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Feasibility and acceptability of the Cogito Corporation platform to monitor mental health symptoms, behaviors, and facilitate follow-up in a sample of veterans were supported. Clinically, platforms such as the Cogito Companion system may serve as useful methods to promote monitoring, thereby facilitating early identification of risk and mitigating negative psychiatric outcomes, such as suicide.
Feasibility and acceptability of the Cogito Corporation platform to monitor mental health symptoms, behaviors, and facilitate follow-up in a sample of veterans were supported. Clinically, platforms such as the Cogito Companion system may serve as useful methods to promote monitoring, thereby facilitating early identification of risk and mitigating negative psychiatric outcomes, such as suicide.
Type 2 diabetes can be prevented through lifestyle changes, but sustainable and scalable lifestyle interventions are still lacking. Habit-based approaches offer an opportunity to induce long-term behavior changes.
The purposes of this study were to describe an internet-based lifestyle intervention for people at risk for type 2 diabetes targeted to support formation of healthy habits and explore its user engagement during the first 6 months of a randomized controlled trial (RCT).
The app provides an online store that offers more than 400 simple and contextualized habit-forming behavioral suggestions triggered by daily life activities. Users can browse, inspect, and select them; report their performances; and reflect on their own activities. Users can also get reminders, information on other users’ activities, and information on the prevention of type 2 diabetes. An unblended parallel RCT was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the app in comparison with routine care. User engagement is reported ifestyles of the participants.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03156478; https//clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03156478.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03156478; https//clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03156478.The representation of position in the mammalian brain is distributed across multiple neural populations. Grid cell modules in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) express activity patterns that span a low-dimensional manifold which remains stable across different environments. In contrast, the activity patterns of hippocampal place cells span distinct low-dimensional manifolds in different environments. It is unknown how these multiple representations of position are coordinated. Here, we develop a theory of joint attractor dynamics in the hippocampus and the MEC. We show that the system exhibits a coordinated, joint representation of position across multiple environments, consistent with global remapping in place cells and grid cells. In addition, our model accounts for recent experimental observations that lack a mechanistic explanation variability in the firing rate of single grid cells across firing fields, and artificial remapping of place cells under depolarization, but not under hyperpolarization, of layer II stellate cells of the MEC.One key bottleneck in understanding the human genome is the relative under-characterization of 90% of protein coding regions. We report a collection of 1200 transgenic zebrafish strains made with the gene-break transposon (GBT) protein trap to simultaneously report and reversibly knockdown the tagged genes. Protein trap-associated mRFP expression shows previously undocumented expression of 35% and 90% of cloned genes at 2 and 4 days post-fertilization, respectively. Further, investigated alleles regularly show 99% gene-specific mRNA knockdown. Homozygous GBT animals in ryr1b, fras1, tnnt2a, edar and hmcn1 phenocopied established mutants. 204 cloned lines trapped diverse proteins, including 64 orthologs of human disease-associated genes with 40 as potential new disease models. Severely reduced skeletal muscle Ca2+ transients in GBT ryr1b homozygous animals validated the ability to explore molecular mechanisms of genetic diseases. This GBT system facilitates novel functional genome annotation towards understanding cellular and molecular underpinnings of vertebrate biology and human disease.Decision making requires integrating knowledge gathered from personal experiences with advice from others. The neural underpinnings of the process of arbitrating between information sources has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we formalized arbitration as the relative precision of predictions, afforded by each learning system, using hierarchical Bayesian modeling. In a probabilistic learning task, participants predicted the outcome of a lottery using recommendations from a more informed advisor and/or self-sampled outcomes. Decision confidence, as measured by the number of points participants wagered on their predictions, varied with our definition of arbitration as a ratio of precisions. Functional neuroimaging demonstrated that arbitration signals were independent of decision confidence and involved modality-specific brain regions. Arbitrating in favor of self-gathered information activated the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the midbrain, whereas arbitrating in favor of social information engaged the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. These findings indicate that relative precision captures arbitration between social and individual learning systems at both behavioral and neural levels.The filarial nematode Brugia malayi represents a leading cause of disability in the developing world, causing lymphatic filariasis in nearly 40 million people. Currently available drugs are not well-suited to mass drug administration efforts, so new treatments are urgently required. One potential vulnerability is the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia-present in many filariae-which is vital to the worm. Genome scale metabolic networks have been used to study prokaryotes and protists and have proven valuable in identifying therapeutic targets, but have only been applied to multicellular eukaryotic organisms more recently. Here, we present iDC625, the first compartmentalized metabolic model of a parasitic worm. We used this model to show how metabolic pathway usage allows the worm to adapt to different environments, and predict a set of 102 reactions essential to the survival of B. malayi. We validated three of those reactions with drug tests and demonstrated novel antifilarial properties for all three compounds.Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) is a form of one-trial learning dependent on basolateral amygdala projection neurons (BLApn). Its underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. RNAseq from BLApn identified changes in multiple candidate learning-related transcripts including the expected immediate early gene Fos and Stk11, a master kinase of the AMP-related kinase pathway with important roles in growth, metabolism and development, but not previously implicated in learning. Deletion of Stk11 in BLApn blocked memory prior to training, but not following it and increased neuronal excitability. Conversely, BLApn had reduced excitability following CTA. BLApn knockout of a second learning-related gene, Fos, also increased excitability and impaired learning. Independently increasing BLApn excitability chemogenetically during CTA also impaired memory. STK11 and C-FOS activation were independent of one another. These data suggest key roles for Stk11 and Fos in CTA long-term memory formation, dependent at least partly through convergent action on BLApn intrinsic excitability.
We aim to assess the safety and efficacy of the transcatheter balloon dilation of superior cavopulmonary anastomosis (SCPA).
SCPA stenosis can lead to impaired pulmonary blood flow, hypoxemia and development of veno-venous collaterals with right-to-left shunt. Balloon dilation of SCPA has been rarely reported and follow-up information is lacking.
We performed a retrospective review of patients who underwent cardiac catheterisation and angioplasty of SCPA and reviewed patient’s demographics, diagnosis, SCPA surgery and post-operative course, catheterisation haemodynamics, procedural technique, angiography, and the findings of follow-up catheterisation.
Between 2008 and 2017, seven patients showed significant narrowing of SCPA and underwent balloon angioplasty, all of whom had undergone bidirectional Glenn (BDG). Indications for cardiac catheterisation included persistent pleural effusion, hypoxemia, and echocardiographic evidence of BDG stenosis or routine pre-Fontan assessment. Five patients had bilateral SCPA. The procedure was successful in all cases with increase in the stenosis diameter from a median of 3.3 mm (range 1.2-4.7 mm) to a median of 4.7 mm (range 2.6-7.8 mm). All patients had at least one follow-up cardiac catheterisation. Only one patient required repeat angioplasty at the 2.3-month follow-up with no further recurrence. Sustained results and interval growth were noted in all other cases during up to 29 months of follow-up. No adverse events were encountered.
Based on our small series, balloon angioplasty of BDG stenosis is feasible and safe and appears to provide sustained improvement with interval growth and only the rare recurrence of stenosis.
Based on our small series, balloon angioplasty of BDG stenosis is feasible and safe and appears to provide sustained improvement with interval growth and only the rare recurrence of stenosis.Dietary guidelines should be underpinned by the best available evidence on relationships between diet and health, including evidence from nutrient-based, food-based and dietary patterns research. The primary aim of the present study was to analyse the systematic reviews conducted to inform the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines according to dietary exposure. The secondary aim was to analyse the reviews by health outcome, and design of included studies. To identify the systematic reviews, the dietary guidelines report was used as a starting point and relevant references were retrieved. The evidence report contained the data used in this analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse reviews according to exposure, outcome, and design of included studies. A total of 143 systematic reviews were included in this analysis. Foods were the most common exposure (86·7 % of reviews), followed by nutrients (10·5 %) and dietary patterns (2·8 %). Chronic disease morbidity and/or mortality was the most common outcome (80·4 %), followed by chronic disease risk factors (19·6 %). Most reviews included evidence from cohort or nested case-control studies (92·3 %), many included evidence from case-control studies (61·5 %) and some included evidence from randomised controlled trials (28·7 %). These results reflect the research questions that were asked, the systematic review methods that were used, and the evidence that was available. In developing future iterations of the Australian Dietary Guidelines, there is an opportunity to review the latest evidence from dietary patterns research.
Cluster analyses have become popular tools for data-driven classification in biological psychiatric research. However, these analyses are known to be sensitive to the chosen methods and/or modelling options, which may hamper generalizability and replicability of findings. To gain more insight into this problem, we used Specification-Curve Analysis (SCA) to investigate the influence of methodological variation on biomarker-based cluster-analysis results.
Proteomics data (31 biomarkers) were used from patients (n = 688) and healthy controls (n = 426) in the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety. In SCAs, consistency of results was evaluated across 1200 k-means and hierarchical clustering analyses, each with a unique combination of the clustering algorithm, fit-index, and distance metric. Next, SCAs were run in simulated datasets with varying cluster numbers and noise/outlier levels to evaluate the effect of data properties on SCA outcomes.
The real data SCA showed no robust patterns of biological cly depend strongly on the chosen model-specification, precluding conclusions about the existence of biological clusters among psychiatric patients.
Many cognitive functions are under strong genetic control and twin studies have demonstrated genetic overlap between some aspects of cognition and schizophrenia. How the genetic relationship between specific cognitive functions and schizophrenia is influenced by IQ is currently unknown.
We applied selected tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) to examine the heritability of specific cognitive functions and associations with schizophrenia liability. Verbal and performance IQ were estimated using The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III and the Danish Adult Reading Test. In total, 214 twins including monozygotic (MZ = 32) and dizygotic (DZ = 22) pairs concordant or discordant for a schizophrenia spectrum disorder, and healthy control pairs (MZ = 29, DZ = 20) were recruited through the Danish national registers. Additionally, eight twins from affected pairs participated without their sibling.
Significant heritability was observed for planning/spatial span (h2 = 25%), a partially shared genetic etiology. These functions may constitute endophenotypes for the disorder and provide a basis to explore genes common to cognition and schizophrenia.
One in six adolescents suffers from mental health problems. Despite the presence of general information on Italian adolescents’ mental health, researches conducted with standardized assessment tools are scarce in the literature. We evaluated the prevalence of self-reported behavioral and emotional problems in a group of Italian adolescents and examined their relation to socio-demographical variables.
This population-based sampling survey was conducted on high school students aged 14-18 from urban areas of Rome and Latina. Participants completed Youth Self-Report (YSR) and a socio-demographic schedule to collect information on age, gender, type of school attended, socio-economic status, urbanicity.
Final sample consisted of 1400 adolescents (38.61% male, mean age 16 years, s.d. 1.42). Prevalence of Internalizing Problems, Externalizing Problems and Total Problems was 29.55%, 18.34% and 24.13%. In our multivariable model, Internalizing Symptoms were not explained by sociodemographic variables while Externc variables as risk factors for externalizing behaviors. Our results emphasize the urgent need for implementing prevention programs on mental health in adolescence.
The pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review (pCODR) evaluates new cancer drugs for public funding recommendations. While pCODR’s deliberative framework evaluates overall clinical benefit and includes considerations for exceptional circumstances, rarity of indication is not explicitly addressed. Given the high unmet need that typically accompanies these indications, we explored the impact of rarity on oncology HTA recommendations and funding decisions.
We examined pCODR submissions with final recommendations from 2012 to 2017. Incidence rates were calculated using pCODR recommendation reports and statistics from the Canadian Cancer Society. Indications were classified as rare if the incidence rate was lower than 1/100,000 diagnoses, a definition referenced by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health. Each pCODR final report was examined for the funding recommendation/justification, level of supporting evidence (presence of a randomized control trial [RCT]), and time to funding (if applicable).
f funded treatments for rare indications.
As a vasodilator, nitric oxide is considered to play a significant role in the homeostatic regulation of renal hemodynamics. To test the hypothesis that a kidney graft is capable of producing nitric oxide immediately after renal transplant surgery, we examined the possibility that it positively affects local metabolic acidosis.
In kidney transplant recipients, we analyzed renal vein and central vein blood samples, which reflect local and systemic metabolic alterations, respectively. Samples were taken immediately after kidney recirculation (that is, the first blood passing through after clamps are released) and at 5, 15, and 30 minutes thereafter. Levels of nitric oxide metabolites (nitrites, nitrates, and their sum), malondialdehyde (an indicator of oxidative damages), and parameters of acid-base balance (pH level, actual excess base, hemoglobin, actual bicarbonate, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, partial pressure of oxygen) were analyzed. Living kidney donors (the recipients’ parents) were controls.ulation improvement.
The balance of tissue injury and repair ultimately determines outcomes of chronic neurological disorders, such as progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the extent of pathology can be difficult to detect, particularly when it is insidious and/or offset by tissue regeneration.
The objective of this research is to evaluate whether tissue autofluorescence-typically a source of contamination-provides a surrogate marker of white matter injury.
Tissue autofluorescence in autopsied specimens both experimental and clinical was characterized by spectral confocal microscopy and correlated to severity and chronicity as determined by standard histopathology.
Months after cuprizone (CPZ)-induced demyelination, despite robust remyelination, autofluorescent deposits progressively accumulated in regions of prior pathology. Autofluorescent deposits (likely reflecting myelin debris remnants) were conspicuously localized to white matter, proportional to lesion severity, and displayed differential fluorescence over time. Strikingly, similar features were apparent also in autopsied MS tissue.
Autofluorescence spectroscopy illuminates prior and ongoing white matter injury. The accumulation of autofluorescence in proportion to the extent of progressive atrophy, despite robust remyelination in the CPZ brain, provides important proof-of-concept of a phenomenon (insidious ongoing damage masked by mechanisms of tissue repair) that we hypothesize is highly relevant to the progressive phase of MS.
Autofluorescence spectroscopy illuminates prior and ongoing white matter injury. The accumulation of autofluorescence in proportion to the extent of progressive atrophy, despite robust remyelination in the CPZ brain, provides important proof-of-concept of a phenomenon (insidious ongoing damage masked by mechanisms of tissue repair) that we hypothesize is highly relevant to the progressive phase of MS.Building on growing evidence that relative economic gratification may be associated with prejudice toward minorities, such as immigrants, the question remains when and why prosperity and wealth may enhance opposition to immigration. In a correlational study (Study 1, N = 498), we show that increased fear of falling in the future (individually or collectively) is associated with greater opposition to immigration. We then experimentally studied the effects of potential (Study 2, N = 294) and actual (Study 3, N = 166) downward mobility among the relatively wealthy, as well as of relatively stagnating wealthy in the context where an initially poorer group is quickly gaining wealth over time (Study 4, N = 151). We find that fear of falling among the wealthy is associated with more opposition to immigration, mediated by collective angst. We conclude that the anticipation that the economic future looks less rosy than the present evokes collective angst, which, in turn, fuels prejudice toward immigrants.Marbling score (MS), is an economically important trait in cattle. Previous results showed that a SNP (c.*188G > A) of akirin 2 (AKIRIN2) gene was associated with MS in Japanese Black cattle and Korean cattle. However, the distribution of the genotypic frequency of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has not been explored in Chinese cattle. In this study, we used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing to detect the variation in 1296 individuals from 39 Chinese cattle breeds, one semi-wild bovine species (Dulong) and three introduced breeds (Angus, Holstein and Brahman). Our study found the frequency of the A allele at this locus roughly diminished from north to south in Chinese cattle, and we detected statistically significant differences between Angus and Brahman (p A in Chinese cattle, which would help us better understand Chinese cattle genetic resources and provide reference for further research.Traditionally, circular RAN hsa_circ_0008035 was proven to function as a tumor inhibitor in gastric cancer. Nevertheless, much less was known about hsa_circ_0008035 in osteosarcoma (OSA). This project was undertaken to assess the role of hsa_circ_0008035 in OSA. Hsa_circ_0008035 level in serum of OSA patients, OSA tissues and cell lines were measured by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. After downregulation or overexpression of hsa_circ_0008035, cell proliferation, apoptosis and migration were tested in MG63, SAOS-2 or hFOB1.19 cells. Meanwhile, the expression level of miR-375 was analyzed. The binding between hsa_circ_0008035 and miR-375 was confirmed using bioinformatics and luciferase assay. Subsequently, the effects of miR-375 inhibition on MG63 cell growth and migratory potential were reevaluated. Eventually, the activating status of Notch pathway was assessed by Western blot. Our results demonstrated that hsa_circ_0008035 was overexpressed in serum of OSA patients, OSA tissues and cells. Silencing hsa_circRNA_0008035 impeded OSA cell growth and migration, while hsa_circ_0008035 facilitated cell behaviors of hFOB1.19 cells. Additionally, hsa_circ_0008035 negatively modulated miR-375 expression. Meanwhile, miR-375 inhibition overturned the suppressive effects of silencing hsa_circRNA_0008035 on OSA cell behaviors. Furthermore, silencing hsa_circ_0008035 perturbed Notch pathway by adjusting miR-375 expression. In conclusion, silencing hsa_circRNA_0008035 exerted repressive function on OSA cell growth and migration and Notch pathway by accelerating miR-375.Goose is important meat poultry and its growth and development has always been the focus of attention, but the regulation mechanisms of genes and gene network underlying growth and development of goose are still unclear. Three males of large-size Shitou goose and three males of small size Wuzong goose at 5 weeks of age were used for transcriptome analysis with deep sequencing. After slaughter, their pituitary gland was taken for RNA-seq. A total of 290 DEGs were identified by fold change ≥2 and false discovery rate (FDR) less then 0.05, where there were 148 upregulated genes and 142 downregulated genes in Shitou goose compared to Wuzong goose. Results also showed that the DEGs related to insulin signaling pathway could increase protein synthesis and fat production, and the interaction network of DEGs was mainly related to development, endocrine system, inflammatory diseases, tissue damage and abnormality. The DEGs involved in the growth and function of the pituitary organs may regulate the growth and development of the body by affecting the synthesis and secretion of pituitary hormones. The results of this study will help to understand the regulatory mechanism of goose growth and development.This study aimed to determine the WNT2 expression in patients with severe preeclampsia and to explore the function of WNT2 dysregulation on the biological behaviors of trophoblast cells. The WNT2 and β-catenin expression in the patients with early-onset and late-onset severe preeclampsia and normal controls was determined. Subsequently, WNT2 was overexpressed and knocked down in HTR8 cells and WNT2 signaling pathway in regulating trophoblast cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis were evaluated in vitro. The mRNA and protein expression levels of WNT2 and β-catenin were decreased in patients with preeclampsia, especially early-onset severe preeclampsia. Overexpression of WNT2 promoted trophoblast cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and inhibited apoptosis in vitro, whereas knockdown of WNT2 had opposite effects. The findings of this study reveal that WNT2 and β-catenin were decreased expressed in patients with preeclampsia. Decreased expression of WNT2 may inhibit trophoblast cell proliferation, migration, and invasion but induced apoptosis. WNT2 may serve as a promising biomarker for early detection of preeclampsia.
Effective primary health care (PHC) is the key to attaining universal health coverage. The key performance indicators (KPIs), is a component of quality improvement in the PHC service sector that provides feedback to inform and better public service delivery and promoting accountability. We assessed the current performance of PHC service by using KPIs to identify the possible challenges that necessitate being confronted, highlight the lessons learnt, and propose steps towards improvements.
We conducted a cross-sectional observational study across 12 PHC centers in 6 governorates in Oman during the period of June 2017 to June 2018. Secondary data from the computerized medical records of the PHC centers on six key indicators, accessibility, workload, outcomes, timeliness, satisfaction, and safety were analysed to assess the performance of PHC service and to identify challenges confronted and propose steps towards further service improvement.
The mean overall KPIs scores across the ten PHC centers were 174. lower than other components. The findings of this study offered a measure of internal strengths that need to be sustained, challenges that require quality improvement initiatives, and external factors such as social determinants that impact overall performance PHC.
This study aimed to evaluate acute and subacute hemodynamic responses and perception of effort in individuals with CCC submitted to different IMT protocols.
This was a randomized cross-over trial conducted on CCC subjects with systolic left ventricular dysfunction (<45% left ventricular ejection fraction) without or with heart failure (stages B2 and C, respectively). Twenty-one participants performed two IMT protocols, one targeting 60% maximal inspiratory pressure with 3 × 10 repetitions (MIP60) and the other targeting 30% maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP30) with 3 × 20 repetitions with a 2 min recovery between sets for both. MIP60 and MIP30 were performed on the same day with a 2 h washout period. Measurements were taken at baseline, during and 60 min after IMT.
No differences in hemodynamic variables were observed across protocols. The perception of effort increased in both protocols, with higher scores for the MIP30 protocol (β = +1.6,
= 0.01; β = +1.1,
= 0.02; β = +0.9,
= 0.08 for the ith Chagas cardiomyopathy. Since no significant adverse responses were observed in any of the hemodynamic parameters during the inspiratory muscle training sessions, these two protocols of inspiratory muscle training (30% and 60% of maximal inspiratory pressure) seems to be safe in subjects with Chagas cardiomyopathy.Coumarins constitute a relatively new class of inhibitors of the zinc enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1), possessing a unique inhibition mechanism, acting as „prodrug inhibitors.” They undergo the hydrolysis of the lactone ring mediated by the esterase activity of CA. The formed 2-hydroxy-cinnamic acids thereafter bind within a very particular part of the enzyme active site, at its entrance, where a high variability of amino acid residues among the different mammalian CA isoforms is present, and where other inhibitors classes were not seen bound earlier. This explains why coumarins are among the most isoform-selective CA inhibitors known to date among the many chemotypes endowed with such biological activity. As coumarins are widespread secondary metabolites in some bacteria, plants, fungi, and ascidians, many such compounds from various natural sources have been investigated for their CA inhibitory properties and for possible biomedical applications, mainly as anticancer agents targeting hypoxic tumours.Wheat common bunt is a serious disease that may lead to yield losses of 75-80% in many wheat regions of the world (Mathre 1996). The disease may reduce yield and flour quality by producing trimethylamine, a compound that smells like rotting fish (Castlebury et al. 2005; Hoffmann 1981; Mathre 1996). Two closely related basidiomycete species, Tilletia caries (DC.) Tul. & C. Tul. [syn. T. tritici (Bjerk.) Wint.] and T. laevis J. G. Kühn [syn. T. foetida (Wallr.) Liro], cause wheat common bunt. Teliospore morphology is used to differentiate the two species. Teliospores of T. caries have reticulates on the surface while teliospores of T. laevis have a smooth surface (Pieczul et al. 2018). T. laevis was reported in Liaoning, Shaanxi, Shandong, Beijing, Hebei, Shanxi, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Gansu, Xinjiang, Sichuan, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia, and Tibet (Guo 2011; Wang 1963), but not in Henan, the biggest wheat production province in China, before the present study. In July 2019, we found wheat common bunt in thrpore samples from both the fields and growth chamber. The collection named as CGMCC 3.20112 was deposited in China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of T. laevis causing wheat common bunt in Henan Province of China. Because the pathogen is seedborne and soilborne, the disease may become a high risk to wheat production in Henan and other provinces of China.Fatsia japonica (Thunb.) Decne. & Planch. (Araliaceae), an evergreen shrub, is widely planted in urban settings at the south of the Yangtze river in China. Leaf-spot symptoms were observed on 120/200 F. japonica plants at Sichuan Agricultural University. Initially, yellowish spots appeared on the leaves and became white with age. The spots continued to expand with time developing irregular margins eventually encompassing the entire leaf. Eventually, diseased leaves became curled and died. Four single-spore isolates were obtained following Chomnunti et al. (2014). The colonies developed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) were white to grey with fluffy aerial hyphae. The base of the mycelium was yellow. On the host conidiomata circular to elliptical, measured 108-335 × 107-250 μm (n=20). Conidiophores were bell-shaped to cylindrical, hyaline, usually 1-celled, unbranched, 9.7-23.6(-28) × 3.5-5.5 μm (x̅ =16.5 × 4.6 μm, n=15). Conidia measured 12.5-17.6 × 5.1-7.9 μm (x̅ =14.9 × 6.7 μm, n=25), were hyaline, straight, u postulates. The anthracnose on F. japonica caused by C. fructicola and C. gloeosporioide have been reported in China (Wang 2007, Shi et al. 2017). However, this is the first report of anthracnose caused by C. karstii on F. japonica. Field observations indicated that this disease mainly occurs on old and weakened leaves. This disease affects the aesthetic appearance of the plants reducing their appeal as landscape plants.As one of the most planted crops worldwide, corn has continuously increased in importance in China over the last decade. But in recent years, poor stands of corn seedlings have occurred frequently in northeastern China, causing significant economic loss. Mature plants were stunted, the roots were necrotic, and some plants collapsed. We collected soil samples from 5 fields with a history of poor stands of corn seedlings in the Heilongjiang province of China in October 2017. After being planted in the collected soil for 12 days, corn seedlings were uprooted. The pathogen was then isolated as described by Tang et al. (2019). Briefly, the rotted roots were washed in 0.5% NaOCl for 2 min, rinsed in sterile water, and then cut into 1-2 mm segments and placed on cornmeal agar amended with pimaricin (5 μg/ml), ampicillin (250 μg/ml), rifampicin (10 μg/ml), pentachloronitrobenzene (50 μg/ml), and benomyl (10 μg/ml) (PARP+B), which is selective for oomycetes (Jeffers and Martin 1986). After 3 days of incubation in the on corn in China. This pathogen may pose a risk to corn production. The identification of the pathogen will help to develop effective strategies to control the disease.Bambusa intermedia Hsueh et Yi, a species in the Gramineae family, is mainly distributed in southern China and is commonly found in the Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guangdong Provinces and in the Guangxi Autonomous Region. It is economically significant as a building material, a food source, and for applications in various other raw products. In July 2017, a blight disease was found on B. intermedia stems, affecting approximately 40% of 9600 plants in the Changning and Jiangan counties of Sichuan Province, China. In the early stages of the disease, leaves at the top of the plants withered and yellowed, eventually falling off. Subsequently, the stems and upper branches discolored and were dead to varying degrees. To isolate the causal fungus, 100 samples from B. intermedia culms and branches were collected from symptomatic plants in Changning and Jiangan counties. Small sections (4 to 5 mm2) were surface-sterilized for 30 s in 3% sodium hypochlorite and 60 s in 75% ethanol. The samples were then rinsed three times in tes (2 plants per isolate in each inoculation experiment, 10 repetitions) (Li et al. 2016). Ten control plants were treated similarly except that they were mock inoculated with PDA plugs without the fungus. All plants were kept at 25-28°C and covered with plastic bags to maintain high relative humidity (90-95%) on a 12-h light/dark incubation. Thirty days later, the inoculated plants showed the same symptoms observed originally, and the controls remained healthy. The same fungus was reisolated from the infected stems and twigs and showed similar morphological characteristics and molecular traits. To our knowledge, this is the first report of A. kogelbergense as a causal agent of blight disease on B. intermedia in Sichuan Province, China.Popularity of blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) has been rising worldwide, due to their nutritional bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, anthocyanins and polyphenols (Sinelli et al. 2008). These factors led to an increase of the demand for fresh blueberries in the Czech market, which resulted in increased blueberry planted in the Czech Republic. In spring 2018, about 200,000 1-year-old blueberry plants originally from the Netherlands were planted on 47 ha in the South Moravian region. In September 2019, wilting of leaves and shoots, bark necrosis and dieback of the plant were observed. The occurrence of blueberry decline symptoms in the field was near 2% of 5,000 observed plants which resulted in significant yield losses at the beginning of the production. Twenty shoots of symptomatic plants were collected (one shoot from each plant, twenty plants in total) and surface-disinfected using 75% ethanol. Necrotic tissues of xylem were aseptically placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) (Himedia, India) amendedlant, using a cork borer. Five shoots and pure agar plugs were used as a control. Plugs were covered with wet cotton wool to keep moisture and fixed with Parafilm. After three weeks, characteristic discoloration and lesions appeared on the inoculated shoots. Control shoots remained symptomless. Necrotic tissue was aseptically cut and L. theobromae was re-isolated on PDA. Identity of fungus was confirmed by morphological characterization and sequencing, fulfilling Koch´s postulates. Blueberry decline caused by Botryosphaeriaceae spp. has already been described around the world (Hilário et al. 2020; Tennakoon et al. 2018; Wiseman et al. 2017; Xu et al. 2015). To our knowledge, this is the first report of L. theobromae on blueberry in the Czech Republic.Clinicians currently administer patient-reported symptom scales to quantify and track concussion symptoms. These scales are based on subjective ratings without reference to the degree of functional impairment caused by the symptoms. Our objective was to develop a concussion symptom scale based on functional impairment and compare it to a widely used concussion symptom checklist. We conducted a retrospective chart review evaluating 133 patients age 9-22 with an acute concussion who completed 2 symptom checklists at their initial visit-the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT-3) symptom evaluation (22 symptoms, 0-6 scale) and the proposed Functional Impairment Scale (22 symptoms, 0-3 scale related to degree of functional impairment). Mean total symptom score was 27.2±22.9 for Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-3 and 14.7±11.9 for the Functional Impairment Scale. Pearson correlation between the scales was 0.98 (P less then .001). Mean time from concussion to first visit was 6.9±6.2 days, and median clearance time after injury was 19 (95% CI 16-21) days. After adjusting for patient and injury characteristics, an increased score on each scale was associated with longer time to clearance (5-point increase in Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-3 hazard ratio 0.885, 95% CI 0.835-0.938, P less then .001; 2.5-point increase in Functional Impairment Scale hazard ratio 0.851, 95% CI 0.802-0.902, P less then .001). We propose a concussion symptom scale based on functional impairment that correlates strongly with the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-3 scale, demonstrates a similar association with time to clearance, and may provide a more intuitive approach to monitoring how symptoms are affecting patients recovering from concussion. Future research should aim to validate this scale through a prospective longitudinal study.
Adult acquired flatfoot deformity is a well-known and recognized cause of pain and disability. The purpose of this retrospective study was to describe radiographic and clinical outcomes of the modified mini bone block distraction subtalar arthrodesis (SAMBB) in adult patients affected by adult flatfoot with subtalar joint osteoarthritis at a midterm mean follow-up.
A retrospective review of our database identified patients. Radiological imaging was used to evaluate angular corrections (Meary’s angle [MA], talar coverage angle [TC], and calcaneal pitch angle [CP]) to assess the rate of union and highlight the possible progression of arthritis in nearby joints. Clinical evaluation was performed at the time of surgery and at the final follow-up using the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score. Sixty-two feet were evaluated at a mean follow-up of 6.2 ± 4.2 years.
The AOFAS score improved from a mean value of 48.1 ± 6.1 to a postoperative average score of 87.7 ± 5. CP, TC, and MA showed a postoperative improvement to 17.7 ± 2.1, 2.9 ± 0.7, and 0.6 ± 0.6 degrees, respectively, at the final follow-up, and all deformities were corrected. Five complications (8%) were reported 1 major and 4 minor. No graft reabsorption, sural nerve neuralgia, or donor site morbidity was recorded.
To our knowledge, this study is the first report of a modified Grice-Green technique (SAMBB) that is a safe and effective treatment of flatfoot in the adult with subtalar arthritis.
Level IV, retrospective case series.
Level IV, retrospective case series.
The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the acute effects of single session of body-weight resistance exercises on blood pressure (BP) and glycemia in middle-aged adults with hypertension.
Twenty-three participants took part in this trial with crossover design and performed two experimental sessions in a random order Body-weight resistance exercise session (BWR) and a control session without exercise. BWR was composed of four exercises inverted row, squat, , and sit-ups. The participants performed 3 sets of 30 s, in which they were instructed to perform as much repetitions as possible and as fast as possible. After each session, BP and glycemia were measured continuously for 60min.
Systolic BP decreased after BWR when compared with control at post 45′ -7 (95%CI-11 to -2) mmHg,
=.003 and post60′ -7 (95%CI-12 to -3) mmHg,
=.003. Diastolic BP decreased after BWR when compared with control at post 15′ -6 (95%CI-9 to -3) mmHg,
<.001; post 30′ -6 (95%CI-9 to -2) mmHg,
=.001; post45′ -5 (95%CI-9 to -2) mmHg,
=.005; and post60′ -6 (95%CI -8 to -3) mmHg,
<.001. No significant difference was found in glycemia between BWR and control sessions.
BWR acutely reduces BP in middle-aged adults with hypertension without effects on usual glycemia responses. This alternative form of resistance training could facilitate access, adherence, and reduce health costs related to exercise programs.
BWR acutely reduces BP in middle-aged adults with hypertension without effects on usual glycemia responses. This alternative form of resistance training could facilitate access, adherence, and reduce health costs related to exercise programs.Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a rare, benign inflammatory disorder of the breast. Clinical features may include painful breasts, erythema, subcutaneous nodules, and ulcerative lesions. It can mimic various other breast pathologies, and it is a diagnosis of exclusion after infection, malignancy, and other inflammatory conditions have been ruled out. In this article, we present a case of IGM developing in a 40-year-old female 3 months after hospitalization for myxedema coma. A contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the breasts showed bilateral edema, and a biopsy was negative for malignancy or infection. She was started on prednisone and had noticeable improvement of ulcerations within several weeks. IGM is a rare condition that requires a multimodal treatment approach. Often recalcitrant disease is encountered and requires surgical intervention, immunosuppression, and antimicrobial therapy. The diagnosis should be entertained in patients with bilateral breast inflammation to avoid unnecessary surgical resection early on.
We aimed at identifying distinct trajectories of functioning and at describing their respective clinical characteristics in a cohort of individuals with bipolar disorders.
We included a sample of 2351 individuals with bipolar disorders who have been followed-up to 3 years as part as the FondaMental Advanced Centers of Expertise in Bipolar Disorders cohort. Global functioning was measured using the Functioning Assessment Short Test. We used latent class mixed models to identify distinct longitudinal trajectories of functioning over 3 years. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify the baseline factors that were associated with the membership to each trajectory of functioning.
Three distinct trajectories of functioning were identified (1) a majority of individuals (72%) had a stable trajectory of mild functional impairment, (2) 20% of individuals had a stable trajectory of severe functional impairment and (3) 8% of individuals had a trajectory of moderate functional impairment that ifunctioning. The results regarding the potential determinants of the trajectory of severe functional impairment needs to be replicated in independent samples. Nevertheless, these potential determinants may represent possible therapeutic targets to improve the prognosis of those patients at risk of persistent poor functioning.
To provide an evaluative and personal overview of the life and contributions of Professor John Senders and to introduce this Special Issue dedicated to his memory.
John Senders made many profound contributions to HF/E. These various topics are exemplified by the range of papers which compose the Special Issue. Collectively, these works document and demonstrate the impact of his many valuable research works.
The Special Issue serves to summarize Senders’ collective body of work as can be extracted from archival sources. This introductory paper recounts a series of remembrances derived from personal relationships, as well as the products of cooperative investigative research.
This collective evaluative process documents Senders’ evident and deserved status in the highest pantheon of HF/E pioneers. It records his extraordinary life, replete with accounts of his insights and
in exploring and explaining the world which surrounded him.
Senders’ record of critical contributions provides the example, par excellence, of the successful and fulfilling life in science. It encourages all, both researchers and practitioners
, in their own individual search for excellence.
Senders’ record of critical contributions provides the example, par excellence, of the successful and fulfilling life in science. It encourages all, both researchers and practitioners alike, in their own individual search for excellence.
To date, a comprehensive, psychometrically robust instrument to assess palliative and end-of-life (PEOL) care education, practice, and perceived competence among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses does not exist.
To examine content validity and reliability of a proposed instrument to assess the PEOL care education-practice- competence triad among ICU nurses.
An international modified e-Delphi and a cross-sectional pilot questionnaire survey. The Delphi involved 23 panelists from 11 countries. The pilot study involved 40 staff nurses and 3 nurse managers from 3 adult ICUs in a randomly selected hospital in Egypt. An instrument was developed and judged for content validity by international panelists, and then pretested in a pilot study, where data were collected at 2 time points using self-administered questionnaires, followed by cognitive interviews. Test-retest reliability was examined using intraclass correlation (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), and repeatability coefficient (RC).
The panelists confirmed content validity of the proposed instrument, and staff nurses confirmed its comprehensibility. At the level of the instrument’s total scores, the lowest ICC was .9 (95% confidence interval .8-.9); and the highest SEM and RC were 4.8 and 13.3, respectively.
The PEOL Care Index is a comprehensive, comprehensible, content valid, and reliable instrument to assess the PEOL care education-practice-competence triad among ICU nurses. Construct and criterion validities need to be confirmed in future studies. Applicability of the PEOL Care Index in different settings and cultures needs to be examined.
The PEOL Care Index is a comprehensive, comprehensible, content valid, and reliable instrument to assess the PEOL care education-practice-competence triad among ICU nurses. Construct and criterion validities need to be confirmed in future studies. Applicability of the PEOL Care Index in different settings and cultures needs to be examined.Hydroxytyrosol oligomer from bioenzymatic catalysis indicates a pleiotropic wellness improving (e.g. antioxidation, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenesis) than its monomer. However, the processing parameters and the insightful mechanism of hydroxytyrosol polymerization are still lacking. To explore in detail the process of hydroxytyrosol polymerization, the effects of different reaction factors (solvent type, pH value of reaction solution, reaction temperature and time) on the polymerization yield were investigated, and molecular docking was executed to reveal the relevant structural variations of these enzymes. The results showed hydroxytyrosol polymerization implemented by laccase performed the best at 50 °C for 20 min in the aqueous buffer solution of pH 5.0. The docking results demonstrated PRO4, TYR7, ASP8, PRO12, LEU121 and VAL14 in site 9 of laccase interacted with hydroxytyrosol in hydrogen bonding, pi-sigma, pi-alkyl and van der Waals’ force. Moreover, the molecular dynamic results implied their interaction-energy variation reaching balance within 175 ps, which confirmed the enzymes’ structural changes. Meanwhile, structural analysis in torsion and bond lengths showed that the C-O of phenolic bonds from hydroxytyrosol evidently rotated and its length of the relevant O-H became longer when binding to laccase compared with free hydroxytyrosol. All the findings are helpful to strengthen the understanding for the enzymatic polymerization of catechol-based structures and the resulting o-dihydroxy-grafting oligomers could be potentially used in the field of functional foods, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, even or an innovative bioenzyme design such as biosensor for measuring phenols in industrial effluent or preparing the singular oligomer oriented is worth being explored in future. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.Alkaline phosphatases are homodimeric protein enzymes which removes phosphates from several types of molecules. These catalyze the hydrolysis of monoesters in phosphoric acid which in turn catalyze a transphosphorylation reaction. Thiazoles are a privileged class of heterocyclic compounds which may potentially serve as effective phosphatase inhibitors. In this regard, the present research paper reports the facile synthesis and characterization of substituted 1-benzylidene-2-(4-tert-butylthiazol-2-yl) hydrazines with excellent yields. The synthesized compounds were tested for inhibitory potential against alkaline phosphatases. The compound 1-(4-Hydroxy, 3-methoxybenzylidene)-2-(4-tert-butylthiazol-2-yl) hydrazine (5e) was found to be the most potent inhibitor of human tissue non-alkaline phosphatase in this group of molecules with an IC50 value of 1.09 ± 0.18 µM. The compound 1-(3,4-dimethoxybenzylidene)-2-(4-tert-butylthiazol-2-yl) hydrazine (5d) exhibited selectivity and potency for human intestinal alkalineound towards the enzymes. Highlights The synthesis of 1-(benzylidene) thiosemicarbazides 3(a-i) was performed by reacting thiosemicarbazide with substituted aromatic aldehydes 1(a-i). The synthesized 1-(benzylidene) thiosemicarbazides was cyclized with 1-chloropinacolone to obtain the respective 1-benzylidene-2-(4-tert-butylthiazol-2-yl) hydrazines 5(a-i). The synthesized 1-benzylidene-2-(4-tert-butylthiazol-2-yl) hydrazines 5(a-i) were successfully characterized using elemental analysis, FT-IR and multi nuclear NMR. Alkaline phosphatase assay and computational study was performed in favor of the synthesized 1-benzylidene-2-(4-tert-butylthiazol-2-yl) hydrazines 5(a-i).Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (OBI) has been observed among infants born to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive mothers despite successful immunoprophylaxis. This study enrolled 549 infants [349 infants received a 10μg/dose of hepatitis B vaccine (HepB), and 200 infants received 20μg/dose HepB] born to HBsAg-positive mothers with HBV DNA load >6log10IU/mL. The anti-HBs levels in the 10μg group were significantly lower than that in the 20μg group both at 7 [652.48 (564.05-754.82) vs. 1541.72 (1268.69-1873.51) mIU/mL, P less then 0.001] and 12 months old [257.44 (220.29-300.88) vs. 1073.41 (839.27-1372.78) mIU/mL, P less then 0.001]. The OBI incidence in the 10μg group was significantly higher than that in the 20μg group at both 7 [21.55% (25/116) vs. 7.56% (9/119), P=0.002] and 12 months old [17.07% (14/82) vs. 6.90% (6/87), P=0.041]. OBI incidence in infants with anti-HBs levels less then 100mIU/mL was higher than that of those with anti-HBs ≥100mIU/mL [35.71% (5/14) vs. 13.12% (29/221), P=0.


