Scholar : Ειδοποίηση Μελετητή - [ ΣΤΟΜΑ

Ειδοποίηση Μελετητή:[ ΣΤΟΜΑΤΙΤΙΣ ]

[PDF] Effects of Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Patients

F Anjum, N Razvi, U Saeed - Management, 2017

... Chemotherapeutic Agent Toxicities Doxorubicin, epirubicin Myelosuppression, cardiomyopathy,
Alopecia, nausea, vomiting, stomatitis, ulceration, necrosis ... Cyclophosphamide Myelosuppression,
hemorrhagic cystitis, Alope- cia, stomatitis, amenorrhea, nausea, vomiting ...

[PDF] Avaliação da correlação entre o grau de instruções e qualidade de higiene de usuários de próteses totais com a presença de estomatite protética

J Marra, LE da Cruz Perez, TE Henriques, MT Pinheiro… - Revista Odontológica do …, 2017

... CORRELATION BETWEEN THE LEVEL OF INSTRUCTIONS AND THE QUALITY OF HYGIENE
OF COMPLETE DENTURE WEARERS WITH PRESENCE OF DENTURE STOMATITIS ... Denture
stomatitis and salivary Candida in Brazilian edentulous patients. J Oral Rehabil. ...

[HTML] Unexpected skin lesions after axitinib treatment

AM Sedef, F Köse, EE Rişvanoğlu, AT Sumbul, M Ulaş… - Journal of Oncological …, 2017

... 2. Case. A 58-year-old man presented with a two week history of a skin eruptions and grade 2
stomatitis. ... During treatment period, the patient experienced grade 1 diarrhea and stomatitis
however blood pressure (most feared complication of axitinib) was normal. ...

[PDF] Avaliação de propriedades físicas, mecânicas e biológicas de uma resina acrílica para base de próteses após imersão em soluções de sabonetes líquidos …

JO Zoccolotti - 2017

... Braz Dent J. 2013;24(5):487-91. 4. Arendorf T, Walker D. Denture stomatitis: a review. J Oral
Rehabil. ... sodium hypochlorite and coconut soap used as disinfecting agents in the reduction of
denture stomatitis, Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans. J Oral Rehabil. 2004; ...

[HTML] Incorporation of high-dose 131 I-metaiodobenzylguanidine treatment into tandem high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation for high-risk …

JW Lee, S Lee, HW Cho, Y Ma, KH Yoo, KW Sung… - Journal of Hematology & …, 2017

... The grade ≥3 non-hematologic toxicities that developed in more than 30% of patients were
diarrhea, an elevation of liver enzymes and hypokalemia in the first HDCT/auto-SCT, and stomatitis
and diarrhea in the second HDCT/auto-SCT. ... 5 (11.6). 0.086. Stomatitis, n (%). 9 (17.3). ...

[PDF] Concomitant-chemoradiotherapy-associated oral lesions in patients with oral squamous-cell carcinoma

S Minhas, M Kashif, W Altaf, N Afzal, AH Nagi - Cancer Biology & Medicine, 2017

... Cancer Biol Med 2017. doi: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2016.0096 Page 2. (stomatitis), xerostomia
(dry mouth), loss of taste ... Pak J Med Res. 1986; 25: 173- 81. 4. Dose AM. The symptom experience
of mucositis, stomatitis, and xerostomia. Semin Oncol Nurs. 1995; 11: 248-55. 5. ...

Guest Editorial: A path through quantum crystallography: a short tribute to Professor Lou Massa

CF Matta - Structural Chemistry, 2017

... general. Among the record applications was the estimation of the Hartree-Fock/
6- 31G(d,p) total energy and the MP2/6-31G(d,p) interaction en- ergies of the
vesicular stomatitis virus nucleoprotein (33,175 atoms) [23]. More ...

Increased oral inflammation, leukocytes, and leptin, and lower adiponectin in overweight or obesity

S Thanakun, S Pornprasertsuk‐Damrongsri, Y Izumi - Oral Diseases, 2017

... Participants pa Normal weight (n = 42) Overweight/Obese (n = 96) All Oral infectious diseases
1 (1.3%) 5 (2.7%) 6 (2.3%) Denture stomatitis 1 5 6 Oral inflammatory diseases 5 (6.2%) 12 (6.5%)
17 (6.4%) 0.968 Recurrent aphthous stomatitis 0 3 3 Oral lichen planus 0 1 1 ...

[PDF] Drugs Hypersensitivity Reaction in Patient with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection

R Minhajat, I Djaharuddin, R Halim, AF Benyamin… - J Allergy Ther, 2017

... Page 2. 2005 hospitalized with heart valve disorder, and 2009 patients had recurrent stomatitis
accompanied by infection of left and dextra inguinal. Patient was given Ciprofoxacin but allergic
skin symptoms appeared after a few minutes taking the drug. ...

Rapid Reverse Genetics Systems for Rhabdoviruses: From Forward to Reverse and Back Again

T Nolden, S Finke - Reverse Genetics of RNA Viruses: Methods and …, 2017

... The history of negative strand RNA viruses (NSVs) reverse genetics systems is intrinsically tied
to the rhabdovirus family, as recombinant Rabies Virus (RABV ) and Vesicular Stomatitis (VSV )
represent the first examples of NSVs recovered from cloned cDNA [1–5]. Although ...

---

Αυτή η Ειδοποίηση του Μελετητή Google σας προσφέρεται από τη Google

Ακύρωση ειδοποίησης
Δημιουργία λίστας των ειδοποιήσεών μου

Scholar : Ειδοποίηση Μελετητή - [ Laryngotra

Ειδοποίηση Μελετητή:[ Laryngotracheal reconstruction ]

Primary reconstructive method for tracheal defect from invasion by differentiated thyroid carcinoma

A Hamahata, T Beppu, T Yamaki, H Sakurai - Auris Nasus Larynx, 2017

... Tracheas were reconstructed using costal cartilage and free forearm flap in all three patients. ...
One-stage reconstruction of a tracheal defect with a free radial forearm flap and ... The surgical
management of laryngotracheal invasion by well-differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma. ...

Outcome of primary repair in extremely and very low-birth-weight infants with esophageal atresia/distal tracheoesophageal fistula

A Schmidt, F Obermayr, J Lieber, C Gille, F Fideler… - Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 2017

... One patient of the VLBW group died of laryngotracheal cleft and one patient of the ≥ 1500 g
group of severe Enterocolitis fulminans. EA/TEF or its repair caused none of the deaths. 3.
Discussion. ... It was followed by thoracoscopic reconstruction at a later point [29]. ...

---

Αυτή η Ειδοποίηση του Μελετητή Google σας προσφέρεται από τη Google

Ακύρωση ειδοποίησης
Δημιουργία λίστας των ειδοποιήσεών μου

Scholar : Ειδοποίηση Μελετητή - [ ΠΑΡΕΣ

Ειδοποίηση Μελετητή:[ ΠΑΡΕΣΗ BELL ]

Pseudoparalysis: a systematic review of term definitions, treatment approaches, and outcomes of management techniques

JM Tokish, TC Alexander, MJ Kissenberth, RJ Hawkins - Journal of Shoulder and …, 2017

... rotator cuff tear. Somehow in the literature, many authors have described
pseudoparalysis exactly the same way. We contend that paralysis means no motion
and paresis means weakness with some motion. In an unofficial survey ...

---

Αυτή η Ειδοποίηση του Μελετητή Google σας προσφέρεται από τη Google

Ακύρωση ειδοποίησης
Δημιουργία λίστας των ειδοποιήσεών μου

Scholar : Ειδοποίηση Μελετητή - [ ΟΙΣΟΦ

Ειδοποίηση Μελετητή:[ ΟΙΣΟΦΑΓΟΣ ]

[PDF] Νοσηλευτική φροντίδα ασθενών με ανθρώπινη ανοσοανεπάρκεια (HIV)

Μ Φαρμάκη - 2017

Page 1. ΣΧΟΛΗ ΣΕΥΠ ΤΜΗΜΑ ΝΟΣΗΛΕΥΤΙΚΗΣ ΘΕΜΑ ΠΤΥΧΙΑΚΗΣ ΕΡΓΑΣΙΑΣ: Νοσηλευτική
Φροντίδα Ασθενών με Ανθρώπινη Ανοσοανεπάρκεια (HIV) Nursing care of patients with Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Εισηγήτρια: Ελένη Νικολάου Φοιτήτρια: Φαρμάκη Μαρία ...

[PDF] Διερεύνηση καρδιοαναπνευστικών παραμέτρων σε υγιή άτομα με αυξημένο ΒΜΙ με τη χρήση της εξάλεπτης δοκιμασίας βάδισης

Α Παναγόπουλος, Ε Τζωρτζάτου - 2017

Page 1. ΤΕΧΝΟΛΟΓΙΚΟ ΕΚΠΑΙΔΕΥΤΙΚΟ ΙΔΡΥΜΑ ΔΥΤΙΚΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΑΣ ΣΧΟΛΗ
ΕΠΑΓΓΕΛΜΑΤΩΝ ΥΓΕΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΡΟΝΟΙΑΣ ΤΜΗΜΑ ΦΥΣΙΚΟΘΕΡΑΠΕΙΑΣ ΠΤΥΧΙΑΚΗ ΕΡΓΑΣΙΑ
ΔΙΕΡΕΥΝΗΣΗ ΚΑΡΔΙΟΑΝΑΠΝΕΥΣΤΙΚΩΝ ΠΑΡΑΜΕΤΡΩΝ ΣΕ ΥΓΙΗ ΑΤΟΜΑ ΜΕ ...

---

Αυτή η Ειδοποίηση του Μελετητή Google σας προσφέρεται από τη Google

Ακύρωση ειδοποίησης
Δημιουργία λίστας των ειδοποιήσεών μου

Volumetric MRI Analysis in Patients with Short-Term Remission of Cushing's Disease

Summary

Objective

The data on patients with short-term remission of Cushing's disease (CD) might provide information that is not available from previous long-term remission studies. We aimed to investigate structural changes in the brain in these patients and to examine whether these changes were associated with clinical characteristics.

Design

A cross-sectional study was performed.

Methods

Thirty-four CD patients (14 with CD in short-term remission and 20 with active CD) and 34 controls matched for age, sex, and education underwent clinical evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging brain scans. Biometric measurements, disease duration and remission duration data were collected. Grey matter volumes in the whole brain were examined using voxel-based morphometry (VBM).

Results

No differences were observed in the grey matter volumes of the medial frontal gyrus (MFG) and cerebellum between the patients with remitted CD and healthy controls, whereas patients with active CD had smaller grey matter volumes in these two regions compared with controls and patients with remitted CD. Furthermore, significant correlations were found between remission time and grey matter values in these regions in short-term remission CD patients. Additionally, greater grey matter volumes in the bilateral caudate of short-term remission CD patients were observed.

Conclusions

Trends for structural restoration were found in CD patients with short-term remission. This finding was associated with the number of days elapsed since curative surgery and the current age of the patients. This study enhances our understanding of potential reversibility after the resolution of hypercortisolism in CD patients.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

http://ift.tt/2qHv4Ya

Polycystic Ovary Morphology Is Associated with Insulin Resistance in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Abstract

Background/Objectives

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous disorder characterised by chronic anovulation, hyperandrogenenism, polycystic ovary morphology (PCOM), and metabolic disturbances including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although insulin resistance could be associated with PCOM, recent studies have shown controversial results. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between PCOM and insulin resistance.

Subjects/Methods

This was a cross-sectional clinical study. A total of 679 women with PCOS who were diagnosed using the National Institute of Child Health and Human Disease (NICHD) criteria and 272 control women were analysed. We measured fasting glucose and insulin levels, 75g oral glucose tolerance test-derived glucose and insulin levels, testosterone levels, ovarian volume, and follicle number.

Results

PCOM was described in 543 women (80.0%) with PCOS. Women with PCOS had significantly higher 2h post-load glucose, fasting and 2h post-load insulin levels, ovarian volume, ovarian follicle numbers and lower insulin sensitivity compared with those of the controls (all p < 0.01). In women with PCOS, ovarian volume and ovarian follicle number were negatively associated with the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index after adjusting for age, body mass index and total testosterone; however, this association was not observed in the controls. In the logistic regression analysis, increased ovarian follicle number was associated with decreased insulin sensitivity in women with PCOS.

Conclusions

In PCOS, enlarged ovarian volume and follicle excess were associated with insulin resistance, and the number of ovarian follicles could be a predictor of insulin resistance.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

http://ift.tt/2pVumtc

A Bayesian heteroscedastic GLM with application to fMRI data with motion spikes

Publication date: 15 July 2017
Source:NeuroImage, Volume 155
Author(s): Anders Eklund, Martin A. Lindquist, Mattias Villani
We propose a voxel-wise general linear model with autoregressive noise and heteroscedastic noise innovations (GLMH) for analyzing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. The model is analyzed from a Bayesian perspective and has the benefit of automatically down-weighting time points close to motion spikes in a data-driven manner. We develop a highly efficient Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm that allows for Bayesian variable selection among the regressors to model both the mean (i.e., the design matrix) and variance. This makes it possible to include a broad range of explanatory variables in both the mean and variance (e.g., time trends, activation stimuli, head motion parameters and their temporal derivatives), and to compute the posterior probability of inclusion from the MCMC output. Variable selection is also applied to the lags in the autoregressive noise process, making it possible to infer the lag order from the data simultaneously with all other model parameters. We use both simulated data and real fMRI data from OpenfMRI to illustrate the importance of proper modeling of heteroscedasticity in fMRI data analysis. Our results show that the GLMH tends to detect more brain activity, compared to its homoscedastic counterpart, by allowing the variance to change over time depending on the degree of head motion.



http://ift.tt/2rBDAbd

Neural correlates of believing

Publication date: 1 August 2017
Source:NeuroImage, Volume 156
Author(s): Xiaochun Han, Ting Zhang, Shiyu Wang, Shihui Han
Beliefs provide a fundamental cognitive basis for human behavior. But how the brain believes remains a mystery. We investigated the neural underpinnings of believing by scanning healthy adults using functional magnetic resonance imaging when they made yes/no responses to the questions whether they believe or think that a trait adjective describes themselves or a celebrity. We found that, relative to thinking, believing was characterized with better memory of self-related adjectives. Moreover, believing (vs. thinking) was associated with stronger activations in the left anterior insula/inferior frontal cortex, stronger functional connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex and left occipital cortex during judgments of one's own personality traits, and stronger intrinsic connectivity between the left occipital cortex and the left anterior insula/inferior frontal cortex. Our findings shed new light on the neurocognitive processes that characterize believing as a mental process in healthy adults.



http://ift.tt/2r2toM0

Unreliability of putative fMRI biomarkers during emotional face processing

Publication date: 1 August 2017
Source:NeuroImage, Volume 156
Author(s): C.L. Nord, A. Gray, C.J. Charpentier, O.J. Robinson, J.P. Roiser
There is considerable need to develop tailored approaches to psychiatric treatment. Numerous researchers have proposed using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) biomarkers to predict therapeutic response, in particular by measuring task-evoked subgenual anterior cingulate (sgACC) and amygdala activation in mood and anxiety disorders. Translating this to the clinic relies on the assumption that blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) responses in these regions are stable within individuals. To test this assumption, we scanned a group of 29 volunteers twice (mean test-retest interval=14.3 days) and calculated the within-subject reliability of the amplitude of the amygdalae and sgACC BOLD responses to emotional faces using three paradigms: emotion identification; emotion matching; and gender classification. We also calculated the reliability of activation in a control region, the right fusiform face area (FFA). All three tasks elicited robust group activations in the amygdalae and sgACC (which changed little on average over scanning sessions), but within-subject reliability was surprisingly low, despite excellent reliability in the control right FFA region. Our findings demonstrate low statistical reliability of two important putative treatment biomarkers in mood and anxiety disorders.



http://ift.tt/2rBrhvF

Reliability of volumetric and surface-based normalisation and smoothing techniques for PET analysis of the cortex: A test-retest analysis using [11C]SCH-23390

Publication date: 15 July 2017
Source:NeuroImage, Volume 155
Author(s): Granville J. Matheson, Per Stenkrona, Zsolt Cselényi, Pontus Plavén-Sigray, Christer Halldin, Lars Farde, Simon Cervenka
Parametric voxelwise analysis is a commonly used tool in neuroimaging, as it allows for identification of regions of effects in the absence of a strong a-priori regional hypothesis by comparing each voxel of the brain independently. Due to the inherent imprecision of single voxel measurements, spatial smoothing is performed to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of single-voxel estimates. In addition, smoothing compensates for imprecisions in anatomical registration, and allows for the use of cluster-based statistical thresholding. Smoothing has traditionally been applied in three dimensions, without taking the tissue types of surrounding voxels into account. This procedure may be suitable for subcortical structures, but is problematic for cortical regions for which grey matter often constitutes only a small proportion of the smoothed signal. New methods have been developed for cortical analysis in which voxels are sampled to a surface, and smoothing is restricted to neighbouring regions along the cortical grey matter in two dimensions. This procedure has recently been shown to decrease intersubject variability and bias of PET data. The aim of this study was to compare the variability, bias and test-retest reliability of volumetric and surface-based methods as they are applied in practice. Fifteen healthy young males were each measured twice using the dopamine D1 receptor radioligand [¹¹C]SCH-23390, and analyses were performed at the level of individual voxels and vertices within the cortex. We found that surface-based methods yielded higher BPND values, lower coefficient of variation, less bias, better reliability and more precise estimates of parametric binding. All in all, these results suggest that surface-based methods exhibit superior performance to volumetric approaches for voxelwise analysis of PET data, and we advocate for their use when a ROI-based analysis is not appropriate.



http://ift.tt/2r2AWyw

Transcranial manganese delivery for neuronal tract tracing using MEMRI

Publication date: 1 August 2017
Source:NeuroImage, Volume 156
Author(s): Tatjana Atanasijevic, Nadia Bouraoud, Dorian B. McGavern, Alan P. Koretsky
There has been a growing interest in the use of manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) for neuronal tract tracing in mammals, especially in rodents. For this MEMRI application, manganese solutions are usually directly injected into specific brain regions. Recently it was reported that manganese ions can diffuse through intact rat skull. Here the local manganese concentrations in the brain tissue after transcranial manganese application were quantified and the effectiveness of tracing from the area under the skull where delivery occurred was determined. It was established that transcranially applied manganese yields brain tissue enhancement dependent on the location of application on the skull and that manganese that enters the brain transcranially can trace to deeper brain areas.



http://ift.tt/2rBI15X

Attentional capture in visual search: Capture and post-capture dynamics revealed by EEG

Publication date: 1 August 2017
Source:NeuroImage, Volume 156
Author(s): Heinrich René Liesefeld, Anna Marie Liesefeld, Thomas Töllner, Hermann J. Müller
Sometimes, salient-but-irrelevant objects (distractors) presented concurrently with a search target cannot be ignored and attention is involuntarily allocated towards the distractor first. Several studies have provided electrophysiological evidence for involuntary misallocations of attention towards a distractor, but much less is known about the mechanisms that are needed to overcome a misallocation and re-allocate attention towards the concurrently presented target. In our study, electrophysiological markers of attentional mechanisms indicate that (i) the distractor captures attention before the target is attended, (ii) a misallocation of attention is terminated actively (instead of attention fading passively), and (iii) the misallocation of attention towards a distractor delays the attention allocation towards the target (rather than just delaying some post-attentive process involved in response selection). This provides the most complete demonstration, to date, of the chain of attentional mechanisms that are evoked when attention is misguided and recovers from capture within a search display.



http://ift.tt/2rBvShz

Using guitar learning to probe the Action Observation Network's response to visuomotor familiarity

Publication date: 1 August 2017
Source:NeuroImage, Volume 156
Author(s): Tom Gardner, Aidas Aglinskas, Emily S. Cross
Watching other people move elicits engagement of a collection of sensorimotor brain regions collectively termed the Action Observation Network (AON). An extensive literature documents more robust AON responses when observing or executing familiar compared to unfamiliar actions, as well as a positive correlation between amplitude of AON response and an observer's familiarity with an observed or executed movement. On the other hand, emerging evidence shows patterns of AON activity counter to these findings, whereby in some circumstances, unfamiliar actions lead to greater AON engagement than familiar actions. In an attempt to reconcile these conflicting findings, some have proposed that the relationship between AON response amplitude and action familiarity is nonlinear in nature. In the present study, we used an elaborate guitar training intervention to probe the relationship between movement familiarity and AON engagement during action execution and action observation tasks. Participants underwent fMRI scanning while executing one set of guitar sequences with a scanner-compatible bass guitar and observing a second set of sequences. Participants then acquired further physical practice or observational experience with half of these stimuli outside the scanner across 3 days. Participants then returned for an identical scanning session, wherein they executed and observed equal numbers of familiar (trained) and unfamiliar (untrained) guitar sequences. Via region of interest analyses, we extracted activity within AON regions engaged during both scanning sessions, and then fit linear, quadratic and cubic regression models to these data. The data best support the cubic regression models, suggesting that the response profile within key sensorimotor brain regions associated with the AON respond to action familiarity in a nonlinear manner. Moreover, by probing the subjective nature of the prediction error signal, we show results consistent with a predictive coding account of AON engagement during action observation and execution that also takes into account effects of changes in neural efficiency.



http://ift.tt/2r2Ef8F

Network-targeted cerebellar transcranial magnetic stimulation improves attentional control

Publication date: 1 August 2017
Source:NeuroImage, Volume 156
Author(s): Michael Esterman, Michelle Thai, Hidefusa Okabe, Joseph DeGutis, Elyana Saad, Simon E. Laganiere, Mark A. Halko
Developing non-invasive brain stimulation interventions to improve attentional control is extremely relevant to a variety of neurological and psychiatric populations, yet few studies have identified reliable biomarkers that can be readily modified to improve attentional control. One potential biomarker of attention is functional connectivity in the core cortical network supporting attention - the dorsal attention network (DAN). We used a network-targeted cerebellar transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) procedure, intended to enhance cortical functional connectivity in the DAN. Specifically, in healthy young adults we administered intermittent theta burst TMS (iTBS) to the midline cerebellar node of the DAN and, as a control, the right cerebellar node of the default mode network (DMN). These cerebellar targets were localized using individual resting-state fMRI scans. Participants completed assessments of both sustained (gradual onset continuous performance task, gradCPT) and transient attentional control (attentional blink) immediately before and after stimulation, in two sessions (cerebellar DAN and DMN). Following cerebellar DAN stimulation, participants had significantly fewer attentional lapses (lower commission error rates) on the gradCPT. In contrast, stimulation to the cerebellar DMN did not affect gradCPT performance. Further, in the DAN condition, individuals with worse baseline gradCPT performance showed the greatest enhancement in gradCPT performance. These results suggest that temporarily increasing functional connectivity in the DAN via network-targeted cerebellar stimulation can enhance sustained attention, particularly in those with poor baseline performance. With regard to transient attention, TMS stimulation improved attentional blink performance across both stimulation sites, suggesting increasing functional connectivity in both networks can enhance this aspect of attention. These findings have important implications for intervention applications of TMS and theoretical models of functional connectivity.



http://ift.tt/2r2HeOA

Hick–Hyman Law is Mediated by the Cognitive Control Network in the Brain

Abstract

The Hick–Hyman law describes a linear increase in reaction time (RT) as a function of the information entropy of response selection, which is computed as the binary logarithm of the number of response alternatives. While numerous behavioral studies have provided evidence for the Hick–Hyman law, its neural underpinnings have rarely been examined and are still unclear. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, by utilizing a choice reaction time task to manipulate the entropy of response selection, we examined brain activity mediating the input and the output, as well as the connectivity between corresponding regions in human participants. Beyond confirming the Hick–Hyman law in RT performance, we found that activation of the cognitive control network (CCN) increased and activation of the default mode network (DMN) decreased, both as a function of entropy. However, only the CCN, but not the DMN, was involved in mediating the relationship between entropy and RT. The CCN was involved in both stages of uncertainty representation and response generation, while the DMN was mainly involved at the stage of uncertainty representation. These findings indicate that the CCN serves as a core entity underlying the Hick–Hyman law by coordinating uncertainty representation and response generation in the brain.

http://ift.tt/2rBrWx9

Fabricating ternary hydrogels of P(AM-co-DMAEMA)/PVA/β-CD based on multiple physical crosslinkage

Publication date: 16 June 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 119
Author(s): Jia-Min Li, Chuan-Shan Hu, Jian-Ming Shao, Hui-Juan Li, Peng-Yun Li, Xi-Chuan Li, Wei-Dong He
Ternary hydrogels composed of poly[acrylamide-co-2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] [P(AM-co-DMAEMA)], poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) were fabricated based on the multiple physical interactions such as inclusion complexation, hydrogen bonding and polymer crystallinity, and exhibited high storage modulus. To illustrate the individual role of each physical interaction, symmetrical investigation has been performed. P(AM-co-DMAEMA)s with two compositions, prepared by radical polymerization at −20 °C below the freezing point of reaction medium of water, were served as the inclusion guest for the inclusion host of β-CD. The inclusion complex between dimethylaminoethyl group of DMAEMA and β-CD was identified through 2D NOESY NMR spectroscopy. Hydrogen bonding between each pairs of hydrogel components was confirmed with FTIR analysis and contributed the second form of crosslinkage. Under freezing polymerization and further freezing-thawing treatment, PVA component tended to crystallize to serve as the third type of physical crosslinkage, which was recognized with X-ray diffraction. Rheological and thermo-gravimetrical analysis was used to inspect the modulus and thermal stability of the hydrogels, respectively. Three hydrogels of P(AM-co-DMAEMA)/PVA-g-β-CD, P(AM-co-DMAEMA)/PVA/β-CD and P(AM-co-DMAEMA)/PVA were synthesized under the same condition to make the comparison. The whole results disclosed the strong dependence of hydrogel properties on the hydrogel components, reflecting the synergistic effects of different physical crosslinkages for the formation of those physical hydrogels.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2rBzpwp

Crystallization through mesophase in poly(butylene terephthalate): Approach from dependence of growth rate on lamellar thickness

Publication date: 16 June 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 119
Author(s): Takashi Konishi, Waki Sakatsuji, Yoshihisa Miyamoto
The temperature dependence of the spherulitic growth rate of poly(butylene terephtharate) (PBT) has been investigated by optical microscopy and compared with the temperature dependence of the lamellar thickness. The changes in the dependence of the growth rate on the lamellar thickness are observed at three temperatures, 218, 208 and 157 °C. The middle temperature, 208 °C, corresponds to the temperature at which the temperature dependence of the lamellar thickness changes. The correspondence leads to the interpretation that the crystalline stem directly forms at the growth front above 208 °C and that the mesomoprhic stem forms below 208 °C.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2rBlCpB

Repeatable adhesion by proton donor-acceptor interaction of polymer brushes

Publication date: 16 June 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 119
Author(s): Hayato Yoshioka, Chiharu Izumi, Miki Shida, Kazuo Yamaguchi, Motoyasu Kobayashi
Polymer brushes having proton donor and acceptor type functional groups were prepared on silicon wafers by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), 4-hydroxystyrene (4HS), 2-vinylpyridine (2VP), and 4-vinylpyridine (4VP), respectively. Two silicon wafers, one prepared with a poly(HEMA) brush and one with a poly(4VP) brush, were jointed in a 1-cm² contact area using 5-μL of methanol under a pressure of 120 N at room temperature and successively air-dried to form hydrogen bonds at the brush interface, yielding a lap shear adhesion strength of 337 kPa. Furthermore, poly(4HS) and poly(4VP) brushes also adhered more firmly with 5-μL of methanol to yield a lap shear adhesion strength of 843 kPa due to the phenolic OH group with a larger dipole moment compared to aliphatic OH. In addition, the adhered specimens smoothly debonded in methanol within 20 min at 298 K. The two separated substrates adhered again with a small amount of methanol. Repeatable adhesion and debonding was successfully achieved by proton donor and acceptor type polymer brushes.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2rBQ7vu

Correlation of alkylaluminum cocatalyst in Nd-based ternary catalyst with the polymerization performance of isoprene

Publication date: 16 June 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 119
Author(s): Huilong Guo, Jifu Bi, Jiayi Wang, Xuequan Zhang, Shichun Jiang, Zhonghua Wu
Nd-based ternary catalyst systems are widely used for rubber industry. The effect of alkylaluminum cocatalysts has been investigated for decades. However, there is a lack of structural evidence, especially the quantitative result to illustrate the inner reasons. In the present paper, the effect of different alkylaluminum cocatalysts to the polymerization performance of isoprene has been studied. Catalysts adopted in the present paper all show high 1,4-cis selectivity (above 96%) of polyisoprene and kind of alkylaluminum is not the crucial factor to affect the microstructure of polyisoprene. By comparing the polymerization performance of isoprene and the local atomic structure around Nd centers, it can be concluded that the short carbon-chain in the alkylaluminum cocatalyst is helpful to increase the percent conversion of isoprene. While the carbon-chain length and number in each alkylaluminum cocatalyst can be used to modulate the molecular weight of the synthesized polyisoprene. All the results in the present paper provide a clue to improve the Nd-based ternary catalyst for rubber synthesis.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2rByUSI

Strain-induced structural evolution during drawing of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fiber at different temperatures by in situ synchrotron SAXS and WAXD

Publication date: 16 June 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 119
Author(s): Yatao Liu, Lixin Yin, Huirong Zhao, Guangkun Song, Fangming Tang, Lili Wang, Huili Shao, Yaopeng Zhang
In situ synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) were carried out to study the lamellar and crystalline structural evolutions of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fiber during cold (20 °C) and hot (200 °C) drawing. The stress-strain curves were divided into two zones, i.e. linearly stress developing zone (zone I) and yield zone around fracture (zone II). In zone I during cold drawing, the two-dimensional (2-D) SAXS pattern transformed from a four-spot pattern to the coexistence of two- and four-spot patterns. The disappearance of lamellar peaks in zone II indicated the destruction of periodic lamellar structures, which was caused by the surface fragmentation of crystalline layers. In contrast, the 2-D SAXS patterns always existed during hot drawing, and the lamellar inclination decreased with strains. The lamellar and fibrillar structures were not destroyed, and crystallization occurred in the interlamellar amorphous layers. Fragmentation of crystalline surface mostly occurred at the end of zone II near fracture process. WAXD data suggested that the crystallinity and crystallite size perpendicular to (010) plane decreased, while the crystallite size perpendicular to (100) plane was rather stable during both cold and hot drawing.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2rBPPVB

Interferon regulatory factors: A key to tumour immunity

Publication date: August 2017
Source:International Immunopharmacology, Volume 49
Author(s): Yan-Jie Chen, Jing Li, Nan Lu, Xi-Zhong Shen
Interferon regulatory factors (IRFs), which have 10 members, belong to the transcription factor family and were named because of the regulation of interferon expression. They play important roles in the immune regulation, cell differentiation, cell apoptosis, and cell cycle regulation. This article will review the functional characteristics and immune activity of the family members, especially in the role of cell differentiation and autoimmune diseases. Intensive studies will help uncover the pathogenesis of the disease in a more comprehensive view, and provide novel targets for disease treatment. But the most important problems yet to solve is IRFs function in the development processes of tumour, and whether IRFs can be an important regulator in tumour immune treatment.



http://ift.tt/2qBoRPh

Artesunate and erythropoietin synergistically improve the outcome of experimental cerebral malaria

Publication date: July 2017
Source:International Immunopharmacology, Volume 48
Author(s): Yunting Du, Guang Chen, Xuexing Zhang, Chunyun Yu, Yaming Cao, Liwang Cui
Cerebral malaria (CM) is a severe neurological syndrome in humans and the main fatal cause of malaria. In malaria epidemic regions, despite appropriate anti-malarial treatment, 10–20% of deaths still occur during the acute phase. This is largely attributable to poor treatment access, therapeutic complexity and drug resistance; thus, developing additional clinical adjunctive therapies is an urgent necessity. In this study, we investigated the effect of artesunate (AST) and recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) using an experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) model—C57BL/6 mice infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA). Treatment with the combination of AST and rhEPO reduced endothelial activation and improved the integrity of blood brain barrier, which led to increased survival rate and reduced pathology in the ECM. In addition, this combination treatment down-regulated the Th1 response during PbA infection, which was correlated with the reduction of CCL2, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-18, CXCL9 and CXCL10 levels, leading to reduced accumulation of pathogenic T cells in the brain. Meanwhile, AST and rhEPO combination led to decreased maturation and activation of splenic dendritic cells, expansion of regulatory T cells, and increased IL-10 and TGF-β production. In conclusion, these data provide a theoretical basis for clinical adjunct therapy with rhEPO and AST in human cerebral malaria patients.



http://ift.tt/2q63JwT

Hominid visitation of the Moravian Karst during the Middle-Upper Paleolithic transition: New results from Pod Hradem Cave (Czech Republic)

Publication date: July 2017
Source:Journal of Human Evolution, Volume 108
Author(s): L. Nejman, R. Wood, D. Wright, L. Lisá, Z. Nerudová, P. Neruda, A. Přichystal, J. Svoboda
In 1956–1958, excavations of Pod Hradem Cave in Moravia (eastern Czech Republic) revealed evidence for human activity during the Middle-Upper Paleolithic transition. This spanned 25,050–44,800 cal BP and contained artefacts attributed to the Aurignacian and Szeletian cultures, including those made from porcelanite (rarely used at Moravian Paleolithic sites). Coarse grained excavation techniques and major inversions in radiocarbon dates meant that site chronology could not be established adequately. This paper documents re-excavation of Pod Hradem in 2011–2012. A comprehensive AMS dating program using ultrafiltration and ABOx-SC pre-treatments provides new insights into human occupation at Pod Hradem Cave. Fine-grained excavation reveals sedimentary units spanning approximately 20,000 years of the Early Upper Paleolithic and late Middle Paleolithic periods, thus making it the first archaeological cave site in the Czech Republic with such a sedimentary and archaeological record. Recent excavation confirms infrequent human visitation, including during the Early Aurignacian by people who brought with them portable art objects that have no parallel in the Czech Republic. Raw material diversity of lithics suggests long-distance imports and ephemeral visits by highly mobile populations throughout the EUP period.



http://ift.tt/2qDShgd

Improving the standard sequential treatment of Helicobacter pylori with either extended treatment or by adding bismuth

Publication date: Available online 19 May 2017
Source:Arab Journal of Gastroenterology
Author(s): Zehra Akpinar, Sinan Akay, Belkis Unsal
Background and study aimsStandard sequential treatment for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication has less success because of increasing clarithromycin resistance. Extended treatment and bismuth containing regimens were, therefore, investigated.Patients and methodsConsecutive H. pylori-positive patients with dyspepsia were randomly allocated to one of the three sequential regimens: The first group was given lansoprazole 30mg b.i.d. plus amoxicillin 1g b.i.d. for the first 5days, followed by lansoprazole 30mg b.i.d., clarithromycin 500mg b.i.d., and metronidazole 500mg t.i.d. for the second 5days (standard sequential, SS). The second group was given the same regimen but for 7+7days instead of 5+5days (extended sequential, ES). In the third group, colloidal bismuth 600mg b.i.d. was added to the second regimen for 14days (extended sequential+bismuth subcitrate, ES+B). Urea breath test or histology was performed before enrolment and 6weeks after the end of treatment to detect H. pylori.ResultsA total of 280 patients were included in the study. Per-protocol eradication rates were 62% (56/90), 72% (56/78), and 75% (54/72) in patients who received SS, ES, and ES+B regimens, respectively. Moreover, intention-to-treat eradication rates were 53% (56/104), 62% (56/90) and 62% (54/86), respectively. The differences in eradication rates between the groups were not statistically significant.ConclusionAlthough prolonging of the sequential treatment to 14days may be considered, addition of bismuth to the regimen is of no avail.



http://ift.tt/2q6faVj

Turning the tide: Clinical utility of PD-L1 expression in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Publication date: July 2017
Source:Oral Oncology, Volume 70
Author(s): Astrid De Meulenaere, Tijl Vermassen, Sandrine Aspeslagh, Wouter Huvenne, Jo Van Dorpe, Liesbeth Ferdinande, Sylvie Rottey
The use of cytotoxic and/or targeted agents is the gold standard in first- and second-line treatment of metastatic head and neck cancer. Currently the focus of oncologic research is shifting to the implementation of immune checkpoint inhibitor regimens. Many trials are being performed evaluating the survival benefit of various PD-1/PD-L1 blocking antibodies in both solid and haematological malignancies. Also, evaluation of the predictive value of PD-L1 expression on tumour cells and immune cells is being explored.We first review the current knowledge and possible pitfalls for PD-L1 expression in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Next, we provide an update on the therapeutic use of PD-1/PD-L1 blocking antibodies as treatment modality for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and we assess the predictive value of tumour PD-L1 positivity. Finally, we elaborate on other promising predictive biomarkers of interest in this patient population.



http://ift.tt/2qDOiQD