title stringlengths 0 901 | abstract stringlengths 3 9.89k | PMID int64 22 25.3M | embedding listlengths 768 768 |
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Lack of association between miR-27a, miR-146a, miR-196a-2, miR-492 and miR-608 gene polymorphisms and colorectal cancer. | Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide with high mortality rates. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have an established role in the development of different cancers. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNA related genes were linked with various gastrointestinal malignancies. However, the data on association between miRNA SNPs and CRC development are inconsistent. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between miRNA-related gene polymorphisms (miR-27a, miR-146a, miR-196a-2, miR-492 and miR-608) and the presence of CRC in European population. Gene polymorphisms were analyzed in 621 subjects (controls: n = 428; CRC: n = 193). MiR-27a T>C (rs895819), miR-146a G>C (rs2910164), miR-196a-2 C>T (rs11614913), miR-492 G>C (rs2289030) and miR-608 C>G (rs4919510) SNPs were genotyped by RT-PCR. Overall, all genotypes and alleles of miRNA SNPs were distributed equally between control and CRC groups. We observed a tendency for miR-146a C allele to be associated with lower risk of CRC when compared to G allele, however, the difference did not reach the adjusted P-value (odds ratio (OR) = 0.68, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.49-0.95, P = 0.025). In conclusion, gene polymorphisms of miR-27a, miR-146a, miR-196a-2, miR-492, miR-492a and miR-608 were not associated with the presence of CRC in European subjects. | 25,103,961 | [
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Systemic stiffening of mouse tail tendon is related to dietary advanced glycation end products but not high-fat diet or cholesterol. | Tendon pathology is related to metabolic disease and mechanical overloading, but the effect of metabolic disease on tendon mechanics is unknown. This study investigated the effect of diet and apolipoprotein E deficiency (ApoE(-/-)) on mechanical properties and advanced glycation end product (AGE) cross-linking of non-weight-bearing mouse tail tendons. Twenty ApoE(-/-) male mice were used as a model for hypercholesterolemia along with 26 wild-type (WT) mice. One-half of the mice from each group was fed a normal diet (ND) and the other half was fed a high-fat diet (HFD) to induce obesity. All were killed at 40 wk, and tail tendon fascicles were mechanically tested to failure and analyzed for AGEs. Diets were also analyzed for AGEs. ApoE(-/-) mice displayed a 14% increase in plateau modulus compared with WT mice (P < 0.05), whereas HFD mice displayed a 13% decrease in plateau modulus (P < 0.05) and a 12% decrease in total modulus (P < 0.05) compared with ND mice. Tail tendons of HFD mice had significantly lower concentrations of AGEs [carboxymethyllysine (CML): 26%, P < 0.0001; methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone 1 (MG-H1): 15%, P < 0.005; pentosidine: 13%, P < 0.0005]. The HFD had ∼44-fold lower content of CML (P < 0.01), ∼29-fold lower content of carboxyethyllysine (P < 0.005), and ∼16-fold lower content of MG-H1 (P < 0.05) compared with ND. ApoE(-/-) increased, whereas HFD decreased mouse tail tendon stiffness. Dietary AGE content may be a crucial determinant for accumulation of AGE cross-links in tendons and for tissue compliance. The results demonstrate how systemic metabolic factors may influence tendon health. | 25,103,969 | [
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[Fall prevention counselling for patients with hearing and balance disorders]. | Otolaryngologists caring for patients with hearing and balance disorders are also responsible for advising patients about their increased risk of falling and informing them of fall prevention measures. This review will give a brief overview of appropriate programs. This systematic review is based on a selective literature search. Intrinsic and extrinsic fall risk factors can be distinguished. The former include not only hearing and balance disorders, but also increasing age, nocturia, dementia, limited mobility and poor nutritional status. Extrinsic factors include, for example, unfixed carpet edges, poor lighting and poor footwear. Fall prevention can be achieved through appropriate counselling about risk factors and fall prevention courses. The frequency of falls--with potentially very adverse consequences--increases continuously beyond the age of 60 years. Furthermore, the risk of falling is significantly increased in patients with hearing and balance disorders. Otolaryngologists caring for this patient group should inform them about their fall risk and advise appropriate countermeasures during counselling. A basal knowledge of fall prevention measures is therefore helpful. | 25,103,988 | [
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Biogenetically inspired total syntheses of Lycopodium alkaloids, (+)-flabellidine and (-)-lycodine. | The first asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-flabellidine (2) and the shortest total synthesis of (-)-lycodine (3) were accomplished by a strategy featuring the one-pot construction of a tetracyclic lycodine skeleton from a linear precursor, which was inspired by the biosynthetic consideration of Lycopodium alkaloids. | 25,103,992 | [
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Evaluation of the hydrolysis specificity of protease from marine Exiguobacterium sp. SWJS2 via free amino acid analysis. | This study evaluates the hydrolysis specificity of newly developed protease from Exiguobacterium sp. SWJS2 (EP) based on the released free amino acid (FAA) during enzymolysis and through comparing with commercially available papain and Alcalase 2.4L. Results showed that EP had great potential in producing hydrolysates with better nutrition and less bitterness. The percentages of essential amino acids in the EP-treated Coilia mystus and soybean protein were 72 and 70 %, respectively. And, corresponding hydrophobic amino acids were 74 and 72 %, respectively (i.e. <60 % for papain- or Alcalase 2.4L-treated samples). The differences in FAA releasing rates between EP and the two commercial proteases suggested that EP could become a new commercial protease that offers different reaction rates and extends protease application scope. Track changes in FAA profiles throughout EP hydrolysis revealed that the release of each amino acid exhibited its distinct regularity as the hydrolysis proceeded, which also varied with the substrate proteins. EP hydrolysis of C. mystus and soybean protein led to greater production rates of Phe, Leu, Val, Ile and Ala, suggesting that EP might have higher preference to these amino acids. | 25,104,000 | [
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Chinese talismans as a source of lead exposure. | We describe a case of lead exposure after prolonged intake of ashes from burnt Chinese talismans. A 41-year-old woman presented with elevated blood lead level during screening for treatable causes of progressive weakness in her four limbs, clinically compatible with motor neuron disease. The source of lead exposure was confirmed to be Chinese talismans obtained from a religious practitioner in China. The patient was instructed to burn the Chinese talismans to ashes, and ingest the ashes dissolved in water, daily for about 1 month. Analysis of the Chinese talismans revealed a lead concentration of 17 342 µg/g (ppm). | 25,104,009 | [
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Structural and kinetic insights into binding and incorporation of L-nucleotide analogs by a Y-family DNA polymerase. | Considering that all natural nucleotides (D-dNTPs) and the building blocks (D-dNMPs) of DNA chains possess D-stereochemistry, DNA polymerases and reverse transcriptases (RTs) likely possess strongD-stereoselectivity by preferably binding and incorporating D-dNTPs over unnatural L-dNTPs during DNA synthesis. Surprisingly, a structural basis for the discrimination against L-dNTPs by DNA polymerases or RTs has not been established although L-deoxycytidine analogs (lamivudine and emtricitabine) and L-thymidine (telbivudine) have been widely used as antiviral drugs for years. Here we report seven high-resolution ternary crystal structures of a prototype Y-family DNA polymerase, DNA, and D-dCTP, D-dCDP, L-dCDP, or the diphosphates and triphosphates of lamivudine and emtricitabine. These structures reveal that relative to D-dCTP, each of these L-nucleotides has its sugar ring rotated by 180° with an unusual O4'-endo sugar puckering and exhibits multiple triphosphate-binding conformations within the active site of the polymerase. Such rare binding modes significantly decrease the incorporation rates and efficiencies of these L-nucleotides catalyzed by the polymerase. | 25,104,018 | [
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Arginine methylation of hnRNPK negatively modulates apoptosis upon DNA damage through local regulation of phosphorylation. | Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNPK) is an RNA/DNA-binding protein involved in chromatin remodeling, RNA processing and the DNA damage response. In addition, increased hnRNPK expression has been associated with tumor development and progression. A variety of post-translational modifications of hnRNPK have been identified and shown to regulate hnRNPK function, including phosphorylation, ubiquitination, sumoylation and methylation. However, the functional significance of hnRNPK arginine methylation remains unclear. In the present study, we demonstrated that the methylation of two essential arginines, Arg296 and Arg299, on hnRNPK inhibited a nearby Ser302 phosphorylation that was mediated through the pro-apoptotic kinase PKCδ. Notably, the engineered U2OS cells carrying an Arg296/Arg299 methylation-defective hnRNPK mutant exhibited increased apoptosis upon DNA damage. While such elevated apoptosis can be diminished through addition with wild-type hnRNPK, we further demonstrated that this increased apoptosis occurred through both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways and was p53 independent, at least in part. Here, we provide the first evidence that the arginine methylation of hnRNPK negatively regulates cell apoptosis through PKCδ-mediated signaling during DNA damage, which is essential for the anti-apoptotic role of hnRNPK in apoptosis and the evasion of apoptosis in cancer cells. | 25,104,022 | [
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Double substituted variant of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens esterase with enhanced enantioselectivity and high activity towards 1-(3',4'-methylenedioxyphenyl)ethyl acetate. | Bacillus amyloliquefaciens esterase (BAE) was applied to produce (R)-1-(3',4'-methylenedioxyphenyl)ethanol, a chiral drug intermediate. In this study, we improved the enantioselectivity of BAE by protein engineering instead of process engineering as used in our previous work. Saturation mutagenesis was carried out on eight positions of BAE based on structure modeling and substrate docking. A double substituted variant V10 (K358D/A396C) showed an excellent enantioselectivity without decreasing the activity. The functions of these two mutations (K358D and A396C) were investigated, revealing a synergic effect on the BAE enantioselectivity. Using the variant V10, enantiopure (R)-1-(3',4'-methylenedioxyphenyl)ethanol could be readily prepared in >97 % ee, affording a high space-time yield (123 g L(-1) day(-1)) and a high ratio of substrate/catalyst (40 g g(-1)) in 1-L reaction. | 25,104,035 | [
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The Arabidopsis polyadenylation factor subunit CPSF30 as conceptual link between mRNA polyadenylation and cellular signaling. | Alternative polyadenylation plays important roles in growth processes in plants. Although the scope and significance of the phenomenon have been described to considerable extent, the mechanisms that govern differential poly(A) site selection remain active areas of investigation. Of particular interest are the means by which the factors that control differential poly(A) site choice are themselves activated and inhibited. In this review, the case is made that one particular Arabidopsis polyadenylation factor subunit, termed AtCPSF30, stands out as a conceptual link between cellular signaling pathways and differential poly(A) site choice. | 25,104,048 | [
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ABA-dependent and ABA-independent signaling in response to osmotic stress in plants. | Plants have adaptive robustness to osmotic stresses such as drought and high salinity. Numerous genes functioning in stress response and tolerance are induced under osmotic conditions in diverse plants. Various signaling proteins, such as transcription factors, protein kinases and phosphatases, play signal transduction roles during plant adaptation to osmotic stress, with involvement ranging from stress signal perception to stress-responsive gene expression. Recent progress has been made in analyzing the complex cascades of gene expression during osmotic stress response, and especially in identifying specificity and crosstalk in abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent and ABA-independent signaling pathways. In this review, we highlight transcriptional regulation of gene expression governed by two key transcription factors: AREB/ABFs and DREB2A operating respectively in ABA-dependent and ABA-independent signaling pathways. | 25,104,049 | [
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Disciplined doctors: does the sex of a doctor matter? A cross-sectional study examining the association between a doctor's sex and receiving sanctions against their medical registration. | To examine the association between doctors' sex and receiving sanctions on their medical registration, while controlling for other potentially confounding variables. Cross-sectional study. The General Medical Council (GMC)'s List of Registered Medical Practitioners (LRMP) database of doctors practising in the UK. All doctors on the GMC's LRMP on 29 May 2013. The database included all doctors who are or have been registered to practise medicine in the UK since October 2005. The exposure of interest was doctor's sex. Confounding variables included years since primary medical qualification, world region of primary medical qualification and specialty. Sanctions on a doctor's medical registration. Sanction types included warnings, undertakings, conditions, suspension or erasure from the register. Binary logistic regression modelling, controlling for confounders, described the association between the doctor's sex and sanctions on a doctor's medical registration. Of the 329,542 doctors on the LRMP, 2697 (0.8%) had sanctions against their registration, 516 (19.1%) of whom were female. In the fully adjusted model, female doctors had nearly a third of the odds (OR: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.33 to 0.41) of having sanctions compared to male doctors. There was evidence that the association varies with specialty, with female doctors who had specialised as general practitioners being the least likely to receive sanctions compared with their male colleagues (OR: 0.26, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.31). Female doctors have reduced odds of receiving sanctions on their medical registration when compared with their male colleagues. This association remained after adjustment for the confounding factors. These results are representative of all doctors registered to practise in the UK. Further exploration of why doctors' sex may impact their professional performance is underway. | 25,104,057 | [
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Loss of adaptive variation during evolutionary responses to climate change. | The changes in species' geographical distribution demanded by climate change are often critically limited by the availability of key interacting species. In such cases, species' persistence will depend on the rapid evolution of biotic interactions. Understanding evolutionary limits to such adaptation is therefore crucial for predicting biological responses to environmental change. The recent poleward range expansion of the UK brown argus butterfly has been associated with a shift in female preference from its main host plant, rockrose (Cistaceae), onto Geraniaceae host plants throughout its new distribution. Using reciprocal transplants onto natural host plants across the UK range, we demonstrate reduced fitness of females from recently colonised Geraniaceae-dominated habitat when moved to ancestral rockrose habitats. By contrast, individuals from ancestral rockrose habitats show no reduction in fitness on Geraniaceae. Climate-driven range expansion in this species is therefore associated with the rapid evolution of biotic interactions and a significant loss of adaptive variation. | 25,104,062 | [
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New strategies in advanced cervical cancer: from angiogenesis blockade to immunotherapy. | Cervical cancer remains unique among solid tumor malignancies. Persistent infection with oncogenic subtypes of the human papillomavirus (HPV) results in carcinogenesis, predominantly occurring at the cervical transformation zone where endocervical columnar cells undergo metaplasia to a stratified squamous epithelium. The molecular cascade involving viral oncoproteins, E6 and E7 and their degradative interactions with cellular tumor suppressor gene products, p53 and pRb, respectively, has been precisely delineated. The precursor state of cervical neoplasia may last for years allowing for ready detection through successful screening programs in developed countries using cervical cytology and/or high-risk HPV DNA testing. Prophylactic HPV L1 capsid protein vaccines using virus-like-particle technology have been developed to prevent primary infection by the most common high-risk HPVs (16 and 18). Women who lack access to health care and those who undergo sporadic screening remain at risk. Although radical surgery (including fertility-sparing surgery) is available for patients with early-stage cancers, and chemoradiation plus high-dose-rate brachytherapy can cure the majority of those with locally advanced disease, patients with metastatic and nonoperable recurrent cervical cancer constitute a high-risk population with an unmet clinical need. On August 14, 2014, the FDA approved the antiangiogenesis drug bevacizumab for women with advanced cervical cancer. This review will highlight advances in translational science, antiangiogenesis therapy and immunotherapy for advanced disease. | 25,104,084 | [
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Encapsulation of albumin in self-assembled layer-by-layer microcapsules: comparison of co-precipitation and adsorption techniques. | The objective of this study is to prepare and characterize polymeric self-assembled layer-by-layer microcapsules (LbL-MC) to deliver a model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA). The aim is to compare the BSA encapsulation in LbL-MC using co-precipitation and adsorption methods. In co-precipitation method, BSA was co-precipitated with growing calcium carbonate particles to form a core template. Later, poly(styrene sulfonate) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) were sequentially adsorbed onto the CaCO3 templates. In adsorption method, preformed LbL-MC were incubated with BSA and encapsulation efficiency is optimized for pH and salt concentration. Free and BSA-encapsulated LbL-MC were characterized using Zetasizer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimeter. Later, in vitro release studies were performed using dialysis membrane method at pH 4, 7.4 and 9. Results from Zetasizer and SEM showed free LbL-MC with an average size and zeta-potential of 2.0 ± 0.6 μm and 8.1 ± 1.9 mV, respectively. Zeta-potential of BSA-loaded LbL-MC was (-)7.4 ± 0.7 mV and (-)5.7 ± 1.0 mV for co-precipitation and adsorption methods, respectively. In adsorption method, BSA encapsulation in LbL-MC was found to be greater at pH 6.0 and 0.2 M NaCl. Co-precipitation method provided four-fold greater encapsulation efficiency (%) of BSA in LbL-MC compared with adsorption method. At pH 4, the BSA release from LbL-MC was extended up to 120 h. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that BSA encapsulated in LBL-MC through co-precipitation is stable toward trypsin treatment. In conclusion, co-precipitation method provided greater encapsulation of BSA in LbL-MC. Furthermore, LbL-MC can be developed as carriers for pH-controlled protein delivery. | 25,104,114 | [
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A perpetual source of DNA or something really different: ethical issues in the creation of cell lines for African genomics research. | The rise of genomic studies in Africa - not least due to projects funded under H3Africa - is associated with the development of a small number of biorepositories across Africa. For the ultimate success of these biorepositories, the creation of cell lines including those from selected H3Africa samples would be beneficial. In this paper, we map ethical challenges in the creation of cell lines. The first challenge we identified relates to the moral status of cells living in culture. There is no doubt that cells in culture are alive, and the question is how this characteristic is relevant to ethical decision-making. The second challenge relates to the fact that cells in culture are a source of cell products and mitochondrial DNA. In combination with other technologies, cells in culture could also be used to grow human tissue. Whilst on the one hand, this feature increases the potential utility of the sample and promotes science, on the other it also enables further scientific work that may not have been specifically consented to or approved. The third challenge relates to ownership over samples, particularly in cases where cell lines are created by a biobank, and in a different country than where samples were collected. Relevant questions here concern the export of samples, approval of secondary use and the acceptability of commercialisation. A fourth challenge relates to perceptions of blood and bodily integrity, which may be particularly relevant for African research participants from certain cultures or backgrounds. Finally, we discuss challenges around informed consent and ethical review. In this paper, we sought to map the myriad of ethical challenges that need to be considered prior to making cell line creation a reality in the H3Africa project. Considering the relative novelty of this practice in Africa, such challenges will need to be considered, discussed and potentially be resolved before cell line creation in Africa becomes financially feasible and sustainable. We suggest that discussions need to be undertaken between stakeholders internationally, considering the international character of the H3Africa project. We also map out avenues for empirical research. | 25,104,115 | [
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Differentiation of vanA-positive Enterococcus faecium from vanA-negative E. faecium by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry. | Vancomycin-resistant enterococci are important nosocomial pathogens that require rapid and accurate detection for infection control. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) has begun to be used in many clinical laboratories because it is a rapid, simple and inexpensive method for identifying micro-organisms. In this study, the performance of MALDI-TOF/MS to differentiate vanA-positive Enterococcus faecium (VPEF) from vanA-negative E. faecium (VNEF) was evaluated. A total of 61 VPEF isolates collected during regional surveillance in Kyoto (Japan) and 71 VNEF isolates collected from bacteraemia patients were analysed using MALDI-TOF/MS with three ClinProTools models. All of the isolates were correctly identified as E. faecium using the MALDI Biotyper system. To discriminate between VPEF and VNEF, all three ClinProTools models yielded >90% recognition capability (basic sensitivity) and cross-validation (reliability of the models); the genetic algorithm model exhibited the highest performance (99.18% and 92.40%, respectively). The high detection performance of MALDI-TOF/MS for VPEF offers the potential for routine laboratory use. | 25,104,134 | [
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Economic development and coastal ecosystem change in China. | Despite their value, coastal ecosystems are globally threatened by anthropogenic impacts, yet how these impacts are driven by economic development is not well understood. We compiled a multifaceted dataset to quantify coastal trends and examine the role of economic growth in China's coastal degradation since the 1950s. Although China's coastal population growth did not change following the 1978 economic reforms, its coastal economy increased by orders of magnitude. All 15 coastal human impacts examined increased over time, especially after the reforms. Econometric analysis revealed positive relationships between most impacts and GDP across temporal and spatial scales, often lacking dropping thresholds. These relationships generally held when influences of population growth were addressed by analyzing per capita impacts, and when population density was included as explanatory variables. Historical trends in physical and biotic indicators showed that China's coastal ecosystems changed little or slowly between the 1950s and 1978, but have degraded at accelerated rates since 1978. Thus economic growth has been the cause of accelerating human damage to China's coastal ecosystems. China's GDP per capita remains very low. Without strict conservation efforts, continuing economic growth will further degrade China's coastal ecosystems. | 25,104,138 | [
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Overexpression of GOLPH3 is associated with poor prognosis and clinical progression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. | Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) has been identified as an oncoprotein in various human cancers; however, its role in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is unknown. We examined GOLPH3 expression levels and relationship with survival in patients with PDAC to establish the significance of GOLPH3 in the development and progression of PDAC. Real-time qPCR and Western blotting were performed to analyze the expression levels of GOLPH3 mRNA and protein in paired PDAC tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissues. Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the expression levels of GOLPH3 protein in paraffin-embedded tissues from 109 cases of PDAC. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify correlations between the immunohistochemical data for GOLPH3 expression and the clinicopathologic characteristics in PDAC. Expression levels of GOLPH3 mRNA and protein were upregulated in PDAC lesions compared to paired adjacent noncancerous tissues. Expression of GOLPH3 was significantly correlated with clinical stage (P = 0.006), T classification (P = 0.021), N classification (P = 0.049) and liver metastasis (P = 0.035). Patients with high GOLPH3 expression had shorter overall survival times compared to those with low GOLPH3 expression (P = 0.007). Multivariate analysis revealed that GOLPH3 overexpression was an independent prognostic factor in PDAC. Our findings suggest that GOLPH3 expression status may be a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in PCAC. | 25,104,140 | [
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Risk factors for noma disease: a 6-year, prospective, matched case-control study in Niger. | Noma is a poorly studied disease that leads to severe facial tissue destruction in children in developing countries, but the cause remains unknown. We aimed to identify the epidemiological and microbiological risk factors associated with noma disease. We did a prospective, matched, case-control study in Niger between Aug 1, 2001, and Oct 31, 2006, in children younger than 12 years to assess risk factors for acute noma. All acute noma cases were included and four controls for each case were matched by age and home village. Epidemiological and clinical data were obtained at study inclusion. We undertook matched-paired analyses with conditional logistic regression models. We included 82 cases and 327 controls. Independent risk factors associated with noma were: severe stunting (odds ratio [OR] 4·87, 95% CI 2·35-10·09) or wasting (2·45, 1·25-4·83); a high number of previous pregnancies in the mother (1·16, 1·04-1·31); the presence of respiratory disease, diarrhoea, or fever in the past 3 months (2·70, 1·35-5·40); and the absence of chickens at home (1·90, 0·93-3·88). After inclusion of microbiological data, a reduced proportion of Fusobacterium (4·63, 1·61-13·35), Capnocytophaga (3·69, 1·48-9·17), Neisseria (3·24, 1·10-9·55), and Spirochaeta in the mouth (7·77, 2·12-28·42), and an increased proportion of Prevotella (2·53, 1·07-5·98), were associated with noma. We identified no specific single bacterial or viral pathogen in cases. Noma is associated with indicators of severe poverty and altered oral microbiota. The predominance of specific bacterial commensals is indicative of a modification of the oral microbiota associated with reduced bacterial diversity. Gertrude Hirzel Foundation. | 25,104,163 | [
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Can positron emission tomography-computed tomography predict response in locally advanced rectal cancer patients treated with induction folinic acid and 5-florouracil? | The aim of this study was to determine the pathological complete response rates in a group of locally advanced rectal cancer patients who underwent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) after treatment with induction folinic acid and 5-florouracil (FOLFOX) chemotherapy and the relationship between the complete response and positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT). The files of 239 patients who were diagnosed with rectal cancer between January 2008 and January 2012 were evaluated retrospectively. Of these, there were 24 locally advanced rectal cancer patients who met the following criteria: They were administered CRT after receiving four courses induction oxaliplatin, FOLFOX and they underwent PET-CT for staging and for the evaluation of their response to FOLFOX treatment. Of these 24 patients, 20 operable patients were included in the study. The pathological complete response was obtained in seven patients (35%) who were operated on and then given induction four courses FOLFOX chemotherapy and CRT. We determined that age, gender, clinical stage at diagnosis and PET-CT before and after induction chemotherapy were not predictive of the pathological complete response to tumor fluorodeoxyglucose uptake activity. The rates of pathological complete response were increased in locally advanced rectal cancer patients who underwent short-term induction chemotherapy. Although the PET-CT has retained its importance in predicting pathological complete response, there is still a need for studies with a larger number of patients and long-term follow-ups. | 25,104,195 | [
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Hemi- and holo-directed lead(II) complexes in a soft ligand environment. | To investigate the geometry and stereochemical activity of the lone pair at the lead atom, lead(ii) complexes () with one tripodal (L(1)), one dipodal (L(2)) boron-centred soft ligand and eight other small soft heterocyclic ligands, 2-mercaptobenzimidazole (L(3)), 2-mercapto-5-methylbenzimidazole (L(4)), 3-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole (L(5)H), 3-mercapto-4-methyl-1,2,4-triazole (L(6)), 2-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole (L(7)H), 2-mercapto-5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole (L(8)H), 5-mercapto-1-methyltetrazole (L(9)H) and 2-mercapto-4-phenylthiazole (L(10)H) were prepared. The structures of these complexes were elucidated on the basis of X-ray crystallography, elemental analyses as well as (1)H NMR, (1)H DOSY, (13)C NMR and (207)Pb NMR spectroscopy. The coordination numbers of these complexes vary from 4 to 8. The majority of the complexes are polymeric and possess a hemi-directed environment around the lead atoms. Solution studies revealed that most of the complexes are dissociated in highly polar solvents. Most of the complexes are emissive both under ambient conditions and at 77 K in the solid state. However, no obvious relationship between their solid state structures and luminescence behaviour with respect to the nature of the excited state could be identified. | 25,104,214 | [
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A randomised controlled trial of a computerised intervention for children with social communication difficulties to support peer collaboration. | An intervention aiming to support children with social communication difficulties was tested using a randomised controlled design. Children aged 5-6 years old (n=32) were tested and selected for participation on the basis of their scores on the Test of Pragmatic Skills (TPS) and were then randomly assigned to the intervention arm or to the delayed intervention control group. Following previous research which suggested that computer technology may be particularly useful for this group of children, the intervention included a collaborative computer game which the children played with an adult. Subsequently, children's performance as they played the game with a classmate was observed. Micro-analytic observational methods were used to analyse the audio-recorded interaction of the children as they played. Pre- and post-intervention measures comprised the Test of Pragmatic Skills, children's performance on the computer game and verbal communication measures that the children used during the game. This evaluation of the intervention shows promise. At post-test, the children who had received the intervention, by comparison to the control group who had not, showed significant gains in their scores on the Test of Pragmatic Skills (p=.009, effect size r=-.42), a significant improvement in their performance on the computer game (p=.03, r=-.32) and significantly greater use of high-quality questioning during collaboration (p<.001, r=-.60). Furthermore, the children who received the intervention made significantly more positive statements about the game and about their partners (p=.02, r=-.34) suggesting that the intervention increased their confidence and enjoyment. | 25,104,223 | [
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Identification of children with mathematics learning disabilities (MLDs) using latent class growth analysis. | The traditional way of identifying children with mathematics learning disabilities (MLDs) using the low-achievement method with one-off assessment suffers from several limitations (e.g., arbitrary cutoff, measurement error, lacking consideration of growth). The present study attempted to identify children with MLD using the latent growth modelling approach, which minimizes the above potential problems. Two hundred and ten Chinese-speaking children were classified into five classes based on their arithmetic performance over 3 years. Their performance on various number-related cognitive measures was also assessed. A potential MLD class was identified, which demonstrated poor achievement over the 3 years and showed smaller improvement over time compared with the average-achieving class. This class had deficits in all number-related cognitive skills, hence supporting the number sense deficit hypothesis. On the other hand, another low-achieving class, which showed little improvement in arithmetic skills over time, was also identified. This class had an average cognitive profile but a low SES. Interventions should be provided to both low-achieving classes according to their needs. | 25,104,225 | [
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Diabetes mellitus and mortality from all-causes, cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease: evidence from the Health Survey for England and Scottish Health Survey cohorts. | Diabetes mellitus is associated with differing rates of all-cause and cause-specific mortality compared with the general population; although the strength of these associations requires further investigation. The effects of confounding factors, such as overweight and obesity and the presence of co-morbid cardiovascular disease (CVD), upon such associations also remain unclear. There is thus a need for studies which utilise data from nationally-representative samples to explore these associations further. A cohort study of 204,533 participants aged 16+ years (7,199 with diabetes) from the Health Survey for England (HSE) (1994-2008) and Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) (1995, 1998 and 2003) linked with UK mortality records. Odds ratios (ORs) of all-cause and cause-specific mortality and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using logistic and multinomial logistic regression. There were 20,051 deaths (1,814 among those with diabetes). Adjusted (age, sex, and smoking status) ORs for all-cause mortality among those with diabetes was 1.68 (95%CI 1.57-1.79). Cause-specific mortality ORs were: cancer 1.26 (1.13-1.42), respiratory diseases 1.25 (1.08-1.46), CVD 1.96 (1.80-2.14) and 'other' causes 2.06 (1.84-2.30). These were not attenuated significantly after adjustment for generalised and/or central adiposity and other confounding factors. The odds of mortality differed between those with and without comorbid CVD at baseline; the ORs for the latter group were substantially increased. In addition to the excess in CVD and all-cause mortality among those with diabetes, there is also increased mortality from cancer, respiratory diseases, and 'other' causes. This increase in mortality is independent of obesity and a range of other confounding factors. With falling CVD incidence and mortality, the raised risks of respiratory and cancer deaths in people with diabetes will become more important and require increased health care provision. | 25,104,237 | [
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Exercise and sleep in aging: emphasis on serotonin. | Reductions in central serotonin activity with aging might be involved in sleep-related disorders in later life. Although the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on sleep are not new, sleep represents a complex recurring state of unconsciousness involving many lines of transmitters which remains only partly clear despite intense ongoing research. It is known that serotonin released into diencephalon and cerebrum might play a key inhibitory role to help promote sleep, likely through an active inhibition of supraspinal neural networks. Several lines of evidence support the stimulatory effects of exercise on higher serotonergic pathways. Hence, exercise has proved to elicit acute elevations in forebrain serotonin concentrations, an effect that waned upon cessation of exercise. While adequate exercise training might lead to adaptations in higher serotonergic networks (desensitization of forebrain receptors), excessive training has been linked to serious brain serotonergic maladaptations accompanied by insomnia. Dietary supplementation of tryptophan (the only serotonin precursor) is known to stimulate serotonergic activity and promote sleep, whereas acute tryptophan depletion causes deleterious effects on sleep. Regarding sleep-wake regulation, exercise has proved to accelerate resynchronization of the biological clock to new light-dark cycles following imposition of phase shifts in laboratory animals. Noteworthy, the effect of increased serotonergic transmission on wake state appears to be biphasic, i.e. promote wake and thereafter drowsiness. Therefore, it might be possible that acute aerobic exercise would act on sleep by increasing activity of ascending brain serotonergic projections, though additional work is warranted to better understand the implication of serotonin in the exercise-sleep axis. | 25,104,243 | [
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Spectroscopic and structural insights on molecular assembly consisting high potential zinc phthalocyanine photosensitizer attached to PyC60 through non-covalent interaction. | Efforts to improve the ease of self-assembly formation through non-covalent interaction has led to the development of zinc phthalocyanine (zinc-2,9,16,23-tetra-tert-butyl phthalocyanine, i.e., ZnPc) as a high potential photosensitizer molecule towards C60 pyrrolidine tris-acid ethyl ester (PyC60) in toluene and 1,2-dichlorobenzene (DCB). Steady state fluorescence experiment elicits efficient quenching of the fluorescence intensity of both H2- and ZnPc in presence of PyC60. The average value of binding constant for PyC60/H2-Pc and PyC60/ZnPc systems in toluene (DCB) are determined to be 9910 (13,460) and 12,710 (24,060) dm(3) mol(-1), respectively. Lifetime experiment yields ∼3 times larger magnitude of charge separated rate constant for the PyC60/ZnPc system compared to PyC60/H2-Pc in toluene. Photoinduced energy transfer between PyC60 and H2- (/ZnPc) has been evidenced with nanosecond laser photolysis method; transient absorption studies establish that energy transfer from (T)PyC60(∗) to H2- and ZnPc occurs predominantly, as confirmed by the consecutive appearance of the triplet states of PyC60. | 25,104,284 | [
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Mapping p53 mutations in low-grade glioma: a voxel-based neuroimaging analysis. | Brain tumor location has proved to be a prognostic factor that may be associated with features of neoplastic origin. Mutation of p53 is an atypical genetic change that occurs during tumorigenesis. Thus, a potential correlation may exist between tumor location and p53 status. The purpose of the current study was to identify anatomic characteristics of mutant p53 expression by using quantitative neuroimaging analyses. Preoperative MR images from 182 patients with histologically confirmed low-grade gliomas were retrospectively analyzed. All tumors were manually marked and registered to the standard space. Using a voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping analysis, we located brain regions associated with a high occurrence of p53 mutation and corrected them by using a permutation test. The acquired clusters were further included as a factor in survival analyses. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the left medial temporal lobe and right anterior temporal lobe were specifically associated with high expression of mutant p53. Kaplan-Meier curves showed that tumors located in these regions were associated with significantly worse progression-free survival compared with tumors occurring elsewhere. Our voxel-level imaging analysis provides new evidence that genetic changes during cancer may have anatomic specificity. Additionally, the current study suggests that tumor location identified on structural MR images could potentially be used for customized presurgical outcome prediction. | 25,104,286 | [
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Beryllium is an inhibitor of cellular GSK-3β that is 1,000-fold more potent than lithium. | Glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) is a key regulator in signaling networks that control cell proliferation, metabolism, development, and other processes. Lithium chloride is a GSK-3 family inhibitor that has been a mainstay of in vitro and in vivo studies for many years. Beryllium salt has the potential to act as a lithium-like inhibitor of GSK-3, but it is not known whether this agent is effective under physiologically relevant conditions. Here we show that BeSO4 inhibits endogenous GSK-3β in cultured human cells. Exposure to 10 µM Be(2+) produced a decrease in GSK-3β kinase activity that was comparable to that produced by 10 mM Li(+), indicating that beryllium is about 1,000-fold more potent than the classical inhibitor when treating intact cells. There was a statistically significant dose-dependent reduction in specific activity of GSK-3β immunoprecipitated from cells that had been treated with either agent. Lithium inhibited GSK-3β kinase activity directly, and it also caused GSK-3β in cells to become phosphorylated at serine-9 (Ser-9), a post-translational modification that occurs as part of a well-known positive feedback loop that suppresses the kinase activity. Beryllium also inhibited the kinase directly, but unlike lithium it had little effect on Ser-9 phosphorylation in the cell types tested, suggesting that alternative modes of feedback inhibition may be elicited by this agent. These results indicate that beryllium, like lithium, can induce perturbations in the GSK-3β signaling network of treated cells. | 25,104,312 | [
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Abnormal white matter integrity in long-term abstinent alcohol dependent patients. | A number of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have reported substantial white matter (WM) abnormalities in alcohol-dependent patients. These studies were usually performed in recovering alcohol-dependent patients who had been abstinent for days to several weeks. The current study was designed to examine WM microstructure and decision-making in a sample of long-term abstinent alcohol-dependent patients. The study included 12 subjects with alcohol dependence who had been abstinent for at least 6 months before testing and scanning and 13 healthy control subjects. The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) was used to measure decision-making. We found that the long-term abstinent alcohol-dependent group had significantly higher radial and axial diffusivity (RD and AD, respectively) values in frontal, temporal and parietal WM than was found in the healthy control group despite showing no difference in fractional anisotropy (FA) values in comparison to controls. In conclusion, we found widespread WM changes in long-term abstinent alcohol-dependent patients compared with healthy controls. Our findings suggested that AD and RD should be included in analyses of DTI data in addition to the more commonly studied FA. In the current study, FA values of the detoxified alcoholics had recovered and were comparable to those of the controls, whereas significant changes in AD and RD were still observed in some clusters in the frontal, parietal and temporal lobes of detoxified alcoholics even after 27.8 months. | 25,104,315 | [
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Overexpression of a dominant-negative mutant of SIRT1 in mouse heart causes cardiomyocyte apoptosis and early-onset heart failure. | SIRT1, a mammalian ortholog of yeast silent information regulator 2 (Sir2), is an NAD(+)-dependent protein deacetylase that plays a critical role in the regulation of vascular function. The current study aims to investigate the functional significance of deacetylase activity of SIRT1 in heart. Here we show that the early postnatal hearts expressed the highest level of SIRT1 deacetylase activity compared to adult and aged hearts. We generated transgenic mice with cardiac-specific expression of a dominant-negative form of the human SIRT1 (SIRT1H363Y), which represses endogenous SIRT1 activity. The transgenic mice displayed dilated atrial and ventricular chambers, and died early in the postnatal period. Pathological, echocardiographic and molecular phenotype confirmed the presence of dilated cardiomyopathy. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end-labeling analysis revealed a greater abundance of apoptotic nuclei in the hearts of transgenic mice. Furthermore, we show that cardiomyocyte apoptosis caused by suppression of SIRT1 activity is, at least in part, due to increased p53 acetylation and upregulated Bax expression. These results indicate that dominant negative form of SIRT1 (SIRT1H363Y) overexpression in mouse hearts causes cardiomyocyte apoptosis and early-onset heart failure, suggesting a critical role of SIRT1 in preserving normal cardiac development during the early postnatal period. | 25,104,317 | [
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Scoring the collective effects of SNPs: association of minor alleles with complex traits in model organisms. | It has long been assumed that most parts of a genome and most genetic variations or SNPs are non-functional with regard to reproductive fitness. However, the collective effects of SNPs have yet to be examined by experimental science. We here developed a novel approach to examine the relationship between traits and the total amount of SNPs in panels of genetic reference populations. We identified the minor alleles (MAs) in each panel and the MA content (MAC) that each inbred strain carried for a set of SNPs with genotypes determined in these panels. MAC was nearly linearly linked to quantitative variations in numerous traits in model organisms, including life span, tumor susceptibility, learning and memory, sensitivity to alcohol and anti-psychotic drugs, and two correlated traits poor reproductive fitness and strong immunity. These results suggest that the collective effects of SNPs are functional and do affect reproductive fitness. | 25,104,319 | [
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p16(INK4a) /Ki-67 co-expression specifically identifies transformed cells in the head and neck region. | p16(INK4a) immunohistochemical overexpression is an overall reliable surrogate marker of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). However, cases of ambiguous p16(INK4a) overexpression are regularly detected in the head and neck: p16(INK4a) expression can be observed in non-malignant tissue, such as tonsillar crypt epithelium and a proportion of branchial cleft cysts. Additionally, diverse patterns of p16(INK4) expression can complicate interpretation of "p16(INK4a) -positivity". These aspects impede the unrestricted application of p16(INK4a) as a diagnostic marker in the head and neck. We hypothesized that combined detection of p16(INK4a) and the proliferation marker Ki-67 could support clarification of ambiguous p16(INK4a) expression in the head and neck by specifically indicating p16(INK4a) -expressing cells with proliferative activity. p16(INK4a) /Ki-67 co-expression in a combined staining procedure was correlated to distinct p16(INK4a) expression patterns and HPV status (HPV DNA followed by E6*I oncogene mRNA detection) in 147 HNSCC and 50 non-malignant head and neck samples. p16(INK4a) /Ki-67 co-expression only occurred in transformed cells of the head and neck. Co-expression was never detected in non-transformed cells. Combined p16(INK4a) /Ki-67 expression was stringently associated with a diffuse p16(INK4a) expression pattern. All HPV oncogene-expressing HNSCC showed p16(INK4a) /Ki-67 co-expression. We demonstrate that p16(INK4a) /Ki-67 co-expression occurs exclusively in transformed cells of the head and neck. Our findings indicate a substantial impact of combined p16(INK4a) /Ki-67 expression in the assessment of ambiguous p16(INK4a) expression in the head and neck by specifically identifying p16(INK4a) -expressing cells with proliferative activity. This property will be of considerable significance for head and neck histo- and cytopathology. | 25,104,331 | [
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Discovery of biomarkers predictive of GSI response in triple-negative breast cancer and adenoid cystic carcinoma. | Next-generation sequencing was used to identify Notch mutations in a large collection of diverse solid tumors. NOTCH1 and NOTCH2 rearrangements leading to constitutive receptor activation were confined to triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC; 6 of 66 tumors). TNBC cell lines with NOTCH1 rearrangements associated with high levels of activated NOTCH1 (N1-ICD) were sensitive to the gamma-secretase inhibitor (GSI) MRK-003, both alone and in combination with paclitaxel, in vitro and in vivo, whereas cell lines with NOTCH2 rearrangements were resistant to GSI. Immunohistochemical staining of N1-ICD in TNBC xenografts correlated with responsiveness, and expression levels of the direct Notch target gene HES4 correlated with outcome in patients with TNBC. Activating NOTCH1 point mutations were also identified in other solid tumors, including adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). Notably, ACC primary tumor xenografts with activating NOTCH1 mutations and high N1-ICD levels were sensitive to GSI, whereas N1-ICD-low tumors without NOTCH1 mutations were resistant. NOTCH1 mutations, immunohistochemical staining for activated NOTCH1, and HES4 expression are biomarkers that can be used to identify solid tumors that are likely to respond to GSI-based therapies. | 25,104,330 | [
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The spatiotemporal dynamics of chromatin protein HP1α is essential for accurate chromosome segregation during cell division. | Heterochromatin protein 1α (HP1α) is involved in regulation of chromatin plasticity, DNA damage repair, and centromere dynamics. HP1α detects histone dimethylation and trimethylation of Lys-9 via its chromodomain. HP1α localizes to heterochromatin in interphase cells but is liberated from chromosomal arms at the onset of mitosis. However, the structural determinants required for HP1α localization in interphase and the regulation of HP1α dynamics have remained elusive. Here we show that centromeric localization of HP1α depends on histone H3 Lys-9 trimethyltransferase SUV39H1 activity in interphase but not in mitotic cells. Surprisingly, HP1α liberates from chromosome arms in early mitosis. To test the role of this dissociation, we engineered an HP1α construct that persistently localizes to chromosome arms. Interestingly, persistent localization of HP1α to chromosome arms perturbs accurate kinetochore-microtubule attachment due to an aberrant distribution of chromosome passenger complex and Sgo1 from centromeres to chromosome arms that prevents resolution of sister chromatids. Further analyses showed that Mis14 and perhaps other PXVXL-containing proteins are involved in directing localization of HP1α to the centromere in mitosis. Taken together, our data suggest a model in which spatiotemporal dynamics of HP1α localization to centromere is governed by two distinct structural determinants. These findings reveal a previously unrecognized but essential link between HP1α-interacting molecular dynamics and chromosome plasticity in promoting accurate cell division. | 25,104,354 | [
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Motor neuron disease. SMN2 splicing modifiers improve motor function and longevity in mice with spinal muscular atrophy. | Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic disease caused by mutation or deletion of the survival of motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene. A paralogous gene in humans, SMN2, produces low, insufficient levels of functional SMN protein due to alternative splicing that truncates the transcript. The decreased levels of SMN protein lead to progressive neuromuscular degeneration and high rates of mortality. Through chemical screening and optimization, we identified orally available small molecules that shift the balance of SMN2 splicing toward the production of full-length SMN2 messenger RNA with high selectivity. Administration of these compounds to Δ7 mice, a model of severe SMA, led to an increase in SMN protein levels, improvement of motor function, and protection of the neuromuscular circuit. These compounds also extended the life span of the mice. Selective SMN2 splicing modifiers may have therapeutic potential for patients with SMA. | 25,104,390 | [
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Design and synthesis of 4'-O-alkyl-chitobiosyl-4-methylumbelliferone as human chitinase fluorogenic substrates. | The synthesis of three fluorogenic chitobiosyl derivatives, modified at the non-reducing 4'-OH with, either a methyl, an isopropyl or a cyclohexylmethyl substituent, is described. The 4'-capped 4-methylumbelliferyl chitobiosides are hydrolysed by the human chitinase CHIT1 following Michaelis-Menten kinetics and in contrast to unmodified chitobiosyl-4-methylumbelliferone do not undergo transglycosylation. The compounds are also relatively poor hexosaminidase substrates and thus provide useful alternatives to 4'-deoxychitobiosyl-4-methylumbelliferone, previously reported by us as fluorogenic substrate to monitor CHIT1 activity as a marker for Gaucher disease state. | 25,104,395 | [
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Design and characterization of a handheld multimodal imaging device for the assessment of oral epithelial lesions. | A compact handpiece combining high resolution fluorescence (HRF) imaging with optical coherence tomography (OCT) was developed to provide real-time assessment of oral lesions. This multimodal imaging device simultaneously captures coregistered en face images with subcellular detail alongside cross-sectional images of tissue microstructure. The HRF imaging acquires a 712 × 594 μm² field-of-view at the sample with a spatial resolution of 3.5 μm. The OCT images were acquired to a depth of 1.5 mm with axial and lateral resolutions of 9.3 and 8.0 μm, respectively. HRF and OCT images are simultaneously displayed at 25 fps. The handheld device was used to image a healthy volunteer, demonstrating the potential for in vivo assessment of the epithelial surface for dysplastic and neoplastic changes at the cellular level, while simultaneously evaluating submucosal involvement. We anticipate potential applications in real-time assessment of oral lesions for improved surveillance and surgical guidance. | 25,104,410 | [
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Label-free photoacoustic nanoscopy. | Super-resolution microscopy techniques - capable of overcoming the diffraction limit of light - have opened new opportunities to explore subcellular structures and dynamics not resolvable in conventional far-field microscopy. However, relying on staining with exogenous fluorescent markers, these techniques can sometimes introduce undesired artifacts to the image, mainly due to large tagging agent sizes and insufficient or variable labeling densities. By contrast, the use of endogenous pigments allows imaging of the intrinsic structures of biological samples with unaltered molecular constituents. Here, we report label-free photoacoustic (PA) nanoscopy, which is exquisitely sensitive to optical absorption, with an 88 nm resolution. At each scanning position, multiple PA signals are successively excited with increasing laser pulse energy. Because of optical saturation or nonlinear thermal expansion, the PA amplitude depends on the nonlinear incident optical fluence. The high-order dependence, quantified by polynomial fitting, provides super-resolution imaging with optical sectioning. PA nanoscopy is capable of super-resolution imaging of either fluorescent or nonfluorescent molecules. | 25,104,412 | [
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Does age of onset of risk behaviors mediate the relationship between child abuse and neglect and outcomes in middle adulthood? | Child maltreatment has been linked with a number of risk behaviors that are associated with long-lasting maladaptive outcomes across multiple domains of functioning. This study examines whether the ages of onset of four risk behaviors-sexual intercourse, alcohol use, drug use, and criminal behavior-mediate the relationship between child maltreatment and outcomes in middle adulthood among a sample of court-documented victims of child abuse/neglect and matched controls (N = 1,196; 51.7% female; 66.2% White, 32.6% Black). Adult outcomes included employment status, welfare receipt, internalizing symptoms of anxiety and depressive symptoms, substance use problems, and criminal arrests. The results indicated gender differences in these relationships. For females, age of onset of sexual intercourse mediated the relationship between child abuse/neglect and both internalizing symptoms and substance use problems in middle adulthood. For males, age at first criminal arrest mediated the relationship between child abuse/neglect and extensive involvement in the justice system in middle adulthood. Age of onset of alcohol use and drug use did not mediate the relationship between child abuse/neglect and middle adult outcomes. This study expands current knowledge by identifying associations between early initiation of risk behavior in one domain and later, continuing problems in different domains. Thus, early initiation of specific risk behaviors may have more wide-ranging negative consequences than are typically considered during intervention or treatment and strategies may need to target multiple domains of functioning. | 25,104,419 | [
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Development of gold nanoparticle-sheathed glass capillary nanoelectrodes for sensitive detection of cerebral dopamine. | To develop in vivo monitoring strategies of neurotransmitters involved in brain chemistry is a challenging work for progress in understanding the roles that biomolecules play in pathology and physiology. Here we report a new type of gold nanoparticle-sheathed glass capillary nanoelectrode (Au/GCNE) for sensing cerebral dopamine. First, a size-controlled needle-type quartz capillary was pulled with a laser puller. Then, the capillary tip exterior was chemically functionalized with colloidal gold nanoparticles by the seed-mediated growth protocol. Through insulating the above tip with cathodic electrophoretic paint followed by heating to tune the exposed area of gold-nanoparticle-film, the Au/GCNE with tip apex radius ranging from ~8.9 to ~500 nm can be prepared. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and steady-state voltammetry were utilized to characterize the effective radius of nanoelectrodes. The results showed that the tip apex radius of Au/GCNE was mainly affected by the pre-pulled capillary tip, the modified AuNPs and the cathodic electrophoretic paint. By taking advantage of the modified AuNPs and the enhanced electrochemical performance of the nanoelectrode, a wide dynamic linear range from 2.0×10(-8) M to 5.6×10(-6) M with a low detection limit of 1.0×10(-8) M (S/N=3), as well as good selectivity for dopamine, were first achieved with the Nafion-modified Au/GCNE. In addition, the designed glass substrates of Au/GCNE were mechanically stronger and their sharp tips aided in membrane penetration during implantation in the in vivo experiment. As a result, the Nafion-modified Au/GCNE was successfully applied for amperometrically monitoring dopamine in the striatum of anesthetic rats. | 25,104,436 | [
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Target network differences between western drugs and Chinese herbal ingredients in treating cardiovascular disease. | Western drugs have achieved great successes in CVDs treatment. However, they may lead to some side effects and drug resistance. On the other hand, more and more studies found that Traditional Chinese herbs have efficient therapeutic effects for CVDs, while their therapeutic mechanism is still not very clear. It may be a good view towards molecules, targets and network to decipher whether difference exists between anti-CVD western drugs and Chinese herbal ingredients. Anti-CVD western drugs and Chinese herbal ingredients, as well as their targets were thoroughly collected in this work. The similarities and the differences between the herbal ingredients and the western drugs were deeply explored based on three target-based perspectives including biochemical property, regulated pathway and disease network. The biological function of herbal ingredients' targets is more complex than that of the western drugs' targets. The signal transduction and immune system associated signaling pathways, apoptosis associated pathways may be the most important pathway for herbal ingredients, however the western drugs incline to regulate vascular smooth muscle contraction associated pathways. Chinese herbal ingredients prefer to regulate the downstream proteins of apoptosis associated pathway; while the western drugs incline to regulate the upstream proteins of VECC (Vascular Epidermal Cells Contraction) related pathways. In summary, the characteristics identified in this study would be valuable for designing new network-based multi-target CVD drugs or vaccine adjuvants. | 25,104,437 | [
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An updated view on the differentiation of stem cells into endothelial cells. | Endothelial cells form the internal barrier between circulating blood and the vessel wall. They regulate arterial activity and mediate pathological reactions to vascular injuries such as atherosclerosis and balloon angioplasty. The development and differentiation of endothelial cells is a complex and coordinated process involving multiple levels of signaling and transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation. Elucidating the mechanism of endothelial differentiation will not only enhance our understanding of vascular disease pathogenesis, but also facilitate our ability to produce vessels cells from pluripotent stem cells for regeneration purposes. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of how stem cells differentiate into endothelial cells at the level of signaling, transcription and microRNA regulation. | 25,104,448 | [
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Correlation between the activity of the autonomic nervous system and endothelial function in patients with acute coronary syndrome. | The endothelium and sympathetic nervous system play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The aim of our study was to evaluate correlations between noninvasive markers of the endothelial function and the sympathetic nervous system in patients with a recent ACS. The study included 52 patients who experienced an ACS within the previous 3 to 6 months. Endothelial function was expressed as the reactive hyperemia index (RHI), and the activity of the sympathetic nervous system--as latency and amplitude of sympathetic skin response (SSR) potentials from the 4 limbs. Linear and partial correlations between the RHI and SSR were calculated. There were significant correlations between the RHI and the latency of the SSR in the upper limbs (r = 0.34, P = 0.02 for the right limb; and r = 0.34, P = 0.01 for the left limb). After eliminating the effects of age, sex, weight, and glomerular filtration rate, the partial correlation between the RHI and the latency of the SSR in the upper limbs remained statistically significant (r = 0.41, P = 0.004 for the right limb, and r = 0.42, P = 0.004 for the left limb). There was no correlation between the RHI and latency of the SSR during the stimulation of the lower limbs. Our study confirmed the correlations between the sympathetic autonomic nervous system and endothelium in patients with ACS. The correlation of the RHI with the latency of the SSR was observed only in the upper limbs. | 25,104,470 | [
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Ovulation induction in pre-pubertal Sahiwal-Friesian cross bred heifers by the use of clomiphene citrate and hCG. | In this study, an attempt was made to induce ovulation in crossbred pre-pubertal heifers by the use of clomiphene citrate (an anti-estrogen) and hCG. The hypothesis was that the clomiphene citrate, being anti-estrogen, would remove negative feedback effect of estrogen on the release of pituitary gonadotropins. Elevated gonadotropins would support ovarian follicular growth to a point where hCG would induce ovulation. Six pre-pubertal heifers were given clomiphene citrate orally at 300 mg/heifer for 9 days. At the same time, six control heifers were given placebo tablets. On following day, hCG was given to all heifers at a dose of 2500IU. Blood was collected before, during and after treatment and plasma was assayed for progesterone (P4) and estradiol (E2) concentrations. Five heifers (83.3%) in the experimental group had E2 concentrations above 10 pg/ml compared to one heifer (16.7%) in control group. Due to a wide variation, mean E2 concentration did not differ significantly between experimental and control heifers. The P4 assays showed that four heifers (66.7%) in the experimental group had ovulated (P4>1ng/ml plasma) compared to one heifer (16.7%) in control group, and mean P4 concentration differed (P<0.05) when concentrations were greatest in the clomiphene citrate-treated heifers. In conclusion, clomiphene citrate along with hCG can be used to induce ovulation in pre-pubertal heifers. | 25,104,473 | [
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Region- and age-dependent reductions of hippocampal long-term potentiation and NMDA to AMPA ratio in a genetic model of Alzheimer's disease. | To characterize the mechanisms underlying region- and age-dependent hippocampal synaptic dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease, we used transgenic CRND8 mice, expressing the Swedish-Indiana APP mutation. In 2-month-old mice, no β-amyloid plaques deposition, but the presence of soluble oligomers, were found in CA1 area but not in dentate gyrus (DG). At this age, long-term potentiation (LTP) was reduced selectively in CA1. In 6-month-old mice, the presence of soluble oligomers was accompanied by accumulation of β-amyloid plaques and decreased LTP in CA1 and DG regions. In both regions, the loss of LTP was linked to reduced N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) to alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) current ratio. The acetylcholine-esterase inhibitor, neostigmine rescued LTP in CA1 area at early stage of the disease but not after plaques deposition. Conversely, the NMDA receptor antagonist memantine restored LTP selectively in DG at later stages of the disease. Both these effects were associated with a normalization of the NMDA to AMPA ratio. The association between the recovery of LTP and the normalization of the NMDA to AMPA ratio provides information on new possible therapeutic strategies in Alzheimer's disease. | 25,104,560 | [
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Genomics of cellulolytic bacteria. | The heterogeneous plant biomass is efficiently decomposed by the interplay of a great number of different enzymes. The enzyme systems in cellulolytic bacteria have been investigated by sequencing and bioinformatic analysis of genomes from plant biomass degrading microorganisms with valuable insights into the variety of the involved enzymes. This broadened our understanding of the biochemical mechanisms of plant polymer degradation and made the enzymes applicable for modern biotechnology. A list of the truly cellulolytic bacteria described and the available genomic information was examined for proteins with cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic capability. The importance of the isolation, characterization and genomic sequencing of cellulolytic microorganisms and their usage for sustainable energy production from biomass and other residues, is emphasized. | 25,104,562 | [
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The drug and vaccine landscape for neglected diseases (2000-11): a systematic assessment. | In 1975-99, only 1·1% of new therapeutic products had been developed for neglected diseases. Since then, several public and private initiatives have attempted to mitigate this imbalance. We analysed the research and development pipeline of drugs and vaccines for neglected diseases from 2000 to 2011. We searched databases of drug regulatory authorities, WHO, and clinical trial registries for entries made between Jan 1, 2000, and Dec 31, 2011. We defined neglected diseases as malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhoeal diseases, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs; WHO definition), and other diseases of poverty according to common definitions. Of the 850 new therapeutic products registered in 2000-11, 37 (4%) were indicated for neglected diseases, comprising 25 products with a new indication or formulation and eight vaccines or biological products. Only four new chemical entities were approved for neglected diseases (three for malaria, one for diarrhoeal disease), accounting for 1% of the 336 new chemical entities approved during the study period. Of 148,445 clinical trials registered in Dec 31, 2011, only 2016 (1%) were for neglected diseases. Our findings show a persistent insufficiency in drug and vaccine development for neglected diseases. Nevertheless, these and other data show a slight improvement during the past 12 years in new therapeutics development and registration. However, for many neglected diseases, new therapeutic products urgently need to be developed and delivered to improve control and potentially achieve elimination. None. | 25,104,602 | [
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Management of somatic pain induced by head and neck cancer treatment: pain following radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Guidelines of the French Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Society (SFORL). | The authors present the section of the guidelines of the French Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Society (SFORL) for the management of somatic pain induced by head and neck cancer treatment concerning management of pain following radiation therapy and chemotherapy. A multidisciplinary work group was entrusted with a literature review. Guidelines were drawn up based on the articles retrieved and the group members' experience. They were read over by an editorial group independent of the work group. A coordination meeting drew up the final version. Guidelines were graded A, B or C or as expert opinion in decreasing order of level of evidence. Particular care should be given to detection and early adapted treatment of pain induced by radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy, to improve quality of life in head and neck cancer patients. | 25,104,641 | [
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Caffeic acid directly targets ERK1/2 to attenuate solar UV-induced skin carcinogenesis. | Caffeic acid (3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid) is a well-known phenolic phytochemical present in coffee and reportedly has anticancer activities. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms and targeted proteins involved in the suppression of carcinogenesis by caffeic acid are not fully understood. In this study, we report that caffeic acid significantly inhibits colony formation of human skin cancer cells and EGF-induced neoplastic transformation of HaCaT cells dose-dependently. Caffeic acid topically applied to dorsal mouse skin significantly suppressed tumor incidence and volume in a solar UV (SUV)-induced skin carcinogenesis mouse model. A substantial reduction of phosphorylation in mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling was observed in mice treated with caffeic acid either before or after SUV exposure. Caffeic acid directly interacted with ERK1/2 and inhibited ERK1/2 activities in vitro. Importantly, we resolved the cocrystal structure of ERK2 complexed with caffeic acid. Caffeic acid interacted directly with ERK2 at amino acid residues Q105, D106, and M108. Moreover, A431 cells expressing knockdown of ERK2 lost sensitivity to caffeic acid in a skin cancer xenograft mouse model. Taken together, our results suggest that caffeic acid exerts chemopreventive activity against SUV-induced skin carcinogenesis by targeting ERK1 and 2. | 25,104,643 | [
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Global prevalence of age-related macular degeneration and disease burden projection for 2020 and 2040: a systematic review and meta-analysis. | Numerous population-based studies of age-related macular degeneration have been reported around the world, with the results of some studies suggesting racial or ethnic differences in disease prevalence. Integrating these resources to provide summarised data to establish worldwide prevalence and to project the number of people with age-related macular degeneration from 2020 to 2040 would be a useful guide for global strategies. We did a systematic literature review to identify all population-based studies of age-related macular degeneration published before May, 2013. Only studies using retinal photographs and standardised grading classifications (the Wisconsin age-related maculopathy grading system, the international classification for age-related macular degeneration, or the Rotterdam staging system) were included. Hierarchical Bayesian approaches were used to estimate the pooled prevalence, the 95% credible intervals (CrI), and to examine the difference in prevalence by ethnicity (European, African, Hispanic, Asian) and region (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and Oceania). UN World Population Prospects were used to project the number of people affected in 2014 and 2040. Bayes factor was calculated as a measure of statistical evidence, with a score above three indicating substantial evidence. Analysis of 129,664 individuals (aged 30-97 years), with 12,727 cases from 39 studies, showed the pooled prevalence (mapped to an age range of 45-85 years) of early, late, and any age-related macular degeneration to be 8.01% (95% CrI 3.98-15.49), 0.37% (0.18-0.77), and 8.69% (4.26-17.40), respectively. We found a higher prevalence of early and any age-related macular degeneration in Europeans than in Asians (early: 11.2% vs 6.8%, Bayes factor 3.9; any: 12.3% vs 7.4%, Bayes factor 4.3), and early, late, and any age-related macular degeneration to be more prevalent in Europeans than in Africans (early: 11.2% vs 7.1%, Bayes factor 12.2; late: 0.5% vs 0.3%, 3.7; any: 12.3% vs 7.5%, 31.3). There was no difference in prevalence between Asians and Africans (all Bayes factors <1). Europeans had a higher prevalence of geographic atrophy subtype (1.11%, 95% CrI 0.53-2.08) than Africans (0.14%, 0.04-0.45), Asians (0.21%, 0.04-0.87), and Hispanics (0.16%, 0.05-0.46). Between geographical regions, cases of early and any age-related macular degeneration were less prevalent in Asia than in Europe and North America (early: 6.3% vs 14.3% and 12.8% [Bayes factor 2.3 and 7.6]; any: 6.9% vs 18.3% and 14.3% [3.0 and 3.8]). No significant gender effect was noted in prevalence (Bayes factor <1.0). The projected number of people with age-related macular degeneration in 2020 is 196 million (95% CrI 140-261), increasing to 288 million in 2040 (205-399). These estimates indicate the substantial global burden of age-related macular degeneration. Summarised data provide information for understanding the effect of the condition and provide data towards designing eye-care strategies and health services around the world. National Medical Research Council, Singapore. | 25,104,651 | [
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Malaria burden and control in Bangladesh and prospects for elimination: an epidemiological and economic assessment. | Malaria is endemic in 13 of 64 districts in Bangladesh. About 14 million people are at risk. Some evidence suggests that the prevalence of malaria in Bangladesh has decreased since the the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria started to support the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) in 2007. We did an epidemiological and economic assessment of malaria control in Bangladesh. We obtained annually reported, district-level aggregated malaria case data and information about disbursed funds from the NMCP. We used a Poisson regression model to examine the associations between total malaria, severe malaria, malaria-attributable mortality, and insecticide-treated net coverage. We identified and mapped malaria hotspots using the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic. We estimated the cost-effectiveness of the NMCP by estimating the cost per confirmed case, cost per treated case, and cost per person of insecticide-treated net coverage. During the study period (from Jan 1, 2008, to Dec 31, 2012) there were 285,731 confirmed malaria cases. Malaria decreased from 6.2 cases per 1000 population in 2008, to 2.1 cases per 1000 population in 2012. Prevalence of all malaria decreased by 65% (95% CI 65-66), severe malaria decreased by 79% (78-80), and malaria-associated mortality decreased by 91% (83-95). By 2012, there was one insecticide-treated net for every 2.6 individuals (SD 0.20). Districts with more than 0.5 insecticide-treated nets per person had a decrease in prevalence of 21% (95% CI 19-23) for all malaria, 25% (17-32) for severe malaria, and 76% (35-91) for malaria-associated mortality among all age groups. Malaria hotspots remained in the highly endemic districts in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The cost per diagnosed case was US$0.39 (SD 0.02) and per treated case was $0.51 (0.27); $0.05 (0.04) was invested per person per year for health education and $0.68 (0.30) was spent per person per year for insecticide-treated net coverage. Malaria elimination is an achievable prospect in Bangladesh and failure to push for elimination nearly ensures a resurgence of disease. Consistent financing is needed to avoid resurgence and maintain elimination goals. None. | 25,104,666 | [
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Dental photography in record keeping and litigation. | Dental photography is essential in record keeping and it is important for all members of the dental team to be appropriately trained and for each practice to have the appropriate equipment. This article provides an overview of the applications of dental photography and equipment, and highlights issues of consent and duty of care. | 25,104,693 | [
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Herbicides as weed control agents: state of the art: I. Weed control research and safener technology: the path to modern agriculture. | The purpose of modern industrial herbicides is to control weeds. The species of weeds that plague crops today are a consequence of the historical past, being related to the history of the evolution of crops and farming practices. Chemical weed control began over a century ago with inorganic compounds and transitioned to the age of organic herbicides. Targeted herbicide research has created a steady stream of successful products. However, safeners have proven to be more difficult to find. Once found, the mode of action of the safener must be determined, partly to help in the discovery of further compounds within the same class. However, mounting regulatory and economic pressure has changed the industry completely, making it harder to find a successful herbicide. Herbicide resistance has also become a major problem, increasing the difficulty of controlling weeds. As a result, the development of new molecules has become a rare event today. | 25,104,723 | [
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Natural variation of root traits: from development to nutrient uptake. | The root system has a crucial role for plant growth and productivity. Due to the challenges of heterogeneous soil environments, diverse environmental signals are integrated into root developmental decisions. While root growth and growth responses are genetically determined, there is substantial natural variation for these traits. Studying the genetic basis of the natural variation of root growth traits can not only shed light on their evolution and ecological relevance but also can be used to map the genes and their alleles responsible for the regulation of these traits. Analysis of root phenotypes has revealed growth strategies and root growth responses to a variety of environmental stimuli, as well as the extent of natural variation of a variety of root traits including ion content, cellular properties, and root system architectures. Linkage and association mapping approaches have uncovered causal genes underlying the variation of these traits. | 25,104,725 | [
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Effects of within-generation thermal history on the flight performance of Ceratitis capitata: colder is better. | The influence of thermal history on temperature-dependent flight performance was investigated in an invasive agricultural pest insect, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae). Flies were exposed to one of four developmental acclimation temperatures (Tacc: 15, 20, 25, 30°C) during their pupal stage and tested at these temperatures (Ttest) as adults using a full-factorial study design. Major factors influencing flight performance included sex, body mass, Ttest and the interaction between Ttest and Tacc. Successful flight performance increased with increasing Ttest across all acclimation groups (from 10% at 15°C to 77% at 30°C). Although Tacc did not affect flight performance independently, it did have a significant interaction effect with Ttest. Multiple comparisons showed that flies which had been acclimated to 15°C and 20°C performed better than those acclimated to 25°C and 30°C when tested at cold temperatures, but warm-acclimated flies did not outperform cold-acclimated flies at warmer temperatures. This provides partial support for the 'colder is better' hypothesis. To explain these results, several flight-related traits were examined to determine whether Tacc influenced flight performance as a consequence of changes in body or wing morphology, whole-animal metabolic rate or cytochrome c oxidase enzyme activity. Although significant effects of Tacc could be detected in several of the traits examined, with an emphasis on sex-related differences, increased flight performance could not be explained solely on the basis of changes in any of these traits. Overall, these results are important for understanding dispersal physiology despite the fact that the mechanisms of acclimation-related changes in flight performance remain unresolved. | 25,104,754 | [
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Screening of Lactobacillus strains of domestic goose origin against bacterial poultry pathogens for use as probiotics. | Lactobacilli are natural inhabitants of human and animal mucous membranes, including the avian gastrointestinal tract. Recently, increasing attention has been given to their probiotic, health-promoting capacities, among which their antagonistic potential against pathogens plays a key role. A study was conducted to evaluate probiotic properties of Lactobacillus strains isolated from feces or cloacae of domestic geese. Among the 104 examined isolates, previously identified to the species level by whole-cell matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and analysis of 16S-23S regions of rDNA, dominated Lactobacillus salivarius (35%), followed by Lactobacillus johnsonii (18%) and Lactobacillus ingluviei (11%). All lactobacilli were screened for antimicrobial activity toward Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus, Pasteurella multocida, and Riemerella anatipestifer using the agar slab method and the well diffusion method. Lactobacillus salivarius and Lactobacillus plantarum exhibited particularly strong antagonism toward all of the indicator strains. In the agar slab method, the highest sensitivity to Lactobacillus was observed in R. anatipestifer and P. multocida, and the lowest in E. coli and S. aureus. The ability to produce H₂O₂was exhibited by 92% of isolates, but there was no correlation between the rate of production of this reactive oxygen species and the antimicrobial activity of Lactobacillus sp. All lactobacilli showed resistance to pH 3.0 and 3.5 and to 2% bile. The data demonstrate that Lactobacillus isolates from geese may have probiotic potential in reducing bacterial infections. The antibacterial activity of the selected lactobacilli is mainly due to lactic acid production by these bacteria. The selected Lactobacillus strains that strongly inhibited the growth of pathogenic bacteria, and were also resistant to low pH and bile salts, can potentially restore the balance of intestinal microflora in geese and could offer an alternative to antibiotic therapy. | 25,104,766 | [
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Fly emergence from manure of Japanese quail fed thymol- or isoeugenol-supplemented diets. | Many problems in poultry production are caused by a combination of interrelated factors such as management, stress, nutrition, and exposure to pathogens. Saprophagous flies that develop in poultry manure are a potential route of pathogen transmission. Besides being a nuisance, defecation and regurgitation of flies soil equipment and structures and can reduce light levels of lighting fixtures. These effects clearly affect management and may contribute to reductions in poultry egg production, health, and welfare. Many essential oils or their main components have bioactive effects such as natural repellents and insecticides, antioxidants, anticholesterolemics, and antimicrobials. This study evaluated if supplementing quail feed with thymol or isoeugenol as functional food could alter the production of flies from manure. Dropping samples deposited by quail fed with a supplementation of 2,000 mg of thymol or isoeugenol per kg of feed or no supplement (control) were collected. Each sample was incubated inside an emergence cage that was inspected daily to collect emerging adult flies. Fewer flies emerged from droppings of quail fed a thymol-supplemented diet (P = 0.01) and there was a tendency to a lower emergence from droppings of isoeugenol-fed quail (P = 0.09). The number of positive containers for Musca domestica was smaller from quail droppings of thymol- (P = 0.02) or isoeugenol- (P = 0.01) supplemented feed than from the control counterparts, suggesting an oviposition repellent effect. Supplementing quail feed with thymol or isoeugenol has an overall moderate effect against flies, reducing M. domestica emergence. | 25,104,767 | [
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Subjective well-being associated with size of social network and social support of elderly. | The current study examined the impact of size of social network on subjective well-being of elderly, mainly focused on confirmation of the mediator role of perceived social support. The results revealed that both size of social network and perceived social support were significantly correlated with subjective well-being. Structural equation modeling indicated that perceived social support partially mediated size of social network to subjective well-being. The final model also revealed significant both paths from size of social network to subjective well-being through perceived social support. The findings extended prior researches and provided valuable evidence on how to promote mental health of the elderly. | 25,104,778 | [
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A method for de novo nucleic acid diagnostic target discovery. | A proper target or marker is essential in any diagnosis (e.g. an infection or cancer). An ideal diagnostic target should be both conserved in and unique to the pathogen. Currently, these targets can only be identified manually, which is time-consuming and usually error-prone. Because of the increasingly frequent occurrences of emerging epidemics and multidrug-resistant 'superbugs', a rapid diagnostic target identification process is needed. A new method that can identify uniquely conserved regions (UCRs) as candidate diagnostic targets for a selected group of organisms solely from their genomic sequences has been developed and successfully tested. Using a sequence-indexing algorithm to identify UCRs and a k-mer integer-mapping model for computational efficiency, this method has successfully identified UCRs within the bacteria domain for 15 test groups, including pathogenic, probiotic, commensal and extremophilic bacterial species or strains. Based on the identified UCRs, new diagnostic primer sets were designed, and their specificity and efficiency were tested by polymerase chain reaction amplifications from both pure isolates and samples containing mixed cultures. The UCRs identified for the 15 bacterial species are now freely available at http://ucr.synblex.com. The source code of the programs used in this study is accessible at http://ucr.synblex.com/bacterialIdSourceCode.d.zip yazhousun@synblex.com Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. | 25,104,813 | [
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Despite substantial progress In EHR adoption, health information exchange and patient engagement remain low in office settings. | The United States is making substantial investments to accelerate the adoption and use of interoperable electronic health record (EHR) systems. Using data from the 2009-13 Electronic Health Records Survey, we found that EHR adoption continues to grow: In 2013, 78 percent of office-based physicians had adopted some type of EHR, and 48 percent had the capabilities required for a basic EHR system. However, we also found persistent gaps in EHR adoption, with physicians in solo practices and non-primary care specialties lagging behind others. Physicians' electronic health information exchange with other providers was limited, with only 14 percent sharing data with providers outside their organization. Finally, we found that 30 percent of physicians routinely used capabilities for secure messaging with patients, and 24 percent routinely provided patients with the ability to view online, download, or transmit their health record. These findings suggest that although EHR adoption continues to grow, policies to support health information exchange and patient engagement will require ongoing attention. | 25,104,827 | [
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Property damage and long-term psychological distress after the 2004 Niigata-Chuetsu earthquake in Ojiya, Japan: a community-based study. | This study aimed to assess psychological distress (PD) in earthquake-stricken communities with regard to the extent of property damage for 3 years following the 2004 Niigata-Chuetsu earthquake in Japan. Subjects were participants of health check examinations in a community near the epicentre, and included 7097 residents (≥18 years) in 2005, 6586 in 2006 and 6698 in 2007. Interviews assessed PD symptoms and lifestyles. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) was used, with scores ≥20 considered as PD. The 137 subdistricts were divided into quartiles according to the proportion of half-completely destroyed houses at cut-offs of 18.9, 30.5 and 66.7%. The PD prevalence was 17.0% in 2005, 13.2% in 2006 and 11.8% in 2007. In 2005, the more and most heavily damaged groups had significantly higher PD prevalence (OR = 1.5 and 1.4, respectively) than that of the least damaged group with a dose-dependent relationship (P = 0.0005). This association was weaker in 2006 (P = 0.0413) and in 2007 (P = 0.1816). Psychological distress prevalence was high in highly damaged areas, and the prevalence difference between areas with high versus low damage decreases with time. Extensive mental health care in communities with substantial damage should be expected to last 2 years after an earthquake. | 25,104,841 | [
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Recursive and non-linear logistic regression: moving on from the original EuroSCORE and EuroSCORE II methodologies. | EuroSCORE II, despite improving on the original EuroSCORE system, has not solved all the calibration and predictability issues. Recursive, non-linear and mixed recursive and non-linear regression analysis were assessed with regard to sensitivity, specificity and predictability of the original EuroSCORE and EuroSCORE II systems. The original logistic EuroSCORE, EuroSCORE II and recursive, non-linear and mixed recursive and non-linear regression analyses of these risk models were assessed via receiver operator characteristic curves (ROC) and Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic analysis with regard to the accuracy of predicting in-hospital mortality. Analysis was performed for isolated coronary artery bypass grafts (CABGs) (n = 2913), aortic valve replacement (AVR) (n = 814), mitral valve surgery (n = 340), combined AVR and CABG (n = 517), aortic (n = 350), miscellaneous cases (n = 642), and combinations of the above cases (n = 5576). The original EuroSCORE had an ROC below 0.7 for isolated AVR and combined AVR and CABG. None of the methods described increased the ROC above 0.7. The EuroSCORE II risk model had an ROC below 0.7 for isolated AVR only. Recursive regression, non-linear regression, and mixed recursive and non-linear regression all increased the ROC above 0.7 for isolated AVR. The original EuroSCORE had a Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic that was above 0.05 for all patients and the subgroups analysed. All of the techniques markedly increased the Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic. The EuroSCORE II risk model had a Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic that was significant for all patients (P < 0.0001), and very close to significant for isolated CABG (P = 0.05) and for isolated AVR (P = 0.06). Non-linear regression failed to improve on the original Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic. The mixed recursive and non-linear regression using the EuroSCORE II risk model was the only model that produced an ROC of 0.7 or above for all patients and procedures and had a Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic that was highly non-significant. The original EuroSCORE and the EuroSCORE II risk models do not have adequate ROC and Hosmer-Lemeshow statistics to allow accurate assessment of cardiac surgeons in the modern era. A mixed recursive and non-linear regression model utilizing the EuroSCORE II risk model improves both the ROC and Hosmer-Lemeshow statistics. | 25,104,857 | [
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The Role of Empowerment in a School-Based Community Service Program with Inner-City, Minority Youth. | Despite considerable fiscal and structural support for youth service programs, research has not demonstrated consistent outcomes across participants or programs, suggesting the need to identify critical program processes. The present study addresses this need through preliminary examination of the role of program empowerment in promoting positive identity development in inner-city, African American youth participating in a pilot school-based service program. Results suggest that participants who experienced the program as empowering experienced increases in self-efficacy, sense of civic responsibility, and ethnic identity, over and above general engagement and enjoyment of the program. Preliminary exploration of differences based on participant gender suggests that some results may be stronger and more consistent for males than females. These findings provide preliminary support for the importance of theoretically grounded program processes in producing positive outcomes for youth service participants. | 25,104,875 | [
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Results of the treatment of the open femoral shaft fractures in children. | Intramedullary nailing has become the treatment of choice for closed femoral shaft fractures in children and adolescents. Immediate intramedullary nailing of open fractures of femur in children remains controversial, with most surgeons preferring to treat grade II or III open fractures either by debridement and traction or external fixation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the results of intramedullary nailing of open femoral fractures in children. 172 children were treated for femoral shaft fracture in our department. 19 fractures were opened in 18 patients. In children with polytrauma, multiple fractures, head injuries and other conditions which necessitate intensive nursing care, intramedullary nailing of opens femoral shaft fractures (type I, II, IIIA, IIIB) should be preferred. Satisfactory results were obtained in all patients in terms of self evaluation of patients, radiological and clinical evaluation. The infection rate was much lower for patients who had been given a cephalosporin than for patient who had been given a penicillin or had been given no antibiotic. | 25,104,890 | [
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Short-term evaluation of arthroscopic management of tennis elbow; including resection of radio-capitellar capsular complex. | There has been controversy regarding the pathogenesis and treatment of lateral epicondylitis. Different surgical techniques for the treatment of lateral epicondylitis prescribed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the short-term outcomes of arthroscopic management including resection of the radio-capitellar capsular complex, using different validated scores. In this study, arthroscopic resection of a capsular fringe complex was done beside debridement of the undersurface of Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis (ECRB). Thirty-one patients with recalcitrant lateral epicondylitis for a minimum of 6 months had surgery. In all patients, a collar-like band of radio-capitellar capsular complex was found to impinge on the radial head and subluxate into the radio-capitellar joint with manipulation under direct vision. Outcomes were assessed using Mayo Elbow Performance Index (MEPI), the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE), and the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH), beside visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and satisfaction criteria. After arthroscopic surgery, overall satisfaction was extremely positive, over the 31 patients, 93.5% of the patients are satisfied. The mean score for pain improved from 8.64 to 1.48 points. The total PRTEE improved from 55.53 to 10.39 points. The mean MEPI score was improved from 61.82 to 94.10 points. DASH score also improved from 24.46 to 4.81 points. All improvements are statistically significant (P < 0.05). Arthroscopic release of ECRB in patients with chronic lateral epicondylitis is a reproducible method with a marked improvement in function within a short period, with special consideration for resection of radio-capitellar capsular complex. | 25,104,891 | [
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Automatic yield-line analysis of slabs using discontinuity layout optimization. | The yield-line method of analysis is a long established and extremely effective means of estimating the maximum load sustainable by a slab or plate. However, although numerous attempts to automate the process of directly identifying the critical pattern of yield-lines have been made over the past few decades, to date none has proved capable of reliably analysing slabs of arbitrary geometry. Here, it is demonstrated that the discontinuity layout optimization (DLO) procedure can successfully be applied to such problems. The procedure involves discretization of the problem using nodes inter-connected by potential yield-line discontinuities, with the critical layout of these then identified using linear programming. The procedure is applied to various benchmark problems, demonstrating that highly accurate solutions can be obtained, and showing that DLO provides a truly systematic means of directly and reliably automatically identifying yield-line patterns. Finally, since the critical yield-line patterns for many problems are found to be quite complex in form, a means of automatically simplifying these is presented. | 25,104,905 | [
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Utilization of structural steel in buildings. | Over one-quarter of steel produced annually is used in the construction of buildings. Making this steel causes carbon dioxide emissions, which climate change experts recommend be reduced by half in the next 37 years. One option to achieve this is to design and build more efficiently, still delivering the same service from buildings but using less steel to do so. To estimate how much steel could be saved from this option, 23 steel-framed building designs are studied, sourced from leading UK engineering firms. The utilization of each beam is found and buildings are analysed to find patterns. The results for over 10 000 beams show that average utilization is below 50% of their capacity. The primary reason for this low value is 'rationalization'-providing extra material to reduce labour costs. By designing for minimum material rather than minimum cost, steel use in buildings could be drastically reduced, leading to an equivalent reduction in 'embodied' carbon emissions. | 25,104,911 | [
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A prospective, randomized, double-blind, and multicenter trial of prophylactic effects of ramosetronon postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after craniotomy: comparison with ondansetron. | Craniotomy patients have a high incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). This prospective, randomized, double-blind, multi-center study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of prophylactic ramosetron in preventing PONV compared with ondansetron after elective craniotomy in adult patients. A total of 160 American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I-II patients aged 19-65 years who were scheduled to undergo elective craniotomy for various intracranial lesions were enrolled in this study. All patients received total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) with propofol and remifentanil. Patients were randomly allocated into three groups to receive ondansetron (4 mg; group A, n = 55), ondansetron (8 mg; group B, n = 54), or ramosetron (0.3 mg; group C, n = 51) intravenously at the time of dural closure. The incidence of PONV, the need for rescue antiemetics, pain score, patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) consumption, and adverse events were recorded 48 h postoperatively. Among the initial 160 patients, 127 completed the study and were included in the final analysis. The incidences of PONV were lower (nausea, 14% vs. 59% and 41%, respectively; P < 0.001; vomiting, P = 0.048) and the incidence of complete response was higher (83% vs. 37% and 59%, respectively; P < 0.001) in group C than in groups A and B at 48 h postoperatively. There were no significant differences in the incidence of PONV or need for rescue antiemetics 0-2 h postoperatively, but significant differences were observed in the incidence of PONV and complete response among the three groups 2-48 h postoperatively. No statistically significant intergroup differences were observed in postoperative pain, PCA consumption, or adverse events. Intravenous administration of ramosetron at 0.3 mg reduced the incidence of PONV and rescue antiemetic requirement in craniotomy patients. Ramosetron at 0.3 mg was more effective than ondansetron at 4 or 8 mg for preventing PONV in adult craniotomy patients. CLINICAL RESEARCH INFORMATION SERVICE (CRIS) IDENTIFIER: KCT0000320. Registered 9 January 2012. | 25,104,916 | [
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GABAergic and glycinergic inhibitory synaptic transmission in the ventral cochlear nucleus studied in VGAT channelrhodopsin-2 mice. | Both glycine and GABA mediate inhibitory synaptic transmission in the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN). In mice, the time course of glycinergic inhibition is slow in bushy cells and fast in multipolar (stellate) cells, and is proposed to contribute to the processing of temporal cues in both cell types. Much less is known about GABAergic synaptic transmission in this circuit. Electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve or the tuberculoventral pathway evokes little GABAergic synaptic current in brain slice preparations, and spontaneous GABAergic miniature synaptic currents occur infrequently. To investigate synaptic currents carried by GABA receptors in bushy and multipolar cells, we used transgenic mice in which channelrhodopsin-2 and EYFP is driven by the vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT-ChR2-EYFP) and is expressed in both GABAergic and glycinergic neurons. Light stimulation evoked action potentials in EYFP-expressing presynaptic cells, and evoked inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) in non-expressing bushy and planar multipolar cells. Less than 10% of the IPSP amplitude in bushy cells arose from GABAergic synapses, whereas 40% of the IPSP in multipolar neurons was GABAergic. In voltage clamp, glycinergic IPSCs were significantly slower in bushy neurons than in multipolar neurons, whereas there was little difference in the kinetics of the GABAergic IPSCs between two cell types. During prolonged stimulation, the ratio of steady state vs. peak IPSC amplitude was significantly lower for glycinergic IPSCs. Surprisingly, the reversal potentials of GABAergic IPSCs were negative to those of glycinergic IPSCs in both bushy and multipolar neurons. In the absence of receptor blockers, repetitive light stimulation was only able to effectively evoke IPSCs up to 20 Hz in both bushy and multipolar neurons. We conclude that local GABAergic release within the VCN can differentially influence bushy and multipolar cells. | 25,104,925 | [
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Conductor gestures influence evaluations of ensemble performance. | Previous research has found that listener evaluations of ensemble performances vary depending on the expressivity of the conductor's gestures, even when performances are otherwise identical. It was the purpose of the present study to test whether this effect of visual information was evident in the evaluation of specific aspects of ensemble performance: articulation and dynamics. We constructed a set of 32 music performances that combined auditory and visual information and were designed to feature a high degree of contrast along one of two target characteristics: articulation and dynamics. We paired each of four music excerpts recorded by a chamber ensemble in both a high- and low-contrast condition with video of four conductors demonstrating high- and low-contrast gesture specifically appropriate to either articulation or dynamics. Using one of two equivalent test forms, college music majors and non-majors (N = 285) viewed sixteen 30 s performances and evaluated the quality of the ensemble's articulation, dynamics, technique, and tempo along with overall expressivity. Results showed significantly higher evaluations for performances featuring high rather than low conducting expressivity regardless of the ensemble's performance quality. Evaluations for both articulation and dynamics were strongly and positively correlated with evaluations of overall ensemble expressivity. | 25,104,944 | [
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Thirteen-Week Study of PM014 Subchronic Oral Toxicity in Rats. | PM014 is a modified herbal formula based on Chung-Sang-Bo-Ha-Tang, which is a well-known prescription drug used for curing various inflammatory pulmonary diseases. We previously showed that PM014 attenuated lung inflammation in a murine model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the chronic oral toxicity of PM014 in rats. PM014 was administered to rats orally once daily at doses of 0, 750, 1500, and 3000 mg/kg/day for 13 weeks. The PM014 treatment did not result in any toxicologically significant changes between the control and treatment groups in body weight, clinical signs, food consumption, dermatological and serum biochemical parameters, organ weight ratio, or histopathology. We concluded that no PM014-related toxicity was detected even at the highest doses investigated in this repeated dose oral toxicity study. Based on our results, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of PM014 was 3000 mg/kg/day in both genders. These results might provide supportive evidence of the safety of PM014 to develop a new drug. | 25,104,964 | [
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HCV RNA viral load is independent from CD4 cell count and plasma HIV RNA viral load in immunocompetent HIV-HCV co-infected patients: a 3-years follow-up study. | HCV RNA viral load is an important predictor of sustained virological response and, recently, a significant correlation with liver fibrosis was described. We investigated on possible influence of clinical and viro-immunological variables on HCV viral load in HIV-HCV co-infected patients over a study time of three years (2009-2012). We retrospectively enrolled 98 adult patients with a diagnosis of chronic HIV infection in 2009, a diagnosis of chronic HCV infection with a detectable plasma HCV RNA in 2009 and 2012, HCV therapy-naïve or with failed and stopped antiviral treatment before June 2008. The following variables were recorded: age, gender, HCV genotype, IL28B rs12979860 CC genotype, HCV treatment status, advanced liver fibrosis diagnosis, antiretroviral therapy, CD4+ cell count, HCV viral load, HIV RNA (plasma HIV-1 RNA levels were measured from blood samples every three months at least). The correlation was established using linear regression analysis, analysis of variance and Fisher's exact test. Comparisons between groups were performed using Fisher's exact test, the independent samples t-test and the t-test for paired data, as appropriate, for continuous variables. A mixed mode (ME) maximum likelihood linear regression model was constructed to evaluate the dependence of HCV viral load. HCV RNA levels did not change significantly from 2009 to 2012 (from 3924650 ± 5320177 IU/ml to 3085128 ± 3372347 IU/ml, p = 0.13); the CD4+ count increased significantly (from a mean of 576 to a mean of 654, p = 0.003). Using linear regression, a positive correlation was observed for HCV load and genotype 1 (p = 0.002), nonresponder status (p = 0.04) and with interleukin 28B CC allele (p = 0.05). Other studied covariates failed to reach a significant correlation. The HCV RNA load, a known pretreatment predictor of response to antiviral therapy, was independent of the two main parameters of HIV disease, plasma HIV RNA and CD4 cell count, over an observation time of 3 years in patients with recovered or spontaneously maintained immunocompetence. | 25,104,966 | [
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The effectiveness of lasers in the treatment of onychomycosis: a systematic review. | Onychomycosis is a common nail pathology which has proven to be a treatment challenge to healthcare professionals. Antifungal drugs have been the mainstay of therapy for many years. Recently, laser technologies have been introduced as a treatment for onychomycosis avoiding the disadvantages of systemic and topical drug therapies, offering a rapid treatment for an often persistent nail condition. The purpose of this study was to review published evidence regarding the effectiveness of laser technologies in the treatment of onychomycosis. The primary question for this review was "what evidence is there for the use of lasers in the treatment of onychomycosis"? A systematic literature search of published papers indexed on Pubmed and Web of Science® was undertaken in June 2014 for original, published research. The primary outcome measures for efficacy were mycological cure and clearance of the affected nail (clinical cure). This review returned a total of twelve eligible published studies evaluating the use of lasers in the treatment of onychomycosis. Two were randomised controlled trials, four were comparative design studies (with no placebo/control groups) and the remainder were case series. The level of evidence was generally low level reflecting predominantly small sample size and lack of control groups. The results from studies were conflicting and follow up periods for patients in studies were generally short. Many studies excluded patients with severe or dystrophic onychomycosis. The evidence pertaining to the effectiveness of laser treatment of onychomycosis is limited and of poor methodological quality. Future studies using a randomised controlled trial designs with larger study populations and clear procedures are required to permit a full evaluation of this emerging technology. | 25,104,974 | [
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Oxytocin ameliorates the immediate myocardial injury in heart transplant through down regulation of the neutrophil dependent myocardial apoptosis. | Cardiac oxytocin (OT) is structurally identical to that found in the hypothalamus, which thereby indicates that cardiac OT is derived from the same gene and is an active form of OT. The abundance of OT and OT receptors in atrial myocytes shows that, directly and/or via the release of the cardiac hormone atrial natriuretic peptide, OT can regulate the force of cardiac contractions. Previous studies have demonstrated the role of OT in the myocardial inflammatory response. The mechanism by which OT elicits protective myocardial effects in the immediate post-transplantation period is not yet clear, and the role of the early phase inflammatory elements in this mechanism has not yet been studied. As a result, in this study, we have investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of OT on myocardial protection in the immediate post-transplantation period. ADULT MALE ALBINO RATS WERE GROUPED INTO: Sham, Control, and OT-treated groups. The control and treated groups sustained cervical heterotopic heart transplant. Myocardial injury was assessed by measuring: Plasma cardiac troponin I, myocardial proinflammatory cytokines, and histopathological assessment for score of injury, and degree of apoptosis. Myocardial myeloperoxidase, neutrophil infiltration, and neutrophil chemotactant agents, reactive oxygen species, and reactive nitrogen species formation all were measured in the myocardium after 3 hour of reperfusion to assess the neutrophil-dependant myocardial injury and the mechanism involved. Oxytocin down-regulates the neutrophil chemotactant agents the KC/CXCL1 and MIP-2/CXCL2 which recruit less neutrophil into myocardium, this decrement in myocardial PMN infiltration is associated with less reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species formation in the myocardium after 3 hours of global ischemia reperfusion. These oxytocin-induced down-regulation inflammatory and oxidative processes will end in less myocardial injury through impedance in the post-myocardial ischemia/reperfusion apoptotic process. Oxytocin ameliorates myocardial injury in heart transplant through down-regulation the myocardial inflammatory response, reactive oxygen species, and neutrophil-dependant myocardial apoptosis. | 25,104,981 | [
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Beneficial role of antioxidants on clinical outcomes and erythrocyte antioxidant parameters in rheumatoid arthritis patients. | This study aims to investigate the effect of antioxidants supplement on clinical outcomes and antioxidant parameters in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The pre-post study was conducted on 40 female patients with RA in 12 weeks that taken daily one Selenplus capsule contained 50 μg selenium, 8 mg zinc, 400 μg vitamin A, 125 mg vitamin C, and 40 mg vitamin E. About 5 mL venous blood sample was taken from all participants and disease activity score (DAS) was determined by DAS-28 formula and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were measured by spectrophotometric kit and catalase (CAT) was measured by Abei method. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was determined by spectrophotometric kit. Distribution of the variables was assessed using histogram with normal curve as well as Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and data were analyzed with paired t-test for differences between pre-post data using SPSS software version 13.5. Our findings showed that antioxidants may improve disease activity significantly, but it did not affect the number of painful and swollen joints and increased erythrocyte antioxidant levels. Antioxidants may be useful for controlling of clinical outcomes and oxidative stress in RA. | 25,104,994 | [
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Regulation of fatty acid composition and lipid storage by thyroid hormone in mouse liver. | Thyroid hormones (THs) are potent hormones modulating liver lipid homeostasis. The perturbation of lipid homeostasis is a hallmark of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a very common liver disorder. It was reported that NAFLD patients were associated with higher incidence of hypothyroidism. However, whether abnormal thyroid function contributes to the pathogenesis of NAFLD remains unclear. We used in vivo models to investigate the influence of hypothyroidism and TH on hepatic lipid homeostasis. We did not observe hepatic triglyceride accumulation in the liver of hypothyroid mice, although the liver was enlarged. We then characterized the hepatic fatty acid composition with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in mice under different thyroid states. We found that hypothyroidism decreased saturated fatty acid (SFA) content while TH treatment restored the level of SFA. In agreement with this finding, we observed that the expression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 and fatty acid synthase, the rate-limit enzymes for de novo lipogenesis (DNL), decreased in hypothyroid mice while increased after TH treatment. We also found that the ratio of C18:1n-9/C18:0 and C16:1n-7/C16:0 was decreased by TH treatment, suggesting the activity of stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 was suppressed. This finding indicated that TH is able to suppress triglyceride accumulation by reducing fatty acid desaturation. Additionally, we found that hepatic glycogen content was substantially influenced by TH status, which was associated with glycogen synthase expression. The increased glycogen storage might explain the enlarged liver we observed in hypothyroid mice. Taken together, our study here suggested that hypothyroidism in mice might not lead to the development of NAFLD although the liver became enlarged. However, disturbed TH levels led to altered hepatic fatty acid composition and glycogen accumulation. | 25,105,012 | [
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Evaluation of the endothelial cell density and the central corneal thickness in pseudoexfoliation syndrome and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma. | Purpose. Evaluation of central corneal thickness (CCT) and endothelial cell density (ECD) in patients with senile cataract and coexisting pseudoexfoliation (PEX) syndrome with glaucoma (PEXG) and without glaucoma using specular microscopy. Participants and Methods. The study included 122 patients (217 eyes). In this group of patients we identified 133 eyes with PEX syndrome (65 with glaucoma, 68 without glaucoma) and 84 eyes without PEX syndrome. ECD and CCT were measured in each eye by specular microscopy. Results. ECD in eyes with PEX syndrome without glaucoma (2297 ± 359 cell/mm(2)) and in eyes with PEXG (2241 ± 363 cell/mm(2)) was lower than in the control group (2503 ± 262 cell/mm(2)) (P < 0.001). CCT in eyes with PEXG (508.2 ± 32.6 μm) was thinner than in eyes with PEX syndrome without glaucoma (529.7 ± 30.3 μm) and control group (527.7 ± 29.4 μm) (P < 0.001). Conclusions. This research shows that in eyes with PEX syndrome, both with and without glaucoma, ECD was statistically significantly lower than in the control group. In patients with PEXG, CCT was statistically significantly thinner than in the PEX syndrome and control group. | 25,105,017 | [
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Complicated gallstones after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. | The natural history of gallstone formation after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), the incidence of symptomatic gallstones, and timing of cholecystectomy are not well established. A retrospective review of prospectively collected database of 150 patients that underwent LSG was reviewed. Preoperatively, gallbladder disease was identified in 32 of the patients (23.2%). Postoperatively, eight of 138 patients (5.8%) became symptomatic. Namely, three of 23 patients (13%) who had evident cholelithiasis preoperatively developed complicated cholelithiasis. From the cohort of patients without preoperative cholelithiasis, five of 106 patients (4.7%) experienced complicated gallstones after LSG. Total cumulative incidence of complicated gallstones was 4.7% (95% CI: 1.3-8.1%). The gallbladder disease-free survival rate was 92.2% at 2 years. No patient underwent cholecystectomy earlier than 9 months or later than 23 months indicating the post-LSG effect. A significant proportion of bariatric patients compared to the general population became symptomatic and soon developed complications after LSG, thus early cholecystectomy is warranted. Routine concomitant cholecystectomy could be considered because the proportion of patients who developed complications especially those with potentially significant morbidities is high and the time to develop complications is short and because of the real technical difficulties during subsequent cholecystectomy. | 25,105,023 | [
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Prevalence of Voluntary Counseling and Testing Utilization and Its Associated Factors among Bahirdar University Students. | Background. In Ethiopia university students are among the most sexually active and high HIV risk young population group but unfortunately VCT uptake was low (35%-38%) among this group. Examining the factors contributing to VCT uptake is vital to facilitate HIV prevention and control efforts. Objective. To assess the prevalence of voluntary counseling and testing utilization and its associated factors among Bahirdar University students in April 2012. Methods. Cross-sectional study was conducted in April 2012, among Bahirdar University students. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 801 students. Data were collected using pretested self-administered questionnaire and analyzed by using SPSS version-16. Results. 772 students (79.7% males) participated in the study. The mean age of the respondents' was 21.3. From all respondents 37.8% of the study participants had undergone HIV test. Different variables showed significant association with VCT uptake. Conclusion. The major factors identified for increased VCT service utilization were having a friend who got VCT, having discussion about HIV/AIDS with family, origin of residence, year of study, and having boy- or girlfriend. Therefore, actions targeting these predictors are necessary to effectively enhance the use of the VCT services utilization among students. | 25,105,028 | [
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Body stalk anomaly in a 9-week pregnancy. | Body stalk anomaly is a rare and severe malformation syndrome in which the exact pathophysiology and trigger factors are still unknown. This is a case of a 30-year-old patient who underwent ultrasound at 9 weeks of gestation. It revealed an abnormal location of the inferior body of the embryo in the coelomic space. The findings suggested a short umbilical cord syndrome. In order to confirm the diagnosis, the patient was scheduled for a second ultrasonography at 11 weeks of gestation. The obtained images, confirmed the location of the inferior body in the coelomic space with no visible bladder, absence of the right leg, severe abdominal wall defect, consistent with an omphalocele, and a short 5 mm umbilical cord. These last ultrasonographic findings were consistent with body stalk anomaly. Because of severe malformation incompatible with life, the patient was offered termination of pregnancy. Pathologic examination confirmed the suspected pathology of body stalk anomaly. | 25,105,039 | [
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Genome analysis of the staphylococcal temperate phage DW2 and functional studies on the endolysin and tail hydrolase. | This study describes the genome of temperate <iSiphoviridae</i phage DW2, which is routinely propagated on <iStaphylococcus aureus</i DPC5246. The 41941 bp genome revealed an open reading frame (ORF1) which has a high level of homology with members of the resolvase subfamily of site-specific serine recombinase, involved in chromosomal integration and excision. In contrast, the majority of staphylococcal phages reported to date encode tyrosine recombinases. Two putative genes encoded by phage DW2 (ORF15 and ORF24) were highly homologous to the NWMN0273 and NWMN0280 genes encoding virulence factors carried on the genome of ϕNM4, a prophage in the genome of <iS. aureus</i Newman. Phage DW2 also encodes proteins highly homologous to two well-characterized <iStaphylococcus aureus</i pathogenicity island derepressors encoded by the staphylococcal helper phage 80α indicating that it may similarly act as a helper phage for mobility of pathogenicity islands in <iS. aureus</i. This study also focused on the enzybiotic potential of phage DW2. The structure of the putative endolysin and tail hydrolase were investigated and used as the basis for a cloning strategy to create recombinant peptidoglycan hydrolyzing proteins. After overexpression in <iE. coli,</i four of these proteins (LysDW2, THDW2, CHAP<subE1-153</sub, and CHAP<subE1-163</sub) were demonstrated to have hydrolytic activity against peptidoglycan of <iS. aureus</i and thus represent novel candidates for exploitation as enzybiotics. | 25,105,056 | [
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Potency and Stability of Intradermal Capsaicin: Implications for Use as a Human Model of Pain in Multicenter Clinical Trials. | Intradermally injected capsaicin has been used extensively both as a human pain model and to assess analgesic efficacy. Factors such as dose, formulation, route, and site are known to affect its sensitivity. We determined whether potency and stability of capsaicin solutions were further sources of variability when following strict manufacturing guidelines. Capsaicin solution (1.0 mg/mL) was prepared according to Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) guidelines and aseptically filled into sterile amber borosilicate vials and stored at 5°C, 25°C, and 30°C. All samples were analyzed at one, three, six, and twelve months. Chemical stability was determined using HPLC and physical stability was evaluated by visual inspection of color changes, clarity, particulate matter, and product/ container closure abnormalities during each sampling time. Capsaicin intradermal injection was found to be sterile and retained 95% of the initial concentration for at least one year, regardless of studied storage temperatures (P<0.0001). Visual inspection indicated no changes in color, clarity, particulate matter, and product/ container closure abnormalities in all samples. These data show that capsaicin solutions (1.0 mg/mL) maintain their potency and stability over one year when manufactured according to cGMP guidelines. These results suggest that in clinical trials manufacturing of capsaicin solutions is recommended over extemporaneous compounding. | 25,105,064 | [
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Stress resilience training: the need for circumspection. | Weltman et al have presented a fascinating report on the effectiveness of a stress resilience training program on police department personnel (Global Adv Health Med. 2014;3(2):72-79). Certainly at first reading there appears to be strong evidence of the effectiveness of the program. However, careful evaluation of the methodology and results suggests the need for some circumspection. | 25,105,068 | [
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Exploring the economic and social effects of care dependence in later life: protocol for the 10/66 research group INDEP study. | In low or middle income countries chronic diseases are rapidly becoming the main cause of disease burden. However, the main focus of health policymakers has been on preventing death from cancer and heart disease, with very little attention to the growing problem of long-term needs for care (dependence). Numbers of dependent older people are set to quadruple by 2050. The economic impact of providing long-term care is likely to be substantial. The study uses mixed methods and draws on and extends the population-based surveys conducted by the 10/66 Dementia Research Group. We focus on two countries in Latin America (Peru and Mexico), China and Nigeria. The surveys comprised baseline surveys of health, socioeconomic circumstances and care arrangements, repeated three to four years later. We are going back to these households to make a detailed assessment of the overall economic status and the use of health services by all family members. We will compare households where: a) an older resident became dependent between baseline and follow-up (incident care), b) one or more older people were dependent at both time points (chronic care), b) c) no older residents had needs for care (control households) for household income, consumption, healthcare expenditure and economic strain. In each of the four countries we are carrying out six detailed household 'case studies' to explore in more depth the economic impacts of dependence, and the social relations between household members and others in their network. The INDEP study will provide a detailed examination of the economic and social effects of care dependence in low and middle income settings. As the proportion of older people with needs for care rises rapidly in these countries, this neglected policy area is likely to become increasingly salient for families, communities and policymakers alike. Our detailed multilevel plans for dissemination will ensure that the study helps to put this important issue on the agenda for the international and national media, the public and researchers. | 25,105,086 | [
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Long-Term Disease Control with Triapine-Based Radiochemotherapy for Patients with Stage IB2-IIIB Cervical Cancer. | National Cancer Institute phase I #7336 and phase II #8327 clinical trials explored the safety and efficacy of triapine (NSC #663249) added to cisplatin radiochemotherapy in untreated patients with advanced-stage cervical cancer. Triapine inhibits ribonucleotide reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme responsible for DNA-building deoxyribonucleotides, and thereby, enhances radiochemosensitivity by prolonging DNA repair time. Here, we report 3-year efficacy endpoints of pelvic locoregional relapse rate, disease-free, and overall survivals. Eligible patients with bulky IB-IIIB cervical cancer underwent three-times weekly triapine (25 or 50 mg/m(2)), once-weekly cisplatin (40 mg/m(2)), and conventional daily pelvic radiation followed by brachytherapy. A cumulative incidence method estimated pelvic locoregional relapse rates. Disease-free survival was measured from radiochemotherapy start date to the date of first relapse or cancer-related death. Overall survival was measured from radiochemotherapy start date to the date of any-cause death. The Kaplan-Meier method estimated survivals. Between 2006 and 2011, 24 untreated patients with cervical cancer met criteria for reporting in this study. A median 3.4 years of follow-up time (range, 0.3-7.6 years) has been observed. All had squamous cancers and the majority had either node-positive stage IB-IIA (33%) or stage IIIB (42%) disease. The 3-year pelvic locoregional relapse rate, disease-free survival, and overall survival were 4% [95% confidence interval (CI), 0-20%], 80% (95% CI: 71-89%), and 82% (95% CI: 74-90%), respectively. Triapine radiochemotherapy was safe, active, and effective in patients with untreated advanced-stage cervical cancer, worthy of randomized clinical trial study. | 25,105,092 | [
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A case of retinal tear associated with use of sorafenib. | Inhibition of angiogenesis is a target in the treatment of a variety of malignancies. Sorafenib is an oral inhibitor of multiple tyrosine kinases involved in tumor angiogenesis. A related case of ophthalmologic toxicity has been reported with another vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitor, sunitinib. We report the first case of retinal tear possibly associated with sorafenib. | 25,105,094 | [
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Pregnancy-associated pulmonary embolism during the peripartum period: An 8-year experience at a single center. | The purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence, timing of onset, risk factors, and mortality rate of pregnancy-associated pulmonary embolism (PAPE). We analyzed PAPE cases that occurred between January 2005 and December 2012 at Cheil General Hospital & Women's Healthcare Center. Those cases that were not confirmed by computed tomography scan or were confirmed as amniotic fuid embolisms were excluded. We analyzed various risk factors such as previous surgery, mode of delivery, maternal age, and obesity in PAPE. There were 57,092 deliveries over 8 years. Of them, 13 cases (0.023%) were diagnosed with PAPE. All cases occurred in the postpartum period after cesarean delivery. There were no cases of PAPE after vaginal deliveries. Of the total cases, 10 cases (76.9%) were diagnosed in the early postpartum period within 48 hours. Eight cases (61.5%) had a history of previous surgery. There were 3 cases (23.1%) of multiple pregnancy and 3 cases (23.1%) of preterm delivery. No cases had a history of venous thromboembolism. Among 13 cases, 10 cases improved with only anticoagulation, 2 cases received surgical thrombectomy, and one case was maternal death. Our results indicated that the incidence of PAPE was very low (0.023%) and occurred mainly in the postpartum period after cesarean section. However, its maternal mortality rate was significantly high (7.7%). Therefore, we suggest that immediate diagnosis and prompt treatment should be prioritized for improvement of PAPE patients' survival rate. | 25,105,098 | [
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Tumor-infiltration of T-lymphocytes is inversely correlated with clinicopathologic factors in endometrial adenocarcinoma. | The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of T-lymphocytes and their relationship with clinicopathologic factors in endometrial carcinoma. Samples were collected from 89 patients with endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma treated in Pusan National University Hospital from 2004 to 2011. Normal endometrial tissues were obtained from 30 hysterectomized women with benign adnexal masses and served as controls. Paraffin-embedded sections were immunohistochemically stained for CD8 (cytotoxic) and CD4 (helper) T-lymphocytes. The relationship of these cells with stage, histological grade, myometrial invasion, and lymph node metastasis was analyzed. The proportion of CD8+ and CD4+ lymphocytes in the endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma tissues was 67.4% (60/89) and 44.9% (40/89), respectively, which was significantly higher (P<0.05) than in the control group. The extent of CD8+ lymphocyte expression was negatively correlated with histologic grade, myometrial invasion, and lymph node metastasis. The proportion of infiltration of the CD4+ lymphocytes was negatively correlated with histologic grade and myometrial invasion. The high rate of infiltration of T-lymphocytes was negatively correlated with histologic grade, myometrial invasion, and lymph node metastasis. Our findings suggest that tumor-infiltrating T-lymphocytes may be used as pathologic prognostic factors in endometrial carcinoma. | 25,105,099 | [
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The expression of FAS-associated factor 1 and heat shock protein 70 in ovarian cancer. | In this study, we evaluated the expression of FAS-associated factor 1 (FAF1) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in normal ovary and ovarian cancer, and also analyzed the correlation between FAF1 and HSP70 in ovarian cancer. The patient group consisted of 29 unrelated Korean women diagnosed as ovarian cancers and control samples were obtained from 7 patients who underwent oophorectomy for benign disease of uterus, and normal ovary was confirmed histologically from biopsy. We examined FAF1 and HSP70 expression by western blot analysis and immunohistochemical staining in normal ovary and ovarian cancer. Furthermore, we examined a correlation between FAF1 and HSP70 in ovarian cancer. The expression of FAF1 was lower in ovarian cancer than that in normal ovary (P=0.02), and the expression of HSP70 was increased in ovarian cancer in comparison to that in normal ovary (P=0.03). The expression of FAF1 was decreased in advanced stages (stage III or stage IV) as compared with early stages (stage I or stage II) (P=0.01). The expression of HSP70 was not significantly related with ovarian cancer histology (P=0.10), but the expression of HSP70 was most increased with papillary serous carcinomas and undifferentiated ovarian cancer. The expression of FAF1 was inversely correlated with the expression of HSP70 in ovarian cancer (Spearman correlation coefficience=-0.47). We concluded that the expression of FAF1 or HSP70 each seems to have a meaning as a biomarker for early detection of ovarian cancer. The expressions of FAF1 and HSP70 seem to be more valuable in predicting ovarian cancer when used together because of their inverse correlation. This is the first study about the expression of FAF1 in ovarian cancer and the correlation between FAF1 and HSP70 expression in ovarian cancer. | 25,105,101 | [
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Comparison of two methods of RNA extraction from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue specimens. | The present study aimed to compare two different methods of extracting RNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We further aimed to identify possible influences of variables--such as tissue size, duration of paraffin block storage, fixative type, primers used for cDNA synthesis, and endogenous genes tested--on the success of amplification from the samples. Both tested protocols used the same commercial kit for RNA extraction (the RecoverAll Total Nucleic Acid Isolation Optimized for FFPE Samples from Ambion). However, the second protocol included an additional step of washing with saline buffer just after sample rehydration. Following each protocol, we compared the RNA amount and purity and the amplification success as evaluated by standard PCR and real-time PCR. The results revealed that the extra washing step added to the RNA extraction process resulted in significantly improved RNA quantity and quality and improved success of amplification from paraffin-embedded specimens. | 25,105,117 | [
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Adiponectin, leptin, and chemerin in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a close linkage with obesity and length of the disease. | Obesity, insulin resistance, and aging are closely associated and adipokines seem to have a crucial role in their pathophysiology. We aim to study the relationship between aging and chemerin, adiponectin, and leptin levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Age correlated positively with chemerin and leptin and inversely with adiponectin. Body mass index (BMI) correlated positively with leptin (in males) and chemerin and inversely with adiponectin. The patients with ≥ 65 years (n = 34) showed significantly higher leptin and chemerin and lower adiponectin levels than middle-aged (38-64 years) patients (n = 39) and controls (n = 20). After statistical adjustment for length of disease, there was a loss of significance, between T2DM groups, for adiponectin and, in female, for leptin. In the older group, BMI correlated with adiponectin and with leptin, but not with chemerin. Adiponectin and leptin levels in elderly T2DM patients seem to be closely linked to obesity and to length of the disease. In elderly T2DM patients, chemerin concentrations are increased and seem to be independent of length of disease and BMI, suggesting that adipocyte dysfunction is enhanced with aging. The understanding of the glucose homeostasis impairment in the elderly is mandatory in order to achieve ways to improve their quality of life and longevity. | 25,105,135 | [
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The sirtuin 3 expression profile is associated with pathological and clinical outcomes in colon cancer patients. | To investigate the correlation between Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) expression and the clinical outcome of patients with colon cancer. The tumor specimens from 127 patients with colon cancer were obtained for SIRT3 immunohistochemical staining. Patients were followed up. In in vitro study, SIRT3 gene was inhibited to observe the effects of SIRT3 on the biological behavior of cultured colon cells. The SIRT3 expression level was found to be significantly associated with the lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001) and tumor stages (P < 0.001). The colon cancer-specific survival was 64.6% among patients with high SIRT3 expressions and 88.6% among patients with low SIRT3 expressions (log-rank P = 0.016). The overall survival was 80.2% among patients with low SIRT3 expressions and 55.9% among patients with high SIRT3 expressions (log-rank P = 0.002). In vitro study showed that silencing of SIRT3 gene inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and cells migration but increased the apoptosis in the cultured colon cell lines. This study provides evidence supporting that SIRT3 is closely associated with the clinical outcomes of colon cancer. SIRT3 may be considered as a marker for colon cancer. | 25,105,144 | [
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Culturable bacterial microbiota of the stomach of Helicobacter pylori positive and negative gastric disease patients. | Human stomach is the only known natural habitat of Helicobacter pylori (Hp), a major bacterial pathogen that causes different gastroduodenal diseases. Despite this, the impact of Hp on the diversity and the composition of the gastric microbiota has been poorly studied. In this study, we have analyzed the culturable gastric microbiota of 215 Malaysian patients, including 131 Hp positive and 84 Hp negative individuals that were affected by different gastric diseases. Non-Hp bacteria isolated from biopsy samples were identified by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry based biotyping and 16SrRNA sequencing. The presence of Hp did not significantly modify the diversity of the gastric microbiota. However, correlation was observed between the isolation of Streptococci and peptic ulcer disease. In addition, as a first report, Burkholderia pseudomallei was also isolated from the gastric samples of the local population. This study suggested that there may be geographical variations in the diversity of the human gastric microbiome. Geographically linked diversity in the gastric microbiome and possible interactions between Hp and other bacterial species from stomach microbiota in pathogenesis are proposed for further investigations. | 25,105,162 | [
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A local stability supported parallel distributed constraint optimization algorithm. | This paper presents a new distributed constraint optimization algorithm called LSPA, which can be used to solve large scale distributed constraint optimization problem (DCOP). Different from the access of local information in the existing algorithms, a new criterion called local stability is defined and used to evaluate which is the next agent whose value needs to be changed. The propose of local stability opens a new research direction of refining initial solution by finding key agents which can seriously effect global solution once they modify assignments. In addition, the construction of initial solution could be received more quickly without repeated assignment and conflict. In order to execute parallel search, LSPA finds final solution by constantly computing local stability of compatible agents. Experimental evaluation shows that LSPA outperforms some of the state-of-the-art incomplete distributed constraint optimization algorithms, guaranteeing better solutions received within ideal time. | 25,105,166 | [
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0.10... |
Moving Beyond Neighborhood: Activity Spaces and Ecological Networks As Contexts for Youth Development. | Many scholars, policy analysts, and practitioners agree that neighborhoods are important contexts for urban youth. Yet, despite decades of research, our knowledge of why and how neighborhoods influence the day-to-day lives of youth is still emerging. Theories about neighborhood effects largely assume that neighborhoods operate to influence youth through exposure-based mechanisms. Extant theoretical approaches, however, have neglected the processes by which neighborhood socioeconomic contexts influence the routine spatial exposures-or <iactivity spaces</i-of urban residents. In this article, we argue that exposure to organizations, institutions, and other settings that characterize individual activity spaces is a key mechanism through which neighborhoods influence youth outcomes. Moreover, we hypothesize that aggregate patterns of shared local exposure-captured by the concept of <iecological networks</i-are influenced by neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics and are independently consequential for neighborhood youth. Neighborhoods in which residents intersect in space more extensively as a result of routine conventional activities will exhibit higher levels of social capital relevant to youth well-being, including (1) familiarity, (2) beneficial (weak) social ties, (3) trust, (4) shared expectations for pro-social youth behavior (collective efficacy), and (5) the capacity for consistent monitoring of public space. We then consider the implications of ecological networks for understanding the complexities of contextual exposure. We specifically discuss the role of embeddedness in <iecological communities</i-that is, clusters of actors and locations that intersect at higher rates-for understanding contextual influences that are inadequately captured by geographically defined neighborhoods. We conclude with an overview of new approaches to data collection that incorporate insights from an activity-space and ecological-network perspective on neighborhood and contextual influences on youth. Our approach offers (1) a new theoretical approach to understanding the links between neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics and youth-relevant dimensions of neighborhood social capital; (2) a basis for conceptualizing contextual influences that vary within, or extend beyond, traditionally understood geographic neighborhoods; and (3) a suite of methodological tools and resources to address the mechanisms of contextual influence more precisely. Research into the causes and consequences of urban neighborhood routine activity structures will illuminate the social processes accounting for compromised youth outcomes in disadvantaged neighborhoods and enhance the capacity for effective youth-oriented interventions. | 25,105,172 | [
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Magnetite-doped polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for phosphopeptide enrichment. | Reversible phosphorylation plays a key role in numerous biological processes. Mass spectrometry-based approaches are commonly used to analyze protein phosphorylation, but such analysis is challenging, largely due to the low phosphorylation stoichiometry. Hence, a number of phosphopeptide enrichment strategies have been developed, including metal oxide affinity chromatography (MOAC). Here, we describe a new material for performing MOAC that employs a magnetite-doped polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), that is suitable for the creation of microwell array and microfluidic systems to enable low volume, high throughput analysis. Incubation time and sample loading were explored and optimized and demonstrate that the embedded magnetite is able to enrich phosphopeptides. This substrate-based approach is rapid, straightforward and suitable for simultaneously performing multiple, low volume enrichments. | 25,105,173 | [
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Deformable nature of various damaged DNA duplexes estimated by an electrochemical analysis on electrodes. | We report bending flexibility of damaged duplexes possessing an apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) site analogue, a cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD), and a pyrimidine(6-4)pyrimidone photoproduct (6-4PP). Based on the electrochemical evaluation on electrodes, the duplex flexibilities of the lesions increased in the following order: CPD < AP < 6-4PP. We discussed the possibility that the emerging local flexibility might be a good sign for UV-damaged DNA-binding proteins on duplexes. | 25,105,179 | [
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Preparation of Mo nanopowders through electroreduction of solid MoS2 in molten KCl-NaCl. | Electrolysis of MoS2 to produce Mo nanopowders and elemental sulfur has been studied in an equimolar mixture of NaCl and KCl at 700 °C. The reduction mechanism was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), potentiostatic and constant voltage electrolysis together with spectroscopic and scanning electron microscopic analyses. The reduction pathway was identified to be MoS2 → LxMoS2 (x ≤ 1, L = Na or K) → L3Mo6S8 and LMo3S3 → Mo, and the last step to format metallic Mo was found to be relatively slow in kinetics. Electrolysis at a cell voltage of 2.7 V has led to a rapid reduction of MoS2 to nodular Mo nanoparticles (50-100 nm), with the current efficiency and energy consumption being about 92% and 2.07 kW h kg(-1)-Mo, respectively. | 25,105,181 | [
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Plant maturity and nitrogen fertilization affected fructan metabolism in harvestable tissues of timothy (Phleum pratense L.). | Timothy (Phleum pratense L.) is an important grass forage used for pasture, hay, and silage in regions with cool and humid growth seasons. One of the factors affecting the nutritive value of this grass is the concentration of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), mainly represented by fructans. NSC concentration depends on multiple factors, making it hardly predictable. To provide a better understanding of NSC metabolism in timothy, the effects of maturity stage and nitrogen (N) fertilization level on biomass, NSC and N-compound concentrations were investigated in the tissues used for forage (leaf blades and stems surrounded by leaf sheaths) of hydroponically grown plants. Moreover, activities and relative expression level of enzymes involved in fructan metabolism were measured in the same tissues. Forage biomass was not altered by the fertilization level but was strongly modified by the stage of development. It increased from vegetative to heading stages while leaf-to-stem biomass ratio decreased. Total NSC concentration, which was not altered by N fertilization level, increased between heading and anthesis due to an accumulation of fructans in leaf blades. Fructan metabolizing enzyme activities (fructosyltransferase-FT and fructan exohydrolase-FEH) were not or only slightly altered by both maturity stage and N fertilization level. Conversely, the relative transcript levels of genes coding for enzymes involved in fructan metabolism were modified by N supply (PpFT1 and Pp6-FEH1) or maturity stage (PpFT2). The relative transcript level of PpFT1 was the highest in low N plants while that of Pp6-FEH1 was the highest in high N plants. Morevoer, transcript level of PpFT1 was negatively correlated with nitrate concentration while that of PpFT2 was positively correlated with sucrose concentration. This distinct regulation of the two genes coding for 6-sucrose:fructan fructosyltransferase (6-SFT) may allow a fine adequation of C allocation towards fructan synthesis in response to carbon and N availability. Contrary to fructans, starch content increased in low N plants, suggesting different regulatory mechanisms and/or sensitivity of starch and fructan metabolism in relation to the N status. | 25,105,233 | [
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