Influenza vaccination responses: Evaluating impact of repeat vaccination among health care workers

Publication date: 2 May 2017
Source:Vaccine, Volume 35, Issue 19
Author(s): Vivian K.Y. Leung, Louise A. Carolan, Leon J. Worth, Susan A. Harper, Heidi Peck, Danielle Tilmanis, Karen L. Laurie, Monica A. Slavin, Sheena G. Sullivan
ObjectiveTo compare the antibody response to influenza between health care workers (HCWs) who have received multiple vaccinations (high vaccination group) and those who have received fewer vaccinations (low vaccination group).DesignProspective serosurvey.SettingTertiary referral hospital.ParticipantsHealthcare workers.MethodsHealthcare workers were vaccinated with the 2015 southern hemisphere trivalent influenza vaccine. Influenza antibody titres were measured pre-vaccination, 21–28days post-vaccination and 6months post-vaccination. Antibody titres were measured using the haemagglutination inhibition assay. Levels of seropositivity and estimated geometric mean titres were calculated.ResultsOf the 202 HCWs enrolled, 182 completed the study (143 high vaccination and 39 low vaccination). Both vaccination groups demonstrated increases in post-vaccination geometric mean titres, with greater gains in the low vaccination group. Seropositivity remained high in both high and low vaccination groups post-vaccination. The highest fold rise was observed among HCWs in the low vaccination group against the H3N2 component of the vaccine.ConclusionsBoth high and low vaccination groups in our study demonstrated protective antibody titres post-vaccination. The findings from the current study are suggestive of decreased serological response among highly vaccinated HCWs. More studies with larger sample sizes and a greater number of people in the vaccine-naïve and once-vaccinated groups are required to confirm or refute these findings before making any policy changes.



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Vaccination and blood sampling acceptability during Ramadan fasting month: A cross-sectional study in Conakry, Guinea

Publication date: 2 May 2017
Source:Vaccine, Volume 35, Issue 19
Author(s): Nathan Peiffer-Smadja, Ramatou Ouedraogo, Eric D'Ortenzio, Papa Ndiaga Cissé, Zahra Zeggani, Abdoul Habib Beavogui, Sylvain Landry Faye, Frédéric Le Marcis, Yazdan Yazdanpanah, Vinh-Kim Nguyen
IntroductionThere are few data on the acceptability of vaccination or blood sampling during Ramadan fasting month in Muslim countries. This could impact vaccination campaigns, clinical trials or healthcare during Ramadan.MethodsUsing a semi-structured questionnaire, we conducted a cross-sectional study on 201 practising Muslims and 10 religious leaders in Conakry, Guinea in the wake of the recent epidemic Ebola epidemic. Acceptability of vaccination and blood sampling during Ramadan were investigated as well as reasons for refusal.ResultsVaccination was judged acceptable during Ramadan by 46% (93/201, 95% CI 0.40–0.53) of practising Muslims versus 80% (8/10, 95% CI 0.49–0.94) of religious leaders (p=0.11). Blood sampling was judged acceptable during Ramadan by 54% (108/201, 95% CI 0.47–0.60) of practising Muslims versus 80% (8/10, 95% CI 0.49–0.94) of religious leaders (p=0.19). The percentage of participants that judged both blood sampling and vaccination acceptable during Ramadan was 40% (81/201, 95% CI 0.34–0.47) for practising Muslims versus 80% (8/10, 95% CI 0.49–0.94) for religious leaders (p=0.048). The most common reasons for refusal of vaccination or blood sampling were that nothing should enter or leave the body during Ramadan (43%), that adverse events could lead to breaking the fast (32%), that blood should not be seen during Ramadan (9%) and that the Quran explicitly forbids it (9%).DiscussionAlthough most Muslims leaders and scientists consider that injections including immunization and blood sampling should be authorized during Ramadan, many Muslims in our study judged vaccination or blood sampling unacceptable when fasting. Widely available recommendations on healthcare during Ramadan would be useful to inform Muslims.



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Editorial Board/Aims and Scope

Publication date: 2 May 2017
Source:Vaccine, Volume 35, Issue 19





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Expansion and retention of pulmonary CD4+ T cells after prime boost vaccination correlates with improved longevity and strength of immunity against tularemia

Publication date: 2 May 2017
Source:Vaccine, Volume 35, Issue 19
Author(s): Lydia M. Roberts, Tara D. Wehrly, Deborah D. Crane, Catharine M. Bosio
Francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis strain SchuS4 (Ftt) is a highly virulent intracellular bacterium. Inhalation of 10 or fewer organisms results in an acute and potentially lethal disease called pneumonic tularemia. Ftt infections occur naturally in the U.S. and Ftt was developed as a bioweapon. Thus, there is a need for vaccines that protect against this deadly pathogen. Although a live vaccine strain of Francisella tularensis (LVS) exists, LVS fails to generate long-lived protective immunity against modest challenge doses of Ftt. We recently identified an important role for high avidity CD4⁺ T cells in short-term protection and hypothesized that expanding this pool of cells would improve overall vaccine efficacy with regard to longevity and challenge dose. In support of our hypothesis, application of a prime/boost vaccination strategy increased the pool of high avidity CD4⁺ T cells which correlated with improved survival following challenge with either increased doses of virulent Ftt or at late time points after vaccination. In summary, we demonstrate that both epitope selection and vaccination strategies that expand antigen-specific T cells correlate with superior immunity to Ftt as measured by survival.



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Single N277A substitution in C2 of simian immunodeficiency virus envelope influences vaccine-elicited CD4i neutralizing and anti-V2 antibody responses

Publication date: 2 May 2017
Source:Vaccine, Volume 35, Issue 19
Author(s): Xian Tang, Jia Guo, Lin Cheng, Caijun Sun, Li Liu, Teng Zuo, Hui Wang, Ling Chen, Linqi Zhang, Zhiwei Chen
An effective HIV vaccine remains elusive, and immunogens capable of eliciting protective host humoral immunity have not yet been identified. Although HIV/SIV infections result in the abundant production of CD4-induced (CD4i) antibodies (Abs), these Abs are not protective due to steric restrictions following gp120 binding to CD4 on target cells. Here we report that both DNA- and vaccinia-based vaccines encoding SIVmac239 gp160 readily elicited high levels of CD4i Abs in experimental animals. We identified a highly conserved N-linked glycosylation site N277 in the C2 region which strongly affected the immunogenicity of the CD4i Ab domain. Moreover, a single N277A substitution significantly enhanced the immunogenicity of the V2 domain yielding higher titers and frequency of anti-V2 Ab responses as determined by ELISA and yeast antigen display mapping, respectively. Importantly, immune sera elicited by the N277A-mutated gp160 exhibited elevated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity. ADCC activity correlated positively with the anti-V2 Ab titer yet, inversely with CD4i Ab titer. Thus, we identified a determinant of the CD4i domain that might affect vaccine-elicited anti-V2 Ab and ADCC responses to SIVmac239. Our findings may have implications for design of immunogens to direct B cell recognition in the development of an Ab-based HIV vaccine.



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Plant-made virus-like particle vaccines bearing the hemagglutinin of either seasonal (H1) or avian (H5) influenza have distinct patterns of interaction with human immune cells in vitro

Publication date: 2 May 2017
Source:Vaccine, Volume 35, Issue 19
Author(s): Hilary E. Hendin, Stéphane Pillet, Amanda N. Lara, Cheng-Ying Wu, Nathalie Charland, Nathalie Landry, Brian J. Ward
IntroductionThe recent emergence of avian influenza strains has fuelled concern about pandemic preparedness since vaccines targeting these viruses are often poorly immunogenic. Weak antibody responses to vaccines have been seen across multiple platforms including plant-made VLPs. To better understand these differences, we compared the in vitro responses of human immune cells exposed to plant-made virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines targeting H1N1 (H1-VLP) and H5N1 (H5-VLP).MethodsPeripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy adults were stimulated ex vivo with 2-5µg/mL VLPs bearing the hemagglutinin (HA) of either H1N1 (A/California/7/2009) or H5N1 (A/Indonesia/5/05). VLP-immune cell interactions were characterized by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry 30min after stimulation with dialkylaminostyryl dye-labeled (DiD) VLP. Expression of CD69 and pro-inflammatory cytokines were used to assess innate immune activation 6h after stimulation.ResultsH1- and H5-VLPs rapidly associated with all subsets of human PBMC but exhibited unique binding preferences and frequencies. The H1-VLP bound to 88.7±1.6% of the CD19⁺ B cells compared to only 21.9±1.8% bound by the H5-VLP. At 6h in culture, CD69 expression on B cells was increased in response to H1-VLP but not H5-VLP (22.79±3.42% vs. 6.15±0.82% respectively: p<0.0001). Both VLPs were rapidly internalized by CD14⁺ monocytes resulting in the induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines (i.e.: IL-8, IL-1β, TNFα and IL-6). However, a higher concentration of the H5-VLP was required to induce a comparable response and the pattern of cytokine production differed between VLP vaccines.ConclusionsPlant-made VLP vaccines bearing H1 or H5 rapidly elicit immune activation and cytokine production in human PBMC. Differences in the VLP-immune cell interactions suggest that features of the HA proteins themselves, such as receptor specificity, influence innate immune responses. Although not generally considered for inactivated vaccines, the distribution and characteristics of influenza receptor(s) on the immune cells themselves may contribute to both the strength and pattern of the immune response generated.



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Assessment of sex-specific differences in adverse events following immunization reporting in Ontario, 2012–15

Publication date: 2 May 2017
Source:Vaccine, Volume 35, Issue 19
Author(s): Tara Harris, Jyotsna Nair, Jill Fediurek, Shelley L. Deeks
We assessed sex-specific trends within passive vaccine safety surveillance in Ontario, Canada. AEFIs reported following vaccines administered between 2012 and 2015 were included. There were 2466 AEFI reports; 66.2% were female. Annualized reporting rates were 5.9 and 3.1 per 100,000 population, for females and males respectively. The female:male reporting rate ratio (RRR) was 1.9. Sex-specific differences by age group were greatest in adults 18–64years (RRR 6.3); whereas there were no differences in children <10years. Vaccine-specific RRRs were highest for vaccines recommended for routine use in adults or high risk populations. All event categories were female-predominant. The highest event-specific RRRs were for oculorespiratory syndrome (5.1), anaesthesia/paraesthesia (4.6) and anaphylaxis (3.0). Serious AEFIs (n=113) were more evenly distributed (57.5% female, RRR 1.3) than non-serious (66.6% female, RRR 1.9). AEFI reporting among females was consistently elevated within the passive surveillance system in Ontario. Further study of the relationship between sex/gender and AEFI reporting is needed.



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Identification and characterization of enhancer agonist human cytotoxic T-cell epitopes of the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) E6/E7

Publication date: 2 May 2017
Source:Vaccine, Volume 35, Issue 19
Author(s): Kwong Y. Tsang, Massimo Fantini, Romaine I. Fernando, Claudia Palena, Justin M. David, James W. Hodge, Elizabeth S. Gabitzsch, Frank R. Jones, Jeffrey Schlom
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with the etiology of cervical carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and several other cancer types. Vaccines directed against HPV virus-like particles and coat proteins have been extremely successful in the prevention of cervical cancer through the activation of host HPV-specific antibody responses; however, HPV-associated cancers remain a major public health problem. The development of a therapeutic vaccine will require the generation of T-cell responses directed against early HPV proteins (E6/E7) expressed in HPV-infected tumor cells. Clinical studies using various vaccine platforms have demonstrated that both HPV-specific human T cells can be generated and patient benefit can be achieved. However, no HPV therapeutic vaccine has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to date. One method of enhancing the potential efficacy of a therapeutic vaccine is the generation of agonist epitopes. We report the first description of enhancer cytotoxic T lymphocyte agonist epitopes for HPV E6 and E7. While the in silico algorithm revealed six epitopes with potentially improved binding to human leukocyte antigen–A2 allele (HLA-A2)–Class I, 5/6 demonstrated enhanced binding to HLA-Class I in cell-based assays and only 3/6 had a greater ability to activate HPV-specific T cells which could lyse tumor cells expressing native HPV, compared to their native epitope counterparts. These agonist epitopes have potential for use in a range of HPV therapeutic vaccine platforms and for use in HPV-specific adoptive T- or natural killer–cell platforms.



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Corrigendum to “Preclinical studies on new proteins as carrier for glycoconjugate vaccines” [Vaccine 34 (2016) 4235–4242]

Publication date: 2 May 2017
Source:Vaccine, Volume 35, Issue 19
Author(s): M. Tontini, M.R. Romano, D. Proietti, E. Balducci, F. Micoli, C. Balocchi, L. Santini, V. Masignani, F. Berti, P. Costantino




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Profiling of selenium absorption and accumulation in healthy subjects after prolonged l -selenomethionine supplementation

Abstract

Purpose

Autoimmune thyroiditis and its complications for the reproductive system are a growing problem. Selenium is a common ingredient in numerous food supplements recommended for thyroiditis and pregnancy. A fast, simple method to measure serum selenium concentration will improve knowledge of its pharmacokinetics and toxicity.

Aim

To validate a useful method to measure serum selenium concentration and to study selenium absorption and accumulation in a prospective interventional study of prolonged treatment.

Methods

Thirty healthy volunteers received a single dose of l-selenomethionine one tablet (83 mcg) (Phase 1), a single dose of two tablets (Phase 2), and two tablets daily for 14 days (Phase 3). Total selenium and selenium time profiles were generated by serial sampling (T0, T3, T6, T12, and T24 hours after ingestion—Phases 1 and 2; and T0 and T24 hours—Phase 3). Selenium concentration was investigated by open-vessel acid digestion of small serum volumes followed by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectroscopy analysis.

Results

There was a significant increase in serum selenium concentration (mcg/L) in all treatment phases. Significantly increased levels were reached at T3 in Phase 1 (baseline: 76.5 ± 2.47; T3: 82.8 ± 3.28) and at T6 in Phase 2 (83.8 ± 3.46). They remained significantly increased at T12 in Phase 1 and T24 in Phase 2 (79.03 ± 2.69). There was significant selenium accumulation after prolonged intake (14 days) (102.13 ± 5.61).

Conclusions

Prolonged selenomethionine administration increases circulating blood selenium concentration and hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectroscopy enables its accurate quantification.

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Neural Noise Hypothesis of Developmental Dyslexia

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Author(s): Roeland Hancock, Kenneth R. Pugh, Fumiko Hoeft
Developmental dyslexia (decoding-based reading disorder; RD) is a complex trait with multifactorial origins at the genetic, neural, and cognitive levels. There is evidence that low-level sensory-processing deficits precede and underlie phonological problems, which are one of the best-documented aspects of RD. RD is also associated with impairments in integrating visual symbols with their corresponding speech sounds. Although causal relationships between sensory processing, print–speech integration, and fluent reading, and their neural bases are debated, these processes all require precise timing mechanisms across distributed brain networks. Neural excitability and neural noise are fundamental to these timing mechanisms. Here, we propose that neural noise stemming from increased neural excitability in cortical networks implicated in reading is one key distal contributor to RD.



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Cognitive Behavior Therapy to Treat Sleep Disturbance and Fatigue Following Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Author(s): Sylvia Nguyen, Adam McKay, Dana Wong, S.M. Rajaratnam, Gershon Spitz, Gavin Williams, Darren Mansfield, Jennie L. Ponsford
ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of adapted cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for sleep disturbance and fatigue in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI).DesignParallel two-group randomized controlled trial.SettingOutpatient therapy in the Melbourne metropolitan area.ParticipantsTwenty-four adults with history of TBI and clinically significant sleep and/or fatigue complaints were randomly allocated to an eight-session adapted CBT intervention or a treatment as usual (TAU) condition.Main Outcome MeasuresThe primary outcome was the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) post-treatment and at two month follow-up. Secondary measures included Insomnia Severity Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, Brief Fatigue Inventory, Epworth Sleepiness Scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.ResultsAt follow-up, CBT recipients reported better sleep quality than those receiving TAU (PSQI mean difference 4.85, 95%CI: 2.56-7.14). Daily fatigue levels were significantly reduced in the CBT group (BFI difference 1.54, 95%CI: 0.66-2.42). Secondary improvements were significant for depression. Large within-group effect sizes were evident across measures (Hedges g=1.14-1.93) with maintenance of gains two months after therapy cessation.ConclusionsAdapted CBT produced greater and sustained improvements in sleep, daily fatigue levels and depression compared to TAU. These pilot findings suggest that CBT is a promising treatment for sleep disturbance and fatigue after TBI.



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Comparative effectiveness of non-operative treatments for chronic calcific tendinitis of the shoulder: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Author(s): Yi-Cheng Wu, Wen-Chung Tsai, Yu-Kung Tu, Tung-Yang Yu
ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of various non-operative treatments for chronic calcific tendinitis of the shoulder. A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized trials was performed to evaluate changes in pain reduction, functional improvements in patients with calcific tendinitis, and the ratio of complete resolution of calcific deposition.Data SourcesStudies were comprehensively searched, without language restrictions on PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, the Cochrane and other databases. The reference lists of articles and reviews were cross-checked for possible studies.Study SelectionRandomized controlled trials from before August 2016 were included. Study selection was conducted by two reviewers independently.Data ExtractionThe quality of studies was assessed and data extracted by two independent reviewers. Disagreements were settled by consulting a third reviewer to reach a consensus.Data SynthesisFourteen studies with 1105 participants were included in the network meta-analysis that used a random-effect model to investigate the mean difference of pooled effect sizes of the visual analog scale, Constant-Murley score, and the ratio of complete resolution of calcific deposition on native radiographs.ConclusionsThe present network meta-analysis demonstrates that ultrasound-guided needling (UGN), radial extracorporeal shockwave (RSW), and high-energy focused extracorporeal shockwave therapy (H-FSW) alleviate pain and achieve complete resolution of calcium deposition. Compared with low-energy focused extracorporeal shockwave (L-FSW), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and ultrasound therapy, H-FSW is the best therapy for providing functional recovery. Physicians should consider UGN, RSW, and H-FSW as alternative effective therapies for chronic calcific tendinitis of the shoulder when initial conservative treatment fails.



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Reducing barriers to Patient Reported Outcome Measures for people with cognitive impairments

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Author(s): Jessica M. Kramer, Ariel Schwartz
The field of rehabilitation has increasingly called for the use of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) in research and practice. Given that many rehabilitation clients present with conditions associated with cognitive impairments, it is imperative to reduce barriers to PROM use for this population. The purpose of this paper is develop a comprehensive understanding of cognitive accessibility that can prospectively inform the design of PROMs. We put forth the following definition of cognitive accessibility for PROMs: Cognitive accessibility is present when assessment design anticipates respondent variability in cognitive abilities and, to the greatest extent possible, reduces cognitive demands and/or supports cognitive processes to enable respondents with a range of cognitive abilities to interpret and respond to assessment items as intended. Our operationalization of cognitive accessibility in measurement in the field of rehabilitation is informed by two assumptions: 1) cognitive accessibility results from an interaction between the individual's capacities and the demands of the assessment and assessment context, and 2) individuals with cognitive impairments have the right to be involved in decisions about their lives, including healthcare decisions. This paper proposes three design features that can be optimized for cognitive accessibility: content, layout, and administration procedures. We end with a discussion of next steps that the field of rehabilitation measurement can undertake to advance our understanding of cognitive accessibility.



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Evaluating which dose-function metrics are most critical for functional-guided radiotherapy with CT ventilation imaging

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics
Author(s): Austin M. Faught, Tokihiro Yamamoto, Richard Castillo, Edward Castillo, Jingjing Zhang, Moyed Miften, Yevgeniy Vinogradskiy
Purpose4DCT-ventilation imaging is increasingly being used to calculate lung ventilation and implement functional-guided radiotherapy in clinical trials. There has been little exhaustive work evaluating which dose-function metrics should be used for treatment planning and plan evaluation. The purpose of our study was to evaluate which dose-function metrics best predict for radiation pneumonitis (RP).Methods and MaterialsSeventy lung cancer patients with 4DCT imaging and pneumonitis grading were used. Pre-treatment 4DCTs of each patient were used to calculate ventilation images. We evaluated 3 types of dose function metrics that combined that patient's 4DCT-ventilation image and treatment planning dose distribution: 1) structure-based approaches 2) image-based approaches using the dose-function histogram (DFH) and 3) non-linear weighting schemes. Log-likelihood methods were used to generate normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) models predicting grade 3+ pneumonitis for all dose-function schemes. The area under the curve (AUC) was used to assess the predictive power of the models. All techniques were compared to NTCP models based on traditional, total lung dose metrics.ResultsThe most predictive models were structure-based approaches that focused on the volume of functional lung receiving ≥20Gy (AUC=0.70). Probability of grade 3+ RP of 20% and 10% correspond to V20Gy to the functional sub-volumes of 26.8% and 9.3%, respectively. Imaging-based analysis with the DFH and non-linear weighted ventilation values yielded AUCs of 0.66 and 0.67, respectively, when evaluating the percentage of functionality receiving ≥20Gy. All dose-function metrics outperformed the traditional dose metrics (mean lung dose, AUC=0.55).ConclusionA full range of dose-function metrics and functional thresholds were examined. The calculated AUC values for the most predictive functional models occupied a narrow range (0.66-0.70) and all demonstrated notable improvements over AUC from traditional lung dose metrics (0.55). Identifying the combinations most predictive of grade 3+ RP provides valuable data to inform the functional-guided radiotherapy process.

Teaser

We performed a retrospective analysis of 70 lung cancer patients with 4DCT images to assess which dose-function metrics are most predictive of clinical radiation pneumonitis and should be used in functional-guided radiotherapy. Normal tissue complication probability models were developed based on standard lung dose metrics and four additional functional schemes that considered lung function as determined from 4DCT ventilation imaging. Results provide valuable data in the guidance of prospective clinical trials in functional-guided radiotherapy.


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The interconnection of mental fatigue and aging: An EEG study

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology
Author(s): Stefan Arnau, Tina Möckel, Gerhard Rinkenauer, Edmund Wascher
Mental fatigue, a state of reduced alertness and decreased overall performance due to prolonged cognitive activity, is a major cause for a large number of accidents in traffic and industry. Against the background of an aging workforce, the investigation of the interconnection of mental fatigue and aging is of great practical relevance. In the present study, a group of younger and a group of older adults performed a cognitive task for 3h. The experimental design also comprised breaks with various durations. Beside behavioral data, the spectral properties of the ongoing EEG with respect to time on task and breaks were analyzed. No differences between the age groups were found in behavior, but electrophysiological measures provide some evidence that older adults in our study were differentially affected by time on task. In the later course of the experiment modulations in frontal theta power became larger for older, compared to younger adults. This may indicate strain due to task demands, eventually resulting from the deployment of compensatory processes. Occipital alpha, which has been linked to internally oriented brain states, saturates faster in younger adults. It thus maybe, that especially the younger participants' performance deteriorated due to the monotonous nature of the task itself. Both mechanisms, an increased consumption of cognitive resources in older adults and a decrease of motivation in younger adults, could mask differences in performance decrements between the age groups due to mental fatigue.



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Psychophysiological correlates of the misinformation effect

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology
Author(s): Katja Volz, Rainer Leonhart, Rudolf Stark, Dieter Vaitl, Wolfgang Ambach
The misinformation effect refers to memory impairment that arises after exposure to misleading information (Loftus, 2005, p. 361). The present study focuses on the peripheral psychophysiology of false memories induced in a misleading information paradigm. On the basis of Sokolov's orienting reflex and studies concerning the Concealed Information Test (CIT, Lykken, 1959), the main hypothesis assumes differences between true and false memories in terms of the accompanying autonomic measures. It also is assumed that a cued recall of original information preceding the recollection phase reduces misinformation effects. Seventy-five participants watched a video that included nine randomized details. After a ten-minute retention phase, the subjects read a narrative text. Six out of the nine details were replaced by misleading details. Following this, the participants completed a cued recall task for three of the original items. In a subsequent CIT with truthful answering electrodermal responses, phasic heart rate, respiration, and response behavior were measured. Finally, the level of confidence and source monitoring were assessed. The misinformation effect was replicated with newly developed materials in three recollection tasks. Cued recall had no influence on the misinformation effect. Autonomic measures did not differ between true and false memories in the CIT. Electrodermal responses reflected the subjective importance the participants attributed to details in the source monitoring task. Therefore, electrodermal responses are interpreted as a correlate of subjective remembering in a misinformation paradigm.



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Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reactions on Nanostructured Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) Electrocatalyst

Publication date: 1 August 2017
Source:Applied Surface Science, Volume 412
Author(s): Renuka V. Digraskar, Balaji B. Mulik, Pravin S. Walke, Anil V. Ghule, Bhaskar R. Sathe
A novel and facile one-step sonochemical method is used to synthesize Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nanoparticles (2.6±0.4nm) as cathode electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reactions. The detailed morphology, crystal and surface structure, and composition of the CZTS nanostructures were characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR analysis, Brunauer−Emmett−Teller (BET) surface area measurements, Electron dispersive analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy respectively. Electrocatalytic abilities of the nanoparticles toward Hydrogen Evolution Reactions (HER) were verified through cyclic voltammograms (CV) and Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and Tafel polarization measurements. It reveals enhanced activity at lower onset potential 300mV v/s RHE, achieved at exceptionally high current density −130mA/cm², which is higher than the existing non-nobel metal based cathodes. Further result exhibits Tafel slope of 85mV/dec, exchange current density of 882mA/cm², excellent stability (>500 cycles) and lower charge transfer resistance. This sonochemically fabricated CZTSs nanoparticles are leading to significantly reduce cell cost and simplification of preparation process over existing high efficiency Pt and other nobel metal-free cathode electrocatalyst.

Graphical abstract

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Advancements in the development of TiO2 photoanodes and its fabrication methods for dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) applications. A review

Publication date: September 2017
Source:Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 77
Author(s): Muhammad Shakeel Ahmad, A.K. Pandey, Nasrudin Abd Rahim
Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are widely studied for the safe and reliable energy supply. Due to its low fabrication cost, eco-friendly production and competitive efficiency, this is the promising technology. The components of DSSC which combine to form a photo conversion device are the conducting substrate, dye, photoanode, catalyst and electrolyte. Each component has its own importance but among them photoanode is probability the main component which determines the energy conversion efficiency. Various photoanode materials have been trialled to date. Among them Zn and TiO2 are widely recognized, researched and investigated. In this review attempt will be made to examine the strategies to improve the efficiency of TiO2 photoanode. This review is dedicated to the TiO2 photoanode, its properties, issues related to TiO2 photoanode, various improvement approaches, fabrication methods successfully trialled so far followed by market potential of the DSSC technology, conclusion and recommendations.



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Ab initio thermodynamic study on two-dimensional atomic nucleation on ZnO polar surfaces

Publication date: 1 August 2017
Source:Applied Surface Science, Volume 412
Author(s): Rui Zhu, Qing Zhao, Jun Xu, Banggui Liu, Yamin Leprince-Wang, Dapeng Yu
Structures of the two-dimensional atomic nuclei on ZnO (0001)-Zn and (0001¯)-O polar surfaces were studied by first principles density functional theory. The polarity-dependent nucleation dynamics was investigated by simulating two-dimensional (2D) nuclei consisting of 1-8 ZnO monomers on both polar surfaces. According to total energy calculations, average binding energy per ZnO monomer of the surface nuclei was analyzed to investigate if the nucleation and growth will proceed reasonably in physics. We found nucleation on (0001)-Zn surface was easier than that on (0001¯)-O surface. By using atomistic thermodynamics analysis, we calculated the Gibbs free energy of formation of these nuclei and made a comparison between the two polar surfaces. On (0001)-Zn surface, the critical Gibbs free energy of formation is much lower than that on (0001¯)-O surface under the same supersaturation, which leads to a much larger ZnO growth rate and rougher morphology, in accordance with experimental results. In addition, energetic analysis of nucleation at real thermodynamic conditions was achieved by introducing the temperature- and pressure-dependent chemical potentials of ZnO precursors.



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Reduction removal of hexavalent chromium by zinc-substituted magnetite coupled with aqueous Fe(II) at neutral pH value

Publication date: 15 August 2017
Source:Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 500
Author(s): Jinhua Zhang, Caihua Zhang, Gaoling Wei, Ying Li, Xiaoliang Liang, Wei Chu, Hongping He, Deyin Huang, Jianxi Zhu, Runliang Zhu
In this study, Cr(VI) removal by Zn-substituted magnetite coupled with aqueous Fe(II) through adsorption and reduction was investigated. A series of Zn-substituted magnetites (Fe3−xZnxO4, x=0, 0.25, 0.49, 0.74 and 0.99) were synthesized by a coprecipitation method, followed by systematic characterization, e.g., X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG), specific surface area and surface acid/base titration. The characterization results show that all samples had a spinel structure without an obvious alternation by Zn substitution. The BET surface area and surface site density gradually increased with Zn substitution. During Cr removal under neutral pH value, Cr(VI) was first adsorbed on the magnetite surface and then reduced to Cr(III) by Fe3−xZnxO4 and adsorbed Fe(II); finally, it was immobilized on the Fe3−xZnxO4 surface, which was verified via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) analyses and desorption experiment. With the increase in the Zn content in magnetite, the Cr removal efficiency initially decreased; then, it improved, which was ascribed to the decreasing Cr(VI) reduction and increasing Cr(VI) adsorption. This variation in activity by Zn substitution was discussed in terms of the reaction mechanism as well as the cationic microstructure and surface properties of Fe3−xZnxO4.

Graphical abstract

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Longitudinal Multiple Sclerosis Lesion Segmentation Data Resource

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Data in Brief
Author(s): Aaron Carass, Snehashis Roy, Amod Jog, Jennifer L. Cuzzocreo, Elizabeth Magrath, Adrian Gherman, Julia Button, James Nguyen, Pierre-Louis Bazin, Peter A. Calabresi, Ciprian M. Crainiceanu, Lotta M. Ellingsen, Daniel S. Reich, Jerry L. Prince, Dzung L. Pham
The data presented in this article is related to the research article entitled "Lon- gitudinal multiple sclerosis lesion segmentation: Resource and challenge" [1]. In conjunction with the 2015 International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging, we organized a longitudinal multiple sclerosis (MS) lesion segmentation challenge pro- viding training and test data to registered participants. The training data consists of five subjects with a mean of 4.4 (± 0.55) time-points, and test data of fourteen subjects with a mean of 4.4 (± 0.67) time-points. All 82 data sets had the white matter lesions associated with multiple sclerosis delineated by two human expert raters. The training data including multi-modal scans and manually delineated lesion masks is available for download¹1 The data and evaluation website is: http://ift.tt/2k6vIu7. In addition, the testing data is also being made available in conjunction with a website for evaluating the automated analysis of the testing data.



http://ift.tt/2pht4nL

Use of Google street view for urban land use classification in Brooklyn, New York City

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Data in Brief
Author(s): Weixing Zhang, Weidong Li, Chuanrong Zhang, Dean M. Hanink, Xiaojiang Li, Wenjie Wang
Google Street View (GSV) was used for urban land use classification, together with airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data and high resolution orthoimagery, by a parcel-based method. In this data article, we present the input raw GSV images, intermediate products of GSV images, and final urban land use classification data that are related to our research article "Parcel-based urban land use classification in megacity using airborne LiDAR, high resolution orthoimagery, and Google Street View" (Zhang et al., 2017) [1]. More detail about other used data and our findings can be found in Zhang et al. (2017) [1].



http://ift.tt/2phtvhL

Data supporting possible implication of APOBEC2 in self-renewal functions of myogenic stem satellite cells: Toward understanding the negative regulation of myoblast differentiation

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Data in Brief
Author(s): Hideaki Ohtsubo, Yusuke Sato, Takahiro Suzuki, Wataru Mizunoya, Mako Nakamura, Ryuichi Tatsumi, Yoshihide Ikeuchi
This article provides in vitro phenotypical data to show that APOBEC2, a member of apoB mRNA editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like family, may implicate in self-renewal functions of myogenic stem satellite cells, namely in the re-establishment of quiescent status after activation and proliferation of myoblasts in single-myofiber culture.



http://ift.tt/2omvfJj

Data for discriminating dead/live bacteria in homogenous cell suspensions and the effect of insoluble substrates on turbidimetric measurements

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Data in Brief
Author(s): Kwabena O. Duedu, Christopher E. French
Estimation of bacterial growth by rapid traditional methods such as spectrophometric measurements at 600nm (OD600) is not applicable for cultures containing insoluble particles in the growth media. Colony counts are the only suitable alternative but these are laborious and not high-throughput. The data presented in this article is related to the research article entitled "Two-colour fluorescence fluorimetric analysis for direct quantification of bacteria and its application in monitoring bacterial growth in cellulose degradation systems" (K.O. Duedu and C.E. French, 2017) [1]. This data article presents original primary data describing the discrimination of dead/live bacteria in homogenous cell suspensions and how the presence of insoluble substrates affect the turbidity of the suspensions.



http://ift.tt/2phDV0K

Dataset of Effect of Wogonin, a natural flavonoid, on the viability and activation of NF-κB and MAPKs in IL-1β-stimulated human OA chondrocytes

Publication date: Available online 9 April 2017
Source:Data in Brief
Author(s): Nazir M. Khan, Abdul Haseeb, Mohammad Y. Ansari, Pratap Devarapalli, Sara Hyanie, Tariq M. Haqqi
This article contains data related to the article "Wogonin, a plant derived small molecule exerts potent anti-inflammatory and chondroprotective effects through activation of ROS/ERK/Nrf2 signaling pathways in human OA chondrocytes" (Khan NM et al. 2017) [1]. The data are related to effects of Wogonin on the viability and IL-1β-stimulated activation of NF-κB and ERK1/2, JNK1/2 and p38 MAPKs in human OA chondrocytes. Gene expression data representing the chondrogenic phenotype and the efficiency of Nrf2 knockdown in monolayer culture of human OA chondrocytes were shown. Moreover, mass spectrometric calibration curve of Wogonin used to quantify the intracellular uptake were also presented. The data are presented in the form of figures and significance of these has been given in the research article [1].



http://ift.tt/2of8mqT

Data on soil PH of Barddhaman district, India

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Data in Brief
Author(s): Sumanta Bid
P^H (Puissance de Hydrogen) is an essential ingredient of soil that effects on fertility and productivity of dirt. Barddhaman district is a part of Lower Gangetic Plain fully covered by alluvial soil and popularly known as 'rice bowl of West Bengal' owing to its lofty production. This data article provides a block level data on soil P^H that is essential for further investigation of the relationship among soil ph, plant growth, plant health and productivity. This data is valuable in the field of soil geography and soil science. Soil P^H data is more relevant in the ground of plant biology, agricultural geography and agricultural science. It helps to explain the acidic and alkaline nature of alluvial soil. The data consist of 195 samples (n = 195) taken from the entire district. Samples have been collected from March, 2014 to March, 2015 and experimented in the laboratory. Theoretically P^H value is limited within 0 to 14. Experiment result exemplifies the highest value 8.5 found in Khandaghosh block whereas lowest value is 4.5 and the samples which result in lowest value are gathered from 4 different blocks like Manteswar, Burdwan - II, Barabani and Salanpur.



http://ift.tt/2phfgtB

Data for TROTS – The Radiotherapy Optimisation Test Set

Publication date: June 2017
Source:Data in Brief, Volume 12
Author(s): Sebastiaan Breedveld, Ben Heijmen
The Radiotherapy Optimisation Test Set (TROTS) is an extensive set of problems originating from radiotherapy (radiation therapy) treatment planning. This dataset is created for 2 purposes: (1) to supply a large-scale dense dataset to measure performance and quality of mathematical solvers, and (2) to supply a dataset to investigate the multi-criteria optimisation and decision-making nature of the radiotherapy problem. The dataset contains 120 problems (patients), divided over 6 different treatment protocols/tumour types. Each problem contains numerical data, a configuration for the optimisation problem, and data required to visualise and interpret the results. The data is stored as HDF5 compatible Matlab files, and includes scripts to work with the dataset.



http://ift.tt/2oeSSD8

Data on multiple body parameters, microclimatic variables, and subjective assessment of thermal sensation monitored in outdoor environment

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Data in Brief
Author(s): Katerina Pantavou, Anastasios Mavrakis, Georgios K. Nikolopoulos
This article describes two sets of data on multiple body parameters of five participants, on microclimatic variables, and on self-reported assessment of thermal responses, all monitored in the same outdoor urban environment. Data were collected during three seasons, summer, autumn and winter 2010–2011, in the city of Athens, Greece. Part of these data, collected during the summer period, is related to the research article entitled "Case study of skin temperature and thermal perception in a hot outdoor environment." [1].



http://ift.tt/2phedd2

Data on Overlapping Brain Disorders and Emerging Drug Targets in Human Dopamine Receptors Interactions Network

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Data in Brief
Author(s): Avijit Podder, N. Latha
Intercommunication of Dopamine Receptors (DRs) with their associate protein partners is crucial to maintain regular brain function in human. Majority of the brain disorders arise due to malfunctioning of such communication process. Hence, contributions of genetic factors, as well as phenotypic indications for various neurological and psychiatric disorders are often attributed as sharing in nature. In our earlier research article entitled "Human Dopamine Receptors Interaction Network (DRIN): a systems biology perspective on topology, stability and functionality of the network" (Podder et al., 2014), we had depicted a holistic interaction map of human Dopamine Receptors. Given emphasis on the topological parameters, we had characterized the functionality along with the vulnerable properties of the network. In support of this, we hereby provide an additional data highlighting the genetic overlapping of various brain disorders in the network. The data indicates the sharing nature of disease genes for various neurological and psychiatric disorders in dopamine receptors connecting protein-protein interactions network. The data also indicates toward an alternative approach to prioritize proteins for overlapping brain disorders as valuable drug targets in the network.



http://ift.tt/2of9KcX

Data for transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of leaves from Clematis terniflora DC. under binary stress

Publication date: June 2017
Source:Data in Brief, Volume 12
Author(s): Bingxian Yang, Qijie Guan, Jingkui Tian, Setsuko Komatsu
High level of UV-B irradiation followed by dark treatment accumulates secondary metabolites in Clematis terniflora DC. To investigate the response mechanism under high level of UV-B irradiation followed by dark treatment, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were performed in leaves of Clematis terniflora DC. The experimental design for the transcriptomic and proteomic analyses in leaves of C. terniflora under stresses was organized into a picture. For transcriptomics, mRNA-sequencing technology was used. Genes identified in leaves of C. terniflora at starting point, high level of UV-B irradiation, and high level of UV-B irradiation followed by dark treatment were listed; genes with different expression levels at starting point, high level of UV-B irradiation, and high level of UV-B irradiation followed by dark treatment were also presented in this DiB article. For proteomics, a gel-free/label-free proteomic technique was used. Proteins with different abundances in leaves at starting point, high level of UV-B irradiation, and high level of UV-B irradiation followed by dark treatment were presented in this DiB article. In order to monitor the expression levels of genes under the stress, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was performed. The primer sequences of genes selected for quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was presented in this DiB article.



http://ift.tt/2phkiGi

Common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) as a primate model for behavioral neuroscience studies

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Journal of Neuroscience Methods
Author(s): Noeline W. Prins, Eric Pohlmeyer, Shubham Debnath, Ramanamurthy Mylavarapu, Shijia Geng, Justin C. Sanchez, Daniel Rothen, Abhishek Prasad
BackgroundThe common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) has been proposed as a suitable bridge between rodents and larger primates. They have been used in several types of research including auditory, vocal, visual, pharmacological and genetics studies. However, marmosets have not been used as much for behavioral studies.New methodHere we present data from training 12 adult marmosets for behavioral neuroscience studies. We discuss the husbandry, food preferences, handling, acclimation to laboratory environments and neurosurgical techniques. In this paper, we also present a custom built "scoop" and a monkey chair suitable for training of these animals.ResultsThe animals were trained for three tasks: 4 target center-out reaching task, reaching tasks that involved following robot actions, and touch screen task. All animals learned the center-out reaching task within 1-2 weeks whereas learning reaching tasks following robot actions task took several months of behavioral training where the monkeys learned to associate robot actions with food rewards.Comparison to existing methodWe propose the marmoset as a novel model for behavioral neuroscience research as an alternate for larger primate models. This is due to the ease of handling, quick reproduction, available neuroanatomy, sensorimotor system similar to larger primates and humans, and a lissencephalic brain that can enable implantation of microelectrode arrays relatively easier at various cortical locations compared to larger primates.ConclusionAll animals were able to learn behavioral tasks well and we present the marmosets as an alternate model for simple behavioral neuroscience tasks.



http://ift.tt/2oViR0O

Consistent induction of chronic experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in C57BL/6 mice for the longitudinal study of pathology and repair.

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Journal of Neuroscience Methods
Author(s): Jonathan P.C. Hasselmann, Hawra Karim, Anna J. Khalaj, Subir Ghosh, Seema K. Tiwari-Woodruff
BackgroundWhile many groups use experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) as a model to uncover therapeutic targets and understand the pathology underlying multiple sclerosis (MS), EAE protocol variability introduces discrepancies in central nervous system (CNS) pathogenesis and clinical disease, limiting the comparability between studies and slowing much-needed translational research.Optimized methodHere we describe a detailed, reliable protocol for chronic EAE induction in C57BL/6 mice utilizing two injections of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (35-55) peptide mixed with Complete Freund's Adjuvant and paired with pertussis toxin.ResultsThe active MOG35-55 EAE protocol presented here induces ascending paralysis in 80-100% of induced mice. We observe: (1) consistent T cell immune activation, (2) robust CNS infiltration by peripheral immune cells, and (3) perivascular demyelinating lesions concurrent with axon damage in the spinal cord and various brain regions, including the optic nerve, cortex, hippocampus, internal capsules, and the cerebellum.Comparison with existing method(s)Lack of detailed protocols, combined with variability between laboratories, make EAE results difficult to compare and hinder the use of this model for therapeutic development. We provide the most detailed active MOG35-55-EAE protocol to date. With this protocol, we observe high disease incidence and a consistent, reliable disease course. The resulting pathology is MS-like and includes optic neuritis, perivascular mononuclear infiltration, CNS axon demyelination, and axon damage in both infiltrating lesions and otherwise normal-appearing white matter.ConclusionsBy providing a detailed active MOG35-55-EAE protocol that yields consistent and robust pathology, we aim to foster comparability between pre-clinical studies and facilitate the discovery of MS therapeutics.



http://ift.tt/2oVr4lT

In-vitro effect of Human Cathelicidin Antimicrobial Peptide LL-37 on Dengue Virus type 2

Publication date: Available online 9 April 2017
Source:Peptides
Author(s): K. Alagarasu, P.S. Patil, P. Shil, M. Seervi, M.B. Kakade, H. Tillu, A. Salunke
Human Cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide LL-37 is known to have antiviral activity against many viruses. In the present study, we investigated the in-vitro effect of LL-37 on dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2) infection and replication in Vero E6 cells. To study the effect of pretreatment of virus or cells with LL-37, the virus was pretreated with different concentrations of LL-37 (2.5μM to 15μM) or scrambled (Scr) LL-37(5μM to 15μM) and used for infection or the cells were first treated with LL-37 and infected. To study the effect of LL-37 post infection (PI), the cells were infected first followed by addition of LL-37 to the culture medium 24hrs after infection. In all conditions, after the incubation, the culture supernatant was assessed for viral RNA copy number by real time RT-PCR, infectious virus particles by focus forming unit assay (FFU) and non structural protein 1 (NS1) antigen levels by ELISA. Percentage of infection was assessed using immunoflourescence assay (IFA). The results revealed that pretreatment of virus with 10–15μM LL-37 significantly reduced its infectivity as compared to virus control (P<0.0001). Moreover, pretreatment of virus with 10–15μM LL-37 significantly reduced the levels of viral genomic RNA and NS1 antigen (P<0.0001). Treatment: of virus with 10–15μM LL-37 resulted in two to three log reduction of mean log10 FFU/ml as compared to virus control (P<0.0001). Treatment: of the virus with scrambled LL-37 had no effect on percentage of infection and viral load as compared to virus control cultures (P>0.05). Pretreatment of cells before infection or addition of LL-37 to the culture 24h PI had no effect on viral load. Molecular docking studies revealed possible binding of LL-37 to both the units of DENV envelope (E) protein dimer. Together, the in-vitro experiments and in-silico analyses suggest that LL-37 inhibits DENV-2 at the stage of entry into the cells by binding to the E protein. The results might have implications for prophylaxis against DENV infections and need further in-vivo studies.



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PEGylated neuromedin U-8 shows long-lasting anorectic activity and anti-obesity effect in mice by peripheral administration

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Peptides
Author(s): Yasushi Masuda, Satoshi Kumano, Jiro Noguchi, Kotaro Sakamoto, Hiroshi Inooka, Tetsuya Ohtaki
Neuromedin U (NMU) is a neuropeptide found in the brain and gastrointestinal tract. The NMU system has been shown to regulate energy homeostasis by both a central and a peripheral mechanism. Peripheral administration of human NMU-25 was recently shown to inhibit food intake in mice. We examined the possibility that other NMU-related peptides exert an anorectic activity by intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration. We found that rat NMU-23 and its structurally-related peptide rat neuromedin S (NMS) significantly reduced food intake in lean mice, whereas NMU-8, an active fragment of the octapeptide sequence conserved in porcine, human and mouse NMU, had no effect. When rat NMU-23, NMU-8, and rat NMS were covalently conjugated to polyethylene glycol (PEG) (PEGylation) at the N-terminus of these peptides, PEGylated NMU-8 showed the most long-lasting and robust anorectic activity. The exploration of the linker between NMU-8 and PEG using hetero-bifunctional chemical cross-linkers led to an identification of PEGylated NMU-8 analogs with higher affinity for NMU receptors and with more potent anorectic activity in lean mice. The PEGylated NMU-8 showed potent and robust anorectic activity and anti-obesity effect in diet-induced obesity (DIO) mice by once-daily subcutaneous (s.c.) administration. These results suggest that PEGylated NMU-8 has the therapeutic potential for treatment of obesity.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2ph5AyU

GATA4 regulates osteoblastic differentiation and bone remodeling via p38-mediated signaling

Abstract

Osteoblasts play a major role in bone remodeling and are regulated by transcription factors. GATA4, a zinc finger transcription factor from the GATA family, has an unclear role in osteoblast differentiation. In this study, the role of GATA4 in osteoblast differentiation was studied both in vitro and in vivo by GATA4 knockdown. GATA4 expression increased during osteoblast differentiation. GATA4 knockdown in osteoblast precursor cells reduced alkaline phosphatase activity and decreased the formation of calcified nodule in an osteogenic-induced cell culture system. In vivo, micro-CT showed that local injection of lentivirus-delivered GATA4 shRNA caused reduced new bone formation during tooth movement. Histological analyses such as total collagen and Goldner's trichrome staining confirmed these results. In vivo immunohistochemical analysis showed reduced expression of osterix (OSX), osteopontin (OPN), and osteocalcin (OCN) in the shGATA4 group (P < 0.05). Consistently, both western blotting and quantitative reverse-transcription PCR proved that expression of osteogenesis-related genes, including OSX, OPN, and OCN, was significantly repressed in the shGATA4 group in vitro (P < 0.01). For further analysis of the pathways involved in this process, we examined the MAPK signaling pathway, and found knockdown of GATA4, downregulated p38 signaling pathways (P < 0.01). Collectively, these results imply GATA4 is a regulator of osteoblastic differentiation via the p38 signaling pathways.

http://ift.tt/2ph3Ci7

Thyroid High-Impact Articles

FREE ACCESS through April 21, 2017.
Read now:

Latest Impact Factor: 3.784
The Official Journal of: American Thyroid Association

American Thyroid Association Guidelines on the Management of Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Task Force Review and Recommendation on the Proposed Renaming of Encapsulated Follicular Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Without Invasion to Noninvasive Follicular Thyroid Neoplasm with Papillary-Like Nuclear Features
Bryan R. Haugen, Anna M. Sawka, Erik K. Alexander, Keith C. Bible, Patrizio Caturegli, Gerard M. Doherty, Susan J. Mandel, John C. Morris, Aziza Nassar, Furio Pacini, Martin Schlumberger, Kathryn Schuff, Steven I. Sherman, Hilary Somerset, Julie Ann Sosa, David L. Steward, Leonard Wartofsky, Michelle D. Williams

Biochemical Markers Reflecting Thyroid Function in Athyreotic Patients on Levothyroxine Monotherapy
Mitsuru Ito, Akira Miyauchi, Mako Hisakado, Waka Yoshioka, Akane Ide, Takumi Kudo, Eijun Nishihara, Minoru Kihara, Yasuhiro Ito, Kaoru Kobayashi, Akihiro Miya, Shuji Fukata, Mitsushige Nishikawa, Hirotoshi Nakamura, Nobuyuki Amino

Noninvasive Follicular Thyroid Neoplasm with Papillary-Like Nuclear Features Accounts for More Than Half of "Carcinomas" Harboring RAS Mutations
Vera A. Paulson, Priyanka Shivdasani, Trevor E. Angell, Edmund S. Cibas, Jeffrey F. Krane, Neal I. Lindeman, Erik K. Alexander, Justine A. Barletta

Outcome of Large Noninvasive Follicular Thyroid Neoplasm with Papillary-Like Nuclear Features
Bin Xu, Giovanni Tallini, Theresa Scognamiglio, Benjamin R. Roman, R. Michael Tuttle, Ronald A. Ghossein

A Novel Gel Pad Laryngeal Ultrasound for Vocal Cord Evaluation
Jung-Woo Woo, Seo Ki Kim, Inhye Park, Jun Ho Choe, Jung-Han Kim, Jee Soo Kim

 

The post Thyroid High-Impact Articles appeared first on American Thyroid Association.

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ADM guidance—Ceramics: guidance to the use of fractography in failure analysis of brittle materials

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Dental Materials
Author(s): Susanne S. Scherrer, Ulrich Lohbauer, Alvaro Della Bona, Alessandro Vichi, Michael J. Tholey, J. Robert Kelly, Richard van Noort, Paulo Francisco Cesar
ObjectivesTo provide background information and guidance as to how to use fractography accurately, a powerful tool for failure analysis of dental ceramic structures.MethodsAn extended palette of qualitative and quantitative fractography is provided, both for in vivo and in vitro fracture surface analyses. As visual support, this guidance document will provide micrographs of typical critical ceramic processing flaws, differentiating between pre- versus post sintering cracks, grinding damage related failures and occlusal contact wear origins and of failures due to surface degradation.ResultsThe documentation emphasizes good labeling of crack features, precise indication of the direction of crack propagation (dcp), identification of the fracture origin, the use of fractographic photomontage of critical flaws or flaw labeling on strength data graphics. A compilation of recommendations for specific applications of fractography in Dentistry is also provided.SignificanceThis guidance document will contribute to a more accurate use of fractography and help researchers to better identify, describe and understand the causes of failure, for both clinical and laboratory-scale situations. If adequately performed at a large scale, fractography will assist in optimizing the methods of processing and designing of restorative materials and components. Clinical failures may be better understood and consequently reduced by sending out the correct message regarding the fracture origin in clinical trials.



http://ift.tt/2oe4F3e

GROUP INTERVENTION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH PRIMARY PROGRESSIVE APHASIA AND THEIR SPOUSES. WHO COMES FIRST?

Publication date: Available online 9 April 2017
Source:Journal of Communication Disorders
Author(s): Regina Jokel, Jed Meltzer, J. D.R., L. D.M., J. J.C., E. A.N., C. D.T.
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative dementia in which language impairment is the first and most dominant symptom. There is a considerable dearth of interventions for PPA although language rehabilitation has made headway in managing the disorder. Thus far, no comprehensive services have been proposed for PPA clients and/or their spouses. This paper describes the first structured group intervention program designated exclusively for people with PPA and their caregivers. This pilot project originates from a clinical service and presents supporting evidence for initiation of a larger study to establish an evidence-based intervention for PPA. A 10-week intervention program comprised working on language activities, learning communication strategies, counselling and education. Outcome measures administered to participants and their spouses before and after the intervention were compared showed improvements in quality of communication and coping skills in the PPA group compared to controls. Qualitative comments from all 10 participants in the active treatment group highlighted the necessity of intervention that is tailored specifically to the PPA population and addresses the needs of both individuals with PPA and their caregivers. All participants in the intervention group contributed to the study and are also co-authors of this paper.



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Aerobic fitness, hippocampal viscoelasticity, and relational memory performance

Publication date: June 2017
Source:NeuroImage, Volume 153
Author(s): Hillary Schwarb, Curtis L. Johnson, Ana M. Daugherty, Charles H. Hillman, Arthur F. Kramer, Neal J. Cohen, Aron K. Barbey
The positive relationship between hippocampal structure, aerobic fitness, and memory performance is often observed among children and older adults; but evidence of this relationship among young adults, for whom the hippocampus is neither developing nor atrophying, is less consistent. Studies have typically relied on hippocampal volumetry (a gross proxy of tissue composition) to assess individual differences in hippocampal structure. While volume is not specific to microstructural tissue characteristics, microstructural differences in hippocampal integrity may exist even among healthy young adults when volumetric differences are not diagnostic of tissue health or cognitive function. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is an emerging noninvasive imaging technique for measuring viscoelastic tissue properties and provides quantitative measures of tissue integrity. We have previously demonstrated that individual differences in hippocampal viscoelasticity are related to performance on a relational memory task; however, little is known about health correlates to this novel measure. In the current study, we investigated the relationship between hippocampal viscoelasticity and cardiovascular health, and their mutual effect on relational memory in a group of healthy young adults (N=51). We replicated our previous finding that hippocampal viscoelasticity correlates with relational memory performance. We extend this work by demonstrating that better aerobic fitness, as measured by VO2max, was associated with hippocampal viscoelasticity that mediated the benefits of fitness on memory function. Hippocampal volume, however, did not account for individual differences in memory. Therefore, these data suggest that hippocampal viscoelasticity may provide a more sensitive measure to microstructural tissue organization and its consequences to cognition among healthy young adults.



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Functional dynamics of hippocampal glutamate during associative learning assessed with in vivo 1H functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Publication date: June 2017
Source:NeuroImage, Volume 153
Author(s): Jeffrey A. Stanley, Ashley Burgess, Dalal Khatib, Karthik Ramaseshan, Muzamil Arshad, Helen Wu, Vaibhav A. Diwadkar
fMRI has provided vibrant characterization of regional and network responses associated with associative learning and memory; however, their relationship to functional neurochemistry is unclear. Here, we introduce a novel application of in vivo proton functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H fMRS) to investigate the dynamics of hippocampal glutamate during paired-associated learning and memory in healthy young adults. We show that the temporal dynamics of glutamate differed significantly during processes of memory consolidation and retrieval. Moreover, learning proficiency was predictive of the temporal dynamics of glutamate such that fast learners were characterized by a significant increase in glutamate levels early in learning, whereas this increase was only observed later in slow learners. The observed functional dynamics of glutamate provides a novel in vivo marker of brain function. Previously demonstrated N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor mediated synaptic plasticity during associative memory formation may be expressed in glutamate dynamics, which the novel application of ¹H MRS is sensitive to. The novel application of ¹H fMRS can provide highly innovative vistas for characterizing brain function in vivo, with significant implications for studying glutamatergic neurotransmission in health and disorders such as schizophrenia.



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A role for GABAergic interneuron diversity in circuit development and plasticity of the neonatal cerebral cortex

Publication date: April 2017
Source:Current Opinion in Neurobiology, Volume 43
Author(s): Simon JB Butt, Jacqueline A Stacey, Yayoi Teramoto, Cristiana Vagnoni
GABAergic interneurons are a highly heterogeneous group of cells that are critical for the mature function and development of the neocortex. In terms of the latter, much attention has focused on the well-established role of parvalbumin (PV+)-expressing, fast spiking, basket cells in determining the critical period plasticity. However recent endeavours have started to shed the light on the contribution of other interneuron subtypes to early circuit formation and plasticity. Data suggests that there are significant interactions between PV+ cells and other interneuron subtypes that regulate circuit development in rodents in the first postnatal week. Moreover, a number of these early interactions are transient which points to an important, distinct role for interneuron diversity in setting up emergent neocortical processing.



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Sleep, synaptic homeostasis and neuronal firing rates

Publication date: June 2017
Source:Current Opinion in Neurobiology, Volume 44
Author(s): Chiara Cirelli
The synaptic homeostasis hypothesis (SHY) states that wake brings about a net overall increase in synaptic strength in many brain circuits that needs to be renormalized by sleep. I will review recent studies that were either specifically designed to test SHY or were interpreted accordingly, including several experiments that focused on changes in neuronal firing rates. I will emphasize that central to SHY is the idea that what is being regulated across the sleep/wake cycle is synaptic strength, not firing rate, and firing rate taken in isolation is not necessarily an adequate proxy for synaptic strength.



http://ift.tt/2ntQs51

Immune dysregulation in immunodeficiency disorders: The role of T-cell receptor sequencing

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Journal of Autoimmunity
Author(s): Gabriel K. Wong, James M. Heather, Sara Barmettler, Mark Cobbold
Immune dysregulation is a prominent feature of primary immunodeficiency disorders, which commonly manifested as autoimmunity, cytopenias and inflammatory bowel disease. In partial T-cell immunodeficiency disorders, it has been proposed that the imbalance between effector and regulatory T-cells drives the breakdown of peripheral tolerance. While there is no robust test for immune dysregulation, the T-cell receptor repertoire is used as a surrogate marker, and has been shown to be perturbed in a number of immunodeficiency disorders featuring immune dysregulation including Omenn's Syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, and common variable immunodeficiency. This review discusses how recent advances in TCR next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics have led to the in-depth characterization of CDR3 sequences and an exponential growth in examinable parameters. Specifically, we highlight the use of junctional diversity as a means to differentiate intrinsic T-cell defects from secondary causes of repertoire perturbation in primary immunodeficiency disorders. However, key questions, such as the identity of antigenic targets for large, expanded T-cell clonotypes, remain unanswered despite the fact that such clones are likely to play a pathogenic role in driving immune dysregulation and autoimmunity. Finally, we discuss a number of emerging technologies such as in silico reconstruction, high-throughput pairwise αβ sequencing and single-cell RNAseq that offer the potential to define the antigenic epitope and function of a given T-cell, thereby enhancing our understanding in this field.

Graphical abstract

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Elucidation of developmental patterns of marmoset corpus callosum through a comparative MRI in marmosets, chimpanzees, and humans

Publication date: Available online 9 April 2017
Source:Neuroscience Research
Author(s): Tomoko Sakai, Yuji Komaki, Junichi Hata, Junko Okahara, Norio Okahara, Takashi Inoue, Akichika Mikami, Mie Matsui, Kenichi Oishi, Erika Sasaki, Hideyuki Okano
The corpus callosum (CC) is present in all primate brains and is the major white matter tract connecting the cerebral hemispheres for integration of sensory, motor and higher-order cognitive information. The midsagittal area of the CC has frequently been used as a sensitive biomarker of brain development. Although the marmoset has been considered as an alternative non-human primate model for neuroscience research, the developmental patterns of the CC have not been explored. The present longitudinal study of magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated that marmosets show a rapid increase of CC during infancy, followed by a slow increase during the juvenile stage, as observed in chimpanzees and humans. Marmosets also show a tendency toward a greater increase in CC during late infancy and the juvenile stage, as observed in humans, but not in chimpanzees. However, several differences between marmosets and humans were identified. There was a tendency toward a greater maturation of the human CC during early infancy. Furthermore, there was a tendency toward a greater increase during late infancy and the juvenile stage in marmosets, compared to that observed in chimpanzees and humans. These differences in the developmental trajectories of the CC may be related to evolutional changes in social behavior.



http://ift.tt/2oOFM13

Factors affecting the quality of life in patients with vitiligo: A nationwide study

Abstract

Background

Little is known about factors affecting the quality of life (QOL) of patients with vitiligo, and previous studies have shown conflicting results.

Objectives

To explore QOL of patients with vitiligo and to identify factors affecting QOL.

Methods

A nationwide questionnaire-based study was conducted with 1123 patients with vitiligo recruited from 21 hospitals in Korea from July, 2015 to June, 2016. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire for demographic information and the Skindex-29 instrument. Mild or severely impaired QOL in patients with vitiligo was assessed according to each arm (symptoms, functioning, and emotions) of the Skindex-29. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the factors associated with QOL.

Results

The enrolled participants consisted of 609 males and 514 females with a mean age of 49.80 years (range, 20–84 years). The median duration of disease was 3.00 years (range, 0–60 years). Using multivariate logistic regression modeling, the involvement of visible body parts and a larger affected body surface area were consistently associated with QOL impairment in all three domains of the Skindex-29. Additionally, the QOL of patients aged 20-59 years, who potentially had a more active social life than older patients, was associated with functional impairment. In addition, a higher educational background was associated with emotional impairment.

Conclusions

The multitude of factors significantly influence the QOL in patients with vitiligo. A better appreciation of these factors would help the management of vitiligo patients.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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Ciclosporin compared to prednisolone therapy for patients with pyoderma gangrenosum: cost-effectiveness analysis of the STOP GAP trial

Summary

Background

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a painful, ulcerating skin disease with poor evidence for management. Prednisolone and ciclosporin are the most commonly used treatments, although not previously compared within a randomised controlled trial (RCT)

Objectives

To compare the cost-effectiveness of ciclosporin and prednisolone-initiated treatment for patients with PG.

Methods

Quality-of-life (EuroQoL EQ-5D-3L) and resource data were collected as part of the STOP-GAP trial: a multicentre, parallel-group, observer-blind RCT. Within-trial analysis used bivariate regression of costs and QALYs, with multiple imputation of missing data, informing a probabilistic assessment of incremental treatment cost-effectiveness from a health service perspective.

Results

In the base case analysis, when compared with prednisolone, ciclosporin was cost-effective due to a reduction in costs (net cost: -£1160; 95%CI: (-2991 to 672) and improvement in quality of life (net QALYs: 0.055; 95%CI: 0.018 to 0.093). However, this finding appears driven by a minority of patients with large lesions (≥20cm²) (net cost: -£5310; 95%CI: -9729 to -891; net QALYs: 0.077; 95%CI: 0.004 to 0.151). The incremental cost-effectiveness of ciclosporin for the majority of patients with smaller lesions was £23,374/QALY although the estimate is imprecise: the probability of being cost-effective at a willingness to pay of £20,000/QALY was 43%.

Conclusions

Consistent with the clinical findings of the STOP-GAP trial, patients with small lesions should receive treatment guided by the side effect profiles of the drugs and patient preference - neither strategy is clearly a preferred use of NHS resources. However, ciclosporin-initiated treatment may be more cost-effective for patients with large lesions.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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One-stop-shop with confocal microscopy imaging versus standard care for surgical treatment of basal cell carcinoma: an open label, non-inferiority, randomized controlled multicenter trial

Summary

Background

Routine punch biopsies are considered as the standard care to diagnose and subtype basal cell carcinoma (BCC) when clinically suspected.

Objectives

We assessed the efficacy of a one-stop-shop concept using in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy imaging (RCM) as diagnostic tool versus standard care for surgical treatment in patients with clinically suspected BCC.

Methods

In this open-label, parallel-group, non-inferiority, randomized controlled multicenter trial we enrolled patients with clinically suspected BCC at two tertiary referral centers in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Patients were randomly assigned to the RCM one-stop-shop (diagnosing and subtyping using RCM followed by direct surgical excision) or standard care (planned excision based upon the histological diagnosis and subtype of a punch biopsy). The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with tumour-free margins after surgical excision of BCC.

Results

Of the 95 included patients, 73 (77%) had a BCC histologically confirmed on surgical excision specimen. All (40/40, 100%) in the one-stop-shop group had tumor free margins. In the standard care group tumor free margins were found in all but two (31/33, 94%). The difference in the proportion of patients with tumor-free margins after BCC excision between the one-stop-shop group and the standard care group was -0·06 (90% confidence interval -0·17 to 0·01), establishing non-inferiority

Conclusions

The proposed new treatment strategy seems suitable in facilitating early diagnosis and direct treatment for patients suffering from BCC, depending on factors such as availability of RCM, size and site of the lesion, patient preference and whether direct surgical excision is feasible.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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An Integrated Chemical Biology Approach Reveals the Mechanism of Action of HIV Replication Inhibitors

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
Author(s): Nicholas Pagano, Peter Teriete, Margrith Mattman, Li Yang, Beth A. Snyder, Zhaohui Cai, Marintha L. Heil, Nicholas D.P. Cosford
Continuous flow (microfluidic) chemistry was employed to prepare a small focused library of dihydropyrimidinone (DHPM) derivatives. Compounds in this class have been reported to exhibit activity against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but their molecular target had not been identified. We tested the initial set of DHPMs in phenotypic assays providing a hit (1i) that inhibited the replication of the human immunodeficiency virus HIV in cells. Flow chemistry-driven optimization of 1i led to the identification of HIV replication inhibitors such as 1l with cellular potency comparable with the clinical drug nevirapine (NVP). Mechanism of action (MOA) studies using cellular and biochemical assays coupled with 3D fingerprinting and in silico modeling demonstrated that these drug-like probe compounds exert their effects by inhibiting the viral reverse transcriptase polymerase (RT). This led to the design and synthesis of the novel DHPM 1at that inhibits the replication of drug resistant strains of HIV. Our work demonstrates that combining flow chemistry-driven analogue refinement with phenotypic assays, in silico modeling and MOA studies is a highly effective strategy for hit-to-lead optimization applicable to the discovery of future therapeutic agents.

Graphical abstract

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Altered effective brain connectivity at early response of antipsychotics in first-episode schizophrenia with auditory hallucinations

Publication date: June 2017
Source:Clinical Neurophysiology, Volume 128, Issue 6
Author(s): Leilei Zheng, Weibo Liu, Wei He, Shaohua Yu, Guodong Zhong
ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the alterations of cortical connectivity in first-episode schizophrenia (FES) with auditory hallucinations at early response of antipsychotics.MethodsThis was a nonexperimental control of medication study. We measured the cortical activity of 20 medicated patients with FES (medicated group), 19 nonmedicated patients with FES (nonmedicated group), and 22 healthy controls using electroencephalogram during eye-open resting state. Source reconstruction analysis was performed to determine the brain regions that showed significant group difference. A dynamic causal modelling (DCM) analysis was used to estimate the effective connectivity between sources.ResultBoth FES groups expressed increased activity in the right middle frontal gyrus (RMFG) and left/right superior temporal gyrus (L/RSTG) relative to that in the controls (p<0.05), and the nonmedicated group presented even higher activity than the medicated group (p<0.05). The effective connectivity from RMFG to LSTG was weaker in the nonmedicated group relative to that in the medicated group (p<0.01), although patients in the medicated group showed no difference with healthy controls in RMFG to L/RSTG connections. The Bayesian model selection analysis found modulatory lateralization in the nonmedicated group.ConclusionThe patients with FES showed frontotemporal hyperactivity and disconnectivity. The effective connections accompanied with modulation were improved when hallucination diminished at early response of routine medication.SignificanceThis study provided the first evidence of early drug response-related alterations in effective brain connectivity.



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Temporal lobe spikes: EEG-fMRI contributions to the “mesial vs. lateral” debate

Publication date: Available online 9 April 2017
Source:Clinical Neurophysiology
Author(s): Satsuki Watanabe, François Dubeau, Natalja Zazubovits, Jean Gotman
ObjectiveIt has been reported that interictal epileptic discharges (IEDs) recorded in temporal regions on scalp EEG are unlikely to originate from mesial temporal structures. However, EEG-fMRI sometimes show mesial temporal activation. We hypothesized that BOLD activation in the temporal neocortex is weaker than in the mesial structures, reflecting the fact that propagated activity has less metabolic demand than the original discharge.MethodsTwelve patients with epilepsy who have BOLD response in mesial temporal structures were selected from our EEG-fMRI database. We searched the temporal lobe ipsilateral to IEDs and checked whether there is positive BOLD response in the neocortex.ResultsAll IED types showed a BOLD response in the temporal neocortex ipsilateral to the mesial temporal BOLD response. T-values were higher in mesial temporal structures than in neocortex in 13/16 cases.ConclusionsHemodynamic changes were observed in the mesial temporal lobe at the time of IEDs recorded from the temporal region on the scalp. The finding of smaller BOLD changes in the ipsilateral neocortex is in agreement with our hypothesis.SignificanceOur study indicates that scalp-recorded temporal lobe spikes are likely to result from mesial temporal spikes propagating neuronally to the neocortex.



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Atmospheric CO2 at Waliguan station in China: Transport climatology, temporal patterns and source-sink region representativeness

Publication date: June 2017
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 159
Author(s): Siyang Cheng, Xingqin An, Lingxi Zhou, Pieter P. Tans, Andy Jacobson
In order to explore where the source and sink have the greatest impact on CO2 background concentration at Waliguan (WLG) station, a statistical method is here proposed to calculate the representative source-sink region. The key to this method is to find the best footprint threshold, and the study is carried out in four parts. Firstly, transport climatology, expressed by total monthly footprint, was simulated by FLEXPART on a 7-day time scale. Surface CO2 emissions in Eurasia frequently transported to WLG station. WLG station was mainly influenced by the westerlies in winter and partly controlled by the Southeast Asian monsoon in summer. Secondly, CO2 concentrations, simulated by CT2015, were processed and analyzed through data quality control, screening, fitting and comparing. CO2 concentrations displayed obvious seasonal variation, with the maximum and minimum concentration appearing in April and August, respectively. The correlation of CO2 fitting background concentrations was R² = 0.91 between simulation and observation. The temporal patterns were mainly correlated with CO2 exchange of biosphere-atmosphere, human activities and air transport. Thirdly, for the monthly CO2 fitting background concentrations from CT2015, a best footprint threshold was found based on correlation analysis and numerical iteration using the data of footprints and emissions. The grid cells where monthly footprints were greater than the best footprint threshold were the best threshold area corresponding to representative source-sink region. The representative source-sink region of maximum CO2 concentration in April was primarily located in Qinghai province, but the minimum CO2 concentration in August was mainly influenced by emissions in a wider region. Finally, we briefly presented the CO2 source-sink characteristics in the best threshold area. Generally, the best threshold area was a carbon sink. The major source and sink were relatively weak owing to less human activities and vegetation types in this high altitude area. CO2 concentrations were more influenced by human activities when air mass passed through many urban areas in summer. Therefore, the combination of footprints and emissions is an effective approach for assessing the source-sink region representativeness of CO2 background concentration.



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Scholar : These new articles for Amyloid are available online

The online platform for Taylor & Francis Online content New for Amyloid and online now on Taylor & Francis Online: Letter to the Editor Pseudo-homozygous mutation due to a primer site polymorphism in hereditary ATTR amyloidosis: a pitfall of PCR-based genetic testing Yuka Shibata, Masaaki Matsushima, Ichiro Yabe, Koichiro Matsuda, Azusa Nagai, Takahiro Kano, Takahiro Yamada, Yoshiki Sekijima & Hidenao Sasaki Pages: 1-2 | DOI: 10.1080/13506129.2017.1307821 Free access World Diabetes Day research collection – Eyes on Diabetes. To update which email alerts you receive, manage your alerts within the My Account area. You can also unsubscribe from this alert with one click. If you need any further help, please contact us at support@tandfonline.com Please do not reply to this email. To ensure that you receive your alerts and information from Taylor & Francis Online, please add "alerts@tandfonline.com" and "info@tandfonline.com" to your safe senders list. Taylor & Francis, an Informa business. Taylor & Francis is a trading name of Informa UK Limited, registered in England under no. 1072954. Registered office: 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.

Sensitive detection of alkaline phosphatase by switching on gold nanoclusters fluorescence quenched by pyridoxal phosphate

Publication date: 15 September 2017
Source:Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Volume 95
Author(s): Mohamed Ibrahim Halawa, Wenyue Gao, Muhammad Saqib, Shimeles Addisu Kitte, Fengxia Wu, Guobao Xu
In this work, we designed highly sensitive and selective luminescent detection method for alkaline phosphatase using bovine serum albumin functionalized gold nanoclusters (BSA-AuNCs) as the nanosensor probe and pyridoxal phosphate as the substrate of alkaline phosphatase. We found that pyridoxal phosphate can quench the fluorescence of BSA-AuNCs and pyridoxal has little effect on the fluorescence of BSA-AuNCs. The proposed mechanism of fluorescence quenching by PLP was explored on the basis of data obtained from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), UV–vis spectrophotometry, fluorescence spectroscopy, fluorescence decay time measurements and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Alkaline phosphatase catalyzes the hydrolysis of pyridoxal phosphate to generate pyridoxal, restoring the fluorescence of BSA-AuNCs. Therefore, a recovery type approach has been developed for the sensitive detection of alkaline phosphatase in the range of 1.0–200.0U/L (R² =0.995) with a detection limit of 0.05U/L. The proposed sensor exhibit excellent selectivity among various enzymes, such as glucose oxidase, lysozyme, trypsin, papain, and pepsin. The present switch-on fluorescence sensing strategy for alkaline phosphatase was successfully applied in human serum plasma with good recoveries (100.60–104.46%), revealing that this nanosensor probe is a promising tool for ALP detection.



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Reticulated vitreous carbon as a scaffold for enzymatic fuel cell designing

Publication date: 15 September 2017
Source:Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Volume 95
Author(s): Michal Kizling, Maciej Dzwonek, Bartłomiej Olszewski, Paweł Bącal, Łukasz Tymecki, Agnieszka Więckowska, Krzysztof Stolarczyk, Renata Bilewicz
Three – dimensional (3D) electrodes are successfully used to overcome the limitations of the low space – time yield and low normalized space velocity obtained in electrochemical processes with two – dimensional electrodes. In this study, we developed a three – dimensional reticulated vitreous carbon – gold (RVC-Au) sponge as a scaffold for enzymatic fuel cells (EFC). The structure of gold and the real electrode surface area can be controlled by the parameters of metal electrodeposition. In particular, a 3D RVC-Au sponge provides a large accessible surface area for immobilization of enzyme and electron mediators, moreover, effective mass diffusion can also take place through the uniform macro – porous scaffold. To efficiently bind the enzyme to the electrode and enhance electron transfer parameters the gold surface was modified with ultrasmall gold nanoparticles stabilized with glutathione. These quantum sized nanoparticles exhibit specific electronic properties and also expand the working surface of the electrode. Significantly, at the steady state of power generation, the EFC device with RVC-Au electrodes provided high volumetric power density of 1.18±0.14mWcm⁻³ (41.3±3.8µWcm⁻²) calculated based on the volume of electrode material with OCV 0.741±0.021V. These new 3D RVC-Au electrodes showed great promise for improving the power generation of EFC devices.



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Background noise lowers the performance of anaesthesiology residents' clinical reasoning when measured by script concordance: A prospective randomised crossover volunteer study.

BACKGROUND: Noise, which is omnipresent in operating rooms and ICUs, may have a negative impact not only patients but also on the concentration of and communication between clinical staff. OBJECTIVE: The present study attempted to evaluate the impact of noise on the performance of anaesthesiology residents' clinical reasoning. Changes in clinical reasoning were measured by script concordance tests (SCTs). DESIGN: This was a prospective, randomised and crossover study. SETTING: Single centre at Rouen University Hospital in April 2014. POPULATION: All year 1 to 4 residents enrolled in the anaesthesiology training programme were included. INTERVENTION: Performance was assessed using a 56-item SCT. Two resident groups were formed, and each was exposed to both quiet and noisy atmospheres during SCT assessment. Group A did the first part of the assessment (28 SCT) in a quiet atmosphere and the second part (28 SCT) in a noisy atmosphere. Group B did the same in reverse order. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome of this study was residents' performance as measured by SCT, with and without noise (mean of 100 points 95% confidence interval). RESULTS: Forty-two residents were included. Residents' performance, measured by SCT, was weaker in a noisy environment than in a quiet environment [59.0 (56.0 to 62.0) vs 62.8 (60.8 to 64.9), P = 0.04]. This difference lessened as medical training advanced, as this difference in performance in noisy vs quiet environments was not observed in year 3 and 4 residents [62.9 (59.2 to 66.5) vs 64.0 (61.9 to 66.1), P = 0.60], whereas it was higher for year 1 and 2 residents [54.8 (50.6 to 59.1) vs 61.5 (57.9 to 65.1), P = 0.02]. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that noise affects clinical reasoning of anaesthesiology residents especially junior residents when measured by SCT. This observation supports the hypothesis that noise should be prevented in operating rooms especially when junior residents are providing care. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal. http://ift.tt/OBJ4xP (C) 2017 European Society of Anaesthesiology

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Morphology evolution in solution polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR) / trans-1,4-polyisoprene (TPI) blends: SSBR particle formation, TPI crystal nucleation, growth and polymorphic form

Publication date: 19 May 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 117
Author(s): Huarong Nie, Dandan Liu, Chenguang Liu, Xiaojian Wang, Aihua He
In this work, the combined effects of polydispersity and viscosity on microstructure that evolves with domain coarsening and crystallization are investigated in the blends of amorphous solution polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR) and crystalline trans-1,4-polyisoprene (TPI). We find that the bicontinuous patterns in SSBR/TPI undergo a complicated coarsening process and evolve to microstructures where high density SSBR drops are trapped in TPI-rich domains after the secondary phase separation, which is the result of the hydrodynamic difference between TPI components with different molecular weights and the viscosity difference between SSBR and TPI. Domain interface assists crystallization by acting as the substrate for the static heterogeneous nucleation. Although TPI spherulites preferentially grow in TPI-rich domains with SSBR drops in-situ included in crystals, they still could cross over SSBR-rich phases. Owing to the polydispersity of TPI, phase separation driving low-molecular-weight TPI assembling in TPI-rich domains enables the predominant formation of polymorphic α-TPI by lowering the crystallization energy barrier.

Graphical abstract

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Electroactive polyacrylates bearing linear conjugated systems based on EDOT moieties

Publication date: 19 May 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 117
Author(s): Djibril Faye, The Hy Duong, Inmaculada Vieitez, Frédéric Gohier, Hugues Brisset, Pierre Frère, Jean-François Briand, Philippe Leriche, Christine Bressy
New polyacrylates bearing an electropolymerizable bi or terthiophene group have been synthesized via classical radical polymerization and via RAFT process. Polymerizations can be controlled if thiophene moieties have protected α positions; otherwise polymerization is difficult or impossible. Cross-linked polymers can be obtained after film electropolymerizations on different electrodes (gold, carbon and platinum).

Graphical abstract

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Crystallization and morphology of ultrathin films of poly(d-lactide) with BAB block copolymers in which the A block is made of poly(l-lactide)

Publication date: 19 May 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 117
Author(s): Nguyen-Dung Tien, Robert E. Prud'homme
When poly(d-lactide) (PDLA) is mixed with poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) of similar molecular weight and crystallized from the melt in ultrathin films (30 nm), hexagonal single crystals are obtained at the equimolar composition, and triangular single crystals at non-equimolar compositions. Here, stereocomplexes are formed by blending PDLA with a PLLA incorporated as the central block of a triblock copolymer made with poly(2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA-b-PLLA-b-PDMAEMA or BAB); the resulting single crystals are studied by in-situ atomic force microscopy. The imbalance between the PDLA and PLLA characteristics, due to the presence of the B blocks of the triblock copolymer, leads to triangular single crystals at equimolar compositions, the hexagonal single crystal morphology being shifted to off-equimolar compositions. The importance of the shift depends upon the A/B ratio and the molecular weight of each species.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2nQ2jW8

Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) micellar templates directed synthesis of water-dispersible polyaniline rhombic plates with excellent processability and flow-induced color variation

Publication date: 19 May 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 117
Author(s): Yong Ma, Chongyin Zhang, Chunping Hou, Hao Zhang, Hepeng Zhang, Qiuyu Zhang, Zhanhu Guo
Well-defined PANI rhombic plates are produced via a cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) micellar soft template route in low acid environment. Lamellar micelles consisting of CTAB and ammonium persulfate (APS) molecules not only serve as both soft templates and oxidant for oxidative polymerization of aniline, but also provide intermolecular interactions to assemble two-dimensional PANI sheets to three-dimensional rhombic plates. Detailed mechanistic studies meanwhile reveal that fabricating such regular rhombic plates cannot be separated from the synergistic effect of the optimal pH value and suitable anions. The prepared PANI rhombic plates exhibit water dispersibility, processability, and flow-induced color variation, which is supposed to be attributed to the intermolecular interactions between residual CTAB molecules and PANI molecules. Using these rhombic plates as a model system, the results and strategies presented here provide insight into the general scheme of morphology and dimension control in the low acid environment for conducting polymers.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2nQ0R6r