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24210892 | Monolithic graphene fibers for solid-phase microextraction. | Monolithic graphene fibers for solid-phase microextraction (SPME) were fabricated through a dimensionally confined hydrothermal strategy and their extraction performance was evaluated. For the fiber fabrication, a glass pipeline was innovatively used as a hydrothermal reactor instead of a Teflon-lined autoclave. Compared with conventional methods for SPME fibers, the proposed strategy can fabricate a uniform graphene fiber as long as several meters or more at a time. Coupled to capillary gas chromatography (GC), the monolithic graphene fibers in a direct-immersion (DI) mode achieved higher extraction efficiencies for aromatics than those for n-alkanes, especially for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), thanks to π-π stacking interaction and hydrophobic effect. Additionally, the fibers exhibited excellent durability and can be repetitively used more than 160 times without significant loss of extraction performance. As a result, an optimum extraction condition of 40°C for 50min with 20% NaCl (w/w) was finally used for SPME of PAHs in aqueous samples. For the determination of PAHs in water samples, the proposed DI-SPME-GC method exhibited linear range of 0.05-200μg/L, limits of detection (LOD) of 4.0-50ng/L, relative standard deviation (RSD) less than 9.4% and 12.1% for one fiber and different fibers, respectively, and recoveries of 78.9-115.9%. The proposed method can be used for analysis of PAHs in environmental water samples. |
24210893 | Telepulmonology: effect on quality and efficiency of care. | Interpreting spirometry results has proven challenging in primary care practice, among others potentially leading to under- and misdiagnosis of COPD. In telepulmonology a general practitioner (GP) digitally consults a pulmonologist to support the interpretation of spirometry results. This study assessed the effect of telepulmonology on quality and efficiency of care. |
24210895 | Mass spectrometric quantification of L-arginine and its pathway related substances in biofluids: the road to maturity. | The amino acid L-arginine together with its metabolites and related substances is in the center of many biologically important pathways, especially the urea cycle and the nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. Therefore, the concentrations of these substances in various biological fluids are of great interest as predictive markers for health and disease. Yet, they provide major analytical difficulties as they are very polar in nature and therefore not easily to be separated on standard reversed phase HPLC stationary phases. Furthermore, as endogenous substances, no analyte-free matrix is available, a fact that results plicated calibration procedures. This review evaluates the analytical literature for the determination of L-arginine, symmetric dimethylarginine, asymmetric dimethylarginine, monomethylarginine, L-citrulline, L-ornithine, L-homoarginine, agmatine and dimethylguanidinovaleric acid in biological fluids. Papers are discussed, which were published since 2007 and describe methods applying capillary electrophoresis (CE), gas chromatography (GC), reversed phase HPLC or polar phase HPLC, coupled to mass spectrometric quantification. Nowadays, many carefully developed and validated methods for L-arginine and its related substances are available to the munity. The use of stable isotope labeled internal standards enables high precision and accuracy in mass spectrometry-based quantitative analysis. |
24210894 | Targeting and mimicking collagens via triple helical peptide assembly. | As the major ponent of the extracellular matrix, collagen plays a crucial role in tissue development and regeneration. Since structural and metabolic abnormalities of collagen are associated with numerous debilitating diseases and pathologic conditions, the ability to target collagens of diseased tissues could lead to new diagnostics and therapeutics. Collagen is also a natural biomaterial widely used in drug delivery and tissue engineering, and construction of synthetic collagen-like materials is gaining interests in the munity. The unique triple helical structure of collagen has been explored for targeting collagen strands, and for engineering collagen-like functional assemblies and conjugates. This review focuses on the forefront of research activities in the use of the collagen mimetic peptide for both targeting and mimicking collagens via its triple helix mediated strand hybridization and higher order assembly. |
24210896 | Skeletal stability of bioresorbable fixation in orthognathic surgery: a systemic review. | Over the past 20 years, there has been an increase in the use of bioresorbable fixation system in orthognathic surgery, but concerns remain about the stability of fixation. This review is to seek evidence for the effectiveness of bioresorbable fixation pared to titanium systems used for orthognathic surgery. |
24210897 | The prevalence of chronic health conditions impacting on daily functioning and the association with emotional well-being among a national sample of high school students. | This study aims to describe the prevalence of self-reported chronic health conditions among high school students in New Zealand, the extent to which the condition impacts on their activities and socialization, and to explore the association between the level of impact of the illness or disability and the emotional well-being of students with chronic health conditions. |
24210898 | Preventing adolescent alcohol use: effects of a two-year quasi-experimental community intervention intensifying formal and informal control. | To determine the effect on adolescent alcohol use of munity bining intensified formal control (restricting retail supply) and informal control (restricting social supply). Intervention effects on intermediate intervention goals were investigated. Analyses for different age groups were performed. |
24210899 | Adolescent use of the emergency department instead of the primary care provider: who, why, and how urgent? | Adolescents frequently rely on emergency medical care, rather than using primary care providers (PCPs). Our objectives were to characterize a population of adolescents presenting to a large, urban emergency department (ED) and to examine the reasons why they present to the ED, rather than to their PCP's office. |
24210900 | Sinonasal manifestations of cystic fibrosis: a correlation between genotype and phenotype? | Patients with Cystic Fibrosis are prone to develop sinonasal disease. Studies in genotype-phenotype correlations for sinonasal disease are scarce and inconclusive. |
24210901 | Manipulating sleep spindles--expanding views on sleep, memory, and disease. | Sleep spindles are distinctive electroencephalographic (EEG) oscillations emerging during non-rapid-eye-movement sleep (NREMS) that have been implicated in multiple brain functions, including sleep quality, sensory gating, learning, and memory. Despite considerable knowledge about the mechanisms underlying these neuronal rhythms, their function remains poorly understood and current views are largely based on correlational evidence. Here, we review recent studies in humans and rodents that have begun to broaden our understanding of the role of spindles in the normal and disordered brain. We show that newly identified molecular substrates of spindle oscillations, bination with evolving technological progress, offer novel targets and tools to selectively manipulate spindles and dissect their role in sleep-dependent processes. |
24210902 | Role of adipokines and cytokines in obesity-associated breast cancer: therapeutic targets. | Obesity is the cause of a large proportion of breast cancer incidences and mortality in post-menopausal women. In obese people, elevated levels of various growth factors such as insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are found. Elevated insulin level leads to increased secretion of estrogen by binding to the circulating sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). The increased estrogen-mediated downstream signaling favors breast carcinogenesis. Obesity leads to altered expression profiles of various adipokines and cytokines including leptin, adiponectin, IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β. The increased levels of leptin and decreased adiponectin secretion are directly associated with breast cancer development. Increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines within the tumor microenvironment promote tumor development. Efficacy of available breast cancer drugs against obesity-associated breast cancer is yet to be confirmed. In this review, we will discuss different adipokine- and cytokine-mediated molecular signaling pathways involved in obesity-associated breast cancer, available therapeutic strategies and potential therapeutic targets for obesity-associated breast cancer. |
24210903 | Non-invasive prenatal testing for Down syndrome. | Prenatal screening and diagnosis of Down syndrome and other major aneuploidies may be transformed following the identification of cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma at the end of the last millennium. Next generation sequencing has enabled the development of tests that accurately predict the presence of fetal trisomies by analysis of cell-free DNA in maternal blood from as early as 10 weeks of gestation. These tests are now widely available in mercial sector but are yet to be implemented in publicly led health services. In this article we discuss the technical, social, and ethical challenges that these new tests bring. |
24210904 | Reelin mobilizes a VAMP7-dependent synaptic vesicle pool and selectively augments spontaneous neurotransmission. | Reelin is a glycoprotein that is critical for proper layering of neocortex during development as well as dynamic regulation of glutamatergic postsynaptic signaling in mature synapses. Here, we show that Reelin also acts presynaptically, resulting in robust rapid enhancement of spontaneous neurotransmitter release without affecting properties of evoked neurotransmission. This effect of Reelin requires a modest but significant increase in presynaptic Ca(2+) initiated via ApoER2 signaling. The specificity of Reelin action on spontaneous neurotransmitter release is encoded at the level of vesicular SNARE machinery as it requires VAMP7 and SNAP-25 but not synaptobrevin2, VAMP4, or vti1a. These results uncover a presynaptic regulatory pathway that utilizes the heterogeneity of synaptic vesicle-associated SNAREs and selectively augments action potential-independent neurotransmission. |
24210905 | Encoding of mixtures in a simple olfactory system. | Natural odors are usually mixtures; yet, humans and animals can experience them as unitary percepts. Olfaction also enables stimulus categorization and generalization. We studied how putations are performed with the responses of 168 locust antennal lobe projection neurons (PNs) to varying mixtures of two monomolecular odors, and of 174 PNs and 209 mushroom body Kenyon cells (KCs) to mixtures of up to eight monomolecular odors. Single-PN responses showed strong hypoadditivity and population trajectories clustered by odor concentration and mixture similarity. KC responses were much sparser on average than those of PNs and often signaled the presence of ponents in mixtures. Linear classifiers could read out the responses of both populations in single time bins to perform odor identification, categorization, and generalization. Our results suggest that odor representations in the mushroom body may result peting optimization constraints to facilitate memorization (sparseness) while enabling identification, classification, and generalization. |
24210906 | Regulation of axon degeneration after injury and in development by the endogenous calpain inhibitor calpastatin. | Axon degeneration is widespread both in neurodegenerative disease and in normal neural development, but the molecular pathways regulating these degenerative processes and the extent to which they are distinct or overlapping remain pletely understood. We report that calpastatin, an inhibitor of calcium-activated proteases of the calpain family, functions as a key endogenous regulator of axon degeneration. Calpastatin depletion was observed in degenerating axons after physical injury, and maintaining calpastatin inhibited degeneration of transected axons in vitro and in the optic nerve in vivo. Calpastatin depletion also occurred in a caspase-dependent manner in trophic factor-deprived sensory axons and was required for this in vitro model of developmental degeneration. In vivo, calpastatin regulated the normal pruning of retinal ganglion cell axons in their target field. These findings identify calpastatin as a key checkpoint for axonal survival after injury and during development, and demonstrate downstream convergence of these distinct pathways of axon degeneration. |
24210907 | Spike-timing-dependent plasticity in primate corticospinal connections induced during free behavior. | Motor learning and functional recovery from brain damage involve changes in the strength of synaptic connections between neurons. Relevant in vivo evidence on the underlying cellular mechanisms remains limited and indirect. We found that the strength of neural connections between motor cortex and spinal cord in monkeys can be modified with an autonomous recurrent neural interface that delivers electrical stimuli in the spinal cord triggered by action potentials of corticospinal cells during free behavior. The activity-dependent stimulation modified the strength of the terminal connections of single otoneuronal cells, consistent with a bidirectional spike-timing-dependent plasticity rule previously derived from in vitro experiments. For some cells, the changes lasted for days after the end of conditioning, but most effects eventually reverted to preconditioning levels. These results provide direct evidence of corticospinal synaptic plasticity in vivo at the level of single neurons induced by normal firing patterns during free behavior. |
24210909 | Effects in cattle of genetic variation within the IGF1R gene on the superovulation performance and pregnancy rates after embryo transfer. | The insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) is a membrane glycoprotein mediating most biological actions of IGF1 and IGF2, and has an important effect on ovulation, pre-implantation embryo development and pregnancy rate. The objectives of this study were to detect IGF1R gene polymorphisms of cattle and analyze the relationship with superovulation performance and pregnancy rates after embryo transfer (ET), as well as the hormone concentrations at the day of ET. One reported SNP of IGF1R G404T and a novel SNP of IGF1R G399A were analyzed in 170 Chinese Holstein donor cows and 118 Luxi recipients cattle. Statistical analysis revealed that the G404T mutation was associated (p=0.019) with increased ovulation rate and females with this mutation had enhanced performance in producing transferable embryos. For the polymorphic locus G399A, recipients with g.399 GG and g.399 GA genotypes had greater pregnancy rates after ET than that of g.399 AA genotype. Furthermore, the same tendency was observed that the genotype groups with greater pregnancy rates had greater progesterone and lesser estrogen concentrations, but these did not reach statistical significance. Results of the present study showed, for the first time, that the polymorphism in IGF1R is associated with superovulation traits, and indicated that the IGFIR gene can be used as a potential marker for donor selection. |
24210908 | Noncanonical FK506-binding protein BDBT binds DBT to enhance its circadian function and forms foci at night. | The kinase DOUBLETIME is a master regulator of the Drosophila circadian clock, yet the mechanisms regulating its activity remain unclear. A proteomic analysis of DOUBLETIME interactors led to the identification of an unstudied protein designated CG17282. RNAi-mediated knockdown of CG17282 produced behavioral arrhythmicity and long periods and high levels of hypophosphorylated nuclear PERIOD and phosphorylated DOUBLETIME. Overexpression of DOUBLETIME in flies suppresses these phenotypes and overexpression of CG17282 in S2 cells enhances DOUBLETIME-dependent PERIOD degradation, indicating that CG17282 stimulates DOUBLETIME's circadian function. In photoreceptors, CG17282 accumulates rhythmically in PERIOD- and DOUBLETIME-dependent cytosolic foci. Finally, structural analyses demonstrated CG17282 is a noncanonical FK506-binding protein with an inactive peptide prolyl-isomerase domain that binds DOUBLETIME and tetratricopeptide repeats that may promote assembly of larger plexes. We have named CG17282 BRIDE OF DOUBLETIME and established it as a mediator of DOUBLETIME's effects on PERIOD, most likely in cytosolic foci that regulate PERIOD nuclear accumulation. |
24210910 | Effect of cryopreservation and single layer centrifugation on canine sperm DNA fragmentation assessed by the sperm chromatin dispersion test. | The aims of this study were: 1) to assess the effect of freezing and thawing on dog sperm DNA fragmentation index (sDFI) using the sperm chromatin dispersion test (SCDt); and 2) to determine whether or not the sperm selection by single layer centrifugation (SLC) using Androcoll-C improves sperm DNA longevity in SLC-selected frozen-thawed dog semen samples. Semen samples were collected from 4 dogs using digital manipulation. After collection, ejaculates were pooled and cryopreserved following a standard protocol. Sperm motility and morphology were assessed before freezing and after thawing as a control for the cryopreservation method used. In experiment 1, sDFI was analyzed immediately before freezing and after thawing (baseline values), showing no significant differences between fresh and frozen-thawed semen samples. In experiment 2, frozen-thawed semen samples were processed or not by SLC using Androcoll-C and longevity of DNA were assessed in terms of sDFI after 24h of in vitro incubation at physiological temperature (38°C). The results showed low values of sDFI in SLC-selected semen parison to unselected samples. In conclusion, no effect of cryopreservation was observed on baseline values of dog sperm DNA fragmentation. Additionally, SLC-selection using Androcoll-C improved longevity of frozen-thawed sperm DNA assessed by the SCDt. |
24210914 | Rapid construction of sigmoid bladder augmentation using absorbable staples: long-term results and comparison to standard colocystoplasty in children with neurogenic bladder. | Absorbable staples facilitate detubularization and reconfiguration of the bowel when performing augmentation colocystoplasty. pared the es of stapled sigmoid augmentation with standard sutured colocystoplasty. |
24210915 | Protective effect of esterified glucomannan on aflatoxin-induced changes in testicular function, sperm quality, and seminal plasma biochemistry in rams. | The aim of this study was to determine the effect of aflatoxin (AF) on spermatologic, biochemical, and testis parameters in rams, and the protective efficiency of esterified annan (EG) co-administered with AF. Thirty-two Merino rams (12-14 months old) were used. The experimental design consisted of four dietary treatments. The control group was mercial feed. The AF group was fed mercial feed plus 250 μg/d of total AF. The EG group mercial feed plus 2 g/d of EG. The AF + EG group was mercial feed plus 250 μg/d of total AF and 2 g/d of EG. There were treatment, time, and treatment-by-time interaction effects on sperm motility, abnormal spermatozoa, damaged acrosome, and dead spermatozoa (P < 0.01). The percentage of motile sperm was lower and the percentages of abnormal sperm, sperm with damaged acrosomes, and dead sperm were greater in the AF group than in the control, AF+EG, and EG groups, as from week 3 until the end of week 12 (P < 0.05). As from week 3, hyaluronidase activity in the seminal plasma increased significantly in the AF pared with the control. The co-administration of AF+EG was found to be effective in preventing the increase in hyaluronidase activity. As week 4, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were significantly higher in the AF pared with the control. bined administration of AF+EG was found to be effective in lowering the MDA levels, increased by AF, to the levels measured in the control (P < 0.05). Although glutathione (GSH) levels were determined to have significantly decreased in the AF group parison to the control, it was observed that, in the group co-administered with AF and EG, particularly after week 7, the GSH levels, which had decreased owing to AF, were largely ameliorated (P < 0.05). In conclusion, AF adversely affected spermatologic, biochemical, and testis parameters, and bined administration of EG with AF reversibly eliminated these adverse effects in rams. |
24210916 | Cryogenic changes in proteases and antiprotease activities of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and cattle (Bos taurus) semen. | The postthaw motility and fertility of buffalo and cattle semen is reduced when they are cryopreserved for artificial insemination. In the present study, an attempt was made to characterize the cryogenic changes in proteases and antiprotease activities (APA) of buffalo and cattle semen because these proteolysis regulators have been reported to be associated with sperm motility and fertility. Buffalo sperm demonstrated at least two major proteases of 45 and 42 kDa and three minor proteases of 95, 52, and 33 kDa. Similarly, cattle sperm demonstrated three major proteases of 62, 45, and 42 kDa and two minor proteases of 85 and 78 kDa. Buffalo seminal plasma demonstrated at least three major proteases of 78, 68, and 62 kDa and one minor protease of 98 kDa and cattle seminal plasma demonstrated one major protease of 68 kDa and two minor proteases of 78 and 75 kDa. Except for the 45 kDa protease, most of the previously mentioned proteases were found to be metalloproteinases. Compared with fresh sperm, cryopreserved buffalo and cattle sperm demonstrated a major protease band of 52/49 kDa and the activity of this protease reduced progressively with the duration of cryopreservation. On the pared with the fresh seminal plasma, cryopreserved buffalo and cattle semen extenders displayed the presence of a new protease band of 45 kDa and demonstrated that this protease activity was leaked from buffalo and cattle cryopreserved spermatozoa. Buffalo and cattle seminal plasmas displayed at least two major APA of 86 and 26 kDa. Compared with buffalo, cattle seminal plasma demonstrated significantly greater APA. Thus, the present study demonstrated the presence of an array of proteases and APA in buffalo and cattle semen and the activities of which changed during cryopreservation. The leakage of the specific protease activity and changes in the proteases and APA might be attributed to reduced motility and fertility of cryopreserved semen in these species. |
24210918 | Transcriptome surveillance by selective termination of noncoding RNA synthesis. | Pervasive transcription of eukaryotic genomes stems to a large extent from bidirectional promoters that synthesize mRNA and divergent noncoding RNA (ncRNA). Here, we show that ncRNA transcription in the yeast S. cerevisiae is globally restricted by early termination that relies on the essential RNA-binding factor Nrd1. Depletion of Nrd1 from the nucleus results in 1,526 Nrd1-unterminated transcripts (NUTs) that originate from nucleosome-depleted regions (NDRs) and can deregulate mRNA synthesis by antisense repression and transcription interference. Transcriptome-wide Nrd1-binding maps reveal divergent NUTs at most promoters and antisense NUTs in most 3' regions of genes. Nrd1 and its partner Nab3 preferentially bind RNA motifs that are depleted in mRNAs and enriched in ncRNAs and some mRNAs whose synthesis is controlled by transcription attenuation. These results define a global mechanism for transcriptome surveillance that selectively terminates ncRNA synthesis to provide promoter directionality and to suppress antisense transcription. |
24210919 | Mtr4-like protein coordinates nuclear RNA processing for heterochromatin assembly and for telomere maintenance. | The regulation of protein-coding and noncoding RNAs is linked to nuclear processes, including chromatin modifications and gene silencing. However, the mechanisms that distinguish RNAs and mediate their functions are poorly understood. We describe a nuclear RNA-processing network in fission yeast with a core prising the Mtr4-like protein, Mtl1, and the zinc-finger protein, Red1. The Mtl1-Red1 core promotes degradation of mRNAs and noncoding RNAs and associates with different proteins to assemble heterochromatin via distinct mechanisms. Mtl1 also forms Red1-independent interactions with evolutionarily conserved proteins named Nrl1 and Ctr1, which associate with splicing factors. Whereas Nrl1 targets transcripts with cryptic introns to form heterochromatin at developmental genes and retrotransposons, Ctr1 functions in processing intron-containing telomerase RNA. Together with our discovery of widespread cryptic introns, including in noncoding RNAs, these findings reveal unique cellular strategies for recognizing regulatory RNAs and coordinating their functions in response to developmental and environmental cues. |
24210920 | Merits of usability testing for PACS selection. | pare the usability of different Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) workstations, determine whether a usability test has added value with respect to the traditional way paring PACSs based on functional requirements, and to evaluate the appropriateness of a task-based methodology for a PACS usability test. |
24210921 | Thermal and electron stimulated luminescence of natural bones, commercial hydroxyapatite and collagen. | The luminescence (cathodoluminescence and thermoluminescence) properties of natural bones (Siberian mammoth and adult mercial hydroxyapatite and collagen were analyzed. Chemical analyses of the natural bones were determined using by Electron Probe Micro-Analysis (EMPA). Structural, molecular and thermal characteristics were determined by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and Differential Thermal and Thermogravimetric analysis (DTA-TG). Cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra of natural bones and collagen showed similar intense broad bands at 440 and 490 nm related to luminescence of the tetrahedral anion [Formula: see text] or structural defects. A weaker luminescence exhibited at 310 nm could be attributed to small amount of rare earth elements (REEs). Four luminescent bands at 378, 424, 468 and 576 nm were observed in mercial hydroxyapatite (HAP). Both natural bones and collagen samples exhibited natural thermoluminescence (NTL) with well-defined glow curves whereas that the induced thermoluminescence (ITL) only appears in the samples mercial hydroxyapatite and collagen. Additional explanations for the TL anomalous fading of apatite, as a crucial difficulty performing dosimetry and dating, are also considered. |
24210922 | The burden of childhood asthma and late preterm and early term births. | To evaluate the association between gestational age at birth and the risk of subsequent development of asthma. |
24210917 | Risky sexual behaviors: The role of ethnic identity in HIV risk in migrant workers. | Migrant workers have been shown to be at a heightened level of risk for HIV, and ethnic identity has been posited to have an impact on engagement in risky sexual behaviors. Our longitudinal study examined associations between baseline and short-term changes in ethnic identity and high-risk sexual behaviors. Baseline (n = 431) and 6-month assessment (n = 270) data were obtained from a larger HIV prevention study conducted among African American and Hispanic migrant workers. Repeated-measures multivariate analysis of covariance and multiple linear regressions were used. Ethnic identity explore, a subscale of ethnic identity, was a significant predictor of overall sexual risk [F(8, 422) = 6.953, p < .001] and unprotected vaginal acts [F(8, 422) = 8.444, p < .001] at baseline. However, ethnic identity had no bearing on changes in risky sexual behaviors. Ethnic identity explore was associated with safer sexual behaviors. |
24210925 | Hypothermia and early neonatal mortality in preterm infants. | To evaluate intervention practices associated with hypothermia at both 5 minutes after birth and at neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission and to determine whether hypothermia at NICU admission is associated with early neonatal death in preterm infants. |
24210927 | Brain magnetic resonance imaging in infants with surgical necrotizing enterocolitis or spontaneous intestinal perforation versus medical necrotizing enterocolitis. | Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was performed in 26 preterm infants with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) or spontaneous intestinal perforation at term equivalent age. Infants with surgical NEC or spontaneous intestinal perforation had significantly more brain injury on magnetic resonance pared with infants with medical NEC, even after adjustment for confounders. |
24210928 | Light sleep versus slow wave sleep in memory consolidation: a question of global versus local processes? | Sleep is strongly involved in memory consolidation, but its role remains unclear. 'Sleep replay', the active potentiation of relevant synaptic connections via reactivation of patterns of network activity that occurred during previous experience, has received considerable attention. Alternatively, sleep has been suggested to regulate synaptic weights homeostatically and nonspecifically, thereby improving the signal:noise ratio of memory traces. Here, we reconcile these theories by highlighting the distinction between light and deep nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Specifically, we draw on recent studies to suggest a link between light NREM and active potentiation, and between deep NREM and homeostatic regulation. This framework could serve as a key for interpreting the physiology of sleep stages and reconciling inconsistencies in terminology in this field. |
24210929 | Office-based endovascular suite is safe for most procedures. | This study was conducted to identify the safety of endovascular procedures in the office endovascular suite and to assess patient satisfaction in this setting. |
24210930 | Inflammation is more distinct in temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis compared to the knee joint. | Most of the current understanding of articular cartilage maintenance and degradation is derived from large load-bearing synovial joints, in particular the knee joint. The aim of this study was to identify valuable degradation markers for cartilage degradation in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) paring the relative concentrations of carboxyterminal telopeptides of collagen types I and II (CTX-I and CTX-II), cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in synovial fluid (SF) of TMJ and knee joints with cartilage degradation. |
24210923 | Variation in feeding practices following the Norwood procedure. | To assess variation in feeding practice at hospital discharge after the Norwood procedure, factors associated with tube feeding, and associations among site, feeding mode, and growth before stage II. |
24210931 | [Treatment of high myopic choroidal neovascularisation with intravitreal bevacizumab]. | To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) in the treatment of high myopic choroidal neovascularization (CNV). |
24210934 | [Anatomical and functional prognosis of secondary retinal detachments after sutureless macular surgery]. | To evaluate the incidence, characteristics and risk factors for plications of transconjunctival sutureless 23-gauge vitrectomy (TSV) in macular surgery. The results were correlated with those reported in the literature. |
24210935 | [Optical quality after 2.2mm microincisional cataract surgery with bimanual I/A in 154 eyes]. | A prospective study to analyze the effects of 2.2mm microincisional coaxial phacoemulsification with bimanual irrigation/aspiration on the optical quality of the cornea and whole eye. |
24210936 | [Results of natural hydroxyapatite implants covered with Vicryl® mesh in a series of 704 enucleations]. | Retrospective study of local tolerability of a natural hydroxyapatite orbital implant wrapped with Vicryl(®) (polyglactin) mesh in patients undergoing enucleation. |
24210941 | Chromatographic techniques coupled with mass spectrometry for the determination of organic acids in the study of autism. | Chromatographic methods find application in the diagnostics and prognosis of diseases. They are used in finding new biomarkers, which may result in early medical intervention. Early diagnosis and intervention are especially important in the case of diseases of unknown etiology. One of these is autism. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe impairment in reciprocal social interaction munication and a pattern of repetitive or stereotyped behavior. Organic acids are intermediate metabolites of all major groups of organic ponents and can play a role in the pathogenesis of autism. This review presents information about abnormal levels of some organic acids observed in the urine of children with autism and determination of acids with the use of chromatographic techniques. 342 literature sources on frequency (2005-2012) of the use of chromatographic methods in the determination of pounds in various body fluids were searched. |
24210942 | The social brain: neurobiological basis of affiliative behaviours and psychological well-being. | The social brain hypothesis proposes that the demands of the social environment provided the evolutionary pressure that led to the expansion of the primate brain. Consistent with this notion, that functioning in the social world is crucial to our survival, while close supportive relationships are known to enhance well-being, a range of social stressors such as abuse, discrimination and dysfunctional relationships can increase the risk of psychiatric disorders. The centrality of the social world to our everyday lives is further exemplified by the fact that abnormality in social behaviour is a salient feature of a range of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. This paper aims to provide a selective overview of current knowledge of the neurobiological basis of our ability to form and maintain close personal relationships, and of the benefits these relationships confer on our health. Focusing on neurochemical and neuroendocrine interactions within affective and motivational neural circuits, it highlights the specific importance of cutaneous somatosensation in affiliative behaviours and psychological well-being and reviews evidence, in support of the hypothesis, that a class of cutaneous unmyelinated, low threshold mechanosensitive nerves, named c-tactile afferents, have a direct and specific role in processing affiliative tactile stimuli. |
24210944 | Ecology of the ciguatera causing dinoflagellates from the Northern Great Barrier Reef: changes in community distribution and coastal eutrophication. | Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is known to be caused by the ciguatoxins from the dinoflagellate genus Gambierdiscus, however, there is the potential for other toxins such as okadaic acid and dinophysistoxins from the genus Prorocentrum, and palytoxin from the genus Ostreopsis, to contaminate seafood. These genera may also be indicators of ecosystem health and potentially impact on coral reef ecosystems and the role they may play in the succession of coral to macroalgae dominated reefs has not been researched. Sixteen GBR field sites spanning inshore, mid-lagoon and outer lagoon (offshore) regions were studied. Samples were collected from September 2006 to December 2007 and abundance of benthic dinoflagellates on different host macroalgae and concentration of nutrients present in the water column were determined. The maximum abundance of Prorocentrum, Ostreopsis and Gambierdiscus found was 112, 793 and 50 cells per gram wet weight of host macroalgae, respectively. The average level of Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) in the water column across all sites (0.03 mg/L) was found to be more than double the threshold critical value (0.013 mg/L) for healthy coral reefs. Compared to a previous study 1984, there is evidence of a major shift in the distribution and abundance of these dinoflagellates. Inshore reefs have either of Prorocentrum (as at Green Island) or Ostreopsis (as at Magnetic Island) dominating the macroalgal surface niche which was once dominated by Gambierdiscus, whilst at offshore regions Gambierdiscus is still dominant. This succession may be linked to the ongoing eutrophication of the GBR lagoon and have consequences for the sources of toxins for ongoing cases of ciguatera. |
24210945 | Sublethal effects of a chlorinated and heated effluent on the physiology of the mussel, Mytilus edulis L.: a reduction in fitness for survival? | Coastal power stations entrain large volumes of cooling water, requiring biocidal treatment to prevent biological fouling. Discharged effluent is both heated and contaminated with residual traces of biocide and so it is necessary to quantify the impacts of this discharge. Cooling water from Heysham 2 nuclear power station, NW England, UK, is discharged to the intertidal area, via a culvert (to minimise erosion and maximise dilution and dispersion by directing the effluent into the receiving water at all states of the tide) within which the effluent is contained at low water. The culvert and surrounding coastal area support a population of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis). Mussel health was determined along a gradient of exposure, using three physiological indices: Scope for Growth, Gonad Mantle Index and Somatic Condition Index (K Factor). The Mussels within the culvert exhibited reduced physiological index pared to an external site. A trend was identified down the length of the culvert, representing a gradient of exposure and indicating a potential negative effect on growth and reproductive output. |
24210943 | The role of maternal care in shaping CNS function. | Maternal care involves the consistent and coordinated expression of a variety of behaviours over an extended period of time, and adverse changes in maternal care can have profound impacts on the CNS and behaviour of offspring. plex behavioural pattern depends on a number of integrated neuroendocrine mechanisms. This review will discuss the use of animal models in the study of the role of maternal care in shaping CNS function, the contributions of corticosteroid releasing hormone, vasopressin, oxytocin, and prolactin in this process, the molecular mechanisms involved, and the translational relevance of this research. |
24210946 | Biodegradation of low-density polyethylene by marine bacteria from pelagic waters, Arabian Sea, India. | Sixty marine bacteria isolated from pelagic waters were screened for their ability to degrade low-density polyethylene; among them, three were positive and able to grow in a medium containing polythene as the sole carbon source. The positive isolates were identified as Kocuria palustris M16, Bacillus pumilus M27 and Bacillus subtilis H1584 based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence homology. The weight loss of polyethylene was 1%, 1.5% and 1.75% after 30 days of incubation with the M16, M27 and H1584 isolates, respectively. The maximum (32%) cell surface hydrophobicity was observed in M16, followed by the H1584 and M27 isolates. The viability of the isolates growing on the polyethylene surface was confirmed using a triphenyltetrazolium chloride reduction test. The viability was also correlated with a itant increase in the protein density of the biomass. Polyethylene biodegradation was further confirmed by an increase in the Keto Carbonyl Bond Index, the Ester Carbonyl Bond Index and the Vinyl Bond Index, which were calculated from FT-IR spectra. |
24210947 | Quantitative analysis of plastic debris on recreational beaches in Mumbai, India. | Plastic litter was quantified on four sandy beaches in Mumbai. The mean abundance of 7.49 g and 68.83 items per square metre was recorded. The abundance of plastics significantly varied among the beaches showing an increasing trend in the southern part. The abundance of plastics by weight in Dadar was significantly higher than that in Aksa. The size fractionation of plastics proved that small particles (1-20 mm) are predominant with 41.85% microplastics (1-5 mm) which emphasizes the high risk to marine organisms due to possible ingestion. The highest quantity of microplastics was seen in Juhu beach (55.33%) followed by Versova, Aksa and Dadar. The major contributing factors for the abundance are beach usage for different activities such as recreational, religious and fishing which suggest that the land-based sources provide major inputs to plastic pollution in these beaches. |
24210948 | Basal ganglia volume in unmedicated patients with schizophrenia is associated with treatment response to antipsychotic medication. | We investigated the relationship between basal ganglia volume and treatment response to the atypical antipsychotic medication risperidone in unmedicated patients with schizophrenia. Basal ganglia volumes included the bilateral caudate, putamen, and pallidum and were measured using the Freesurfer automated segmentation pipeline in 23 subjects. Also, baseline symptom severity, duration of illness, age, gender, time off medication, and exposure to previous antipsychotic were measured. Treatment response was significantly correlated with all three regions of the bilateral basal ganglia (caudate, putamen, and pallidum), baseline symptom severity, duration of illness, and age but not gender, time off antipsychotic medication, or exposure to previous antipsychotic medication. The caudate volume was the basal ganglia region that demonstrated the strongest correlation with treatment response and was significantly negatively correlated with patient age. Caudate volume was not significantly correlated with any other measure. We demonstrated a novel finding that the caudate volume explains a significant amount of the variance in treatment response over the course of 6 weeks of risperidone pharmacotherapy even when controlling for baseline symptom severity and duration of illness. |
24210949 | The impact of timing of cholecystectomy following gallstone pancreatitis. | Current guidelines for the management of acute gallstone pancreatitis mend cholecystectomy as definitive treatment during primary admission or within 2 weeks of discharge, with the aim of preventing recurrent pancreatitis. However, cholecystectomy during the inflammatory phase may increase plication rates. This study aimed to determine whether adherence to the guidelines prevents recurrent pancreatitis while minimising plications. |
24210950 | Environmental concentrations of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine impact specific behaviors involved in reproduction, feeding and predator avoidance in the fish Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow). | Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have been found in surface waters worldwide, but little is understood of their effects on the wildlife that inhabit these waters. Fluoxetine (Prozac; Eli Lilly), a highly prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), is monly found PPCP in surface water. The purpose of this project was to determine if environmentally relevant concentrations of fluoxetine impact behavior that is important for population survival in native fish species, including reproduction, feeding and predator avoidance. Chronic 4-week exposures were conducted with doses ranging from 100 ng/L to 100 μg/L to cover a range of environmentally relevant concentrations up to higher parable to other published studies with the same drug that have documented various physiological impacts. Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow), a species native to North America, was used as it conducts a range of specific mating behaviors and therefore serves as an excellent model of specific impacts on brain function. Fluoxetine concentrations as low as 1 μg/L, a concentration that has been found in many freshwater environments, were found to significantly impact mating behavior, specifically nest building and defending in male fish. Males were also found to display aggression, isolation, and repetitive behaviors at higher concentrations. Female mating behavior was largely unaffected. In addition, predator avoidance behaviors in males and females were also impacted at 1 μg/L. Feeding was impacted at 10 μg/L and in the highest exposure (100 μg/L), egg production was limited by deaths of females due to significant male aggressive behaviors in the first two weeks of exposure. Specific behavioral changes occurred at each concentration (most noticeably 1 μg/L and 100 μg/L) indicating a dose dependent effect that triggered different responses at lower exposures versus higher exposures or differential impacts of dose depending on brain region. Length of exposure also had an impact on aggressive behavior. Changes in hormone levels, indicating significant neuroendocrine changes, suggested as a mechanism of response in higher dose and acute studies, were not linked to changes in behaviors at the doses used in this study. This research provides detailed data on how exposures to fluoxetine impact specific fish behaviors and reproduction and that the effects are dose dependent. |
24210952 | A closer look at the relationship between the subdomains of social functioning, social cognition and symptomatology in clinically stable patients with schizophrenia. | Impairments in social monly seen in schizophrenia are thought to be mediated by deficits in the domains of social cognition. Some previous research has explored how social cognitive skills and psychotic symptoms are associated with social functioning, however these associations are still under debate. The main aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between different domains of social cognition and psychotic symptomatology, and also to look at the relationships with individual subdomains of social functioning within a clinically stable schizophrenia population. 45 outpatients were recruited and symptoms were assessed with the PANSS, and measures of emotion processing, affective and cognitive theory of mind (ToM), mental state reasoning attributional biases, and social functioning were taken. A correlational analysis was performed with the data. Following this, a regression analysis was used to reveal which domains of social cognition best predicted psychotic symptoms. In this stable group of patients, our results support the suggestion of a likely distinction between affective and ponents of ToM. The study also demonstrated that ToM and mental state reasoning were the best predictors of psychotic symptoms. Here we reveal that cognitive ToM had the most widespread relationship with social functioning, across multiple subdomains, while only some specific subdomains of social functioning correlated with other domains of social cognition and symptomatology. Further to this, positive symptoms were associated with much fewer subdomains of social functioning than negative and general symptoms. These findings imply that different aspects of social functioning may be served by different domains of social cognition and symptomatology. |
24210953 | The effect of a rapid rehydration guideline on Emergency Department management of gastroenteritis in children. | This study evaluated the use and effect of a rapid rehydration guideline for the management of gastroenteritis in children 6months to 4years of age in an Emergency Department (ED). The guideline aims to facilitate rehydration within 4h of arrival to the ED, using oral or nasogastric fluids. Primary e measures were ED Length of Stay (LOS) and hospital admission rates. Documentation of physiological recovery and consistency of re-hydration regimes used were examined as secondary es. |
24210954 | The desired competence of the Swedish ambulance nurse according to the professionals - a Delphi study. | Nursing is evolving into new fields of health care including ambulance care, where a branch of specialist nursing is growing. Various views exist on the petence for the ambulance nurse and valid guidelines are lacking in Sweden. To increase knowledge of the field, professionals were asked to describe petences an ambulance nurse should possess. The aim of this study was therefore to elucidate the desired petence of the specialist ambulance nurse, according to the professionals. A modified Delphi technique was used, where a panel of professional experts expressed their views on the petence of the ambulance nurse. This study reports, at a high level of agreement among the panel experts, that the petence of the specialist ambulance nurse consist of forty-four petences creating ten areas petences: execute leadership, generic abilities, munication, institutional collaboration, pedagogic skills, possession of relevant knowledge, professional judgement, professional skills, research activities, and technical skills. The high level of agreement among the professionals as well as the large number petences reflects the high demands placed on the ambulance nurse by the professionals themselves. |
24210955 | Impacts of the introduction of a triage system in Japan: a time series study. | The aim of the present study was to measure pare the effectiveness of nursing triage before and after introduction of the Japanese Triage and Acuity Scale (JTAS), the Japanese version of the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS), during emergency treatment. Surveys of triage nurses and emergency physicians were conducted before and after JTAS introduction. Respondents were triage nurses (before 112 cases, after 94 cases), emergency physicians (before 50, after 41), and triaged patients (before 1057, after 1025) from seven separate emergency medical facilities. The results showed that nursing triage using the JTAS shortened "time from registration to triage" by 3.8min, "triage duration" by 1min, "time from registration to physician" by 11.2min, and "waiting time perceived by patients to see a physician" by 18.6min (p<0.001). The difference in assigned level of urgency between triage nurses and emergency physicians decreased from 34.2% to 12.2% (p<0.001), over-triage decreased from 24.7% to 8.6% (p<0.001), and under-triage decreased from 9.5% to 3.6% (p<0.001). Furthermore, assessment agreement between triage nurses and emergency physicians increased significantly, from weighted κ=0.486 to weighted κ=0.820. These findings suggest that the introduction of the JTAS promoted more effective nursing triage and medical care. |
24210956 | Perpetuating proficiency in donor right hepatectomy for living donor liver transplantation. | Donor right hepatectomy (DRH) was developed by master liver surgeons and has been applied in many liver transplant centers as the mainstay for adult living donor liver transplantation. It is a major plex surgical operation performed on living liver donors for the benefit of liver recipients. The donors deserve the lowest though inevitable morbidity and mortality. In this study, the surgical es of DRH performed by newer surgeons at an established center were studied to assess the transferability of the techniques of this standardized procedure. |
24210957 | CD8 TCR β chain repertoire expansions and deletions are related with immunologic markers in HIV-1-infected patients during treatment interruption. | HIV-1-infected individuals progressively loss CD4(+) T cells leading to immunosuppression and raising the risk of opportunistic infections. CD8(+) T-cells play an important role in the immune response against virus infections through their TCR. |
24210958 | Diagnostic performance of selected commercial HEV IgM and IgG ELISAs for immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. | Hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype 3 is recognised as an emerging pathogen in industrialised countries. The mercially available HEV-specific enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are primarily designed for the detection of antibodies against genotypes 1 (Burma) and 2 (Mexico) and may not sensitively detect HEV genotypes 3 or 4. |
24210960 | Aberrant functional connectivity between motor and language networks in rolandic epilepsy. | Rolandic epilepsy (RE) is an idiopathic focal childhood epilepsy with a well-established neuropsychological profile of language impairment. The aim of this study is to provide a functional correlate that links rolandic (sensorimotor) pathology to language problems using functional MRI. |
24210961 | Regional brain activity change predicts responsiveness to treatment for stuttering in adults. | Developmental stuttering is known to be associated with aberrant brain activity, but there is no evidence that this knowledge has benefited stuttering treatment. This study investigated whether brain activity could predict progress during stuttering treatment for 21 dextral adults who stutter (AWS). They received one of two treatment programs that included periodic H2(15)O PET scanning (during oral reading, monologue, and eyes-closed rest conditions). All participants pleted an initial treatment phase and then entered a phase designed to transfer treatment gains; 9/21 failed plete this latter phase. The 12 pass and 9 fail participants were similar on speech and neural system variables before treatment, and similar in speech performance after the initial phase of their treatment. At the end of the initial treatment phase, however, decreased activation within a single region, L. putamen, in all 3 scanning conditions was highly predictive of successful treatment progress. |
24210963 | The evolution of distributed association networks in the human brain. | The human cerebral cortex is vastly expanded relative to other primates and disproportionately occupied by distributed association regions. Here we offer a hypothesis about how association networks evolved their prominence and came to possess circuit properties vital to human cognition. The rapid expansion of the cortical mantle may have untethered large portions of the cortex from strong constraints of molecular gradients and early activity cascades that lead to sensory hierarchies. What fill the gaps between these hierarchies are densely interconnected networks that widely span the cortex and mature late into development. Limitations of the tethering hypothesis are discussed as well as its broad implications for understanding critical features of the human brain as a byproduct of size scaling. |
24210962 | Cognitive aging: is there a dark side to environmental support? | It has been known for some time that memory deficits among older adults increase when self-initiated processing is required and decrease when the environment provides task-appropriate cues. We propose that this observation is not confined to memory but can be subsumed under a more general developmental trend. In perception, learning or memory, and action management, older adults often rely more on external information than younger adults do, probably both as a direct reflection and indirect adaptation to difficulties in internally triggering and maintaining cognitive representations. This age-graded shift from internal towards environmental control is often associated promised performance. Cognitive aging research and the design of aging-friendly environments can benefit from paying closer attention to the developmental dynamics and implications of this shift. |
24210964 | Light microscopy mapping of connections in the intact brain. | Mapping of neural connectivity across the mammalian brain is a daunting and exciting prospect. Current approaches can be divided into three classes: macroscale, focusing on coarse inter-regional connectivity; mesoscale, involving a finer focus on neurons and projections; and microscale, reconstructing full details of all synaptic contacts. It remains to be determined how to bridge the datasets or insights from the different levels of study. Here we review recent light-microscopy-based approaches that may help in integration across scales. |
24210965 | Mediastinal abscess and esophageal stricture following voice prosthesis insertion. | The use of a tracheo-esophageal voice prosthesis is a well-established procedure to restore the voice in total laryngectomees. The insertion of the prosthesis is not a risk-free procedure, plications having been reported especially in irradiated patients. Here described is a case of an esophageal rupture after secondary tracheo-esophageal puncture with mediastinal abscess in a patient previously treated with pharyngo-laryngectomy and subsequent radiotherapy for a left pyriform sinus carcinoma, which required immediate surgical drainage through a left cervical approach. Few weeks after surgical drainage an esophageal stricture at the site of the rupture developed, which was only temporarily resolved after the insertion of biodegradable esophageal stents, followed by re-stenosis once the reabsorption of the stent took place. |
24210966 | In vitro development of goat-sheep and goat-goat zona-free cloned embryos in different culture media. | The gradual decline in the genetic diversity of farm animals has threatened their survival and risk of their extinction has increased many fold in the recent past. Endangered species could be rescued using interspecies embryo production. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of three different culture media on the development of Handmade cloned intraspecies (goat-goat) and interspecies (goat-sheep) embryo reconstructs. Research vitro cleave media (RVCL) yielded higher cleavage and morula-blastocyst development in intraspecies and interspecies nuclear transfer pared with G1.G2 and modified synthetic oviductal fluid (mSOFaaci). Cleavage frequency of intraspecies cloned embryos in RVCL, mSOFaaci, and G1.G2 did not differ significantly (87.12%, 82.45%, and 92.52%, respectively). However, the morula/blastocyst frequency in RVCL was greater in mSOFaaci and G1.G2 (51.18% vs. 38.28% vs. 36.50%, respectively). Cleavage and morula/blastocyst frequency in interspecies cloned embryos was greater in RVCL than in mSOFaaci and G1.G2 (76.14% and 42.3% vs. 65.9% and 38.3% vs. 58.56% and 33.1%, respectively). Goat oocytes were parthenogenetically activated and cultured in RVCL, mSOFaaci, and G1.G2 and kept as control. Cleavage and morula/blastocyst frequency in this group was greater in RVCL than in mSOFaaci and G1.G2 (89.66% and 65.26% vs. 85.44% and 48.05% vs. 86.58% and 42.06%, respectively). Conclusively, the results suggest that not only can the interspecies embryos of goat be produced using sheep oocytes as donor cytoplast but also the percentages can be improved by using RVCL media for culturing of the embryos. |
24210968 | [A surgical follow-up platform to reduce complications in free flap surgery]. | In 2007, the WHO adopted surgical safety as the theme for the 2nd global patient safety challenge. Measurement of surgical services was identified as a surgical care area in need of major improvements. Aware of this mendation, a preliminary study was conducted in our hospital and showed that the incidence plete necrosis in free flap surgery was 10.0 %, a rate among the highest found in medical literature. In that context, an interactive surgical follow-up platform (PICS) was implemented to monitor es in free flap surgery. The hypothesis was to reduce the short-term failure of microsurgical reconstructions. |
24210970 | Cutaneous human papillomavirus types detected on the surface of male external genital lesions: a case series within the HPV Infection in Men Study. | Cutaneous human papillomaviruses (HPVs) may be associated with cutaneous epithelial lesions and non-melanoma skin cancers. No study has systematically evaluated the presence of genus beta [β]-HPV in male genital skin or external genital lesions (EGLs) |
24210971 | A novel core biopsy technique for anterior cruciate ligament preserves ligament structural integrity: a porcine study. | The objective of this study was to validate a new technique to safely obtain core biopsy specimens of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) without jeopardizing the ACL's biomechanical properties. |
24210973 | A content analysis of food references in television programming specifically targeting viewing audiences aged 11 to 14 years. | Examine food in cable television programming specifically targeting 11- to 14-year-olds ("tweens"). |
24210974 | Assessment of cytotoxic and immunomodulatory properties of four antidepressants on primary cultures of abalone hemocytes (Haliotis tuberculata). | pounds like antidepressants found in surface waters raise concerns due to their potential toxicity on non-target aquatic organisms. This study aimed at investigating the in vitro cytotoxicity and immunomodulatory properties of mon antidepressants, namely Amitriptyline, Clomipramine, Citalopram and Paroxetine, on primary cultures of abalone hemocytes (Haliotis tuberculata), after 48 h-exposure. Effects on petence (phagocytosis, levels of reactive oxygen species, esterase activity and lysosomal membrane destabilization) were assessed. Results obtained by MTT assays revealed that acute toxicity is unlikely to occur in the environment since the LC50s of the four antidepressants are at the mg/L level. The different immunological endpoints displayed a biphasic response, with an increase at the lowest concentration (i.e. 1 μg/L) followed by a decrease at higher concentrations. Overall, Amitriptyline and Clomipramine, the two tricyclic antidepressants, had higher immunomodulatory capacities than the two selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors Citalopram and Paroxetine. Amitriptyline was the most potent and Citalopram the least potent drug in altering immune function in H. tuberculata. |
24210978 | [Diagnostic ability of Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease-4 equations to estimate glomerular filtration rate in with multimorbidity patients]. | The Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation is mended by most scientific societies to calculate the estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Recently the group Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKP-EPI) has published a new, more precise and accurate equation. We have analyzed its behavior in a group of polypathological patients (PP) pared it with the classic MDRD-4.version |
24210982 | [Usefulness of the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Assessment Test in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with severe airflow limitation]. | To evaluate the relationship between Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Assessment Test (CAT questionnaire) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) severity assessed by the multidimensional BODE index in patients with severe airflow obstruction (forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV1] post-bronchodilator<50%) in a stable state. |
24210983 | [Results of an early intervention program for patients with bacteremia discharged from the Emergency Department]. | Occult bacteremia represents 3% of blood cultures drawn in the Emergency Department. In most cases, the evolution is unknown. The aim of the study is to analyze the results obtained after implementation of an intervention program for these patients. |
24210985 | [Aquagenic palmoplantar keratoderma in children with cystic fibrosis]. | Aquagenic palmoplantar keratoderma (APK) is a cutaneous phenomenon marked by the formation of edematous, translucent papules and plaques on the palms after water immersion. It can be observed in healthy subjects, but while this dermatosis is little known by practitioners treating these patients, most cases of APK have been described in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of APK in a population of children with CF. In addition, the relationship between APK and sex, genotype, pancreatic and pulmonary function, body mass index, and sweat chloride levels was analyzed. |
24210986 | [Trisomy 21 in visual art]. | In 1866, J. Langdon Down published a paper on "an ethnic classification of idiots" and noted their facial resemblance with individuals of the Mongolian people. In 1959, J. Lejeune, M. Gautier, and R. Turpin demonstrated that the children with Down syndrome had an extra copy of chromosome 21. There is now a debate within the medical literature on the age of trisomy 21 as a disease affecting mankind. Since it was not described before 1866, some authors questioned whether this disease is an old or new condition in humans. Three methods of investigation are useful for demonstrating that trisomy 21 has been present in humans for a long time: the figuration of this condition in historical paintings, figurines, and pottery; its presence in old skeletal remains; and the origin of human chromosome 21 during primate phylogeny. Figurines strongly suggestive of trisomy 21 have been found in the Greco-Roman world, in many Central and South American pre-Columbian cultures, and in Khmer temples. In Europe, during the Renaissance, Italian and Flemish artists represented trisomy 21 in paintings of religious inspiration. Studies on the origin and pathology of chromosome 21 have shown that the ancestral human chromosome 21 arose 30-50 million years ago and that trisomy 21 has existed since time immemorial. |
24210991 | Endoscopic treatment of iatrogenic gastrointestinal perforations: an overview. | In the past, the treatment of iatrogenic gastrointestinal perforations was limited to surgical management or to medical observation. Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) has paved the way towards the development of reliable endoscopic closure techniques, which can be applicable in accidental perforations of the gastrointestinal tract. When endoscopic treatment is feasible, hemoclips are preferred in smaller perforations, while over-the-scope-clips or bination of hemoclips, endoloops, and glue are used in larger ones. Endoscopic stitching is rarely utilized, and endoscopic stapling has been practically abandoned. The use of self-expandable covered stents can be considered in the esophagus and duodenum. Broad spectrum antibiotics are mended in most cases. Clinical follow-up in a medico-surgical unit is mandatory and surgical intervention should not be delayed more than 24h if clinical or biological worsening occurs. Imaging with oral contrast medium is advisable before resumption of oral feeding in the case of large perforations. |
24210987 | Prevalence, predictors and evolution of echocardiographically defined cardiac abnormalities in adults with type 1 diabetes: an observational cohort study. | The aims of this observational study were to determine the prevalence and predictors of an abnormal echocardiogram in adults with type 1 diabetes, and to assess the evolution of changes in a subset of subjects. |
24210992 | Analysis of interobserver variability for endomicroscopy of the gastrointestinal tract. | Endomicroscopy allows in vivo microscopic investigation of enteral mucosa during endoscopic examinations. The aim of this study was to determine interobserver variability in the evaluation of endomicroscopic pictures of several organs by groups of posed of confocal experts, pathologists and students. |
24210993 | Phosphorylated Crkl reduction levels are associated with the lowest P-glycoprotein activity levels in cells from chronic myeloid leukemia patients. | ABCB1/P-glycoprotein (Pgp) and ABCG2/BCRP overexpression have been described as related to imatinib resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). We showed in CML cells from 55 patients that Pgp activity was more frequently detected than BCRP activity (p=0.0074). Imatinib-induced Crkl phosphorylated protein (pCrkl) reduction was more pronounced in K562 (Pgp-negative) than in K562-Lucena (Pgp-positive) CML cell line. Expressive pCrkl reduction levels after in vitro imatinib treatment was observed in samples from patients exhibiting lower Pgp activity pared with patients exhibiting higher Pgp activity levels (p=0.0045). Pgp activity in association with pCrkl reduction levels might help to distinguish between imatinib-resistant and imatinib-sensitive CML cells. |
24210996 | Psychophysiological correlates of coping and quality of life in patients with ALS. | Self-regulation models of coping suggest that patients with chronic diseases reporting low quality of life (QoL), an indicator of failed coping efforts, should show facilitated access to disease related words. Here we investigated whether a reduced N400 amplitude within an incongruent, i.e. unpredictable disease-related context would be a correlate of this facilitated access. |
24210999 | New SSU-rDNA sequences for eleven colpodeans (Ciliophora, Colpodea) and description of Apocyrtolophosis nov. gen. | Using 11 new SSU-rDNA sequences, we analyze relationships within the class Colpodea, especially of some mon taxa, such as Kalometopia duplicata, Cyrtolophosis minor, and Jaroschia sumptuosa. The sequences do not change the basic structure of the molecular Colpodea tree, i.e., all belong to one of the four molecular clades recognized by Foissner et al. (2011): Colpodida, Cyrtolophosidida, Bursariomorphida, and Platyophryida. The addition of three Colpoda sequences strengthens the observation that species of this genus are distributed over the whole molecular Colpodea tree. Very likely, this is caused by a fast radiation of Colpoda, several species of which then evolved independently, forming new genera and families. Cyrtolophosis minor, which belongs to the molecular Pseudocyrtolophosis clade, is referred to a new genus, Apocyrtolophosis nov. gen., characterized by parably large, deltoid oral opening, an unciliated posterior region, and the absence of an oblique kinety in the left oral polykinetid. Bryometopus triquetrus does not erase the paraphyly of its genus. Platyophrya vorax, P. spumacola, and P. bromelicola form a highly supported clade in the order Platyophryida. Platyophryides and Ottowphrya are close genetically but differ in the silverline pattern (colpodid vs. platyophryid). |
24210997 | Brain activity during complex imagined gait tasks in Parkinson disease. | Motor imagery during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) allows assessment of brain activity during tasks, like walking, that cannot pleted in an MRI scanner. We used gait imagery to assess the neural pathophysiology of otion in Parkinson disease (PD). |
24211000 | Effect of patient-controlled sedation with propofol on patient satisfaction: a randomized study. | In this trial we sought to determine whether propofol-based patient-controlled sedation (PCS) during diagnostic cerebral angiography would result in improved patient pared to placebo-based PCS. |
24211002 | [History of pediatric anesthesia: from the beginnings to the end of the 19th century]. | The first intuitions and descriptions of anesthesia can be found in the antique civilizations. In the 19th century, the invention of anesthesia took place in Boston, and quickly spread to Europe. In France, regulations and structures were created before the beginning of the 20th century to organize this new profession, for children as well as for adults. |
24211006 | Anti-NMDAR autoimmune encephalitis. | The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) is involved in normal physiological and pathological states in the brain. Anti-NMDAR encephalitis is characterized by memory deficits, seizures, confusion, and psychological disturbances in males and females of all ages. This type of encephalitis is often associated with ovarian teratoma in young women, but children are less likely to have tumors. Anti-NMDAR encephalitis is a neuroimmune syndrome in patients with autoantibodies recognizing extracellular epitopes of NMDAR, and the autoantibodies attenuate NMDAR function through the internalization of NMDAR. Following the initial symptoms of inflammation, the patients show the various symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, emotional disturbances, psychosis, dyskinesis, decrease in speech intelligibility, and seizures. About half of these patients improved with immunotherapy including high-dose intravenous corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulins is administrated to these patients, but the patients who had no improvement with these therapy require further treatments with rituximab or cyclophosphamide. It is necessary to detect anti-NMDAR antibodies at early stages, because the prognosis of these patients may be improved by early treatment. Recovery is slow, and the patients may have some disturbances in their motor function and cognition. The pathologic mechanism underlying the development of anti-NMDAR encephalitis has been elucidated gradually, but the optimal treatment has not yet been clarified. Further studies are required to clarify in detail the mechanism underlying anti-NMDA encephalitis and to develop effective treatments. |
24211003 | Dissociation of preparatory attention and response monitoring maturation during adolescence. | Substantial brain development occurs during adolescence providing the foundation for functional advancement from stimulus-bound "bottom-up" to more mature executive-driven "top-down" processing strategies. The objective was to assess development of EEG markers of these strategies and their role in both preparatory attention (contingent negative variation, CNV) and response monitoring (Error Related Negativity, ERN, and Correct Related Negativity, CRN). |
24211007 | Resting state functional connectivity alterations in primary lateral sclerosis. | Resting state functional connectivity of the sensorimotor and extramotor brain networks was studied in 24 patients with primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) relative to 26 healthy controls. The relationships of RS functional connectivity with patient clinical and cognitive status and white matter tract damage (i.e., corticospinal tracts, corpus callosum, and superior longitudinal fasciculus) were investigated. Compared with controls, PLS patients showed an increased functional connectivity within the sensorimotor, frontal, and left frontoparietal networks spanning the pre- and postcentral, medial and dorsal frontal, insular, and superior temporal regions. Patients with more severe physical disability and a more rapid rate of disease progression had increased sensorimotor connectivity values. The increased functional connectivity within the frontal network was associated with executive dysfunction. In addition, higher functional connectivity correlated with greater structural damage to network-specific white matter tracts. This study shows clinically meaningful increased resting state functional connectivity in PLS. |
24211009 | Role for the neurexin-neuroligin complex in Alzheimer's disease. | Synaptic damage is a critical hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, and the best correlate with cognitive impairment ante mortem. Synapses, the loci munication between neurons, are characterized by signature binations arrayed at tightly apposed pre- and post-synaptic sites. The most widely studied trans-synaptic plexes, which direct synaptogenesis and foster the maintenance and stability of the mature terminal, are conjunctions of presynaptic neurexins and postsynaptic neuroligins. Fluctuations in the levels of neuroligins and neurexins can sway the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission in the brain, and could lead to damage of synapses and dendrites. This review summarizes current understanding of the roles of neurexins and neuroligins proteolytic processing in synaptic plasticity in the human brain, and outlines their possible roles in β-amyloid metabolism and function, which are central pathogenic events in Alzheimer's disease progression. |
24211008 | Operationalizing hippocampal volume as an enrichment biomarker for amnestic mild cognitive impairment trials: effect of algorithm, test-retest variability, and cut point on trial cost, duration, and sample size. | The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect putational algorithm, measurement variability, and cut point on hippocampal volume (HCV)-based patient selection for clinical trials in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We used normal control and amnestic MCI subjects from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 1 (ADNI-1) as normative reference and screening cohorts. We evaluated the enrichment performance of 4 widely used hippocampal segmentation algorithms (FreeSurfer, Hippocampus Multi-Atlas Propagation and Segmentation (HMAPS), Learning Embeddings Atlas Propagation (LEAP), and NeuroQuant) in terms of 2-year changes in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog), and Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB). We modeled the implications for sample size, screen fail rates, and trial cost and duration. HCV based patient selection yielded reduced sample sizes (by ∼40%-60%) and lower trial costs (by ∼30%-40%) across a wide range of cut points. These results provide a guide to the choice of HCV cut point for amnestic MCI clinical trials, allowing an informed tradeoff between statistical and practical considerations. |
24211010 | Aging is associated with changes in the neural circuits underlying empathy. | Although the neurodevelopment of empathy from childhood to adolescence has been documented, no study has yet examined it across a life span aging perspective. Sixty-five healthy participants from 3 age groups (young, middle-aged, old) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while presented with visual stimuli depicting body parts being injured, either accidentally by oneself or intentionally by another, thus isolating pain and agency as 2 variables of interest. Older adults reported less dispositional emotional empathy as assessed by the interpersonal reactivity index, and their unpleasantness ratings were more sensitive to intentional harm. The response in anterior insula and anterior mid-cingulate cortex to others' pain, indicative of emotional empathy, showed an age-related decline, whereas the response in medial prefrontal cortex and posterior superior temporal sulcus to perceived agency did not change with age. Dynamic causal modeling demonstrated that their effective connectivity remained stable. The pattern of hemodynamic response was not related to regional gray matter volume loss. These findings suggest that the neural response associated with emotional empathy lessened with age, whereas the response to perceived agency is preserved. |
24211011 | Prevalence, use and sale of contact lenses in Saudi Arabia: survey on university women and non-ophthalmic stores. | To assess the prevalence and general knowledge of contact lens (CL) wear among women users and to examine the practice of CL dispensation by non-ophthalmic stores. |
24211012 | References from Brazilian medical journals in national publications. | To assess whether there is a preference for international journal citation to the detriment of national ones in ten Brazilian medical journals, in two different periods. |
24211016 | Defining the anti-inflammatory activity of a potent myxomaviral chemokine modulating protein, M-T7, through site directed mutagenesis. | Viral chemokine modulating proteins provide new and extensive sources for therapeutics. Purified M-T7, a poxvirus-derived secreted immunomodulatory protein, reduces mononuclear cell invasion and atheroma in rodent models of angioplasty injury as well as aortic and renal transplant, improving renal allograft survival. M-T7 is a rabbit species-specific interferon gamma receptor (IFNγR) homolog, but also inhibits chemokine/glycosaminoglycan (GAG) interactions for C, CC and CXC chemokines, with cross-species specific inhibitory activity. M-T7 anti-atheroma activity is blunted in GAG deficient mouse aortic transplants, but not in CC chemokine receptor deficient transplants, supporting M-T7 interference in chemokine/GAG interactions as the basis of the atheroma-inhibitory activity. We have assessed point mutants of M-T7 both in vivo in a mouse angioplasty model and in vitro in tissue culture and binding assays, in order to better define the primary mechanism of anti-atheroma activity. Of these M-T7 mutants, the R(171)E and E(209)I M-T7 mutants lost inhibitory activity for plaque growth in hyperlipidemic ApoE(-/-) mice after angioplasty injury and R(171)E, moreover, greatly exacerbated plaque growth and inflammation. F(137)D retained some inhibitory activity for plaque growth. In contrast, for cell migration assays, M-T7-His6X, F(137)D, R(171)E, and E(209)I all inhibited CC chemokine (RANTES) mediated cell migration. For the ligand binding assays, R(171)E and E(209)I had significantly reduced binding to RANTES and IFNγ, whereas F(137)D retained wild-type binding activity. Heparin treatment further reduced RANTES binding of all three M-T7 mutants. In summary, point mutations of M-T7, R(171)E and E(209)I, exhibited reduced anti-inflammatory properties in vivo after mouse angioplasty with a loss of in vitro binding to RANTES and IFNγ, indicating these point mutations partially disrupt M-T7 ligand-binding activities. Unexpectedly, the M-T7 mutants all retained inhibitory activity for human monocyte THP-1 cell migration ex vivo, suggesting additional inhibitory properties against human monocyte THP-1 cells that are independent of chemokine inhibition. |
24211018 | Suggestions for a Web based universal exchange and inference language for medicine. | Mining biomedical and pharmaceutical data generates huge numbers of interacting probabilistic statements for inference, which can be supported by mining Web text sources. This latter can also be probabilistic, in a sense described in this report. However, the diversity of tools for probabilistic inference is troublesome, suggesting a need for a unifying best practice. Physicists often claim that quantum mechanics is the universal best practice for probabilistic reasoning. We discuss how the Dirac notation and algebra suggest the form and algebraic and semantic meaning of XML-like Web tags for a clinical and biomedical universal exchange language formulated to make sense directly to the eye of the physician and biomedical researcher. |
24211015 | Arteriographic findings in diabetic and non-diabetic with critical limb ischemia. | pare angiographic findings of diabetic and non-diabetic patients with critical limb ischemia. |
24211019 | Truncated and constrained helical analogs of antimicrobial esculentin-2EM. | Esculentin-2EM is a 37-residue, cationic, amphipathic, α-helical antimicrobial peptide isolated from a Korean frog, Glandirama emeljanovi. Many studies revealed that truncation of this peptide results in substantial decreases in its antimicrobial activity. Lee and his colleagues have recently reported that a 23-residue esculentin-2EM analog containing a tryptophanyl substitution at position 16 showed a significant recovery of the antimicrobial activity of the parent peptide. Here we report a new series of 15-residue esculentin-2EM analogs which are constrained into an α-helical conformation via an oct-4-enyl cross-link. The resulting 'stapled' derivatives displayed remarkable increases not only in antimicrobial activity but also in helical content and protease pared to Lee's original 23-residue esculentin-2EM analog. The preliminary data obtained in this work strongly supports the potential of our strategy for the development of a new class of peptide antibiotics. |
24211017 | Detailed assessments of childhood adversity enhance prediction of central obesity independent of gender, race, adult psychosocial risk and health behaviors. | This study examined whether a novel indicator of overall childhood adversity, incorporating number of adversities, severity, and chronicity, predicted central obesity beyond contributions of "modifiable" risk factors including psychosocial characteristics and health behaviors in a diverse sample of midlife adults. The study also examined whether the overall adversity score (number of adversities × severity × chronicity) better predicted pared to cumulative adversity (number of adversities), a more traditional assessment of childhood adversity. |
24211013 | Rebound effect of modern drugs: serious adverse event unknown by health professionals. | Supported in the Hippocratic aphorism primum non nocere, the bioethical principle of non-maleficence pray that the medical act cause the least damage or injury to the health of the patient, leaving it to the doctor to assess the risks of a particular therapy through knowledge of possible adverse events of drugs. Among these, the rebound effect represents mon side effect to numerous classes of modern drugs, may cause serious and fatal disorders in patients. This review aims to clarify the health professionals on clinical and epidemiological aspects of rebound phenomenon. |
24211014 | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in women exposed to wood stove smoke. | To identify respiratory symptoms and COPD (forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in one second ratio < 0.70 and below the lower limit of normal) in non-smoking women with history of exposure to wood smoke of at least 80 hours-years. |
24211020 | Chlorophenylpiperazine analogues as high affinity dopamine transporter ligands. | Selective σ2 ligands continue to be an active target for medications to attenuate the effects of psychostimulants. In the course of our studies to determine the optimal substituents in the σ2-selective phenyl piperazines analogues with reduced activity at other neurotransmitter systems, we discovered that 1-(3-chlorophenyl)-4-phenethylpiperazine actually had preferentially increased affinity for dopamine transporters (DAT), yielding a highly selective DAT ligand. |
24211021 | Synthesis and antitumor activity evaluation of maleopimaric acid N-aryl imide atropisomers. | Maleopimaric acid N-aryl imides (2) and methyl maleopimaric acid N-aryl imides (3) were designed and synthesized. Their atropisomers (A and B) were separated into their enantiomeric pure forms and the anti-proliferative activity was tested against NCI, A549, Hep G-2, MGC-803 and Hct-116 cell lines, respectively. A significant difference in the level of cytotoxicity was observed between R and S conformers. Atropisomers A with an R configuration exhibited significant toxicity (the IC50 values ranging from 7.51 to 32.1 μM). Further experiments proved that antitumor activity of 2A was achieved through the induction of cell apoptosis by G1 cell-cycle arrest. |
24211022 | Discovery of a potent respiratory syncytial virus RNA polymerase inhibitor. | Targeting viral polymerases has been a proven and attractive strategy for antiviral drug discovery. Herein we describe our effort in improving the antiviral activity and physical properties of a series of pounds as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) RNA polymerase inhibitors. The antiviral activity and spectrum of this class was significantly improved by exploring the amino substitution of the pyridine ring, resulting in the discovery of the most potent RSV A polymerase inhibitors reported to date. |
24211025 | Reduction of cognitive concerns of anxiety sensitivity is uniquely associated with reduction of PTSD and depressive symptoms: a comparison of civilians and veterans. | PTSD orbid depression mon among civilians and veterans, resulting in substantial impairment. Anxiety sensitivity (AS) may be mon malleable vulnerability factor for PTSD and depression. The AS cognitive concerns subscale is most strongly related to symptoms of PTSD and depression, and thus, may be an efficient route to reduce these symptoms. The current study evaluated a puterized intervention targeting AS cognitive concerns. Specifically, we evaluated whether reduction in AS cognitive concerns was associated with reduction in symptoms of PTSD and depression. Also, we evaluated whether there was a significant difference between civilians and veterans in response to the intervention. The single session intervention utilized psychoeducation and interoceptive exposure to target AS cognitive concerns. This intervention pared to a health information condition among a sex-matched sample of civilians and veterans with elevated AS cognitive concerns (N = 56). Reduction in AS cognitive concerns over one month was uniquely associated with reduction in PTSD and depressive symptoms in the same time frame. There were no significant differences between civilians and veterans in response to the intervention suggesting the intervention has efficacy for both groups. Treatment implications are discussed. |