. The strongest associations with incident MDD were observed for cannabis dependence (OR=6.61, CI=1.67-26.21) and co-occurring alcohol and cannabis dependence (OR=2.34, CI=1.23-4.48). For Aim 2, baseline MDD was significantly associated with comparatively fewer cases of incident AUD and CUD but the strongest association was observed for new onset co-occurring alcohol and cannabis dependence (OR=4.51, CI=1.31-15.60). The present study is limited by the potential for social desirability and recall biases. Positive associations between AUD, CUD and MDD were observed bidirectionally. Findings have implications for preventive and treatment programs and initiatives. |
23260380 | Carbon storage and soil CO2 efflux rates at varying degrees of damage from pine wilt disease in red pine stands. | We evaluated the carbon (C) storage and soil CO2 efflux rates of red pine (Pinus densiflora S. et Z.) stands damaged by pine wilt disease (PWD) in Korea. Ten red pine plots at varying degrees of damage from PWD were established and grouped into five categories (very slightly, slightly, moderately, severely, and very severely damaged plots) based on differences in the tree density. The incidence of PWD was a major cause of C loss from forest ecosystems, but the magnitude of loss depended on the severity of disease damage. An exponential regression of the CO2 efflux rates against the corresponding soil temperature was highly significant (R(2)=0.82-0.95, P<0.01) for the varying degrees of damage from PWD. The rates of change in the CO2 efflux rates with temperature, as defined by the Q10 values, were generally lower in the slightly (2.94) versus the moderately (3.60) or severely (4.26) PWD-damaged stands. The cumulative soil CO2-C efflux rates for two years were significantly higher in the slightly (10.8 Mg Cha(-1) yr(-1)) or moderately (10.9 Mg Cha(-1) yr(-1)) versus the very severely (7.9 Mg Cha(-1) yr(-1)) PWD-damaged stands. The results indicate that the C storage and soil CO2 efflux rates in red pine stands can be impacted by the incidence of PWD, with a significant C reduction in the severely damaged stands. |
23260379 | Addition of a clay subsoil to a sandy top soil alters CO2 release and the interactions in residue mixtures. | Addition of clay-rich subsoils to sandy top soils is an agricultural management option to increase water and nutrient retention and may also increase organic carbon sequestration by decreasing the decomposition rates. An incubation experiment was carried out in a loamy sand top soil mixed with a clay-rich subsoil (84% clay) at 0, 10 and 30% (w/w) amended with finely ground mature shoot residues of two native perennial grasses and annual barley individually or in 1:1 mixtures of two residues. Extractable C, microbial biomass C, available N and soil pH were analysed at days 0, 3, 14 and 28. Cumulative respiration after 28 days was highest with barley residue and lowest with Wallaby grass at all clay soil addition rates; 30% clay soil addition reduced cumulative respiration, especially with barley alone. In the mixture of native grasses and barley, the measured respiration was lower than expected at a clay soil addition rate of 10%. A synergistic effect (higher than expected cumulative respiration) was only found in mixture of Kangaroo grass and barley at a clay soil addition rate of 30%. Clay soil addition also decreased extractable C, available N and soil pH. The temporal change in microbial biomass C and available N in residue mixtures differed among clay addition rates. In the mixture of Wallaby grass and Kangaroo grass, microbial biomass C (MBC) decreased from day 0 to day 28 at clay soil addition rates of 0 and 10%, whereas at 30% clay MBC increased from day 0 to day 3 and then decreased. Our study shows that addition of a clay-rich subsoil to a loamy sand soil can increase C sequestration by reducing CO2 release and extractable C which are further modulated by the type of residues present individually or as mixtures. |
23260378 | Denitrification and N2O:N2 production in temperate grasslands: processes, measurements, modelling and mitigating negative impacts. | In this review we explore the biotic transformations of nitrogenous compounds that occur during denitrification, and the factors that influence denitrifier populations and enzyme activities, and hence, affect the production of nitrous oxide (N2O) and dinitrogen (N2) in soils. Characteristics of the genes related to denitrification are also presented. Denitrification is discussed with particular emphasis on nitrogen (N) inputs and dynamics within grasslands, and their impacts on the key soil variables and processes regulating denitrification and related gaseous N2O and N2 emissions. Factors affecting denitrification include soil N, carbon (C), pH, temperature, oxygen supply and water content. We understand that the N2O:N2 production ratio responds to the changes in these factors. Increased soil N supply, decreased soil pH, C availability and water content generally increase N2O:N2 ratio. The review also covers approaches to identify and quantify denitrification, including acetylene inhibition, (15)N tracer and direct N2 quantification techniques. We also outline the importance of emerging molecular techniques to assess gene diversity and reveal enzymes that consume N2O during denitrification and the factors affecting their activities and consider a process-based approach that can be used to quantify the N2O:N2 product ratio and N2O emissions with known levels of uncertainty in soils. Finally, we explore strategies to reduce the N2O:N2 product ratio during denitrification to mitigate N2O emissions. Future research needs to focus on evaluating the N2O-reducing ability of the denitrifiers to accelerate the conversion of N2O to N2 and the reduction of N2O:N2 ratio during denitrification. |
23260377 | Genetic determinants of clopidogrel responsiveness in Koreans treated with drug-eluting stents. | Variations of genes encoding cytochrome enzymes, drug transporters, and paraoxonase have recently been reported to be associated with clopidogrel response variability besides the well-known CYP2C19 loss-of-function (LOF) alleles. We determined whether newly reported genetic variations are associated with clopidogrel on-treatment platelet reactivity (OPR) in Korean patients. OPR was measured in 1264 consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention using the VerifyNowP2Y12 assay system and genotyping of PON-1 Q192R, ABCB1 C3435T, CYP1A2*1F, CYP2B6*6, CYP2C19*2, CYP2C19*3, CYP2C19*17, CYP3A4 (IVS10+12G>A), and CYP3A5*3 was performed. We applied two different cutoffs, i.e. 240 P2Y12 reaction units (PRU) and 253 PRU, to define high OPR. Mean OPR of the entire population was 231±83 PRU. Genetic variations of ABCB1 and PON-1 genes as well as that of CYP1A2, 2B6, 3A4, and 3A5 were not associated with clopidogrel response variability. As for CYP2C19, patients were classified into 4 metabolism genotypes: 0.6% ultrarapid (UM), 40.3% extensive (EM), 48.8% intermediate (IM), and 10.3% poor metabolizers (PM). After adjustment for possible confounders, CYP2C19 metabolism genotype was associated with a significant increase in OPR: effect on OPR-difference: +27 PRU, p=0.015 for EM, +53 PRU, p<0.001 for IM, and +74 PRU, p=0.006 for PM compared with UM. In multivariable analysis, the CYP2C19 genotype was the only independent predictor of high-OPR among genetic variations using two different cutoffs. Among genes postulated to be involved in clopidogrel metabolism, only the CYP2C19 genotype is associated with response variability and emerged as an independent predictor of high-OPR using two different cutoffs. PON-1 and ABCB1 genetic variants do not affect clopidogrel OPR in Korean patients. |
23260376 | Surveillance guidelines for disease elimination: a case study of canine rabies. | Surveillance is a critical component of disease control programmes but is often poorly resourced, particularly in developing countries lacking good infrastructure and especially for zoonoses which require combined veterinary and medical capacity and collaboration. Here we examine how successful control, and ultimately disease elimination, depends on effective surveillance. We estimated that detection probabilities of <0.1 are broadly typical of rabies surveillance in endemic countries and areas without a history of rabies. Using outbreak simulation techniques we investigated how the probability of detection affects outbreak spread, and outcomes of response strategies such as time to control an outbreak, probability of elimination, and the certainty of declaring freedom from disease. Assuming realistically poor surveillance (probability of detection <0.1), we show that proactive mass dog vaccination is much more effective at controlling rabies and no more costly than campaigns that vaccinate in response to case detection. Control through proactive vaccination followed by 2 years of continuous monitoring and vaccination should be sufficient to guarantee elimination from an isolated area not subject to repeat introductions. We recommend that rabies control programmes ought to be able to maintain surveillance levels that detect at least 5% (and ideally 10%) of all cases to improve their prospects of eliminating rabies, and this can be achieved through greater intersectoral collaboration. Our approach illustrates how surveillance is critical for the control and elimination of diseases such as canine rabies and can provide minimum surveillance requirements and technical guidance for elimination programmes under a broad-range of circumstances. |
23260375 | A one health perspective on HPAI H5N1 in the Greater Mekong sub-region. | Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been a global concern for almost 10 years since its epidemic emergence in South-east Asia in 2003/2004. Despite large investment of resources into the region, the infection has not been eradicated and continues to result in outbreaks in poultry and a small number of human fatalities. This review synthesizes the knowledge base generated by a vast number of research activities conducted in the region and beyond, and adopts an interdisciplinary perspective consistent with the one health paradigm towards analysing the problem and formulating possible policy solutions. A key outcome of the work has been the need to integrate socio-economic and anthropological dimensions with any disease control and prevention activities traditionally informed by primarily epidemiological, virological and pathological attributes of the infection in poultry and wild waterbirds. Recommendations at a broad conceptual level are presented that acknowledge the diversity in the region with respect to livestock production, as well as the changing nature of the risk landscape as a consequence of the rapid economic development which some of the countries in the Greater Mekong sub-region are currently undergoing, as well as their strong trade links with China as the major economic power in East Asia. |
23260374 | Intersectoral collaboration between the medical and veterinary professions in low-resource societies: The role of research and training institutions. | Neglected zoonoses continue to significantly affect human health in low-resource countries. A symposium was organised in Antwerp, Belgium, on 5 November 2010 to evaluate how intersectoral collaboration among educational and research institutions could improve the situation. Brucellosis and echinococcosis were presented as models for intersectoral collaboration. Low-resource societies face evident knowledge gaps on disease distribution, transmission within and across species and impact on human and animal health, precluding the development of integrated control strategies. While veterinarians have been the main driver of the One Health initiative, the medical profession does not seem to be fully aware of how veterinary science can contribute to human public health. It was postulated that transdisciplinarity could help fill knowledge gaps and that encouraging such transdisciplinarity should start with undergraduate students. Furthermore, intersectoral collaboration on zoonoses should not ignore the social sciences (e.g. assessment of indigenous knowledge and perception; participatory surveillance), which can contribute to a better understanding of the transmission of diseases and improve communities' participation in disease control activities. |
23260373 | Zoonotic fecal pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in county fair animals. | Livestock fairs present a unique opportunity for the public to experience close contact with animals, but may also expose people to zoonotic pathogens through contact with animal feces. The goal of this study was to screen cattle, sheep, goat, chicken, rabbit and horse feces from a livestock fair in California for the potentially zoonotic pathogens Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Vibrio, Cryptosporidium and Giardia spp., as well as determining the level of antimicrobial resistance in E. coli and Salmonella. Notably, E. coli O157:H7 was reported for the first time in a pig at a county fair in California. Campylobacter jejuni as well as Salmonella enterica serovars Derby and Thompson were also isolated from pigs, cattle, sheep, goats or chickens, whereas horses and rabbits were negative for all target pathogens. The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance as well as multi-drug resistance patterns were highest for E. coli and Salmonella spp. cultured from pigs and chickens, were generally widespread but at lower levels for other animal groups, and included resistance to ampicillin and streptomycin, two antimicrobial drugs of importance for human medicine. This study provides data that highlight the importance of practicing good hygiene in livestock fair settings to avoid transmission of zoonotic microbes, particularly pathogens with antimicrobial resistance, to fair visitors and among animal populations. |
23260372 | Avian wildlife as sentinels of ecosystem health. | Birds have been widely used as sentinels of ecosystem health reflecting changes in habitat quality, increased incidence of disease, and exposure to and effects of chemical contaminants. Numerous studies addressing these issues focus on the breeding period, since hormonal, behavioural, reproductive, and developmental aspects of the health can be observed over a relatively short time-span. Many body systems within individuals are tightly integrated and interdependent, and can be affected by contaminant chemicals, disease, and habitat changes in complex ways. Animals higher in the food web will reflect cumulative effects of multiple stressors. Such features make birds ideal indicators for assessing environmental health in areas of environmental concern. Five case studies are presented, highlighting the use of different species which have provided insight into ecosystem sustainability, including (i) the consequences of anthropogenic disturbances of sagebrush habitat on the greater northern sage grouse Centrocercus urophasianus; (ii) the high prevalence of disease in very specific passerine species in the Canary Islands closely paralleling deterioration of formerly productive desert habitat and ensuing interspecific stressors; (iii) fractures, abnormal bone structure, and associated biochemical aberrations in nestling storks exposed to acidic tailings mud from a dyke rupture at an iron pyrite mine near Sevilla, Spain; (iv) newly presented data demonstrating biochemical changes in nestling peregrine falcons Falco peregrinus and associations with exposure to major chemical classes in the Great Lakes Basin of Canada; and (v) the variability in responses of tree swallows Tachycineta bicolor to contaminants, biological and meteorological challenges when breeding in the Athabasca oil sands. |
23260370 | The assessment and management of the violent patient in critical hospital settings. | Patient violence and aggression is prevalent in critical care settings, yet clinicians are often inadequately trained to assess and respond to these types of behaviors. Targeted toward trainees as well as seasoned clinicians, this articles provides an updated review of the literature regarding the management of violence in the emergency department. This narrative review is largely derived from research articles and reviews published since 2000. We conducted a systematic search of electronic databases for review articles or studies examining patient violence and aggression in critical care settings. Electronic searches were supplemented by manual searches of reference lists. Current statistics, risk factors and imminent signs of violent patient behavior are presented. We conclude with recommendations for pharmacological and psychological interventions that can help manage aggressive behavior in the emergency department. The relatively high frequency of aggressive and violent behavior in critical care settings increases the likelihood that clinicians working in this environment will encounter this situation. It is our hope that providing additional information about the factors associated with and techniques for managing violent patient behavior will reduce the occurrence of injuries in health care professionals in emergency departments. |
23260368 | Trabecular microarchitecture in established osteoporosis: relationship between vertebrae, distal radius and calcaneus by X-ray imaging texture analysis. | Osteoporosis is an alteration of bone mass and microarchitecture leading to an increased risk of fractures. A radiograph is a 2D projection of the 3D bone network exposing a texture, that can be assessed by texture analysis. We compared the trabecular microarchitecture of the spine, radius and calcaneus in a series of osteoporotic cadavers. Thirty-four cadavers (11 men, 23 women), mean age 85.2±2.1years, were radiographed from T4 to L5 to identify those with vertebral fractures (FV). Non-fractured vertebrae (NFV), radius and calcaneus were taken and analyzed by densitometry, radiography and texture analysis under run-length, skeletonization of the trabeculae, and fractal geometry. Six subjects (five women, one man) were selected, mean age 82.5±5.5years. Twelve calcanei and 10 radii were taken. Two radii were excluded. The texture of NFV was significantly correlated (P<0.01) with that of the radius for horizontal run-lengths. No relationship between the texture of NFV and calcaneus was found. In the horizontal direction (perpendicular to the stress lines), the microarchitecture of NFV and radius showed a disappearance of the transverse rods anchoring the plates. Due to its particular microarchitecture, the calcaneus is not representative of the vertebral status. Bone densitometry provides no information about microarchitecture. Texture analysis of X-ray images of the radius would be a minimally invasive tool, providing an early detection of microarchitectural alterations. IV retrospective study. |
23260366 | Protection of cisplatin-induced spermatotoxicity, DNA damage and chromatin abnormality by selenium nano-particles. | Cisplatin (CIS), an anticancer alkylating agent, induces DNA adducts and effectively cross links the DNA strands and so affects spermatozoa as a male reproductive toxicant. The present study investigated the cellular/biochemical mechanisms underlying possible protective effect of selenium nano-particles (Nano-Se) as an established strong antioxidant with more bioavailability and less toxicity, on reproductive toxicity of CIS by assessment of sperm characteristics, sperm DNA integrity, chromatin quality and spermatogenic disorders. To determine the role of oxidative stress (OS) in the pathogenesis of CIS gonadotoxicity, the level of lipid peroxidation (LPO), antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and peroxynitrite (ONOO) as a marker of nitrosative stress (NS) and testosterone (T) concentration as a biomarker of testicular function were measured in the blood and testes. Thirty-two male Wistar rats were equally divided into four groups. A single IP dose of CIS (7 mg/kg) and protective dose of Nano-Se (2 mg/kg/day) were administered alone or in combination. The CIS-exposed rats showed a significant increase in testicular and serum LPO and ONOO level, along with a significant decrease in enzymatic antioxidants levels, diminished serum T concentration and abnormal histologic findings with impaired sperm quality associated with increased DNA damage and decreased chromatin quality. Coadministration of Nano-Se significantly improved the serum T, sperm quality, and spermatogenesis and reduced CIS-induced free radical toxic stress and spermatic DNA damage. In conclusion, the current study demonstrated that Nano-Se may be useful to prevent CIS-induced gonadotoxicity through its antioxidant potential. |
23260367 | Flatfoot in children and adolescents. Analysis of imaging findings and therapeutic implications. | Pes planovalgus (PPV) is a complex three-dimensional deformity of which routine radiographs provide only a two-dimensional analysis. Angles and other radiographic parameters of the foot in children and adolescents, when studied on both the dorsoplantar and the lateral view, can be used to establish a radiographic classification system for PPV that provides useful therapeutic guidance in clinical practice. A retrospective single-centre study was conducted on 65 feet in 35 patients aged 7 to 18 years and having adequate ossification. All patients had a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic or neurologic PPV and available weight-bearing dorsoplantar and strict lateral radiographs. We excluded pes planus due to tarsal coalition, congenital bone deformities, or overcorrection of talipes equinovarus (n=25). All possible axes were drawn and angles measured after an evaluation of interindividual agreement. We identified four patterns of PPV: subtalar pes planus (n=16) with marked subtalar valgus and longitudinal sag predominating at the talonavicular joint, midtarsal pes planus (n=12) without subtalar valgus but with marked midtarsal abduction and sag predominating at the cuneonavicular joint, mixed pes planus (n=28) with subtalar valgus, midtarsal abduction, and sag at both the talonavicular and cuneonavicular joints, and pes planocavus (n=9) with sag of the medial arch and cavus deformity of the lateral arch. This original classification system provides therapeutic guidance by helping to match the surgical procedure to the nature and location of the deformities. Level IV. |
23260352 | Novel in vivo active anti-malarials based on a hydroxy-ethyl-amine scaffold. | A novel series of anti-malarials, based on a hydroxy-ethyl-amine scaffold, initially identified as peptidomimetic protease inhibitors is described. Combination of the hydroxy-ethyl-amine anti-malarial phramacophore with the known Mannich base pharmacophore of amodiaquine (57) resulted in promising in vivo active novel derivatives. |
23260351 | Design and synthesis of 2-(3-alkylaminophenyl)-6-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)quinolin-4-ones as potent antitumor agents. | 2-(3-Alkylaminophenyl)-6-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)quinolin-4-ones 1-3 were synthesized and screened for anti-proliferative activity against three human cancer cell lines, as well as the normal cell line Detroit 551. All of the synthesized target compounds 1-3 demonstrated potent cytotoxic activity against the cancer cell lines, but weak inhibitory activity toward the normal cell line. 2-(3-Methyl aminophenyl)-6-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)quinolin-4-one (1), one of the potent compounds in vitro, was also tested in an in vivo Hep3B xenograft nude mice model, and its significant anticancer activity was reconfirmed. Therefore, compound 1 merits further investigation as an antitumor clinical trial candidate and potential anticancer agent. |
23260350 | Identification of benzofuran central cores for the inhibition of leukotriene A(4) hydrolase. | Leukotrienes (LT's) are known to play a physiological role in inflammatory immune response. Leukotriene A(4) hydrolase (LTA(4)H) is a cystolic enzyme that stereospecifically catalyzes the transformation of LTA(4) to LTB(4). LTB(4) is a known pro-inflammatory mediator. This paper describes the identification and synthesis of substituted benzofurans as LTH(4)H inhibitors. The benzofuran series demonstrated reduced mouse and human whole blood LTB(4) levels in vitro and led to the identification one analog for advanced profiling. Benzofuran 28 showed dose responsive target engagement and provides a useful tool to explore a LTA(4)H inhibitor for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as asthma and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). |
23260349 | Discovery and SAR of PF-4693627, a potent, selective and orally bioavailable mPGES-1 inhibitor for the potential treatment of inflammation. | Inhibition of mPGES-1, the terminal enzyme in the arachidonic acid/COX pathway to regulate the production of pro-inflammatory prostaglandin PGE2, is considered an attractive new therapeutic target for safe and effective anti-inflammatory drugs. The discovery of a novel series of orally active, selective benzoxazole piperidinecarboxamides as mPGES-1 inhibitors is described. Structure-activity optimization of lead 5 with cyclohexyl carbinols resulted in compound 12, which showed excellent in vitro potency and selectivity against COX-2, and reasonable pharmacokinetic properties. Further SAR studies of the benzoxazole ring substituents lead to a novel series of highly potent compounds with improved PK profile, including 23, 26, and 29, which were effective in a carrageenan-stimulated guinea pig air pouch model of inflammation. Based on its excellent in vitro and in vivo pharmacological, pharmacokinetic and safety profile and ease of synthesis, compound 26 (PF-4693627) was advanced to clinical studies. |
23260348 | Discovery of a new series of [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalines as dual phosphodiesterase 2/phosphodiesterase 10 (PDE2/PDE10) inhibitors. | The synthesis, preliminary evaluation and structure-activity relationship (SAR) of a series of 1-aryl-4-methyl[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalines as dual phosphodiesterase 2/phosphodiesterase 10 (PDE2/PDE10) inhibitors are described. From this investigation compound 31 was identified, showing good combined potency, acceptable brain uptake and high selectivity for both PDE2 and PDE10 enzymes. Compound 31 was subjected to a microdosing experiment in rats, showing preferential distribution in brain areas where both PDE2 and PDE10 are highly expressed. These promising results may drive the further development of highly potent combined PDE2/PDE10 inhibitors, or even of selective inhibitors of PDE2 and/or PDE10. |
23260347 | Synthesis and evaluation of diphenylphosphinic amides and diphenylphosphine oxides as inhibitors of Kv1.5. | Diphenylphosphinic amides and diphenylphosphine oxides have been synthesized and tested as inhibitors of the Kv1.5 potassium ion channel as a possible treatment for atrial fibrillation. In vitro structure-activity relationships are discussed and several compounds with Kv1.5 IC(50) values of <0.5 μM were discovered. Selectivity over the ventricular IKs current was monitored and selective compounds were found. Results from a rabbit PD-model are included. |
23260346 | Selective inhibitors and tailored activity probes for lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2). | Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) (Lp-PLA(2) or PLA(2)G7) binds to low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles, where it is thought to hydrolyze oxidatively truncated phospholipids. Lp-PLA(2) has also been implicated as a pro-tumorigenic enzyme in human prostate cancer. Several inhibitors of Lp-PLA(2) have been described, including darapladib, which is currently in phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of atherosclerosis. The selectivity that darapladib and other Lp-PLA(2) inhibitors display across the larger serine hydrolase family has not, however, been reported. Here, we describe the use of both general and tailored activity-based probes for profiling Lp-PLA(2) and inhibitors of this enzyme in native biological systems. We show that both darapladib and a novel class of structurally distinct carbamate inhibitors inactivate Lp-PLA(2) in mouse tissues and human cell lines with high selectivity. Our findings thus identify both inhibitors and chemoproteomic probes that are suitable for investigating Lp-PLA(2) function in biological systems. |
23260345 | Oral Candida species in head and neck cancer patients treated by radiotherapy. | This paper aimed to identify and quantify Candida on head and neck irradiated patients with two comparative elderly populations. Saliva was sampled from 29 head and neck irradiated patients (group 1) 34 non-institutionalized elderly patients (group 2) and 29 institutionalized elders (group 3) and matched by age. For quantification, the obtained saliva was sewed on CHROMagar Candida(®), which was used also for presumptive identification of Candida, API 20C AUX(®), microculture and RAPD (OPE-18) were used for the final identification. Among the 92 patients surveyed, 51 (55.4%) had scores classified as positive for Candida, and among individuals of groups 1 and 3, 58.6% had Candida. There was higher positive/carrier conditions (CFU/sample) in groups 1 and 3, comparing with group 2 (P=0.011). Gender was not associated with Candida portability (P=0.334). Candida portability was significantly associated with the presence of candidosis (P=0.031) and xerostomic state (P=0.007). The isolates and definitive confirmed colonies were Candida albicans, Candida dubliniensis, Candida tropicalis, Candida krusei, Candida glabrata, Candida parapsilosis, Candida guilliermondii, Candida lusitaniae, and Candida kefyr. Among the species identified, C. albicans was the most frequent, followed by C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis and C. glabrata. C. albicans was more prevalent in group 2 and 3, 45% and 41.2%, respectively, whereas, the most prevalent species in group 1 were C. tropicalis (27%), C. albicans and C. parapsilosis (16.2% for both). On multiple statistical models, only radiotherapic treatment was associated with positiveness to Candida. Diversification and major prevalence of non-albicans species were observed in irradiated patients on head and neck and this treatment is straightly associated with fungus positiveness. |
23260344 | Tinnitus related to eyelid blinking. | Tinnitus can be generated by various causes, including vascular or myogenic factors and sensorineural auditory structures. Tinnitus due to repetitive contraction of the paraauditory muscles is a rare condition. We present a case of bilateral tinnitus concomitant with eyelid blinking. Otoscopy revealed normal tympanic membranes; however, inward movement of the tympanic membrane was visible whenever the patient blinked. Long-time-based tympanometry measuring static compliance revealed a cogwheel or saw-toothed pattern associated with movement of the tympanic membrane related to eyelid blinking. The patient was managed with pharmacological treatment combined with assurance and was relatively well controlled. |
23260343 | Synovial sarcomas of the head and neck: comparative analysis with synovial sarcoma of the extremities. | This study analyzed synovial sarcoma (SS) of the head and neck in order to identify features associated with survival improvement and compared them with the survival of SS of limbs. Clinical charts and histopathologic material with analysis for SYT/SSX gene rearrangement of 16 patients were reviewed. The clinicopathologic features and their association with survival were analyzed and compared with 174 SS of limbs. The average age was 24.2 years (range 21-86). Eight cases occurred in each sex. The most frequent site was the parapharyngeal space (PPS). The mean tumor size was 5.38cm. Sixty-nine percent occurred in Stages II-III and 9% in Stage IV. Fifteen cases were excised: R0 resection in seven (46.7%) cases and R1 resection in eight (53.3%) cases. No patient with R0 resection has recurred, and three patients (37.5%) with R1 resection have recurred (p=0.035). Patients with R0 surgery had better survival rates compared to those who received other treatments (p=0.045). SS of head and neck showed a 5-year survival rate of 58% compared to 44.6% of the limbs (p=0.450). The most prevalent location was the PPS. Surgical resection with clear margins correlated with low recurrence. Head and neck sarcomas had similar survival rates compared to sarcomas of limbs. |
23260342 | Puumala virus infections associated with cardiovascular causes of death. | We studied the causes of death of patients in Sweden with diagnoses of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) during 1997-2009. Cardiovascular disorders were a common cause of death during acute-phase HFRS and were the cause of death for >50% of those who died during the first year after HFRS. |
23260339 | Psychiatric symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis. | This study was intended to identify general psychiatric symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and to determine the distribution of these psychiatric symptoms by type of MS and degree of disability. One hundred fifty-two volunteers, 76 MS patients and 76 healthy controls, matched in terms of age, gender, marital status, years spent in education and income, were included. Psychiatric symptoms were measured using the Symptom Checklist-90-R, Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Padua Inventory, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Eating Attitude Test. Degree of disability was determined using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). In addition to being compared between the patient and control groups, scale scores were also compared between groups established on the basis of relapsing-remitting or progressive forms of MS, neurological disability and ambulatory ability. Correlations were determined between EDSS scores and psychiatric scale scores. In addition to symptoms of depression, anxiety and sleep impairment in MS patients, we also determined that less studied symptoms such as somatization, obsession, compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, anger-hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, psychoticism, low self-esteem and distorted eating attitudes were also more frequent compared to the healthy controls. Some symptoms were also more prevalent in progressive MS patients compared to relapsing-remitting subjects. Symptoms increase as degree of disability rises and ambulatory capacity declines. Depressive, anxious and sleep impairment symptoms are not the only ones seen in MS patients; other psychiatric symptoms are also common. Further studies are needed to investigate the frequency and causes of these little-investigated symptoms. As seen in patients with a progressive course and greater neurological disability, more psychiatric symptoms develop in patients with more severe disease. |
23260340 | Amygdalar expression of proteins associated with neuroplasticity in major depression and suicide. | Doublecortin (DCX) and polysialilated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM), two proteins associated with immature neuronal phenotypes and elevated neuroplasticity in the adult brain, have recently been identified in the mammalian amygdala, and evidence from rodent studies suggests that stress may modify their expression in this brain region. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether the expression of proteins involved in neuroplasticity is altered in the amygdala of individuals with depression. Basolateral amygdala (BLA) and central amygdala (CeA) postmortem human brain samples were collected from individuals with a history of depression (n = 22 and 25, respectively) and psychiatrically healthy controls (CTRL; n = 14). Proteins associated with neuroplasticity were quantified using Western blotting. Immunoblots revealed that depressed subjects displayed increased expression of DCX (p = 0.033) and PSA-NCAM (p = 0.027) in the BLA as compared to CTRLs. Subsequent analyses revealed that this effect was due primarily to a subset of depressed subjects who had not died by suicide (DNS). DNS subjects displayed higher DCX than CTRLs (p < 0.001) and depressed suicides (p = 0.001), and higher PSA-NCAM than CTRLs (p = 0.007). Conversely, within the CeA, DNS subjects displayed a tendency toward lower DCX expression than CTRLs (p = 0.062), and higher BDNF levels than DS subjects (p = 0.045). These results suggest that the BLA and CeA display contrasting patterns of neuroplasticity in depression, and that greater impairment of amygdalar neuroplasticity may be associated with increased risk of suicide. |
23260338 | Hepatitis C among patients with mental illness in Brazil: an analysis of associated factors. | The objective was to assess factors associated with previous exposure to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among Brazilian adults in mental health centers. A cross-sectional national multicenter study of 2087 psychiatric patients randomly selected from 26 public mental health services was conducted between 2005 and 2007 in Brazil. An interview was conducted for obtaining sociodemographic, clinical and behavioral data. Psychiatric diagnoses were obtained from medical charts. Serology testing was conducted using anti-HCV. The magnitude of the associations was estimated by the prevalence rate ratio under Poisson distribution. Multivariate analysis for previous HCV exposure was carried out by weighted Poisson regression. The weighted prevalence of previous HCV exposure was 2.53% (95% confidence interval: 2.22-2.83). Factors associated with previous exposure to HCV infection included male gender; age ≥ 40 years; history of sexually transmitted infections; current tobacco use; lifetime injecting drug use; exchange of money/drugs for sex; and main psychiatric diagnoses of psychoses and bipolar disorders, substance use disorders or dementia. Our results indicate a high prevalence of previous exposure to HCV in this population of Brazilian psychiatric patients. Most factors statistically associated with HCV were demographic or behavioral related, indicating a potential high-vulnerability profile. Screening for HCV in high-risk patients should be routine practices in these mental health services in Brazil. |
23260337 | Sertraline-induced galactorrhea: case report and review of cases reported with other SSRIs. | There is limited literature reporting galactorrhea with antidepressants including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). In this case report, I present a case of a young female who developed galactorrhea with sertraline, which improved on discontinuation of sertraline. Computer-assisted searches on galactorrhea with SSRIs yielded 23 cases, mostly with escitalopram and paroxetine and rarely with fluoxetine, fluvoxamine and sertraline, and it may be much more frequent than recognized. |
23260336 | Comparison of impulsive and nonimpulsive suicide attempt patients treated in the emergency departments of four general hospitals in Shenyang, China. | The aim of the current study was to compare the sociodemographic and psychological characteristics of impulsive suicide attempters with those of nonimpulsive suicide attempters in the emergency departments of general hospitals in Shenyang, China. A total of 239 consecutive suicide attempters, who were treated in the emergency departments of four randomly selected general hospitals from Shenyang city, were evaluated by the following measurements: a detailed structured questionnaire, Beck Suicide Ideation Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, a quality of life scale and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders. The patients were categorized as "impulsive suicide attempts" (≤ 2 h) and "nonimpulsive suicide attempts" (> 2 h) based on the hours it takes for a patient to consider suicide before acting, and the characteristics of the two groups of patients were compared. One hundred seven (44.8%) patients were categorized as impulsive attempters. Compared to nonimpulsive suicide attempters, the impulsive suicide attempters had significantly more self-rescue ideation, their motive was more likely to threaten or express anger at others, and they scored much lower on the intensity of suicidal ideation and depression but higher on life quality; they also had a lower prevalence of psychiatric diagnosis but a higher rate of substance-related disorders. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the following independent predictors of impulsive suicide attempts among suicide attempters: having religious beliefs [odds ratio (OR)=4.435, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.545-12.736], a lower score on the Suicide Ideation Scale (OR=0.952, 95% CI=0.936-0.969) and a lower score on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (OR=0.949, 95% CI=0.911-0.989). The characteristics of impulsive suicide attempters differed significantly with those of nonimpulsive suicide attempters in emergency departments of urban China. It is important to develop different kinds of interventions for the two types of suicide attempters to prevent more future suicide attempts. |
23260335 | Opposing catecholamine changes in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis during intracranial self-stimulation and its extinction. | While studies suggest that both dopamine and norepinephrine neurotransmission support reinforcement learning, the role of dopamine has been emphasized. As a result, little is known about norepinephrine signaling during reward learning and extinction. Both dopamine and norepinephrine projections innervate distinct regions of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a structure that mediates behavioral and autonomic responses to stress and anxiety. We investigated whether norepinephrine release in the ventral BNST (vBNST) and dopamine release in the dorsolateral BNST (dlBNT) correlate with reward learning during intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS). Using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, norepinephrine concentration changes in the vBNST (n = 12 animals) during ICSS were compared with dopamine changes in the dlBNST (n = 7 animals) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) (n = 5 animals). Electrical stimulation was in the ventral tegmental area/substantia nigra region. Whereas dopamine release was evoked by presentation of a cue predicting reward availability in both dlBNST and NAc, cue-evoked norepinephrine release did not occur in the vBNST. Release of both catecholamines was evoked by the electrical stimulation. Extracellular changes in norepinephrine were also studied during extinction of ICSS and compared with results obtained for dopamine. During extinction of ICSS, norepinephrine release in the vBNST occurred at the time where the stimulation was anticipated, whereas dopamine release transiently decreased. The data demonstrate that norepinephrine release in the vBNST differs from dopamine release in the dlBNST and the NAc in that it signals the absence of reward rather than responding to reward predictive cues. |
23260334 | The role of different predictors in 20-year mortality among Krakow older citizens. | The aim of this study was to assess the change in the predictive ability of gender-related 20-year all-cause mortality in community-dwelling older people. The baseline investigation was conducted in 1986-1987 and survival of 2472 subjects aged 65 years and older was followed up for 20 years. The associations of socioeconomic conditions and health measures with mortality were assessed using Cox hazard model with time-dependent covariates. Our study confirmed that higher education and being employed during the baseline were protective factors in males, but not among females. Healthy lifestyle was a predictive factor for all-cause mortality for both men and women and its predictive value was strong over the whole observation period. The study showed that poor self-rated health (SRH) was a valid predictor of mortality in elderly women, but not in men, and the effect of the length of follow-up on mortality was not observed. Overall, different sets of all-cause mortality predictors were found for men and women. For men the role of socioeconomic status factors was confirmed as well as healthy lifestyle and presence of chronic conditions, especially coronary heart disease (CHD) and asthma. For women the most important predictors were lifestyle factors and the feeling of life-weariness as well as SRH and diabetes mellitus present during the baseline study. The impact of most of the examined factors on mortality was found to be stable over the twenty years of observation with the exception of the self-reported CHD, whose predictive value decreased over time. |
23260333 | Provision of individualized care and built environment of nursing homes in Japan. | The Japanese government introduced the concept of 'unit-care model' (a large-scale facility which consists of small-scale groups) in 2003 into nursing homes. The governmental requirements are mainly about structure and staffing, not about the way of care provision. We aimed to examine if the requirements affect actual care provision. We sent a questionnaire to 300 unit-care model nursing homes and 900 conventional model nursing homes. 81 unit-care model facilities, 164 conventional care model facilities, and 103 conventional care facilities which created small groupings of people within larger buildings as an alternative to multiple small separate units (group-care model) were included in the analysis. We asked the administrator of the facilities about their principles for care provision by the dimensions of (1) wake-up, (2) dressing assistance in the morning, (3) meal, (4) bathing, (5) toileting assistance, and (6) spare time. We mainly asked about flexibility of scheduling and choice for menu, programs, and utensils. Unit-care model facilities and group-care model facilities were negatively associated with principles of fixed time and all-at-once assistance for waking up, dressing, and toileting. Residents had more choice for menu and programs for spare time in unit-care model facilities and group-care model facilities. The governmental requirements affected principles for care provision by defining the structure of facilities and staffing for desirable care provision. Raising fees for the group-care model can be an effective measure to achieve it in facilities with conventional structure. |
23260332 | Memory training (MT) in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) generates change in cognitive performance. | Longevity can be accompanied by several challenges, among them cognitive decline. The early identification of cognitive impairment offers the opportunity to act with the aim of preventing or delaying dementia. One potential intervention measure is MT. To test the effect of MT in a sample of older individuals previously identified as having MCI. A randomized controlled clinical trial was carried out. Subjects were recruited by the local media for a memory study and were submitted to a battery of cognitive tests. Subjects meeting inclusion criteria (n=112) were classified as normal controls (n=65) and MCI (n=47), according to Gauthier and Touchon's criteria (Gauthier & Touchon, 2005). The study sample was randomly assigned to three different intervention groups: MT group, educational intervention (EI) group, and control group (CG). The MT group received eight training sessions to learn mnemonic strategies based on ecological tasks. They also completed tasks which recruited attention and executive functions. Educational content on memory and aging was also offered. The EI participated in the same number of sessions, yet, only the educational content was offered. The CG completed pre- and post-test evaluations, and received training afterwards. Training effects were modest and for certain variables they were equivalent to retest effects. However, after training, individuals with MCI in the MT group exhibited cognitive performance typical of individuals without cognitive impairment, suggesting cognitive plasticity. MT is a feasible non-pharmacological intervention which might bring positive performance change in older adults facing cognitive impairment. |
23260331 | Different roles of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 in carcinogenesis and metastasis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. | Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) have been implicated in chronic inflammatory conditions and carcinogenesis. However, little is known about the biological significance of iNOS and COX-2 in cholangiocarcinoma or its precursors or metastatic lesions. We examined iNOS and COX-2 immunohisotochemical expression in 40 biliary intraepithelial neoplasias, 134 primary intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma cases, and 27 metastatic lymph nodes and analyzed the correlations with grade of atypia of biliary intraepithelial neoplasia, clinicopathological factors and outcomes of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. iNOS and COX-2 expression was highly expressed in reactive epithelium and biliary intraepithelial neoplasia. In intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, lymphatic invasion and lymph node metastasis were significantly correlated with negative iNOS expression (P = .0002, P = .0324, respectively) and positive COX-2 expression (P = .0012, P = .0063, respectively). Vascular endothelial growth factor-C expression was associated with COX-2 expression (P = .0053), but not with iNOS expression. COX-2 expression in primary intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma was higher than that in metastatic lymph nodes (P < .0001). COX-2-positive expression indicated a poor intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma outcome (P = .0273). This study indicates that iNOS and COX-2 may play roles in carcinogenesis via biliary intraepithelial neoplasia, but play different roles in metastasis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. COX-2 may participate in a higher lymphatic invasion and metastasis via the vascular endothelial growth factor-C pathway. |
23260330 | The number and growth pattern of plasmacytoid dendritic cells vary in different types of reactive lymph nodes: an immunohistochemical study. | Plasmacytoid dendritic cells, which play a fundamental role in the innate immune response, are best known for their presence in hyaline-vascular Castleman disease and histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis. The relative number and distribution in many reactive entities as detected using more sensitive methods are uncertain, and their diagnostic implications are unknown. Immunohistochemical studies for plasmacytoid dendritic cell-associated markers CD123 and CD2AP were performed on 42 lymph nodes with hyaline-vascular Castleman disease, histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis, sarcoidosis, necrotizing granulomatous inflammation, viral infection, dermatopathic lymphadenopathy, autoimmune disease, and a histologic pattern compatible with toxoplasmosis. The overall plasmacytoid dendritic cell numbers and growth patterns (tight aggregates, loose aggregates/clusters, scattered single cells) were assessed. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells were present in all cases and were predominantly distributed in loose aggregates/clusters or singly. They were most numerous in granulomatous inflammation and histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis, whereas viral infections showed the fewest overall numbers and a predominant pattern of scattered single cells. Tight aggregates of plasmacytoid dendritic cells were most numerous in hyaline-vascular Castleman disease (100% sensitive, 68% specific). Plasmacytoid dendritic cells are not limited to a small number of reactive lymphadenopathies but are found in many reactive processes, often with a predominant pattern of loose aggregates/clusters and scattered single cells. However, tight aggregates were a characteristic feature of hyaline-vascular Castleman disease, and viral infections typically showed only few scattered cells distributed singly. |
23260329 | The histomorphologic spectrum of spindle cell thymoma. | Spindle cell thymomas are a subset of thymoma that is characterized by great morphologic variability. This histologic complexity coupled with the overall rarity of these lesions can easily cause diagnostic confusion with other spindle cell neoplasms of the anterior mediastinum. In this review, we summarize the various morphologic patterns that have been described in the peer-reviewed literature and present additional patterns that we have encountered in our practice. Familiarity with the histomorphologic spectrum of spindle cell thymomas is essential to diagnose these tumors correctly and distinguish them from other mediastinal spindle cell lesions that require different treatment modalities. |
23260328 | Merkel cell polyomavirus infection in both components of a combined Merkel cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma with ductal differentiation; each component had a similar but different novel Merkel cell polyomavirus large T antigen truncating mutation. | Merkel cell polyomavirus infects up to 80% of patients with Merkel cell carcinoma. Combined Merkel cell carcinoma and cutaneous tumors occur occasionally. Previous reports have suggested that Merkel cell polyomavirus is absent from combined Merkel cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinomas. This is the first report that Merkel cell polyomavirus infected in both lesions of a combined Merkel cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma. A 92-year-old Japanese man presented with a right thigh small subcutaneous mass. Histologic examination revealed a combined tumor with Merkel cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma with ductal differentiation. Both tumors and intermingled Merkel cells in basal cell carcinoma expressed Merkel cell polyomavirus large T antigen, and 17 and 240 copies of Merkel cell polyomavirus/cell were detected in the microdissected Merkel cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma specimens, respectively. Mutation analysis of Merkel cell polyomavirus large T antigen revealed a novel truncating mutation in Merkel cell carcinoma and a similar but different mutation in the basal cell carcinoma. These results suggest that each was infected by a different Merkel cell polyomavirus subclone derived from a single Merkel cell polyomavirus. |
23260327 | Loss of phosphatase and tensin homolog expression is associated with recurrence and poor prognosis in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. | Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a tumor suppressor in the AKT/mTOR pathway. Animal model studies have shown that loss of PTEN function is involved in the progression of pancreatic cancer. However, the prognostic significance of loss of PTEN expression in pancreatic cancer is unclear. PTEN expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays consisting of multiple cores of 133 resected stage II pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas. A PTEN expression score was calculated as the product of the percentage of positive tumor cells and the intensity of PTEN staining. We categorized PTEN expression for each tumor as retained (PTEN score >5) or lost (PTEN score ≤5). Thirty-four (25.6%) patients had tumors with loss of PTEN expression, and 99 (74.4%) had tumors with retained PTEN expression. Recurrence/Metastasis was observed in 88.2% (30/34) of patients whose tumors showed loss of PTEN compared with 68.7% (68/99) of patients whose tumors showed retained PTEN (P = .03). Patients whose tumors showed loss of PTEN had a shorter overall survival (median, 19.9 ± 3.6 months) than did patients whose tumors had retained PTEN (32.7 ± 5.0 months, P = .03). In a multivariate analysis, loss of PTEN expression was an independent prognostic factor for poor overall survival in patients with stage II pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. No significant correlations between loss of PTEN expression and other clinicopathologic parameters were observed (P > .05). Assessment of PTEN expression may be used as a prognostic marker for patients with resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. |
23260326 | Micro-RNA-16 expression in paraffin-embedded specimen correlates with overall survival of T-lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia. | The diagnosis and prognosis of T-lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia represent a clinical challenge due to their relative rarity as well as their heterogeneous morphology and immunophenotype. In contrast to the significant progress in uncovering genetic lesions and prognostic factors for B-cell lineage lymphoid malignancies, prognostic markers that can predict clinical outcome of T-lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia remain to be discovered and validated. Recently, specific micro-RNAs have emerged as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of various types of tumor. Among them, miR-16 is known to play important roles in the development of hematological malignancies. Using quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, we analyzed miR-16 expression level in archived formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded diagnostic lymph node specimens from a total of 72 patients with T-lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia and for which clinical follow-up information was available. Although no statistically significant difference was evident in patients with T-lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia versus controls with reactive lymph nodes (P = .163), T-lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia patients with a greater than median expression level of miR-16 had a longer overall survival than patients with a less than median expression level. The overall 1-year survival rate was 50% for the high expression group but was 26.5% for the low expression group (P = .043). To our knowledge, we provide here the first evidence that the expression of a single micro-RNA, miR-16, is associated with clinical outcome of patients with T-lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia. Therefore, miR-16 may be considered as a potential prognostic marker for T-lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia. |
23260325 | Neural crest transcription factor Sox10 is preferentially expressed in triple-negative and metaplastic breast carcinomas. | The transcription factor Sox10 mediates the differentiation of neural crest-derived cells, and Sox10 labeling by immunohistochemistry (IHC) is used clinically primarily to support the diagnosis of melanoma. Sox10 expression by IHC has been previously documented in benign breast myoepithelial cells but not in breast carcinomas. Here, we report the first systematic study of Sox10 expression in invasive ductal carcinomas subclassified by IHC-defined molecular subtype (100 cases), as well as in 24 cases of ductal carcinoma in situ and 44 mammary fibroepithelial neoplasms. Tissue microarrays containing 168 primary breast tumors were subjected to IHC for Sox10. The extent of nuclear Sox10 labeling was scored by percentage labeling as follows: 0 (0%), 1+ (1%-25%), 2+ (25%-50%), 3+ (50%-75%), and 4+ (>75%). Overall, 40 (40%) of 100 invasive breast carcinomas demonstrated Sox10 immunoreactivity, which was seen primarily in the basal-like, unclassified triple-negative, and metaplastic carcinomas. Sox10 labeling was seen in 66% (38/58) of the basal-like, unclassified triple-negative, and metaplastic carcinomas as compared with 5% (2/42) of the luminal A, luminal B, and Her-2 carcinomas (P < .00001). Sox10 labeling was seen in 1 (4%) of 24 cases of ductal carcinoma in situ, which was negative for estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor. No labeling was seen in the stromal component of phyllodes tumors or fibroadenomas. These findings show that breast carcinoma must be considered in the differential diagnosis of melanoma for an S100-positive, Sox10-positive metastatic malignant neoplasm. Sox10 expression in the basal-like, unclassified triple-negative, and metaplastic carcinomas types supports the concept that these neoplasms show myoepithelial differentiation. |
23260324 | Identifying cognitive impairment in heart failure: a review of screening measures. | To identify and evaluate screening tools that have been used in heart failure (HF), and determine their usefulness and feasibility in the clinical setting. There is increasing evidence that HF is associated with a pattern of cognitive impairment (CI) characterized by subtle deficits particularly in the domains of memory, attention, and executive function with increasing evidence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A standard, effective CI screening measure for HF has not been identified. A review of the literature published from January 2000 to May 2011 was conducted to identify studies that used one or more screening instrument to identify or describe CI in HF. Seven screening instruments were identified across the 23 studies reviewed. The screening approaches vary in length, cut points, scoring methods, and cognitive domains covered. The Mini Mental State Exam is the most frequently used screening measure, but does not appear to be an adequate instrument to detect the type of cognitive impairment seen in HF. Combining instruments such as the Clock Drawing test with the Abbreviated Mental test would screen for deficits in the appropriate cognitive domains. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment is more comprehensive and appears to be a suitable screening tool for HF. A standard, brief, sensitive screening instrument designed to detect subtle cognitive impairment in the areas of attention, memory, executive function, and psychomotor speed should be adopted for use in HF. |
23260322 | Adenosine A1 receptor agonist, N6-cyclohexyladenosine, protects myelin and induces remyelination in an experimental model of rat optic chiasm demyelination; electrophysiological and histopathological studies. | Chronic demyelinated lesions and subsequent functional impairment are resulted from eventual failure of remyelination process as seen in multiple sclerosis. Activation of adenosine A1 receptor is reported to be effective on neural stem cells (NSCs) proliferation and oligodendrocytes differentiation. Therefore, this study attempted to investigate the effect of A1 receptor agonist N6-cyclohexyladenosine (CHA), on lysolecithin (LPC) induced demyelination and remyelination in rat optic chiasm. The experiments were carried out on male Wistar rats using visual evoked potential recording, myelin staining by Luxol fast blue and histological evaluation of demyelinated and remyelinated axons within the area of lesion. CHA was administrated i.c.v. during demyelination or remyelination phases. As revealed by myelin staining, the most extent of demyelination occurred at 7th day post-lesion (dpl 7), but gradually myelination was restored toward control during days 14-28. VEP P1-latency and P1-N1 amplitude showed widespread demyelination on dpl 7 and 14 which consequently was reversed during days 14-28 post lesion. I.c.v. treatment of animals with CHA during demyelination phase (days 0-13) reduced the extent of demyelination. During remyelination phase (days 14-28), CHA was able to increase remyelination in both electrophysiological and histopathological studies. The effects of CHA seem to be due to its protective effect on myelinating cells and its regenerative effect through potentiating endogenous neural progenitors. |
23260321 | Topographical differences of brain iron deposition between progressive supranuclear palsy and parkinsonian variant multiple system atrophy. | There have been various studies showing increased iron levels in parkinsonian disorders. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate topographical differences of brain iron deposition between progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and the parkinsonian variant of multiple system atrophy (MSA-p) with SWI images. A total of 11 patients with PSP, 12 with MSA-p, 15 with Parkinson's disease (PD), and 20 age-matched healthy controls underwent SWI of the brain. Mean phase shift values of the red nucleus (RN), substantia nigra (SN), head of the caudate nucleus (CN), globus pallidus (GP), putamen (PUT), and thalamus (TH) were calculated and compared between groups. A voxel-based analysis of the processed SWI was performed to determine topographical differences of iron-related hypointense signals in PUT, GP, and TH. Patients with PSP and MSA-p had significantly higher levels of iron deposition than control and PD groups. Comparing patients with PSP and MSA-p, differences were found in iron concentrations of the RN, SN, GP, and TH, which were higher in the PSP group. However, iron levels in the PUT were higher in the MSA group (p<0.05). The area under curve (AUC) indicated that the PUT was the most valuable nucleus in differentiating MSA-p from PSP and PD according to phase shift values (AUC=0.836). Meanwhile the GP (AUC=0.869) and TH (AUC=0.884) were the two most valuable nuclei in differentiating PSP from MSA-p and PD. Voxel-based analysis showed subregional differences in iron-related hypointense signals in the PUT, GP, and TH between MSA-p and PSP groups. Patients with MSA-p had significant increases of iron-related hypointense signals in the posterolateral PUT and adjacent lateral aspect of the GP, whereas the PSP group had increased hypodense signals in the anterior and medial aspects of the GP and TH. Our data demonstrate that pathological iron accumulations are more prevalent and severe in PSP compared to MSA-p. The distribution of high-iron-content regions in this study reflects pathoanatomically relevant sites. This finding allows for the use of MRI-based brain iron mapping as a technique to indirectly identify pathological changes. |
23260320 | Risk factors for stroke among patients with hypertension: a case-control study. | In some African countries, more than half of the adult population are estimated to be hypertensive leading to an escalated burden of stroke in the continent. We conducted the first study to unravel the major risk factors for stroke among hypertensive patients (Nigerian-Africans) using a case-control design while also exploring the relative contributions of carotid intima medial thickness (CIMT) and carotid diameter as risk markers for stroke. Using conventional techniques, stroke-related demographic, clinical and laboratory data were obtained from 135 consecutive volunteering hypertensive stroke patients and compared with 117 age and gender-matched hypertensive patients with no clinical evidence of stroke, TIA or coronary artery disease. Common carotid IMT and diameters were measured in all participants. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted at p=0.05. 13.2% of the stroke patients were first diagnosed as hypertensive at presentation with stroke. Among hypertensive patients, the modifiable factors significantly (p<0.00001 to p<0.037) associated with stroke occurrence included higher maximum and minimum blood pressures in the preceding 3months, higher fasting plasma glucose, greater alcohol consumption, lesser physical activity and increased CIMT. Using a multivariate model which predicted 84.6% of stroke occurrence, only fasting total cholesterol of >150mg/dl (p=0.021) and common carotid diameter of ≥5.9mm (p=0.008) independently multiplied the risk of stroke. Particularly in resource-limited settings, aside from BP control, stroke prevention efforts should be targeted towards these identified risk factors for stroke among hypertensive patients. Carotid diameter should be further explored as an intermediate risk marker for stroke. |
23260319 | Clinical and radiological spectrum of Japanese encephalitis. | Japanese encephalitis (JE) is mosquito-borne flaviviral encephalitis that remains to be a major health problem in India--it still continues to cause havoc in many parts of the country. We undertook the study to analyze the clinical and radiological spectrum of JE in adults and children. This prospective study consists of 148 patients with JE. The diagnosis of JE was based on clinical, epidemiological, radiological features and demonstration of JE virus specific IgM in CSF and serum by JE virus immunoglobulin M capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MAC ELISA). All patients underwent a detailed neurological examination, CSF study & neuroimaging of brain (either CT or MRI or both). All patients were followed-up at regular interval. Seizures were present in adults (52.88%) and in children (43.18%). Dystonia was more common in children 19 (43.18%) compared to adults 19 (18.2%), and Parkinsonian features were observed in both groups 47 (45.19%) of the adults and 20 (45.45%) of the children. JE-specific IgM antibody was detected in both CSF and serum in 81.7%. In neuroimaging, apart from classical involvement of thalami, basal ganglia & midbrain, prominent involvement of hippocampus and other areas of the cortex was also found in 27 (45.6%) patients. Presence of thalamic lesion in CT/MRI showed significant relationship to the development of dystonia. However, no correlation was found between the neuroimaging features and poor clinical outcome. Twenty three patients (15.5%) died during acute phase of illness. On multivariate logistic regression analysis age, prolonged fever, Glasgow coma scale, recurrent seizures and reflex changes were found to be the predictors of outcome at the time of discharge. A trend of severe and frequent involvement in younger patients with dystonia and other movement disorders was observed. It should be emphasized that presence of atypical cranial CT/MRI features in JE was not unknown and they need to be differentiated from herpes simplex encephalitis in appropriate clinical setting. |
23260318 | Event related potentials in patients with transient global amnesia--a prospective controlled study. | The aim of this study is to evaluate changes in the latencies and amplitudes of event-related potential (ERP) components as well as cognitive habituation in patients with transient global amnesia (TGA) in order to further characterize the pathology of this syndrome. Clinical data of 43 consecutive patients with TGA was collected at a university neurology department. Follow-up examination was performed at an average of 17months after TGA. Results were compared to 43 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. All ERP latencies of patients examined within 10days after the TGA period were significantly increased, and the P3 amplitude was significantly decreased as compared to healthy control subjects. The rate of pathological P3 latencies was significantly higher in TGA patients. A normal P3 latency habituation was detected in 84% of all healthy controls (mean habituation 10ms) and in 33% of all TGA patients (mean habituation -6ms). There was no significant improvement of all latencies and the other ERP parameters, including the loss of habituation, after a mean observation period of 17months. The data of three patients who were measured during the TGA period suggest a severe impairment of ERP during this period. Our findings give new insight into the pathology of TGA and put into question if TGA is an event of a simple transient character. In this first investigation of cognitive habituation in patients with TGA, we found a characteristic loss of cognitive habituation similar to observations in migraine. |
23260317 | Learning curves for EUS by using cumulative sum analysis: implications for American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy recommendations for training. | American Society for Gastrointestinal Endsocopy (ASGE) guidelines for assessing minimal competence in EUS are based on expert opinion and retrospective studies. To prospectively define learning curves in EUS among advanced endoscopy trainees (AETs). Prospective trial. Three tertiary-care referral centers. AETs with no prior EUS experience. AETs were evaluated by attending endosonographers at intervals of 10 EUS examinations (beginning at the 25th examination) during a 12-month training period. A standardized data collection form was used to grade examination of EUS anatomic stations and, when applicable, lesion of interest, accurate uTNM staging, wall layer origin of subepithelial lesions, and technical success with FNA. Cumulative sum analysis was applied to assess competency and produce a learning curve for each trainee for overall performance and for each anatomic station. Acceptable and unacceptable failure rates of 10% and 20%, respectively, were used. Five AETs were included, with a total of 1412 EUS examinations (AET1-225, T2-175, T3-402, T4-315, T5-295). Two AETs crossed the threshold for acceptable performance at cases number 255 and 295, two AETs showed a trend toward acceptable performance after 225 and 196 cases but needed ongoing training, and 1 AET demonstrated the need for ongoing training after 402 cases. Similar variable results were noted for individual stations. Results from this study may not be generalizable to other centers' AETs. We observed substantial variability in achieving competency and a consistent need for more supervision in all AETs than current recommendations (150 cases). Future studies should focus on standardization of trainee performance, definition of competency, and widespread applicability of AET evaluation. |
23260279 | Staphylococcus aureus causing tropical pyomyositis, Amazon Basin, Peru. | We studied 12 Staphylococcus aureus isolates causing tropical pyomyositis in the Amazon Basin of Peru. All isolates were methicillin-susceptible; 11 carried Panton-Valentine leukocidin-encoding genes, and 5 belonged to multilocus sequence type 25 and possessed an extensive set of enterotoxins. Our findings suggest sequence type 25 is circulating in tropical areas of South America. |
23260276 | Association of apolipoproteins with incidence of decreased estimated GFR in Korean men. | Serum apolipoprotein level recently has been suggested to be associated with decreased eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate). However, it is not known whether serum apolipoprotein level is prospectively associated with the development of decreased eGFR. Prospective cohort study. A cohort of 30,488 apparently healthy Korean men, who had participated in a medical health checkup program in 2005, was followed up until 2010. Apolipoprotein B (Apo-B), apolipoprotein A-I (Apo-AI), and Apo-B:AI ratio. Decreased eGFR was defined as <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2). Analysis was performed with Cox proportional hazards models. During 104,742.8 person-years of follow-up, 147 incident cases of decreased eGFR developed between 2006 and 2010. Higher quartile groups of serum Apo-B were associated with lower baseline eGFR. After adjusting for multiple covariates, the risk of subsequent decreased eGFR was higher with higher quartile groups of serum Apo-B (compared with quartile 1 as the reference group, HRs for quartiles 2, 3, and 4 were 2.94 (95% CI, 1.40-6.17), 2.54 (95% CI, 1.07-6.01), and 5.65 (95% CI, 2.19-14.59), respectively (P for trend <0.001). Results were similar for Apo-B:AI ratio (P for trend = 0.003). However, after additional adjustment for baseline eGFR, associations were no longer significant. Measured GFR was not available. Higher serum Apo-B and Apo-B:AI ratio values are associated with lower baseline eGFR and greater risk of subsequent decreased eGFR during 5 years of follow-up. Further studies are required to determine the causal relationships underlying these associations. |
23260275 | Association of race and body mass index with ESRD and mortality in CKD stages 3-4: results from the Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP). | A recent cross-sectional analysis of Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) participants suggested that obesity is a heterogeneous disease state in African Americans and whites with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In longitudinal analyses spanning 8 years of follow-up, we examined whether race and body mass index (BMI) influence end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and mortality rates in participants with CKD stages 3-4. KEEP participants were included in this analysis if they met the following criteria: (1) estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 15-59 mL/min/1.73 m(2), (2) white or African American race, and (3) no previous dialysis or transplantation. Survival analyses were performed for the outcomes of ESRD, death, and combined outcome of ESRD or death. Of 14,631 participants with CKD stages 3-4, 28% were African American and 72% were white. African American participants had higher rates of obesity and hypertension, with a higher baseline mean eGFR, higher prevalence of albuminuria, and greater degree of anemia compared with whites. In multivariable models, African American race increased the risk of ESRD (HR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.26-2.07), but not death (HR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.76-1.03). In these models, male sex, hypertension, diabetes, lower baseline eGFR, and albuminuria were predictive of higher rates of ESRD; age, male sex, diabetes, lower baseline eGFR, and albuminuria were predictive of overall mortality. There was no significant interaction between race and BMI in the adjusted model for outcomes of ESRD (P = 0.7) or death (P = 0.3). Baseline values used in the analysis are from a cross-sectional data set. Dyslipidemia and secondary hyperparathyroidism were not accounted for in the analysis. African American race was associated with a higher incidence of ESRD, but not mortality. Although obesity may be a heterogeneous disease state in African Americans and whites with CKD, there does not appear to be a significant interaction between race and BMI in progression to ESRD or death. |
23260274 | Centrifugal partition extraction, a new method for direct metabolites recovery from culture broth: case study of torularhodin recovery from Rhodotorula rubra. | Centrifugal partition extraction (CPE), close to centrifugal partition chromatography, put in contact in a continuous way two immiscible liquid phases. This work presents early experiments on CPE use for solid-liquid-liquid extraction. It was applied to the direct treatment of culture broth for metabolites recovery. Torularhodin is one of the carotenoid pigments produced by the yeast Rhodotorula sp., with a terminal carboxylic group considered nowadays as a powerful antioxidant to be included in food and drugs formulations. Torularhodin was extracted from Rhodotorula rubra ICCF 209 cells by CPE. The recovery of torularhodin reaches 74 μg/g of biomass i.e. 294 μg/L of culture medium. The efficiency of the extraction step increased with the operating flow rate. The extraction yield could reach 91% with a contact time lower than 2 min. A 300 mL apparatus allowed a feed at 90 mL/min. The technique is proposed for extraction or sample preparation before analysis. |
23260273 | Combination of liquid hot water pretreatment and wet disk milling to improve the efficiency of the enzymatic hydrolysis of eucalyptus. | Combination of liquid hot water pretreatment (LHWP) and wet disk milling (WDM) was investigated in this study to enhance the sugar recovery yield both in prehydrolyzate and enzymatic hydrolyzate. The results show that WDM with LHWP at 180 °C for 20 min produced maximum xylose and glucose yields of 91.62% and 88.12%, respectively, which are higher than that of dilute acid pretreatment or individual LHWP. Corresponding concentration of fermentation inhibitors such as acetic acid, HMF, and furfural in the prehydrolyzate are about 0.98, 0.07 and 0.78 g/L, respectively, which indicated that the detoxification may be not required in the next fermentation step. The acid-insoluble lignin recovery in the insoluble solid resulting from enzymatic hydrolysis, was 25.67/100g raw material, representing 90.7% of acid-insoluble lignin in the eucalyptus biomass. It can be concluded that liquid hot water pretreatment combined with wet disk milling can be successfully applied to eucalyptus. |
23260272 | Potential of hot water extraction of birch wood to produce high-purity dissolving pulp after alkaline pulping. | The potential of hot water extraction of birch wood to produce highly purified dissolving pulp in a subsequent soda-anthraquinone pulping process was evaluated. After intermediate extraction intensities, pulps with low xylan content (3-5%) and high cellulose yield were successfully produced. Increasing extraction intensity further decreased the xylan content in pulp. However, below a xylan content of 3%, the cellulose yield dramatically decreased. This is believed to be due to cleavage of glycosidic bonds in cellulose during severe hot water extractions, followed by peeling reactions during alkaline pulping. Addition of sodium borohydride as well as increased anthraquinone concentration in the pulping liquor increased the cellulose yield, but had no clear effects on pulp purity and viscosity. The low intrinsic viscosity of pulps produced after severe extraction intensities and soda-anthraquinone pulping corresponded to the viscosity at the leveling-off degree of polymerization, suggesting that nearly all amorphous cellulose had been degraded. |
23260271 | Metabolic engineering of industrial platform microorganisms for biorefinery applications--optimization of substrate spectrum and process robustness by rational and evolutive strategies. | Bio-based production promises a sustainable route to myriads of chemicals, materials and fuels. With regard to eco-efficiency, its future success strongly depends on a next level of bio-processes using raw materials beyond glucose. Such renewables, i.e., polymers, complex substrate mixtures and diluted waste streams, often cannot be metabolized naturally by the producing organisms. This particularly holds for well-known microorganisms from the traditional sugar-based biotechnology, including Escherichia coli, Corynebacterium glutamicum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae which have been engineered successfully to produce a broad range of products from glucose. In order to make full use of their production potential within the bio-refinery value chain, they have to be adapted to various feed-stocks of interest. This review focuses on the strategies to be applied for this purpose which combine rational and evolutive approaches. Hereby, the three industrial platform microorganisms, E. coli, C. glutamicum and S. cerevisiae are highlighted due to their particular importance. |
23260270 | Coupled production of single cell oil as biodiesel feedstock, xylitol and xylanase from sugarcane bagasse in a biorefinery concept using fungi from the tropical mangrove wetlands. | This work evaluates sugarcane bagasse (SCB) conversion, in a biorefinery approach, to coproduce biodiesel and high value products using two novel mangrove fungi. On acid pre-treatment, sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate (SCBH) resulted in a xylitol yield of 0.51 g/g xylose consumed in 72 h by Williopsis saturnus. After SCB pretreatment, sugarcane bagasse residue (SCBR) was utilized using Aspergillus terreus for production of xylanase (12.74 U/ml) and cell biomass (9.8 g/L) which was extracted for single cell oil (SCO; 0.19 g/g) and transesterified to biodiesel. The FAME profile exhibited long chain SFAs and PUFAs with predicted biodiesel properties lying within the range specified by international standards. This biorefining approach of SCB utilization for co-production of xylitol, xylanase and SCO gains importance in terms of sustainability and eco-friendliness. |
23260269 | An updated comprehensive techno-economic analysis of algae biodiesel. | Algae biodiesel is a promising but expensive alternative fuel to petro-diesel. To overcome cost barriers, detailed cost analyses are needed. A decade-old cost analysis by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory indicated that the costs of algae biodiesel were in the range of $0.53-0.85/L (2012 USD values). However, the cost of land and transesterification were just roughly estimated. In this study, an updated comprehensive techno-economic analysis was conducted with optimized processes and improved cost estimations. Latest process improvement, quotes from vendors, government databases, and other relevant data sources were used to calculate the updated algal biodiesel costs, and the final costs of biodiesel are in the range of $0.42-0.97/L. Additional improvements on cost-effective biodiesel production around the globe to cultivate algae was also recommended. Overall, the calculated costs seem promising, suggesting that a single step biodiesel production process is close to commercial reality. |
23260268 | Evaluation and treatment of nonmonosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis: a standardization document from the International Children's Continence Society. | This document represents the consensus guidelines recommended by the ICCS on how to evaluate and treat children with nonmonosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (NMNE). The document is intended to be clinically useful in primary, secondary and tertiary care. Discussions were held by the board of the ICCS and a committee was appointed to draft this document. The document was then made available to the members of the society on the web site. The comments were vetted and amendments were made as necessary to the document. The main scope of the document is the treatment of NMNE with drugs other than desmopressin-based therapy. Guidelines on the assessment, and nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic management of children with NMNE are presented. The text should be regarded as an expert statement, not a formal systematic review of evidence-based medicine. It so happens that the evidence behind much of what we do in the care of enuretic children is quite weak. We do, however, intend to present what evidence there is, and to give preference to this rather than to experience-based medicine, whenever possible. |
23260267 | [Antifungal prophylaxis in the postoperative period of lung transplant surgery in Spain]. | To examine the type and duration of antifungal prophylaxis provided during the postoperative period of lung transplant recipients, together with the most frequent complications during admission to Intensive Care Units in Spain. A questionnaire was developed including demographic data on each transplant center, the type of antifungal prophylaxis used, its duration, and the most frequent complications. The questionnaire was distributed among the 7 Spanish national lung transplant centers, followed by analysis of the results obtained. All 7 centers completed the questionnaire. All of them provided universal prophylaxis in lung transplant patients. Monotherapy was the most widely used protocol (5/7; 71.4%), with amphotericin B in liposomal or conventional form being the most frequent drug, administered via the inhalatory route. In the case of combination therapy, a great diversity of drugs was observed. The most frequently administered second choice drug was anidulafungin (3/7; 43%), followed by voriconazole (2/7; 28.5%). Antifungal therapy was maintained on an indefinite basis by 43% of the centers. Invasive fungal infection (IFI) in the postoperative period of transplantation during admission to the Intensive Care Unit was suspected in 5-10% of the cases but was confirmed in less than 5%. Among other complications registered in these patients in the Intensive Care Unit, the most frequent problems were respiratory infections (5/7; 71.5%). Antifungal prophylaxis during the postoperative period of lung transplantation is provided on a universal basis, though consensus is lacking as to the drug of choice, the administration route and the duration of such treatment. |
23260265 | [Lung-brain interaction in the mechanically ventilated patient]. | Patients with acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) admitted to the ICU present neuropsychological alterations, which in most cases extend beyond the acute phase and have an important adverse effect upon quality of life. The aim of this review is to deepen in the analysis of the complex interaction between lung and brain in critically ill patients subjected to mechanical ventilation. This update first describes the neuropsychological alterations occurring both during the acute phase of ICU stay and at discharge, followed by an analysis of lung-brain interactions during mechanical ventilation, and finally explores the etiology and mechanisms leading to the neurological disorders observed in these patients. The management of critical patients requires an integral approach focused on minimizing the deleterious effects over the short, middle or long term. |
23260264 | Pressure versus volume controlled modes in invasive mechanical ventilation. | The first generation of mechanical ventilators were controlled and cycled by pressure. Unfortunately, they did not allow control of the delivered tidal volume under changes in the dynamics of the respiratory system. This led to a second generation of ventilators that allowed volume control, hence favoring the ventilatory strategy based on normalization of the arterial gases. Studies conducted in the 1980s which related lung injury to the high ventilator pressures utilized while treating acute respiratory distress syndrome patients renewed interest in pressure-controlled mechanical ventilation. In addition, new evidence became available, leading to the development of pulmonary protective strategies aiming at preventing the progression of ventilator-induced lung injury. This review provides a detailed description of the control of pressure or volume using certain ventilatory modes, and offers a general view of their advantages and disadvantages, based on the latest available evidence. |
23260261 | Vascular endothelial growth factor promotes progressive retinal nonperfusion in patients with retinal vein occlusion. | Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) or branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) causes hypoperfusion, high levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), macular edema, and loss of vision. Many patients also show areas of complete closure of retinal vessels (retinal nonperfusion [RNP]) that increase over time. The objective was to assess the effect of blocking VEGF on progression of RNP. Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 2 randomized, sham injection-controlled, double-masked, multicenter clinical trials. A total of 392 and 397 patients with macular edema due to CRVO or BRVO. An independent reading center measured the area of RNP on fluorescein angiograms (FAs) in 2 phase III trials investigating the effect of ranibizumab (RBZ; Lucentis; Genentech, Inc, South San Francisco, CA) in patients with CRVO or BRVO. The percentage of patients with no posterior RNP at months 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12. There was no difference among treatment groups at baseline, but at the month 6 primary end point the percentage of patients with CRVO and no RNP was significantly greater in the RBZ groups (0.3 mg, 82.0%, P = 0.0092; 0.5 mg, 84.0%, P = 0.0067) versus the sham group (67.0%). Reperfusion of nonperfused retina was rare (1%) in sham-treated patients with CRVO, but occurred in 6% to 8% of patients with CRVO treated with RBZ (30% of those who had RNP and could improve). Results in patients with BRVO mirrored those in patients with CRVO. Crossover to 0.5 mg RBZ from sham at month 6 halted the progression of RNP and resulted in improvement in both CRVO and BRVO. Treatment with RBZ did not worsen RNP in patients with RVO, but rather reduced its occurrence compared with sham. These data provide an important new insight regarding the pathogenesis of RVO; the initial vein occlusion is a precipitating event that causes baseline ischemia and release of VEGF, which then contributes to progression of RNP and thus worsening of ischemia. Timely, aggressive blockade of VEGF prevents the worsening of RNP, promotes reperfusion, and eliminates a positive feedback loop. |
23260260 | Associations of the C2-CFB-RDBP-SKIV2L locus with age-related macular degeneration and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. | To investigate the associations of the C2-CFB-RDBP-SKIV2L region with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). Cross-sectional, case-control association study. A Chinese case-control group of 200 neovascular AMD patients, 233 PCV patients, and 275 control subjects. An association analysis was performed of the C2-CFB-RDBP-SKIV2L locus with both neovascular AMD and PCV in a Chinese population using 19 haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 6 previously reported SNPs across the C2-CFB-RDBP-SKIV2L region. All SNPs were genotyped using the TaqMan genotyping technology (TaqMan; Applied Biosystems [ABI], Foster City, CA). Allele and haplotype frequencies of the SNPs in the C2-CFB-RDBP-SKIV2L region. The SKIV2L SNPs rs429608 and rs453821 were significantly associated with neovascular AMD (P = 7.39 × 10(-5); odds ratio [OR], 0.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.10-0.50; and P = 0.001; OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.21-0.70, respectively), whereas borderline associations were detected for C2 rs547154 (P = 0.002) and RDBP rs760070 (P = 0.003). Conditional haplotype analysis revealed that SKIV2L rs429608 could account fully for the global haplotype association identified in this region. The association of SKIV2L rs429608 with neovascular AMD remained significant after adjusting for CFH rs800292 and HTRA1 rs11200638. No individual SNP or haplotype was associated significantly with PCV. In this concurrent investigation of the associations of the entire C2-CFB-RDBP-SKIV2L region with neovascular AMD and PCV, the results suggested that SKIV2L is a likely causal gene for neovascular AMD, conferring a significant protective effect independent of CFH and HTRA1. These data do not support a significant role of this region in PCV, suggesting different molecular mechanisms between neovascular AMD and PCV. |
23260259 | Diagnostic capability of lamina cribrosa thickness by enhanced depth imaging and factors affecting thickness in patients with glaucoma. | To determine the diagnostic ability of laminar thickness obtained using enhanced depth imaging (EDI) of the Heidelberg Spectralis optical coherence tomography (OCT) system (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) and the factors related to laminar thickness in patients with glaucoma. Evaluation of a diagnostic test. A total of 144 patients with glaucoma (68 with primary open-angle glaucoma [POAG], 76 with normal-tension glaucoma [NTG]), and 65 healthy controls. All patients underwent retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and optic nerve head (ONH) scanning with the Spectralis OCT system. Mean laminar thickness was defined at the center of the mid-superior, central, and mid-inferior horizontal B-scans of the ONH, and the mean of 3 laminar thickness measurements was used for the diagnostic test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were obtained for average and quadrant RNFL thickness and mean laminar thickness. Areas under the ROC curve (AUCs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and sensitivities at a fixed specificity (90%) were calculated. Factors related to mean laminar thickness were analyzed by univariate and multivariate regression analyses in patients with glaucoma. Comparison of diagnostic ability using AUCs. Mean laminar thickness had the largest AUCs among all patients with glaucoma (AUC, 0.980; 95% CI, 0.966-0.993) and patients with NTG (AUC, 0.989; 95% CI, 0.980-0.994). The AUC of the mean laminar thickness of patients with NTG was significantly different from the AUC of the inferior RNFL thickness (AUC, 0.947; 95% CI, 0.929-0.965; P = 0.047), which had the largest AUC among the RNFL thickness parameters. The AUCs for discrimination between early glaucomatous eyes and normal eyes showed significant differences between the NTG group (AUC, 0.981; 95% CI, 0.968-0.992) and all patients with glaucoma (AUC, 0.941; 95% CI, 0.931-0.952; P = 0.007). The factor significantly associated with laminar thickness in both univariate and multivariate regression was NTG diagnosis (P = 0.001). The diagnostic ability of laminar thickness was comparable to that of peripapillary RNFL thickness in patients with glaucoma overall and better than peripapillary RNFL thickness in patients with early NTG. |
23260258 | Investigation of the human anterior segment in normal Chinese subjects using a dual Scheimpflug analyzer. | To investigate anterior segment parameters in normal Chinese subjects and study factors influencing these parameters, such as age, gender, and laterality. A prospective observational case series. A total of 291 normal subjects (582 eyes) were included. The anterior segment data were determined with a dual Scheimpflug analyzer. The corneal thinnest-point thickness (CTPT), corneal thinnest-point distribution (CTPD), central corneal thickness (CCT), corneal thickness (CT) in the central 10 mm diameter, pupil diameter (PD), pupil center distribution (PCD), anterior chamber depth (ACD), and anterior chamber volume (ACV, 8-mm diameter) were measured. The mean distance between the thinnest point and the corneal vertex was 0.70 ± 0.32 mm in the right eyes and 0.42 ± 0.25 mm in the left eyes; the thinnest point was located in the inferior temporal region in 71.1% of the right eyes and 55% of the left eyes. The CCT values were thicker than the CTPT values, and they were positively correlated (right eyes r = 0.994, P<0.001; left eyes r = 0.997, P<0.001). The distance between the pupillary center and the corneal vertex was approximately 0.39 ± 0.27 mm in the right eyes and 0.37 ± 0.24 mm in the left eyes. Furthermore, the percentage of pupillary centers located in the superior regions was 72.2% in the right eyes and 73.5% in the left eyes. Age was negatively correlated with the peripheral CT (7-10 mm diameter), PD, ACD, and ACV of both eyes and the mid-peripheral CT (4-7 mm diameter) of the right eye. Laterality correlated with CTPT (P<0.001) and PD (P<0.001), whereas gender correlated with ACD (P<0.001) and ACV (P = 0.009). The majority of the thinnest corneal points were located in the inferior temporal quadrant, and the pupillary center was located in the superior region of the cornea; both differed substantially from the corneal vertex. The CT increased gradually from the center to the periphery. Age, gender, and laterality correlated with some indexes. |
23260257 | Effect of lateral decubitus position on intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients with asymmetric visual field loss. | To investigate the effect of the lateral decubitus position (LDP) on intraocular pressure (IOP) in glaucoma patients with asymmetric visual field loss. Prospective, cross-sectional study. Ninety-eight eyes of 49 consecutive bilateral glaucoma patients with asymmetric visual field loss, divided into better eye and worse eye groups for calculation of mean deviation. Intraocular pressure was measured using a Goldmann applanation tonometer and rebound tonometer (Icare PRO; Icare Finland Oy, Helsinki, Finland) in each of the following positions: sitting, supine, right LDP, and left LDP. Visual field was examined using the Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA II; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA). A questionnaire on the preferred lying position during sleep was administered to each of the patients. The IOPs measured by rebound tonometer for the better and worse eyes in each position were compared using paired t tests. Agreement between the Goldmann applanation tonometry and rebound tonometry results was assessed by a Bland-Altman plot. The IOPs of the better and worse eyes in the sitting position showed no significant difference (P<0.476). The IOP of the worse eye was significantly higher than that of the better eye in the supine position (16.8 ± 3.0 mmHg vs. 15.1 ± 1.8 mmHg; P<0.001). The IOPs of the worse and better eyes in their dependent LDP were 19.1 ± 3.0 mmHg and 17.6 ± 2.3 mmHg, respectively (change in IOP, 1.6 ± 2.4 mmHg; P<0.001). Of the enrolled patients, 75.5% preferred the LDP, and 75.7% of these LDP-preferring patients preferred the worse eye dependent-LDP. The Bland-Altman plot comparing the Goldmann applanation tonometry and rebound tonometry readings showed reasonable agreement between the 2 methods (r(2)<0.001; P = 0.972). This study showed that IOP-elevation asymmetry in LDP is associated with asymmetric visual field loss in glaucoma patients. The LDP, habitually preferred by glaucoma patients, also may be associated with asymmetric visual field damage. |
23260256 | Predictors of matching in an ophthalmology residency program. | To examine the characteristics of US medical students applying for ophthalmology residency and to determine the predictors of matching. A retrospective case series. A total of 3435 medical students from the United States who applied to an ophthalmology residency program from 2003 to 2008 were included. Matched and unmatched applicants were compared and stratified by predictor variables, including United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 score, Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) status, medical school reputation, and medical school geographic region. Differences in proportions were analyzed using the Fisher exact test. Logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of successful matching. Successful matching to an ophthalmology program. The majority of applicants (72%, 2486/3435) matched in ophthalmology. In multivariate analysis, AOA membership (odds ratio [OR], 2.6, P<0.0001), USMLE score (OR, 1.6; P<0.0001), presence of an ophthalmology residency at medical school (OR, 1.4; P = 0.01), top 25 medical school (OR, 1.4; P<0.03), top 10 medical school (OR, 1.6; P<0.02), and allopathic degree (OR, 4.0; P<0.0001) were statistically significant predictors of matching. Approximately 60% (1442/2486) of applicants matched to the same geographic region as their medical school. Applicants were more likely to match at a program in the same geographic region as their medical school than would be predicted by chance alone (P<0.0001). In multivariate analysis, higher USMLE score (OR, 0.9; P<0.0001) and top 10 medical school (OR, 0.7; P = 0.027) were statistically significant predictors of matching to outside the geographic region as one's medical school. The majority of applicants applying for an ophthalmology residency position match successfully. Higher performance on quantitative metrics seems to confer an advantage for matching. The majority of applicants match at a residency program within the same geographic region as one's medical school. |
23260255 | Removal properties of dissolved boron by glucomannan gel. | Boron ions have long been known to form complexes with the cis-diol group of a polysaccharide. Konjac glucomannan (KGM) which is one of polysaccharides was used to remove dissolved boron in this study. KGM forms a complex with boron, but does not remove boron from contaminated waters as well as other polysaccharides because of its high water solubility. Therefore, the removal efficiencies of dissolved boron were examined using both an insoluble KGM gel and KGM semi-gel. The former did not remove dissolved boron, but the latter did. The difference in the ability of boron removal was due to the presence of diol group inside. KGM loses free diol group during the process of gelation. On the other hand, the semi-gel gelated only surface layer in water has diol group inside. The boron removal capacity of the semi-gel was highest at pHs⩾11, when the boron species is present as B(OH)4(-). The capacity was slightly increased by the addition of Al, Ca and Mg under high pH conditions. This was due to co-precipitation of boron with Ca dissolved from the semi-gel. The boron adsorbed to the semi-gel easily was desorbed under low pH conditions and the hysteresis was not found. |
23260254 | Combined phytoremediation of metal-working fluids with maize plants inoculated with different microorganisms and toxicity assessment of the phytoremediated waste. | The aim of this study was to validate the effectiveness of a phytoremediation procedure for metal-working fluids (MWFs) with maize plants growing in hydroponic culture in which the roots grow on esparto fibre and further improve bioremediation potential of the system with root beneficial bacteria, seeking a synergistic effect of the plant-microorganism combination. Chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH, total and type of hydrocarbons measured after phytoremediation indicated that the process with maize plants was successful, as demonstrated by the significant decrease in the parameters measured. This effect was mainly due to the plant although inoculated microorganisms had a relevant effect on the type of remaining hydrocarbons. The success of the phytoremediation process was further confirmed by two toxicity tests, one of them based on chlorophyll fluorescence measurements on maize plants and another one based on cyanobacteria, using a bioluminescent toxicity bioassay; both tests demonstrated that the phytoremediated waste was significantly less toxic than the initial non-phytoremediated MWFs. |
23260253 | Evaluation of removal efficiency for acute toxicity and genotoxicity on zebrafish in anoxic-oxic process from selected municipal wastewater treatment plants. | The anoxic-oxic (A/O) process has been extensively applied for simultaneous removal of organic contaminants and nitrogen in wastewater treatment. However, very little is known about its ability to remove toxic materials. Municipal wastewater contains various kinds of pollutants, some of which have recalcitrant genotoxicity and may cause potential threat to environment, and even can lead to extinction of many species. In this study, we have selected three municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) employing anoxic-oxic (A/O) process to evaluate their ability to remove acute toxicity and genotoxicity of wastewater. Mortality rate of zebrafish (Danio rerio) was used to evaluate acute toxicity, while micronucleus (MN) and comet assays were used to detect genotoxicity. Results showed that in this process the acute toxicity was completely removed as the treatment proceeded along with decrease in chemical oxygen demand (COD) (<50 mgL(-1)) in the effluent. However, in these treatment processes the genotoxicity was not significantly reduced, but an increase in genotoxicity was observed. Both MN and comet assays showed similar results. The eliminated effluent may pose genotoxic threaten although its COD level has met the Chinese Sewage Discharge Standard. This study suggests that further treatment of the wastewater is required after the A/O process to remove the genotoxicity and minimize the ecotoxicological risk. |
23260252 | Possible chemical causes of skeletal deformities in natural populations of Aphanius fasciatus collected from the Tunisian coast. | This study attempt to quantify and identify skeletal deformities in natural populations of Aphanius fasciatus collected from the Tunisian coast and tends to found a possible relationship between these anomalies and several types of pollutants presents in the environment. Fish were collected from one reference area (S1: coast of Luza) and three polluted areas (S2: industrialized coast of Sfax, S3: coast of Khniss and S4: Hamdoun'Oued). Various patterns of skeletal deformities were diagnosed using double staining technics, and the levels of heavy metals (Cd, Cu and Zn), various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and estrogenic compounds were determined in water and sediment from different sites. Spatio-temporal variation of the spinal deformities frequencies in A. fasciatus show that high incidence of spinal anomalies has been recorded in population collected from S2 in comparison to three other ones. Morphological results indicated that skeletal deformities of adult A. fasciatus were grouped into 13 categories that described abnormalities on spines, vertebrae, arcs and mandibles. A total of 1025 abnormalities were quantified. The results of chemical analysis showed that the levels of heavy metals and PAHs were significantly higher in S2 than in S1, S3 and S4. High level of estrogenic activity was observed only in S4. A possible correlation between environmental exposures to a mixture of pollutants in coastal waters in S2 and spinal deformities in A. fasciatus was suggested. |
23260251 | Air-water exchange fluxes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the tropical coast, Taiwan. | Air-water exchange fluxes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were simultaneously measured in air and water samples from two sites on the Kenting coast, located at the southern tip of Taiwan, from January to December 2010. There was no significant difference in the total PAH (t-PAH) concentrations in both gas and dissolved phases between these two sites due to the less local input which also coincided to the low levels of t-PAH concentration; the gas and dissolved phases averaged 1.29±0.59 ng m(-3) and 2.17±1.19 ng L(-1) respectively. The direction and magnitude of the daily flux of PAHs were significantly influenced by wind speed and dissolved PAH concentrations. Individual PAH flux ranged from 627 ng m(-2) d(-1) volatilization of phenanthrene during the rainy season with storm-water discharges raising dissolved phase concentration, to 67 ng m(-2) d(-1) absorption of fluoranthene during high wind speed periods. Due to PAH annual fluxes through air-water exchange, Kenting seawater is a source of low molecular weight PAHs and a reservoir of high molecular weight PAHs. Estimated annual volatilization fluxes ranged from 7.3 μg m(-2) yr(-1) for pyrene to 50 μg m(-2) yr(-1) for phenanthrene and the absorption fluxes ranged from -2.6 μg m(-2) yr(-1) for chrysene to -3.5 μg m(-2) yr(-1) for fluoranthene. |
23260250 | Influence of usage and chemical-physical properties on the atmospheric transport and deposition of pesticides to agricultural regions of Manitoba, Canada. | This study quantified the masses of 14 pesticides deposited as wet (precipitation) versus dry (gaseous and particle) atmospheric deposition at a research farm in southwestern Manitoba, Canada. The concentration in air of these pesticides was also measured. Total bulk deposition amounts (wet+dry) ranged from 0.009 to 2.3 μg m(-2) for the 12 pesticides detected, and for the six pesticides with both wet and dry deposition detections, dry deposition contributed 12-51% of the total deposition over the crop growing season. Although not applied at the site, eight herbicides registered for use in Canada, as well as lindane (γ-HCH), were all frequently detected (92-100%) in the 12 air samples analyzed during the crop growing season, with by-product isomer α-HCH (75%), clopyralid (50%) and atrazine (8%) detected to a lesser extent. The chemical's physicochemical properties and the relative mean mass of each agricultural pesticide applied in the province of Manitoba and in a 13 km radius were significant parameters in explaining the trends in the concentrations of pesticides detected in our samples. The important contribution of dry deposition to total pesticide deposition warrants greater attention in arid and semi-arid areas such as the Prairie Region of Canada, also because under a changing climate this region is estimated to experience more severe droughts while the more favorable conditions predicted for pest infestations could lead to increased pesticide applications in agricultural and urban areas. |
23260249 | Upscaling retardation factor in hierarchical porous media with multimodal reactive mineral facies. | Aquifer heterogeneity controls spatial and temporal variability of reactive transport parameters and has significant impacts on subsurface modeling of flow, transport, and remediation. Upscaling (or homogenization) is a process to replace a heterogeneous domain with a homogeneous one such that both reproduce the same response. To make reliable and accurate predictions of reactive transport for contaminant in chemically and physically heterogeneous porous media, subsurface reactive transport modeling needs upscaled parameters such as effective retardation factor to perform field-scale simulations. This paper develops a conceptual model of multimodal reactive mineral facies for upscaling reactive transport parameters of hierarchical heterogeneous porous media. Based on the conceptual model, covariance of hydraulic conductivity, sorption coefficient, flow velocity, retardation factor, and cross-covariance between flow velocity and retardation factor are derived from geostatistical characterizations of a three-dimensional unbounded aquifer system. Subsequently, using a Lagrangian approach the scale-dependent analytical expressions are derived to describe the scaling effect of effective retardation factors in temporal and spatial domains. When time and space scales become sufficiently large, the effective retardation factors approximate their composite arithmetic mean. Correlation between the hydraulic conductivity and the sorption coefficient can significantly affect the values of the effective retardation factor in temporal and spatial domains. When the temporal and spatial scales are relatively small, scaling effect of the effective retardation factors is relatively large. This study provides a practical methodology to develop effective transport parameters for field-scale modeling at which remediation and risk assessment is actually conducted. It does not only bridge the gap between bench-scale measurements to field-scale modeling, but also provide new insights into the influence of hierarchical mineral distribution on effective retardation factor. |
23260248 | Carbon mineralization, microbial activity and metal dynamics in tailing ponds amended with pig slurry and marble waste. | A field experiment was set up in Cartagena-La Unión Mining District, SE Spain, aimed at evaluating the short-term effects of pig slurry (PS) amendment alone and together with marble waste (MW) on organic matter mineralization, microbial activity and stabilization of heavy metals in two tailing ponds. These structures pose environmental risk owing to high metals contents, low organic matter and nutrients, and null vegetation. Carbon mineralization, exchangeable metals and microbiological properties were monitored during 67 d. The application of amendments led to a rapid decrease of exchangeable metals concentrations, except for Cu, with decreases up to 98%, 75% and 97% for Cd, Pb and Zn, respectively. The combined addition of MW+PS was the treatment with greater reduction in metals concentrations. The addition of PS caused a significant increase in respiration rates, although in MW+PS plots respiration was lower than in PS plots. The mineralized C from the pig slurry was low, approximately 25-30% and 4-12% for PS and MW+PS treatments, respectively. Soluble carbon (Csol), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and β-galactosidase and β-glucosidase activities increased after the application of the organic amendment. However, after 3d these parameters started a decreasing trend reaching similar values than control from approximately day 25 for Csol and MBC. The PS treatment promoted highest values in enzyme activities, which remained high upon time. Arylesterase activity increased in the MW+PS treatment. Thus, the remediation techniques used improved soil microbiological status and reduced metal availability. The combined application of PS+MW reduced the degradability of the organic compounds. |
23260247 | Impact of miscanthus cultivation on trace metal availability in contaminated agricultural soils: complementary insights from kinetic extraction and physical fractionation. | In order to assess the impact of in situ energy crop cultivation on Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd availabilities in an area contaminated by atmospheric fallout, a parcel divided in two parts was sampled: one under perennial miscanthus since three years and the other staying under annual crops used as reference. Metal availability parameters determined using EDTA extractions at equilibrium and kinetic extractions were related to metal localization in size fractions after physical fractionation. Extraction at equilibrium as well as kinetically defined labile pools highlighted significantly lower Cu and Pb availabilities in the soil under miscanthus compared to the annual crop reference while physical fractionations highlighted an increased localization of these metals in the fine size fractions. For Zn and Cd, changes in metal availability were highlighted only through the kinetic parameters of extraction rate constants while localization in size fractions changed for Cd only. Indeed for these metals extraction at equilibrium and kinetically defined labile and slowly labile pools failed to show some changes. Organic carbon percentage was significantly higher in the 20-50μm and 200-2000μm fractions for the miscanthus sample underlying the importance of no-tillage and organic carbon inputs. Pearson correlations among metal availability parameters and metal and organic carbon localizations were used to identify the more important fractions involved in the metal availability. Results revealed that available metal pools were related to metal localization in the finer soil fractions (<50μm) and to the organic carbon localization in the 20-50μm and 200-2000μm fractions. |
23260246 | Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in relation to secondary sex ratio--a systematic review of published studies. | There is reasonably strong evidence linking reduced secondary sex ratio (proportion of males) and environmental exposures. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent contaminants of the environment and several studies have reported an association of PCBs with birth outcomes. A decrease in the male/female sex ratio at birth has been reported in some, but not all studies. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize and pool the research findings about the influence of PCBs on sex ratio. Several article databases and reference lists of identified articles were searched. Studies reporting the proportion of boys and girls born to individuals who were exposed to high PCB concentrations were included. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of males in groups exposed to high or low levels of PCBs. Studies with both direct and indirect surrogate PCB measurements were included. The search and selection resulted in 15 eligible studies on the association between the sex ratio and parental PCB exposures. Analyses of the high exposure groups showed that the sex ratio was not significantly altered from the historical reference range in 13 of the 15 articles. The majority of the exposure studies reported also internal comparisons between high and low PCB exposure levels. The pooled 95% confidence interval estimate for the difference in high and low maternal exposure with direct PCB measure was - 0.048 with 95% CI of (-0.121, 0.026). There was no strong or moderate indication that parental exposure to PCBs alters the sex ratio of the children. |
23260245 | Adsorption of perfluorinated compounds on aminated rice husk prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization. | Adsorption is considered as an effective method to remove perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) from aqueous solution. In this study, an aminated rice husk (RH) adsorbent was successfully prepared through surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and subsequent amination reaction, and it was used to remove perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) from aqueous solution. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis verified the presence of grafted polymer brushes and amine groups on the RH surface. The zero point of zeta potential of aminated RH was 8.5, which facilitated the sorption of anionic PFCs on the positively charged adsorbent at pH below 8.5. The sorption equilibria of PFOA, PFBA and PFOS were achieved within 5 h, 3 h and 9 h, respectively, faster than the reported porous adsorbents. Sorption isotherms showed that the adsorption capacities of PFOA, PFBA and PFOS on the aminated RH at pH 5.0 were 2.49, 1.70 and 2.65 mmol g(-1), respectively. Sorption behavior and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed that the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions were involved in the sorption process, and the micelles and hemi-micelles of PFOA and PFOS may form on the adsorbent surface. |
23260244 | Measurement of associations of pharmaceuticals with dissolved humic substances using solid phase extraction. | An innovative method was developed to determine association of carbadox, lincomycin and tetracycline with dissolved humic acids using solid phase extraction (SPE). Dissolved organic matter (DOM) and DOM-bound pharmaceuticals passed through the SPE cartridge while the cartridge retained freely dissolved pharmaceuticals from water. This method was validated by comparison with the results measured using the common equilibrium dialysis technique. For the SPE method pharmaceutical interaction with DOM required ∼30h to approach the equilibration, whereas 50-120h was needed for the equilibrium dialysis technique. The uneven distributions of freely membrane-penetrating pharmaceuticals and protons inside vs. outside of the dialysis cell due to the Donnan effect resulted in overestimates of pharmaceutical affinity with DOM for the equilibrium dialysis method. The SPE technique eliminates the Donnan effect, and demonstrates itself as a more efficient, less laborious and more accurate method. The measured binding coefficients with DOM followed the order of carbadox<lincomycin<tetracycline. Pharmaceutical bindings with Leonardite humic acid were greater than those with Aldrich humic acid due to more interaction sites, i.e. carboxylic and phenolic functional moieties, present in the Leonardite humic acid. The results obtained suggest that many pharmaceuticals could be significantly bound to DOM, which alters their fate and mobility in the environment. |
23260243 | The influence of silicon on barley growth, photosynthesis and ultra-structure under chromium stress. | Silicon (Si) is generally considered as a benefic element for higher plants, especially for those grown under abiotic stressed environments. Current study is carried out in a hydroponic experiment to analyze the effect of Si application on barley growth, photosynthesis and ultra-structure under chromium (Cr) stress. The treatments consisted of three Si (0, 1 and 2mM) and two Cr (0 and 100 μM) levels. The results showed that Si application at both levels enhanced plant growth relative to the control, and alleviated Cr toxicity, reflected by significant increase in growth and photosynthetic parameters, such as SPAD value, net photosynthetic rate (P(n)), cellular CO(2) concentration (C(i)), stomatal conductance (G(s)) and transpiration rate (T(r)), and chlorophyll fluorescence efficiency (Fv/Fm), with 2mM Si having greater effect than 1mM Si. Cr stress caused ultra-structural disorders in leaves, such as uneven swelling of chloroplast, increased amount of plastoglobuli, disintegrated and disappeared thylakoid membranes, increased size and number of starch granules in leaves, and root ultra-structural modification, including increased vacuolar size, presence of Cr metal in cell walls and vacuoles, disruption and disappearance of nucleus. Exogenous Si alleviated these ultra-structural disorders both in roots and leaves. Apparently, Si and Cr behaved antagonistically, indicating that Si could be a candidate for Cr detoxification in crops under Cr-contaminated soil. |
23260242 | Effect of in situ exposure history on the molecular responses of freshwater bivalve Anodonta anatina (Unionidae) to trace metals. | The goal of the study was to assess the adequacy of molecular responses in mollusks in relation to their in situ exposure history. Freshwater male bivalve mollusks Anadonta anatina (Unionidae) from polluted (A) and unpolluted (F) sites were subjected to 14 days of exposure to copper (Cu(2+), 10 μg L(-1)), zinc (Zn(2+), 130 μg L(-1)) or cadmium (Cd(2+), 15 μg L(-1)). The comparison of two control groups showed that the specimens from site A had higher levels of Cu, Zn and Cd and metallothionein (measured both through metal (MT-Me), and protein (MT-SH) levels) in the tissues. Cytotoxicity (low lysosomal membrane stability), low glutathione level, high antioxidant and apoptotic enzymes activities, lipid and protein oxidative injury, depletion of ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) in digestive gland, high vitellogenin-like protein (Vtg-LP) concentration in gonads confirmed the effect of toxic environment on this group. Exposures provoked increased number of hemocytes with micronuclei (by 100-500%) and nuclear abnormalities (by 50-400%) (genotoxicity), elevation of caspase-3 (in 1.5-10 times) and/or Vtg-LP (by 70-310%) levels in all groups. However, the responses were strongly dependent on the origin of mussels. Exposed mussels from site F demonstrated typical for the effect of toxic metals elevation of MT-SH (by 100-380%) and MT-Me (up to seven times) levels and accumulation of metals (with a few exceptions) in the tissues. Conversely, in the mussels inhabiting site A, exposures caused the decrease of metal (by 37% for Cu, by 62% for Zn, by 50% for Cd), MT-SH (by 68% in ZnA group) and MT-Me (by 50-68%) levels. That was accompanied with increase of cytotoxicity and EROD activity (by 144-240%). High level of protein carbonyls was the distinguished feature of all groups from site A. Hence, despite high efficiency of metal detoxification and oxidative stress responses in the mussels, in the specimens from spontaneously polluted site they were impaired. |
23260241 | Standardized laboratory tests with 21 species of temperate and tropical sepsid flies confirm their suitability as bioassays of pharmaceutical residues (ivermectin) in cattle dung. | Veterinary pharmaceuticals excreted in the dung of treated livestock can have strong non-target effects on the dung organism community. We report results of ecotoxicological tests with ivermectin for 21 species of temperate (Europe, North America) and tropical (Asia, Central America) black scavenger flies (Diptera: Sepsidae), using standardized methods developed previously for the yellow dung fly and the face fly. Our study documents great variation in ivermectin sensitivity of more than two orders of magnitude among species and even populations within species: estimated lethal effect concentrations LC(50) (at which 50% of the flies died) ranged from 0.05 to 18.55 μg/kg dung fresh weight (equivalent to 0.33-132.22 μg/kg dung dry weight). We also show that controlled laboratory tests can--within reasonable limits-be extended to the field or to laboratory settings without climate control, as obtained LC(50) were roughly similar. In addition to lethal effects, our study revealed relevant sub-lethal effects at lower ivermectin concentrations in terms of prolonged development, smaller body size and reduced juvenile growth rate. Finally, oviposition choice experiments showed that females generally do not discriminate against dung containing ivermectin residues. We conclude that sepsid flies are well suited test organisms for pharmaceutical residues in the dung of livestock due to their ease and speed of rearing and handling, particularly in the tropics, where high-tech laboratory equipment is often not available. |
23260240 | The modified action of triphenyllead chloride on UVB-induced effects in albumin and lipids. | Previously we have shown a toxic effect of the organometallic compound triphenyllead (TPhPb) on cells. In the present study we evaluated the destructive effect of TPhPb on model systems--serum albumin and liposome membranes--alone and under UVB irradiation. UVB irradiation of bovine serum albumin results in protein S-S bond reduction, free SH- and CO- group formation and decrease in fluorescence intensity of tryptophans. Triphenyllead chloride alone and under UVB irradiation did not induce protein oxidation, measured as formation of carbonyl groups, in serum albumin; however, it decreased the content of SH- groups in both cases (alone and under UVB radiation) in a dose-dependent manner. It was found that triphenyllead chloride alone did not induce lipid peroxidation of liposomes but increased their fluidity. However, under UVB irradiation TPhPb dramatically enhances the pro-oxidant action of UVB in a manner dependent on concentration and intensity of radiation, and these effects were suppressed by Trolox. These results suggest that the toxicity of TPhPb under UVB irradiation is due to formation of radical forms of the compound and its disordered effects on the membrane structure. |
23260239 | Fly ash application in nutrient poor agriculture soils: impact on methanotrophs population dynamics and paddy yields. | There are reports that the application of fly ash, compost and press mud or a combination thereof, improves plant growth, soil microbial communities etc. Also, fly ash in combination with farmyard manure or other organic amendments improves soil physico-chemical characteristics, rice yield and microbial processes in paddy fields. However, the knowledge about the impact of fly ash inputs alone or in combination with other organic amendments on soil methanotrophs number in paddy soils is almost lacking. We hypothesized that fly ash application at lower doses in paddy agriculture soil could be a potential amendment to elevate the paddy yields and methanotrophs number. Here we demonstrate the impact of fly ash and press mud inputs on number of methanotrophs, antioxidants, antioxidative enzymatic activities and paddy yields at agriculture farm. The impact of amendments was significant for methanotrophs number, heavy metal concentration, antioxidant contents, antioxidant enzymatic activities and paddy yields. A negative correlation was existed between higher doses of fly ash-treatments and methanotrophs number (R(2)=0.833). The content of antioxidants and enzymatic activities in leaves of higher doses fly ash-treated rice plants increased in response to stresses due to heavy metal toxicity, which was negatively correlated with rice grain yield (R(2)=0.944) and paddy straw yield (R(2)=0.934). A positive correlation was noted between heavy metals concentrations and different antioxidant and enzymatic activities across different fly ash treated plots.The data of this study indicate that heavy metal toxicity of fly ash may cause oxidative stress in the paddy crop and the antioxidants and related enzymes could play a defensive role against phytotoxic damages. We concluded that fly ash at lower doses with press mud seems to offer the potential amendments to improving soil methanotrophs population and paddy crop yields for the nutrient poor agriculture soils. |
23260238 | Heavy metals in eggshells of cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) and little egret (Egretta garzetta) from the Punjab province, Pakistan. | Concentrations of nine trace metals were determined to assess site-specific and species-specific differences using Fast Sequential Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Varian FAAS-240) in eggshells of Bubulcus ibis and Egretta garzetta from seven heronries in the Punjab province, Pakistan. Pattern of metal concentration followed the order: Fe > Zn > Pb > Mn > Cd > Cr > Li > Cu > Ni. Greater mean concentrations of Mn(1.17 μg/g), Ni(0.11 μg/g), Pb(1.49 μg/g), Cd(0.88 μg/g), Cr(0.7 μg/g), Cu(0.20 μg/g) and Li(0.27 μg/g) were recorded in little egret. Mean concentrations of Mn, Pb, and Cr, (3.98, 5.4, 0.8 μg/g) were significantly higher in eggshells collected from Shorkot; Cu, Zn and Ni (0.19, 13.0, 0.12 μg/g) from the Trimu Headwork; Cd (1.23 μg/g) from Jhang Faisalabad Road and Fe (67.98 μg/g) from Mailsi. Multivariate analyses indicated that Mn, Pb, Cd, Ni, Cu, Cr and Zn were associated with anthropogenic activities and Fe and Li with natural origin. This study provides the baseline data for a monitoring program and revealed that egg-shells can serve as a bio-monitor of local metal contamination. |
23260237 | Organochlorine pesticides in soil, water and sediment along the Jinjiang River mainstream to Quanzhou Bay, southeast China. | Residue levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in multiple compartments (water, soil and sediment) along the Jinjiang River mainstream to Quanzhou Bay were monitored to elucidate sources and fate. The concentrations of OCPs in surface soil of the watershed of the Jinjiang River (2.44 ± 1.97 ng/g for hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and 11.4 ± 8.46 ng/g for dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs)) and the Quanzhou Bay (1.81 ± 2.15 ng/g for HCHs and 9.72 ± 14.66 ng/g for DDTs) were comparable. The concentrations of HCHs and DDTs in dissolved phase were 55-94% for the total HCHs and ten to sixteen percent for the total DDTs in the Jinjiang River. High correlations of OCPs between suspended particulate matter (SPM) and sediment (p<0.01) were found in this study, which demonstrated that OCPs absorbed onto SPM was the major source in the sediment of Quanzhou Bay. The use of lindane was the major source of HCHs in the study region. Dicofol pollution was found in water of the Jinjiang River and sediment of Quanzhou Bay. Based on the sediment quality guidelines, DDTs pose more ecotoxicological risk in environment of the Jinjiang River and Quanzhou Bay. |
23260236 | Docking and CoMSIA studies on steroids and non-steroidal chemicals as androgen receptor ligands. | While some synthetic chemicals have been demonstrated to disrupt normal endocrine function by binding to the androgen receptor (AR), the mechanism by which ligands bind to the ligand binding domain (LBD) remained unclear. In this study, docking and comparative molecular similarity index analysis (CoMSIA) were performed to study the AR ligand binding mechanism of steroids and non-steroidal chemicals. The obtained docking conformations and predictive CoMSIA models (r(pred)(2)values as 0.842 and 0.554) indicated the primary interaction site and key residues in the binding process. The major factors influence the binding affinity of steroids and non-steroidal chemicals were electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, respectively. The results indicated that besides amino-acid residues Gln711, Arg752 and Thr877 which have previously been reported to be important in binding ligands, Leu701 and Leu704 are also important. Residues Val746, Met749 and Phe764 are crucial only for steroids, while Met742 and Met787 are important only for non-steroidal chemicals. This knowledge of key interactions and important amino-acid residues governing ligands to the AR allow better prediction of potency of AR agonists so that their potential to disrupt AR-mediated pathways and to design less potent alternatives. |