Predicting Intracranial Pressure and Brain Tissue Oxygen Crises in Patients With Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

Objectives: To develop computer algorithms that can recognize physiologic patterns in traumatic brain injury patients that occur in advance of intracranial pressure and partial brain tissue oxygenation crises. The automated early detection of crisis precursors can provide clinicians with time to intervene in order to prevent or mitigate secondary brain injury. Design: A retrospective study was conducted from prospectively collected physiologic data. intracranial pressure, and partial brain tissue oxygenation crisis events were defined as intracranial pressure of greater than or equal to 20 mm Hg lasting at least 15 minutes and partial brain tissue oxygenation value of less than 10 mm Hg for at least 10 minutes, respectively. The physiologic data preceding each crisis event were used to identify precursors associated with crisis onset. Multivariate classification models were applied to recorded data in 30-minute epochs of time to predict crises between 15 and 360 minutes in the future. Setting: The neurosurgical unit of Ben Taub Hospital (Houston, TX). Subjects: Our cohort consisted of 817 subjects with severe traumatic brain injury. Measurements and Main Results: Our algorithm can predict the onset of intracranial pressure crises with 30-minute advance warning with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.86 using only intracranial pressure measurements and time since last crisis. An analogous algorithm can predict the start of partial brain tissue oxygenation crises with 30-minute advanced warning with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.91. Conclusions: Our algorithms provide accurate and timely predictions of intracranial hypertension and tissue hypoxia crises in patients with severe traumatic brain injury. Almost all of the information needed to predict the onset of these events is contained within the signal of interest and the time since last crisis. Copyright (C) by 2016 by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Liberal Glycemic Control in Critically Ill Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: An Exploratory Study.

Objectives: The optimal blood glucose target in critically ill patients with preexisting diabetes and chronic hyperglycemia is unknown. In such patients, we aimed to determine whether a "liberal" approach to glycemic control would reduce hypoglycemia and glycemic variability and appear safe. Design: Prospective, open-label, sequential-period exploratory study. Setting: Medical-surgical ICU. Patients: During sequential 6-month periods, we studied 83 patients with preexisting type 2 diabetes and chronic hyperglycemia (glycated hemoglobin, >= 7.0% at ICU admission). Intervention: During the "standard care" period, 52 patients received insulin to treat blood glucose concentrations greater than 10 mmol/L whereas during the "liberal" period, 31 patients received insulin to treat blood glucose concentrations greater than 14 mmol/L. Measurements and Main Results: Time-weighted mean glucose concentrations and the number and duration of moderate (

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Remote Sensing, Vol. 8, Pages 515: Large-Area, High-Resolution Tree Cover Mapping with Multi-Temporal SPOT5 Imagery, New South Wales, Australia

Tree cover maps are used for many purposes, such as vegetation mapping, habitat connectivity and fragmentation studies. Small remnant patches of native vegetation are recognised as ecologically important, yet they are underestimated in remote sensing products derived from Landsat. High spatial resolution sensors are capable of mapping small patches of trees, but their use in large-area mapping has been limited. In this study, multi-temporal Satellite pour l'Observation de la Terre 5 (SPOT5) High Resolution Geometrical data was pan-sharpened to 5 m resolution and used to map tree cover for the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), an area of over 800,000 km2. Complete coverages of SPOT5 panchromatic and multispectral data over NSW were acquired during four consecutive summers (2008–2011) for a total of 1256 images. After pre-processing, the imagery was used to model foliage projective cover (FPC), a measure of tree canopy density commonly used in Australia. The multi-temporal imagery, FPC models and 26,579 training pixels were used in a binomial logistic regression model to estimate the probability of each pixel containing trees. The probability images were classified into a binary map of tree cover using local thresholds, and then visually edited to reduce errors. The final tree map was then attributed with the mean FPC value from the multi-temporal imagery. Validation of the binary map based on visually assessed high resolution reference imagery revealed an overall accuracy of 88% (±0.51% standard error), while comparison against airborne lidar derived data also resulted in an overall accuracy of 88%. A preliminary assessment of the FPC map by comparing against 76 field measurements showed a very good agreement (r2 = 0.90) with a root mean square error of 8.57%, although this may not be representative due to the opportunistic sampling design. The map represents a regionally consistent and locally relevant record of tree cover for NSW, and is already widely used for natural resource management in the state.

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IJMS, Vol. 17, Pages 965: Antibacterial Activity of Juglone against Staphylococcus aureus: From Apparent to Proteomic

The proportion of foodborne disease caused by pathogenic microorganisms is rising worldwide, with staphylococcal food poisoning being one of the main causes of this increase. Juglone is a plant-derived 1,4-naphthoquinone with confirmed antibacterial and antitumor activities. However, the specific mechanism underlying its antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus remains unclear. To elucidate the mechanism underlying its antibacterial activity, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation methods of quantitative proteomics were applied for analysis of the 53 proteins that were differentially expressed after treatment with juglone. Combined with verification experiments, such as detection of changes in DNA and RNA content and quantification of oxidative damage, our results suggested that juglone effectively increased the protein expression of oxidoreductase and created a peroxidative environment within the cell, significantly reducing cell wall formation and increasing membrane permeability. We hypothesize that juglone binds to DNA and reduces DNA transcription and replication directly. This is the first study to adopt a proteomic approach to investigate the antibacterial mechanism of juglone.

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Polymers, Vol. 8, Pages 238: Exploring the Behavior of Bovine Serum Albumin in Response to Changes in the Chemical Composition of Responsive Polymers: Experimental and Simulation Studies

Knowledge of the interactions between polymer and protein is very important to fabricate the potential materials for many bio-related applications. In this regard, the present work investigated the effect of copolymers on the conformation and thermal stability of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with the aid of biophysical techniques such as fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In comparison with that of copolymer PGA-1.5, our fluorescence spectroscopy results reveal that the copolymer PGA-1, which has a lower PEGMA/AA ratio, shows greater influence on the conformation of BSA. Copolymers induced unfolding of the polypeptide chain of BSA, which was confirmed from the loss in the negative ellipticity of CD spectra. DSC results showed that the addition of PGA-1 and PGA-1.5 (0.05% (w/v) decreased the transition temperature by 14.8 and 11.5 °C, respectively). The results from the present study on the behavior of protein in response to changes in the chemical composition of synthetic polymers are significant for various biological applications such as enzyme immobilization, protein separations, sensor development and stimuli-responsive systems.

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Sida coordinators get inspired about innovation and financing

A crash course on Karolinska Institutet's innovation system and insight into how the Grants Office works with external financing and resource mobilisation were on the agenda when Sida's chief coordinators for projects in Bolivia, Cambodia and countries in Africa came to KI on a study visit on 17 June. It is not always so easy to make national research funds stretch. This is not only a Swedish problem but one that very much affects universities in African countries like Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia. If these universities are to quickly build their research capacity, they often need an injection of international funds. On 17 June, KI hosted a half-day programme for chief coordinators of a number of Sida's programme countries to demonstrate how KI applies for grants from the USA's NIH and manages the funds it receives. "We're delighted and proud to be able to present KI and discuss our options for closer collaboration," says Professor Anders Gustafsson, acting dean of research and the host[NB1]  of the event. Björn Kull, head of the KI Grants Office, spoke about the help it gives to researchers with applications and project administration. Janet Jeppsson, coordinator at the Grants Office explains the reason for the model's success: "The Grants Office here at KI has been extremely successful when it comes to supporting researchers, not just in the application phase but also in the all-important aspect of following the rules to be seen as a reliable partner," she says. Sida's programme countries had also requested information on the innovation process. Former vice-chancellor, Professor Hans Wigzell, showed the visitors how the innovation system works and talked about the holding company model, which makes it possible for KI's scientists to commercialise their ideas. Joyce Masalu from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania was one of the delegates: "Innovations don't happen by chance," she says. "It takes training for individuals to become innovative, that and access to the proper tools." Ingeborg van der Ploeg, director of doctoral education and coordinator for one of KI's current Tanzania programmes: "The better these countries get at attracting and managing research funding, the more attractive they become to us as partners," she says.   Text: Maja Lundbäck Photo: Stefan Zimmerman

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IJERPH, Vol. 13, Pages 609: Crash Frequency Modeling Using Real-Time Environmental and Traffic Data and Unbalanced Panel Data Models

Traffic and environmental conditions (e.g., weather conditions), which frequently change with time, have a significant impact on crash occurrence. Traditional crash frequency models with large temporal scales and aggregated variables are not sufficient to capture the time-varying nature of driving environmental factors, causing significant loss of critical information on crash frequency modeling. This paper aims at developing crash frequency models with refined temporal scales for complex driving environments, with such an effort providing more detailed and accurate crash risk information which can allow for more effective and proactive traffic management and law enforcement intervention. Zero-inflated, negative binomial (ZINB) models with site-specific random effects are developed with unbalanced panel data to analyze hourly crash frequency on highway segments. The real-time driving environment information, including traffic, weather and road surface condition data, sourced primarily from the Road Weather Information System, is incorporated into the models along with site-specific road characteristics. The estimation results of unbalanced panel data ZINB models suggest there are a number of factors influencing crash frequency, including time-varying factors (e.g., visibility and hourly traffic volume) and site-varying factors (e.g., speed limit). The study confirms the unique significance of the real-time weather, road surface condition and traffic data to crash frequency modeling.

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Sustainability, Vol. 8, Pages 565: Soil Conservation Issues in India

Despite years of study and substantial investment in remediation and prevention, soil erosion continues to be a major environmental problem with regard to land use in India and elsewhere around the world. Furthermore, changing climate and/or weather patterns are exacerbating the problem. Our objective was to review past and current soil conservation programmes in India to better understand how production-, environmental-, social-, economic- and policy-related issues have affected soil and water conservation and the incentives needed to address the most critical problems. We found that to achieve success in soil and water conservation policies, institutions and operations must be co-ordinated using a holistic approach. Watershed programmes have been shown to be one of the most effective strategies for bringing socio-economic change to different parts of India. Within both dryland and rainfed areas, watershed management has quietly revolutionized agriculture by aligning various sectors through technological soil and water conservation interventions and land-use diversification. Significant results associated with various watershed-scale soil and water conservation programmes and interventions that were effective for reducing land degradation and improving productivity in different parts of the country are discussed.

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Fluids, Vol. 1, Pages 19: On Thermomechanics of a Nonlinear Heat Conducting Suspension

In this short paper, we discuss and provide constitutive relations for the stress tensor and the heat flux vector for a nonlinear density-gradient dependent (Korteweg-type) fluid. Specifically, we attempt to present a unified thermo-mechanical approach to the two models given in papers of Massoudi (International Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics, 2001, 36(1), pp. 25–37.) and Massoudi (Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences, 2006, 29(13), pp. 1599–1613.) where the entropy law is used and restrictions are also obtained on the constitutive parameters. In most thermomechanical studies of nonlinear fluids using the entropy law, the stress tensor is assumed to be nonlinear and the heat flux vector still has the form of the Fourier type, i.e., it is proportional to the temperature gradient. In this paper, we use a generalized (nonlinear) form for the heat flux vector. When our model is linearized we obtain constraints, due to the entropy inequality, which are in agreement with the earlier results.

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Toxics, Vol. 4, Pages 11: UNMIX Methods Applied to Characterize Sources of Volatile Organic Compounds in Toronto, Ontario

UNMIX, a sensor modeling routine from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was used to model volatile organic compound (VOC) receptors in four urban sites in Toronto, Ontario. VOC ambient concentration data acquired in 2000–2009 for 175 VOC species in four air quality monitoring stations were analyzed. UNMIX, by performing multiple modeling attempts upon varying VOC menus—while rejecting the results that were not reliable—allowed for discriminating sources by their most consistent chemical characteristics. The method assessed occurrences of VOCs in sources typical of the urban environment (traffic, evaporative emissions of fuels, banks of fugitive inert gases), industrial point sources (plastic-, polymer-, and metalworking manufactures), and in secondary sources (releases from water, sediments, and contaminated urban soil). The remote sensing and robust modeling used here produces chemical profiles of putative VOC sources that, if combined with known environmental fates of VOCs, can be used to assign physical sources' shares of VOCs emissions into the atmosphere. This in turn provides a means of assessing the impact of environmental policies on one hand, and industrial activities on the other hand, on VOC air pollution.

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Sustainability, Vol. 8, Pages 571: Residents’ Environmental Conservation Behaviors at Tourist Sites: Broadening the Norm Activation Framework by Adopting Environment Attachment

Understanding the factors that affect residents' environmental conservation behaviors help in managing the environment of tourist sites. This research provides an integrative understanding of how residents near tourist sites form their environmental conservation behaviors by merging the norm-activation model and cognitive-affective model into one theoretical framework. Results of the structural analysis from a sample of 642 residents showed that this study's proposed composite model includes a satisfactory level of predictive power for environmental conservation behaviors. The findings identify the following two dimensions of awareness of environmental consequences as having a key role in predicting environmental conservation behaviors: (1) awareness of positive consequences of environmental protection; and (2) awareness of disaster consequences. Results also show that environment attachment and personal norms about environmentalism played a mediating role between awareness of environmental consequences and environmental conservation behaviors, and that personal norms about environmentalism were the most powerful factor in predicting behaviors. Several practical implications were derived from the research findings that can contribute to environment management policy both within and outside the field of tourism, mostly notably: (1) how the effective promotion of these factors can encourage environmental conservation behaviors for residents; and (2) how governments can develop and implement environmental management measures to improve locals' awareness of positive consequences of environmental protection.

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Remote Sensing, Vol. 8, Pages 513: Object-Based Greenhouse Mapping Using Very High Resolution Satellite Data and Landsat 8 Time Series

Greenhouse mapping through remote sensing has received extensive attention over the last decades. In this article, the innovative goal relies on mapping greenhouses through the combined use of very high resolution satellite data (WorldView-2) and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) time series within a context of an object-based image analysis (OBIA) and decision tree classification. Thus, WorldView-2 was mainly used to segment the study area focusing on individual greenhouses. Basic spectral information, spectral and vegetation indices, textural features, seasonal statistics and a spectral metric (Moment Distance Index, MDI) derived from Landsat 8 time series and/or WorldView-2 imagery were computed on previously segmented image objects. In order to test its temporal stability, the same approach was applied for two different years, 2014 and 2015. In both years, MDI was pointed out as the most important feature to detect greenhouses. Moreover, the threshold value of this spectral metric turned to be extremely stable for both Landsat 8 and WorldView-2 imagery. A simple decision tree always using the same threshold values for features from Landsat 8 time series and WorldView-2 was finally proposed. Overall accuracies of 93.0% and 93.3% and kappa coefficients of 0.856 and 0.861 were attained for 2014 and 2015 datasets, respectively.

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Sustainability, Vol. 8, Pages 572: Beef Cattle Farms’ Conversion to the Organic System. Recommendations for Success in the Face of Future Changes in a Global Context

Dehesa is a remarkable agroforestry system, which needs the implementation of sustainable production systems in order to reduce its deterioration. Moreover, its livestock farms need to adapt to a new global market context. As a response, the organic livestock sector has expanded not only globally but also in the region in search for increased overall sustainability. However, conversions to the organic system have been commonly carried out without analyzing farms' feasibility to do so. This analysis is necessary before implementing any new production system in order to reduce both the diversity of externalities that the variety of contexts leads to and the vulnerability of the DDehesa ecosystem to small management changes. Within this context and in the face of this gap in knowledge, the present paper analyzes the ease of such conversions and the farms' chances of success after conversion in the face of global changes (market and politics). Different aspects ("areas of action") were studied and integrated within the Global Conversion Index (GCI), and the legal requirement for European organic farming, organic principles, future challenges for ruminants' production systems, as well as the lines of action for the post-2013 CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) and their impacts on the beef cattle sector were taken into account. Results revealed that farms must introduce significant changes before initiating the conversion process, since they had very low scores on the GCI (42.74%), especially with regard to health and agro-ecosystem management (principle of Ecology). Regarding rearing and animal welfare (principle of justice/fairness), farms were close to the organic system. From the social point of view, active participation in manufacturing and marketing of products should be increased.

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Foods, Vol. 5, Pages 44: Evaluation of the Bitterness-Masking Effect of Powdered Roasted Soybeans

The masking of bitterness is considered important because many pharmaceutical compounds have a bitter taste. The bitterness-masking effect of powdered roasted soybeans (PRS) was investigated using a bitter taste sensor. PRS was revealed to significantly suppress the bitterness of quinine hydrochloride and denatonium benzoate. Furthermore, the bitterness-masking mechanism of PRS extracts was evaluated using dynamic light scattering. These results showed that the extracted suspension consisted of particles that were several hundreds of nanometers in size. Analysis of the PRS extracts by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy indicated that denatonium benzoate was entrapped in the PRS extracts. Thus, PRS may be useful as a bitterness-masking agent in orally administered pharmaceuticals.

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Eukaryote-specific rRNA expansion segments function in ribosome biogenesis [REPORT]

The secondary structure of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is largely conserved across all kingdoms of life. However, eukaryotes have evolved extra blocks of rRNA sequences, relative to those of prokaryotes, called expansion segments (ES). A thorough characterization of the potential roles of ES remains to be done, possibly because of limitations in the availability of robust systems to study rRNA mutants. We sought to systematically investigate the potential functions, if any, of the ES in 25S rRNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by deletion mutagenesis. We deleted 14 of the 16 different eukaryote-specific ES in yeast 25S rRNA individually and assayed their phenotypes. Our results show that all but two of the ES tested are necessary for optimal growth and are required for production of 25S rRNA, suggesting that ES play roles in ribosome biogenesis. Further, we classified expansion segments into groups that participate in early nucleolar, middle, and late nucleoplasmic steps of ribosome biogenesis, by assaying their pre-rRNA processing phenotypes. This study is the first of its kind to systematically identify the functions of eukaryote-specific expansion segments by showing that they play roles in specific steps of ribosome biogenesis. The catalog of phenotypes we identified, combined with previous investigations of the roles ribosomal proteins in large subunit biogenesis, leads us to infer that assembling ribosomes are composed of distinct RNA and protein structural neighborhood clusters that participate in specific steps of ribosome biogenesis.

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IJMS, Vol. 17, Pages 964: Benzbromarone, Quercetin, and Folic Acid Inhibit Amylin Aggregation

Human Amylin, or islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP), is a small hormone secreted by pancreatic β-cells that forms aggregates under insulin deficiency metabolic conditions, and it constitutes a pathological hallmark of type II diabetes mellitus. In type II diabetes patients, amylin is abnormally increased, self-assembled into amyloid aggregates, and ultimately contributes to the apoptotic death of β-cells by mechanisms that are not completely understood. We have screened a library of approved drugs in order to identify inhibitors of amylin aggregation that could be used as tools to investigate the role of amylin aggregation in type II diabetes or as therapeutics in order to reduce β-cell damage. Interestingly, three of the compounds analyzed—benzbromarone, quercetin, and folic acid—are able to slow down amylin fiber formation according to Thioflavin T binding, turbidimetry, and Transmission Electron Microscopy assays. In addition to the in vitro assays, we have tested the effect of these compounds in an amyloid toxicity cell culture model and we have found that one of them, quercetin, has the ability to partly protect cultured pancreatic insulinoma cells from the cytotoxic effect of amylin. Our data suggests that quercetin can contribute to reduce oxidative damage in pancreatic insulinoma β cells by modulating the aggregation propensity of amylin.

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MCDA Twins with Discordant Malformations: Submicroscopic Chromosomal Anomalies Detected by Chromosomal Microarray Analysis and Clinical Outcomes

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate whether discrepant copy number variations (CNVs) contribute to the risk for discordant congenital anomalies in monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twins.

Methods

We conducted a parallel testing using both G-banding for standard karyotyping and chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) with Affymetrix CytoScan HD array in MCDA twins with discordant malformations.

Results

During the study period, one hundred and ninety-three MCDA twins with discordant malformations were detected and followed up. Multiple anomalies and cardiac defects were detected most frequently among the fetuses with malformations. Among all the 119 MCDA twins that were successfully performed fetal karyotyping, discordance of chromosomal aberrations were identified in nine cases, including one with discordant trisomy 18, seven with discordant monosomy X, one twin with 47, XXY and the co-twin with 45, X [7]/46, XY[43]. CMA revealed pathological CNVs in four out of the 110 fetuses with normal karyotype and the detection rate of uncertain clinical significance was 3.6% (4/110). Discordance of CNVs was detected in 5.5% (3/55) among the 55 MCDA twins with normal karyotype. Monozygosity was confirmed in all the 61 MCDA twins that were performed CMA.

Conclusions

Large whole chromosome abnormalities are more common between discordant twins rather than smaller CNVs in this study.

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IJERPH, Vol. 13, Pages 605: Generalized Confidence Intervals and Fiducial Intervals for Some Epidemiological Measures

For binary outcome data from epidemiological studies, this article investigates the interval estimation of several measures of interest in the absence or presence of categorical covariates. When covariates are present, the logistic regression model as well as the log-binomial model are investigated. The measures considered include the common odds ratio (OR) from several studies, the number needed to treat (NNT), and the prevalence ratio. For each parameter, confidence intervals are constructed using the concepts of generalized pivotal quantities and fiducial quantities. Numerical results show that the confidence intervals so obtained exhibit satisfactory performance in terms of maintaining the coverage probabilities even when the sample sizes are not large. An appealing feature of the proposed solutions is that they are not based on maximization of the likelihood, and hence are free from convergence issues associated with the numerical calculation of the maximum likelihood estimators, especially in the context of the log-binomial model. The results are illustrated with a number of examples. The overall conclusion is that the proposed methodologies based on generalized pivotal quantities and fiducial quantities provide an accurate and unified approach for the interval estimation of the various epidemiological measures in the context of binary outcome data with or without covariates.

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Remote Sensing, Vol. 8, Pages 511: Using the NASA EOS A-Train to Probe the Performance of the NOAA PATMOS-x Cloud Fraction CDR

An important component of the AVHRR PATMOS-x climate date record (CDR)—or any satellite cloud climatology—is the performance of its cloud detection scheme and the subsequent quality of its cloud fraction CDR. PATMOS-x employs the NOAA Enterprise Cloud Mask for this, which is based on a naïve Bayesian approach. The goal of this paper is to generate analysis of the PATMOS-x cloud fraction CDR to facilitate its use in climate studies. Performance of PATMOS-x cloud detection is compared to that of the well-established MYD35 and CALIPSO products from the EOS A-Train. Results show the AVHRR PATMOS-x CDR compares well against CALIPSO with most regions showing proportional correct values of 0.90 without any spatial filtering and 0.95 when a spatial filter is applied. Values are similar for the NASA MODIS MYD35 mask. A direct comparison of PATMOS-x and MYD35 from 2003 to 2014 also shows agreement over most regions in terms of mean cloud amount, inter-annual variability, and linear trends. Regional and seasonal differences are discussed. The analysis demonstrates that PATMOS-x cloud amount uncertainty could effectively screen regions where PATMOS-x differs from MYD35.

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IJERPH, Vol. 13, Pages 607: Risky Substance Use Environments and Addiction: A New Frontier for Environmental Justice Research

Substance use disorders are widely recognized as one of the most pressing global public health problems, and recent research indicates that environmental factors, including access and exposure to substances of abuse, neighborhood disadvantage and disorder, and environmental barriers to treatment, influence substance use behaviors. Racial and socioeconomic inequities in the factors that create risky substance use environments may engender disparities in rates of substance use disorders and treatment outcomes. Environmental justice researchers, with substantial experience in addressing racial and ethnic inequities in environmental risk from technological and other hazards, should consider similar inequities in risky substance use environments as an environmental justice issue. Research should aim at illustrating where, why, and how such inequities in risky substance use environments occur, the implications of such inequities for disparities in substance use disorders and treatment outcomes, and the implications for tobacco, alcohol, and drug policies and prevention and treatment programs.

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Effect of dust size distribution and dust charge fluctuation on dust ion-acoustic shock waves in a multi-ion dusty plasma

Abstract

The effects of dust size distribution and dust charge fluctuation of dust grains on the small but finite amplitude nonlinear dust ion-acoustic shock waves, in an unmagnetized multi-ion dusty plasma which contains negative ions, positive ions and electrons, are studied in this paper. A Burgers equation and its stationary solutions are obtained by using the reductive perturbation method. The analytical and numerical results show that the height with polynomial dust size distribution is larger than that of the monosized dusty plasmas with the same dust grains, but the thickness in the case of different dust grains is smaller than that of the monosized dusty plasmas. Furthermore, the moving speed of the shock waves also depend on different dust size distributions.

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Quantum mechanics of P T $\mathcal {P}\mathcal {T}$ and non- P T $\mathcal {P}\mathcal {T}$ -symmetric potentials in three dimensions

Abstract

With a view of exploring new vistas with regard to the nature of complex eigenspectra of a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, the quasi-exact solutions of the Schrödinger equation are investigated for a shifted harmonic potential under the framework of extended complex phase-space approach. Analyticity property of the eigenfunction alone is found sufficient to throw light on the nature of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of a system. Explicit expressions of eigenvalues and eigenfunctions for the ground state as well as excited state including their \(\mathcal {P}\mathcal {T}\) -symmetric version are worked out.

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An update on cardiovascular effects of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome

Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome is an important health problem which may cause or worsen systemic diseases. Chronic intermittent hypoxia during repetitive airflow cessations may cause endothelial dysfunction. Sleep apnoea is also shown to be associated with hypercoagulability which may be due to decreased nitric oxide levels and impaired vasodilatation. Endothelial dysfunction, increased systemic inflammation, sympathetic nervous system activation, increased oxidative stress and dysglycaemia may all contribute to cardiovascular processes such as hypertension, arrhythmia, stroke, heart failure and coronary artery disease in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. Treatment approaches in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea mainly focus on maintaining upper airway patency either with positive airway pressure devices or upper airway appliances. Strategies involving positive airway pressure therapy are associated with decreased morbidity and mortality. Obstructive sleep apnoea should be suspected as an underlying mechanism in patients with cardiovascular disease and warrants appropriate treatment.

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Carotid artery stenting versus carotid endarterectomy

Stroke remains a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Carotid artery stenosis is a major cause of stroke. Advances in medical therapy, surgical technique and endovascular maturation has resulted in options for the treatment of carotid stenosis. Here, we present a review of carotid artery stenting and carotid endarterectomy as it applies to trials comparing and contrasting the two treatment options. We also explore the intricacies surrounding reimbursement of these treatment strategies in the USA.

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Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Biosensing: In Vivo Diagnostics and Multimodal Imaging

Analytical Chemistry

DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b01597

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Single-Cell-Arrayed Agarose Chip for in Situ Analysis of Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity of DNA Cross-Linking Agents

Analytical Chemistry

DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b01008

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Visualization of Diffusion within Nanoarrays

Analytical Chemistry

DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b00513

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Excess deaths due to occupation

Harris et al1 provide useful new data for evaluating which occupational hazards are most deadly, and how this has changed over time. They have estimated excess deaths for different occupational groups, presumably exposed to specific hazards, via calculation of polymyalgia rheumaticas (PMRs) (observed vs expected deaths) from death certificates, for causes of death strongly associated with occupations. Excess deaths (observed minus expected) over three study periods (1979–1990, 1991–2000 and 2001–2010) are presented (excess/observed deaths is the attributable fraction (AF) among the exposed). For some causes resulting solely from occupational exposures, there are no expected deaths without exposure, so all observed deaths across all occupations are considered excessive (eg, asbestosis, coal miner's pneumoconiosis). Among the more striking findings were the drop in excess deaths in exposed occupations from chronic bronchitis/emphysema, and in deaths from injury and poisoning.

There are a number of limitations to the method, most of which are...

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Soma to germline inheritance of extrachromosomal genetic information via a LINE-1 reverse transcriptase-based mechanism

Mature spermatozoa are permeable to foreign DNA and RNA molecules. Here I propose a model, whereby extrachromosomal genetic information, mostly encoded in the form of RNA in somatic cells, can cross the Weismann barrier and reach epididymal spermatozoa. LINE-1 retrotransposon-derived reverse transcriptase (RT) can play key roles in the process by expanding the RNA-encoded information. Retrotransposon-encoded RT is stored in mature gametes, is highly expressed in early embryos and undifferentiated cells, and becomes downregulated in differentiated cells. In turn, RT plays a role in developmental control, as its inhibition arrests developmental progression of early embryos with globally altered transcriptomic profiles. Thus, sperm cells act as recipients, and transgenerational vectors of somatically derived genetic information which they pass to the next generation with the potential to modify the fate of the developing embryos.

Non-Mendelian transgenerational inheritance is a growingly recognized phenomenon, yet elusive in molecular terms. I propose that RNA-based information released from somatic cells can cross the Weismann barrier, be internalized in epididymal spermatozoa which mediate the acquisition of new traits in the embryos at fertilization. Sperm endogenous reverse transcriptase plays key roles in the process.

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Evolution of sex: Using experimental genomics to select among competing theories

Few topics have intrigued biologists as much as the evolution of sex. Understanding why sex persists despite its costs requires not just rigorous theoretical study, but also empirical data on related fundamental issues, including the nature of genetic variance for fitness, patterns of genetic interactions, and the dynamics of adaptation. The increasing feasibility of examining genomes in an experimental context is now shedding new light on these problems. Using this approach, McDonald et al. recently demonstrated that sex uncouples beneficial and deleterious mutations, allowing selection to proceed more effectively with sex than without. Here we discuss the insights provided by this study, along with other recent empirical work, in the context of the major theoretical models for the evolution of sex.

Competing hypotheses for the evolutionary benefits of sex are increasingly amenable to empirical testing, thanks to advances in genomics. Recent experiments suggest that sex increases genetic variance by uncoupling beneficial alleles from deleterious alleles in the same genome, allowing selection to be more effective and increasing long-term mean fitness.

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Has inheritance gone retro?

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Effects of continuous and intermittent exercise on executive function in children aged 8–10 years

Abstract

Understanding the effects of acute exercise on executive function in prepubescent children may be important for the enhancement of school performance. This study assessed the effect of an acute bout of continuous (CONT) or intermittent (INT), moderate-intensity treadmill exercise on executive function in young children. Twenty healthy children, mean (SD); age: 8.8 (0.8) years; height: 140 (9) cm; weight: 36 (11) kg; boys: n = 9, performed a graded-exercise test to determine maximal oxygen uptake, and two 15-min submaximal bouts of treadmill exercise; protocols were either CONT or INT. During CONT, participants ran at 90% of gas exchange threshold. During INT, participants performed six consecutive 2.5 min blocks of exercise, which were designed to reflect children's typical activity patterns, comprising 45 s at a heavy intensity, 33 s at a moderate intensity, 10 s at a severe intensity, and 62 s at a low intensity. Participants performed the Stroop task before the submaximal exercise bouts and after, at 1-, 15-, and 30-min intervals. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) measured cerebral perfusion and oxygenation. Regardless of condition, Stroop performance was improved at 1 min after compared to before, 54.9 (9.8) s versus 57.9 (11) s, respectively, p < .01, and improvements were maintained until 30 min after. NIRS (oxyhemoglobin, total hemoglobin) explained a significant amount of variance in the change in Stroop performance for INT only (49%, p < .05). An acute bout of exercise, of either an intermittent or continuous nature, improves executive function in children, and effects are maintained for ≤ 30 min following exercise cessation. Accordingly, it is recommended that children should engage in physical activity during periods of school recess.

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Delayed extinction fails to reduce skin conductance reactivity to fear-conditioned stimuli

Abstract

A brief 10-min time delay between an initial and subsequent exposure to extinction trials has been found to impair memory reconsolidation in fear-conditioned rodents and humans, providing a potential means to reduce fearfulness in anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study used videos of biologically prepared, conditioned stimuli (tarantulas) to test the efficacy of delayed extinction in blocking reconsolidation of conditioned fear in healthy young adults. Strong differential conditioning, measured by skin conductance, was observed among a screened subset of participants during acquisition. However, the delayed-extinction intervention failed to reduce reactivity to the conditioned stimulus paired with the extinction delay. These results are partially consistent with other recent, mixed findings and point to a need for testing other candidate interventions designed to interfere with the reconsolidation process.

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Vessel Segmentation From Abdominal MR Images: Adaptive and Reconstructive Approach

Summary

Liver vessels, which have low signal and run next to brighter bile ducts, are difficult to segment from MR images. This study presents a fully automated and adaptive method to segment portal and hepatic veins on MR images. In the proposed approach, segmentation of these vessels is achieved in four stages: (i) initial segmentation, (ii) refinement, (iii) reconstruction and (iv) post-processing. In the initial segmentation stage, k-means clustering is used, the results of which are refined iteratively with linear contrast stretching algorithm in the next stage, generating a mask image. In the reconstruction stage, vessel regions are reconstructed with the marker image from the first stage and the mask image from the second stage. Experimental data sets include slices that show fat tissues, which have the same gray level values with vessels, outside the margin of the liver. These structures are removed in the last stage. Results show that the proposed approach is more efficient than other thresholding based methods.

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Satisfaction, Adherence and Health-Related Quality of Life with Transdermal Buprenorphine Compared with Oral Opioid Medications in the Usual Care of Osteoarthritis Pain

Abstract

Background

Osteoarthritis (OA) causes substantial pain and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQL). Although opioid analgesics are commonly used, the relative benefits of different opioids are poorly studied. Transdermal buprenorphine (TDB) offers an alternative to oral opioids for the treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic pain. This observational study of people with OA pain assessed satisfaction, HRQL and medication adherence.

Methods

Patients in the UK with self-reported knee and/or hip OA who had been receiving one or more of TDB, co-codamol (an oral paracetamol/codeine combination) and tramadol for at least 1 month completed an online or telephone questionnaire. Medication satisfaction scores, HRQL scores (Short-Form 36 [SF-36]), medication adherence (Morisky Medication Adherence Scale [MMAS™]), adverse events and treatment discontinuations were recorded. Linear and logistic regression models were used to compare the treatment effect of TDB with co-codamol or tramadol.

Results

Overall, 966 patients met the inclusion criteria; 701 were taking only one of the target medications (TDB: 85; co-codamol: 373; tramadol: 243). The largest age group was 50–59 years and 76.0 % of patients were female. The TDB group was younger, with more male patients, therefore the statistical models were adjusted for age and sex. Medication satisfaction scores were significantly higher in the TDB group than the other two groups (TDB vs. co-codamol: 3.56, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.90–6.68, p < 0.0001; TDB vs. tramadol: 3.22, 95 % CI 1.67–6.20, p = 0.0005). Physical Component Summary scores for HRQL and mean adherence were also higher in the TDB group, while Mental Component Summary HRQL scores were similar across the three groups.

Conclusions

Patients with knee and/or hip OA pain treated with TDB were more satisfied and more adherent with their medication, and reported higher Physical Component Summary HRQL scores than those treated with co-codamol or tramadol, although demographic differences were observed between groups.

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Toxins, Vol. 8, Pages 189: The Sialidase NanS Enhances Non-TcsL Mediated Cytotoxicity of Clostridium sordellii

The clostridia produce an arsenal of toxins to facilitate their survival within the host environment. TcsL is one of two major toxins produced by Clostridium sordellii, a human and animal pathogen, and is essential for disease pathogenesis of this bacterium. C. sordellii produces many other toxins, but the role that they play in disease is not known, although previous work has suggested that the sialidase enzyme NanS may be involved in the characteristic leukemoid reaction that occurs during severe disease. In this study we investigated the role of NanS in C. sordellii disease pathogenesis. We constructed a nanS mutant and showed that NanS is the only sialidase produced from C. sordellii strain ATCC9714 since sialidase activity could not be detected from the nanS mutant. Complementation with the wild-type gene restored sialidase production to the nanS mutant strain. Cytotoxicity assays using sialidase-enriched culture supernatants applied to gut (Caco2), vaginal (VK2), and cervical cell lines (End1/E6E7 and Ect1/E6E7) showed that NanS was not cytotoxic to these cells. However, the cytotoxic capacity of a toxin-enriched supernatant to the vaginal and cervical cell lines was substantially enhanced in the presence of NanS. TcsL was not the mediator of the observed cytotoxicity since supernatants harvested from a TcsL-deficient strain displayed similar cytotoxicity levels to TcsL-containing supernatants. This study suggests that NanS works synergistically with an unknown toxin or toxins to exacerbate C. sordellii-mediated tissue damage in the host.

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Evaluation of a tissue-mimicking thermochromic phantom for radiofrequency ablation

Purpose:

This work describes the characterization and evaluation of a tissue-mimicking thermochromic phantom (TMTCP) for direct visualization and quantitative determination of temperatures during radiofrequency ablation (RFA).

Methods:

TMTCP material was prepared using polyacrylamide gel and thermochromic ink that permanently changes color from white to magenta when heated. Color vs temperature calibration was generated in matlab by extracting RGB color values from digital photographs of phantom standards heated in a water bath at 25–75 °C. RGB and temperature values were plotted prior to curve fitting in mathematica using logistic functions of form f(t) = a + b/(1 + e ^(c(t−d))), where a, b, c, and d are coefficients and t denotes temperature. To quantify temperatures based on TMTCP color, phantom samples were heated to temperatures blinded to the investigators, and two methods were evaluated: (1) visual comparison of sample color to the calibration series and (2) in silico analysis using the inverse of the logistic functions to convert sample photograph RGB values to absolute temperatures. For evaluation of TMTCP performance with RFA, temperatures in phantom samples and in a bovine liver were measured radially from an RF electrode during heating using fiber-optic temperature probes. Heating and cooling rates as well as the area under the temperature vs time curves were compared. Finally, temperature isotherms were generated computationally based on color change in bisected phantoms following RFA and compared to temperature probe measurements.

Results:

TMTCP heating resulted in incremental, permanent color changes between 40 and 64 °C. Visual and computational temperature estimation methods were accurate to within 1.4 and 1.9 °C between 48 and 67 °C, respectively. Temperature estimates were most accurate between 52 and 62 °C, resulting in differences from actual temperatures of 0.6 and 1.6 °C for visual and computational methods, respectively. Temperature measurements during RFA using fiber-optic probes matched closely with maximum temperatures predicted by color changes in the TMTCP. Heating rate and cooling rate, as well as the area under the temperature vs time curve were similar for TMTCP and ex vivo liver.

Conclusions:

The TMTCP formulated for use with RFA can be used to provide quantitative temperature information in mild hyperthermic (40–45 °C), subablative (45–50 °C), and ablative (>50 °C) temperature ranges. Accurate visual or computational estimates of absolute temperatures and ablation zone geometry can be made with high spatial resolution based on TMTCP color. As such, the TMTCP can be used to assess RFA heating characteristics in a controlled, predictable environment.

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Hypoxia Analysis in Head and/or Neck Cancer

Condition:   Head and Neck Cancer
Intervention:   Drug: Pimonidazole
Sponsor:   Marius Gustav Bredell
Recruiting - verified June 2016

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Inovio TRT-001: Telomerase DNA Immunotherapy in Breast, Lung, and Pancreatic Cancers

Conditions:   Breast Cancer;   Lung Cancer;   Pancreatic Cancer;   Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer;   Ovarian Cancer;   Colorectal Cancer;   Gastric Cancer;   Esophageal Cancer;   Hepatocellular Cancer
Interventions:   Biological: INO-1400;   Biological: INO-9012
Sponsors:   Inovio Pharmaceuticals;   Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania;   University of North Carolina;   Thomas Jefferson University;   Wayne State University
Recruiting - verified June 2016

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IJMS, Vol. 17, Pages 956: Human Milk Cells Contain Numerous miRNAs that May Change with Milk Removal and Regulate Multiple Physiological Processes

Human milk (HM) is a complex biofluid conferring nutritional, protective and developmental components for optimal infant growth. Amongst these are maternal cells, which change in response to feeding and were recently shown to be a rich source of miRNAs. We used next generation sequencing to characterize the cellular miRNA profile of HM collected before and after feeding. HM cells conserved higher miRNA content than the lipid and skim HM fractions or other body fluids, in accordance with previous studies. In total, 1467 known mature and 1996 novel miRNAs were identified, with 89 high-confidence novel miRNAs. HM cell content was higher post-feeding (p < 0.05), and was positively associated with total miRNA content (p = 0.014) and species number (p < 0.001). This coincided with upregulation of 29 known and 2 novel miRNAs, and downregulation of 4 known and 1 novel miRNAs post-feeding, but no statistically significant change in expression was found for the remaining miRNAs. These findings suggest that feeding may influence the miRNA content of HM cells. The most highly and differentially expressed miRNAs were key regulators of milk components, with potential diagnostic value in lactation performance. They are also involved in the control of body fluid balance, thirst, appetite, immune response, and development, implicating their functional significance for the infant.

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