Fast calcium and voltage-sensitive dye imaging in enteric neurones reveal calcium peaks associated with single action potential discharge.

PubMed

Michel, K; Michaelis, M; Mazzuoli, G; Mueller, K; Vanden Berghe, P; Schemann, M

2011-12-15

Slow changes in [Ca(2+)](i) reflect increased neuronal activity. Our study demonstrates that single-trial fast [Ca(2+)](i) imaging (≥200 Hz sampling rate) revealed peaks each of which are associated with single spike discharge recorded by consecutive voltage-sensitive dye (VSD) imaging in enteric neurones and nerve fibres. Fast [Ca(2+)](i) imaging also revealed subthreshold fast excitatory postsynaptic potentials. Nicotine-evoked [Ca(2+)](i) peaks were reduced by -conotoxin and blocked by ruthenium red or tetrodotoxin. Fast [Ca(2+)](i) imaging can be used to directly record single action potentials in enteric neurones. [Ca(2+)](i) peaks required opening of voltage-gated sodium and calcium channels as well as Ca(2+) release from intracellular stores.

DHA-fluorescent probe is sensitive to membrane order and reveals molecular adaptation of DHA in ordered lipid microdomains☆

PubMed Central

Teague, Heather; Ross, Ron; Harris, Mitchel; Mitchell, Drake C.; Shaikh, Saame Raza

2012-01-01

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) disrupts the size and order of plasma membrane lipid microdomains in vitro and in vivo. However, it is unknown how the highly disordered structure of DHA mechanistically adapts to increase the order of tightly packed lipid microdomains. Therefore, we studied a novel DHA-Bodipy fluorescent probe to address this issue. We first determined if the DHA-Bodipy probe localized to the plasma membrane of primary B and immortal EL4 cells. Image analysis revealed that DHA-Bodipy localized into the plasma membrane of primary B cells more efficiently than EL4 cells. We then determined if the probe detected changes in plasma membrane order. Quantitative analysis of time-lapse movies established that DHA-Bodipy was sensitive to membrane molecular order. This allowed us to investigate how DHA-Bodipy physically adapted to ordered lipid microdomains. To accomplish this, we employed steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy measurements in lipid vesicles of varying composition. Similar to cell culture studies, the probe was highly sensitive to membrane order in lipid vesicles. Moreover, these experiments revealed, relative to controls, that upon incorporation into highly ordered microdomains, DHA-Bodipy underwent an increase in its fluorescence lifetime and molecular order. In addition, the probe displayed a significant reduction in its rotational diffusion compared to controls. Altogether, DHA-Bodipy was highly sensitive to membrane order and revealed for the first time that DHA, despite its flexibility, could become ordered with less rotational motion inside ordered lipid microdomains. Mechanistically, this explains how DHA acyl chains can increase order upon formation of lipid microdomains in vivo. PMID:22841541

Identifying key sources of uncertainty in the modelling of greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Sweetapple, Christine; Fu, Guangtao; Butler, David

2013-09-01

This study investigates sources of uncertainty in the modelling of greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment, through the use of local and global sensitivity analysis tools, and contributes to an in-depth understanding of wastewater treatment modelling by revealing critical parameters and parameter interactions. One-factor-at-a-time sensitivity analysis is used to screen model parameters and identify those with significant individual effects on three performance indicators: total greenhouse gas emissions, effluent quality and operational cost. Sobol's method enables identification of parameters with significant higher order effects and of particular parameter pairs to which model outputs are sensitive. Use of a variance-based global sensitivity analysis tool to investigate parameter interactions enables identification of important parameters not revealed in one-factor-at-a-time sensitivity analysis. These interaction effects have not been considered in previous studies and thus provide a better understanding wastewater treatment plant model characterisation. It was found that uncertainty in modelled nitrous oxide emissions is the primary contributor to uncertainty in total greenhouse gas emissions, due largely to the interaction effects of three nitrogen conversion modelling parameters. The higher order effects of these parameters are also shown to be a key source of uncertainty in effluent quality. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Defect-engineered graphene chemical sensors with ultrahigh sensitivity.

PubMed

Lee, Geonyeop; Yang, Gwangseok; Cho, Ara; Han, Jeong Woo; Kim, Jihyun

2016-05-25

We report defect-engineered graphene chemical sensors with ultrahigh sensitivity (e.g., 33% improvement in NO2 sensing and 614% improvement in NH3 sensing). A conventional reactive ion etching system was used to introduce the defects in a controlled manner. The sensitivity of graphene-based chemical sensors increased with increasing defect density until the vacancy-dominant region was reached. In addition, the mechanism of gas sensing was systematically investigated via experiments and density functional theory calculations, which indicated that the vacancy defect is a major contributing factor to the enhanced sensitivity. This study revealed that defect engineering in graphene has significant potential for fabricating ultra-sensitive graphene chemical sensors.

Principal Component Analysis of Chlorophyll Content in Tobacco, Bean and Petunia Plants Exposed to Different Tropospheric Ozone Concentrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borowiak, Klaudia; Zbierska, Janina; Budka, Anna; Kayzer, Dariusz

2014-06-01

Three plant species were assessed in this study - ozone-sensitive and -resistant tobacco, ozone-sensitive petunia and bean. Plants were exposed to ambient air conditions for several weeks in two sites differing in tropospheric ozone concentrations in the growing season of 2009. Every week chlorophyll contents were analysed. Cumulative ozone effects on the chlorophyll content in relation to other meteorological parameters were evaluated using principal component analysis, while the relation between certain days of measurements of the plants were analysed using multivariate analysis of variance. Results revealed variability between plant species response. However, some similarities were noted. Positive relations of all chlorophyll forms to cumulative ozone concentration (AOT 40) were found for all the plant species that were examined. The chlorophyll b/a ratio revealed an opposite position to ozone concentration only in the ozone-resistant tobacco cultivar. In all the plant species the highest average chlorophyll content was noted after the 7th day of the experiment. Afterwards, the plants usually revealed various responses. Ozone-sensitive tobacco revealed decrease of chlorophyll content, and after few weeks of decline again an increase was observed. Probably, due to the accommodation for the stress factor. While during first three weeks relatively high levels of chlorophyll contents were noted in ozone-resistant tobacco. Petunia revealed a slow decrease of chlorophyll content and the lowest values at the end of the experiment. A comparison between the plant species revealed the highest level of chlorophyll contents in ozone-resistant tobacco.

Murine pharmacokinetics and antitumor efficacy of the photodynamic sensitizer 2-[1-hexyloxyethyl]-2-devinyl pyropheophorbide-a.

PubMed

Bellnier, D A; Henderson, B W; Pandey, R K; Potter, W R; Dougherty, T J

1993-09-01

The combination of the new photodynamic sensitizer 2-[1-hexyloxyethyl]-2-devinyl pyropheophorbide-a (HPPH) and laser light of wavelength 665 nm showed antitumor activity against two s.c.-implanted murine tumors. HPPH also sensitized normal mouse foot tissue to light but photosensitivity decreased rapidly with time after HPPH administration. Mechanistic studies revealed that HPPH induced little direct tumor cell toxicity but was an effective mediator of vascular photodamage. Pharmacokinetic studies following intravenous injection of 1 mg [14C]HPPH per kilogram revealed a biexponential decay with time, with plasma alpha and beta half-lives of 0.69 and 21 h respectively. Fecal excretion was the primary route of elimination. The highest levels of [14C]HPPH were found in the liver, which also showed the greatest long-term retention. The sequence of decreasing uptake levels was the liver, adrenals, lung, spleen, kidney, urinary bladder, heart, eye, skin, pancreas, muscle, testes, fat and brain. This distribution correlated with the relative blood perfusion rates in the tissues.

Perception of biomechanical motions by infants: implementation of various processing constraints.

PubMed

Bertenthal, B I; Proffitt, D R; Kramer, S J

1987-11-01

Geometry informs us that there exist a large number of possible connectivity patterns consistent with a point-light display of a person walking. Yet there is only one pattern consistent with a "stick figure" representation of the human form, and that pattern is uniquely specified by those pairwise connections that remain locally rigid. In this study, sensitivity to local rigidity in biomechanical displays was investigated in 3- and 5-month-old infants. The results of Experiment 1 revealed that by 5 months of age, infants discriminate a locally rigid point-light walker display from one in which local rigidity is perturbed. In Experiment 2 we tested infants' sensitivity to the same stimuli when those stimuli were inverted. Contrary to the preceding experiment, the results revealed no evidence of discrimination. Taken together, these findings suggest that infants are sensitive to local rigidity in biomechanical displays but that this sensitivity is orientation specific. Possible mechanisms for this specificity are discussed in the context of additional constraints on the processing of biomechanical displays.

From Lexical Tone to Lexical Stress: A Cross-Language Mediation Model for Cantonese Children Learning English as a Second Language

PubMed Central

Choi, William; Tong, Xiuli; Singh, Leher

2017-01-01

This study investigated how Cantonese lexical tone sensitivity contributed to English lexical stress sensitivity among Cantonese children who learned English as a second language (ESL). Five-hundred-and-sixteen second-to-third grade Cantonese ESL children were tested on their Cantonese lexical tone sensitivity, English lexical stress sensitivity, general auditory sensitivity, and working memory. Structural equation modeling revealed that Cantonese lexical tone sensitivity contributed to English lexical stress sensitivity both directly, and indirectly through the mediation of general auditory sensitivity, in which the direct pathway had a larger relative contribution to English lexical stress sensitivity than the indirect pathway. These results suggest that the tone-stress association might be accounted for by joint phonological and acoustic processes that underlie lexical tone and lexical stress perception. PMID:28408898

Comparative proteomics as a tool for identifying specific alterations within interferon response pathways in human glioblastoma multiforme cells

PubMed Central

Lobas, Anna A; Solovyeva, Elizaveta M; Sidorenko, Alena S; Gorshkov, Vladimir; Kjeldsen, Frank; Bubis, Julia A; Ivanov, Mark V; Ilina, Irina Y; Moshkovskii, Sergei A; Chumakov, Peter M; Gorshkov, Mikhail V

2018-01-01

An acquisition of increased sensitivity of cancer cells to viruses is a common outcome of malignant progression that justifies the development of oncolytic viruses as anticancer therapeutics. Studying molecular changes that underlie the sensitivity to viruses would help to identify cases where oncolytic virus therapy would be most effective. We quantified changes in protein abundances in two glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cell lines that differ in the ability to induce resistance to vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection in response to type I interferon (IFN) treatment. In IFN-treated samples we observed an up-regulation of protein products of some IFN-regulated genes (IRGs). In total, the proteome analysis revealed up to 20% more proteins encoded by IRGs in the glioblastoma cell line, which develops resistance to VSV infection after pre-treatment with IFN. In both cell lines protein-protein interaction and signaling pathway analyses have revealed a significant stimulation of processes related to type I IFN signaling and defense responses to viruses. However, we observed a deficiency in STAT2 protein in the VSV-sensitive cell line that suggests a de-regulation of the JAK/STAT/IRF9 signaling. The study has shown that the up-regulation of IRG proteins induced by the IFNα treatment of GBM cells can be detected at the proteome level. Similar analyses could be applied for revealing functional alterations within the antiviral mechanisms in glioblastoma samples, accompanying by acquisition of sensitivity to oncolytic viruses. The approach can be useful for discovering the biomarkers that predict a potential sensitivity of individual glioblastoma tumors to oncolytic virus therapy. PMID:29416731

Cultural sensitivity and health promotion: assessing breast cancer education pamphlets designed for African American women.

PubMed

Kline, Kimberly N

2007-01-01

This study discusses the implications for cultural sensitivity of the rhetorical choices in breast cancer education materials developed specifically for African American audiences by national organizations. Using the PEN-3 model of cultural sensitivity as an analytic framework for a generative rhetorical criticism, this study revealed that adaptations have been made in some pamphlets to acknowledge African American cultural values related to community, self-reliance, spirituality, and distrust of the Western medical establishment, but many messages could be revised to achieve a more comprehensive, balanced, accurate, and audience-specific discussion of the breast cancer issue. Achieving cultural sensitivity in health promotion materials necessitates attention to nuanced meanings in messages, revision of questionable arguments and evidence, and avoidance of ambiguity.

Prospective trial evaluating the sensitivity and specificity of 3,4-dihydroxy-6-[18F]-fluoro-L-phenylalanine (18F-DOPA) PET and MRI in patients with recurrent gliomas.

PubMed

Youland, Ryan S; Pafundi, Deanna H; Brinkmann, Debra H; Lowe, Val J; Morris, Jonathan M; Kemp, Bradley J; Hunt, Christopher H; Giannini, Caterina; Parney, Ian F; Laack, Nadia N

2018-05-01

Treatment-related changes can be difficult to differentiate from progressive glioma using MRI with contrast (CE). The purpose of this study is to compare the sensitivity and specificity of 18F-DOPA-PET and MRI in patients with recurrent glioma. Thirteen patients with MRI findings suspicious for recurrent glioma were prospectively enrolled and underwent 18F-DOPA-PET and MRI for neurosurgical planning. Stereotactic biopsies were obtained from regions of concordant and discordant PET and MRI CE, all within regions of T2/FLAIR signal hyperintensity. The sensitivity and specificity of 18F-DOPA-PET and CE were calculated based on histopathologic analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed optimal tumor to normal (T/N) and SUVmax thresholds. In the 37 specimens obtained, 51% exhibited MRI contrast enhancement (M+) and 78% demonstrated 18F-DOPA-PET avidity (P+). Imaging characteristics included M-P- in 16%, M-P+ in 32%, M+P+ in 46% and M+P- in 5%. Histopathologic review of biopsies revealed grade II components in 16%, grade III in 43%, grade IV in 30% and no tumor in 11%. MRI CE sensitivity for recurrent tumor was 52% and specificity was 50%. PET sensitivity for tumor was 82% and specificity was 50%. A T/N threshold > 2.0 altered sensitivity to 76% and specificity to 100% and SUVmax > 1.36 improved sensitivity and specificity to 94 and 75%, respectively. 18F-DOPA-PET can provide increased sensitivity and specificity compared with MRI CE for visualizing the spatial distribution of recurrent gliomas. Future studies will incorporate 18F-DOPA-PET into re-irradiation target volume delineation for RT planning.

Isolation, purification, and partial characterization of a membrane-bound Cl-/HCO3--activated ATPase complex from rat brain with sensitivity to GABAAergic ligands.

PubMed

Menzikov, Sergey A

2017-02-07

This study describes the isolation and purification of a protein complex with [Formula: see text]-ATPase activity and sensitivity to GABA A ergic ligands from rat brain plasma membranes. The ATPase complex was enriched using size-exclusion, affinity, and ion-exchange chromatography. The fractions obtained at each purification step were subjected to SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), which revealed four subunits with molecular mass ∼48, 52, 56, and 59 kDa; these were retained at all stages of the purification process. Autoradiography revealed that the ∼52 and 56 kDa subunits could bind [ 3 H]muscimol. The [Formula: see text]-ATPase activity of this enriched protein complex was regulated by GABA A ergic ligands but was not sensitive to blockers of the NKCC or KCC cotransporters.

Gene-Environment Contributions to the Development of Infant Vagal Reactivity: The Interaction of Dopamine and Maternal Sensitivity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Propper, Cathi; Moore, Ginger A.; Mills-Koonce, W. Roger; Halpern, Carolyn Tucker; Hill-Soderlund, Ashley L.; Calkins, Susan D.; Carbone, Mary Anna; Cox, Martha

2008-01-01

This study investigated dopamine receptor genes ("DRD2" and "DRD4") and maternal sensitivity as predictors of infant respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and RSA reactivity, purported indices of vagal tone and vagal regulation, in a challenge task at 3, 6, and 12 months in 173 infant-mother dyads. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) revealed that at…

Behavioral Control and Reward Sensitivity in Adolescents' Risk Taking Behavior: A Longitudinal TRAILS Study.

PubMed

Peeters, Margot; Oldehinkel, Tineke; Vollebergh, Wilma

2017-01-01

Neurodevelopmental theories of risk behavior hypothesize that low behavioral control in combination with high reward sensitivity explains adolescents' risk behavior. However, empirical studies examining this hypothesis while including actual risk taking behavior in adolescence are lacking. In this study we tested whether the imbalance between behavioral control and reward sensitivity underlies risk taking behavior in adolescence, using a nationally representative longitudinal sample of 715 adolescents, of which 66% revealed an increased risk for mental health problems. To assess behavioral control at age 11 we used both self-report (effortful control) as well as behavioral measures of cognitive control (i.e., working memory and response inhibition). Reward sensitivity was assessed with the Bangor Gambling Task. The main finding of this study was that effortful control at age 11 was the best predictor of risk taking behavior (alcohol and cannabis use) at age 16, particularly among adolescents who were more reward sensitive. Risk taking behavior in adolescents might be explained by relatively weak behavioral control functioning combined with high sensitivity for reward.

Sensitivity Analysis of Biome-Bgc Model for Dry Tropical Forests of Vindhyan Highlands, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, M.; Raghubanshi, A. S.

2011-08-01

A process-based model BIOME-BGC was run for sensitivity analysis to see the effect of ecophysiological parameters on net primary production (NPP) of dry tropical forest of India. The sensitivity test reveals that the forest NPP was highly sensitive to the following ecophysiological parameters: Canopy light extinction coefficient (k), Canopy average specific leaf area (SLA), New stem C : New leaf C (SC:LC), Maximum stomatal conductance (gs,max), C:N of fine roots (C:Nfr), All-sided to projected leaf area ratio and Canopy water interception coefficient (Wint). Therefore, these parameters need more precision and attention during estimation and observation in the field studies.

Thin-film chemical sensors based on electron tunneling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khanna, S. K.; Lambe, J.; Leduc, H. G.; Thakoor, A. P.

1985-01-01

The physical mechanisms underlying a novel chemical sensor based on electron tunneling in metal-insulator-metal (MIM) tunnel junctions were studied. Chemical sensors based on electron tunneling were shown to be sensitive to a variety of substances that include iodine, mercury, bismuth, ethylenedibromide, and ethylenedichloride. A sensitivity of 13 parts per billion of iodine dissolved in hexane was demonstrated. The physical mechanisms involved in the chemical sensitivity of these devices were determined to be the chemical alteration of the surface electronic structure of the top metal electrode in the MIM structure. In addition, electroreflectance spectroscopy (ERS) was studied as a complementary surface-sensitive technique. ERS was shown to be sensitive to both iodine and mercury. Electrolyte electroreflectance and solid-state MIM electroreflectance revealed qualitatively the same chemical response. A modified thin-film structure was also studied in which a chemically active layer was introduced at the top Metal-Insulator interface of the MIM devices. Cobalt phthalocyanine was used for the chemically active layer in this study. Devices modified in this way were shown to be sensitive to iodine and nitrogen dioxide. The chemical sensitivity of the modified structure was due to conductance changes in the active layer.

Structural, functional and pH sensitive release characteristics of water-soluble polysaccharide from the seeds of Albizia lebbeck L.

PubMed

Kumar Varma, Chekuri Ashok; Jayaram Kumar, K

2017-11-01

Plant polysaccharides, generally regarded as safe (GRAS), are gaining importance as excipients in drug delivery. Therefore, the current paper presents the studies on structural, functional and drug release study of water soluble polysaccharide (ALPS) from seeds of Albizia lebbeck L. High swelling, water holding capacity, foam stability and lower moisture content suggests its use as additive in food preparations. The apparent molecular weight of polysaccharide was found to be 1.98×10 2 kDa. Monosaccharide composition analysis indicated that ALPS consists of mannose (4.06%), rhamnose (22.79%), glucose (38.9%), galactose (17.84%) and xylose (16.42%). Micromeritic properties revealed that the polysaccharide possess potential for pharmaceutical applications. From the surface charge analysis, ALPS was found to be non-ionic polysaccharide. Morphological study reveals the polysaccharide with irregular particle shape and rough surface. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study confirms the carbohydrate nature of polysaccharide. From the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data, the second mass loss (243-340°C) attributed to polysaccharide degradation. The drug release profile reveals the use of polysaccharide for the preparation of pH sensitive pharmaceutical dosage forms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reinforcement Sensitivity and Social Anxiety in Combat Veterans

PubMed Central

Kimbrel, Nathan A.; Meyer, Eric C.; DeBeer, Bryann B.; Mitchell, John T.; Kimbrel, Azure D.; Nelson-Gray, Rosemery O.; Morissette, Sandra B.

2017-01-01

Objective The present study tested the hypothesis that low behavioral approach system (BAS) sensitivity is associated with social anxiety in combat veterans. Method Self-report measures of reinforcement sensitivity, combat exposure, social interaction anxiety, and social observation anxiety were administered to 197 Iraq/Afghanistan combat veterans. Results As expected, combat exposure, behavioral inhibition system (BIS) sensitivity, and fight-flight-freeze system (FFFS) sensitivity were positively associated with both social interaction anxiety and social observation anxiety. In contrast, BAS sensitivity was negatively associated with social interaction anxiety only. An analysis of the BAS subscales revealed that the Reward Responsiveness subscale was the only BAS subscale associated with social interaction anxiety. BAS-Reward Responsiveness was also associated with social observation anxiety. Conclusion The findings from the present research provide further evidence that low BAS sensitivity may be associated with social anxiety over and above the effects of BIS and FFFS sensitivity. PMID:28966424

Reinforcement Sensitivity and Social Anxiety in Combat Veterans.

PubMed

Kimbrel, Nathan A; Meyer, Eric C; DeBeer, Bryann B; Mitchell, John T; Kimbrel, Azure D; Nelson-Gray, Rosemery O; Morissette, Sandra B

2016-08-01

The present study tested the hypothesis that low behavioral approach system (BAS) sensitivity is associated with social anxiety in combat veterans. Self-report measures of reinforcement sensitivity, combat exposure, social interaction anxiety, and social observation anxiety were administered to 197 Iraq/Afghanistan combat veterans. As expected, combat exposure, behavioral inhibition system (BIS) sensitivity, and fight-flight-freeze system (FFFS) sensitivity were positively associated with both social interaction anxiety and social observation anxiety. In contrast, BAS sensitivity was negatively associated with social interaction anxiety only. An analysis of the BAS subscales revealed that the Reward Responsiveness subscale was the only BAS subscale associated with social interaction anxiety. BAS-Reward Responsiveness was also associated with social observation anxiety. The findings from the present research provide further evidence that low BAS sensitivity may be associated with social anxiety over and above the effects of BIS and FFFS sensitivity.

The effects of abdominal lipectomy in metabolic syndrome components and insulin sensitivity in females: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Seretis, Konstantinos; Goulis, Dimitrios G; Koliakos, Georgios; Demiri, Efterpi

2015-12-01

Adipose tissue is an endocrine organ, which is implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Lipectomy offers a unique opportunity to permanently reduce the absolute number of fat cells, though its functional role remains unclear. This systematic and meta-analysis review aims to assess the effect of abdominal lipectomy on metabolic syndrome components and insulin sensitivity in women. A predetermined protocol, established according to the Cochrane Handbook's recommendations, was used. An electronic search in MEDLINE, Scopus, the Cochrane Library and CENTRAL electronic databases was conducted from inception to May 14, 2015. This search was supplemented by a review of reference lists of potentially eligible studies and a manual search of key journals in the field of plastic surgery. Eligible studies were prospective studies with ≥1month of follow-up that included females only who underwent abdominal lipectomy and reported on parameters of metabolic syndrome and insulin sensitivity. The systematic review included 11 studies with a total of 271 individuals. Conflicting results were revealed, though most studies showed no significant metabolic effects after lipectomy. The meta-analysis included 4 studies with 140 subjects. No significant changes were revealed between lipectomy and control groups. This meta-analysis provides evidence that abdominal lipectomy in females does not affect significantly the components of metabolic syndrome and insulin sensitivity. Further high quality studies are needed to elucidate the potential metabolic effects of abdominal lipectomy. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42015017564 (www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sensitive imaging of magnetization structure and dynamics using picosecond laser heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartell, Jason; Jermain, Colin; Aradhya, Sriharsha; Brangham, Jack; Yang, Fengyuan; Ralph, Daniel; Fuchs, Gregory

We demonstrate the time-resolved longitudinal spin Seebeck effect (TRLSSE) as the basis for an ultrafast, high-resolution, and sensitive microscope for imaging ferromagnetic insulator/normal metal spintronic devices. By focusing a picosecond laser to 0.7 μm, we generate a sub-100 ps electrical signal from the combination of the TRLSSE and the inverse spin Hall effect in yittrium iron garnet (YIG)/platinum (Pt) bilayers. This signal is a spatiotemporal measurement of the local, in-plane magnetic orientation of YIG with outstanding sensitivity better than 0.3° /√{ Hz } in samples with 20 nm of YIG. Static imaging of YIG/Pt devices reveals variations in the local magnetic anisotropy on a few micron scale. Phase-sensitive ferromagnetic resonance imaging reveals corresponding variations in the resonance field, amplitude, phase, and linewidth. These results show the TRLSSE is a powerful tool for static and dynamic studies of spintronic devices made with ferromagnetic insulators. This research was supported by the AFOSR (FA9550-14-1-0243) and by NSF (DMR-1406333, DMR-1507274, and DMR-1120296).

Visual acuity of the honey bee retina and the limits for feature detection.

PubMed

Rigosi, Elisa; Wiederman, Steven D; O'Carroll, David C

2017-04-06

Visual abilities of the honey bee have been studied for more than 100 years, recently revealing unexpectedly sophisticated cognitive skills rivalling those of vertebrates. However, the physiological limits of the honey bee eye have been largely unaddressed and only studied in an unnatural, dark state. Using a bright display and intracellular recordings, we here systematically investigated the angular sensitivity across the light adapted eye of honey bee foragers. Angular sensitivity is a measure of photoreceptor receptive field size and thus small values indicate higher visual acuity. Our recordings reveal a fronto-ventral acute zone in which angular sensitivity falls below 1.9°, some 30% smaller than previously reported. By measuring receptor noise and responses to moving dark objects, we also obtained direct measures of the smallest features detectable by the retina. In the frontal eye, single photoreceptors respond to objects as small as 0.6° × 0.6°, with >99% reliability. This indicates that honey bee foragers possess significantly better resolution than previously reported or estimated behaviourally, and commonly assumed in modelling of bee acuity.

Pds5 regulators segregate cohesion and condensation pathways in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

PubMed Central

Tong, Kevin; Skibbens, Robert V.

2015-01-01

Cohesins are required both for the tethering together of sister chromatids (termed cohesion) and subsequent condensation into discrete structures—processes fundamental for faithful chromosome segregation into daughter cells. Differentiating between cohesin roles in cohesion and condensation would provide an important advance in studying chromatin metabolism. Pds5 is a cohesin-associated factor that is essential for both cohesion maintenance and condensation. Recent studies revealed that ELG1 deletion suppresses the temperature sensitivity of pds5 mutant cells. However, the mechanisms through which Elg1 may regulate cohesion and condensation remain unknown. Here, we report that ELG1 deletion from pds5-1 mutant cells results in a significant rescue of cohesion, but not condensation, defects. Based on evidence that Elg1 unloads the DNA replication clamp PCNA from DNA, we tested whether PCNA overexpression would similarly rescue pds5-1 mutant cell cohesion defects. The results indeed reveal that elevated levels of PCNA rescue pds5-1 temperature sensitivity and cohesion defects, but do not rescue pds5-1 mutant cell condensation defects. In contrast, RAD61 deletion rescues the condensation defect, but importantly, neither the temperature sensitivity nor cohesion defects exhibited by pds5-1 mutant cells. In combination, these findings reveal that cohesion and condensation are separable pathways and regulated in nonredundant mechanisms. These results are discussed in terms of a new model through which cohesion and condensation are spatially regulated. PMID:25986377

Pds5 regulators segregate cohesion and condensation pathways in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Tong, Kevin; Skibbens, Robert V

2015-06-02

Cohesins are required both for the tethering together of sister chromatids (termed cohesion) and subsequent condensation into discrete structures-processes fundamental for faithful chromosome segregation into daughter cells. Differentiating between cohesin roles in cohesion and condensation would provide an important advance in studying chromatin metabolism. Pds5 is a cohesin-associated factor that is essential for both cohesion maintenance and condensation. Recent studies revealed that ELG1 deletion suppresses the temperature sensitivity of pds5 mutant cells. However, the mechanisms through which Elg1 may regulate cohesion and condensation remain unknown. Here, we report that ELG1 deletion from pds5-1 mutant cells results in a significant rescue of cohesion, but not condensation, defects. Based on evidence that Elg1 unloads the DNA replication clamp PCNA from DNA, we tested whether PCNA overexpression would similarly rescue pds5-1 mutant cell cohesion defects. The results indeed reveal that elevated levels of PCNA rescue pds5-1 temperature sensitivity and cohesion defects, but do not rescue pds5-1 mutant cell condensation defects. In contrast, RAD61 deletion rescues the condensation defect, but importantly, neither the temperature sensitivity nor cohesion defects exhibited by pds5-1 mutant cells. In combination, these findings reveal that cohesion and condensation are separable pathways and regulated in nonredundant mechanisms. These results are discussed in terms of a new model through which cohesion and condensation are spatially regulated.

Caveolin-1 sensitizes cisplatin-induced lung cancer cell apoptosis via superoxide anion-dependent mechanism.

PubMed

Pongjit, Kanittha; Chanvorachote, Pithi

2011-12-01

Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) expression frequently found in lung cancer was linked with disease prognosis and progression. This study reveals for the first time that Cav-1 sensitizes cisplatin-induced lung carcinoma cell death by the mechanism involving oxidative stress modulation. We established stable Cav-1 overexpressed (H460/Cav-1) cells and investigated their cisplatin susceptibility in comparison with control-transfected cells and found that Cav-1 expression significantly enhanced cisplatin-mediated cell death. Results indicated that the different response to cisplatin between these cells was resulted from different level of superoxide anion induced by cisplatin. Inhibitory study revealed that superoxide anion inhibitor MnTBAP could inhibit cisplatin-mediated toxicity only in H460/Cav-1 cells while had no effect on H460 cells. Further, superoxide anion detected by DHE probe indicated that H460/Cav-1 cells generated significantly higher superoxide anion level in response to cisplatin than that of control cells. The role of Cav-1 in regulating cisplatin sensitivity was confirmed in shRNA-mediated Cav-1 down-regulated (H460/shCav-1) cells and the cells exhibited decreased cisplatin susceptibility and superoxide generation. In summary, these findings reveal novel aspects regarding role of Cav-1 in modulating oxidative stress induced by cisplatin, possibly providing new insights for cancer biology and cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

Getting what you want: How fit between desired and received leader sensitivity influences emotion and counterproductive work behavior.

PubMed

Rupprecht, Elizabeth A; Kueny, Clair Reynolds; Shoss, Mindy K; Metzger, Andrew J

2016-10-01

We challenge the intuitive belief that greater leader sensitivity is always associated with desirable outcomes for employees and organizations. Specifically, we argue that followers' idiosyncratic desires for, and perceptions of, leader sensitivity behaviors play a key role in how followers react to their leader's sensitivity. Moreover, these resulting affective experiences are likely to have important consequences for organizations, specifically as they relate to employee counterproductive work behavior (CWB). Drawing from supplies-values (S-V) fit theory and the stressor-emotion model of CWB, the current study focuses on the affective and behavioral consequences of fit between subordinates' ideal leader sensitivity behavior preferences and subordinates' perceptions of their actual leader's sensitivity behaviors. Polynomial regression analyses reveal that congruence between ideal and actual leader sensitivity influences employee negative affect and, consequently, engagement in counterproductive work behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Reveal Salmonella 2.0 test for detection of Salmonella spp. in foods and environmental samples. Performance Tested Method 960801.

PubMed

Hoerner, Rebecca; Feldpausch, Jill; Gray, R Lucas; Curry, Stephanie; Islam, Zahidul; Goldy, Tim; Klein, Frank; Tadese, Theodros; Rice, Jennifer; Mozola, Mark

2011-01-01

Reveal Salmonella 2.0 is an improved version of the original Reveal Salmonella lateral flow immunoassay and is applicable to the detection of Salmonella enterica serogroups A-E in a variety of food and environmental samples. A Performance Tested Method validation study was conducted to compare performance of the Reveal 2.0 method with that of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Food Safety and Inspection Service or U.S. Food and Drug Administration/Bacteriological Analytical Manual reference culture methods for detection of Salmonella spp. in chicken carcass rinse, raw ground turkey, raw ground beef, hot dogs, raw shrimp, a ready-to-eat meal product, dry pet food, ice cream, spinach, cantaloupe, peanut butter, stainless steel surface, and sprout irrigation water. In a total of 17 trials performed internally and four trials performed in an independent laboratory, there were no statistically significant differences in performance of the Reveal 2.0 and reference culture procedures as determined by Chi-square analysis, with the exception of one trial with stainless steel surface and one trial with sprout irrigation water where there were significantly more positive results by the Reveal 2.0 method. Considering all data generated in testing food samples using enrichment procedures specifically designed for the Reveal method, overall sensitivity of the Reveal method relative to the reference culture methods was 99%. In testing environmental samples, sensitivity of the Reveal method relative to the reference culture method was 164%. For select foods, use of the Reveal test in conjunction with reference method enrichment resulted in overall sensitivity of 92%. There were no unconfirmed positive results on uninoculated control samples in any trials for specificity of 100%. In inclusivity testing, 102 different Salmonella serovars belonging to serogroups A-E were tested and 99 were consistently positive in the Reveal test. In exclusivity testing of 33 strains of non-salmonellae representing 14 genera, 32 were negative when tested with Reveal following nonselective enrichment, and the remaining strain was found to be substantially inhibited by the enrichment media used with the Reveal method. Results of ruggedness testing showed that the Reveal test produces accurate results even with substantial deviation in sample volume or device development time.

Making Sense of Palaeoclimate Sensitivity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rohling, E. J.; Sluijs, A.; DeConto, R.; Drijfhout, S. S.; Fedorov, A.; Foster, G. L.; Ganopolski, A.; Hansen, J.; Honisch, B.; Hooghiemstra, H.;

Prediction of the contact sensitizing potential of chemicals using analysis of gene expression changes in human THP-1 monocytes.

PubMed

Arkusz, Joanna; Stępnik, Maciej; Sobala, Wojciech; Dastych, Jarosław

2010-11-10

The aim of this study was to find differentially regulated genes in THP-1 monocytic cells exposed to sensitizers and nonsensitizers and to investigate if such genes could be reliable markers for an in vitro predictive method for the identification of skin sensitizing chemicals. Changes in expression of 35 genes in the THP-1 cell line following treatment with chemicals of different sensitizing potential (from nonsensitizers to extreme sensitizers) were assessed using real-time PCR. Verification of 13 candidate genes by testing a large number of chemicals (an additional 22 sensitizers and 8 nonsensitizers) revealed that prediction of contact sensitization potential was possible based on evaluation of changes in three genes: IL8, HMOX1 and PAIMP1. In total, changes in expression of these genes allowed correct detection of sensitization potential of 21 out of 27 (78%) test sensitizers. The gene expression levels inside potency groups varied and did not allow estimation of sensitization potency of test chemicals. Results of this study indicate that evaluation of changes in expression of proposed biomarkers in THP-1 cells could be a valuable model for preliminary screening of chemicals to discriminate an appreciable majority of sensitizers from nonsensitizers. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Common oxytocin receptor gene variant interacts with rejection sensitivity to influence cortisol reactivity during negative evaluation.

PubMed

Auer, Brandon J; Byrd-Craven, Jennifer; Grant, DeMond M; Granger, Douglas A

2015-09-01

The study tested the hypothesis that variation in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR rs53576) and self-report of rejection sensitivity are associated with adrenocortical reactivity to social stress. Participants (N=94; 36.17% male; Mage=20.18yrs; 62.8% Caucasian) completed a writing task on a salient problem in society, provided self-report via questionnaire of rejection sensitivity, and were then informed that a committee of peers would evaluate their written comments. Participants received either scripted praise or criticism as a way to induce social evaluative threat. Saliva was collected before and after the stress task and assayed for cortisol. Results revealed that cortisol levels increased in participants with moderate levels of social rejection sensitivity-inferred by rs53576 genotype and reported rejection sensitivity-while cortisol levels decreased in participants with high and low levels of social rejection sensitivity. Our findings suggest a curvilinear relationship between social rejection sensitivity and cortisol reactivity in the context of social rejection, warranting further consideration in future studies. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Experiential avoidance as a moderator of the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and perceived stress.

PubMed

Bardeen, Joseph R; Fergus, Thomas A; Orcutt, Holly K

2013-09-01

Given the significant deleterious effects of stress on psychological and physical well-being, the present two-part study sought to clarify relations among putative vulnerability factors (i.e., anxiety sensitivity, experiential avoidance) for perceived stress. Relations among anxiety sensitivity, experiential avoidance, and perceived stress were examined using a large college student sample (N=400) in Study 1 and were replicated using a large community sample (N=838) in Study 2. As predicted, experiential avoidance moderated the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and perceived stress. Contrary to expectations, simple effects in both studies revealed that anxiety sensitivity shared a significant positive association with perceived stress at low, but not high, levels of experiential avoidance. The moderating role of experiential avoidance was found to be robust to the effects of general distress. Moreover, anxiety sensitivity and experiential avoidance evidenced a differential pattern of relations with perceived stress than was evidenced with related negative affective states (i.e., anxiety and depression). The present results suggest that experiential avoidance appears to be a vulnerability factor of particular importance for understanding the phenomenology of perceived stress. Conceptual and clinical implications are discussed. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Beta Catenin in Prostate Cancer Apoptosis

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-03

understand their role in apoptosis. TRAIL-TZD studies also revealed that pretreatment with a pharmacological inhibitor of GSK3B (AR-A014418) can sensitize...cells potently to TRAIL-induced apoptosis in the absence of TZD. These suggested that the inhibition of GSK3B activity might be the major mechanism by...which TZD sensitizes prostate cancer cells towards TRAIL. GSK3B might thus represent a novel target for developing prostate cancer therapeutics. The in

Algorithm of Molecular and Biological Assessment of the Mechanisms of Sensitivity to Drug Toxicity by the Example of Cyclophosphamide.

PubMed

Telegin, L Yu; Sarmanaev, S Kh; Devichenskii, V M; Tutelyan, V A

2018-01-01

Comparative study of the liver, blood, and spleen of DBA/2JSto and BALB/cJLacSto mice sensitive and resistant to acute toxicity of the cyclophosphamide allowed us to reveal basic toxicity biomarkers of this antitumor and immunosuppressive agent. Obtained results can be used for the development of an algorithm for evaluation of toxic effects of drugs and food components.

Evaluation of the Sensitivity and Specificity of the New Clinical Diagnostic and Classification Criteria for Kashin-Beck Disease, an Endemic Osteoarthritis, in China.

PubMed

Yu, Fang Fang; Ping, Zhi Guang; Yao, Chong; Wang, Zhi Wen; Wang, Fu Qi; Guo, Xiong

2017-02-01

This study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the new clinical diagnostic and classification criteria for Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) using six clinical markers: flexion of the distal part of fingers, deformed fingers, enlarged finger joints, shortened fingers, squat down, and dwarfism. One-third of the total population in Linyou County was sampled by stratified random sampling. The survey included baseline characteristics and clinical diagnoses, and the sensitivity and specificity of the new criteria was evaluated. We identified 3,459 KBD patients, of which 69 had early stage KBD, 1,952 had stage I, 1,132 had stage II, and 306 had stage III. A screening test classified enlarged finger joints as stage I KBD, with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.978 and 0.045, respectively. Shortened fingers were classified as stage II KBD, with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.969 and 0.844, respectively, and dwarfism was classified as stage III KBD with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.951 and 0.992, respectively. Serial screening test revealed that the new clinical classification of KBD classified stages I, II, and III KBD with sensitivities of 0.949, 0.945, and 0.925 and specificities of 0.967, 0.970, and 0.993, respectively. The screening tests revealed that enlarged finger joints, shortened fingers, and dwarfism were appropriate markers for the clinical diagnosis and classification of KBD with high sensitivity and specificity. Copyright © 2017 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.

Modelling in vivo creatine/phosphocreatine in vitro reveals divergent adaptations in human muscle mitochondrial respiratory control by ADP after acute and chronic exercise.

PubMed

Ydfors, Mia; Hughes, Meghan C; Laham, Robert; Schlattner, Uwe; Norrbom, Jessica; Perry, Christopher G R

2016-06-01

Mitochondrial respiratory sensitivity to ADP is thought to influence muscle fitness and is partly regulated by cytosolic-mitochondrial diffusion of ADP or phosphate shuttling via creatine/phosphocreatine (Cr/PCr) through mitochondrial creatine kinase (mtCK). Previous measurements of respiration in vitro with Cr (saturate mtCK) or without (ADP/ATP diffusion) show mixed responses of ADP sensitivity following acute exercise vs. less sensitivity after chronic exercise. In human muscle, modelling in vivo 'exercising' [Cr:PCr] during in vitro assessments revealed novel responses to exercise that differ from detections with or without Cr (±Cr). Acute exercise increased ADP sensitivity when measured without Cr but had no effect ±Cr or with +Cr:PCr, whereas chronic exercise increased sensitivity ±Cr but lowered sensitivity with +Cr:PCr despite increased markers of mitochondrial oxidative capacity. Controlling in vivo conditions during in vitro respiratory assessments reveals responses to exercise that differ from typical ±Cr comparisons and challenges our understanding of how exercise improves metabolic control in human muscle. Mitochondrial respiratory control by ADP (Kmapp ) is viewed as a critical regulator of muscle energy homeostasis. However, acute exercise increases, decreases or has no effect on Kmapp in human muscle, whereas chronic exercise surprisingly decreases sensitivity despite greater mitochondrial content. We hypothesized that modelling in vivo mitochondrial creatine kinase (mtCK)-dependent phosphate-shuttling conditions in vitro would reveal increased sensitivity (lower Kmapp ) after acute and chronic exercise. The Kmapp was determined in vitro with 20 mm Cr (+Cr), 0 mm Cr (-Cr) or 'in vivo exercising' 20 mm Cr/2.4 mm PCr (Cr:PCr) on vastus lateralis biopsies sampled from 11 men before, immediately after and 3 h after exercise on the first, fifth and ninth sessions over 3 weeks. Dynamic responses to acute exercise occurred throughout training, whereby the first session did not change Kmapp with in vivo Cr:PCr despite increases in -Cr. The fifth session decreased sensitivity with Cr:PCr or +Cr despite no change in -Cr. Chronic exercise increased sensitivity ±Cr in association with increased electron transport chain content (+33-62% complexes I-V), supporting classic proposals that link increased sensitivity to oxidative capacity. However, in vivo Cr:PCr reveals a perplexing decreased sensitivity, contrasting the increases seen ±Cr. Functional responses occurred without changes in fibre type or proteins regulating mitochondrial-cytosolic energy exchange (mtCK, VDAC and ANT). Despite the dynamic responses seen with ±Cr, modelling in vivo phosphate-shuttling conditions in vitro reveals that ADP sensitivity is unchanged after high-intensity exercise and is decreased after training. These findings challenge our understanding of how exercise regulates skeletal muscle energy homeostasis. © 2015 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2015 The Physiological Society.

Studies on Early Allergic Sensitization in the Lithuanian Birth Cohort

PubMed Central

Dubakiene, Ruta; Rudzeviciene, Odilija; Butiene, Indre; Sezaite, Indre; Petronyte, Malvina; Vaicekauskaite, Dalia; Zvirbliene, Aurelija

2012-01-01

Cohort studies are of great importance in defining the mechanism responsible for the development of allergy-associated diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, allergic asthma, and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. Although these disorders share genetic and environmental risk factors, it is still under debate whether they are linked or develop sequentially along an atopic pathway. The current study was aimed to determine the pattern of allergy sensitization in the Lithuanian birth cohort “Alergemol” (n = 1558) established as a part of the multicenter European birth cohort “EuroPrevall”. Early sensitization to food allergens in the “Alergemol” birth cohort was analysed. The analysis revealed 1.3% and 2.8% of symptomatic-sensitized subjects at 6 and 12 months of age, respectively. The sensitization pattern in response to different allergens in the group of infants with food allergy symptoms was studied using allergological methods in vivo and in vitro. The impact of maternal and environmental risk factors on the early development of food allergy in at 6 and 12 months of age was evaluated. Our data showed that maternal diet, diseases, the use of antibiotics, and tobacco smoke during pregnancy had no significant impact on the early sensitization to food allergens. However, infants of atopic mothers were significantly more often sensitized to egg as compared to the infants of nonatopic mothers. PMID:22606067

High Sensitivity pH Sensor Based on Porous Silicon (PSi) Extended Gate Field-Effect Transistor

PubMed Central

Al-Hardan, Naif H.; Abdul Hamid, Muhammad Azmi; Ahmed, Naser M.; Jalar, Azman; Shamsudin, Roslinda; Othman, Norinsan Kamil; Kar Keng, Lim; Chiu, Weesiong; Al-Rawi, Hamzah N.

2016-01-01

In this study, porous silicon (PSi) was prepared and tested as an extended gate field-effect transistor (EGFET) for pH sensing. The prepared PSi has pore sizes in the range of 500 to 750 nm with a depth of approximately 42 µm. The results of testing PSi for hydrogen ion sensing in different pH buffer solutions reveal that the PSi has a sensitivity value of 66 mV/pH that is considered a super Nernstian value. The sensor considers stability to be in the pH range of 2 to 12. The hysteresis values of the prepared PSi sensor were approximately 8.2 and 10.5 mV in the low and high pH loop, respectively. The result of this study reveals a promising application of PSi in the field for detecting hydrogen ions in different solutions. PMID:27338381

High Sensitivity pH Sensor Based on Porous Silicon (PSi) Extended Gate Field-Effect Transistor.

PubMed

Al-Hardan, Naif H; Abdul Hamid, Muhammad Azmi; Ahmed, Naser M; Jalar, Azman; Shamsudin, Roslinda; Othman, Norinsan Kamil; Kar Keng, Lim; Chiu, Weesiong; Al-Rawi, Hamzah N

2016-06-07

In this study, porous silicon (PSi) was prepared and tested as an extended gate field-effect transistor (EGFET) for pH sensing. The prepared PSi has pore sizes in the range of 500 to 750 nm with a depth of approximately 42 µm. The results of testing PSi for hydrogen ion sensing in different pH buffer solutions reveal that the PSi has a sensitivity value of 66 mV/pH that is considered a super Nernstian value. The sensor considers stability to be in the pH range of 2 to 12. The hysteresis values of the prepared PSi sensor were approximately 8.2 and 10.5 mV in the low and high pH loop, respectively. The result of this study reveals a promising application of PSi in the field for detecting hydrogen ions in different solutions.

Body Schema Illusions: A Study of the Link between the Rubber Hand and Kinesthetic Mirror Illusions through Individual Differences

PubMed Central

Metral, Morgane; Gonthier, Corentin; Luyat, Marion

2017-01-01

Background The well-known rubber hand paradigm induces an illusion by having participants feel the touch applied to a fake hand. In parallel, the kinesthetic mirror illusion elicits illusions of movement by moving the reflection of a participant's arm. Experimental manipulation of sensory inputs leads to emergence of these multisensory illusions. There are strong conceptual similarities between these two illusions, suggesting that they rely on the same neurophysiological mechanisms, but this relationship has never been investigated. Studies indicate that participants differ in their sensitivity to these illusions, which provides a possibility for studying the relationship between these two illusions. Method We tested 36 healthy participants to confirm that there exist reliable individual differences in sensitivity to the two illusions and that participants sensitive to one illusion are also sensitive to the other. Results The results revealed that illusion sensitivity was very stable across trials and that individual differences in sensitivity to the kinesthetic mirror illusion were highly related to individual differences in sensitivity to the rubber hand illusion. Conclusions Overall, these results support the idea that these two illusions may be both linked to a transitory modification of body schema, wherein the most sensitive people have the most malleable body schema. PMID:29201910

Body Schema Illusions: A Study of the Link between the Rubber Hand and Kinesthetic Mirror Illusions through Individual Differences.

PubMed

Metral, Morgane; Gonthier, Corentin; Luyat, Marion; Guerraz, Michel

2017-01-01

The well-known rubber hand paradigm induces an illusion by having participants feel the touch applied to a fake hand. In parallel, the kinesthetic mirror illusion elicits illusions of movement by moving the reflection of a participant's arm. Experimental manipulation of sensory inputs leads to emergence of these multisensory illusions. There are strong conceptual similarities between these two illusions, suggesting that they rely on the same neurophysiological mechanisms, but this relationship has never been investigated. Studies indicate that participants differ in their sensitivity to these illusions, which provides a possibility for studying the relationship between these two illusions. We tested 36 healthy participants to confirm that there exist reliable individual differences in sensitivity to the two illusions and that participants sensitive to one illusion are also sensitive to the other. The results revealed that illusion sensitivity was very stable across trials and that individual differences in sensitivity to the kinesthetic mirror illusion were highly related to individual differences in sensitivity to the rubber hand illusion. Overall, these results support the idea that these two illusions may be both linked to a transitory modification of body schema, wherein the most sensitive people have the most malleable body schema.

Observed sensitivity during family interactions and cumulative risk: A study of multiple dyads per family.

PubMed

Browne, Dillon T; Leckie, George; Prime, Heather; Perlman, Michal; Jenkins, Jennifer M

2016-07-01

The present study sought to investigate the family, individual, and dyad-specific contributions to observed cognitive sensitivity during family interactions. Moreover, the influence of cumulative risk on sensitivity at the aforementioned levels of the family was examined. Mothers and 2 children per family were observed interacting in a round robin design (i.e., mother-older sibling, mother younger-sibling and sibling-dyad, N = 385 families). Data were dyadic, in that there were 2 directional scores per interaction, and were analyzed using a multilevel formulation of the Social Relations Model. Variance partitioning revealed that cognitive sensitivity is simultaneously a function of families, individuals and dyads, though the importance of these components varies across family roles. Cognitive sensitivity for mothers was primarily attributable to individual differences, whereas cognitive sensitivity for children was predominantly attributable to family and dyadic differences, especially for youngest children. Cumulative risk explained family and individual variance in cognitive sensitivity, particularly when actors were older or in a position of relative competence or authority (i.e., mother to children, older to younger siblings). Overall, this study demonstrates that cognitive sensitivity operates across levels of family organization, and is negatively impacted by psychosocial risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

‎ Anxiety Sensitivity Dimensions and Generalized Anxiety‏ ‏Severity: The ‎Mediating Role of Experiential Avoidance and Repetitive‏ ‏Negative Thinking‎ ‎

PubMed Central

Mohammadkhani, Parvaneh; Pourshahbaz, Abbas; Kami, Maryam; Mazidi, Mahdi; Abasi, Imaneh‏

2016-01-01

Objective: Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders in the general ‎population. Several studies suggest that anxiety sensitivity is a vulnerability factor in generalized ‎anxiety severity. However, some other studies suggest that negative repetitive thinking and ‎experiential avoidance as response factors can explain this relationship. Therefore, this study ‎aimed to investigate the mediating role of experiential avoidance and negative repetitive thinking ‎in the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and generalized anxiety severity.‎ Method: This was a cross-sectional and correlational study. A sample of 475 university students was ‎selected through stratified sampling method. The participants completed Anxiety Sensitivity ‎Inventory-3, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire, and ‎Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale. Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation, multiple ‎regression analysis and path analysis.‎ Results: The results revealed a positive relationship between anxiety sensitivity, particularly cognitive ‎anxiety sensitivity, experiential avoidance, repetitive thinking and generalized anxiety severity. In ‎addition, findings showed that repetitive thinking, but not experiential avoidance, fully mediated ‎the relationship between cognitive anxiety sensitivity and generalized anxiety severity. α Level ‎was p<0.005.‎ Conclusion: Consistent with the trans-diagnostic hypothesis, anxiety sensitivity predicts generalized anxiety‏ ‏severity, but its effect is due to the generating repetitive negative thought.‎ PMID:27928245

Evolutionary ecology of pheromone signaling in Dendroctonus frontalis

Treesearch

Deepa S. Pureswaran; Brian T. Sullivan; Matthew P. Ayres

2007-01-01

Although studies of pheromone production in the southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) extend back to the dawn of chemical ecology, it is only recently that instrumentation has become sufficiently sensitive to measure pheromone production of individual beetles. Now, recent studies have revealed surprisingly high variation among individuals in...

Aconitine Challenge Test Reveals a Single Exposure to Air Pollution Causes Increased Cardiac Arrhythmia Risk in Hypertensive Rats - Abstract

EPA Science Inventory

Epidemiological studies demonstrate a significant association between arrhythmias and air pollution exposure. Sensitivity to aconitine-induced arrhythmia has been used repeatedly to examine the factors that increase the risk of such cardiac electrical dysfunction. In this study, ...

In vivo sensitivity of the embryonic and adult neural stem cell compartments to low-dose radiation.

PubMed

Barazzuol, Lara; Jeggo, Penny A

2016-08-01

The embryonic brain is radiation-sensitive, with cognitive deficits being observed after exposure to low radiation doses. Exposure of neonates to radiation can cause intracranial carcinogenesis. To gain insight into the basis underlying these outcomes, we examined the response of the embryonic, neonatal and adult brain to low-dose radiation, focusing on the neural stem cell compartments. This review summarizes our recent findings. At E13.5-14.5 the embryonic neocortex encompasses rapidly proliferating stem and progenitor cells. Exploiting mice with a hypomorphic mutation in DNA ligase IV (Lig4(Y288C) ), we found a high level of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) at E14.5, which we attribute to the rapid proliferation. We observed endogenous apoptosis in Lig4(Y288C) embryos and in WT embryos following exposure to low radiation doses. An examination of DSB levels and apoptosis in adult neural stem cell compartments, the subventricular zone (SVZ) and the subgranular zone (SGZ) revealed low DSB levels in Lig4(Y288C) mice, comparable with the levels in differentiated neuronal tissues. We conclude that the adult SVZ does not incur high levels of DNA breakage, but sensitively activates apoptosis; apoptosis was less sensitively activated in the SGZ, and differentiated neuronal tissues did not activate apoptosis. P5/P15 mice showed intermediate DSB levels, suggesting that DSBs generated in the embryo can be transmitted to neonates and undergo slow repair. Interestingly, this analysis revealed a stage of high endogenous apoptosis in the neonatal SVZ. Collectively, these studies reveal that the adult neural stem cell compartment, like the embryonic counterpart, can sensitively activate apoptosis. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japan Radiation Research Society and Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology.

Latent class analysis reveals clinically relevant atopy phenotypes in 2 birth cohorts.

PubMed

Hose, Alexander J; Depner, Martin; Illi, Sabina; Lau, Susanne; Keil, Thomas; Wahn, Ulrich; Fuchs, Oliver; Pfefferle, Petra Ina; Schmaußer-Hechfellner, Elisabeth; Genuneit, Jon; Lauener, Roger; Karvonen, Anne M; Roduit, Caroline; Dalphin, Jean-Charles; Riedler, Josef; Pekkanen, Juha; von Mutius, Erika; Ege, Markus J

2017-06-01

Phenotypes of childhood-onset asthma are characterized by distinct trajectories and functional features. For atopy, definition of phenotypes during childhood is less clear. We sought to define phenotypes of atopic sensitization over the first 6 years of life using a latent class analysis (LCA) integrating 3 dimensions of atopy: allergen specificity, time course, and levels of specific IgE (sIgE). Phenotypes were defined by means of LCA in 680 children of the Multizentrische Allergiestudie (MAS) and 766 children of the Protection against allergy: Study in Rural Environments (PASTURE) birth cohorts and compared with classical nondisjunctive definitions of seasonal, perennial, and food sensitization with respect to atopic diseases and lung function. Cytokine levels were measured in the PASTURE cohort. The LCA classified predominantly by type and multiplicity of sensitization (food vs inhalant), allergen combinations, and sIgE levels. Latent classes were related to atopic disease manifestations with higher sensitivity and specificity than the classical definitions. LCA detected consistently in both cohorts a distinct group of children with severe atopy characterized by high seasonal sIgE levels and a strong propensity for asthma; hay fever; eczema; and impaired lung function, also in children without an established asthma diagnosis. Severe atopy was associated with an increased IL-5/IFN-γ ratio. A path analysis among sensitized children revealed that among all features of severe atopy, only excessive sIgE production early in life affected asthma risk. LCA revealed a set of benign, symptomatic, and severe atopy phenotypes. The severe phenotype emerged as a latent condition with signs of a dysbalanced immune response. It determined high asthma risk through excessive sIgE production and directly affected impaired lung function. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Persistent oscillations and backward bifurcation in a malaria model with varying human and mosquito populations: implications for control.

PubMed

Ngonghala, Calistus N; Teboh-Ewungkem, Miranda I; Ngwa, Gideon A

2015-06-01

We derive and study a deterministic compartmental model for malaria transmission with varying human and mosquito populations. Our model considers disease-related deaths, asymptomatic immune humans who are also infectious, as well as mosquito demography, reproduction and feeding habits. Analysis of the model reveals the existence of a backward bifurcation and persistent limit cycles whose period and size is determined by two threshold parameters: the vectorial basic reproduction number Rm, and the disease basic reproduction number R0, whose size can be reduced by reducing Rm. We conclude that malaria dynamics are indeed oscillatory when the methodology of explicitly incorporating the mosquito's demography, feeding and reproductive patterns is considered in modeling the mosquito population dynamics. A sensitivity analysis reveals important control parameters that can affect the magnitudes of Rm and R0, threshold quantities to be taken into consideration when designing control strategies. Both Rm and the intrinsic period of oscillation are shown to be highly sensitive to the mosquito's birth constant λm and the mosquito's feeding success probability pw. Control of λm can be achieved by spraying, eliminating breeding sites or moving them away from human habitats, while pw can be controlled via the use of mosquito repellant and insecticide-treated bed-nets. The disease threshold parameter R0 is shown to be highly sensitive to pw, and the intrinsic period of oscillation is also sensitive to the rate at which reproducing mosquitoes return to breeding sites. A global sensitivity and uncertainty analysis reveals that the ability of the mosquito to reproduce and uncertainties in the estimations of the rates at which exposed humans become infectious and infectious humans recover from malaria are critical in generating uncertainties in the disease classes.

School attributes, household characteristics, and demand for schooling: A case study of rural Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilon, Lynn; Moock, Peter

1991-12-01

Educational expansion, long a goal of many LDCs, has become a difficult policy to pursue. Growing populations, shrinking national incomes and higher marginal costs of schooling as schooling reaches more rural dwellers have caused policy makers to take a hard look at factors which influence educational demand and expansion. This paper examines the case of Peru where rural areas have yet to attain the nearly universal enrollment of urban areas. The study examines 2500 rural households to explore reasons why children do not attend school, drop out of school, and begin school at later ages. The study finds that the monetary costs of schools (fees and other costs) have a substantial influence on parental decisions regarding school attendance and continuation. Sensitivity analysis reveals that mother's education has a bearing on their children's educational participation, particularly in low-income households. Sensitivity analysis also reveals that school attendance of low income and female children are most strongly affected by simulated changes in school fees.

Analysis of the temperature sensitivity of Japanese rubella vaccine strain TO-336.vac and its effect on immunogenicity in the guinea pig.

PubMed

Okamoto, Kiyoko; Ami, Yasushi; Suzaki, Yuriko; Otsuki, Noriyuki; Sakata, Masafumi; Takeda, Makoto; Mori, Yoshio

2016-04-01

The marker of Japanese domestic rubella vaccines is their lack of immunogenicity in guinea pigs. This has long been thought to be related to the temperature sensitivity of the viruses, but supporting evidence has not been described. In this study, we generated infectious clones of TO-336.vac, a Japanese domestic vaccine, TO-336.GMK5, the parental virus of TO-336.vac, and their mutants, and determined the molecular bases of their temperature sensitivity and immunogenicity in guinea pigs. The results revealed that Ser(1159) in the non-structural protein-coding region was responsible for the temperature sensitivity of TO-336.vac dominantly, while the structural protein-coding region affected the temperature sensitivity subordinately. The findings further suggested that the temperature sensitivity of TO-336.vac affected the antibody induction in guinea pigs after subcutaneous inoculation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Context-dependent catalepsy intensification is due to classical conditioning and sensitization.

PubMed

Amtage, J; Schmidt, W J

2003-11-01

Haloperidol-induced catalepsy represents a model of neuroleptic-induced Parkinsonism. Daily administration of haloperidol, followed by testing for catalepsy on a bar and grid, results in a day-to-day increase in catalepsy that is completely context dependent, resulting in a strong placebo effect and in a failure of expression after a change in context. The aim of this study was to analyse the associative learning process that underlies context dependency. Catalepsy intensification was induced by a daily threshold dose of 0.25 mg/kg haloperidol. Extinction training and retesting under haloperidol revealed that sensitization was composed of two components: a context-conditioning component, which can be extinguished, and a context-dependent sensitization component, which cannot be extinguished. Context dependency of catalepsy thus follows precisely the same rules as context dependency of psychostimulant-induced sensitization. Catalepsy sensitization is therefore due to conditioning and sensitization.

Proteomic analyses reveal differences in cold acclimation mechanisms in freezing-tolerant and freezing-sensitive cultivars of alfalfa

PubMed Central

Chen, Jing; Han, Guiqing; Shang, Chen; Li, Jikai; Zhang, Hailing; Liu, Fengqi; Wang, Jianli; Liu, Huiying; Zhang, Yuexue

2015-01-01

Cold acclimation in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plays a crucial role in cold tolerance to harsh winters. To examine the cold acclimation mechanisms in freezing-tolerant alfalfa (ZD) and freezing-sensitive alfalfa (W5), holoproteins, and low-abundance proteins (after the removal of RuBisCO) from leaves were extracted to analyze differences at the protein level. A total of 84 spots were selected, and 67 spots were identified. Of these, the abundance of 49 spots and 24 spots in ZD and W5, respectively, were altered during adaptation to chilling stress. Proteomic results revealed that proteins involved in photosynthesis, protein metabolism, energy metabolism, stress and redox and other proteins were mobilized in adaptation to chilling stress. In ZD, a greater number of changes were observed in proteins, and autologous metabolism and biosynthesis were slowed in response to chilling stress, thereby reducing consumption, allowing for homeostasis. The capability for protein folding and protein biosynthesis in W5 was enhanced, which allows protection against chilling stress. The ability to perceive low temperatures was more sensitive in freezing-tolerant alfalfa compared to freezing-sensitive alfalfa. This proteomics study provides new insights into the cold acclimation mechanism in alfalfa. PMID:25774161

Assessment of skin sensitization under REACH: A case report on vehicle choice in the LLNA and its crucial role preventing false positive results.

PubMed

Watzek, Nico; Berger, Franz; Kolle, Susanne Noreen; Kaufmann, Tanja; Becker, Matthias; van Ravenzwaay, Bennard

2017-04-01

In the EU, chemicals with a production or import volume in quantities of one metric ton per year or more have to be tested for skin sensitizing properties under the REACH regulation. The murine Local Lymph Node Assay (LLNA) and its modifications are widely used to fulfil the data requirement, as it is currently considered the first-choice method for in vivo testing to cover this endpoint. This manuscript describes a case study highlighting the importance of understanding the chemistry of the test material during testing for 'skin sensitization' of MCDA (mixture of 2,4- and 2,6-diamino-methylcyclohexane) with particular focus on the vehicle used. While the BrdU-ELISA modification of the LLNA using acetone/olive oil (AOO) as vehicle revealed expectable positive results. However, the concentration control analysis unexpectedly revealed an instability of MCDA in the vehicle AOO. Further studies on the reactivity showed MCDA to rapidly react with AOO under formation of various imine structures, which might have caused the positive LLNA result. The repetition of the LLNA using propylene glycol (PG) as vehicle did not confirm the positive results of the LLNA using AOO. Finally, a classification of MCDA as skin sensitizer according to the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) was not justified. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Potential of Sentinel-1 Radar Data for the Assessment of Soil and Cereal Cover Parameters.

PubMed

Bousbih, Safa; Zribi, Mehrez; Lili-Chabaane, Zohra; Baghdadi, Nicolas; El Hajj, Mohammad; Gao, Qi; Mougenot, Bernard

2017-11-14

The main objective of this study is to analyze the potential use of Sentinel-1 (S1) radar data for the estimation of soil characteristics (roughness and water content) and cereal vegetation parameters (leaf area index (LAI), and vegetation height (H)) in agricultural areas. Simultaneously to several radar acquisitions made between 2015 and 2017, using S1 sensors over the Kairouan Plain (Tunisia, North Africa), ground measurements of soil roughness, soil water content, LAI and H were recorded. The NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) index computed from Landsat optical images revealed a strong correlation with in situ measurements of LAI. The sensitivity of the S1 measurements to variations in soil moisture, which has been reported in several scientific publications, is confirmed in this study. This sensitivity decreases with increasing vegetation cover growth (NDVI), and is stronger in the VV (vertical) polarization than in the VH cross-polarization. The results also reveal a similar increase in the dynamic range of radar signals observed in the VV and VH polarizations as a function of soil roughness. The sensitivity of S1 measurements to vegetation parameters (LAI and H) in the VV polarization is also determined, showing that the radar signal strength decreases when the vegetation parameters increase. No vegetation parameter sensitivity is observed in the VH polarization, probably as a consequence of volume scattering effects.

Potential of Sentinel-1 Radar Data for the Assessment of Soil and Cereal Cover Parameters

PubMed Central

Bousbih, Safa; Lili-Chabaane, Zohra; El Hajj, Mohammad; Gao, Qi

2017-01-01

The main objective of this study is to analyze the potential use of Sentinel-1 (S1) radar data for the estimation of soil characteristics (roughness and water content) and cereal vegetation parameters (leaf area index (LAI), and vegetation height (H)) in agricultural areas. Simultaneously to several radar acquisitions made between 2015 and 2017, using S1 sensors over the Kairouan Plain (Tunisia, North Africa), ground measurements of soil roughness, soil water content, LAI and H were recorded. The NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) index computed from Landsat optical images revealed a strong correlation with in situ measurements of LAI. The sensitivity of the S1 measurements to variations in soil moisture, which has been reported in several scientific publications, is confirmed in this study. This sensitivity decreases with increasing vegetation cover growth (NDVI), and is stronger in the VV (vertical) polarization than in the VH cross-polarization. The results also reveal a similar increase in the dynamic range of radar signals observed in the VV and VH polarizations as a function of soil roughness. The sensitivity of S1 measurements to vegetation parameters (LAI and H) in the VV polarization is also determined, showing that the radar signal strength decreases when the vegetation parameters increase. No vegetation parameter sensitivity is observed in the VH polarization, probably as a consequence of volume scattering effects. PMID:29135929

Sensitivity of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) in Detecting Treatment Effects via Network Analysis.

PubMed

Esfahlani, Farnaz Zamani; Sayama, Hiroki; Visser, Katherine Frost; Strauss, Gregory P

2017-12-01

Objective: The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale is a primary outcome measure in clinical trials examining the efficacy of antipsychotic medications. Although the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale has demonstrated sensitivity as a measure of treatment change in studies using traditional univariate statistical approaches, its sensitivity to detecting network-level changes in dynamic relationships among symptoms has yet to be demonstrated using more sophisticated multivariate analyses. In the current study, we examined the sensitivity of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale to detecting antipsychotic treatment effects as revealed through network analysis. Design: Participants included 1,049 individuals diagnosed with psychotic disorders from the Phase I portion of the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) study. Of these participants, 733 were clinically determined to be treatment-responsive and 316 were found to be treatment-resistant. Item level data from the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale were submitted to network analysis, and macroscopic, mesoscopic, and microscopic network properties were evaluated for the treatment-responsive and treatment-resistant groups at baseline and post-phase I antipsychotic treatment. Results: Network analysis indicated that treatment-responsive patients had more densely connected symptom networks after antipsychotic treatment than did treatment-responsive patients at baseline, and that symptom centralities increased following treatment. In contrast, symptom networks of treatment-resistant patients behaved more randomly before and after treatment. Conclusions: These results suggest that the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale is sensitive to detecting treatment effects as revealed through network analysis. Its findings also provide compelling new evidence that strongly interconnected symptom networks confer an overall greater probability of treatment responsiveness in patients with psychosis, suggesting that antipsychotics achieve their effect by enhancing a number of central symptoms, which then facilitate reduction of other highly coupled symptoms in a network-like fashion.

Crickets in space: morphological, physiological and behavioral alterations induced by space flight and hypergravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horn, E.; Agricola, H.; Böser, S.; Förster, S.; Kämper, G.; Riewe, P.; Sebastian, C.

"Crickets in Space" was a Neurolab experiment by which the balance between genetic programs and the gravitational environment for the development of a gravity sensitive neuronal system was studied. The model character of crickets was justified by their external gravity receptors, identified position-sensitive interneurons (PSI) and gravity-related compensatory head response, and by the specific relation of this behavior to neuronal arousal systems activated by locomotion. These advantages allowed to study the impact of modified gravity on cellular processes in a complex organism. Eggs, 1st, 4th and 6th stage larvae of Acheta domesticus were used. Post-flight experiments revealed a low susceptibility of the behavior to micro- and hypergravity while the physiology of the PSI was significantly affected. Immunocytological investigations revealed a stage-dependent sensitivity of thoracic GABAergic motoneurons to 3g-conditions concerning their soma sizes but not their topographical arrangement. The morphology of neuromuscular junctions was not affected by 3g-hypergravity. Peptidergic neurons from cerebral sensorimotor centers revealed no significant modifications by microgravity (μg). The contrary physiological and behavioral results indicate a facilitation of 1g-readaptation originating from accessory gravity, proprioceptive and visual sense organs. Absence of anatomical modifications point to an effective time window of μg- or 3g-expo-sure related to the period of neuronal proliferation. The analysis of basic mechanisms of how animals and man adapt to altered gravitational conditions will profit from a continuation of the project "Crickets in Space".

Silencing of BAG3 promotes the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin via inhibition of autophagy.

PubMed

Qiu, Shuang; Sun, Liang; Jin, Ye; An, Qi; Weng, Changjiang; Zheng, Jianhua

2017-07-01

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal disease among all gynecological malignancies. Interval cytoreductive surgery and cisplatin‑based chemotherapy are the recommended therapeutic strategies. However, acquired resistance to cisplatin remains a big challenge for the overall survival and prognosis in ovarian cancer. Complicated molecular mechanisms are involved in the process. At present, increasing evidence indicates that autophagy plays an important role in the prosurvival and resistance against chemotherapy. In the present study, as a novel autophagy regulator, BCL2‑associated athanogene 3 (BAG3) was investigated to study its role in cisplatin sensitivity in epithelial ovarian cancer. However, whether BAG3 participates in cisplatin sensitivity by inducing autophagy and the underlying mechanism in ovarian cancer cells remain to be clarified. Through the use of quantitative real-time PCR, western blot analysis, CCK-8 and immunofluorescence assays our data revealed that cisplatin-induced autophagy protected ovarian cancer cells from the toxicity of the drug and that this process was regulated by BAG3. Silencing of BAG3 increased cisplatin-induced apoptosis. The results also revealed BAG3 as a potential therapeutic target which enhanced the efficacy of cisplatin in ovarian cancer.

Molecular orientation of organic thin films on dielectric solid substrates: a phase-sensitive vibrational SFG study.

PubMed

Ge, Aimin; Peng, Qiling; Qiao, Lin; Yepuri, Nageshwar R; Darwish, Tamim A; Matsusaki, Michiya; Akashi, Mitsuru; Ye, Shen

2015-07-21

Broadband phase-sensitive vibrational sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy was utilized to study the molecular orientation of molecules adsorbed on dielectric solid substrates. A gold thin film was employed to generate a SFG signal as a local oscillator (LO). To simplify the phase measurement, a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) was used as a standard sample for phase correction of the phase-sensitive SFG measurements on the solid/air interface. It was demonstrated that the absolute orientation of molecules in the LB films on a fused quartz surface can be clearly distinguished by phase-sensitive SFG measurement. In addition, the observation on the SAM of d35-OTS reveals that the two C-H stretching modes for α-CH2 group are in opposite phase. Furthermore, by using the present phase-sensitive SFG setup, the orientation flipping of water molecules on positively and negatively charged solid/liquid interface can be distinguished.

When stress gets into your head: Socioeconomic risk, executive functions, and maternal sensitivity across childrearing contexts.

PubMed

Sturge-Apple, Melissa L; Jones, Hannah R; Suor, Jennifer H

2017-03-01

Socioeconomic adversity has been targeted as a key upstream mechanism with robust pathogenic effects on maternal caregiving. Although research has demonstrated the negative repercussions of socioeconomic difficulties, little research has documented potential mechanisms underlying this association. Toward increasing understanding, the present study examined how maternal working memory capacity and inhibitory control may mediate associations between socioeconomic risk and change in maternal sensitivity across free-play and discipline caregiving contexts. This study used a longitudinal design, and utilized a socioeconomically diverse sample of 185 mothers and their 3.5-year-old toddlers. Multi-informants and methods were used to assess constructs. Findings revealed that maternal EF mediated associations between socioeconomic risk and parenting sensitivity with specific effects for working memory and baseline sensitivity and inhibitory control and change in sensitivity as childrearing demands increased. Results are interpreted within emerging conceptual frameworks regarding the role of parental neurocognitive functioning and caregiving. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Nociceptor Sensitization Depends on Age and Pain Chronicity123

PubMed Central

Dodge, Amanda K.

2016-01-01

Abstract Peripheral inflammation causes mechanical pain behavior and increased action potential firing. However, most studies examine inflammatory pain at acute, rather than chronic time points, despite the greater burden of chronic pain on patient populations, especially aged individuals. Furthermore, there is disagreement in the field about whether primary afferents contribute to chronic pain. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the contribution of nociceptor activity to the generation of pain behaviors during the acute and chronic phases of inflammation in both young and aged mice. We found that both young (2 months old) and aged (>18 months old) mice exhibited prominent pain behaviors during both acute (2 day) and chronic (8 week) inflammation. However, young mice exhibited greater behavioral sensitization to mechanical stimuli than their aged counterparts. Teased fiber recordings in young animals revealed a twofold mechanical sensitization in C fibers during acute inflammation, but an unexpected twofold reduction in firing during chronic inflammation. Responsiveness to capsaicin and mechanical responsiveness of A-mechanonociceptor (AM) fibers were also reduced chronically. Importantly, this lack of sensitization in afferent firing during chronic inflammation occurred even as these inflamed mice exhibited continued behavioral sensitization. Interestingly, C fibers from inflamed aged animals showed no change in mechanical firing compared with controls during either the acute or chronic inflammatory phases, despite strong behavioral sensitization to mechanical stimuli at these time points. These results reveal the following two important findings: (1) nociceptor sensitization to mechanical stimulation depends on age and the chronicity of injury; and (2) maintenance of chronic inflammatory pain does not rely on enhanced peripheral drive. PMID:26866058

Altered sensitization patterns to sweet food stimuli in patients recovered from anorexia and bulimia nervosa.

PubMed

Wagner, Angela; Simmons, Alan N; Oberndorfer, Tyson A; Frank, Guido K W; McCurdy-McKinnon, Danyale; Fudge, Julie L; Yang, Tony T; Paulus, Martin P; Kaye, Walter H

2015-12-30

Recent studies show that higher-order appetitive neural circuitry may contribute to restricted eating in anorexia nervosa (AN) and overeating in bulimia nervosa (BN). The purpose of this study was to determine whether sensitization effects might underlie pathologic eating behavior when a taste stimulus is administered repeatedly. Recovered AN (RAN, n=14) and BN (RBN, n=15) subjects were studied in order to avoid the confounding effects of altered nutritional state. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measured higher-order brain response to repeated tastes of sucrose (caloric) and sucralose (non-caloric). To test sensitization, the neuronal response to the first and second administration was compared. RAN patients demonstrated a decreased sensitization to sucrose in contrast to RBN patients who displayed the opposite pattern, increased sensitization to sucrose. However, the latter was not as pronounced as in healthy control women (n=13). While both eating disorder subgroups showed increased sensitization to sucralose, the healthy controls revealed decreased sensitization. These findings could reflect on a neuronal level the high caloric intake of RBN during binges and the low energy intake for RAN. RAN seem to distinguish between high energy and low energy sweet stimuli while RBN do not. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring the spatio-temporal neural basis of face learning

PubMed Central

Yang, Ying; Xu, Yang; Jew, Carol A.; Pyles, John A.; Kass, Robert E.; Tarr, Michael J.

2017-01-01

Humans are experts at face individuation. Although previous work has identified a network of face-sensitive regions and some of the temporal signatures of face processing, as yet, we do not have a clear understanding of how such face-sensitive regions support learning at different time points. To study the joint spatio-temporal neural basis of face learning, we trained subjects to categorize two groups of novel faces and recorded their neural responses using magnetoencephalography (MEG) throughout learning. A regression analysis of neural responses in face-sensitive regions against behavioral learning curves revealed significant correlations with learning in the majority of the face-sensitive regions in the face network, mostly between 150–250 ms, but also after 300 ms. However, the effect was smaller in nonventral regions (within the superior temporal areas and prefrontal cortex) than that in the ventral regions (within the inferior occipital gyri (IOG), midfusiform gyri (mFUS) and anterior temporal lobes). A multivariate discriminant analysis also revealed that IOG and mFUS, which showed strong correlation effects with learning, exhibited significant discriminability between the two face categories at different time points both between 150–250 ms and after 300 ms. In contrast, the nonventral face-sensitive regions, where correlation effects with learning were smaller, did exhibit some significant discriminability, but mainly after 300 ms. In sum, our findings indicate that early and recurring temporal components arising from ventral face-sensitive regions are critically involved in learning new faces. PMID:28570739

Exploring the spatio-temporal neural basis of face learning.

PubMed

Yang, Ying; Xu, Yang; Jew, Carol A; Pyles, John A; Kass, Robert E; Tarr, Michael J

2017-06-01

Humans are experts at face individuation. Although previous work has identified a network of face-sensitive regions and some of the temporal signatures of face processing, as yet, we do not have a clear understanding of how such face-sensitive regions support learning at different time points. To study the joint spatio-temporal neural basis of face learning, we trained subjects to categorize two groups of novel faces and recorded their neural responses using magnetoencephalography (MEG) throughout learning. A regression analysis of neural responses in face-sensitive regions against behavioral learning curves revealed significant correlations with learning in the majority of the face-sensitive regions in the face network, mostly between 150-250 ms, but also after 300 ms. However, the effect was smaller in nonventral regions (within the superior temporal areas and prefrontal cortex) than that in the ventral regions (within the inferior occipital gyri (IOG), midfusiform gyri (mFUS) and anterior temporal lobes). A multivariate discriminant analysis also revealed that IOG and mFUS, which showed strong correlation effects with learning, exhibited significant discriminability between the two face categories at different time points both between 150-250 ms and after 300 ms. In contrast, the nonventral face-sensitive regions, where correlation effects with learning were smaller, did exhibit some significant discriminability, but mainly after 300 ms. In sum, our findings indicate that early and recurring temporal components arising from ventral face-sensitive regions are critically involved in learning new faces.

Calibration of a complex activated sludge model for the full-scale wastewater treatment plant.

PubMed

Liwarska-Bizukojc, Ewa; Olejnik, Dorota; Biernacki, Rafal; Ledakowicz, Stanislaw

2011-08-01

In this study, the results of the calibration of the complex activated sludge model implemented in BioWin software for the full-scale wastewater treatment plant are presented. Within the calibration of the model, sensitivity analysis of its parameters and the fractions of carbonaceous substrate were performed. In the steady-state and dynamic calibrations, a successful agreement between the measured and simulated values of the output variables was achieved. Sensitivity analysis revealed that upon the calculations of normalized sensitivity coefficient (S(i,j)) 17 (steady-state) or 19 (dynamic conditions) kinetic and stoichiometric parameters are sensitive. Most of them are associated with growth and decay of ordinary heterotrophic organisms and phosphorus accumulating organisms. The rankings of ten most sensitive parameters established on the basis of the calculations of the mean square sensitivity measure (δ(msqr)j) indicate that irrespective of the fact, whether the steady-state or dynamic calibration was performed, there is an agreement in the sensitivity of parameters.

Dye-controlled interfacial electron transfer for high-current indium tin oxide photocathodes.

PubMed

Huang, Zhongjie; He, Mingfu; Yu, Mingzhe; Click, Kevin; Beauchamp, Damian; Wu, Yiying

2015-06-01

Efficient sensitized photocathodes are highly desired for solar fuels and tandem solar cells, yet the development is hindered by the scarcity of suitable p-type semiconductors. The generation of high cathodic photocurrents by sensitizing a degenerate n-type semiconductor (tin-doped indium oxide; ITO) is reported. The sensitized mesoporous ITO electrodes deliver cathodic photocurrents of up to 5.96±0.19 mA cm(-2), which are close to the highest record in conventional p-type sensitized photocathodes. This is realized by the rational selection of dyes with appropriate energy alignments with ITO. The energy level alignment between the highest occupied molecular orbital of the sensitizer and the conduction band of ITO is crucial for efficient hole injection. Transient absorption spectroscopy studies demonstrate that the cathodic photocurrent results from reduction of the photoexcited sensitizer by free electrons in ITO. Our results reveal a new perspective toward the selection of electrode materials for sensitized photocathodes. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Co-sensitization of natural dyes for improved efficiency in dye-sensitized solar cell application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, K. Ashok; Subalakshmi, K.; Senthilselvan, J.

2016-05-01

In this paper, a new approach of co-sensitized DSSC based on natural dyes is investigated to explore the possible way to improve the power conversion efficiency. To realize this purpose 10 DSSC devices were fabricated using mono-sensitization and co-sensitization of ethanolic extracts of natural dye sensitizers obtained from Cactus fruit, Jambolana fruit, Curcumin and Bermuda grass. The optical absorption spectrum of the mono and hybrid dye extracts were studied by UV-Visible absorption spectrum. It shows the characteristic absorption peaks in visible region corresponds to the presence of natural pigments of anthocyanin, betacyanin and chlorophylls. Absorption spectrum of hybrid dyes reveals a wide absorption band in visible region with improved extinction co-efficient and it is favorable for increased light harvesting nature. The power conversion efficiency of DSSC devices were calculated using J-V curve and the maximum efficiency achieved in the present work is noted to be ~0.61% for Cactus-Bermuda co-sensitized DSSC.

A combined EPR and MD simulation study of a nitroxyl spin label with restricted internal mobility sensitive to protein dynamics.

PubMed

Oganesyan, Vasily S; Chami, Fatima; White, Gaye F; Thomson, Andrew J

2017-01-01

EPR studies combined with fully atomistic Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations and an MD-EPR simulation method provide evidence for intrinsic low rotameric mobility of a nitroxyl spin label, Rn, compared to the more widely employed label MTSL (R1). Both experimental and modelling results using two structurally different sites of attachment to Myoglobin show that the EPR spectra of Rn are more sensitive to the local protein environment than that of MTSL. This study reveals the potential of using the Rn spin label as a reporter of protein motions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rumination mediates the relationship between structural variations in ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and sensitivity to negative life events.

PubMed

Qiao, L; Wei, D T; Li, W F; Chen, Q L; Che, X W; Li, B B; Li, Y D; Qiu, J; Zhang, Q L; Liu, Y J

2013-01-01

Individuals have different levels of stress sensitivity. An individual's predisposition to experience negative life events (NLEs) may make him/her more vulnerable to a series of psychopathological and physical diseases. However, the neuroanatomical correlates of individual differences in sensitivity to NLEs remain unknown. In this study, voxel-based morphometry was used to identify the gray matter (GM) associations of individual differences in sensitivity to NLEs measured by adolescent self-rating life events checklist. Results showed that there was a positive association between individual NLEs sensitivity and regional GM volume (rGMV) in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC). GM was mostly evident in the left frontal operculum and a small part of the left middle frontal gyrus. This region was thought to play an important role in introception. Importantly, our study revealed that rumination served as a mediator between the rGMV of the VLPFC and individual NLEs sensitivity. These findings suggest that people with greater VLPFC might be more inclined to ruminate and the ruminative response style might make them more sensitive to NLEs. Copyright © 2013 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multivariate sensitivity to voice during auditory categorization.

PubMed

Lee, Yune Sang; Peelle, Jonathan E; Kraemer, David; Lloyd, Samuel; Granger, Richard

2015-09-01

Past neuroimaging studies have documented discrete regions of human temporal cortex that are more strongly activated by conspecific voice sounds than by nonvoice sounds. However, the mechanisms underlying this voice sensitivity remain unclear. In the present functional MRI study, we took a novel approach to examining voice sensitivity, in which we applied a signal detection paradigm to the assessment of multivariate pattern classification among several living and nonliving categories of auditory stimuli. Within this framework, voice sensitivity can be interpreted as a distinct neural representation of brain activity that correctly distinguishes human vocalizations from other auditory object categories. Across a series of auditory categorization tests, we found that bilateral superior and middle temporal cortex consistently exhibited robust sensitivity to human vocal sounds. Although the strongest categorization was in distinguishing human voice from other categories, subsets of these regions were also able to distinguish reliably between nonhuman categories, suggesting a general role in auditory object categorization. Our findings complement the current evidence of cortical sensitivity to human vocal sounds by revealing that the greatest sensitivity during categorization tasks is devoted to distinguishing voice from nonvoice categories within human temporal cortex. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Overcoming cetuximab resistance in Ewing's sarcoma by inhibiting lactate dehydrogenase-A.

PubMed

Fu, Jiaxin; Jiang, Han; Wu, Chenxuan; Jiang, Yi; Xiao, Lianping; Tian, Yonggang

2016-07-01

Ewing's sarcoma, the second most common type of malignant bone tumor, generally occurs in children and young adults. The current treatment of Ewing's sarcoma comprises systemic anti‑cancer chemotherapy with complete surgical resection. However, the majority of patients with Ewing's sarcoma develop resistance to chemotherapy. The present study revealed an oncogenic role of lactate dehydrogenase‑A (LDHA) in the resistance of Ewing's sarcoma to cetuximab. LDHA was shown to be upregulated at the protein and mRNA level in cetuximab‑resistant Ewing's sarcoma tissues and a cell line. In addition, a link between LDHA‑induced glycolysis and cetuximab resistance in Ewing's sarcoma cells was revealed. Of note, inhibition of LDHA by either small interfering RNA or LDHA inhibitor oxamate significantly re‑sensitized cetuximab‑resistant cells to cetuximab. Combined treatment with LDHA inhibitor and cetuximab synergistically reduced the viability of cetuximab-resistant cells through the suppression of LDHA. The present study revealed a novel mechanism of cetuximab resistance from the perspective of cancer‑cell metabolism and provided a sensitization approach, which may aid in the development of anti-chemoresistance strategies for the treatment of cetuximab-resistant Ewing's sarcoma.

The critical impact of Frantz Fanon and Henri Collomb: race, gender, and personality testing of North and West Africans.

PubMed

Bullard, Alice

2005-01-01

In 2001, the U.S. Surgeon General declared publicly that culture counts in mental health care. This welcome recognition of the role of culture in mental health appears somewhat belated. In 1956, Frantz Fanon and Henri Collomb both presented culturally sensitive studies of the Thematic Apperception Test at the major French-language mental health conference. The contrast between these two studies and between the careers of Fanon and Collomb reveals some of the difficulties in creating cultural and gender sensitivity in psychiatry or psychology. Copyright 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A study of antifungal drug sensitivity of Candida isolated from human immunodeficiency virus infected patients in Chennai, South India

PubMed Central

Jeddy, Nadeem; Ranganathan, K; Devi, Uma; Joshua, Elizabeth

2011-01-01

Background: The purpose of this study was to study the drug sensitivity pattern of Candida seen in HIV seropositive patients in Chennai, South India. Materials and Methods: 36 oral rinse samples were collected from HIV seropositive individuals with (21 patients) and without (15 patients) clinical candidiasis. The type of Candidiasis, quantitative estimation, differentiation of candida species and antifungal susceptibility testing was done using different tests. Results: In the 21 patients with candidiasis, pseudomembranous type predominated with low CD4 counts and high colony forming units. Antifungal Drug sensitivity test revealed resistance to fluconazole which is attributed to long term exposure to the drug. Conclusion: The results of the study confirm the hypothesis that candidal species can be isolated in HIV positive patients with clinical candidiasis. In HIV infection there are fluconazole resistant candida species emerging mainly due to long term exposure to the drug. PMID:22529577

Disgust sensitivity and eating disorder symptoms in a non-clinical population.

PubMed

Mayer, Birgit; Muris, Peter; Bos, Arjan E R; Suijkerbuijk, Chantal

2008-12-01

In order to further explore the relationship between disgust sensitivity and eating disorder symptoms, 2 studies were carried out. In the first study, 352 higher education students (166 women, 186 men) completed a set of questionnaires measuring various aspects of disgust sensitivity and eating disorder symptoms. A correlational analysis revealed that there were few significant correlations between disgust scales and eating pathology scores. One exception was the relation between disgust sensitivity and external eating behavior, although this link only emerged in women. To investigate this relationship in more detail, Study 2 confronted women high (n=29) and low (n=30) on external eating behavior with a series of disgusting and neutral pictures. It was hypothesized that women who scored high on external eating would display shorter viewing times of disgusting pictures (i.e., show more avoidance behavior) than women scoring low on external eating. However, this hypothesis was not confirmed by the data. Altogether, the results of these studies suggest that there seems to be no convincing relationship between disgust sensitivity and eating disorder symptomatology, thereby casting doubts on the role of this individual difference factor in the development of eating pathology.

From Neurons to Brainpower: Cognitive Neuroscience and Brain-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Janet M.

2005-01-01

We have learned more about the brain in the past five years than the previous 100. Neuroimaging, lesion studies, and animal studies have revealed the intricate inner workings of the brain and learning. Synaptogenesis, pruning, sensitive periods, and plasticity have all become accepted concepts of cognitive neuroscience that are now being applied…

Maternal Attachment State of Mind Moderates the Impact of Postnatal Depression on Infant Attachment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMahon, Catherine A.; Barnett, Byranne; Kowalenko, Nicholas M.; Tennant, Christopher C.

2006-01-01

Background: Empirical studies have revealed a significant, but modest association between maternal depression and insecure mother-child attachment. Across studies, however, a substantial number of mothers with depression are able to provide a sensitive caretaking environment for their children. This paper aimed to explore whether a mother's own…

Microscopies optique et electronique du bioxyde d'uranium fritte (in French)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Porneuf, A.

1961-07-01

Methods of preparing surfaces of UO₂ by mechanical or electrolytic polishing, and of revealing the structure by anodic or chemical attack, by bombardment or by oxidation, are described and their respective limitations are analyzed. These various techniques were applied to the study of the influence of preparation conditions on the pore distribution, on the micro-profile of the external surfaces of compacts or of the internal surface of pores, on the surface structure of intergranular boundaries revealed by microfractography, etc. The sensitivity of the various quoted techniques allows patterns to be revealed which are similar to those revealed in metals andmore » which are undoubtedly related to the interaction of dislocations« less

Cross allergic reactions in infants and toddlers with atopic dermatitis.

PubMed

Cudowska, B; Kaczmarski, M; Wasilewska, J

2013-01-01

Prevalence and clinical significance of cross sensitization in children up to 3 years old, diagnosed with atopic dermatitis. The retrospective study included 69 children up to 3 years old with atopic dermatitis. Allergological diagnostics was performed based on skin tests, determination of total IgE concentration and allergen-specific IgE. Cross sensitization was found in 26% of children. Other patients were qualified to the control group. The sensitization to trees pollen and fruits as well as grass pollen and vegetables were the most frequent types of cross allergy. The patient's family history was positive with regard to atopy in 72% of children from the study group vs. 31% of children from the control group. The statistically higher prevalence of allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma as well as co-existence of sensitization to house dust mite and animal dander were revealed in the study group. The total concentration of IgE, eosinophilia and SCORAD values were statistically higher in the study group. Children with cross sensitization required systemic steroid therapy more frequently. In children up to 3 years with atopic dermatitis and sensitization to plant pollen, the role of a pollen-food allergy syndrome must be taken into account in the pathogenesis of the disease. In children with cross sensitization, the course of atopic dermatitis is more severe; the symptoms from the respiratory and digestive system co-exist. The positive family history is a factor, predisposing to the development of cross sensitization in infants and toddlers.

Decreased ATP synthesis and lower pH may lead to abnormal muscle contraction and skin sensitivity in human skin.

PubMed

Kim, Eun Ju; Lee, Dong Hun; Kim, Yeon Kyung; Kim, Min-Kyoung; Kim, Jung Yun; Lee, Min Jung; Choi, Won Woo; Eun, Hee Chul; Chung, Jin Ho

2014-12-01

Sensitive skin represents hyperactive sensory symptoms showing exaggerated reactions in response to internal stimulants or external irritants. Although sensitive skin is a very common condition affecting an estimated 50% of the population, its pathophysiology remains largely elusive, particularly with regard to its metabolic aspects. The objective of our study was to investigate the pathogenesis of sensitive skin. We recruited healthy participants with 'sensitive' or 'non-sensitive' skin based on standardized questionnaires and 10% lactic acid stinging test, and obtained skin samples for microarray analysis and subsequent experiments. Microarray transcriptome profiling revealed that genes involved in muscle contraction, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and ion transport and balance were significantly decreased in sensitive skin. These altered genes could account for the abnormal muscle contraction, decreased ATP amount in sensitive skin. In addition, pain-related transcripts such as TRPV1, ASIC3 and CGRP were significantly up-regulated in sensitive skin, compared with non-sensitive skin. Our findings suggest that sensitive skin is closely associated with the dysfunction of muscle contraction and metabolic homeostasis. Copyright © 2014 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of the reactivity of organic materials in liquid oxygen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamberlain, D.; Irwin, K.; Kirshen, N.; Mill, T.; Stringham, R.

1970-01-01

Measurements of impact-ignition sensitivity and studies of the relative reactivity of t-butoxy and t-butyl peroxy radicals toward a variety of organic compounds reveal improved methods of selection of materials for safe use in a liquid oxygen environment.

Methamphetamine-sensitized rats show augmented dopamine release to methylphenidate stimulation: a positron emission tomography using [18F]fallypride.

PubMed

Ota, Miho; Ogawa, Shintaro; Kato, Koichi; Wakabayashi, Chisato; Kunugi, Hiroshi

2015-04-30

Previous studies demonstrated that patients with schizophrenia show greater sensitivity to psychostimulants than healthy subjects. Sensitization to psychostimulants and resultant alteration of dopaminergic neurotransmission in rodents have been suggested as a useful model of schizophrenia. This study was aimed to examine the use of methylphenidate as a psychostimulant to induce dopamine release and that of [18F]fallypride as a radioligand to estimate the release in a rat model of schizophrenia. Six rats were scanned by positron emission tomography (PET) twice before and after methylphenidate challenge to evaluate dopamine release. After the scans, these rats were sensitized by using repeated methamphetamine (MAP) administration. Then, they were re-scanned twice again before and after methylphenidate challenge to evaluate whether MAP-sensitized rats show greater sensitivity to methylphenidate. We revealed a main effect of MAP-pretreatment and that of metylphenidate challenge. We found that % change of distribution volume ratio after repeated administration of MAP was greater than that before sensitization. These results suggest that methylphenidate-induced striatal dopamine release increased after sensitization to MAP. PET scan using [18F]fallypride at methylphenidate-challenge may provide a biological marker for schizophrenia and be useful to diagnose schizophrenia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

In monkeys making value-based decisions, amygdala neurons are sensitive to cue value as distinct from cue salience.

PubMed

Leathers, Marvin L; Olson, Carl R

2017-04-01

Neurons in the lateral intraparietal (LIP) area of macaque monkey parietal cortex respond to cues predicting rewards and penalties of variable size in a manner that depends on the motivational salience of the predicted outcome (strong for both large reward and large penalty) rather than on its value (positive for large reward and negative for large penalty). This finding suggests that LIP mediates the capture of attention by salient events and does not encode value in the service of value-based decision making. It leaves open the question whether neurons elsewhere in the brain encode value in the identical task. To resolve this issue, we recorded neuronal activity in the amygdala in the context of the task employed in the LIP study. We found that responses to reward-predicting cues were similar between areas, with the majority of reward-sensitive neurons responding more strongly to cues that predicted large reward than to those that predicted small reward. Responses to penalty-predicting cues were, however, markedly different. In the amygdala, unlike LIP, few neurons were sensitive to penalty size, few penalty-sensitive neurons favored large over small penalty, and the dependence of firing rate on penalty size was negatively correlated with its dependence on reward size. These results indicate that amygdala neurons encoded cue value under circumstances in which LIP neurons exhibited sensitivity to motivational salience. However, the representation of negative value, as reflected in sensitivity to penalty size, was weaker than the representation of positive value, as reflected in sensitivity to reward size. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first study to characterize amygdala neuronal responses to cues predicting rewards and penalties of variable size in monkeys making value-based choices. Manipulating reward and penalty size allowed distinguishing activity dependent on motivational salience from activity dependent on value. This approach revealed in a previous study that neurons of the lateral intraparietal (LIP) area encode motivational salience. Here, it reveals that amygdala neurons encode value. The results establish a sharp functional distinction between the two areas. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

A multivariate twin study of trait mindfulness, depressive symptoms, and anxiety sensitivity.

PubMed

Waszczuk, Monika A; Zavos, Helena M S; Antonova, Elena; Haworth, Claire M; Plomin, Robert; Eley, Thalia C

2015-04-01

Mindfulness-based therapies have been shown to be effective in treating depression and reducing cognitive biases. Anxiety sensitivity is one cognitive bias that may play a role in the association between mindfulness and depressive symptoms. It refers to an enhanced sensitivity toward symptoms of anxiety, with a belief that these are harmful. Currently, little is known about the mechanisms underpinning the association between mindfulness, depression, and anxiety sensitivity. The aim of this study was to examine the role of genetic and environmental factors in trait mindfulness, and its genetic and environmental overlap with depressive symptoms and anxiety sensitivity. Over 2,100 16-year-old twins from a population-based study rated their mindfulness, depressive symptoms, and anxiety sensitivity. Twin modeling analyses revealed that mindfulness is 32% heritable and 66% due to nonshared environmental factors, with no significant influence of shared environment. Genetic influences explained over half of the moderate phenotypic associations between low mindfulness, depressive symptoms, and anxiety sensitivity. About two-thirds of genetic influences and almost all nonshared environmental influences on mindfulness were independent of depression and anxiety sensitivity. This is the first study to show that both genes and environment play an important role in the etiology of mindfulness in adolescence. Future research should identify the specific environmental factors that influence trait mindfulness during development to inform targeted treatment and resilience interventions. Shared genetic liability underpinning the co-occurrence of low mindfulness, depression, and anxiety sensitivity suggests that the biological pathways shared between these traits should also be examined. © 2015 The Authors. Depression and Anxiety published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[Sensitivity of meningococci to the antagonistic activity of nasopharyngeal microflora and antibiotics].

PubMed

Bochkov, I A; Larina, L I

1977-12-01

Comparative study of the meningococcus sensitivity of various serological groups with different localization in the human organism to the antagonistic activity of normal microbes of the nasopharynx and the antibiotics it was found that strains isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of patients suffering from cerebrospinal meningitis, chiefly of serological group A, had the greatest resistance to the antagonists. Taking into consideration the leading epidemiological role of the cultures belonging to the serological group A in the USSR, it can be supposed that meningococcus sensitivity to the nasopharyngeal antagonists was of significance for the manifestation of their pathogenic properties. No association of the antibiotic sensitivity of the same strains with reference to a definite serological group or the site of the microbe localization was revealed.

Interparental Violence and Childhood Adjustment: How and Why Maternal Sensitivity is a Protective Factor

PubMed Central

Manning, Liviah G.; Davies, Patrick T.; Cicchetti, Dante

2014-01-01

This study examined sensitive parenting as a protective factor in relations between interparental violence and children’s coping and psychological adjustment. Using a multi-method approach, a high risk sample of 201 two-year olds and their mothers participated in three annual waves of data collection. Moderator analyses revealed that sensitive parenting buffered the risk posed by interparental violence on children’s changes in externalizing and prosocial development over a two year period. Tests of mediated moderation further indicated that sensitive parenting protected children from the vulnerability of growing up in a violent home through its association with lower levels of children’s angry reactivity to interparental conflict. Results highlight the significance of identifying the mechanisms that mediate protective factors in models of family adversity. PMID:25132541

The Interaction Between Punishment Sensitivity and Effortful Control for Emerging Adults' Substance Use Behaviors.

PubMed

Kahn, Rachel E; Chiu, Pearl H; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Hochgraf, Anna K; King-Casas, Brooks; Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen

2018-01-08

Within the dual systems perspective, high reward sensitivity and low punishment sensitivity in conjunction with deficits in cognitive control may contribute to high levels of risk taking, such as substance use. The current study examined whether the individual components of effortful control (inhibitory control, attentional control, and activation control) serve as regulators and moderate the association between reward or punishment sensitivity and substance use behaviors. A total of 1,808 emerging adults from a university setting (Mean age = 19.48; 72% female) completed self-report measures of reward and punishment sensitivity, effortful control, and substance use. Findings indicated significant two-way interactions for punishment sensitivity and inhibitory control for alcohol and marijuana use. The form of these interactions revealed a significant negative association between punishment sensitivity and alcohol and marijuana use at low levels of inhibitory control. No significant interactions emerged for reward sensitivity or other components of effortful control. The current findings provide preliminary evidence suggesting the dual systems theorized to influence risk taking behavior interact to make joint contributions to health risk behaviors such as substance use in emerging adults.

Finding the bottom and using it

PubMed Central

Sandoval, Ruben M.; Wang, Exing; Molitoris, Bruce A.

2014-01-01

Maximizing 2-photon parameters used in acquiring images for quantitative intravital microscopy, especially when high sensitivity is required, remains an open area of investigation. Here we present data on correctly setting the black level of the photomultiplier tube amplifier by adjusting the offset to allow for accurate quantitation of low intensity processes. When the black level is set too high some low intensity pixel values become zero and a nonlinear degradation in sensitivity occurs rendering otherwise quantifiable low intensity values virtually undetectable. Initial studies using a series of increasing offsets for a sequence of concentrations of fluorescent albumin in vitro revealed a loss of sensitivity for higher offsets at lower albumin concentrations. A similar decrease in sensitivity, and therefore the ability to correctly determine the glomerular permeability coefficient of albumin, occurred in vivo at higher offset. Finding the offset that yields accurate and linear data are essential for quantitative analysis when high sensitivity is required. PMID:25313346

Fixation Characteristics of Severe Amblyopia Subtypes: Which One is Worse?

PubMed

Koylu, Mehmet Talay; Ozge, Gokhan; Kucukevcilioglu, Murat; Mutlu, Fatih Mehmet; Ceylan, Osman Melih; Akıncıoglu, Dorukcan; Ayyıldız, Onder

2017-01-01

To determine differences in macular sensitivity and fixation patterns in different subtypes of severe amblyopia. This case-control study enrolled a total of 73 male adults, including 18 with pure strabismic severe amblyopia, 19 with pure anisometropic severe amblyopia, 18 with mixed (strabismic plus anizometropic) severe amblyopia, and 18 healthy controls. MP-1 microperimetry was used to evaluate macular sensitivity, location of fixation, and stability of fixation. Mean macular sensitivity, stability of fixation, and location of fixation were significantly worse in all amblyopia subtypes when compared with healthy controls. Intergroup comparisons between amblyopia subtypes revealed that mean macular sensitivity, stability of fixation, and location of fixation were significantly worse in pure strabismic and mixed amblyopic eyes when compared with pure anisometropic amblyopic eyes. Strabismus seems to be a worse prognostic factor in severe amblyopia than anisometropia in terms of fixation characteristics and retinal sensitivity.

Oxygen K edge scattering from bulk comb diblock copolymer reveals extended, ordered backbones above lamellar order-disorder transition

DOE PAGES

Kortright, Jeffrey Barrett; Sun, Jing; Spencer, Ryan K.; ...

2016-12-14

The evolution of molecular morphology in bulk samples of comb diblock copolymer pNdc 12-b-pNte 21 across the lamellar order-disorder transition (ODT) is studied using resonant x-ray scattering at the oxygen K edge, with the goal of determining whether the molecules remain extended or collapse above the ODT. The distinct spectral resonances of carbonyl oxygen on the backbone and ether oxygen in the pNte side chains combine with their different site symmetry within the molecule to yield strong differences in bulk structural sensitivity at all temperatures. Comparison with simple models for the disordered phase clearly reveals that disordering at the ODTmore » corresponds to loss of positional order of molecules with extended backbones that retain orientational order, rather than backbone collapse into a locally isotropic disordered phase. This conclusion is facilitated directly by the distinct structural sensitivity at the two resonances. Lastly, we discuss the roles of depolarized scattering in enhancing this sensitivity, and background fluorescence in limiting dynamic range, in oxygen resonant scattering.« less

Empirical evaluation of the Process Overview Measure for assessing situation awareness in process plants.

PubMed

Lau, Nathan; Jamieson, Greg A; Skraaning, Gyrd

2016-03-01

The Process Overview Measure is a query-based measure developed to assess operator situation awareness (SA) from monitoring process plants. A companion paper describes how the measure has been developed according to process plant properties and operator cognitive work. The Process Overview Measure demonstrated practicality, sensitivity, validity and reliability in two full-scope simulator experiments investigating dramatically different operational concepts. Practicality was assessed based on qualitative feedback of participants and researchers. The Process Overview Measure demonstrated sensitivity and validity by revealing significant effects of experimental manipulations that corroborated with other empirical results. The measure also demonstrated adequate inter-rater reliability and practicality for measuring SA in full-scope simulator settings based on data collected on process experts. Thus, full-scope simulator studies can employ the Process Overview Measure to reveal the impact of new control room technology and operational concepts on monitoring process plants. Practitioner Summary: The Process Overview Measure is a query-based measure that demonstrated practicality, sensitivity, validity and reliability for assessing operator situation awareness (SA) from monitoring process plants in representative settings.

Does catastrophic thinking enhance oesophageal pain sensitivity? An experimental investigation.

PubMed

Martel, M O; Olesen, A E; Jørgensen, D; Nielsen, L M; Brock, C; Edwards, R R; Drewes, A M

2016-09-01

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a major health problem that is frequently accompanied by debilitating oesophageal pain symptoms. The first objective of the study was to examine the association between catastrophizing and oesophageal pain sensitivity. The second objective was to examine whether catastrophizing was associated with the magnitude of acid-induced oesophageal sensitization. Twenty-five healthy volunteers (median age: 24.0 years; range: 22-31) were recruited and were asked to complete the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS). During two subsequent study visits, mechanical, thermal, and electrical pain sensitivity in the oesophagus was assessed before and after inducing oesophageal sensitization using a 30-min intraluminal oesophageal acid perfusion procedure. Analyses were conducted based on data averaged across the two study visits. At baseline, catastrophizing was significantly associated with mechanical (r = -0.42, p < 0.05) and electrical (r = -0.60, p < 0.01) pain thresholds. After acid perfusion, catastrophizing was also significantly associated with mechanical (r = -0.58, p < 0.01) and electrical (r = -0.50, p < 0.05) pain thresholds. Catastrophizing was not significantly associated with thermal pain thresholds. Subsequent analyses revealed that catastrophizing was not significantly associated with the magnitude of acid-induced oesophageal sensitization. Taken together, findings from the present study suggest that catastrophic thinking exerts an influence on oesophageal pain sensitivity, but not necessarily on the magnitude of acid-induced oesophageal sensitization. WHAT DOES THIS STUDY ADD?: Catastrophizing is associated with heightened pain sensitivity in the oesophagus. This was substantiated by assessing responses to noxious stimulation of the oesophagus using an experimental paradigm mimicking features and symptoms experienced by patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). © 2016 European Pain Federation - EFIC®

Diagnosing environmental allergies: Comparison of skin-prick, intradermal, and serum specific immunoglobulin E testing

PubMed Central

Shtessel, Maria; Lobell, Elizabeth; Hudes, Golda; Rosenstreich, David; de Vos, Gabriele

2017-01-01

Background: Allergists commonly perform intradermal skin testing (IDST) after negative skin-prick testing (SPT) to comprehensively diagnose environmental allergic sensitization. However, with the availability of modern methods to detect serum-specific immunoglobulin E (ssIgE), it is unclear if ssIgE testing could substitute for IDST. Objective: To determine the efficacy of ssIgE testing and IDST when added to SPT in diagnosing environmental allergic sensitizations. Methods: SPT, IDST, and ssIgE testing to nine common environmental allergens were analyzed in 75 patients with oculonasal symptoms who presented to our allergy clinics in the Bronx, New York, between January 2014 and May 2015. Results: A total of 651 SPT and 499 ssIgE tests were independently performed and revealed 162 (25%) and 127 (25%) sensitizations, respectively. When SPT results were negative, IDST results revealed 108 of 452 additional sensitizations (24%). In contrast, when SPT results were negative, ssIgE test results only revealed 9% additional sensitizations. When both SPT and IDST results were negative, ssIgE testing only detected 3% of additional sensitizations, and ssIgE levels were typically low in these cases (median, 1.25 kU/L; range, 0.357–4.47 kU/L). When both SPT and ssIgE test results were negative, IDST results detected 15% additional sensitizations. Conclusion: IDST detected more additional environmental sensitizations compared with ssIgE testing. IDST, therefore, may be useful when the SPT and/or ssIgE testing results were negative, but the exposure history indicated relevant allergic sensitization. Serology added only a little more information if both SPT and IDST results were negative but may be useful in combination with SPT if IDST cannot be performed. PMID:28583228

Diagnosing environmental allergies: Comparison of skin-prick, intradermal, and serum specific immunoglobulin E testing.

PubMed

Ferastraoaru, Denisa; Shtessel, Maria; Lobell, Elizabeth; Hudes, Golda; Rosenstreich, David; de Vos, Gabriele

2017-06-01

Allergists commonly perform intradermal skin testing (IDST) after negative skin-prick testing (SPT) to comprehensively diagnose environmental allergic sensitization. However, with the availability of modern methods to detect serum-specific immunoglobulin E (ssIgE), it is unclear if ssIgE testing could substitute for IDST. To determine the efficacy of ssIgE testing and IDST when added to SPT in diagnosing environmental allergic sensitizations. SPT, IDST, and ssIgE testing to nine common environmental allergens were analyzed in 75 patients with oculonasal symptoms who presented to our allergy clinics in the Bronx, New York, between January 2014 and May 2015. A total of 651 SPT and 499 ssIgE tests were independently performed and revealed 162 (25%) and 127 (25%) sensitizations, respectively. When SPT results were negative, IDST results revealed 108 of 452 additional sensitizations (24%). In contrast, when SPT results were negative, ssIgE test results only revealed 9% additional sensitizations. When both SPT and IDST results were negative, ssIgE testing only detected 3% of additional sensitizations, and ssIgE levels were typically low in these cases (median, 1.25 kU/L; range, 0.357-4.47 kU/L). When both SPT and ssIgE test results were negative, IDST results detected 15% additional sensitizations. IDST detected more additional environmental sensitizations compared with ssIgE testing. IDST, therefore, may be useful when the SPT and/or ssIgE testing results were negative, but the exposure history indicated relevant allergic sensitization. Serology added only a little more information if both SPT and IDST results were negative but may be useful in combination with SPT if IDST cannot be performed.

Emerging Role of Endothelial and Inflammatory Markers in Preeclampsia

PubMed Central

Swellam, Menha; Samy, Nervana; Abdl Wahab, Susan; Ibrahim, Mohamed Saeed

2009-01-01

Objectives: Endothelial disturbance and excess inflammatory response are pathogenic mechanisms in pre-eclampsia (PE). Authors determine the clinical diagnostic role for thrombomodulin (TM), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) as endothelial markers and C-reactive protein (CRP), and interlukin-6 (IL-6) as inflammatory markers when tested independently or in combinations. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective study in a cohort of 185 women grouped as 80 women with PE, 55 normotensive pregnant and 50 healthy non-pregnant. Plasma levels of TM, PAI-1, CRP and IL-6 were examined using enzyme linked immunosorbent assays. Results: Median levels and the positivity rates for the investigated markers were higher in PE as compared to the other groups (P < 0.0001). Using linear regression analysis, the investigated markers were significantly correlated regarding healthy nonpregnant vs PE or normotensive pregnant vs PE. The sensitivity of PAI-1 was the highest (98%) among the tested biomarkers. Combination between the investigated markers revealed absolute sensitivity (100%) and reliable specificity especially when PAI-1 was combined with CRP at 83% specificity. Conclusions: Investigated endothelial and inflammatory markers revealed sensitive diagnostic test for PE. However, coupled combination between PAI-1 with CRP showed superior both sensitivity and specificity which represent a promising new approach for detection of PE. PMID:19597295

Using Bioassays and Species Sensitivity Distributions to Assess Herbicide Toxicity towards Benthic Diatoms

PubMed Central

Larras, Floriane; Bouchez, Agnès; Rimet, Frédéric; Montuelle, Bernard

2012-01-01

Although benthic diatoms are widely used in ecological studies of aquatic systems, there is still a dearth of data concerning species sensitivities towards several contaminants. Within the same community, different species may respond differently depending on their physiological and ecological characteristics. This lack of knowledge makes specific appropriate risk assessment impossible. To find out whether species sensitivity distribution (SSD) could be used to estimate the risk of herbicide toxicity for diatoms, we need to know whether their sensitivity depends on their physiological and ecological characteristics. We carried out single-species bioassays on 11 diatom species exposed to 8 herbicides. Dose-responses relationships were used to extrapolate the Effective Concentration 5 (EC5) and the Effective Concentration 50 (EC50) for each exposure. These data were used to fit a SSD curve for each herbicide, and to determine the Hazardous concentration 5 (HC5) and 50 (HC50). Our results revealed a high level of variability of the sensitivity in the set of species tested. For photosystem-II inhibitor (PSII) herbicides, diatoms species displayed a typical grouping of sensitivity levels consistent with their trophic mode and their ecological guild. N-heterotroph and “motile” guild species were more tolerant of PSII inhibitors, while N-autotroph and “low profile” guild species were more sensitive. Comprehensive SSD curves were obtained for 5 herbicides, but not for sulfonylurea herbicides or for dimetachlor, which had toxicity levels that were below the range of concentration tested. The SSD curves provided the following ranking of toxicity: diuron> terbutryn> isoproturon> atrazine> metolachlor. The HC that affected 5% of the species revealed that, even at the usual environmental concentrations of herbicides, diatom assemblages could be affected, especially by isoproturon, terbutryn, and diuron. PMID:22952981

nanoCAGE reveals 5′ UTR features that define specific modes of translation of functionally related MTOR-sensitive mRNAs

PubMed Central

Gandin, Valentina; Masvidal, Laia; Hulea, Laura; Gravel, Simon-Pierre; Cargnello, Marie; McLaughlan, Shannon; Cai, Yutian; Balanathan, Preetika; Morita, Masahiro; Rajakumar, Arjuna; Furic, Luc; Pollak, Michael; Porco, John A.; St-Pierre, Julie; Pelletier, Jerry; Larsson, Ola; Topisirovic, Ivan

2016-01-01

The diversity of MTOR-regulated mRNA translation remains unresolved. Whereas ribosome-profiling suggested that MTOR almost exclusively stimulates translation of the TOP (terminal oligopyrimidine motif) and TOP-like mRNAs, polysome-profiling indicated that MTOR also modulates translation of mRNAs without the 5′ TOP motif (non-TOP mRNAs). We demonstrate that in ribosome-profiling studies, detection of MTOR-dependent changes in non-TOP mRNA translation was obscured by low sensitivity and methodology biases. Transcription start site profiling using nano-cap analysis of gene expression (nanoCAGE) revealed that not only do many MTOR-sensitive mRNAs lack the 5′ TOP motif but that 5′ UTR features distinguish two functionally and translationally distinct subsets of MTOR-sensitive mRNAs: (1) mRNAs with short 5′ UTRs enriched for mitochondrial functions, which require EIF4E but are less EIF4A1-sensitive; and (2) long 5′ UTR mRNAs encoding proliferation- and survival-promoting proteins, which are both EIF4E- and EIF4A1-sensitive. Selective inhibition of translation of mRNAs harboring long 5′ UTRs via EIF4A1 suppression leads to sustained expression of proteins involved in respiration but concomitant loss of those protecting mitochondrial structural integrity, resulting in apoptosis. Conversely, simultaneous suppression of translation of both long and short 5′ UTR mRNAs by MTOR inhibitors results in metabolic dormancy and a predominantly cytostatic effect. Thus, 5′ UTR features define different modes of MTOR-sensitive translation of functionally distinct subsets of mRNAs, which may explain the diverse impact of MTOR and EIF4A inhibitors on neoplastic cells. PMID:26984228

Evaluating aquatic invertebrate vulnerability to insecticides based on intrinsic sensitivity, biological traits, and toxic mode of action.

PubMed

Rico, Andreu; Van den Brink, Paul J

2015-08-01

In the present study, the authors evaluated the vulnerability of aquatic invertebrates to insecticides based on their intrinsic sensitivity and their population-level recovery potential. The relative sensitivity of invertebrates to 5 different classes of insecticides was calculated at the genus, family, and order levels using the acute toxicity data available in the US Environmental Protection Agency ECOTOX database. Biological trait information was linked to the calculated relative sensitivity to evaluate correlations between traits and sensitivity and to calculate a vulnerability index, which combines intrinsic sensitivity and traits describing the recovery potential of populations partially exposed to insecticides (e.g., voltinism, flying strength, occurrence in drift). The analysis shows that the relative sensitivity of arthropods depends on the insecticide mode of action. Traits such as degree of sclerotization, size, and respiration type showed good correlation to sensitivity and can be used to make predictions for invertebrate taxa without a priori sensitivity knowledge. The vulnerability analysis revealed that some of the Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera taxa were vulnerable to all insecticide classes and indicated that particular gastropod and bivalve species were potentially vulnerable. Microcrustaceans (e.g., daphnids, copepods) showed low potential vulnerability, particularly in lentic ecosystems. The methods described in the present study can be used for the selection of focal species to be included as part of ecological scenarios and higher tier risk assessments. © 2015 SETAC.

The Diagnostic Performance of Stool DNA Testing for Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Zhai, Rong-Lin; Xu, Fei; Zhang, Pei; Zhang, Wan-Li; Wang, Hui; Wang, Ji-Liang; Cai, Kai-Lin; Long, Yue-Ping; Lu, Xiao-Ming; Tao, Kai-Xiong; Wang, Guo-Bin

2016-02-01

This meta-analysis was designed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of stool DNA testing for colorectal cancer (CRC) and compare the performance between single-gene and multiple-gene tests.MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE databases were searched using keywords colorectal cancers, stool/fecal, sensitivity, specificity, DNA, and screening. Sensitivity analysis, quality assessments, and performance bias were performed for the included studies.Fifty-three studies were included in the analysis with a total sample size of 7524 patients. The studies were heterogeneous with regard to the genes being analyzed for fecal genetic biomarkers of CRC, as well as the laboratory methods being used for each assay. The sensitivity of the different assays ranged from 2% to 100% and the specificity ranged from 81% to 100%. The meta-analysis found that the pooled sensitivities for single- and multigene assays were 48.0% and 77.8%, respectively, while the pooled specificities were 97.0% and 92.7%. Receiver operator curves and diagnostic odds ratios showed no significant difference between both tests with regard to sensitivity or specificity.This meta-analysis revealed that using assays that evaluated multiple genes compared with single-gene assays did not increase the sensitivity or specificity of stool DNA testing in detecting CRC.

Evaluation of dried blood spot samples for screening of hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus in a real-world setting.

PubMed

Vázquez-Morón, Sonia; Ryan, Pablo; Ardizone-Jiménez, Beatriz; Martín, Dolores; Troya, Jesus; Cuevas, Guillermo; Valencia, Jorge; Jimenez-Sousa, María A; Avellón, Ana; Resino, Salvador

2018-01-30

Both hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are underdiagnosed, particularly in low-income countries and in difficult-to-access populations. Our aim was to develop and evaluate a methodology for the detection of HCV and HIV infection based on capillary dry blood spot (DBS) samples taken under real-world conditions. We carried out a cross-sectional study of 139 individuals (31 healthy controls, 68 HCV-monoinfected patients, and 40 HCV/HIV-coinfected patients). ELISA was used for anti-HCV and anti-HIV antibody detection; and SYBR Green RT-PCR was used for HCV-RNA detection. The HIV serological analysis revealed 100% sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). The HCV serological analysis revealed a sensitivity of 92.6%, specificity of 100%, PPV of 100%, and NPV of 79.5%. Finally, the HCV-RNA detection test revealed a detection limit of 5 copies/µl with an efficiency of 100% and sensitivity of 99.1%, specificity of 100%, PPV of 100%, and NPV of 96.9%. In conclusion, our methodology was able to detect both HCV infection and HIV infection from the same DBS sample with good diagnostic performance. Screening for HCV and HIV using DBS might be a key strategy in the implementation of national programs for the control of both infections.

Nanowire size dependence on sensitivity of silicon nanowire field-effect transistor-based pH sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Ryoongbin; Kwon, Dae Woong; Kim, Sihyun; Kim, Sangwan; Mo, Hyun-Sun; Kim, Dae Hwan; Park, Byung-Gook

2017-12-01

In this study, we investigated the effects of nanowire size on the current sensitivity of silicon nanowire (SiNW) ion-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFETs). The changes in on-current (I on) and resistance according to pH were measured in fabricated SiNW ISFETs of various lengths and widths. As a result, it was revealed that the sensitivity expressed as relative I on change improves as the width decreases. Through technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation analysis, the width dependence on the relative I on change can be explained by the observation that the target molecules located at the edge region along the channel width have a stronger effect on the sensitivity as the SiNW width is reduced. Additionally, the length dependence on the sensitivity can be understood in terms of the resistance ratio of the fixed parasitic resistance, including source/drain resistance, to the varying channel resistance as a function of channel length.

The role of interpersonal sensitivity, social support, and quality of life in rural older adults.

PubMed

Wedgeworth, Monika; LaRocca, Michael A; Chaplin, William F; Scogin, Forrest

The mental health of elderly individuals in rural areas is increasingly relevant as populations age and social structures change. While social support satisfaction is a well-established predictor of quality of life, interpersonal sensitivity symptoms may diminish this relation. The current study extends the findings of Scogin et al by investigating the relationship among interpersonal sensitivity, social support satisfaction, and quality of life among rural older adults and exploring the mediating role of social support in the relation between interpersonal sensitivity and quality of life (N = 128). Hierarchical regression revealed that interpersonal sensitivity and social support satisfaction predicted quality of life. In addition, bootstrapping resampling supported the role of social support satisfaction as a mediator between interpersonal sensitivity symptoms and quality of life. These results underscore the importance of nurses and allied health providers in assessing and attending to negative self-perceptions of clients, as well as the perceived quality of their social networks. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Studies on strain sensitivity of Trichomonas vaginalis to metronidazole.

PubMed Central

Meingassner, J G; Havelec, L; Mieth, H

1978-01-01

Ninety-four strains of Trichomonas vaginalis isolated from unselected patients in Vienna during the period from November 1975 to November 1975 were subjected to sensitivity tests against metronidazole in vitro and in vivo. Nearly 90% of the isolates examined showed in vitro growth inhibition at concentrations of 0.4 to 1.6 microgram metronidazole/ml and only about 10% at concentrations of less than 0.4 microgram/ml. All isolates showed some inhibition of growth after incubation for 48 hours with 3.2 microgram metroidazole/ml. Tests on treatment carried out on experimentally infected mice revealed that all strains of T. vaginalis examined were sensitive to metronidazole (MDE: less than 3 x 35 mg/kg peroral). PMID:305807

Analysis of indentation creep

Treesearch

Don S. Stone; Joseph E. Jakes; Jonathan Puthoff; Abdelmageed A. Elmustafa

2010-01-01

Finite element analysis is used to simulate cone indentation creep in materials across a wide range of hardness, strain rate sensitivity, and work-hardening exponent. Modeling reveals that the commonly held assumption of the hardness strain rate sensitivity (mΗ) equaling the flow stress strain rate sensitivity (mσ...

Central sensitization: Implications for the diagnosis and treatment of pain

PubMed Central

Woolf, Clifford J

2010-01-01

Nociceptor inputs can trigger a prolonged but reversible increase in the excitability and synaptic efficacy of neurons in central nociceptive pathways, the phenomenon of central sensitization. Central sensitization manifests as pain hypersensitivity, particularly dynamic tactile allodynia, secondary punctate or pressure hyperalgesia, aftersensations, and enhanced temporal summation. It can be readily and rapidly elicited in human volunteers by diverse experimental noxious conditioning stimuli to skin, muscles or viscera, and in addition to producing pain hypersensitivity, results in secondary changes in brain activity that can be detected by electrophysiological or imaging techniques. Studies in clinical cohorts reveal changes in pain sensitivity that have been interpreted as revealing an important contribution of central sensitization to the pain phenotype in patients with fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, musculoskeletal disorders with generalized pain hypersensitivity, headache, temporomandibular joint disorders, dental pain, neuropathic pain, visceral pain hypersensitivity disorders and postsurgical pain. The comorbidity of those pain hypersensitivity syndromes that present in the absence of inflammation or a neural lesion, their similar pattern of clinical presentation and response to centrally acting analgesics, may reflect a commonality of central sensitization to their pathophysiology. An important question that still needs to be determined is whether there are individuals with a higher inherited propensity for developing central sensitization than others, and if so, whether this conveys an increased risk both of developing conditions with pain hypersensitivity, and their chronification. Diagnostic criteria to establish the presence of central sensitization in patients will greatly assist the phenotyping of patients for choosing treatments that produce analgesia by normalizing hyperexcitable central neural activity. We have certainly come a long way since the first discovery of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity in the spinal cord and the revelation that it occurs and produces pain hypersensitivity in patients. Nevertheless, discovering the genetic and environmental contributors to and objective biomarkers of central sensitization will be highly beneficial, as will additional treatment options to prevent or reduce this prevalent and promiscuous form of pain plasticity. PMID:20961685

Glucoamylase: a current allergen in the baking industry.

PubMed

Simonis, Bettina; Hölzel, Claus; Stark, Ulrike

Over a 10 year period a decline in the rate of sensitizations to α-amylase (Aspergillus oryzae) was observed in bakers investigated for allergic obstructive airway disease. At the same time, glucoamylase (Aspergillus niger) was identified as the currently the most relevant allergen in sensitizations to enzymes in the baking industry. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether, over a period of 10 years and in the case of new-onset disease, there had been any change in sensitization and exposure rates to enzymes used in the baking industry. Total immunoglobulin-E (IgE) levels and specific IgE to baking enzymes were determined in 433 bakers investigated in the Baker's Asthma prevention program (Bäckerasthma Präventionsprogramm, BAP) of the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the foodstuffs and catering industry (Berufsgenossenschaft Nahrungsmittel und Gastgewerbe, BGN). At the same time personal dust exposure, including assessment of the level of α-amylase exposure in the area of exposure, was recorded. Serological investigations revealed a significant decline in the rate of sensitization to α-amylase from 26 % to 13 %. At 28 %, the rate of sensitization to the baking enzyme glucoamylase was significantly higher than to cellulase (16 %) and α-amylase among subjects in 2010. Multiple sensitizations to all three baking agents are common. In total, 30 % of affected bakers are currently sensitized to at least one of the baking enzymes investigated. Data from individual dust measurements revealed a decline in α-amylase exposure while overall dust exposure remained almost unchanged. Today, 11 % fewer bakers are exposed to α-amylase compared with ten years previously and, at the same time, enzyme concentrations in exposed bakers have dropped significantly. The high sensitization rate to glucoamylase in affected bakers gives cause to investigate exposure levels in bakeries and to assess sensitizations in the context of occupational disease proceedings.

Optical imaging for the diagnosis of oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, K.

2016-03-01

Optical Imaging is being conducted as a therapeutic non-invasive. Many kinds of the light source are selected for this purpose. Recently the oral cancer screening is conducted by using light-induced tissue autofluorescence examination such as several kinds of handheld devices. However, the mechanism of its action is still not clear. Therefore basic experimental research was conducted. One of auto fluorescence Imaging (AFI) device, VELscopeTM and near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging using ICG-labeled antibody as a probe were compared using oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) mouse models. The experiments revealed that intracutaneous tumor was successfully visualized as low density image by VELscopeTM and high density image by NIR image. In addition, VELscopeTM showed higher sensitivity and lower specificity than that of NIR fluorescence imaging and the sensitivity of identification of carcinoma areas with the VELscopeTM was good results. However, further more studies were needed to enhance the screening and diagnostic uses, sensitivity and specificity for detecting malignant lesions and differentiation from premalignant or benign lesions. Therefore, additional studies were conducted using a new developed near infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging method targeting podoplanine (PDPN) which consists of indocyanine green (ICG)-labeled anti-human podoplanin antibody as a probe and IVIS imaging system or a handy realtime ICG imaging device that is overexpressed in oral malignant neoplasm to improve imaging for detection of early oral malignant neoplasm. Then evaluated for its sensitivity and specificity for detection of oral malignant neoplasm in xenografted mice model and compared with VELscopeTM. The results revealed that ICG fluorescence imaging method and VELscopeTM had the almost the same sensitivity for detection of oral malignant neoplasm. The current topics of optical imaging about oral malignant neoplasm were reviewed.

Junk food advertising moderates the indirect effect of reward sensitivity and food consumption via the urge to eat.

PubMed

Kidd, Chloe; Loxton, Natalie J

2018-05-01

The current study aimed to identify how underlying individual differences increases vulnerability to television food advertising. In particular, this study examined how reward sensitivity, a biologically-based predisposition to approach rewards (such as appetitive foods) in the environment, influenced participants' vulnerability to television food advertising and subsequent food consumption. Ninety-eight participants were randomly assigned to a cue condition (food cues versus non-food cues) and then viewed a 30 min documentary interrupted by advertising featuring a mix of food and neutral advertising (food cue condition) or only neutral advertising (non-food cue condition). Participants' reward sensitivity, approach motivation measured as urge to eat, and food consumption were recorded. Moderated mediation regression analyses revealed the positive association between reward sensitivity and food consumption was mediated by an increase in urge to eat, but only when participants were exposed to food advertising. These findings suggest heightened reward sensitivity, exposure to appetitive food cues, and approach motivation are key interacting mechanisms that may lead to maladaptive eating behaviours. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Striatal and extrastriatal dopamine release in the common marmoset brain measured by positron emission tomography and [(18)F]fallypride.

PubMed

Ota, Miho; Ogawa, Shintaro; Kato, Koichi; Masuda, Chiaki; Kunugi, Hiroshi

2015-12-01

Previous studies have demonstrated that patients with schizophrenia show greater sensitivity to psychostimulants than healthy subjects. Sensitization to psychostimulants and resultant alteration of dopaminergic neurotransmission in rodents has been suggested as a useful model of schizophrenia. This study sought to examine the use of methylphenidate as a psychostimulant to induce dopamine release and that of [(18)F]fallypride as a radioligand to quantify the release in a primate model of schizophrenia. Four common marmosets were scanned by positron emission tomography twice, before and after methylphenidate challenge, to evaluate dopamine release. Four other marmosets were sensitized by repeated methamphetamine (MAP) administration. Then, they were scanned twice, before and after methylphenidate challenge, to evaluate whether MAP-sensitization induced greater sensitivity to methylphenidate. We revealed a main effect of the methylphenidate challenge but not the MAP pretreatment on the striatal binding potential. These results suggest that methylphenidate-induced striatal dopamine release in the common marmoset could be evaluated by [(18)F]fallypride. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

Highly Sensitive Ethanol Chemical Sensor Based on Novel Ag-Doped Mesoporous α-Fe2O3 Prepared by Modified Sol-Gel Process.

PubMed

Alqahtani, Moteb M; Ali, Atif M; Harraz, Farid A; Faisal, M; Ismail, Adel A; Sayed, Mahmoud A; Al-Assiri, M S

2018-05-21

Mesoporous α-Fe 2 O 3 has been synthesized via a simple sol-gel procedure in the presence of Pluronic (F-127) triblock copolymer as structure directing agent. Silver (Ag) nanoparticles were deposited onto α-Fe 2 O 3 matrix by the photochemical reduction approach. Morphological analysis revealed the formation of Ag nanoparticles with small sizes < 20 nm onto the mesoporous structure of α-Fe 2 O 3 possessing < 50 nm semi-spherical shape. The XRD, FTIR, Raman, UV-vis, PL, and N 2 sorption isotherm studies confirmed the high crystallinity, mesoporosity, and optical characteristics of the synthesized product. The electrochemical sensing toward liquid ethanol has been performed using the current devolved Ag/α-Fe 2 O 3 -modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and current potential (I-V) techniques, and the obtained results were compared with bare GCE or pure α-Fe 2 O 3 . Mesoporous Ag/α-Fe 2 O 3 was found to largely enhance the sensor sensitivity and it exhibited excellent sensing characteristics during the precision detection of low concentrations of ethanol. High and reproducible sensitivity of 41.27 μAmM - 1  cm - 2 at lower ethanol concentration region (0.05 to 0.8 mM) and 2.93 μAmM - 1  cm - 2 at higher concentration zone (0.8 to 15 mM), with a limit of detection (LOD) of 15.4 μM have been achieved. Investigation on reaction kinetics revealed a characteristic behavior of mixed surface and diffusion-controlled processes. Detailed sensing studies revealed also that the sensitivity toward ethanol was higher than that of methanol or isopropanol. With further effort in developing the synthesis and fabrication approaches, a proper utility for the current proposed protocol for fabricating a better sensor device performance is possible.

Highly Sensitive Ethanol Chemical Sensor Based on Novel Ag-Doped Mesoporous α-Fe2O3 Prepared by Modified Sol-Gel Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alqahtani, Moteb M.; Ali, Atif M.; Harraz, Farid A.; Faisal, M.; Ismail, Adel A.; Sayed, Mahmoud A.; Al-Assiri, M. S.

2018-05-01

Mesoporous α-Fe2O3 has been synthesized via a simple sol-gel procedure in the presence of Pluronic (F-127) triblock copolymer as structure directing agent. Silver (Ag) nanoparticles were deposited onto α-Fe2O3 matrix by the photochemical reduction approach. Morphological analysis revealed the formation of Ag nanoparticles with small sizes < 20 nm onto the mesoporous structure of α-Fe2O3 possessing < 50 nm semi-spherical shape. The XRD, FTIR, Raman, UV-vis, PL, and N2 sorption isotherm studies confirmed the high crystallinity, mesoporosity, and optical characteristics of the synthesized product. The electrochemical sensing toward liquid ethanol has been performed using the current devolved Ag/α-Fe2O3-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by cyclic voltammetry ( CV) and current potential ( I-V) techniques, and the obtained results were compared with bare GCE or pure α-Fe2O3. Mesoporous Ag/α-Fe2O3 was found to largely enhance the sensor sensitivity and it exhibited excellent sensing characteristics during the precision detection of low concentrations of ethanol. High and reproducible sensitivity of 41.27 μAmM- 1 cm- 2 at lower ethanol concentration region (0.05 to 0.8 mM) and 2.93 μAmM- 1 cm- 2 at higher concentration zone (0.8 to 15 mM), with a limit of detection (LOD) of 15.4 μM have been achieved. Investigation on reaction kinetics revealed a characteristic behavior of mixed surface and diffusion-controlled processes. Detailed sensing studies revealed also that the sensitivity toward ethanol was higher than that of methanol or isopropanol. With further effort in developing the synthesis and fabrication approaches, a proper utility for the current proposed protocol for fabricating a better sensor device performance is possible.

Interrelationship between 3,5,3´-triiodothyronine and the circadian clock in the rodent heart.

PubMed

Peliciari-Garcia, Rodrigo Antonio; Prévide, Rafael Maso; Nunes, Maria Tereza; Young, Martin Elliot

2016-01-01

Triiodothyronine (T3) is an important modulator of cardiac metabolism and function, often through modulation of gene expression. The cardiomyocyte circadian clock is a transcriptionally based molecular mechanism capable of regulating cardiac processes, in part by modulating responsiveness of the heart to extra-cardiac stimuli/stresses in a time-of-day (TOD)-dependent manner. Although TOD-dependent oscillations in circulating levels of T3 (and its intermediates) have been established, oscillations in T3 sensitivity in the heart is unknown. To investigate the latter possibility, euthyroid male Wistar rats were treated with vehicle or T3 at distinct times of the day, after which induction of known T3 target genes were assessed in the heart (4-h later). The expression of mRNA was assessed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Here, we report greater T3 induction of transcript levels at the end of the dark phase. Surprisingly, use of cardiomyocyte-specific clock mutant (CCM) mice revealed that TOD-dependent oscillations in T3 sensitivity were independent of this cell autonomous mechanism. Investigation of genes encoding for proteins that affect T3 sensitivity revealed that Dio1, Dio2 and Thrb1 exhibited TOD-dependent variations in the heart, while Thra1 and Thra2 did not. Of these, Dio1 and Thrb1 were increased in the heart at the end of the dark phase. Interestingly, we observed that T3 acutely altered the expression of core clock components (e.g. Bmal1) in the rat heart. To investigate this further, rats were injected with a single dose of T3, after which expression of clock genes was interrogated at 3-h intervals over the subsequent 24-h period. These studies revealed robust effects of T3 on oscillations of both core clock components and clock-controlled genes. In summary, the current study exposed TOD-dependent sensitivity to T3 in the heart and its effects in the circadian clock genes expression.

An Electrochemical NO2 Sensor Based on Ionic Liquid: Influence of the Morphology of the Polymer Electrolyte on Sensor Sensitivity

PubMed Central

Kuberský, Petr; Altšmíd, Jakub; Hamáček, Aleš; Nešpůrek, Stanislav; Zmeškal, Oldřich

2015-01-01

A systematic study was carried out to investigate the effect of ionic liquid in solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) and its layer morphology on the characteristics of an electrochemical amperometric nitrogen dioxide sensor. Five different ionic liquids were immobilized into a solid polymer electrolyte and key sensor parameters (sensitivity, response/recovery times, hysteresis and limit of detection) were characterized. The study revealed that the sensor based on 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][N(Tf)2]) showed the best sensitivity, fast response/recovery times, and low sensor response hysteresis. The working electrode, deposited from water-based carbon nanotube ink, was prepared by aerosol-jet printing technology. It was observed that the thermal treatment and crystallinity of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) in the solid polymer electrolyte influenced the sensitivity. Picture analysis of the morphology of the SPE layer based on [EMIM][N(Tf)2] ionic liquid treated under different conditions suggests that the sensor sensitivity strongly depends on the fractal dimension of PVDF spherical objects in SPE. Their deformation, e.g., due to crowding, leads to a decrease in sensor sensitivity. PMID:26569248

METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH FOR MEASURING PRIORITY DBPS IN REVERSE OSMOSIS CONCENTRATED DRINKING WATER

EPA Science Inventory

Many disinfection by-products (DBPs) are formed when drinking water is chlorinated, but only a few are routinely measured or regulated. Various studies have revealed a plethora of DBPs for which sensitive and quantitative analytical methods have always been a major limiting facto...

Aconitine "challenge" test reveals a single whole-body exposure to diesel exhaust increases cardiac arrhythmia risk in hypertensive rats

EPA Science Inventory

Epidemiological studies demonstrate a significant association between cardiac electrical dysfunction, arrhythmias and air pollution exposure. Sensitivity to aconitine-induced arrhythmia has been used repeatedly to examine the factors that increase the risk of such cardiac electri...

Mirtazapine attenuates the expression of nicotine-induced locomotor sensitization in rats.

PubMed

Barbosa-Méndez, Susana; Jurado, Noé; Matus-Ortega, Maura; Martiñon, Susana; Heinze, Gerardo; Salazar-Juárez, Alberto

2017-10-05

Nicotine is the primary psychoactive component of tobacco. Many addictive nicotinic actions are mediated by an increase in the activity of the serotonin (5-HT) system. Some studies show that the 5-HT 2A , 5-HT 2C , and 5-HT 3 receptors have a central role in the induction and expression of nicotine-induced locomotor sensitization. Mirtazapine, an antagonist of the α 2- adrenergic receptors, the 5-HT 2A/C , and the 5-HT 3 receptors, has proven effective in reducing behavioral effects induced by drugs like cocaine and methamphetamines in human and animal. In this study, we evaluated the effect of mirtazapine on the locomotor activity and on the expression of nicotine-induced locomotor sensitization. We used the nicotine locomotor sensitization paradigm to assess the effects of mirtazapine on nicotine-induced locomotor activity and locomotor sensitization. Mirtazapine (30mg/kg, i.p.) was administered during extinction. Our study found that mirtazapine attenuated the expression of locomotor sensitization induced by different nicotine doses, decreased the duration of locomotor effects and locomotor activity induced by binge administration of nicotine. In addition, our study revealed that treatment with mirtazapine for 60 days produced an enhanced attenuation of nicotine-induced locomotor activity during the expression phase of behavioral sensitization, compared to that obtained when mirtazapine was administered for 30 days. This suggests that use of mirtazapine in controlled clinical trials may be a useful therapy to maintain abstinence for long periods. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Targeting Notch1 signaling pathway positively affects the sensitivity of osteosarcoma to cisplatin by regulating the expression and/or activity of Caspase family

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The introduction of cisplatin has improved the long-term survival rate in osteosarcoma patients. However, some patients are intrinsically resistant to cisplatin. This study reported that the activation of Notch1 is positively correlated with cisplatin sensitivity, evidenced by both clinical and in vitro data. Results In this study, a total 8 osteosarcoma specimens were enrolled and divided into two groups according to their cancer chemotherapeutic drugs sensitivity examination results. The relationship between Notch1 expression and cisplatin sensitivity of osteosarcoma patients was detected by immunohistochemistry and semi-quantitative analysis. Subsequently, two typical osteosarcoma cell lines, Saos-2 and MG63, were selected to study the changes of cisplatin sensitivity by up-regulating (NICD1 plasmid transfeciton) or decreasing (gamma-secretase complex inhibitor DAPT) the activation state of Notch1 signaling pathway. Our results showed a significant correlation between the expression of Notch1 and cisplatin sensitivity in patient specimens. In vitro, Saos-2 with higher expression of Notch1 had significantly better cisplatin sensitivity than MG63 whose Notch1 level was relatively lower. By targeting regulation in vitro, the cisplatin sensitivity of Saos-2 and MG63 had significantly increased after the activation of Notch1 signaling pathway, and vice versa. Further mechanism investigation revealed that activation/inhibition of Notch1 sensitized/desensitized cisplatin-induced apoptosis, which probably depended on the changes in the activity of Caspase family, including Caspase 3, Caspase 8 and Caspase 9 in these cells. Conclusions Our data clearly demonstrated that Notch1 is critical for cisplatin sensitivity in osteosarcoma. It can be used as a molecular marker and regulator for cisplatin sensitivity in osteosarcoma patients. PMID:24894297

Specificity of disgust sensitivity in the prediction of fear and disgust responding to a brief spider exposure.

PubMed

Olatunji, Bunmi O; Deacon, Brett

2008-01-01

This study examined the specificity of disgust sensitivity in predicting fear and disgust responses to exposure to a spider. Participants high (n=22) and low (n=28) in spider fear completed self-report measures of disgust sensitivity, contamination fear, anxiety, and negative affect. They then participated in a behavioral avoidance task (BAT) in which they were briefly exposed to a realistic-looking, but fake, tarantula. Results revealed that disgust sensitivity was associated with fear and disgust responding to the BAT. The association between disgust sensitivity and disgust responding to the BAT remained significant after controlling for gender, spider fear group membership, contamination fear, anxiety, and negative affect. However, the association between disgust sensitivity and fear responding to the BAT was only marginally significant after controlling for the same variables. Contamination fear was also strongly related to fear and disgust responding to the BAT. However, this relationship was fully mediated by disgust sensitivity. These findings indicate that disgust sensitivity has a unique association with aversive responding to spiders. The implications of these findings for better understanding the complex role of fear and disgust as they related to disgust sensitivity in spider phobia are discussed.

Comparative analysis of DNA methylation polymorphism in drought sensitive (HPKC2) and tolerant (HPK4) genotypes of horse Gram (Macrotyloma uniflorum).

PubMed

Bhardwaj, Jyoti; Mahajan, Monika; Yadav, Sudesh Kumar

2013-08-01

DNA methylation is known as an epigenetic modification that affects gene expression in plants. Variation in CpG methylation behavior was studied in two natural horse gram (Macrotyloma uniflorum [Lam.] Verdc.) genotypes, HPKC2 (drought-sensitive) and HPK4 (drought-tolerant). The methylation pattern in both genotypes was studied through methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism. The results revealed that methylation was higher in HPKC2 (10.1%) than in HPK4 (8.6%). Sequencing demonstrated sequence homology with the DRE binding factor (cbf1), the POZ/BTB protein, and the Ty1-copia retrotransposon among some of the polymorphic fragments showing alteration in methylation behavior. Differences in DNA methylation patterns could explain the differential drought tolerance and the epigenetic signature of these two horse gram genotypes.

Connection-based and object-based grouping in multiple-object tracking: A developmental study.

PubMed

Van der Hallen, Ruth; Reusens, Julie; Evers, Kris; de-Wit, Lee; Wagemans, Johan

2018-03-30

Developmental research on Gestalt laws has previously revealed that, even as young as infancy, we are bound to group visual elements into unitary structures in accordance with a variety of organizational principles. Here, we focus on the developmental trajectory of both connection-based and object-based grouping, and investigate their impact on object formation in participants, aged 9-21 years old (N = 113), using a multiple-object tracking paradigm. Results reveal a main effect of both age and grouping type, indicating that 9- to 21-year-olds are sensitive to both connection-based and object-based grouping interference, and tracking ability increases with age. In addition to its importance for typical development, these results provide an informative baseline to understand clinical aberrations in this regard. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? The origin of the Gestalt principles is still an ongoing debate: Are they innate, learned over time, or both? Developmental research has revealed how each Gestalt principle has its own trajectory and unique relationship to visual experience. Both connectedness and object-based grouping play an important role in object formation during childhood. What does this study add? The study identifies how sensitivity to connectedness and object-based grouping evolves in individuals, aged 9-21 years old. Using multiple-object tracking, results reveal that the ability to track multiple objects increases with age. These results provide an informative baseline to understand clinical aberrations in different types of grouping. © 2018 The Authors. British Journal of Developmental Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.

Impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms: quantifying sensitivities and interaction with warming

PubMed Central

Kroeker, Kristy J; Kordas, Rebecca L; Crim, Ryan; Hendriks, Iris E; Ramajo, Laura; Singh, Gerald S; Duarte, Carlos M; Gattuso, Jean-Pierre

2013-01-01

Ocean acidification represents a threat to marine species worldwide, and forecasting the ecological impacts of acidification is a high priority for science, management, and policy. As research on the topic expands at an exponential rate, a comprehensive understanding of the variability in organisms' responses and corresponding levels of certainty is necessary to forecast the ecological effects. Here, we perform the most comprehensive meta-analysis to date by synthesizing the results of 228 studies examining biological responses to ocean acidification. The results reveal decreased survival, calcification, growth, development and abundance in response to acidification when the broad range of marine organisms is pooled together. However, the magnitude of these responses varies among taxonomic groups, suggesting there is some predictable trait-based variation in sensitivity, despite the investigation of approximately 100 new species in recent research. The results also reveal an enhanced sensitivity of mollusk larvae, but suggest that an enhanced sensitivity of early life history stages is not universal across all taxonomic groups. In addition, the variability in species' responses is enhanced when they are exposed to acidification in multi-species assemblages, suggesting that it is important to consider indirect effects and exercise caution when forecasting abundance patterns from single-species laboratory experiments. Furthermore, the results suggest that other factors, such as nutritional status or source population, could cause substantial variation in organisms' responses. Last, the results highlight a trend towards enhanced sensitivity to acidification when taxa are concurrently exposed to elevated seawater temperature. PMID:23505245

Impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms: quantifying sensitivities and interaction with warming.

PubMed

Kroeker, Kristy J; Kordas, Rebecca L; Crim, Ryan; Hendriks, Iris E; Ramajo, Laura; Singh, Gerald S; Duarte, Carlos M; Gattuso, Jean-Pierre

2013-06-01

Ocean acidification represents a threat to marine species worldwide, and forecasting the ecological impacts of acidification is a high priority for science, management, and policy. As research on the topic expands at an exponential rate, a comprehensive understanding of the variability in organisms' responses and corresponding levels of certainty is necessary to forecast the ecological effects. Here, we perform the most comprehensive meta-analysis to date by synthesizing the results of 228 studies examining biological responses to ocean acidification. The results reveal decreased survival, calcification, growth, development and abundance in response to acidification when the broad range of marine organisms is pooled together. However, the magnitude of these responses varies among taxonomic groups, suggesting there is some predictable trait-based variation in sensitivity, despite the investigation of approximately 100 new species in recent research. The results also reveal an enhanced sensitivity of mollusk larvae, but suggest that an enhanced sensitivity of early life history stages is not universal across all taxonomic groups. In addition, the variability in species' responses is enhanced when they are exposed to acidification in multi-species assemblages, suggesting that it is important to consider indirect effects and exercise caution when forecasting abundance patterns from single-species laboratory experiments. Furthermore, the results suggest that other factors, such as nutritional status or source population, could cause substantial variation in organisms' responses. Last, the results highlight a trend towards enhanced sensitivity to acidification when taxa are concurrently exposed to elevated seawater temperature. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The mediating role of disgust sensitivity and thought-action fusion between religiosity and obsessive compulsive symptoms.

PubMed

Inozu, Mujgan; Ulukut, Fulya Ozcanli; Ergun, Gokce; Alcolado, Gillian M

2014-10-01

Psychological theories of obsessions and compulsions have long recognised that strict religious codes and moral standards might promote thought-action fusion (TAF) appraisals. These appraisals have been implicated in the transformation of normally occurring intrusions into clinically distressing obsessions. Furthermore, increased disgust sensitivity has also been reported to be associated with obsessive compulsive (OC) symptoms. No research, however, has investigated the mediating roles of TAF and disgust sensitivity between religiosity and OC symptoms. This study was composed of 244 undergraduate students who completed measures of OC symptoms, TAF, disgust sensitivity, religiosity and negative effect. Analyses revealed that the relationship between religiosity and OC symptoms was mediated by TAF and disgust sensitivity. More importantly, the mediating role of TAF was not different across OC symptom subtypes, whereas the mediating role of disgust sensitivity showed different patterns across OC symptom subtypes. These findings indicate that the tendency for highly religious Muslims to experience greater OC symptoms is related to their heightened beliefs about disgust sensitivity and the importance of thoughts. © 2014 International Union of Psychological Science.

Vibrotactile Sensitivity of the Head

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

Frequency interaction, F (12, 120) = .82, p = .63. Post hoc comparisons ( LSD ) revealed that PZ (M = –8.04 dB) was significantly more sensitive to...Post hoc comparisons ( LSD ) also revealed that thresholds at 45 and 63 Hz were significantly higher than thresholds at 32 Hz (M = –3.56), p ɘ.05...B.; Shaw , J.; Walsh, N.; Nguyen, V. Effects of Aging on Vibration Detection Thresholds at Various Body Regions. BMC Geriatrics. 3(1). http://www

[Gastroduodenal mucosa sensitivity to estrogen in ulcers complicated by hemorrhage].

PubMed

Duzhiy, I D; Romanyuk, A M; Kharchenko, S V; Moskalenko, R A; Pyatykop, G I; Lyndin, M S

2015-02-01

Expression of alpha-receptors of estrogen (RE) in accordance to immunohistochemical (IHC) labeling in gastroduodenal mucosa cells was studied up in patients, suffering the ulcer disease and without it. In 4 patients (group I) a gastroduodenal mucosa affection was revealed, they were operated on for hemorrhage from gastroduodenal ulcers; in 3 patients (group II) gastroduodenal mucosa affection was not observed; in 4 patients (group III, control), a mammary gland cancer was diagnosed, a positive reaction on alpha-RE was noted. In groups I and II the biopsies were studied, obtained from pylorus and gastric fundus, as well as from duodenal ampula, and in a group III--obtained from the tumor. In a control group a positive labeling of nuclei was revealed in biopsies. In patients of groups I and II the alpha-RE expression by cellular nuclei was not revealed, but, the lots of positive IHC labeling of cytoplasm in glandular and stromal mucosal cells of the investigated gut were noted. Positive IHC labeling of cytoplasm for alpha-RE witnesses about sensitivity to them in norma and pathological processes. But, a trustworthy difference of alpha-RE expression by cellular nuclei was not noted. For confirmation or denial of this hypothesis further clinical and IHC investigations are needed.

Meadow sensitivity to natural and anthropogenic disturbance [chapter 5

Treesearch

Jerry R. Miller; Mark L. Lord; Dru Germanoski

2011-01-01

Investigations of geomorphic responses to natural and anthropogenic disturbances have revealed marked differences in the rate, magnitude, and nature by which different watersheds, or components of a given watershed, adjust to perturbations. These differences in response are often characterized using the concept of landform sensitivity. The term sensitivity has been...

Increasing the sensitivity of the Jaffe reaction for creatinine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tom, H. Y.

1973-01-01

Study of analytical procedure has revealed that linearity of creatinine calibration curve can be extended by using 0.03 molar picric acid solution made up in 70 percent ethanol instead of water. Three to five times more creatinine concentration can be encompassed within linear portion of calibration curve.

Anxiety and Sensitivity to Eye Gaze in Emotional Faces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmes, Amanda; Richards, Anne; Green, Simon

2006-01-01

This paper reports three studies in which stronger orienting to perceived eye gaze direction was revealed when observers viewed faces showing fearful or angry, compared with happy or neutral, emotional expressions. Gaze-related spatial cueing effects to laterally presented fearful faces and centrally presented angry faces were also modulated by…

A toxicity signature for species-specific disruption of embryonic vasculogenesis derived from ToxCast in vitro profiling data

EPA Science Inventory

Blood vessel formation is crucial for normal embryo development and is sensitive to disruption by diverse teratogens. Recent studies have begun to reveal the cell signaling networks underlying vasculogenesis and angiogenesis and how these pathways might be perturbed by specific c...

Reaching and writing movements: sensitive and reliable tools to measure genetic dystonia in children.

PubMed

Casellato, Claudia; Zorzi, Giovanna; Pedrocchi, Alessandra; Ferrigno, Giancarlo; Nardocci, Nardo

2011-07-01

The aim of this study was to provide a quantitative assessment of pure dystonia in a group of children. Kinematic and muscular characteristics of unconstrained movements of the upper limb, reaching and writing, were investigated. During reaching, the distinguishing factors of dystonic movement were reduced velocity, loss of muscular activation focalization, and impairment of rest-movement modulation. Muscular parameters were able to linearly discriminate the different levels of severity. These results support the hypothesis that basal ganglia dysfunction is responsible for compromising the motor activity focusing. The handwriting movement revealed that the kinematic coordination was altered depending on dystonia severity scores. The 2 protocols revealed themselves feasible and sensitive for detecting even local and subclinical signs. Hence, this work provides a contribution toward a reliable assessment of pure dystonia, crucial for clinical characterization of patients and evaluation of the different treatment options.

Quality of social interaction in foster dyads at child age 2 and 3 years.

PubMed

Jacobsen, Heidi; Vang, Kristin Alvestad; Lindahl, Karoline Mentzoni; Wentzel-Larsen, Tore; Smith, Lars; Moe, Vibeke

2018-06-30

The main aim of this study was to investigate the quality of social interaction between 60 foster parents and their foster children compared to a group of 55 non-foster families at 2 (T1) and again at 3 (T2) years of age. Video observations were used to investigate child-parent interaction at both time-points. "This is My Baby" interview was administered to investigate foster parents' commitment at T1. The main results revealed significant group differences at T1 on all child-parent social interaction measures, although not at T2. Further, a significant group by time interaction was identified for parental sensitivity, revealing a positive development over time in the foster group. Finally, a significant positive relation was found between commitment at T1 and parental sensitivity. The results convey an optimistic view of the possibilities for foster dyads to develop positive patterns of social interaction over time.

Tone matters for Cantonese-English bilingual children's English word reading development: A unified model of phonological transfer.

PubMed

Tong, Xiuli; He, Xinjie; Deacon, S Hélène

2017-02-01

Languages differ considerably in how they use prosodic features, or variations in pitch, duration, and intensity, to distinguish one word from another. Prosodic features include lexical tone in Chinese and lexical stress in English. Recent cross-sectional studies show a surprising result that Mandarin Chinese tone sensitivity is related to Mandarin-English bilingual children's English word reading. This study explores the mechanism underlying this relation by testing two explanations of these effects: the prosodic hypothesis and segmental phonological awareness transfer. We administered multiple measures of Cantonese tone sensitivity, English stress sensitivity, segmental phonological awareness in Cantonese and English, nonverbal ability, and English word reading to 123 Cantonese-English bilingual children ages 7 and 8 years. Structural equation modeling revealed a longitudinal prediction of Cantonese tone sensitivity to English word reading between 8 and 9 years of age. This relation was realized through two parallel routes. In one, Cantonese tone sensitivity predicted English stress sensitivity, and English stress sensitivity, in turn, significantly predicted English word reading, as postulated by the prosodic hypothesis. In the second, Cantonese tone sensitivity predicted English word reading through the transfer of segmental phonological awareness between Cantonese and English, as predicted by segmental phonological transfer. These results support a unified model of phonological transfer, emphasizing the role of tone in English word reading for Cantonese-English bilingual children.

Molecular Cloning and Functional Characterization of Xenopus tropicalis Frog Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 Reveal Its Functional Evolution for Heat, Acid, and Capsaicin Sensitivities in Terrestrial Vertebrates*

PubMed Central

Ohkita, Masashi; Saito, Shigeru; Imagawa, Toshiaki; Takahashi, Kenji; Tominaga, Makoto; Ohta, Toshio

2012-01-01

The functional difference of thermosensitive transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in the evolutionary context has attracted attention, but thus far little information is available on the TRP vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) function of amphibians, which diverged earliest from terrestrial vertebrate lineages. In this study we cloned Xenopus tropicalis frog TRPV1 (xtTRPV1), and functional characterization was performed using HeLa cells heterologously expressing xtTRPV1 (xtTRPV1-HeLa) and dorsal root ganglion neurons isolated from X. tropicalis (xtDRG neurons) by measuring changes in the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i). The channel activity was also observed in xtTRPV1-expressing Xenopus oocytes. Furthermore, we tested capsaicin- and heat-induced nocifensive behaviors of the frog X. tropicalis in vivo. At the amino acid level, xtTRPV1 displays ∼60% sequence identity to other terrestrial vertebrate TRPV1 orthologues. Capsaicin induced [Ca2+]i increases in xtTRPV1-HeLa and xtDRG neurons and evoked nocifensive behavior in X. tropicalis. However, its sensitivity was extremely low compared with mammalian orthologues. Low extracellular pH and heat activated xtTRPV1-HeLa and xtDRG neurons. Heat also evoked nocifensive behavior. In oocytes expressing xtTRPV1, inward currents were elicited by heat and low extracellular pH. Mutagenesis analysis revealed that two amino acids (tyrosine 523 and alanine 561) were responsible for the low sensitivity to capsaicin. Taken together, our results indicate that xtTRPV1 functions as a polymodal receptor similar to its mammalian orthologues. The present study demonstrates that TRPV1 functions as a heat- and acid-sensitive channel in the ancestor of terrestrial vertebrates. Because it is possible to examine vanilloid and heat sensitivities in vitro and in vivo, X. tropicalis could be the ideal experimental lower vertebrate animal for the study of TRPV1 function. PMID:22130664

Hilbert-Schmidt and Sobol sensitivity indices for static and time series Wnt signaling measurements in colorectal cancer - part A.

PubMed

Sinha, Shriprakash

2017-12-04

Ever since the accidental discovery of Wingless [Sharma R.P., Drosophila information service, 1973, 50, p 134], research in the field of Wnt signaling pathway has taken significant strides in wet lab experiments and various cancer clinical trials, augmented by recent developments in advanced computational modeling of the pathway. Information rich gene expression profiles reveal various aspects of the signaling pathway and help in studying different issues simultaneously. Hitherto, not many computational studies exist which incorporate the simultaneous study of these issues. This manuscript ∙ explores the strength of contributing factors in the signaling pathway, ∙ analyzes the existing causal relations among the inter/extracellular factors effecting the pathway based on prior biological knowledge and ∙ investigates the deviations in fold changes in the recently found prevalence of psychophysical laws working in the pathway. To achieve this goal, local and global sensitivity analysis is conducted on the (non)linear responses between the factors obtained from static and time series expression profiles using the density (Hilbert-Schmidt Information Criterion) and variance (Sobol) based sensitivity indices. The results show the advantage of using density based indices over variance based indices mainly due to the former's employment of distance measures & the kernel trick via Reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) that capture nonlinear relations among various intra/extracellular factors of the pathway in a higher dimensional space. In time series data, using these indices it is now possible to observe where in time, which factors get influenced & contribute to the pathway, as changes in concentration of the other factors are made. This synergy of prior biological knowledge, sensitivity analysis & representations in higher dimensional spaces can facilitate in time based administration of target therapeutic drugs & reveal hidden biological information within colorectal cancer samples.

High fat diet-fed obese rats are highly sensitive to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mitra, Mayurranjan S.; Donthamsetty, Shashikiran; White, Brent

Often, chemotherapy by doxorubicin (Adriamycin) is limited due to life threatening cardiotoxicity in patients during and posttherapy. Recently, we have shown that moderate diet restriction remarkably protects against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. This cardioprotection is accompanied by decreased cardiac oxidative stress and triglycerides and increased cardiac fatty-acid oxidation, ATP synthesis, and upregulated JAK/STAT3 pathway. In the current study, we investigated whether a physiological intervention by feeding 40% high fat diet (HFD), which induces obesity in male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-275 g), sensitizes to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. A LD{sub 10} dose (8 mg doxorubicin/kg, ip) administered on day 43 of the HFD feeding regimen ledmore » to higher cardiotoxicity, cardiac dysfunction, lipid peroxidation, and 80% mortality in the obese (OB) rats in the absence of any significant renal or hepatic toxicity. Doxorubicin toxicokinetics studies revealed no change in accumulation of doxorubicin and doxorubicinol (toxic metabolite) in the normal diet-fed (ND) and OB hearts. Mechanistic studies revealed that OB rats are sensitized due to: (1) higher oxyradical stress leading to upregulation of uncoupling proteins 2 and 3, (2) downregulation of cardiac peroxisome proliferators activated receptor-{alpha}, (3) decreased plasma adiponectin levels, (4) decreased cardiac fatty-acid oxidation (666.9 {+-} 14.0 nmol/min/g heart in ND versus 400.2 {+-} 11.8 nmol/min/g heart in OB), (5) decreased mitochondrial AMP-{alpha}2 protein kinase, and (6) 86% drop in cardiac ATP levels accompanied by decreased ATP/ADP ratio after doxorubicin administration. Decreased cardiac erythropoietin and increased SOCS3 further downregulated the cardioprotective JAK/STAT3 pathway. In conclusion, HFD-induced obese rats are highly sensitized to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by substantially downregulating cardiac mitochondrial ATP generation, increasing oxidative stress and downregulating the JAK/STAT3 pathway.« less

Changing Me, Changing Us: Relationship Quality and Collective Efficacy as Major Outcomes in Systemic Couple Therapy.

PubMed

Aguilar-Raab, Corina; Grevenstein, Dennis; Gotthardt, Linda; Jarczok, Marc N; Hunger, Christina; Ditzen, Beate; Schweitzer, Jochen

2018-06-01

We examine the sensitivity to change in the Evaluation of Social Systems (EVOS) scale, which assesses relationship quality and collective efficacy. In Study 1 we conducted a waitlist-control, short-term couple therapy RCT study (N = 43 couples) with five systemic therapy sessions treating communication and partnership problems; our intent was to provide high external validity. Construct validity of EVOS was assessed by comparison with additionally applied scales (Family Scales; Outcome Questionnaire, OQ-45.2). In Study 2, N = 332 individuals completed an experiment with high internal validity in order to verify sensitivity to change in three different social contexts. Results from Study 1 revealed a significant increase in relationship quality in the treatment group directly after treatment, as compared to the control group. Sensitivity to change was slightly better for EVOS than for other measures. While this positive change could not be fully sustained between posttreatment and a 4-week follow-up, EVOS score did not fall below baseline and pretreatment levels, supporting moderate-to-large sensitivity to change. Study 2 supported high sensitivity to change in EVOS for couple relations, family relations, and work-team relationships. Therefore, EVOS can be used as an outcome measure to monitor the process of systemic interventions focusing on relationship quality and collective efficacy. Due to its sensitivity to change, EVOS can provide evidence for treatment success with regard to relationship aspects. © 2017 Family Process Institute.

Acting without seeing: eye movements reveal visual processing without awareness.

PubMed

Spering, Miriam; Carrasco, Marisa

2015-04-01

Visual perception and eye movements are considered to be tightly linked. Diverse fields, ranging from developmental psychology to computer science, utilize eye tracking to measure visual perception. However, this prevailing view has been challenged by recent behavioral studies. Here, we review converging evidence revealing dissociations between the contents of perceptual awareness and different types of eye movement. Such dissociations reveal situations in which eye movements are sensitive to particular visual features that fail to modulate perceptual reports. We also discuss neurophysiological, neuroimaging, and clinical studies supporting the role of subcortical pathways for visual processing without awareness. Our review links awareness to perceptual-eye movement dissociations and furthers our understanding of the brain pathways underlying vision and movement with and without awareness. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acting without seeing: Eye movements reveal visual processing without awareness Miriam Spering & Marisa Carrasco

PubMed Central

Spering, Miriam; Carrasco, Marisa

2015-01-01

Visual perception and eye movements are considered to be tightly linked. Diverse fields, ranging from developmental psychology to computer science, utilize eye tracking to measure visual perception. However, this prevailing view has been challenged by recent behavioral studies. We review converging evidence revealing dissociations between the contents of perceptual awareness and different types of eye movements. Such dissociations reveal situations in which eye movements are sensitive to particular visual features that fail to modulate perceptual reports. We also discuss neurophysiological, neuroimaging and clinical studies supporting the role of subcortical pathways for visual processing without awareness. Our review links awareness to perceptual-eye movement dissociations and furthers our understanding of the brain pathways underlying vision and movement with and without awareness. PMID:25765322

Geology-based method of assessing sensitivity of streams to acidic deposition in Charles and Anne Arundel Counties, Maryland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rice, Karen C.; Bricker, Owen P.

1991-01-01

The report describes the results of a study to assess the sensitivity of streams to acidic deposition in Charles and Anne Arundel Counties, Maryland using a geology-based method. Water samples were collected from streams in July and August 1988 when streams were at base-flow conditions. Eighteen water samples collected from streams in Charles County, and 17 water samples from streams in Anne Arundel County were analyzed in the field for pH, specific conductance, and acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC); 8 water samples from streams in Charles County were analyzed in the laboratory for chloride and sulfate concentrations. The assessment revealed that streams in these counties are sensitive to acidification by acidic deposition.

Differential Odor Sensitivity in PTSD: Implications for Treatment and Future Research

PubMed Central

Cortese, Bernadette M.; Leslie, Kimberly; Uhde, Thomas W.

2015-01-01

Background Given that odors enhance the retrieval of autobiographical memories, induce physiological arousal, and trigger trauma-related flashbacks, it is reasonable to hypothesize that odors play a significant role in the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For these reasons, this preliminary study sought to examine self-reported, odor-elicited distress in PTSD. Methods Combat veterans with (N=30) and without (N=22) PTSD and healthy controls (HC: N=21), completed an olfactory questionnaire that provided information on the hedonic valence of odors as well as their ability to elicit distress or relaxation. Results Two main findings were revealed: Compared to HC, CV+PTSD, but not CV-PTSD, reported a higher prevalence of distress to a limited number of select odors that included fuel (p=.004), blood (p=.02), gunpowder (p=.03), and burning hair (p=.02). In contrast to this increased sensitivity, a blunting effect was reported by both groups of veterans compared to HC that revealed lower rates of distress and relaxation in response to negative hedonic odors (p=.03) and positive hedonic odors (p<.001), respectively. Limitations The study is limited by its use of retrospective survey methods, whereas future investigations would benefit from laboratory measures taken prior, during, and after deployment. Conclusion The present findings suggest a complex role of olfaction in the biological functions of threat detection. Several theoretical models are discussed. One possible explanation for increased sensitivity to select odors with decreased sensitivity to other odors is the co-occurrence of attentional bias toward threat odors with selective ignoring of distractor odors. Working together, these processes may optimize survival. PMID:25845746

Consonant and Vowel Processing in Word Form Segmentation: An Infant ERP Study.

PubMed

Von Holzen, Katie; Nishibayashi, Leo-Lyuki; Nazzi, Thierry

2018-01-31

Segmentation skill and the preferential processing of consonants (C-bias) develop during the second half of the first year of life and it has been proposed that these facilitate language acquisition. We used Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to investigate the neural bases of early word form segmentation, and of the early processing of onset consonants, medial vowels, and coda consonants, exploring how differences in these early skills might be related to later language outcomes. Our results with French-learning eight-month-old infants primarily support previous studies that found that the word familiarity effect in segmentation is developing from a positive to a negative polarity at this age. Although as a group infants exhibited an anterior-localized negative effect, inspection of individual results revealed that a majority of infants showed a negative-going response (Negative Responders), while a minority showed a positive-going response (Positive Responders). Furthermore, all infants demonstrated sensitivity to onset consonant mispronunciations, while Negative Responders demonstrated a lack of sensitivity to vowel mispronunciations, a developmental pattern similar to previous literature. Responses to coda consonant mispronunciations revealed neither sensitivity nor lack of sensitivity. We found that infants showing a more mature, negative response to newly segmented words compared to control words (evaluating segmentation skill) and mispronunciations (evaluating phonological processing) at test also had greater growth in word production over the second year of life than infants showing a more positive response. These results establish a relationship between early segmentation skills and phonological processing (not modulated by the type of mispronunciation) and later lexical skills.

Polymorphisms of three genes (ACE, AGT and CYP11B2) in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system are not associated with blood pressure salt sensitivity: A systematic meta-analysis.

PubMed

Sun, Jiahong; Zhao, Min; Miao, Song; Xi, Bo

2016-01-01

Many studies have suggested that polymorphisms of three key genes (ACE, AGT and CYP11B2) in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) play important roles in the development of blood pressure (BP) salt sensitivity, but they have revealed inconsistent results. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to clarify the association. PubMed and Embase databases were searched for eligible published articles. Fixed- or random-effect models were used to pool odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals based on whether there was significant heterogeneity between studies. In total, seven studies [237 salt-sensitive (SS) cases and 251 salt-resistant (SR) controls] for ACE gene I/D polymorphism, three studies (130 SS cases and 221 SR controls) for AGT gene M235T polymorphism and three studies (113 SS cases and 218 SR controls) for CYP11B2 gene C344T polymorphism were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that there was no significant association between polymorphisms of these three polymorphisms in the RAAS and BP salt sensitivity under three genetic models (all p > 0.05). The meta-analysis suggested that three polymorphisms (ACE gene I/D, AGT gene M235T, CYP11B2 gene C344T) in the RAAS have no significant effect on BP salt sensitivity.

Detection of high-risk mucosal human papillomavirus DNA in human specimens by a novel and sensitive multiplex PCR method combined with DNA microarray.

PubMed

Gheit, Tarik; Tommasino, Massimo

2011-01-01

Epidemiological and functional studies have clearly demonstrated that certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) from the genus alpha of the HPV phylogenetic tree, referred to as high-risk (HR) types, are the etiological cause of cervical cancer. Several methods for HPV detection and typing have been developed, and their importance in clinical and epidemiological studies has been well demonstrated. However, comparative studies have shown that several assays have different sensitivities for the detection of specific HPV types, particularly in the case of multiple infections. In this chapter, we describe a novel one-shot method for the detection and typing of 19 mucosal HR HPV types (types 16, 18, 26, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 53, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68, 70, 73, and 82). The assay combines the advantages of the multiplex PCR methods, i.e., high sensitivity and the possibility to perform multiple amplifications in a single reaction, with an array primer extension (APEX) assay. The latter method offers the benefits of Sanger dideoxy sequencing with the high-throughput potential of the microarray. Initial studies have revealed that the assay is very sensitive in detecting multiple HPV infections.

Ethnicity Interacts with the OPRM1 Gene in Experimental Pain Sensitivity

PubMed Central

Hastie, Barbara A.; Riley, Joseph L.; Kaplan, Lee; Herrera, Dyanne G.; Campbell, Claudia M.; Virtusio, Kathrina; Mogil, Jeffrey S.; Wallace, Margaret R.; Fillingim, Roger B.

2013-01-01

Robust inter-individual variation in pain sensitivity has been observed and recent evidence suggests that some of the variability may be genetically-mediated. Our previous data revealed significantly higher pressure pain thresholds among individuals possessing the minor G allele of the A118G SNP of the mu-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) compared to those with two consensus alleles. Moreover, ethnic differences in pain sensitivity have been widely reported. Yet, little is known about the potential interactive associations of ethnicity and genotype with pain perception. This study aimed to identify ethnic differences in OPRM1 allelic associations with experimental pain responses. Two-hundred and forty-seven healthy young adults from three ethnic groups (81 African Americans; 79 non-white Hispanics; and 87 non-Hispanic whites) underwent multiple experimental pain modalities (thermal, pressure, ischemic, cold pressor). Few African Americans (7.4%) expressed the rare allele of OPRM1 compared to non-Hispanic-whites and Hispanics (28.7% vs. 27.8%, respectively). Across the entire sample, OPRM1 genotype did not significantly affect pain sensitivity. However, analysis in each ethnic group separately revealed significant genotype effects for most pain modalities among non-Hispanic-whites (ps<0.05) but not Hispanics or African Americans. The G allele was associated with decreased pain sensitivity among whites only; a trend in the opposite direction emerged in Hispanics. The reasons for this dichotomy are unclear but may involve ethnic differences in haplotypic structure or A118G may be a tag-SNP linked to other functional polymorphisms. These findings demonstrate an ethnic-dependent association of OPRM1 genotype with pain sensitivity. Additional research is warranted to uncover the mechanisms influencing these relationships. PMID:22717102

On the sensitivity of some common metallographic reagents to restoring obliterated marks on medium carbon (0.31% C) steel surfaces.

PubMed

Yin, Siaw Hui; Kuppuswamy, R

2009-01-10

Chemical etching, which is the most sensitive method to recover obliterated serial numbers on metal surfaces, has been practised quite successfully in forensic science laboratories all over the world. A large number of etchants suitable for particular metal surfaces based on empirical studies is available in the literature. This article reviews the sensitivity and efficacy of some popular etchants for recovering obliterated marks on medium carbon steel (0.31% C with ferrite-pearlite microstructure) used in automobile parts. The experiments involved engraving these carbon steel plates with some alphanumeric characters using a computer controlled machine "Gravograph" and erasing them to several depths below the bottom of their engraving depth. Seven metallographic reagents of which most of them were copper containing compounds were chosen for etching. The erased plates were etched with every one of these etchants using swabbing method. The results have revealed that Fry's reagent comprising cupric chloride 90 g, hydrochloric acid 120 mL and water 100mL provided the necessary contrast and was concluded to be the most sensitive. The same reagent was recommended by earlier workers for revealing strain lines in steel surfaces. Earlier, another reagent containing 5 g copper sulphate, 60 mL water, 30 mL (conc.) ammonium hydroxide, and 60 mL (conc.) hydrochloric acid was proved to be more sensitive to restore erased marks on low carbon steel (0.1% C with ferrite-pearlite structure) [M.A.M. Zaili, R. Kuppuswamy, H. Harun, Restoration of engraved marks on steel surfaces by etching technique, Forensic Sci. Int. 171 (2007) 27-32]. Thus the sensitivity of the etching reagent on steel surfaces appeared to be dependent on the content of carbon in the steel.

Methionine Deprivation Induces a Targetable Vulnerability in Triple-negative Breast Cancer Cells by Enhancing TRAIL Receptor-2 Expression

PubMed Central

Strekalova, Elena; Malin, Dmitry; Good, David M.; Cryns, Vincent L.

2015-01-01

Purpose Many neoplasms are vulnerable to methionine deficiency by mechanisms that are poorly understood. Because gene profiling studies have revealed that methionine depletion increases TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor-2 (TRAIL-R2) mRNA, we postulated that methionine stress sensitizes breast cancer cells to proapoptotic TRAIL-R2 agonists. Experimental Design Human triple (ER/PR/HER2)-negative breast carcinoma cell lines were cultured in control or methionine-free media. The effects of methionine depletion on TRAIL receptor expression and sensitivity to chemotherapy or a humanized agonistic TRAIL-R2 monoclonal antibody (lexatumumab) were determined. The melanoma-associated antigen MAGED2 was silenced to delineate its functional role in sensitizing TNBC cells to methionine stress. An orthotopic TNBC model was utilized to evaluate the effects of dietary methionine deficiency, lexatumumab or the combination. Results Methionine depletion sensitized TNBC cells to lexatumumab-induced caspase activation and apoptosis by increasing TRAIL-R2 mRNA and cell surface expression. MCF-10A cells transformed by oncogenic H-Ras, but not untransformed cells, and matrix-detached TNBC cells were highly sensitive to the combination of lexatumumab and methionine depletion. Proteomics analyses revealed that MAGED2, which has been reported to reduce TRAIL-R2 expression, was suppressed by methionine stress. Silencing MAGED2 recapitulated features of methionine deprivation, including enhanced mRNA and cell surface expression of TRAIL receptors and increased sensitivity to TRAIL receptor agonists. Dietary methionine deprivation enhanced the antitumor effects of lexatumumab in an orthotopic metastatic TNBC model. Conclusion Methionine depletion exposes a targetable defect in TNBC cells by increasing TRAIL-R2 expression. Our findings provide the foundation for a clinical trial combining dietary methionine restriction and TRAIL-R2 agonists. PMID:25724522

Examining the Latent Structure of Anxiety Sensitivity in Adolescents using Factor Mixture Modeling

PubMed Central

Allan, Nicholas P.; MacPherson, Laura; Young, Kevin C.; Lejuez, Carl W.; Schmidt, Norman B.

2014-01-01

Anxiety sensitivity has been implicated as an important risk factor, generalizable to most anxiety disorders. In adults, factor mixture modeling has been used to demonstrate that anxiety sensitivity is best conceptualized as categorical between individuals. That is, whereas most adults appear to possess normative levels of anxiety sensitivity, a small subset of the population appears to possess abnormally high levels of anxiety sensitivity. Further, those in the high anxiety sensitivity group are at increased risk of having high levels of anxiety and of having an anxiety disorder. This study was designed to determine whether these findings extend to adolescents. Factor mixture modeling was used to examine the best fitting model of anxiety sensitivity in a sample of 277 adolescents (M age = 11.0, SD = .81). Consistent with research in adults, the best fitting model consisted of two classes, one containing adolescents with high levels of anxiety sensitivity (n = 25), and another containing adolescents with normative levels of anxiety sensitivity (n = 252). Examination of anxiety sensitivity subscales revealed that the social concerns subscale was not important for classification of individuals. Convergent and discriminant validity of anxiety sensitivity classes were found in that membership in the high anxiety sensitivity class was associated with higher mean levels of anxiety symptoms, controlling for depression and externalizing problems, and was not associated with higher mean levels of depression or externalizing symptoms controlling for anxiety problems. PMID:24749756

Analysis of DNA methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana based on methylation-sensitive AFLP markers.

PubMed

Cervera, M T; Ruiz-García, L; Martínez-Zapater, J M

2002-12-01

AFLP analysis using restriction enzyme isoschizomers that differ in their sensitivity to methylation of their recognition sites has been used to analyse the methylation state of anonymous CCGG sequences in Arabidopsis thaliana. The technique was modified to improve the quality of fingerprints and to visualise larger numbers of scorable fragments. Sequencing of amplified fragments indicated that detection was generally associated with non-methylation of the cytosine to which the isoschizomer is sensitive. Comparison of EcoRI/ HpaII and EcoRI/ MspI patterns in different ecotypes revealed that 35-43% of CCGG sites were differentially digested by the isoschizomers. Interestingly, the pattern of digestion among different plants belonging to the same ecotype is highly conserved, with the rate of intra-ecotype methylation-sensitive polymorphisms being less than 1%. However, pairwise comparisons of methylation patterns between samples belonging to different ecotypes revealed differences in up to 34% of the methylation-sensitive polymorphisms. The lack of correlation between inter-ecotype similarity matrices based on methylation-insensitive or methylation-sensitive polymorphisms suggests that whatever the mechanisms regulating methylation may be, they are not related to nucleotide sequence variation.

Sensitivity of Eimeria field isolates in the United States: responses of nicarbazin-containing anticoccidials.

PubMed

Bafundo, K W; Cervantes, H M; Mathis, G F

2008-09-01

A series of studies were conducted to assess the drug sensitivity of 26 coccidial field isolates to the anticoccidial effects of nicarbazin (NIC) and narasin + NIC (NAR + NIC). Isolates were collected from typical broiler farms in the United States from 2003 to 2006, propagated once in the absence of anticoccidial medication, and then used to inoculate broilers that were fed nonmedicated rations or those containing NIC 125 ppm or NAR + NIC 80 ppm. Results of these sensitivity trials indicated that 81% of these coccidial isolates were sensitive to the effects of NIC, but only 22% of these coccidia were controlled by NAR + NIC. Studies conducted to evaluate performance responses to these drugs demonstrated that birds fed NIC gained more weight and utilized feed more efficiently than those receiving NAR + NIC. The results of 2 floor pen tests, conducted to confirm the results of the above sensitivity trials, demonstrated that NIC provided a greater level of protection from coccidiosis than NAR + NIC. Lower lesion scores and improved performance were recorded for birds receiving NIC compared with NAR + NIC. Results of these studies revealed that changes in the susceptibility of Eimeria spp. to the activity of NAR + NIC are evident. These changes appear to be associated with the reduction in ionophore sensitivity that has been documented in most areas of the world.

Lumbar Facet Joint Compressive Injury Induces Lasting Changes in Local Structure, Nociceptive Scores, and Inflammatory Mediators in a Novel Rat Model

PubMed Central

Henry, James L.; Yashpal, Kiran; Vernon, Howard; Kim, Jaesung; Im, Hee-Jeong

2012-01-01

Objective. To develop a novel animal model of persisting lumbar facet joint pain. Methods. Sprague Dawley rats were anaesthetized and the right lumbar (L5/L6) facet joint was exposed and compressed to ~1 mm with modified clamps applied for three minutes; sham-operated and naïve animals were used as control groups. After five days, animals were tested for hind-paw sensitivity using von Frey filaments and axial deep tissue sensitivity by algometer on assigned days up to 28 days. Animals were sacrificed at selected times for histological and biochemical analysis. Results. Histological sections revealed site-specific loss of cartilage in model animals only. Tactile hypersensitivity was observed for the ipsi- and contralateral paws lasting 28 days. The threshold at which deep tissue pressure just elicited vocalization was obtained at three lumbar levels; sensitivity at L1 > L3/4 > L6. Biochemical analyses revealed increases in proinflammatory cytokines, especially TNF-α, IL-1α, and IL-1β. Conclusions. These data suggest that compression of a facet joint induces a novel model of local cartilage loss accompanied by increased sensitivity to mechanical stimuli and by increases in inflammatory mediators. This new model may be useful for studies on mechanisms and treatment of lumbar facet joint pain and osteoarthritis. PMID:22966427

Neuronal growth on L- and D-cysteine self-assembled monolayers reveals neuronal chiral sensitivity.

PubMed

Baranes, Koby; Moshe, Hagay; Alon, Noa; Schwartz, Shmulik; Shefi, Orit

2014-05-21

Studying the interaction between neuronal cells and chiral molecules is fundamental for the design of novel biomaterials and drugs. Chirality influences all biological processes that involve intermolecular interaction. One common method used to study cellular interactions with different enantiomeric targets is the use of chiral surfaces. Based on previous studies that demonstrated the importance of cysteine in the nervous system, we studied the effect of L- and D-cysteine on single neuronal growth. L-Cysteine, which normally functions as a neuromodulator or a neuroprotective antioxidant, causes damage at elevated levels, which may occur post trauma. In this study, we grew adult neurons in culture enriched with L- and D-cysteine as free compounds or as self-assembled monolayers of chiral surfaces and examined the effect on the neuronal morphology and adhesion. Notably, we have found that exposure to the L-cysteine enantiomer inhibited, and even prevented, neuronal attachment more severely than exposure to the D-cysteine enantiomer. Atop the L-cysteine surfaces, neuronal growth was reduced and degenerated. Since the cysteine molecules were attached to the surface via the thiol groups, the neuronal membrane was exposed to the molecular chiral site. Thus, our results have demonstrated high neuronal chiral sensitivity, revealing chiral surfaces as indirect regulators of neuronal cells and providing a reference for studying chiral drugs.

A model of BIS/BAS sensitivity, emotion regulation difficulties, and depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in relation to sleep quality.

PubMed

Markarian, Shaunt A; Pickett, Scott M; Deveson, Danielle F; Kanona, Brenda B

2013-11-30

Recent research has indicated that interactions between behavioral inhibition system (BIS)/behavioral activation system (BAS) sensitivity and emotion regulation (ER) difficulties increases risk for psychopathology. Considering sleep quality (SQ) has been linked to emotion regulation difficulties (ERD) and psychopathology, further investigation of a possible mechanism is needed. The current study examined associations between BIS/BAS sensitivity, ERD, and SQ to depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in an undergraduate sample (n=459). Positive relationships between BIS sensitivity and both ERD and stress symptoms, and negative relationships between BAS-reward sensitivity and both ERD and depression symptoms were observed. Furthermore, ERD were positively related to depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Succeeding analyses revealed differential relationships between ERD and depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among good quality and poor quality sleepers. The findings are discussed within the context of personality dimensions and self-regulatory mechanisms, along with implications for the treatment of depression, anxiety and sleep difficulties. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-omics analysis reveals that ornithine decarboxylase contributes to erlotinib resistance in pancreatic cancer cells

PubMed Central

Song, Sang-Hoon; Lee, Naeun; Kim, Dong-Joon; Lee, Sooyeun; Jeong, Chul-Ho

2017-01-01

Molecular and metabolic alterations in cancer cells are one of the leading causes of acquired resistance to chemotherapeutics. In this study, we explored an experimental strategy to identify which of these alterations can induce erlotinib resistance in human pancreatic cancer. Using genetically matched erlotinib-sensitive (BxPC-3) and erlotinib-resistant (BxPC-3ER) pancreatic cancer cells, we conducted a multi-omics analysis of metabolomes and transcriptomes in these cells. Untargeted and targeted metabolomic analyses revealed significant changes in metabolic pathways involved in the regulation of polyamines, amino acids, and fatty acids. Further transcriptomic analysis identified that ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and its major metabolite, putrescine, contribute to the acquisition of erlotinib resistance in BxPC-3ER cells. Notably, either pharmacological or genetic blockage of ODC was able to restore erlotinib sensitivity, and this could be rescued by treatment with exogenous putrescine in erlotinib-resistant BxPC-3ER cells. Moreover, using a panel of cancer cells we demonstrated that ODC expression levels in cancer cells are inversely correlated with sensitivity to chemotherapeutics. Taken together, our findings will begin to uncover mechanisms of acquired drug resistance and ultimately help to identify potential therapeutic markers in cancer. PMID:29190951

Do People Use the Shortest Path? An Empirical Test of Wardrop’s First Principle

PubMed Central

Zhu, Shanjiang; Levinson, David

2015-01-01

Most recent route choice models, following either the random utility maximization or rule-based paradigm, require explicit enumeration of feasible routes. The quality of model estimation and prediction is sensitive to the appropriateness of the consideration set. However, few empirical studies of revealed route characteristics have been reported in the literature. This study evaluates the widely applied shortest path assumption by evaluating routes followed by residents of the Minneapolis—St. Paul metropolitan area. Accurate Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) data were employed to reveal routes people used over an eight to thirteen week period. Most people did not choose the shortest path. Using three weeks of that data, we find that current route choice set generation algorithms do not reveal the majority of paths that individuals took. Findings from this study may guide future efforts in building better route choice models. PMID:26267756

Mind the Gap: Two Dissociable Mechanisms of Temporal Processing in the Auditory System

PubMed Central

Anderson, Lucy A.

2016-01-01

High temporal acuity of auditory processing underlies perception of speech and other rapidly varying sounds. A common measure of auditory temporal acuity in humans is the threshold for detection of brief gaps in noise. Gap-detection deficits, observed in developmental disorders, are considered evidence for “sluggish” auditory processing. Here we show, in a mouse model of gap-detection deficits, that auditory brain sensitivity to brief gaps in noise can be impaired even without a general loss of central auditory temporal acuity. Extracellular recordings in three different subdivisions of the auditory thalamus in anesthetized mice revealed a stimulus-specific, subdivision-specific deficit in thalamic sensitivity to brief gaps in noise in experimental animals relative to controls. Neural responses to brief gaps in noise were reduced, but responses to other rapidly changing stimuli unaffected, in lemniscal and nonlemniscal (but not polysensory) subdivisions of the medial geniculate body. Through experiments and modeling, we demonstrate that the observed deficits in thalamic sensitivity to brief gaps in noise arise from reduced neural population activity following noise offsets, but not onsets. These results reveal dissociable sound-onset-sensitive and sound-offset-sensitive channels underlying auditory temporal processing, and suggest that gap-detection deficits can arise from specific impairment of the sound-offset-sensitive channel. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The experimental and modeling results reported here suggest a new hypothesis regarding the mechanisms of temporal processing in the auditory system. Using a mouse model of auditory temporal processing deficits, we demonstrate the existence of specific abnormalities in auditory thalamic activity following sound offsets, but not sound onsets. These results reveal dissociable sound-onset-sensitive and sound-offset-sensitive mechanisms underlying auditory processing of temporally varying sounds. Furthermore, the findings suggest that auditory temporal processing deficits, such as impairments in gap-in-noise detection, could arise from reduced brain sensitivity to sound offsets alone. PMID:26865621

Estrogen-anchored pH-sensitive liposomes as nanomodule designed for site-specific delivery of doxorubicin in breast cancer therapy.

PubMed

Paliwal, Shivani R; Paliwal, Rishi; Pal, Harish C; Saxena, Ajeet K; Sharma, Pradyumana R; Gupta, Prem N; Agrawal, Govind P; Vyas, Suresh P

2012-01-01

The present investigation reports the development of nanoengineered estrogen receptor (ER) targeted pH-sensitive liposome for the site-specific intracellular delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) for breast cancer therapy. Estrone, a bioligand, was anchored on the surface of pH-sensitive liposome for drug targeting to ERs. The estrone-anchored pH-sensitive liposomes (ES-pH-sensitive-SL) showed fusogenic potential at acidic pH (5.5). In vitro cytotoxicity studies carried out on ER-positive MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells revealed that ES-pH-sensitive-SL formulation was more cytotoxic than non-pH-sensitive targeted liposomes (ES-SL). The flow cytometry analysis confirmed significant enhanced uptake (p < 0.05) of ES-pH-sensitive-SL by MCF-7 cells. Intracellular delivery and nuclear localization of the DOX was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy. The mechanism for higher cytotoxicity shown by estrone-anchored pH-sensitive liposomal-DOX was elucidated using reactive oxygen species (ROS) determination. The in vivo biodistribution studies and antitumor activities of formulations were evaluated on tumor bearing female Balb/c mice followed by intravenous administration. The ES-pH-sensitive-SL efficiently suppressed the breast tumor growth in comparison to both ES-SL and free DOX. Serum enzyme activities such as LDH and CPK levels were assayed for the evaluation of DOX induced cardiotoxicity. The ES-pH-sensitive-SL accelerated the intracellular trafficking of encapsulated DOX, thus increasing the therapeutic efficacy. The findings support that estrone-anchored pH-sensitive liposomes could be one of the promising nanocarriers for the targeted intracellular delivery of anticancer agents to breast cancer with reduced systemic side effects.

Highly Sensitive Determination of the Polaron-Induced Optical Absorption of Organic Charge-Transport Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabe, T.; Görrn, P.; Lehnhardt, M.; Tilgner, M.; Riedl, T.; Kowalsky, W.

2009-04-01

We examine polaron-induced absorption in organic transport materials using a highly sensitive measurement technique. A hole only device is embedded into a low-loss TE2 waveguide structure, and the current induced change of the waveguide absorption is measured. The exemplary study of 2,2',7,7'-tetrakis(N,N-diphenylamine)-9,9'-spiro-bifluorene (S-TAD) reveals a very low polaron absorption cross section of σp≤2.6×10-18cm2 for 560 nm ≤λ≤660nm. The accuracy of this data is unsurpassed by other techniques used for the unambiguous study of polaronic species in organic thin films.

Short-term exposure to mobile phone base station signals does not affect cognitive functioning or physiological measures in individuals who report sensitivity to electromagnetic fields and controls.

PubMed

Eltiti, Stacy; Wallace, Denise; Ridgewell, Anna; Zougkou, Konstantina; Russo, Riccardo; Sepulveda, Francisco; Fox, Elaine

2009-10-01

Individuals who report sensitivity to electromagnetic fields often report cognitive impairments that they believe are due to exposure to mobile phone technology. Previous research in this area has revealed mixed results, however, with the majority of research only testing control individuals. Two studies using control and self-reported sensitive participants found inconsistent effects of mobile phone base stations on cognitive functioning. The aim of the present study was to clarify whether short-term (50 min) exposure at 10 mW/m(2) to typical Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) base station signals affects attention, memory, and physiological endpoints in sensitive and control participants. Data from 44 sensitive and 44 matched-control participants who performed the digit symbol substitution task (DSST), digit span task (DS), and a mental arithmetic task (MA), while being exposed to GSM, UMTS, and sham signals under double-blind conditions were analyzed. Overall, cognitive functioning was not affected by short-term exposure to either GSM or UMTS signals in the current study. Nor did exposure affect the physiological measurements of blood volume pulse (BVP), heart rate (HR), and skin conductance (SC) that were taken while participants performed the cognitive tasks.

Vision in the common bed bug Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae): eye morphology and spectral sensitivity.

PubMed

McNeill, C A; Allan, S A; Koehler, P G; Pereira, R M; Weeks, E N I

2016-12-01

Bed bugs as pests of public health importance recently experienced a resurgence in populations throughout the U.S. and other countries. Consequently, recent research efforts have focused on improving understanding of bed bug physiology and behaviour to improve management. While few studies have investigated the visual capabilities of bed bugs, the present study focused specifically on eye morphology and spectral sensitivity. A 3-D imaging technique was used to document bed bug eye morphology from the first instar through adult and revealed morphological characteristics that differentiate the common bed bug from the tropical bed bug as well as sex-specific differences. Electrophysiological measurements were used to evaluate the spectral sensitivity of adult bed bugs. Male bed bugs were more responsive than females at some wavelengths. Electrophysiological studies provided evidence for at least one photoreceptor with a spectral sensitivity curve peak in the green (λ max 520 nm) region of the spectrum. The broadened long wavelength portion of the spectral sensitivity curve may potentially indicate another photoreceptor in the yellow-green (λ max 550 nm) portion of the spectrum or screening pigments. Understanding more about bed bug visual biology is vital for designing traps, which are an important component of integrated bed bug management. © 2016 The Royal Entomological Society.

Photocurrent polarization anisotropy of randomly oriented nanowire networks.

PubMed

Yu, Yanghai; Protasenko, Vladimir; Jena, Debdeep; Xing, Huili Grace; Kuno, Masaru

2008-05-01

While the polarization sensitivity of single or aligned NW ensembles is well-known, this article reports on the existence of residual photocurrent polarization sensitivities in random NW networks. In these studies, CdSe and CdTe NWs were deposited onto glass substrates and contacted with Au electrodes separated by 30-110 microm gaps. SEM and AFM images of resulting devices show isotropically distributed NWs between the electrodes. Complementary high resolution TEM micrographs reveal component NWs to be highly crystalline with diameters between 10 and 20 nm and with lengths ranging from 1 to 10 microm. When illuminated with visible (linearly polarized) light, such random NW networks exhibit significant photocurrent anisotropies rho = 0.25 (sigma = 0.04) [rho = 0.22 (sigma = 0.04)] for CdSe (CdTe) NWs. Corresponding bandwidth measurements yield device polarization sensitivities up to 100 Hz. Additional studies have investigated the effects of varying the electrode potential, gap width, and spatial excitation profile. These experiments suggest electrode orientation as the determining factor behind the polarization sensitivity of NW devices. A simple geometric model has been developed to qualitatively explain the phenomenon. The main conclusion from these studies, however, is that polarization sensitive devices can be made from random NW networks without the need to align component wires.

Meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies accounting for disease prevalence: alternative parameterizations and model selection.

PubMed

Chu, Haitao; Nie, Lei; Cole, Stephen R; Poole, Charles

2009-08-15

In a meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies, the sensitivities and specificities of a diagnostic test may depend on the disease prevalence since the severity and definition of disease may differ from study to study due to the design and the population considered. In this paper, we extend the bivariate nonlinear random effects model on sensitivities and specificities to jointly model the disease prevalence, sensitivities and specificities using trivariate nonlinear random-effects models. Furthermore, as an alternative parameterization, we also propose jointly modeling the test prevalence and the predictive values, which reflect the clinical utility of a diagnostic test. These models allow investigators to study the complex relationship among the disease prevalence, sensitivities and specificities; or among test prevalence and the predictive values, which can reveal hidden information about test performance. We illustrate the proposed two approaches by reanalyzing the data from a meta-analysis of radiological evaluation of lymph node metastases in patients with cervical cancer and a simulation study. The latter illustrates the importance of carefully choosing an appropriate normality assumption for the disease prevalence, sensitivities and specificities, or the test prevalence and the predictive values. In practice, it is recommended to use model selection techniques to identify a best-fitting model for making statistical inference. In summary, the proposed trivariate random effects models are novel and can be very useful in practice for meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies. Copyright 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sensitivity Differences in Fish Offer Near-Infrared Vision as an Adaptable Evolutionary Trait

PubMed Central

Shcherbakov, Denis; Knörzer, Alexandra; Espenhahn, Svenja; Hilbig, Reinhard; Haas, Ulrich; Blum, Martin

2013-01-01

Near-infrared (NIR) light constitutes an integrated part of solar radiation. The principal ability to sense NIR under laboratory conditions has previously been demonstrated in fish. The availability of NIR in aquatic habitats, and thus its potential use as a cue for distinct behaviors such as orientation and detection of prey, however, depends on physical and environmental parameters. In clear water, blue and green light represents the dominating part of the illumination. In turbid waters, in contrast, the relative content of red and NIR radiation is enhanced, due to increased scattering and absorption of short and middle range wavelengths by suspended particles and dissolved colored materials. We have studied NIR detection thresholds using a phototactic swimming assay in five fish species, which are exposed to different NIR conditions in their natural habitats. Nile and Mozambique tilapia, which inhabit waters with increased turbidity, displayed the highest spectral sensitivity, with thresholds at wavelengths above 930 nm. Zebrafish, guppy and green swordtail, which prefer clearer waters, revealed significantly lower thresholds of spectral sensitivity with 825–845 nm for green swordtail and 845–910 nm for zebrafish and guppy. The present study revealed a clear correlation between NIR sensation thresholds and availability of NIR in the natural habitats, suggesting that NIR vision, as an integral part of the whole spectrum of visual abilities, can serve as an evolutionarily adaptable trait in fish. PMID:23691215

Krüppel-like factor 4 promotes c-Met amplification-mediated gefitinib resistance in non-small-cell lung cancer.

PubMed

Feng, Wei; Xie, Qianyi; Liu, Suo; Ji, Ying; Li, Chunyun; Wang, Chunle; Jin, Longyu

2018-06-01

Gefitinib has been widely used in the first-line treatment of advanced EGFR-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, many NSCLC patients will acquire resistance to gefitinib after 9-14 months of treatment. This study revealed that Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) contributes to the formation of gefitinib resistance in c-Met-overexpressing NSCLC cells. We observed that KLF4 was overexpressed in c-Met-overexpressing NSCLC cells and tissues. Knockdown of KLF4 increased tumorigenic properties in gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cell lines without c-Met overexpression, but it reduced tumorigenic properties and increased gefitinib sensitivity in gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cells with c-Met overexpression, whereas overexpression of KLF4 reduced gefitinib sensitivity in gefitinib-sensitive NSCLC cells. Furthermore, Western blot analysis revealed that KLF4 contributed to the formation of gefitinib resistance in c-Met-overexpressing NSCLC cells by inhibiting the expression of apoptosis-related proteins under gefitinib treatment and activating the c-Met/Akt signaling pathway by decreasing the inhibition of β-catenin on phosphorylation of c-Met to prevent blockade by gefitinib. In summary, this study's results suggest that KLF4 is a promising candidate molecular target for both prevention and therapy of NSCLC with c-Met overexpression. © 2018 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.

Domestic Violence Between Same-Gender Partners: Recent Findings and Future Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McClennen, Joan C.

2005-01-01

Empirical literature about same-gender domestic violence was relatively nonexistent until the past 20 years, and conducting research with this population about a sensitive topic remains a daunting endeavor. Existing studies reveal similarities between opposite- and same-gender domestic violence in prevalence, types of abuse, and various dynamics,…

The African American Acculturation Scale II: Cross-Validation and Short Form.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Landrine, Hope; Klonoff, Elizabeth A.

1995-01-01

Studied African American culture, using a new, shortened, 33-item African American Acculturation Scale (AAAS-33) to assess the scale's validity and reliability. Comparisons between the original form and AAAS-33 reveal high correlations, however, the longer form may be sensitive to some beliefs, practices, and attitudes not assessed by the short…

Speech Discrimination in 11-Month-Old Bilingual and Monolingual Infants: A Magnetoencephalography Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferjan Ramírez, Naja; Ramírez, Rey R.; Clarke, Maggie; Taulu, Samu; Kuhl, Patricia K.

2017-01-01

Language experience shapes infants' abilities to process speech sounds, with universal phonetic discrimination abilities narrowing in the second half of the first year. Brain measures reveal a corresponding change in neural discrimination as the infant brain becomes selectively sensitive to its native language(s). Whether and how bilingual…

Development of Emergent Literacy and Early Reading Skills in Preschool Children: Evidence from a Latent-Variable Longitudinal Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lonigan, Christopher J.; Burgess, Stephen R.; Anthony, Jason L.

2000-01-01

Examined the joint and unique predictive significance of emergent literacy skills for later emergent literacy skills and reading in two samples of preschoolers. Structural equation modeling revealed significant developmental continuity of these skills, particularly for letter knowledge and phonological sensitivity from late preschool to early…

Value of Microperimetry in Detecting Early Retinal Toxicity of Hydroxychloroquine in Children with Juvenile Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

PubMed

Youssef, Maha M; El-Fayoumi, Dina; Sidky, Mohamed Karim; Hegazy, Ahmed I; Marzouk, Huda; Eltanamly, Rasha M

2017-01-01

To evaluate retinal sensitivity in children who are on hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for systemic lupus erythematosus using microperimetry and compare the results with those of the Humphrey visual field (HVF) 10-2 and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). A case-control cross-sectional study including 19 patients (less than 18 years old) on HCQ for at least 5 years. Controls were 21 normal children. Participants underwent a complete ophthalmic examination, then were investigated using HVF 10-2, SD-OCT, and microperimetry. Ocular examination revealed no abnormalities. The overall mean microperimetry sensitivity of the patients (15.75 dB) was not significantly different from that of the controls (16.35 dB). The HVF 10-2 showed a significant difference in the mean deviation of the patients. Conclusions and Message: Microperimetry was not more revealing than HVF 10-2 and SD-OCT. Larger studies are required to compare the diagnostic accuracy of screening modalities of retinal toxicity in children on HCQ. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Sensitive luminescent reporter viruses reveal appreciable release of hepatitis C virus NS5A protein into the extracellular environment.

PubMed

Eyre, Nicholas S; Aloia, Amanda L; Joyce, Michael A; Chulanetra, Monrat; Tyrrell, D Lorne; Beard, Michael R

2017-07-01

The HCV NS5A protein is essential for viral RNA replication and virus particle assembly. To study the viral replication cycle and NS5A biology we generated an infectious HCV construct with a NanoLuciferase (NLuc) insertion within NS5A. Surprisingly, beyond its utility as a sensitive reporter of cytoplasmic viral RNA replication, we also observed strong luminescence in cell culture fluids. Further analysis using assembly-defective viruses and subgenomic replicons revealed that infectious virus production was not required for extracellular NS5A-NLuc activity but was associated with enrichment of extracellular NS5A-NLuc in intermediate-density fractions similar to those of exosomes and virus particles. Additionally, BRET analysis indicated that intracellular and extracellular forms of NS5A may adopt differing conformations. Importantly, infection studies using a human liver chimeric mouse model confirmed robust infection in vivo and ready detection of NLuc activity in serum. We hypothesise that the presence of NS5A in extracellular fluids contributes to HCV pathogenesis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sensitivity of directed networks to the addition and pruning of edges and vertices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goltsev, A. V.; Timár, G.; Mendes, J. F. F.

2017-08-01

Directed networks have various topologically different extensive components, in contrast to a single giant component in undirected networks. We study the sensitivity (response) of the sizes of these extensive components in directed complex networks to the addition and pruning of edges and vertices. We introduce the susceptibility, which quantifies this sensitivity. We show that topologically different parts of a directed network have different sensitivity to the addition and pruning of edges and vertices and, therefore, they are characterized by different susceptibilities. These susceptibilities diverge at the critical point of the directed percolation transition, signaling the appearance (or disappearance) of the giant strongly connected component in the infinite size limit. We demonstrate this behavior in randomly damaged real and synthetic directed complex networks, such as the World Wide Web, Twitter, the Caenorhabditis elegans neural network, directed Erdős-Rényi graphs, and others. We reveal a nonmonotonic dependence of the sensitivity to random pruning of edges or vertices in the case of C. elegans and Twitter that manifests specific structural peculiarities of these networks. We propose the measurements of the susceptibilities during the addition or pruning of edges and vertices as a new method for studying structural peculiarities of directed networks.

GENETIC MAPPING OF VOCALIZATION TO A SERIES OF INCREASING ACUTE FOOTSHOCKS USING B6.A CONSOMIC AND B6.D2 CONGENIC MOUSE STRAINS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matthews, Douglas B; Chesler, Elissa J; Cook, Melloni N.

2008-01-01

Footshock response is used to study biological functions in mammals. However, the genetics underlying variability in footshock sensitivity are not well understood. In the current studies, a panel of B6.A consomic mouse strains, two B6.D2 congenic mouse strains and the progenitor strains were screened for footshock sensitivity as measured by audible vocalization. It was found that A/J (A) mice and C57BL/6J (B6) mice with an A Chromosome 1 (Chr 1) were less sensitive to footshock compared to B6 animals. Furthermore, the offspring of Chr 1 consomic mice crossed with B6 mice had vocalization levels that were intermediate to A/J andmore » B6 animals. A F2 mapping panel revealed two significant QTLs for footshock vocalization centered around D1Mit490 and D1Mit206 on Chr 1. The role of these Chr 1 loci in footshock sensitivity was confirmed in B6.D2 congenic mice. These data identify genetic regions involved in footshock sensitivity and establish additional mouse resources for use in investigating complex behaviors.« less

Exploring the Relationship between Reward and Punishment Sensitivity and Gambling Disorder in a Clinical Sample: A Path Modeling Analysis.

PubMed

Jiménez-Murcia, Susana; Fernández-Aranda, Fernando; Mestre-Bach, Gemma; Granero, Roser; Tárrega, Salomé; Torrubia, Rafael; Aymamí, Neus; Gómez-Peña, Mónica; Soriano-Mas, Carles; Steward, Trevor; Moragas, Laura; Baño, Marta; Del Pino-Gutiérrez, Amparo; Menchón, José M

2017-06-01

Most individuals will gamble during their lifetime, yet only a select few will develop gambling disorder. Gray's Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory holds promise for providing insight into gambling disorder etiology and symptomatology as it ascertains that neurobiological differences in reward and punishment sensitivity play a crucial role in determining an individual's affect and motives. The aim of the study was to assess a mediational pathway, which included patients' sex, personality traits, reward and punishment sensitivity, and gambling-severity variables. The Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire, the South Oaks Gambling Screen, the Symptom Checklist-Revised, and the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised were administered to a sample of gambling disorder outpatients (N = 831), diagnosed according to DSM-5 criteria, attending a specialized outpatient unit. Sociodemographic variables were also recorded. A structural equation model found that both reward and punishment sensitivity were positively and directly associated with increased gambling severity, sociodemographic variables, and certain personality traits while also revealing a complex mediational role for these dimensions. To this end, our findings suggest that the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire could be a useful tool for gaining a better understanding of different gambling disorder phenotypes and developing tailored interventions.

MATERNAL SENSITIVITY AND PERFORMANCE AND VERBAL INTELLIGENCE IN LATE CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE.

PubMed

Dunkel, Curtis S; Woodley Of Menie, Michael A

2018-02-15

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between maternal sensitivity and offspring intelligence in late childhood and adolescence. Secondary data (N=117) from the Block and Block (2006a, b) 30-year longitudinal study of Californian children, which began in the late 1960s, was used to test the hypothesis that maternal sensitivity in childhood would be predictive of late childhood and adolescent intelligence. Correlational analyses revealed that maternal sensitivity, as judged by raters viewing mother's interactions with their children in a set of four joint structured cognitive tasks when the child was 5 years of age, was associated with verbal and performance IQ test scores when the children were ages 11 and 18. Using hierarchical regression to control for child sex, socioeconomic status, child temperament, child baseline IQ (as measured at age 4), mother's level of education and mother's emotional nurturance, it was found that the maternal sensitivity and child and adolescent IQ association held for verbal, but not performance IQ. Furthermore, a pattern emerged in which the association between maternal sensitivity and verbal IQ was stronger for adolescents with a lower baseline IQ. The results suggest that maternal sensitivity is associated with offspring verbal intelligence and that this association holds when numerous variables are accounted for. Additionally, this association may be stronger for children with lower IQs.

Pain sensitivity is inversely related to regional grey matter density in the brain.

PubMed

Emerson, Nichole M; Zeidan, Fadel; Lobanov, Oleg V; Hadsel, Morten S; Martucci, Katherine T; Quevedo, Alexandre S; Starr, Christopher J; Nahman-Averbuch, Hadas; Weissman-Fogel, Irit; Granovsky, Yelena; Yarnitsky, David; Coghill, Robert C

2014-03-01

Pain is a highly personal experience that varies substantially among individuals. In search of an anatomical correlate of pain sensitivity, we used voxel-based morphometry to investigate the relationship between grey matter density across the whole brain and interindividual differences in pain sensitivity in 116 healthy volunteers (62 women, 54 men). Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and psychophysical data from 10 previous functional MRI studies were used. Age, sex, unpleasantness ratings, scanner sequence, and sensory testing location were added to the model as covariates. Regression analysis of grey matter density across the whole brain and thermal pain intensity ratings at 49°C revealed a significant inverse relationship between pain sensitivity and grey matter density in bilateral regions of the posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, intraparietal sulcus, and inferior parietal lobule. Unilateral regions of the left primary somatosensory cortex also exhibited this inverse relationship. No regions showed a positive relationship to pain sensitivity. These structural variations occurred in areas associated with the default mode network, attentional direction and shifting, as well as somatosensory processing. These findings underscore the potential importance of processes related to default mode thought and attention in shaping individual differences in pain sensitivity and indicate that pain sensitivity can potentially be predicted on the basis of brain structure. Copyright © 2013 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Understanding the Phases of Recovery from Serious Mental Illness: The Roles of Referent and Expert Power in a Mutual-Help Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beeble, Marisa L.; Salem, Deborah A.

2009-01-01

This study explored an approach to studying recovery that is sensitive to the multiphase and contextual nature of the recovery process. The authors focused on the experience of recovery in a mutual-help group, Schizophrenics Anonymous (SA). Prior qualitative research conducted with SA revealed that SA participants experience four phases of…

Tryptophan Scanning Reveals Dense Packing of Connexin Transmembrane Domains in Gap Junction Channels Composed of Connexin32.

PubMed

Brennan, Matthew J; Karcz, Jennifer; Vaughn, Nicholas R; Woolwine-Cunningham, Yvonne; DePriest, Adam D; Escalona, Yerko; Perez-Acle, Tomas; Skerrett, I Martha

2015-07-10

Tryptophan was substituted for residues in all four transmembrane domains of connexin32. Function was assayed using dual cell two-electrode voltage clamp after expression in Xenopus oocytes. Tryptophan substitution was poorly tolerated in all domains, with the greatest impact in TM1 and TM4. For instance, in TM1, 15 substitutions were made, six abolished coupling and five others significantly reduced function. Only TM2 and TM3 included a distinct helical face that lacked sensitivity to tryptophan substitution. Results were visualized on a comparative model of Cx32 hemichannel. In this model, a region midway through the membrane appears highly sensitive to tryptophan substitution and includes residues Arg-32, Ile-33, Met-34, and Val-35. In the modeled channel, pore-facing regions of TM1 and TM2 were highly sensitive to tryptophan substitution, whereas the lipid-facing regions of TM3 and TM4 were variably tolerant. Residues facing a putative intracellular water pocket (the IC pocket) were also highly sensitive to tryptophan substitution. Although future studies will be required to separate trafficking-defective mutants from those that alter channel function, a subset of interactions important for voltage gating was identified. Interactions important for voltage gating occurred mainly in the mid-region of the channel and focused on TM1. To determine whether results could be extrapolated to other connexins, TM1 of Cx43 was scanned revealing similar but not identical sensitivity to TM1 of Cx32. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Sensitization and histamine release by cells of the sand dollar, Mellita quinquiesperforata.

PubMed

Smith, S L; Smith, A C

1985-01-01

The coelomic fluid of the sand dollar, Mellita quinquiesperforata, contains cells (coelomocytes) that release red granules when the animal is stressed. Preliminary evidence suggests that the red pigment is protective, but its release from the coelomocytes is similar to that of allergy-inducing mediators from mammalian basophils and mast cells. The present study revealed further links with allergy, e.g., the coelomocytes can be sensitized to foreign proteins and release histamine on challenge. These and other findings suggest that the coelomocyte stress response may be an evolutionary precursor to the mammalian allergic response.

Cellular requirements for cutaneous sensitivity elicitation.

PubMed

Aoki, I

1985-01-01

The role of glass-adherent cells in cutaneous sensitivity (CS) elicitation has been analyzed in this study. CS responses have been revealed to be mediated by at least two distinct subsets of genetically restricted T cells: I-restricted 'DTH-like' T cells and K/D-restricted 'CTL-like' T cells. Both T-cell responses require I-A-positive glass-adherent cell populations, which lack T-cell markers, to manifest their activities. The role of the adherent cells is different in the 'DTH-like' responses and the 'CTL-like' responses. The disparities between the present results and previous contentions are discussed in this paper.

Quantifying the Variability in Species' Vulnerability to Ocean Acidification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kroeker, K. J.; Kordas, R. L.; Crim, R.; Gattuso, J.; Hendriks, I.; Singh, G. G.

2012-12-01

Ocean acidification represents a threat to marine species and ecosystems worldwide. As such, understanding the potential ecological impacts of acidification is a high priority for science, management, and policy. As research on the biological impacts of ocean acidification continues to expand at an exponential rate, a comprehensive understanding of the generalities and/or variability in organisms' responses and the corresponding levels of certainty of these potential responses is essential. Meta-analysis is a quantitative technique for summarizing the results of primary research studies and provides a transparent method to examine the generalities and/or variability in scientific results across numerous studies. Here, we perform the most comprehensive meta-analysis to date by synthesizing the results of 228 studies examining the biological impacts of ocean acidification. Our results reveal decreased survival, calcification, growth, reproduction and development in response to acidification across a broad range of marine organisms, as well as significant trait-mediated variation among taxonomic groups and enhanced sensitivity among early life history stages. In addition, our results reveal a pronounced sensitivity of molluscs to acidification, especially among the larval stages, and enhanced vulnerability to acidification with concurrent exposure to increased seawater temperatures across a diversity of organisms.

Nanoparticles based fiber optic SPR sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, Kruti; Sharma, Navneet K.

2018-05-01

Localized surface plasmon resonance based fiber optic sensor using platinum nanoparticles is proposed and theoretically analyzed. Increase in thickness of nanoparticles layer increases the sensitivity of sensor. 50 nm thick platinum nanoparticles layer based sensor reveals highest sensitivity.

First- and second-order contrast sensitivity functions reveal disrupted visual processing following mild traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Spiegel, Daniel P; Reynaud, Alexandre; Ruiz, Tatiana; Laguë-Beauvais, Maude; Hess, Robert; Farivar, Reza

2016-05-01

Vision is disrupted by traumatic brain injury (TBI), with vision-related complaints being amongst the most common in this population. Based on the neural responses of early visual cortical areas, injury to the visual cortex would be predicted to affect both 1(st) order and 2(nd) order contrast sensitivity functions (CSFs)-the height and/or the cut-off of the CSF are expected to be affected by TBI. Previous studies have reported disruptions only in 2(nd) order contrast sensitivity, but using a narrow range of parameters and divergent methodologies-no study has characterized the effect of TBI on the full CSF for both 1(st) and 2(nd) order stimuli. Such information is needed to properly understand the effect of TBI on contrast perception, which underlies all visual processing. Using a unified framework based on the quick contrast sensitivity function, we measured full CSFs for static and dynamic 1(st) and 2(nd) order stimuli. Our results provide a unique dataset showing alterations in sensitivity for both 1(st) and 2(nd) order visual stimuli. In particular, we show that TBI patients have increased sensitivity for 1(st) order motion stimuli and decreased sensitivity to orientation-defined and contrast-defined 2(nd) order stimuli. In addition, our data suggest that TBI patients' sensitivity for both 1(st) order stimuli and 2(nd) order contrast-defined stimuli is shifted towards higher spatial frequencies. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Motion perception: behavior and neural substrate.

PubMed

Mather, George

2011-05-01

Visual motion perception is vital for survival. Single-unit recordings in primate primary visual cortex (V1) have revealed the existence of specialized motion sensing neurons; perceptual effects such as the motion after-effect demonstrate their importance for motion perception. Human psychophysical data on motion detection can be explained by a computational model of cortical motion sensors. Both psychophysical and physiological data reveal at least two classes of motion sensor capable of sensing motion in luminance-defined and texture-defined patterns, respectively. Psychophysical experiments also reveal that motion can be seen independently of motion sensor output, based on attentive tracking of visual features. Sensor outputs are inherently ambiguous, due to the problem of univariance in neural responses. In order to compute stimulus direction and speed, the visual system must compare the responses of many different sensors sensitive to different directions and speeds. Physiological data show that this computation occurs in the visual middle temporal (MT) area. Recent psychophysical studies indicate that information about spatial form may also play a role in motion computations. Adaptation studies show that the human visual system is selectively sensitive to large-scale optic flow patterns, and physiological studies indicate that cells in the middle superior temporal (MST) area derive this sensitivity from the combined responses of many MT cells. Extraretinal signals used to control eye movements are an important source of signals to cancel out the retinal motion responses generated by eye movements, though visual information also plays a role. A number of issues remain to be resolved at all levels of the motion-processing hierarchy. WIREs Cogni Sci 2011 2 305-314 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.110 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website Additional Supporting Information may be found in http://www.lifesci.sussex.ac.uk/home/George_Mather/Motion/index.html. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comparison of flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry in non-radioisotopic murine lymph node assay using bromodeoxyuridine.

PubMed

Jung, Kyoung-Mi; Bae, Il-Hong; Kim, Bae-Hwan; Kim, Wang-Ki; Chung, Jin-Ho; Park, Young-Ho; Lim, Kyung-Min

2010-02-01

Non-radioisotopic local lymph node assay (LLNA) employing 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) with flow cytometry (FACS) or immunohistochemistry (IHC) is gaining attention due to a regulatory issue of using radioisotope, (3)H-thymidine, in vivo in traditional LLNA. In this study, to compare the performance of these non-radioisotopic endpoints, 7 chemicals with known sensitizing potencies were examined in LLNA. Mice were topically treated with chemicals or vehicle on both ears for 3 days. After intraperitoneal injection of BrdU, bilateral lymph nodes were isolated separately and undergone respectively, FACS or IHC to determine BrdU incorporated lymph node cells (LNCs). Weight and histology of treated ears were also examined to evaluate chemical-induced edema and irritation. Both FACS and IHC could successively identify the skin sensitizers from non-sensitizers. Comparison of FACS and IHC with traditional LLNA revealed that FACS has a higher sensitivity although both assays produced comparable sensitivity and performance to traditional LLNA. In conclusion, non-radioisotopic LLNA using FACS and IHC can successfully detect sensitizers with a good correlation to traditional LLNA. Notably, FACS showed almost equivalent sensitivity and accuracy to traditional LLNA. 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Memory Load and Test Position on Short-Duration Sustained Attention Tasks.

PubMed

Laurie-Rose, Cynthia; Frey, Meredith C; Sibata, Erick; Zamary, Amanda

2015-01-01

The current study applies a dual-task working memory and vigilance task to examine sustained attention performance and perceived workload in a multi-instrument battery. In Experiment 1 we modified a task developed by Helton and Russell (2011) to examine declines in performance and to assess the effects of its position within a larger battery. Experiment 1 failed to reveal a sensitivity decrement, and test position revealed only spurious influence. Workload scores derived from the NASA-TLX fell at the high end of the scale, with mental and temporal demand receiving the highest ratings. In Experiment 2, we modified the dual task to place more emphasis on attention rather than working memory. Results revealed a significant decline in performance across the vigil for the perceptual sensitivity index A'. Test position (early vs. late) effects appeared with the reaction time variability measure, with performance becoming more variable when the task appeared in the latter half of the battery. Workload scores varied according to position in the battery: Workload scores were higher when the vigilance task appeared in the latter half of the battery. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

Antitumoral activity and toxicity of PEG-coated and PEG-folate-coated pH-sensitive liposomes containing ¹⁵⁹Gd-DTPA-BMA in Ehrlich tumor bearing mice.

PubMed

Soares, Daniel Crístian Ferreira; Cardoso, Valbert Nascimento; de Barros, André Luís Branco; de Souza, Cristina Maria; Cassali, Geovanni Dantas; de Oliveira, Mônica Cristina; Ramaldes, Gilson Andrade

2012-01-23

In the present study, PEG-coated pH-sensitive and PEG-folate-coated pH-sensitive liposomes containing the ¹⁵⁹Gd-DTPA-BMA were prepared and radiolabeled through neutron activation technique, aiming to study the in vivo antitumoral activity and toxicity on mice bearing a previously-developed solid Ehrlich tumor. The treatment efficacy was verified through tumoral volume increase and histomorphometry studies. The toxicity of formulations was investigated through animal weight variations, as well as hematological and biochemical tests. The results showed that after 31 days of treatment, animals treated with radioactive formulations had a lower increase in tumor volume and a significantly higher percentage of necrosis compared with controls revealed by histomorphometry studies. Furthermore, mice treated with radioactive formulations exhibited lower weight gain without significant hematological or biochemical changes, except for toxicity to hepatocytes which requires more detailed studies. From the results obtained to date, we believe that the radioactive formulations can be considered potential therapeutic agents for cancer. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Longitudinal study of factors affecting taste sense decline in old-old individuals.

PubMed

Ogawa, T; Uota, M; Ikebe, K; Arai, Y; Kamide, K; Gondo, Y; Masui, Y; Ishizaki, T; Inomata, C; Takeshita, H; Mihara, Y; Hatta, K; Maeda, Y

2017-01-01

The sense of taste plays a pivotal role for personal assessment of the nutritional value, safety and quality of foods. Although it is commonly recognised that taste sensitivity decreases with age, alterations in that sensitivity over time in an old-old population have not been previously reported. Furthermore, no known studies utilised comprehensive variables regarding taste changes and related factors for assessments. Here, we report novel findings from a 3-year longitudinal study model aimed to elucidate taste sensitivity decline and its related factors in old-old individuals. We utilised 621 subjects aged 79-81 years who participated in the Septuagenarians, Octogenarians, Nonagenarians Investigation with Centenarians Study for baseline assessments performed in 2011 and 2012, and then conducted follow-up assessments 3 years later in 328 of those. Assessment of general health, an oral examination and determination of taste sensitivity were performed for each. We also evaluated cognitive function using Montreal Cognitive Assessment findings, then excluded from analysis those with a score lower than 20 in order to secure the validity and reliability of the subjects' answers. Contributing variables were selected using univariate analysis, then analysed with multivariate logistic regression analysis. We found that males showed significantly greater declines in taste sensitivity for sweet and sour tastes than females. Additionally, subjects with lower cognitive scores showed a significantly greater taste decrease for salty in multivariate analysis. In conclusion, our longitudinal study revealed that gender and cognitive status are major factors affecting taste sensitivity in geriatric individuals. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Quantitative Proteomic Analysis Reveals Populus cathayana Females Are More Sensitive and Respond More Sophisticatedly to Iron Deficiency than Males.

PubMed

Zhang, Sheng; Zhang, Yunxiang; Cao, Yanchun; Lei, Yanbao; Jiang, Hao

2016-03-04

Previous studies have shown that there are significant sexual differences in the morphological and physiological responses of Populus cathayana Rehder to nitrogen and phosphorus deficiencies, but little is known about the sex-specific differences in responses to iron deficiency. In this study, the effects of iron deficiency on the morphology, physiology, and proteome of P. cathayana males and females were investigated. The results showed that iron deficiency (25 days) significantly decreased height growth, photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, and tissue iron concentration in both sexes. A comparison between the sexes indicated that iron-deficient males had less height inhibition and photosynthesis system II or chloroplast ultrastructural damage than iron-deficient females. iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis revealed that 144 and 68 proteins were decreased in abundance (e.g., proteins involved in photosynthesis, carbohydrate and energy metabolism, and gene expression regulation) and 78 and 39 proteins were increased in abundance (e.g., proteins involved in amino acid metabolism and stress response) according to the criterion of ratio ≥1.5 in females and males, respectively. A comparison between the sexes indicated that iron-deficient females exhibited a greater change in the proteins involved in photosynthesis, carbon and energy metabolism, the redox system, and stress responsive proteins. This study reveals females are more sensitive and have a more sophisticated response to iron deficiency compared with males and provides new insights into differential sexual responses to nutrient deficiency.

Disentangling Aerosol Cooling and Greenhouse Warming to Reveal Earth's Climate Sensitivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Storelvmo, Trude; Leirvik, Thomas; Phillips, Petter; Lohmann, Ulrike; Wild, Martin

2015-04-01

Earth's climate sensitivity has been the subject of heated debate for decades, and recently spurred renewed interest after the latest IPCC assessment report suggested a downward adjustment of the most likely range of climate sensitivities. Here, we present a study based on the time period 1964 to 2010, which is unique in that it does not rely on global climate models (GCMs) in any way. The study uses surface observations of temperature and incoming solar radiation from approximately 1300 surface sites, along with observations of the equivalent CO2 concentration (CO2,eq) in the atmosphere, to produce a new best estimate for the transient climate sensitivity of 1.9K (95% confidence interval 1.2K - 2.7K). This is higher than other recent observation-based estimates, and is better aligned with the estimate of 1.8K and range (1.1K - 2.5K) derived from the latest generation of GCMs. The new estimate is produced by incorporating the observations in an energy balance framework, and by applying statistical methods that are standard in the field of Econometrics, but less common in climate studies. The study further suggests that about a third of the continental warming due to increasing CO2,eq was masked by aerosol cooling during the time period studied.

Disentangling Greenhouse Warming and Aerosol Cooling to Reveal Earth's Transient Climate Sensitivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Storelvmo, T.

2015-12-01

Earth's climate sensitivity has been the subject of heated debate for decades, and recently spurred renewed interest after the latest IPCC assessment report suggested a downward adjustment of the most likely range of climate sensitivities. Here, we present an observation-based study based on the time period 1964 to 2010, which is unique in that it does not rely on global climate models (GCMs) in any way. The study uses surface observations of temperature and incoming solar radiation from approximately 1300 surface sites, along with observations of the equivalent CO2 concentration (CO2,eq) in the atmosphere, to produce a new best estimate for the transient climate sensitivity of 1.9K (95% confidence interval 1.2K - 2.7K). This is higher than other recent observation-based estimates, and is better aligned with the estimate of 1.8K and range (1.1K - 2.5K) derived from the latest generation of GCMs. The new estimate is produced by incorporating the observations in an energy balance framework, and by applying statistical methods that are standard in the field of Econometrics, but less common in climate studies. The study further suggests that about a third of the continental warming due to increasing CO2,eq was masked by aerosol cooling during the time period studied.

CDC25B and p53 are independently implicated in radiation sensitivity for human esophageal cancers.

PubMed

Miyata, H; Doki, Y; Shiozaki, H; Inoue, M; Yano, M; Fujiwara, Y; Yamamoto, H; Nishioka, K; Kishi, K; Monden, M

2000-12-01

Ionized radiation leads to G1 arrest and apoptosis by a p53-dependent pathway and G2-M arrest through a p53-independent pathway. In this study, we evaluated the role of cell cycle-regulating molecules in the sensitivity of cancer cells for radiation therapy. Forty-seven patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the esophagus had undergone radiation therapy, followed by surgical resection. They were classified as sensitive to radiation (SR, 14 cases) with no residual tumor in the surgical specimen or as resistant to radiation (RR, 33 cases) with viable residual tumors. Their preradiation biopsy samples were immunohistochemically investigated for the expressions of cell cycle-related molecules, including p53, CDC25A, CDC25B, cyclin D1, cyclin B1, and Ki-67. p53 expression was negative in 71% (10 of 14) of SR and positive in 91% (30 of 33) of RR. The association was strong between high radiation sensitivity and negative p53 expression (P < 0.0001). CDC25B, which is not expressed in normal epithelium but is in the cytoplasm of esophageal cancers, was strongly expressed (2+) in 46% (6 of 14) of SR and in 6% (2 of 23) of RR. Thus, the sensitivity for radiation therapy was significantly correlated with CDC25B overexpression. With respect to CDC25A, cyclin D1, cyclin B1, and Ki-67, no statistically significant differences were found in their expressions between SR and RR tumors. p53 and CDC25B expressions showed no significant associations, and multivariate analysis revealed that both p53 and CDC25B are significant independent markers for predicting radiation sensitivity. CDC25B was revealed to be a novel predictor of radiation sensitivity in esophageal cancers. Because CDC25B is an oncogene, which affects G2-M progression, these results suggest the importance of a p53-independent G2-M checkpoint in radiation therapy.

Temporal resolution in individuals with neurological disorders

PubMed Central

Rabelo, Camila Maia; Weihing, Jeffrey A; Schochat, Eliane

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Temporal processing refers to the ability of the central auditory nervous system to encode and detect subtle changes in acoustic signals. This study aims to investigate the temporal resolution ability of individuals with mesial temporal sclerosis and to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the gaps-in-noise test in identifying this type of lesion. METHOD: This prospective study investigated differences in temporal resolution between 30 individuals with normal hearing and without neurological lesions (G1) and 16 individuals with both normal hearing and mesial temporal sclerosis (G2). Test performances were compared, and the sensitivity and specificity were calculated. RESULTS: There was no difference in gap detection thresholds between the two groups, although G1 revealed better average thresholds than G2 did. The sensitivity and specificity of the gaps-in-noise test for neurological lesions were 68% and 98%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Temporal resolution ability is compromised in individuals with neurological lesions caused by mesial temporal sclerosis. The gaps-in-noise test was shown to be a sensitive and specific measure of central auditory dysfunction in these patients. PMID:26375561

Unexpected photoproduct generated via the acetone-sensitized photolysis of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine in a water/isopropanol solution: experimental and computational studies.

PubMed

Polska, Katarzyna; Zielonka, Justyna; Chomicz, Lidia; Czerwicka, Małgorzata; Stepnowski, Piotr; Guzow, Katarzyna; Wiczk, Wiesław; Smużyńska, Maria; Kasprzykowski, Franciszek; Żylicz-Stachula, Agnieszka; Skowron, Piotr; Rak, Janusz

2010-12-23

The acetone-sensitized photolysis of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (5-BrdU) in a water/isopropanol solution with 300 nm photons leads to the formation of 2'-deoxyuridine (dU) and a comparable amount of another photoproduct that has not been reported in the literature so far. The negative and positive mass spectra recorded for this species indicate that they originate from the molecular mass of 286 Da, which corresponds to an adduct of 2'-deoxyuridine and 2-propanol. Quantum chemical calculations carried out at the DFT and TDDFT levels reveal both the structure and the UV spectrum of that adduct. The latter computational characteristic matches well the experimental UV spectrum of the new photoproduct. Our findings indicate that the acetone-sensitized photolysis of 5-BrdU is more complicated than has hitherto been assumed. Nevertheless, since electron transfer is one of the pathways responsible for 5-BrdU decay, acetone-sensitized photolysis of the halogen derivatives of nucleobases could be a convenient tool for studying their radiosensitivity in aqueous solutions.

The Genetic Architecture of Barley Plant Stature

PubMed Central

Alqudah, Ahmad M.; Koppolu, Ravi; Wolde, Gizaw M.; Graner, Andreas; Schnurbusch, Thorsten

2016-01-01

Plant stature in temperate cereals is predominantly controlled by tillering and plant height as complex agronomic traits, representing important determinants of grain yield. This study was designed to reveal the genetic basis of tillering at five developmental stages and plant height at harvest in 218 worldwide spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) accessions under greenhouse conditions. The accessions were structured based on row-type classes [two- vs. six-rowed] and photoperiod response [photoperiod-sensitive (Ppd-H1) vs. reduced photoperiod sensitivity (ppd-H1)]. Phenotypic analyses of both factors revealed profound between group effects on tiller development. To further verify the row-type effect on the studied traits, Six-rowed spike 1 (vrs1) mutants and their two-rowed progenitors were examined for tiller number per plant and plant height. Here, wild-type (Vrs1) plants were significantly taller and had more tillers than mutants suggesting a negative pleiotropic effect of this row-type locus on both traits. Our genome-wide association scans further revealed highly significant associations, thereby establishing a link between the genetic control of row-type, heading time, tillering, and plant height. We further show that associations for tillering and plant height are co-localized with chromosomal segments harboring known plant stature-related phytohormone and sugar-related genes. This work demonstrates the feasibility of the GWAS approach for identifying putative candidate genes for improving plant architecture. PMID:27446200

[Sensitivity of fungi in the genus Candida to antimicrobial preparations].

PubMed

Paliĭ, G K; Ivanova, S A

1986-03-01

Sensitivity of 50 Candida fungus strains isolated from patients with chronic intestine diseases was studied with respect to amphotericin B, levorin, enteroseptol, intestopan and decamethoxin. The rate of forming resistant variants of the strains with respect to decamethoxin and development of their cross resistance to levorin was estimated. It was shown that decamethoxin was the most active antifungal drug among the drugs tested. Estimation of sensitivity of the Candida strains to enteroseptol and intestopan revealed that the fungicidal concentration of enteroseptol for 78 per cent of the strains ranged within 3.9-7.8 micrograms/ml. It was demonstrated that development of resistance to decamethoxin in the strains of Candida albicans was slow and did not reach high levels. No cross resistance between decamethoxin and levorin was detected.

Complement activation and liver impairment in trichloroethylene-sensitized BALB/c mice.

PubMed

Zhang, Jiaxiang; Zha, Wansheng; Wang, Feng; Jiang, Tao; Xu, Shuhai; Yu, Junfeng; Zhou, Chengfan; Shen, Tong; Wu, Changhao; Zhu, Qixing

2013-01-01

Our recent studies have shown that trichloroethylene (TCE) was able to induce multisystem injuries in the form of occupational medicamentosa-like dermatitis, including skin, kidney, and liver damages. However, the role of complement activation in the immune-mediated liver injury is not known. This study examined the role of complement activation in the liver injury in a mouse model of TCE-induced sensitization. Treatment of female BALB/c mice with TCE under specific dosing protocols resulted in skin inflammation and sensitization. Skin edema and erythema occurred in TCE-sensitized groups. Trichloroethylene sensitization produced liver histopathological lesions, increased serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase activities, and the relative liver weight. The concentrations of serum complement components C3a-desArg, C5a-desArg, and C5b-9 were significantly increased in 24-hour, 48-hour, and 72-hour sensitization-positive groups treated with TCE and peaked in the 72-hour sensitization-positive group. Depositions of C3a, C5a, and C5b-9 into the liver tissue were also revealed by immunohistochemistry. Immunofluorescence further verified high C5b-9 expression in 24-hour, 48-hour, and 72-hour sensitization-positive groups in response to TCE treatment. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction detected C3 messenger RNA expression in the liver, and this was significantly increased in 24-hour and 48-hour sensitization-positive groups with a transient reduction at 72 hours. These results provide the first experimental evidence that complement activation may play a key role in the generation and progression of immune-mediated hepatic injury by exposure to TCE.

A Performance Comparison of Color Vision Tests for Military Screening.

PubMed

Walsh, David V; Robinson, James; Jurek, Gina M; Capó-Aponte, José E; Riggs, Daniel W; Temme, Leonard A

2016-04-01

Current color vision (CV) tests used for aviation screening in the U.S. Army only provide pass-fail results, and previous studies have shown variable sensitivity and specificity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate seven CV tests to determine an optimal CV test screener that potentially could be implemented by the U.S. Army. There were 133 subjects [65 Color Vision Deficits (CVD), 68 Color Vision Normal (CVN)] who performed all of the tests in one setting. CVD and CVN determination was initially assessed with the Oculus anomaloscope. Each test was administered monocularly and according to the test protocol. The main outcome measures were test sensitivity, specificity, and administration time (automated tests). Three of the four Pseudoisochromatic Plate (PIP) tests had a sensitivity/specificity > 0.90 OD/OS, whereas the FALANT tests had a sensitivity/specificity > 0.80 OD/OS. The Cone Contrast Test (CCT) demonstrated sensitivity/specificity > 0.90 OD/OS, whereas the Color Assessment and Diagnosis (CAD) test demonstrated sensitivity/specificity > 0.85 OD/OS. Comparison with the anomaloscope ("gold standard") revealed no significant difference of sensitivity and specificity OD/OS with the CCT, Dvorine PIP, and PIPC tests. Finally, the CCT administration time was significantly faster than the CAD test. The current U.S. Army CV screening tests demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity, as did the automated tests. In addition, some current PIP tests (Dvorine, PIPC), and the CCT performed no worse statistically than the anomaloscope with regard to sensitivity/specificity. The CCT letter presentation is randomized and results would not be confounded by potential memorization, or fading, of book plates.

Nanostructured Tungsten Oxide Composite for High-Performance Gas Sensors

PubMed Central

Feng-Chen, Siyuan; Aldalbahi, Ali; Feng, Peter Xianping

2015-01-01

We report the results of composite tungsten oxide nanowires-based gas sensors. The morphologic surface, crystallographic structures, and chemical compositions of the obtained nanowires have been investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman scattering, respectively. The experimental measurements reveal that each wire consists of crystalline nanoparticles with an average diameter of less than 250 nm. By using the synthesized nanowires, highly sensitive prototypic gas sensors have been designed and fabricated. The dependence of the sensitivity of tungsten oxide nanowires to the methane and hydrogen gases as a function of time has been obtained. Various sensing parameters such as sensitivity, response time, stability, and repeatability were investigated in order to reveal the sensing ability. PMID:26512670

Father Involvement, Paternal Sensitivity, and Father-Child Attachment Security in the First Three Years

PubMed Central

Brown, Geoffrey L.; Mangelsdorf, Sarah C.; Neff, Cynthia

2014-01-01

To reach a greater understanding of the early father-child attachment relationship, this study examined concurrent and longitudinal associations among father involvement, paternal sensitivity, and father-child attachment security at 13 months and 3 years of age. Analyses revealed few associations among these variables at 13 months of age, but involvement and sensitivity independently predicted father-child attachment security at age 3. Moreover, sensitivity moderated the association between involvement and attachment security at 3 years. Specifically, involvement was unrelated to attachment security when fathers were highly sensitive, but positively related to attachment security when fathers were relatively less sensitive. Father involvement was also moderately stable across the two timepoints, but paternal sensitivity was not. Furthermore, there was significant stability in father-child attachment security from 13 months to 3 years. Secure attachment at 13 months also predicted greater levels of paternal sensitivity at 3 years, with sensitivity at age 3 mediating the association between 13 month and 3 year attachment security. In sum, a secure father-child attachment relationship a) was related to both quantity and quality of fathering behavior, b) remained relatively stable across early childhood, and c) predicted increased paternal sensitivity over time. These findings further our understanding of the correlates of early father-child attachment, and underscore the need to consider multiple domains of fathers’ parenting and reciprocal relations between fathering behavior and father-child attachment security. PMID:22468691

Analysis of Publically Available Skin Sensitization Data from REACH Registrations 2008–2014

PubMed Central

Luechtefeld, Thomas; Maertens, Alexandra; Russo, Daniel P.; Rovida, Costanza; Zhu, Hao; Hartung, Thomas

2017-01-01

Summary The public data on skin sensitization from REACH registrations already included 19,111 studies on skin sensitization in December 2014, making it the largest repository of such data so far (1,470 substances with mouse LLNA, 2,787 with GPMT, 762 with both in vivo and in vitro and 139 with only in vitro data). 21% were classified as sensitizers. The extracted skin sensitization data was analyzed to identify relationships in skin sensitization guidelines, visualize structural relationships of sensitizers, and build models to predict sensitization. A chemical with molecular weight > 500 Da is generally considered non-sensitizing owing to low bioavailability, but 49 sensitizing chemicals with a molecular weight > 500 Da were found. A chemical similarity map was produced using PubChem’s 2D Tanimoto similarity metric and Gephi force layout visualization. Nine clusters of chemicals were identified by Blondel’s module recognition algorithm revealing wide module-dependent variation. Approximately 31% of mapped chemicals are Michael’s acceptors but alone this does not imply skin sensitization. A simple sensitization model using molecular weight and five ToxTree structural alerts showed a balanced accuracy of 65.8% (specificity 80.4%, sensitivity 51.4%), demonstrating that structural alerts have information value. A simple variant of k-nearest neighbors outperformed the ToxTree approach even at 75% similarity threshold (82% balanced accuracy at 0.95 threshold). At higher thresholds, the balanced accuracy increased. Lower similarity thresholds decrease sensitivity faster than specificity. This analysis scopes the landscape of chemical skin sensitization, demonstrating the value of large public datasets for health hazard prediction. PMID:26863411

An Arabidopsis mitochondria-localized RRL protein mediates abscisic acid signal transduction through mitochondrial retrograde regulation involving ABI4.

PubMed

Yao, Xuan; Li, Juanjuan; Liu, Jianping; Liu, Kede

2015-10-01

The molecular mechanisms of abscisic acid (ABA) signalling have been studied for many years; however, how mitochondria-localized proteins play roles in ABA signalling remains unclear. Here an Arabidopsis mitochondria-localized protein RRL (RETARDED ROOT GROWTH-LIKE) was shown to function in ABA signalling. A previous study had revealed that the Arabidopsis mitochondria-localized protein RRG (RETARDED ROOT GROWTH) is required for cell division in the root meristem. RRL shares 54% and 57% identity at the nucleotide and amino acid sequences, respectively, with RRG; nevertheless, RRL shows a different function in Arabidopsis. In this study, disruption of RRL decreased ABA sensitivity whereas overexpression of RRL increased ABA sensitivity during seed germination and seedling growth. High expression levels of RRL were found in germinating seeds and developing seedlings, as revealed by β-glucuronidase (GUS) staining of ProRRL-GUS transgenic lines. The analyses of the structure and function of mitochondria in the knockout rrl mutant showed that the disruption of RRL causes extensively internally vacuolated mitochondria and reduced ABA-stimulated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Previous studies have revealed that the expression of alternative oxidase (AOX) in the alternative respiratory pathway is increased by mitochondrial retrograde regulation to regain ROS levels when the mitochondrial electron transport chain is impaired. The APETALA2 (AP2)-type transcription factor ABI4 is a regulator of ALTERNATIVE OXIDASE1a (AOX1a) in mitochondrial retrograde signalling. This study showed that ABA-induced AOX1a and ABI4 expression was inhibited in the rrl mutant, suggesting that RRL is probably involved in ABI4-mediated mitochondrial retrograde signalling. Furthermore, the results revealed that ABI4 is a downstream regulatory factor in RRL-mediated ABA signalling in seed germination and seedling growth. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Examining the latent structure of anxiety sensitivity in adolescents using factor mixture modeling.

PubMed

Allan, Nicholas P; MacPherson, Laura; Young, Kevin C; Lejuez, Carl W; Schmidt, Norman B

2014-09-01

Anxiety sensitivity has been implicated as an important risk factor, generalizable to most anxiety disorders. In adults, factor mixture modeling has been used to demonstrate that anxiety sensitivity is best conceptualized as categorical between individuals. That is, whereas most adults appear to possess normative levels of anxiety sensitivity, a small subset of the population appears to possess abnormally high levels of anxiety sensitivity. Further, those in the high anxiety sensitivity group are at increased risk of having high levels of anxiety and of having an anxiety disorder. This study was designed to determine whether these findings extend to adolescents. Factor mixture modeling was used to examine the best fitting model of anxiety sensitivity in a sample of 277 adolescents (M age = 11.0 years, SD = 0.81). Consistent with research in adults, the best fitting model consisted of 2 classes, 1 containing adolescents with high levels of anxiety sensitivity (n = 25) and another containing adolescents with normative levels of anxiety sensitivity (n = 252). Examination of anxiety sensitivity subscales revealed that the social concerns subscale was not important for classification of individuals. Convergent and discriminant validity of anxiety sensitivity classes were found in that membership in the high anxiety sensitivity class was associated with higher mean levels of anxiety symptoms, controlling for depression and externalizing problems, and was not associated with higher mean levels of depression or externalizing symptoms controlling for anxiety problems. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Interrelationship between 3,5,3′-triiodothyronine and the circadian clock in the rodent heart

PubMed Central

Peliciari-Garcia, Rodrigo Antonio; Prévide, Rafael Maso; Nunes, Maria Tereza; Young, Martin Elliot

2017-01-01

Triiodothyronine (T3) is an important modulator of cardiac metabolism and function, often through modulation of gene expression. The cardiomyocyte circadian clock is a transcriptionally-based molecular mechanism capable of regulating cardiac processes, in part by modulating responsiveness of the heart to extra-cardiac stimuli/stresses in a time-of-day- (TOD) dependent manner. Although TOD-dependent oscillations in circulating levels of T3 (and its intermediates) have been established, whether oscillations in T3 sensitivity in the heart occur is unknown. To investigate the latter possibility, euthyroid male Wistar rats were treated with vehicle or T3 at distinct times of the day, after which induction of known T3 target genes were assessed in the heart (4-h later). The expression of mRNA was assessed by Real-Time qPCR. Here, we report greater T3 induction of transcript levels at the end of the dark phase. Surprisingly, use of cardiomyocyte-specific clock mutant (CCM) mice revealed that TOD-dependent oscillations in T3 sensitivity were independent of this cell autonomous mechanism. Investigation of genes encoding for proteins that affect T3 sensitivity revealed that Dio1, Dio2, and Thrb1 exhibited TOD-dependent variations in the heart, while Thra1 and Thra2 did not. Of these, Dio1 and Thrb1 were increased in the heart at the end of the dark phase. Interestingly, we observed that T3 acutely altered the expression of core clock components (e.g., Bmal1) in the rat heart. To investigate this further, rats were injected with a single dose of T3, after which expression of clock genes were interrogated at 3-h intervals over the subsequent 24h-period. These studies revealed robust effects of T3 on oscillations of both core clock components and clock-controlled genes. In summary, the current study exposed time-of-day-dependent rhythms in cardiac T3 sensitivity, and that T3 alters the circadian clock in the heart. PMID:27661292

Genome-Wide Transcriptome Analysis During Anthesis Reveals New Insights into the Molecular Basis of Heat Stress Responses in Tolerant and Sensitive Rice Varieties.

PubMed

González-Schain, Nahuel; Dreni, Ludovico; Lawas, Lovely M F; Galbiati, Massimo; Colombo, Lucia; Heuer, Sigrid; Jagadish, Krishna S V; Kater, Martin M

2016-01-01

Rice is one of the main food crops in the world. In the near future, yield is expected to be under pressure due to unfavorable climatic conditions, such as increasing temperatures. Therefore, improving rice germplasm in order to guarantee rice production under harsh environmental conditions is of top priority. Although many physiological studies have contributed to understanding heat responses during anthesis, the most heat-sensitive stage, molecular data are still largely lacking. In this study, an RNA-sequencing approach of heat- and control-treated reproductive tissues during anthesis was carried out using N22, one of the most heat-tolerant rice cultivars known to date. This analysis revealed that expression of genes encoding a number of transcription factor families, together with signal transduction and metabolic pathway genes, is repressed. On the other hand, expression of genes encoding heat shock factors and heat shock proteins was highly activated. Many of these genes are predominantly expressed at late stages of anther development. Further physiological experiments using heat-tolerant N22 and two sensitive cultivars suggest that reduced yield in heat-sensitive plants may be associated with poor pollen development or production in anthers prior to anthesis. In parallel, induction levels of a set of heat-responsive genes in these tissues correlated well with heat tolerance. Altogether, these findings suggest that proper expression of protective chaperones in anthers is needed before anthesis to overcome stress damage and to ensure fertilization. Genes putatively controlling this process were identified and are valuable candidates to consider for molecular breeding of highly productive heat-tolerant cultivars. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A qualitative study on non-verbal sensitivity in nursing students.

PubMed

Chan, Zenobia C Y

2013-07-01

To explore nursing students' perception of the meanings and roles of non-verbal communication and sensitivity. It also attempts to understand how different factors influence their non-verbal communication style. The importance of non-verbal communication in the health arena lies in the need for good communication for efficient healthcare delivery. Understanding nursing students' non-verbal communication with patients and the influential factors is essential to prepare them for field work in the future. Qualitative approach based on 16 in-depth interviews. Sixteen nursing students from the Master of Nursing and the Year 3 Bachelor of Nursing program were interviewed. Major points in the recorded interviews were marked down for content analysis. Three main themes were developed: (1) understanding students' non-verbal communication, which shows how nursing students value and experience non-verbal communication in the nursing context; (2) factors that influence the expression of non-verbal cues, which reveals the effect of patients' demographic background (gender, age, social status and educational level) and participants' characteristics (character, age, voice and appearance); and (3) metaphors of non-verbal communication, which is further divided into four subthemes: providing assistance, individualisation, dropping hints and promoting interaction. Learning about students' non-verbal communication experiences in the clinical setting allowed us to understand their use of non-verbal communication and sensitivity, as well as to understand areas that may need further improvement. The experiences and perceptions revealed by the nursing students could provoke nurses to reconsider the effects of the different factors suggested in this study. The results might also help students and nurses to learn and ponder their missing gap, leading them to rethink, train and pay more attention to their non-verbal communication style and sensitivity. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

High-sensitivity virus and mycoplasma screening test reveals high prevalence of parvovirus B19 infection in human synovial tissues and bone marrow.

PubMed

Watanabe, Ken; Otabe, Koji; Shimizu, Norio; Komori, Keiichirou; Mizuno, Mitsuru; Katano, Hisako; Koga, Hideyuki; Sekiya, Ichiro

2018-03-27

Latent microorganism infection is a safety concern for the clinical application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The aim of this study is to investigate the frequencies and sensitivities of the latent virus and mycoplasma infections in synovium, bone marrow, peripheral blood cells, and blood plasma and cultured synovial MSCs. Total DNA and RNA of the synovium (n = 124), bone marrow (n = 123), peripheral blood cells (n = 121), plasma (n = 121), and 14-day cultured synovial MSCs (n = 63) were collected from patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty or anterior ligament reconstruction after written informed consents were obtained. The multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were designed to quantitatively measure the representative genomes of 13 DNA viruses, 6 RNA viruses, and 9 mycoplasmas. Multi-spliced mRNA detection and virus spike test were also performed to demonstrate the sensitivity of synovial MSCs to the candidate pathogens. In synovium and bone marrow, the positive rates of parvovirus B19 genome were significantly higher than in peripheral blood cells (18.7% and 22% vs. 0.8%, respectively). Multi-alignment analysis of amplified and sequenced viral target genes showed the proximity of the parvovirus B19 gene from different tissue in the same patients. Synovial MSCs cultured for 14 days were positive for virus infection only in two patients (2/62 = 3%). Parvovirus B19 multi-spliced mRNAs were not detected in these two samples. Virus spike test demonstrated the sensitivity of synovial MSCs to herpes simplex virus (HSV)1 and cytomegalovirus (CMV), but not to parvovirus B19. This study revealed a relatively high incidence of latent parvovirus B19 in synovium and bone marrow tissue.

Review of "The September 11th Education Program: A National Interdisciplinary Curriculum"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waterson, Robert A.; Jenne, Katherine

2011-01-01

A review of "The September 11th Education Program: A National Interdisciplinary Curriculum" reveals a sensitive and well-created program for the 5-12 social studies teacher to use in teaching about the challenging subject of 9/11. This program provides an opportunity for teachers to find a balance among understanding, critical analysis,…

Evaluation of ionophore sensitivity of Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria maxima isolated from the Algerian Jijel province poultry farms

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The present study represents the first description of ionophore resistance in Eimeria recovered from commercial Algerian (Jijel-Algeria) broiler farms. Microscopy and ITS1 PCR revealed only 2 Eimeria species present in litter from these farms- namely E. acervulina and E. maxima. A pool of these is...

Correlation between fundus autofluorescence and central visual function in chronic central serous chorioretinopathy.

PubMed

Eandi, Chiara M; Piccolino, Felice Cardillo; Alovisi, Camilla; Tridico, Federico; Giacomello, Daniela; Grignolo, Federico M

2015-04-01

To find possible correlations between the morphologic macular changes revealed by fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and the functional parameters such as visual acuity and retinal sensitivity in patients with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). Prospective, cross-sectional study. Forty-six eyes (39 consecutive patients) with chronic CSC were studied with FAF and microperimetry (MP). Retinal sensitivity value maps were exactly superimposed over FAF images. The following microperimetric parameters were applied: central 10-degree visual field, 4-2-1 strategy, 61 stimulation spots, white monochromatic background, stimulation time 200 ms, stimulation spot size Goldmann III. A possible relationship between MP and FAF was investigated. Mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/32 (median 20/25, range 20/20-20/200). BCVA was significantly correlated with FAF findings (Mann-Whitney test; P < .0001). A positive concordance between FAF and MP evaluation was also found (total concordance of 0.720 with a kappa of Cohen of 0.456). The hypo-autofluorescent areas showed decreased retinal sensitivity, while adjacent areas of increased FAF could be associated to both normal and decreased retinal sensitivity. Absolute scotoma, defined as 0 dB retinal sensitivity, corresponded with absence of autofluorescence. Altered FAF in chronic CSC patients has a functional correlation quantified by microperimetry. This study confirms the impact of FAF changes on retinal sensitivity and their value to reflect the functional impairment in chronic CSC. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A two-step sensitivity analysis for hydrological signatures in Jinhua River Basin, East China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, S.; Fu, G.; Chiang, Y. M.; Xu, Y. P.

2016-12-01

Owing to model complexity and large number of parameters, calibration and sensitivity analysis are difficult processes for distributed hydrological models. In this study, a two-step sensitivity analysis approach is proposed for analyzing the hydrological signatures in Jinhua River Basin, East China, using the Distributed Hydrology-Soil-Vegetation Model (DHSVM). A rough sensitivity analysis is firstly conducted to obtain preliminary influential parameters via Analysis of Variance. The number of parameters was greatly reduced from eighteen-three to sixteen. Afterwards, the sixteen parameters are further analyzed based on a variance-based global sensitivity analysis, i.e., Sobol's sensitivity analysis method, to achieve robust sensitivity rankings and parameter contributions. Parallel-Computing is applied to reduce computational burden in variance-based sensitivity analysis. The results reveal that only a few number of model parameters are significantly sensitive, including rain LAI multiplier, lateral conductivity, porosity, field capacity, wilting point of clay loam, understory monthly LAI, understory minimum resistance and root zone depths of croplands. Finally several hydrological signatures are used for investigating the performance of DHSVM. Results show that high value of efficiency criteria didn't indicate excellent performance of hydrological signatures. For most samples from Sobol's sensitivity analysis, water yield was simulated very well. However, lowest and maximum annual daily runoffs were underestimated. Most of seven-day minimum runoffs were overestimated. Nevertheless, good performances of the three signatures above still exist in a number of samples. Analysis of peak flow shows that small and medium floods are simulated perfectly while slight underestimations happen to large floods. The work in this study helps to further multi-objective calibration of DHSVM model and indicates where to improve the reliability and credibility of model simulation.

G Protein-Coupled Receptor Rhodopsin: A Prospectus

PubMed Central

Filipek, Sławomir; Stenkamp, Ronald E.; Teller, David C.; Palczewski, Krzysztof

2006-01-01

Rhodopsin is a retinal photoreceptor protein of bipartite structure consisting of the transmembrane protein opsin and a light-sensitive chromophore 11-cis-retinal, linked to opsin via a protonated Schiff base. Studies on rhodopsin have unveiled many structural and functional features that are common to a large and pharmacologically important group of proteins from the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily, of which rhodopsin is the best-studied member. In this work, we focus on structural features of rhodopsin as revealed by many biochemical and structural investigations. In particular, the high-resolution structure of bovine rhodopsin provides a template for understanding how GPCRs work. We describe the sensitivity and complexity of rhodopsin that lead to its important role in vision. PMID:12471166

Different patterns of contingent stimulation differentially affect attention span in prelinguistic infants.

PubMed

Miller, Jennifer L; Ables, Erin M; King, Andrew P; West, Meredith J

2009-06-01

The ability to sustain attention influences different domains including cognitive, motor, and communicative behavior. Previous research has demonstrated how an infant's parent can influence sustained attention. The purpose of our study was to expose infants systematically to both sensitive and redirective patterns of behavior to examine how unfamiliar individuals could influence attention. Results revealed infants changed their patterns of looking with the unfamiliar individuals. Infants had longer durations of sustained attention when interacting with a sensitive unfamiliar individual who followed into their attentional focus as opposed to an intrusive person who led their attentional focus. This study demonstrates that infants discriminate patterns of contingency to persons seen for only a short period of time broadening the range of potential mentors for learning.

The impact of prior knowledge from participant instructions in a mock crime P300 Concealed Information Test.

PubMed

Winograd, Michael R; Rosenfeld, J Peter

2014-12-01

In P300-Concealed Information Tests used with mock crime scenarios, the amount of detail revealed to a participant prior to the commission of the mock crime can have a serious impact on a study's validity. We predicted that exposure to crime details through instructions would bias detection rates toward enhanced sensitivity. In a 2 × 2 factorial design, participants were either informed (through mock crime instructions) or naïve as to the identity of a to-be-stolen item, and then either committed (guilty) or did not commit (innocent) the crime. Results showed that prior knowledge of the stolen item was sufficient to cause 69% of innocent-informed participants to be incorrectly classified as guilty. Further, we found a trend toward enhanced detection rate for guilty-informed participants over guilty-naïve participants. Results suggest that revealing details to participants through instructions biases detection rates in the P300-CIT toward enhanced sensitivity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Repetition priming influences distinct brain systems: evidence from task-evoked data and resting-state correlations.

PubMed

Wig, Gagan S; Buckner, Randy L; Schacter, Daniel L

2009-05-01

Behavioral dissociations suggest that a single experience can separately influence multiple processing components. Here we used a repetition priming functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm that directly contrasted the effects of stimulus and decision changes to identify the underlying brain systems. Direct repetition of stimulus features caused marked reductions in posterior regions of the inferior temporal lobe that were insensitive to whether the decision was held constant or changed between study and test. By contrast, prefrontal cortex showed repetition effects that were sensitive to the exact stimulus-to-decision mapping. Analysis of resting-state functional connectivity revealed that the dissociated repetition effects are embedded within distinct brain systems. Regions that were sensitive to changes in the stimulus correlated with perceptual cortices, whereas the decision changes attenuated activity in regions correlated with middle-temporal regions and a frontoparietal control system. These results thus explain the long-known dissociation between perceptual and conceptual components of priming by revealing how a single experience can separately influence distinct, concurrently active brain systems.

Ultraviolet and Visible Photochemistry of Methanol at 3D Mesoporous Networks: TiO2 and Au-TiO2

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-23

methanol photochemistry at three-dimensionally (3D) networked aerogels of TiO2 or Au–TiO2 reveals that incorporated Au nanoparticles strongly sensitize...the oxide nanoarchitecture to visible light. Methanol dissociatively adsorbs at the surfaces of TiO2 and Au–TiO2 aerogels under dark, high-vacuum...photochemistry at three-dimensionally (3D) networked aerogels of TiO2 or Au–TiO2 reveals that incorporated Au nanoparticles strongly sensitize the oxide

Overcoming the loss of blue sensitivity through opsin duplication in the largest animal group, beetles.

PubMed

Sharkey, Camilla R; Fujimoto, M Stanley; Lord, Nathan P; Shin, Seunggwan; McKenna, Duane D; Suvorov, Anton; Martin, Gavin J; Bybee, Seth M

2017-01-31

Opsin proteins are fundamental components of animal vision whose structure largely determines the sensitivity of visual pigments to different wavelengths of light. Surprisingly little is known about opsin evolution in beetles, even though they are the most species rich animal group on Earth and exhibit considerable variation in visual system sensitivities. We reveal the patterns of opsin evolution across 62 beetle species and relatives. Our results show that the major insect opsin class (SW) that typically confers sensitivity to "blue" wavelengths was lost ~300 million years ago, before the origin of modern beetles. We propose that UV and LW opsin gene duplications have restored the potential for trichromacy (three separate channels for colour vision) in beetles up to 12 times and more specifically, duplications within the UV opsin class have likely led to the restoration of "blue" sensitivity up to 10 times. This finding reveals unexpected plasticity within the insect visual system and highlights its remarkable ability to evolve and adapt to the available light and visual cues present in the environment.

Characterizing genomic alterations in cancer by complementary functional associations.

PubMed

Kim, Jong Wook; Botvinnik, Olga B; Abudayyeh, Omar; Birger, Chet; Rosenbluh, Joseph; Shrestha, Yashaswi; Abazeed, Mohamed E; Hammerman, Peter S; DiCara, Daniel; Konieczkowski, David J; Johannessen, Cory M; Liberzon, Arthur; Alizad-Rahvar, Amir Reza; Alexe, Gabriela; Aguirre, Andrew; Ghandi, Mahmoud; Greulich, Heidi; Vazquez, Francisca; Weir, Barbara A; Van Allen, Eliezer M; Tsherniak, Aviad; Shao, Diane D; Zack, Travis I; Noble, Michael; Getz, Gad; Beroukhim, Rameen; Garraway, Levi A; Ardakani, Masoud; Romualdi, Chiara; Sales, Gabriele; Barbie, David A; Boehm, Jesse S; Hahn, William C; Mesirov, Jill P; Tamayo, Pablo

2016-05-01

Systematic efforts to sequence the cancer genome have identified large numbers of mutations and copy number alterations in human cancers. However, elucidating the functional consequences of these variants, and their interactions to drive or maintain oncogenic states, remains a challenge in cancer research. We developed REVEALER, a computational method that identifies combinations of mutually exclusive genomic alterations correlated with functional phenotypes, such as the activation or gene dependency of oncogenic pathways or sensitivity to a drug treatment. We used REVEALER to uncover complementary genomic alterations associated with the transcriptional activation of β-catenin and NRF2, MEK-inhibitor sensitivity, and KRAS dependency. REVEALER successfully identified both known and new associations, demonstrating the power of combining functional profiles with extensive characterization of genomic alterations in cancer genomes.

MiR-155 Enhances Insulin Sensitivity by Coordinated Regulation of Multiple Genes in Mice

PubMed Central

Lin, Taoyan; Lin, Xia; Chen, Li; Zeng, Hui; Han, Yanjiang; Wu, Lihong; Huang, Shun; Wang, Meng; Huang, Shenhao; Xie, Raoying; Liang, Liqi; Liu, Yu; Liu, Ruiyu; Zhang, Tingting; Li, Jing; Wang, Shengchun; Sun, Penghui; Huang, Wenhua; Yao, Kaitai; Xu, Kang; Du, Tao; Xiao, Dong

2016-01-01

miR-155 plays critical roles in numerous physiological and pathological processes, however, its function in the regulation of blood glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity and underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we reveal that miR-155 levels are downregulated in serum from type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients, suggesting that miR-155 might be involved in blood glucose control and diabetes. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies in mice demonstrate that miR-155 has no effects on the pancreatic β-cell proliferation and function. Global transgenic overexpression of miR-155 in mice leads to hypoglycaemia, improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Conversely, miR-155 deficiency in mice causes hyperglycemia, impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance. In addition, consistent with a positive regulatory role of miR-155 in glucose metabolism, miR-155 positively modulates glucose uptake in all cell types examined, while mice overexpressing miR-155 transgene show enhanced glycolysis, and insulin-stimulated AKT and IRS-1 phosphorylation in liver, adipose tissue or skeletal muscle. Furthermore, we reveal these aforementioned phenomena occur, at least partially, through miR-155-mediated repression of important negative regulators (i.e. C/EBPβ, HDAC4 and SOCS1) of insulin signaling. Taken together, these findings demonstrate, for the first time, that miR-155 is a positive regulator of insulin sensitivity with potential applications for diabetes treatment. PMID:27711113

Effects of night time road traffic noise—an overview of laboratory and field studies on noise dose and subjective noise sensitivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Öhrström, E.; Rylander, R.; Björkman, M.

1988-12-01

This paper presents an overview of research on sleep and noise at the Department of Environmental Hygiene, University of Gothenburg. Different methods were developed to study primary and after effects of night time road traffic noise on sleep. Three one-week laboratory experiments were undertaken to study the relevance of different noise descriptors— Leq, maximum peak noise level and number of events with high peak noise levels—for sleep disturbance effects. The noise exposure was either single noise evenys or a continuous, even road traffic noise. It was concluded that Leq was not related to sleep disturbance effects. Peak noise levels were significantly related to subjective sleep quality and body movements. Results from a third continuing study showed that there is a threshold for effects of the number of single noise events on sleep quality. Habituation to noise among subjects with differing noise sensitivity was studied in a two-week experiment. A significant noise effect on subjective sleep quality was found among sensitive subjects only. No habituation was seen for the negative influence of noise on sleep quality, mood and performance. Long-term effects of road traffic noise were also investigated in a field survey among 106 individuals. This study revealed the presence of a decrease in sleep quality as well as psycho-social effects on tiredness and mood, together with increased reports of headaches and nervous stomach. As in the laboratory study, sensitive individuals were more affected by noise than less sensitive individuals.

Optimization of nanocomposite Au/TiO2 thin films towards LSPR optical-sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigues, M. S.; Costa, D.; Domingues, R. P.; Apreutesei, M.; Pedrosa, P.; Martin, N.; Correlo, V. M.; Reis, R. L.; Alves, E.; Barradas, N. P.; Sampaio, P.; Borges, J.; Vaz, F.

2018-04-01

Nanomaterials based on Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) phenomena are revealing to be an important solution for several applications, namely those of optical biosensing. The main reasons are mostly related to their high sensitivity, with label-free detection, and to the simplified optical systems that can be implemented. For the present work, the optical sensing capabilities were tailored by optimizing LSPR absorption bands of nanocomposite Au/TiO2 thin films. These were grown by reactive DC magnetron sputtering. The main deposition parameters changed were the number of Au pellets placed in the Ti target, the deposition time, and DC current applied to the Ti-Au target. Furthermore, the Au NPs clustering, a key feature to have biosensing responses, was induced by several post-deposition in-air annealing treatments at different temperatures, and investigated via SEM analysis. Results showed that the Au/TiO2 thin films with a relatively low thickness (∼100 nm), revealing concentrations of Au close to 13 at.%, and annealed at temperatures above 600 °C, had the most well-defined LSPR absorption band and thus, the most promising characteristics to be explored as optical sensors. The NPs formation studies revealed an incomplete aggregation at 300 and 500 ⁰C and well-defined spheroidal NPs for higher temperatures. Plasma treatment with Ar led to a gradual blue-shift of the LSPR absorption band, which demonstrates the sensitivity of the films to changes in the dielectric environment surrounding the NPs (essential for optical sensing applications) and the exposure of the Au nanoparticles (crucial for a higher sensitivity).

Evaluating the Dimensionality of Pornography.

PubMed

Busby, Dean M; Chiu, Hsin-Yao; Olsen, Joseph A; Willoughby, Brian J

2017-08-01

Pornography may be a construct with a single trait or one with many traits. Research in the past was inconsistent in this regard with most researchers assuming that pornography was unidimensional (with one single trait of pornography). However, the considerable amounts of residual variation found in these studies beyond that explained by the single trait hints at what might be a multidimensional construct (with multiple traits such as sensitization and differentiation). Consequently, in this study, we intended to address the question of whether pornography consisted of a single trait or if it was multidimensional. Using MTurk, 2173 participants from the United States and the Commonwealth of Nations (in which pornography is not strictly illegal) were recruited and asked to rate how pornographic they thought a list of different depictions were. The data were analyzed utilizing the cross-validation procedure in which two subsamples were created from the main sample and one was used to establish the model building and the other to validate the model. Various models, including first-order and higher-order exploratory and confirmatory factor models, were tested. Results indicated that a bi-factor (multidimensional) model generated the best model fit, and that it was most appropriate to consider pornography multidimensional. The final model contained two dimensions ("Sensitization" and "Differentiation"). While sensitization revealed the participants' general tendency to rate all items to be more or less pornographic, differentiation revealed the participants' tendency to differentiate highly pornographic items from less pornographic items. Based on the findings of this study, we suggest that future research on the usage and effects of pornography be conducted while taking into consideration the multidimensional nature of pornography.

Identification of autophagy genes participating in zinc-induced necrotic cell death in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Dziedzic, Slawomir A; Caplan, Allan B

2011-05-01

Eukaryotes use a common set of genes to perform two mechanistically similar autophagic processes. Bulk autophagy harvests proteins nonselectively and reuses their constitutents when nutrients are scarce. In contrast, different forms of selective autophagy target protein aggregates or damaged organelles that threaten to interfere with growth. Yeast uses one form of selective autophagy, called cytoplasm-to-vacuole targeting (Cvt), to engulf two vacuolar enzymes in Cvt vesicles ("CVT-somes") within which they are transported to vacuoles for maturation. While both are dispensable normally, bulk and selective autophagy help sustain life under stressful conditions. Consistent with this view, knocking out several genes participating in Cvt and specialized autophagic pathways heightened the sensitivity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to inhibitory levels of Zn(2+). The loss of other autophagic genes, and genes responsible for apoptotic cell death, had no such effect. Unexpectedly, the loss of members of a third set of autophagy genes heightened cellular resistance to zinc as if they encoded proteins that actively contributed to zinc-induced cell death. Further studies showed that both sensitive and resistant strains accumulated similar amounts of H2O2 during zinc treatments, but that more sensitive strains showed signs of necrosis sooner. Although zinc lethality depended on autophagic proteins, studies with several reporter genes failed to reveal increased autophagic activity. In fact, microscopy analysis indicated that Zn(2+) partially inhibited fusion of Cvt vesicles with vacuoles. Further studies into how the loss of autophagic processes suppressed necrosis in yeast might reveal whether a similar process could occur in plants and animals.

Targeted Approach to Identify Genetic Loci Associated with ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Extreme tolerance to highly toxic dioxin-like contaminants (DLCs) has evolved independently and contemporaneously in (at least) four populations of Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus). Surprisingly, the magnitude and phenotype of DLC tolerance is similar among these killifish populations that have adapted to varied, but highly contaminated urban/industrialized estuaries of the US Atlantic coast. We hypothesized that comparisons among tolerant populations and in contrast to their sensitive neighboring killifish might reveal genetic loci associated with DLC tolerance. Since the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) pathway partly or fully mediates DLC toxicity in vertebrates, we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 43 genes associated with the AHR to serve as targeted markers. Wild fish from the four highly tolerant killifish populations and four nearby sensitive populations were genotyped using 59 SNP markers. Consistent with other killifish population genetic analyses, our results revealed strong genetic differentiation among populations, consistent with isolation by distance models. Pairwise comparisons of nearby tolerant and sensitive populations revealed differentiation among these loci: AHR 1 and 2, cathepsin Z, the cytochrome P450s (CYP) 1A and 3A30, and the NADH ubiquinone oxidoreductase MLRQ subunit. By grouping tolerant versus sensitive populations, we also identified cytochrome P450 1A and the AHR2 loci as under selection, lend

Neural reactivity to monetary rewards and losses differentiates social from generalized anxiety in children.

PubMed

Kessel, Ellen M; Kujawa, Autumn; Hajcak Proudfit, Greg; Klein, Daniel N

2015-07-01

The relationship between reward sensitivity and pediatric anxiety is poorly understood. Evidence suggests that alterations in reward processing are more characteristic of depressive than anxiety disorders. However, some studies have reported that anxiety disorders are also associated with perturbations in reward processing. Heterogeneity in the forms of anxiety studied may account for the differences between studies. We used the feedback-negativity, an event-related potential sensitive to monetary gains versus losses (ΔFN), to examine whether different forms of youth anxiety symptoms were uniquely associated with reward sensitivity as indexed by neural reactivity to the receipt of positive and negative monetary outcomes. Participants were 390, eight- to ten-year-old children (175 females) from a large community sample. The ΔFN was measured during a monetary reward task. Self-reports of child anxiety and depression symptoms and temperamental positive emotionality (PE) were obtained. Multiple regression analysis revealed that social anxiety and generalized anxiety symptoms were unique predictors of reward sensitivity after accounting for concurrent depressive symptoms and PE. While social anxiety was associated with a greater ΔFN, generalized anxiety was associated with a reduced ΔFN. Different symptom dimensions of child anxiety are differentially related to alterations in reward sensitivity. This may, in part, explain inconsistent findings in the literature regarding reward processing in anxiety. © 2014 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Further evidence that a terminal drought tolerance QTL of pearl millet is associated with reduced salt uptake

PubMed Central

Sharma, Parbodh C.; Singh, Dhananjay; Sehgal, Deepmala; Singh, Gurbachan; Hash, C.T.; Yadav, Rattan S.

2014-01-01

Earlier, we established that a major drought tolerance QTL on linkage group 2 of pearl millet is also associated with reduced salt uptake and enhanced growth under salt stress. Present study was undertaken to re-assess the performance of drought tolerant (PRLT 2/89-33) and drought sensitive (H 77/833-2) parents along with two QTL-NILs (ICMR 01029 and ICMR 01040), under salinity stress specifically imposed during post-flowering growth stages when plants had developed their ion sinks in full. Time course changes in ionic accumulation and their compartmentalization in different plant parts was studied, specifically to monitor and capture changes conferred by the two alleles at this QTL, at small intervals. Amongst different plant parts, higher accumulation of toxic ion Na+ was recorded in roots. Further, the Na+ concentration in roots of the testcross hybrid of the drought-sensitive parent (H 77/833-2) reached its maximum at ECiw 15 dS m−1 within 24 h after salinity imposition, whereas it continued to increase with time in the testcross hybrids of the drought tolerant parent PRLT 2/89-33 as well as those of its QTL-NILs (ICMR 01029 and ICMR 01004) and reached at its maximum at 120 h stage. Comparison of differential distribution of toxic ions in individual leaves revealed that Na+ ions were not uniformly distributed in the leaves of the drought-tolerant parent and drought-tolerant QTL-NILs; but accumulated preferentially in the older leaves, whereas the hybrid of the drought-sensitive parent showed significantly higher Na+ concentration in all main stem leaves irrespective of their age. Dynamics of chlorophyll and proline concentration variation studied under salt stress at late flowering stages revealed a greater reduction, almost twice, in both leaf chlorophyll and proline concentrations in younger leaves in the hybrids of the sensitive parent as compared to the tolerant parent and QTL NILs. Imposition of salinity stress even at flowering stage affected the yield performance in pearl millet, wherein higher yield was recorded in drought tolerant parent and the two QTL-NILs compared to drought sensitive parent. PMID:24895469

Ruthenium(ii)-polypyridyl zirconium(iv) metal–organic frameworks as a new class of sensitized solar cells

DOE PAGES

Maza, W. A.; Haring, A. J.; Ahrenholtz, S. R.; ...

2015-10-16

Ruthenium(ii) polypyridyl-doped metal–organic framework sensitized films on TiO 2 for photovoltaics reveal that the preparative method of dye doping/incorporation into the MOF is integral to the total solar cell efficiency.

A Chemogenomic Screen Reveals Novel Snf1p/AMPK Independent Regulators of Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase.

PubMed

Bozaquel-Morais, Bruno L; Madeira, Juliana B; Venâncio, Thiago M; Pacheco-Rosa, Thiago; Masuda, Claudio A; Montero-Lomeli, Monica

2017-01-01

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (Acc1p) is a key enzyme in fatty acid biosynthesis and is essential for cell viability. To discover new regulators of its activity, we screened a Saccharomyces cerevisiae deletion library for increased sensitivity to soraphen A, a potent Acc1p inhibitor. The hits identified in the screen (118 hits) were filtered using a chemical-phenotype map to exclude those associated with pleiotropic drug resistance. This enabled the identification of 82 ORFs that are genetic interactors of Acc1p. The main functional clusters represented by these hits were "transcriptional regulation", "protein post-translational modifications" and "lipid metabolism". Further investigation of the "transcriptional regulation" cluster revealed that soraphen A sensitivity is poorly correlated with ACC1 transcript levels. We also studied the three top unknown ORFs that affected soraphen A sensitivity: SOR1 (YDL129W), SOR2 (YIL092W) and SOR3 (YJR039W). Since the C18/C16 ratio of lipid acyl lengths reflects Acc1p activity levels, we evaluated this ratio in the three mutants. Deletion of SOR2 and SOR3 led to reduced acyl lengths, suggesting that Acc1p is indeed down-regulated in these strains. Also, these mutants showed no differences in Snf1p/AMPK activation status and deletion of SNF1 in these backgrounds did not revert soraphen A sensitivity completely. Furthermore, plasmid maintenance was reduced in sor2Δ strain and this trait was shared with 18 other soraphen A sensitive hits. In summary, our screen uncovered novel Acc1p Snf1p/AMPK-independent regulators.

Childhood trauma as a risk factor for the onset of subclinical psychotic experiences: Exploring the mediating effect of stress sensitivity in a cross-sectional epidemiological community study.

PubMed

Rössler, Wulf; Ajdacic-Gross, Vladeta; Rodgers, Stephanie; Haker, Helene; Müller, Mario

2016-04-01

Childhood trauma is a risk factor for the onset of schizophrenic psychosis. Because the psychosis phenotype can be described as a continuum with varying levels of severity and persistence, childhood trauma might likewise increase the risk for psychotic experiences below the diagnostic threshold. But the impact of stressful experiences depends upon its subjective appraisal. Therefore, varying degrees of stress sensitivity possibly mediate how childhood trauma impacts in the end upon the occurrence of subclinical psychotic experiences. We investigated this research question in a representative community cohort of 1500 participants. A questionnaire, comprising five domains of physical and emotional neglect, as well as physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, was used to assess childhood trauma. Based on different symptoms of subclinical psychotic experiences, we conducted a latent profile analysis (LPA) to derive distinct profiles for such experiences. Path modeling was performed to identify the direct and indirect (via stress sensitivity) pathways from childhood trauma to subclinical psychotic experiences. The LPA revealed four classes - unaffected, anomalous perceptions, odd beliefs and behavior, and combined anomalous perceptions/odd beliefs and behavior, that - except for sexual abuse - were all linked to childhood trauma. Moreover, except for physical abuse, childhood trauma was significantly associated with stress sensitivity. Thus, our results revealed that the pathways from emotional neglect/abuse and physical neglect to subclinical psychotic experiences were mediated by stress sensitivity. In conclusion, we can state that subclinical psychotic experiences are affected by childhood traumatic experiences in particular through the pathway of a heightened subjective stress appraisal. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Detailed Physiologic Characterization Reveals Diverse Mechanisms for Novel Genetic Loci Regulating Glucose and Insulin Metabolism in Humans

PubMed Central

Ingelsson, Erik; Langenberg, Claudia; Hivert, Marie-France; Prokopenko, Inga; Lyssenko, Valeriya; Dupuis, Josée; Mägi, Reedik; Sharp, Stephen; Jackson, Anne U.; Assimes, Themistocles L.; Shrader, Peter; Knowles, Joshua W.; Zethelius, Björn; Abbasi, Fahim A.; Bergman, Richard N.; Bergmann, Antje; Berne, Christian; Boehnke, Michael; Bonnycastle, Lori L.; Bornstein, Stefan R.; Buchanan, Thomas A.; Bumpstead, Suzannah J.; Böttcher, Yvonne; Chines, Peter; Collins, Francis S.; Cooper, Cyrus C.; Dennison, Elaine M.; Erdos, Michael R.; Ferrannini, Ele; Fox, Caroline S.; Graessler, Jürgen; Hao, Ke; Isomaa, Bo; Jameson, Karen A.; Kovacs, Peter; Kuusisto, Johanna; Laakso, Markku; Ladenvall, Claes; Mohlke, Karen L.; Morken, Mario A.; Narisu, Narisu; Nathan, David M.; Pascoe, Laura; Payne, Felicity; Petrie, John R.; Sayer, Avan A.; Schwarz, Peter E. H.; Scott, Laura J.; Stringham, Heather M.; Stumvoll, Michael; Swift, Amy J.; Syvänen, Ann-Christine; Tuomi, Tiinamaija; Tuomilehto, Jaakko; Tönjes, Anke; Valle, Timo T.; Williams, Gordon H.; Lind, Lars; Barroso, Inês; Quertermous, Thomas; Walker, Mark; Wareham, Nicholas J.; Meigs, James B.; McCarthy, Mark I.; Groop, Leif; Watanabe, Richard M.; Florez, Jose C.

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVE Recent genome-wide association studies have revealed loci associated with glucose and insulin-related traits. We aimed to characterize 19 such loci using detailed measures of insulin processing, secretion, and sensitivity to help elucidate their role in regulation of glucose control, insulin secretion and/or action. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We investigated associations of loci identified by the Meta-Analyses of Glucose and Insulin-related traits Consortium (MAGIC) with circulating proinsulin, measures of insulin secretion and sensitivity from oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs), euglycemic clamps, insulin suppression tests, or frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance tests in nondiabetic humans (n = 29,084). RESULTS The glucose-raising allele in MADD was associated with abnormal insulin processing (a dramatic effect on higher proinsulin levels, but no association with insulinogenic index) at extremely persuasive levels of statistical significance (P = 2.1 × 10−71). Defects in insulin processing and insulin secretion were seen in glucose-raising allele carriers at TCF7L2, SCL30A8, GIPR, and C2CD4B. Abnormalities in early insulin secretion were suggested in glucose-raising allele carriers at MTNR1B, GCK, FADS1, DGKB, and PROX1 (lower insulinogenic index; no association with proinsulin or insulin sensitivity). Two loci previously associated with fasting insulin (GCKR and IGF1) were associated with OGTT-derived insulin sensitivity indices in a consistent direction. CONCLUSIONS Genetic loci identified through their effect on hyperglycemia and/or hyperinsulinemia demonstrate considerable heterogeneity in associations with measures of insulin processing, secretion, and sensitivity. Our findings emphasize the importance of detailed physiological characterization of such loci for improved understanding of pathways associated with alterations in glucose homeostasis and eventually type 2 diabetes. PMID:20185807

The utility of the bifactor model in understanding unique components of anxiety sensitivity in a South Korean sample.

PubMed

Ebesutani, Chad; Kim, Mirihae; Park, Hee-Hoon

2016-08-01

The present study was the first to examine the applicability of the bifactor structure underlying the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3) in an East Asian (South Korean) sample and to determine which factors in the bifactor model were significantly associated with anxiety, depression, and negative affect. Using a sample of 289 South Korean university students, we compared (a) the original 3-factor AS model, (b) a 3-group bifactor AS model, and (c) a 2-group bifactor AS model (with only the physical and social concern group factors present). Results revealed that the 2-group bifactor AS model fit the ASI-3 data the best. Relatedly, although all ASI-3 items loaded on the general AS factor, the Cognitive Concern group factor was not defined in the bifactor model and may therefore need to be omitted in order to accurately model AS when conducting factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) in cross cultural contexts. SEM results also revealed that the general AS factor was the only factor from the 2-group bifactor model that significantly predicted anxiety, depression, and negative affect. Implications and importance of this new bifactor structure of Anxiety Sensitivity in East Asian samples are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

lncRNA NBR2 modulates cancer cell sensitivity to phenformin through GLUT1.

PubMed

Liu, Xiaowen; Gan, Boyi

2016-12-16

Biguanides, including metformin (widely used in diabetes treatment) and phenformin, are AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activators and potential drugs for cancer treatment. A more in-depth understanding of how cancer cells adapt to biguanide treatment may provide important therapeutic implications to achieve more effective and rational cancer therapies. NBR2 is a glucose starvation-induced long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that interacts with AMPK and regulates AMPK activity upon glucose starvation. Here we show that phenformin treatment induces NBR2 expression, and NBR2 deficiency sensitizes cancer cells to phenformin-induced cell death. Surprisingly, unlike glucose starvation, phenformin does not induce NBR2 interaction with AMPK, and correspondingly, NBR2 deficiency does not affect phenformin-induced AMPK activation. We further reveal that NBR2 depletion attenuates phenformin-induced glucose transporter GLUT1 expression and glucose uptake. GLUT1 deficiency sensitizes cancer cells to phenformin-induced cell death, whereas GLUT1 restoration in NBR2 deficient cells rescues the increased cell death upon phenformin treatment. Together, the results of our study reveal that NBR2-GLUT1 axis may serve as an adaptive response in cancer cells to survive in response to phenformin treatment, and identify a novel mechanism coupling lncRNA to biguanide-mediated biology.

lncRNA NBR2 modulates cancer cell sensitivity to phenformin through GLUT1

PubMed Central

Liu, Xiaowen; Gan, Boyi

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Biguanides, including metformin (widely used in diabetes treatment) and phenformin, are AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activators and potential drugs for cancer treatment. A more in-depth understanding of how cancer cells adapt to biguanide treatment may provide important therapeutic implications to achieve more effective and rational cancer therapies. NBR2 is a glucose starvation-induced long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that interacts with AMPK and regulates AMPK activity upon glucose starvation. Here we show that phenformin treatment induces NBR2 expression, and NBR2 deficiency sensitizes cancer cells to phenformin-induced cell death. Surprisingly, unlike glucose starvation, phenformin does not induce NBR2 interaction with AMPK, and correspondingly, NBR2 deficiency does not affect phenformin-induced AMPK activation. We further reveal that NBR2 depletion attenuates phenformin-induced glucose transporter GLUT1 expression and glucose uptake. GLUT1 deficiency sensitizes cancer cells to phenformin-induced cell death, whereas GLUT1 restoration in NBR2 deficient cells rescues the increased cell death upon phenformin treatment. Together, the results of our study reveal that NBR2-GLUT1 axis may serve as an adaptive response in cancer cells to survive in response to phenformin treatment, and identify a novel mechanism coupling lncRNA to biguanide-mediated biology. PMID:27792451

Sensitivity of the Endogeic Tropical Earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus to the Presence of Heavy Crude Oil.

PubMed

Del Carmen Cuevas-Díaz, María; Vázquez-Luna, Dinora; Martínez-Hernández, Sergio; Guzmán-López, Oswaldo; Ortíz-Ceballos, Angel I

2017-08-01

Contamination of soil with petroleum is common in oil-producing areas across the tropical regions of the world. There is limited knowledge on the sensitivity of endogeic tropical earthworms to the contamination of soil with total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) present in crude oil. Pontoscolex corethrurus is a dominant species in tropical agroecosystems around oil-processing facilities. The sensitivity of P. corethrurus to soil artificially contaminated with "Maya" Mexican heavy crude oil was investigated through avoidance and acute ecotoxicity tests, using the following measured concentrations: 0 (reference soil), 551, 969, 4845, 9991 and 14,869 mg/kg. The avoidance test showed that P. corethrurus displayed a significant avoidance behavior to heavy crude oil at a concentration of 9991 mg/kg or higher. In contrast, acute toxicity tests indicate that the median lethal concentration (LC 50 ) was 3067.32 mg/kg; however, growth (weight loss) was more sensitive than mortality. Our study revealed that P. corethrurus is sensitive to TPH, thus highlighting the importance of P. corethrurus for petroleum ecotoxicological tests.

Contribution of Neuraminidase of Influenza Viruses to the Sensitivity to Sera Inhibitors and Reassortment Efficiency

PubMed Central

Kiseleva, Irina; Larionova, Natalie; Fedorova, Ekaterina; Bazhenova, Ekaterina; Dubrovina, Irina; Isakova-Sivak, Irina; Rudenko, Larisa

2014-01-01

Live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) represent reassortant viruses with hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) gene segments inherited from circulating wild-type (WT) parental influenza viruses recommended for inclusion into seasonal vaccine formulation, and the 6 internal protein-encoding gene segments from cold-adapted attenuated master donor viruses (genome composition 6:2). In this study, we describe the obstacles in developing LAIV strains while taking into account the phenotypic peculiarities of WT viruses used for reassortment. Genomic composition analysis of 849 seasonal LAIV reassortants revealed that over 80% of reassortants based on inhibitor-resistant WT viruses inherited WT NA, compared to 26% of LAIV reassortants based on inhibitor-sensitive WT viruses. In addition, the highest percentage of LAIV genotype reassortants was achieved when WT parental viruses were resistant to non-specific serum inhibitors. We demonstrate that NA may play a role in influenza virus sensitivity to non-specific serum inhibitors. Replacing NA of inhibitor-sensitive WT virus with the NA of inhibitor-resistant master donor virus significantly decreased the sensitivity of the resulting reassortant virus to serum heat-stable inhibitors. PMID:25132869

High hunger state increases olfactory sensitivity to neutral but not food odors.

PubMed

Stafford, Lorenzo D; Welbeck, Kimberley

2011-01-01

Understanding how hunger state relates to olfactory sensitivity has become more urgent due to their possible role in obesity. In 2 studies (within-subjects: n = 24, between-subjects: n = 40), participants were provided with lunch before (satiated state) or after (nonsatiated state) testing and completed a standardized olfactory threshold test to a neutral odor (Experiments 1 and 2) and discrimination test to a food odor (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 revealed that olfactory sensitivity was greater in the nonsatiated versus satiated state, with additionally increased sensitivity for the low body mass index (BMI) compared with high BMI group. Experiment 2 replicated this effect for neutral odors, but in the case of food odors, those in a satiated state had greater acuity. Additionally, whereas the high BMI group had higher acuity to food odors in the satiated versus nonsatiated state, no such differences were found for the low BMI group. The research here is the first to demonstrate how olfactory acuity changes as a function of hunger state and relatedness of odor to food and that BMI can predict differences in olfactory sensitivity.

Risk of beryllium sensitization in a low-exposed former nuclear weapons cohort from the Cold War era.

PubMed

Mikulski, Marek A; Leonard, Stephanie A; Sanderson, Wayne T; Hartley, Patrick G; Sprince, Nancy L; Fuortes, Laurence J

2011-03-01

The nuclear weapons industry has long been known as a source of beryllium exposure. A total of 1,004 former workers from a nuclear weapons assembly site in the Midwest were screened for sensitization to beryllium (BeS). The screenings were part of the Department of Energy (DOE) Former Worker Program established in 1996. Twenty-three (2.3%) workers were found sensitized to beryllium and this prevalence was comparable to other DOE sites. Occasional, direct exposure to beryllium through machining and grinding of copper-beryllium (Cu-Be) 2% alloy tools was found to increase the risk of sensitization compared to background exposure (OR = 3.83; 95% CI: 1.04-14.03) with a statistically significant trend (P = 0.03) revealing that particular jobs are associated with sensitization. Exposure potential in this study was estimated based on job titles and not personal exposure information. These results confirm the need to screen workers using beryllium alloy tools in other industries and for consideration of altering work practices. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Evaluation of a toxicogenomic approach to the local lymph node assay (LLNA).

PubMed

Boverhof, Darrell R; Gollapudi, B Bhaskar; Hotchkiss, Jon A; Osterloh-Quiroz, Mandy; Woolhiser, Michael R

2009-02-01

Genomic technologies have the potential to enhance and complement existing toxicology endpoints; however, assessment of these approaches requires a systematic evaluation including a robust experimental design with genomic endpoints anchored to traditional toxicology endpoints. The present study was conducted to assess the sensitivity of genomic responses when compared with the traditional local lymph node assay (LLNA) endpoint of lymph node cell proliferation and to evaluate the responses for their ability to provide insights into mode of action. Female BALB/c mice were treated with the sensitizer trimellitic anhydride (TMA), following the standard LLNA dosing regimen, at doses of 0.1, 1, or 10% and traditional tritiated thymidine ((3)HTdR) incorporation and gene expression responses were monitored in the auricular lymph nodes. Additional mice dosed with either vehicle or 10% TMA and sacrificed on day 4 or 10, were also included to examine temporal effects on gene expression. Analysis of (3)HTdR incorporation revealed TMA-induced stimulation indices of 2.8, 22.9, and 61.0 relative to vehicle with an EC(3) of 0.11%. Examination of the dose-response gene expression responses identified 9, 833, and 2122 differentially expressed genes relative to vehicle for the 0.1, 1, and 10% TMA dose groups, respectively. Calculation of EC(3) values for differentially expressed genes did not identify a response that was more sensitive than the (3)HTdR value, although a number of genes displayed comparable sensitivity. Examination of temporal responses revealed 1760, 1870, and 953 differentially expressed genes at the 4-, 6-, and 10-day time points respectively. Functional analysis revealed many responses displayed dose- and time-specific induction patterns within the functional categories of cellular proliferation and immune response, including numerous immunoglobin genes which were highly induced at the day 10 time point. Overall, these experiments have systematically illustrated the potential utility of genomic endpoints to enhance the LLNA and support further exploration of this approach through examination of a more diverse array of chemicals.

Extrasynaptic αβ subunit GABAA receptors on rat hippocampal pyramidal neurons

PubMed Central

Mortensen, Martin; Smart, Trevor G

2006-01-01

Extrasynaptic GABAA receptors that are tonically activated by ambient GABA are important for controlling neuronal excitability. In hippocampal pyramidal neurons, the subunit composition of these extrasynaptic receptors may include α5βγ and/or α4βδ subunits. Our present studies reveal that a component of the tonic current in the hippocampus is highly sensitive to inhibition by Zn2+. This component is probably not mediated by either α5βγ or α4βδ receptors, but might be explained by the presence of αβ isoforms. Using patch-clamp recording from pyramidal neurons, a small tonic current measured in the absence of exogenous GABA exhibited both high and low sensitivity to Zn2+ inhibition (IC50 values, 1.89 and 223 μm, respectively). Using low nanomolar and micromolar GABA concentrations to replicate tonic currents, we identified two components that are mediated by benzodiazepine-sensitive and -insensitive receptors. The latter indicated that extrasynaptic GABAA receptors exist that are devoid of γ2 subunits. To distinguish whether the benzodiazepine-insensitive receptors were αβ or αβδ isoforms, we used single-channel recording. Expressing recombinant α1β3γ2, α5β3γ2, α4β3δ and α1β3 receptors in human embryonic kidney (HEK) or mouse fibroblast (Ltk) cells, revealed similar openings with high main conductances (∼25–28 pS) for γ2 or δ subunit-containing receptors whereas αβ receptors were characterized by a lower main conductance state (∼11 pS). Recording from pyramidal cell somata revealed a similar range of channel conductances, indicative of a mixture of GABAA receptors in the extrasynaptic membrane. The lowest conductance state (∼11 pS) was the most sensitive to Zn2+ inhibition in accord with the presence of αβ receptors. This receptor type is estimated to account for up to 10% of all extrasynaptic GABAA receptors on hippocampal pyramidal neurons. PMID:17023503

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rice, K.; Bricker, O.

The report describes the results of a study to assess the sensitivity of streams to acidic deposition in Charles and Anne Arundel Counties, Maryland using a geology-based method. Water samples were collected from streams in July and August 1988 when streams were at base-flow conditions. Eighteen water samples collected from streams in Charles County, and 17 water samples from streams in Anne Arundel County were analyzed in the field for pH, specific conductance, and acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC); 8 water samples from streams in Charles County were analyzed in the laboratory for chloride and sulfate concentrations. The assessment revealed that streamsmore » in these counties are sensitive to acidification by acidic deposition.« less

The voices of seduction: cross-gender effects in processing of erotic prosody

PubMed Central

Ethofer, Thomas; Wiethoff, Sarah; Anders, Silke; Kreifelts, Benjamin; Grodd, Wolfgang

2007-01-01

Gender specific differences in cognitive functions have been widely discussed. Considering social cognition such as emotion perception conveyed by non-verbal cues, generally a female advantage is assumed. In the present study, however, we revealed a cross-gender interaction with increasing responses to the voice of opposite sex in male and female subjects. This effect was confined to erotic tone of speech in behavioural data and haemodynamic responses within voice sensitive brain areas (right middle superior temporal gyrus). The observed response pattern, thus, indicates a particular sensitivity to emotional voices that have a high behavioural relevance for the listener. PMID:18985138

DNA damage, repair monitoring and epigenetic DNA methylation changes in seedlings of Chernobyl soybeans.

PubMed

Georgieva, Mariyana; Rashydov, Namik M; Hajduch, Martin

2017-02-01

This pilot study was carried out to assess the effect of radio-contaminated Chernobyl environment on plant genome integrity 27 years after the accident. For this purpose, nuclei were isolated from root tips of the soybean seedlings harvested from plants grown in the Chernobyl area for seven generations. Neutral, neutral-alkaline, and methylation-sensitive comet assays were performed to evaluate the induction and repair of primary DNA damage and the epigenetic contribution to stress adaptation mechanisms. An increased level of single and double strand breaks in the radio-contaminated Chernobyl seedlings at the stage of primary root development was detected in comparison to the controls. However, the kinetics of the recovery of DNA breaks of radio-contaminated Chernobyl samples revealed that lesions were efficiently repaired at the stage of cotyledon. Methylation-sensitive comet assay revealed comparable levels in the CCGG methylation pattern between control and radio-contaminated samples with a slight increase of approximately 10% in the latter ones. The obtained preliminary data allow us to speculate about the onset of mechanisms providing an adaptation potential to the accumulated internal irradiation after the Chernobyl accident. Despite the limitations of this study, we showed that comet assay is a sensitive and flexible technique which can be efficiently used for genotoxic screening of plant specimens in natural and human-made radio-contaminated areas, as well as for safety monitoring of agricultural products. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Resolution, sensitivity, and in vivo application of high-resolution computed tomography for titanium-coated polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) dental implants.

PubMed

Cuijpers, Vincent M J I; Jaroszewicz, Jacub; Anil, Sukumaran; Al Farraj Aldosari, Abdullah; Walboomers, X Frank; Jansen, John A

2014-03-01

The aims of this study were (i) to determine the spatial resolution and sensitivity of micro- versus nano-computed tomography (CT) techniques and (ii) to validate micro- versus nano-CT in a dog dental implant model, comparative to histological analysis. To determine spatial resolution and sensitivity, standardized reference samples containing standardized nano- and microspheres were prepared in polymer and ceramic matrices. Thereafter, 10 titanium-coated polymer dental implants (3.2 mm in Ø by 4 mm in length) were placed in the mandible of Beagle dogs. Both micro- and nano-CT, as well as histological analyses, were performed. The reference samples confirmed the high resolution of the nano-CT system, which was capable of revealing sub-micron structures embedded in radiodense matrices. The dog implantation study and subsequent statistical analysis showed equal values for bone area and bone-implant contact measurements between micro-CT and histology. However, because of the limited sample size and field of view, nano-CT was not rendering reliable data representative of the entire bone-implant specimen. Micro-CT analysis is an efficient tool to quantitate bone healing parameters at the bone-implant interface, especially when using titanium-coated PMMA implants. Nano-CT is not suitable for such quantification, but reveals complementary morphological information rivaling histology, yet with the advantage of a 3D visualization. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Role of Lipid Composition and Lipid Peroxidation in the Sensitivity of Fungal Plant Pathogens to Aluminum Chloride and Sodium Metabisulfite▿

PubMed Central

Avis, Tyler J.; Michaud, Mélanie; Tweddell, Russell J.

2007-01-01

Aluminum chloride and sodium metabisulfite have shown high efficacy at low doses in controlling postharvest pathogens on potato tubers. Direct effects of these two salts included the loss of cell membrane integrity in exposed pathogens. In this work, four fungal potato pathogens were studied in order to elucidate the role of membrane lipids and lipid peroxidation in the relative sensitivity of microorganisms exposed to these salts. Inhibition of mycelial growth in these fungi varied considerably and revealed sensitivity groups within the tested fungi. Analysis of fatty acids in these fungi demonstrated that sensitivity was related to high intrinsic fatty acid unsaturation. When exposed to the antifungal salts, sensitive fungi demonstrated a loss of fatty acid unsaturation, which was accompanied by an elevation in malondialdehyde content (a biochemical marker of lipid peroxidation). Our data suggest that aluminum chloride and sodium metabisulfite could induce lipid peroxidation in sensitive fungi, which may promote the ensuing loss of integrity in the plasma membrane. This direct effect on fungal membranes may contribute, at least in part, to the observed antimicrobial effects of these two salts. PMID:17337539

Incidence of bovine clinical mastitis in Jammu region and antibiogram of isolated pathogens.

PubMed

Bhat, Adil Majid; Soodan, Jasvinder Singh; Singh, Rajiv; Dhobi, Ishfaq Ahmad; Hussain, Tufail; Dar, Mohammad Yousuf; Mir, Muheet

2017-08-01

This study was conducted to evaluate the incidence of clinical mastitis in bovines of Jammu region, to identify the infectious organisms responsible for it, and the antimicrobial sensitivity of isolated pathogens. The study was conducted on cases that were presented to the Medicine Division of Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, R.S. Pura, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir. A total of 260 cases of bovines were presented from June 30, 2012, to July 01, 2013, out of which 30 cases were of clinical mastitis. The diagnosis of clinical mastitis was made on the basis of history and clinical examination of affected animals. Animal and quarter-wise incidence of clinical mastitis were found to be 11.5% and 5.76%, respectively. Of the 23 isolates obtained, Staphylococcus aureus (60.87%) was the most frequently isolated organism, followed by coagulase negative Staphylococci (13.04%), Streptococcus uberis (4.35%), Streptococcus dysgalactiae (8.69%), and Escherichia coli (13.04%). The antimicrobial sensitivity of isolates revealed maximum sensitivity to enrofloxacin, gentamicin, amoxicillin/sulbactam, ceftriaxone/tazobactam, ceftizoxime, ampicillin/sulbactam and least sensitivity for oxytetracycline and penicillin. Staphylococcus spp. is the major causative agent of clinical mastitis in bovines of Jammu region. The causative agents of the clinical mastitis were most sensitive to enrofloxacin and gentamicin.

[Sensitivity of microbial associations of periodontal lesions to antibacterial agents].

PubMed

Makeeva, I M; Daurova, F Yu; Byakova, S F; Ippolitov, E V; Gostev, M S; Polikushina, A O; Shubin, E V

2016-01-01

The aim of the study was the development of approaches to improve the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy in dental practice on the basis of determining the sensitivity of pathogenic microorganisms to antibiotics of different groups. The study included determination of the sensitivity of the microbial complexes from wound exudate of periodontal pocket and apical abscess to macrolides, quinolones, penicillins, lincosamides and 5-nitroimidazole. A survey of dentists and dental clinics patients to identify the cause and frequency of use of antibiotics and to identify possible adverse reactions was also conducted. Dentists prefer macrolide antibiotics, protected penicillins, and fluoroquinolone combined with 5-nitroimidazole. All patients have taken antibiotics themselves at least once a year. Microbial complexes in patients with acute and exacerbated apical periodontitis in 79% of cases are susceptible to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, to azithromycin - 52%, lincomycin - 36%, 5-nitroimidazole - 68%, ciprofloxacin - 73.7%. In patients with apical abscess high rates of resistance of microbial complexes to all types of antibiotics was revealed (33% for lincomycin 76,1% for ciprofloxacin, 28,6% for 5-nitroimidazole). Patients with moderate to severe periodontitis in 90.5% are sensitive to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and azithromycin, in 62.4% to lincomycin. Sensitivity to ciprofloxacin was detected in 85.7% of patients, in 14.3% - moderate resistance.

More Than Meets the Eye: The Merging of Perceptual and Conceptual Knowledge in the Anterior Temporal Face Area

PubMed Central

Collins, Jessica A.; Koski, Jessica E.; Olson, Ingrid R.

2016-01-01

An emerging body of research has supported the existence of a small face sensitive region in the ventral anterior temporal lobe (ATL), referred to here as the “anterior temporal face area”. The contribution of this region in the greater face-processing network remains poorly understood. The goal of the present study was to test the relative sensitivity of this region to perceptual as well as conceptual information about people and objects. We contrasted the sensitivity of this region to that of two highly-studied face-sensitive regions, the fusiform face area (FFA) and the occipital face area (OFA), as well as a control region in early visual cortex (EVC). Our findings revealed that multivoxel activity patterns in the anterior temporal face area contain information about facial identity, as well as conceptual attributes such as one’s occupation. The sensitivity of this region to the conceptual attributes of people was greater than that of posterior face processing regions. In addition, the anterior temporal face area overlaps with voxels that contain information about the conceptual attributes of concrete objects, supporting a generalized role of the ventral ATLs in the identification and conceptual processing of multiple stimulus classes. PMID:27199711

Monosodium glutamate-sensitive hypothalamic neurons contribute to the control of bone mass

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elefteriou, Florent; Takeda, Shu; Liu, Xiuyun; Armstrong, Dawna; Karsenty, Gerard

2003-01-01

Using chemical lesioning we previously identified hypothalamic neurons that are required for leptin antiosteogenic function. In the course of these studies we observed that destruction of neurons sensitive to monosodium glutamate (MSG) in arcuate nuclei did not affect bone mass. However MSG treatment leads to hypogonadism, a condition inducing bone loss. Therefore the normal bone mass of MSG-treated mice suggested that MSG-sensitive neurons may be implicated in the control of bone mass. To test this hypothesis we assessed bone resorption and bone formation parameters in MSG-treated mice. We show here that MSG-treated mice display the expected increase in bone resorption and that their normal bone mass is due to a concomitant increase in bone formation. Correction of MSG-induced hypogonadism by physiological doses of estradiol corrected the abnormal bone resorptive activity in MSG-treated mice and uncovered their high bone mass phenotype. Because neuropeptide Y (NPY) is highly expressed in MSG-sensitive neurons we tested whether NPY regulates bone formation. Surprisingly, NPY-deficient mice had a normal bone mass. This study reveals that distinct populations of hypothalamic neurons are involved in the control of bone mass and demonstrates that MSG-sensitive neurons control bone formation in a leptin-independent manner. It also indicates that NPY deficiency does not affect bone mass.

Evaluation of a rabies ELISA as an alternative method to seroneutralisation tests in the context of international trade of domestic carnivores.

PubMed

Wasniewski, M; Labbe, A; Tribout, L; Rieder, J; Labadie, A; Schereffer, J L; Cliquet, F

2014-01-01

For several years, international movements with pets have greatly increased. Most countries have relaxed their quarantine measures and adopted a scheme combining vaccination of pets against rabies followed by a serological test to check the efficacy of vaccination. This new scheme has been strongly supported by the OIE, WHO and the European Commission to facilitate the free movement of people and pets around the world. Currently, only two reference methods are recognised and prescribed (the FAVN test and the RFFIT) to measure rabies antibody levels in serum samples for international trade. They are reliable and valuable methods of assessing the efficacy of rabies vaccination but they are time-consuming and require well-trained people and specialised laboratory facilities. A few years ago, an ELISA (Platelia™ Rabies II kit ad usum Veterinarium) was developed for domestic carnivores and wildlife. To our knowledge, this ELISA is the only one certified and prescribed by the OIE. Following its marketing, one task of the EURL for rabies serology was to evaluate the performance of laboratories using this new kit. The results revealed that 26% of the participants, which were already approved laboratories for rabies serology, failed the inter-laboratory trial. Such unsatisfactory results have never been observed during any of the previous proficiency tests organised annually since 2000 by the EURL for rabies serology using reference methods. More investigations were undertaken through internal and collaborative studies to assess the performance of this newly marketed ELISA kit. The results of the internal study revealed that even with a specificity of 100%, the sensitivity evaluated on 593 samples of domestic carnivores came to 78.2%. An issue regarding the underestimation of serum titres was also revealed during the study. The results of a collaborative study involving 23 international laboratories reinforced the preliminary conclusions regarding lack of sensitivity. Indeed, only 5 laboratories out of the 23 obtained satisfactory results. We therefore suggest adopting a threshold of 0.3 EU/mL instead of 0.5 EU/mL to increase the sensitivity of the test. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cyst infection in hospital-admitted autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease patients is predominantly multifocal and associated with kidney and liver volume

PubMed Central

Balbo, B.E.P.; Sapienza, M.T.; Ono, C.R.; Jayanthi, S.K.; Dettoni, J.B.; Castro, I.; Onuchic, L.F.

2014-01-01

Positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has improved cyst infection (CI) management in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). The determinants of kidney and/or liver involvement, however, remain uncertain. In this study, we evaluated clinical and imaging factors associated with CI in kidney (KCI) and liver (LCI) in ADPKD. A retrospective cohort study was performed in hospital-admitted ADPKD patients with suspected CI. Clinical, imaging and surgical data were analyzed. Features of infected cysts were evaluated by PET/CT. Total kidney (TKV) and liver (TLV) volumes were measured by CT-derived multiplanar reconstruction. CI was detected in 18 patients who experienced 24 episodes during an interval of 30 months (LCI in 12, KCI in 10 and concomitant infection in 2). Sensitivities of CT, magnetic resonance imaging and PET/CT were 25.0, 71.4, and 95.0%. Dysuria (P<0.05), positive urine culture (P<0.01), and previous hematuria (P<0.05) were associated with KCI. Weight loss (P<0.01) and increased C-reactive protein levels (P<0.05) were associated with LCI. PET/CT revealed that three or more infected cysts were present in 70% of the episodes. TKV was higher in kidney-affected than in LCI patients (AUC=0.91, P<0.05), with a cut-off of 2502 mL (72.7% sensitivity, 100.0% specificity). TLV was higher in liver-affected than in KCI patients (AUC=0.89, P<0.01) with a cut-off of 2815 mL (80.0% sensitivity, 87.5% specificity). A greater need for invasive procedures was observed in LCI (P<0.01), and the overall mortality was 20.8%. This study supports PET/CT as the most sensitive imaging method for diagnosis of cyst infection, confirms the multifocal nature of most hospital-admitted episodes, and reveals an association of kidney and liver volumes with this complication. PMID:24919173

Aptamer-Immobilized Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensor for Rapid and Sensitive Determination of Virulence Determinant.

PubMed

Song, Myeong-Sub; Sekhon, Simranjeet Singh; Shin, Woo-Ri; Rhee, Sung-Keun; Ko, Jung Ho; Kim, Sang Yong; Min, Jiho; Ahn, Ji-Young; Kim, Yang-Hoon

2018-05-01

Shigella sonnei isolate invasion plasmid antigen protein, IpaH, was successfully expressed in recombinant overexpression bacterial system. The soluble expression IpaH was enhanced with molecular chaperon co-expressed environment. Specific aptamer IpaH17 was isolated through the SELEX process and showed fM binding affinity. IpaH17-SPR biosensor platform was involved to verify the binding sensitivity and specificity. The IpaH concentration dependent IpaH17-SPR sensor response was highly linear with a linear regression constant of 99.4% in the range between 0 and 100 ng/mL. In addition, S. sonnei revealed the specific RU value and detected in a real-time manner within 1 hour. Our study indicated that IpaH17-SPR sensor can allow for rapid, sensitive and specific determination of Shigella sonnei virulent factor.

Development of a noise annoyance sensitivity scale

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bregman, H. L.; Pearson, R. G.

1972-01-01

Examining the problem of noise pollution from the psychological rather than the engineering view, a test of human sensitivity to noise was developed against the criterion of noise annoyance. Test development evolved from a previous study in which biographical, attitudinal, and personality data was collected on a sample of 166 subjects drawn from the adult community of Raleigh. Analysis revealed that only a small subset of the data collected was predictive of noise annoyance. Item analysis yielded 74 predictive items that composed the preliminary noise sensitivity test. This was administered to a sample of 80 adults who later rate the annoyance value of six sounds (equated in terms of peak sound pressure level) presented in a simulated home, living-room environment. A predictive model involving 20 test items was developed using multiple regression techniques, and an item weighting scheme was evaluated.

Study of the measurement of defense style using Bond's Defense Style Questionnaire.

PubMed

Nishimura, R

1998-08-01

Two hundred and seventy healthy university students were surveyed in December 1995 using Bond's Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ) to measure the subjects' defense mechanisms. At the same time, a survey using Byrne's R-S Scale (Repression-Sensitization Scale) of the MMPI (Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory) and five psychiatric symptom indexes (anxiety, sense of inadequacy, sensitivity, depression and impulsive anger) selected from the CMI (Cornell Medical Index-Health Questionnaire) was conducted. Three factors were extracted from the DSQ through factor analysis: immature defenses, neurotic defenses, and mature defenses. The results of analysis of variance revealed the following: (i) for anxiety and anxiety related symptoms, both immature defenses and neurotic defenses indicated principal effect; (ii) for impulsive anger and depression, immature defenses presented principal effect; and (iii) for sensitivity and impulsive anger, interaction between a mature defense style and neurotic defense style was noted. The relationship between defense styles and psychiatric symptoms in healthy people is studied in this paper.

Relationship between insulin sensitivity index and cognitive function in diet-induced insulin resistant rats.

PubMed

Chen, Sisi; Xie, Hao; Wu, Jing; Hong, Hao; Jin, Jianwen; Fang, Jinbo; Huang, Ji; Fu, Ying Zhou; Ji, Hui; Li, Yong Qi; Long, Yan; Xia, Yuan Zheng

2009-06-01

Clinical and animal studies have revealed significant cognitive impairment in type II diabetic subjects. However, whether there is a relationship between insulin resistance and cognitive function is poorly understood. In the present study, we used a high fat diet to induce insulin resistance (IR) in rats, insulin sensitivity index (ISI) (= FINS x FPG/22.5) to assess the extent of insulin resistance and the Morris Water Maze Task to judge cognitive function. The relationship between insulin sensitivity index and cognitive function was determined by analysing the correlation between ISI and the time rat spent in targeted quadrant, as well as between ISI and the times the rat swam across the very point where a platform was previously placed, using Pearson's method. Perfect negative correlation between ISI and cognitive function existed when ISI fell within a certain range, which indicates that insulin resistance is associated with cognitive function impairment in some cases where ISI might be an indicator.

Screening for cocaine on Euro banknotes by a highly sensitive enzyme immunoassay.

PubMed

Abdelshafi, Nahla A; Panne, Ulrich; Schneider, Rudolf J

2017-04-01

This study focused on quantitative detection of cocaine on Euro banknotes in Germany. A sensitive direct competitive immunoassay was developed and optimized with a limit of detection (LOD) of 5.6ng/L. Exhaustive cocaine extraction by solvent was tested using different methanol concentrations and buffered solutions. Cross-reactivity studies were performed to determine the degree of interference of cocaine metabolites with the immunoassay. Sixty-five Euro banknotes obtained from different districts in Berlin were evaluated. A 100% contamination frequency with cocaine was detected. A comparison between the amount of cocaine extracted by cotton swabbing of one square centimeter of the banknote showed a good correlation for lower contamination levels. This assay showed high sensitivity of detecting pg of cocaine per 1cm 2 of one banknote by swabbing 1cm 2 : 0, 14, and 21pg/cm 2 . Moreover, three notes of different denominations revealed high cocaine concentration; 1.1mg/note, and twice 55µg/note. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhanced external and culturally sensitive attributions after extended intercultural contact.

PubMed

Vollhardt, Johanna Ray

2010-06-01

This study examined the effect of close and extended intercultural contact on attributions for behaviour of out-group members. Specifically, it was hypothesized that extended intercultural contact would enhance the ability to make external and culturally sensitive attributions for ambiguous behaviour of out-group members, while decreasing the common tendency to overestimate internal factors. A content analysis of open-ended attributions supported these hypotheses, revealing that majority group members in Germany who had hosted an exchange student from another continent used significantly less internal and more external as well as culturally sensitive attributions to explain the behaviour described in critical intercultural incidents, compared to future hosts. The effect remained significant when controlling for perspective taking and prior intercultural experience. Moreover, the hypothesis was supported for scenarios describing different cultural groups (regardless of the exchange students' country of origin), suggesting a generalized effect. Problems of selection bias are discussed, and the importance of studying a range of positive outcomes of intercultural contact is emphasized.

Neural and behavioural responses to face-likeness of objects in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Akechi, Hironori; Kikuchi, Yukiko; Tojo, Yoshikuni; Osanai, Hiroo; Hasegawa, Toshikazu

2014-01-27

Numerous studies have revealed atypical face processing in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) characterized by social interaction and communication difficulties. This study investigated sensitivity to face-likeness in ASD. In Experiment 1, we found a strong positive correlation between the face-likeness ratings of non-face objects in the ASD (11-19 years old) and the typically developing (TD) group (9-21 years old). In Experiment 2 (the scalp-recorded event-related potential experiment), the participants of both groups (ASD, 12-19 years old; TD, 12-18 years old) exhibited an enhanced face-sensitive N170 amplitude to a face-like object. Whereas the TD adolescents showed an enhanced N170 during the face-likeness judgements, adolescents with ASD did not. Thus, both individuals with ASD and TD individuals have a perceptual and neural sensitivity to face-like features in objects. When required to process face-like features, a face-related brain system reacts more strongly in TD individuals but not in individuals with ASD.

Ensemble Sensitivity Analysis of a Severe Downslope Windstorm in Complex Terrain: Implications for Forecast Predictability Scales and Targeted Observing Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

wave breaking (NWB) and eight wave breaking (WB) storms are shown...studies, and it follows that the wind storm characteristics are likely more three dimensional as well. For the purposes of this study, a severe DSWS is...regularly using the HWAS network at USAFA since its installation in 2004. A careful examination of these events reveals downslope storms that are

A Novel Membrane-Based Anti-Diabetic Action of Atorvastatin

PubMed Central

Horvath, Emily M.; Tackett, Lixuan; Elmendorf, Jeffrey S.

2008-01-01

We recently found that chromium picolinate (CrPic), a nutritional supplement thought to improve insulin sensitivity in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance, enhances insulin action by lowering plasma membrane (PM) cholesterol. Recent in vivo studies suggest that cholesterol-lowering statin drugs benefit insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant patients, yet a mechanism is unknown. We report here that atorvastatin (ATV) diminished PM cholesterol by 22% (P<0.05) in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. As documented for CrPic, this small reduction in PM cholesterol enhanced insulin action. Replenishment of cholesterol mitigated the positive effects of ATV on insulin sensitivity. Co-treatment with CrPic and ATV did not amplify the extent of PM cholesterol loss or insulin sensitivity gain. In addition, analyses of insulin signal transduction suggest a non-signaling basis of both therapies. Our data reveal an unappreciated beneficial non-hepatic effect of statin action and highlight a novel mechanistic similarity between two recently recognized therapies of impaired glucose tolerance. PMID:18514061

Application of fuzzy logic approach for wind erosion hazard mapping in Laghouat region (Algeria) using remote sensing and GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saadoud, Djouher; Hassani, Mohamed; Martin Peinado, Francisco José; Guettouche, Mohamed Saïd

2018-06-01

Wind erosion is one of the most serious environmental problems in Algeria that threatens human activities and socio-economic development. The main goal of this study is to apply a fuzzy logic approach to wind erosion sensitivity mapping in the Laghouat region, Algeria. Six causative factors, obtained by applying fuzzy membership functions to each used parameter, are considered: soil, vegetation cover, wind factor, soil dryness, land topography and land cover sensitivity. Different fuzzy operators (AND, OR, SUM, PRODUCT, and GAMMA) are applied to generate wind-erosion hazard map. Success rate curves reveal that the fuzzy gamma (γ) operator, with γ equal to 0.9, gives the best prediction accuracy with an area under curve of 85.2%. The resulting wind-erosion sensitivity map delineates the area into different zones of five relative sensitivity classes: very high, high, moderate, low and very low. The estimated result was verified by field measurements and the high statistically significant value of a chi-square test.

Prenatal Depressive Symptoms and Toddler Behavior Problems: The Role of Maternal Sensitivity and Child Sex.

PubMed

Edwards, Renee C; Hans, Sydney L

2016-10-01

Increasing evidence suggests that maternal depression during pregnancy is associated with child behavioral outcomes even after accounting for later maternal depression. The purpose of this study was to examine various mechanisms, including maternal sensitivity, neonatal problems, and concurrent maternal depression, that might explain the association between prenatal maternal depressive symptoms and toddler behavior problems. Young, low income, African American mothers (n = 196) were interviewed during pregnancy and at 24-months postpartum, medical records were collected at the birth, and mother-child interactions were video-recorded at 24 months. Path analyses revealed that the association between prenatal depression and toddler behavior problems was mediated by maternal sensitivity and maternal depressive symptoms at 24 months. No evidence was found for a mediating effect of neonatal problems. Path models examining sex differences suggested that different mediating factors may be important for boys and girls, with boys being particularly susceptible to the effects of maternal sensitivity.

ATM-Deficient Colorectal Cancer Cells Are Sensitive to the PARP Inhibitor Olaparib.

PubMed

Wang, Chen; Jette, Nicholas; Moussienko, Daniel; Bebb, D Gwyn; Lees-Miller, Susan P

2017-04-01

The ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) protein kinase plays a central role in the cellular response to DNA damage. Loss or inactivation of both copies of the ATM gene (ATM) leads to ataxia telangiectasia, a devastating childhood condition characterized by neurodegeneration, immune deficiencies, and cancer predisposition. ATM is also absent in approximately 40% of mantle cell lymphomas (MCLs), and we previously showed that MCL cell lines with loss of ATM are sensitive to poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Next-generation sequencing of patient tumors has revealed that ATM is altered in many human cancers including colorectal, lung, prostate, and breast. Here, we show that the colorectal cancer cell line SK-CO-1 lacks detectable ATM protein expression and is sensitive to the PARP inhibitor olaparib. Similarly, HCT116 colorectal cancer cells with shRNA depletion of ATM are sensitive to olaparib, and depletion of p53 enhances this sensitivity. Moreover, HCT116 cells are sensitive to olaparib in combination with the ATM inhibitor KU55933, and sensitivity is enhanced by deletion of p53. Together our studies suggest that PARP inhibitors may have potential for treating colorectal cancer with ATM dysfunction and/or colorectal cancer with mutation of p53 when combined with an ATM kinase inhibitor. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pain Sensitivity is Inversely Related to Regional Grey Matter Density in the Brain

PubMed Central

Emerson, Nichole M.; Zeidan, Fadel; Lobanov, Oleg V.; Hadsel, Morten S.; Martucci, Katherine T.; Quevedo, Alexandre S.; Starr, Christopher J.; Nahman-Averbuch, Hadas; Weissman-Fogel, Irit; Granovsky, Yelena; Yarnitsky, David; Coghill, Robert C.

2014-01-01

Pain is a highly personal experience that varies substantially among individuals. In search of an anatomical correlate of pain sensitivity we used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to investigate the relationship between grey matter density across the whole brain and inter-individual differences in pain sensitivity in 116 healthy volunteers (62 females, 54 males). Structural MRI and psychophysical data from 10 previous fMRI studies were used. Age, sex, unpleasantness ratings, scanner sequence, and sensory testing location were added to the model as covariates. Regression analysis of grey matter density across the whole brain and thermal pain intensity ratings at 49°C revealed a significant inverse relationship between pain sensitivity and grey matter density in bilateral regions of the posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, intraparietal sulcus, and inferior parietal lobule. Unilateral regions of the left primary somatosensory cortex also exhibited this inverse relationship. No regions exhibited a positive relationship to pain sensitivity. These structural variations occurred in areas associated with the default mode network, attentional direction and shifting, as well as somatosensory processing. These findings underscore the potential importance of processes related to default mode thought and attention in shaping individual differences in pain sensitivity and indicate that pain sensitivity can potentially be predicted on the basis of brain structure. PMID:24333778

Biology: Survival of the finfish

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sunday, Jennifer

2017-10-01

A trait-based approach for assessing physiological sensitivity to climate change can connect a species' evolutionary past with its future vulnerability. Now a global assessment of freshwater and marine fishes reveals patterns of warming sensitivity, highlighting the importance of different biogeographies and identifying places where vulnerability runs high.

Perplexing purpura in two females: Rare case of autoerythrocyte sensitization syndrome

PubMed Central

Tainwala, Ram R.; Phiske, Meghna; Raghuwanshi, Abhijith; Mathapati, Sukesh; Manjare, Ashwini K.; Jerajani, Hemangi R.

2013-01-01

Autoerythrocyte sensitization syndrome is a psychologically induced painful bruising condition. Two female, 19 and 30-year-old presented with recurrent episodes of painful ecchymotic bruising over accessible areas of body. In the younger female, episodes were since 3 years and were precipitated by stress and trivial trauma. The elder female presented with similar lesions since 3 months which were spontaneous in presentation. There were no obvious psychiatric manifestations in either. Clinically, ecchymotic changes in various stages of development were seen. Routine hemogram and coagulation profile were normal. Histopathology showed extravasated erythrocytes, perivascular neutrophils and fibrinoid deposition. Intradermal injection of autologous whole blood produced a painful ecchymotic reaction after 2 h similar to the presenting lesions. Psychiatric evaluation revealed mild mixed depression – anxiety disorder in the younger female while the latter revealed no abnormalities. The diagnosis of autoerythrocyte sensitization syndrome was made based on clinical history and findings, positive autoerythrocyte sensitization test, psychiatric evaluation and absence of any other clinical or laboratory pathology. PMID:24350012

Revealing Additional Dimensions of Globalisation and Cultural Hegemony: A Response to Roland S. Persson's Call for Cultural Sensitivity in Gifted Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ambrose, Don

2012-01-01

In this commentary, the author finds the interdisciplinary approach of Roland S. Persson's (2012a) target article refreshing. Persson's (2012a) additional emphases on ethnocentricity, cultural bias and strong threads of influence from the global economy also are helpful. They shed light on some strong contextual influences that shape the…

Phoneme Restoration Methods Reveal Prosodic Influences on Syntactic Parsing: Data from Bulgarian

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoyneshka-Raleva, Iglika

2013-01-01

This dissertation introduces and evaluates a new methodology for studying aspects of human language processing and the factors to which it is sensitive. It makes use of the phoneme restoration illusion (Warren, 1970). A small portion of a spoken sentence is replaced by a burst of noise. Listeners typically mentally restore the missing phoneme(s),…

Assessment of Disgust Sensitivity in Children with an Age-Downward Version of the Disgust Emotion Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muris, Peter; Huijding, Jorg; Mayer, Birgit; Langkamp, Marit; Reyhan, Ela; Olatunji, Bunmi

2012-01-01

The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Disgust Emotion Scale for Children (DES-C). Principal components analysis of the DES-C data revealed five factors reflecting disgust toward (a) rotting foods, (b) injection and blood, (c) odors, (d) mutilation and death, and (e) animals, which were largely in keeping with the intended…

Angler segmentation using perceptions of experiential quality in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Treesearch

William Smith; Gerard Kyle; Stephen G. Sutton

2012-01-01

This study investigated the efficacy of segmenting anglers using their perceptions of trip quality in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP). Analysis revealed five segments of anglers whose perceptions differed on trip quality.We named the segments: slow action, plenty of action, weather sensitive, gloomy gusses, and ok corral and assessed variation among them...

fMR-adaptation indicates selectivity to audiovisual content congruency in distributed clusters in human superior temporal cortex.

PubMed

van Atteveldt, Nienke M; Blau, Vera C; Blomert, Leo; Goebel, Rainer

2010-02-02

Efficient multisensory integration is of vital importance for adequate interaction with the environment. In addition to basic binding cues like temporal and spatial coherence, meaningful multisensory information is also bound together by content-based associations. Many functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies propose the (posterior) superior temporal cortex (STC) as the key structure for integrating meaningful multisensory information. However, a still unanswered question is how superior temporal cortex encodes content-based associations, especially in light of inconsistent results from studies comparing brain activation to semantically matching (congruent) versus nonmatching (incongruent) multisensory inputs. Here, we used fMR-adaptation (fMR-A) in order to circumvent potential problems with standard fMRI approaches, including spatial averaging and amplitude saturation confounds. We presented repetitions of audiovisual stimuli (letter-speech sound pairs) and manipulated the associative relation between the auditory and visual inputs (congruent/incongruent pairs). We predicted that if multisensory neuronal populations exist in STC and encode audiovisual content relatedness, adaptation should be affected by the manipulated audiovisual relation. The results revealed an occipital-temporal network that adapted independently of the audiovisual relation. Interestingly, several smaller clusters distributed over superior temporal cortex within that network, adapted stronger to congruent than to incongruent audiovisual repetitions, indicating sensitivity to content congruency. These results suggest that the revealed clusters contain multisensory neuronal populations that encode content relatedness by selectively responding to congruent audiovisual inputs, since unisensory neuronal populations are assumed to be insensitive to the audiovisual relation. These findings extend our previously revealed mechanism for the integration of letters and speech sounds and demonstrate that fMR-A is sensitive to multisensory congruency effects that may not be revealed in BOLD amplitude per se.

Reliability and validity of the PHQ-9 for screening late-life depression in Chinese primary care.

PubMed

Chen, Shulin; Chiu, Helen; Xu, Baihua; Ma, Yan; Jin, Tao; Wu, Manhua; Conwell, Yeates

2010-11-01

The aim of this study was to examine the reliability and validation of the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for late-life depression in Chinese primary care. In the primary care clinics (PCCs) of Hangzhou city, we recruited 364 older patients (aged ≥ 60) for the PHQ-9 screening. Then 77 of them were further interviewed with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID) for the diagnosis of major depression in late life. Statistic strategies for the feasibility, reliability, validity, and receiver operating characteristic curve were performed. The mean administration time was 7.5 min, and the Cronbach's α was 0.91. The optimal cut-off score of PHQ-9 ≥ 9 revealed a sensitivity of 0.86, specificity of 0.77, and positive likelihood ratio of 5.73. The area under the curve (AUC) in this study was 0.92 (SD = 0.02, 95% CI 0.88-0.96). The PHQ-2 also revealed good sensitivity (0.84) and specificity (0.90) at the cut-off point ≥ 3. The PHQ-9 performs well and has acceptable psychometric properties for screening of patients with late-life depression in Chinese primary care settings.

New insight on intergenerational attachment from a relationship-based analysis.

PubMed

Bailey, Heidi N; Tarabulsy, George M; Moran, Greg; Pederson, David R; Bento, Sandi

2017-05-01

Research on attachment transmission has focused on variable-centered analyses, where hypotheses are tested by examining linear associations between variables. The purpose of this study was to apply a relationship-centered approach to data analysis, where adult states of mind, maternal sensitivity, and infant attachment were conceived as being three components of a single, intergenerational relationship. These variables were assessed in 90 adolescent and 99 adult mother-infant dyads when infants were 12 months old. Initial variable-centered analyses replicated the frequently observed associations between these three core attachment variables. Relationship-based, latent class analyses then revealed that the most common pattern among young mother dyads featured maternal unresolved trauma, insensitive interactive behavior, and disorganized infant attachment (61%), whereas the most prevalent adult mother dyad relationship pattern involved maternal autonomy, sensitive maternal behavior, and secure infant attachment (59%). Three less prevalent relationship patterns were also observed. Moderation analyses revealed that the adolescent-adult mother distinction differentiated between secure and disorganized intergenerational relationship patterns, whereas experience of traumatic events distinguished between disorganized and avoidant patterns. Finally, socioeconomic status distinguished between avoidant and secure patterns. Results emphasize the value of a relationship-based approach, adding an angle of understanding to the study of attachment transmission.

Fear and anxiety as separable emotions: an investigation of the revised reinforcement sensitivity theory of personality.

PubMed

Perkins, Adam M; Kemp, Samantha E; Corr, Philip J

2007-05-01

The Gray and McNaughton (2000) theory draws on a wide range of animal data to hypothesize that the emotions of fear and anxiety are separable. The authors tested their hypothesis in two studies. The first study examined associations between scores on questionnaire measures of fear, anxiety, and neuroticism; correlational analysis revealed that fear and anxiety are not interchangeable constructs. The second study examined associations between scores on questionnaire measures of fear/anxiety and performance in a military training setting; regression analysis revealed that fear captured significant variance in performance that was not shared with anxiety. These results imply that hypotheses derived from nonhuman animal data may hold important implications for understanding human emotion and motivation, especially in relation to fear and anxiety.

Father involvement, paternal sensitivity, and father-child attachment security in the first 3 years.

PubMed

Brown, Geoffrey L; Mangelsdorf, Sarah C; Neff, Cynthia

2012-06-01

To reach a greater understanding of the early father-child attachment relationship, this study examined concurrent and longitudinal associations among father involvement, paternal sensitivity, and father-child attachment security at 13 months and 3 years of age. Analyses revealed few associations among these variables at 13 months of age, but involvement and sensitivity independently predicted father-child attachment security at age 3. Moreover, sensitivity moderated the association between involvement and attachment security at 3 years. Specifically, involvement was unrelated to attachment security when fathers were highly sensitive, but positively related to attachment security when fathers were relatively less sensitive. Father involvement was also moderately stable across the two time points, but paternal sensitivity was not. Furthermore, there was significant stability in father-child attachment security from 13 months to 3 years. Secure attachment at 13 months also predicted greater levels of paternal sensitivity at 3 years, with sensitivity at age 3 mediating the association between 13 month and 3 year attachment security. In sum, a secure father-child attachment relationship (a) was related to both quantity and quality of fathering behavior, (b) remained relatively stable across early childhood, and (c) predicted increased paternal sensitivity over time. These findings further our understanding of the correlates of early father-child attachment, and underscore the need to consider multiple domains of fathers' parenting and reciprocal relations between fathering behavior and father-child attachment security. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

Validation of a patient-centered culturally sensitive health care office staff inventory.

PubMed

Tucker, Carolyn M; Wall, Whitney; Marsiske, Michael; Nghiem, Khanh; Roncoroni, Julia

2015-09-01

Research suggests that patient-perceived culturally sensitive health care encompasses multiple components of the health care delivery system including the cultural sensitivity of front desk office staff. Despite this, research on culturally sensitive health care focuses almost exclusively on provider behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge. This is due in part to the paucity of instruments available to assess the cultural sensitivity of front desk office staff. Thus, the objective of the present study is to determine the psychometric properties of the pilot Tucker-Culturally Sensitive Health Care Office Staff Inventory-Patient Form (T-CSHCOSI-PF), which is an instrument designed to enable patients to evaluate the patient-defined cultural sensitivity of their front desk office staff. A sample of 1648 adult patients was recruited by staff at 67 health care sites across the United States. These patients anonymously completed the T-CSHCOSI-PF, a demographic data questionnaire, and a patient satisfaction questionnaire. Findings Confirmatory factor analyses of the TCSHCOSI-PF revealed that this inventory has two factors with high internal consistency reliability and validity (Cronbach's αs=0.97 and 0.95). It is concluded that the T-CSHCOSI-PF is a psychometrically strong and useful inventory for assessing the cultural sensitivity of front desk office staff. This inventory can be used to support culturally sensitive health care research, evaluate the job performance of front desk office staff, and aid in the development of trainings designed to improve the cultural sensitivity of these office staff.

Spectral and Polarization Sensitivity of the Dipteran Visual System

PubMed Central

McCann, Gilbert D.; Arnett, David W.

1972-01-01

Spectral and polarization sensitivity measurements were made at several levels (retina, first and third optic ganglion, cervical connective, behavior) of the dipteran visual nervous system. At all levels, it was possible to reveal contributions from the retinular cell subsystem cells 1 to 6 or the retinular cell subsystem cells 7 and 8 or both. Only retinular cells 1 to 6 were directly studied, and all possessed the same spectral sensitivity characterized by two approximately equal sensitivity peaks at 350 and 480 nm. All units of both the sustaining and on-off variety in the first optic ganglion exhibited the same spectral sensitivity as that of retinular cells 1 to 6. It was possible to demonstrate for motion detection and optomotor responses two different spectral sensitivities depending upon the spatial wavelength of the stimulus. For long spatial wavelengths, the spectral sensitivity agreed with retinular cells 1 to 6; however, the spectral sensitivity at short spatial wavelengths was characterized by a single peak at 465 nm reflecting contributions from the (7, 8) subsystem. Although the two subsystems exhibited different spectral sensitivities, the difference was small and no indication of color discrimination mechanisms was observed. Although all retinular cells 1 to 6 exhibited a preferred polarization plane, sustaining and on-off units did not. Likewise, motion detection and optomotor responses were insensitive to the polarization plane for long spatial wavelength stimuli; however, sensitivity to select polarization planes was observed for short spatial wavelengths. PMID:5027759

An electro-optical and electron injection study of benzothiazole-based squaraine dyes as efficient dye-sensitized solar cell materials: a first principles study.

PubMed

Al-Fahdan, Najat Saeed; Asiri, Abdullah M; Irfan, Ahmad; Basaif, Salem A; El-Shishtawy, Reda M

2014-12-01

Squaraine dyes have attracted significant attention in many areas of daily life from biomedical imaging to semiconducting materials. Moreover, these dyes are used as photoactive materials in the field of solar cells. In the present study, we investigated the structural, electronic, photophysical, and charge transport properties of six benzothiazole-based squaraine dyes (Cis-SQ1-Cis-SQ3 and Trans-SQ1-Trans-SQ3). The effect of electron donating (-OCH3) and electron withdrawing (-COOH) groups was investigated intensively. Ground state geometry and frequency calculations were performed by applying density functional theory (DFT) at B3LYP/6-31G** level of theory. Absorption spectra were computed in chloroform at the time-dependent DFT/B3LYP/6-31G** level of theory. The driving force of electron injection (ΔG (inject)), relative driving force of electron injection (ΔG r (inject)), electronic coupling constants (|VRP|) and light harvesting efficiency (LHE) of all six compounds were calculated and compared with previously studied sensitizers. The ΔG (inject), ΔG r (inject) and |VRP| of all six compounds revealed that these sensitizers would be efficient dye-sensitized solar cell materials. Cis/Trans-SQ3 exhibited superior LHE as compared to other derivatives. The Cis/Trans geometric effect was studied and discussed with regard to electro-optical and charge transport properties.

Development of a time-dependent hurricane evacuation model for the New Orleans area.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-01-01

Revealed preference is the traditional method to collect hurricane evacuation behavior data. However, revealed preference surveys, as they are currently administered, have the disadvantage that they are unable to collect time-sensitive and policy-sen...

Apatite/Melt Partitioning Experiments Reveal Redox Sensitivity to Cr, V, Mn, Ni, Eu, W, Th, and U

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Righter, K.; Yang, S.; Humayun, M.

2016-01-01

Apatite is a common mineral in terrestrial, planetary, and asteroidal materials. It is commonly used for geochronology (U-Pb), sensing volatiles (H, F, Cl, S), and can concentrate rare earth elements (REE) during magmatic fractionation and in general. Some recent studies have shown that some kinds of phosphate may fractionate Hf and W and that Mn may be redox sensitive. Experimental studies have focused on REE and other lithophile elements and at simplified or not specified oxygen fugacities. There is a dearth of partitioning data for chalcophile, siderophile and other elements between apatite and melt. Here we carry out several experiments at variable fO2 to study the partitioning of a broad range of trace elements. We compare to existing data and then focus on several elements that exhibit redox dependent partitioning behavior.

Aerobic exercise training conserves insulin sensitivity for 1 yr following weight loss in overweight women.

PubMed

Fisher, Gordon; Hunter, Gary R; Gower, Barbara A

2012-02-01

The objectives of this study were to 1) identify the independent effects of exercise (aerobic or resistance training) and weight loss on whole body insulin sensitivity and 2) determine if aerobic or resistance training would be more successful for maintaining improved whole body insulin sensitivity 1 yr following weight loss. Subjects were 97 healthy, premenopausal women, body mass index (BMI) 27-30 kg/m(2). Following randomized assignment to one of three groups, diet only, diet + aerobic, or diet + resistance training until a BMI <25 kg/m(2) was achieved, body composition, fat distribution, and whole body insulin sensitivity were determined at baseline, in the weight reduced state, and at 1-yr follow up. The whole body insulin sensitivity index (S(I)) was determined using a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. Results of repeated-measures ANOVA indicated a significant improvement in S(I) following weight loss. However, there were no group or group×time interactions. At 1-yr follow up, there were no significant time or group interactions for S(I;) however, there was a significant group×time interaction for S(I). Post hoc analysis revealed that women in the aerobic training group showed a significant increased S(I) from weight reduced to 1-yr follow up (P < 0.05), which was independent of intra-abdominal adipose tissue and %fat. No significant differences in S(I) from weight reduced to 1-yr follow up were observed for diet only or diet + resistance groups. Additionally, multiple linear regression analysis revealed that change in whole body insulin sensitivity from baseline to 1-yr follow up was independently associated with the change in Vo(2max) from baseline to 1-yr follow up (P < 0.05). These results suggest that long-term aerobic exercise training may conserve improvements in S(I) following weight loss and that maintaining cardiovascular fitness following weight loss may be important for maintaining improvements in S(I).

Methionine Deprivation Induces a Targetable Vulnerability in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells by Enhancing TRAIL Receptor-2 Expression.

PubMed

Strekalova, Elena; Malin, Dmitry; Good, David M; Cryns, Vincent L

2015-06-15

Many neoplasms are vulnerable to methionine deficiency by mechanisms that are poorly understood. Because gene profiling studies have revealed that methionine depletion increases TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor-2 (TRAIL-R2) mRNA, we postulated that methionine stress sensitizes breast cancer cells to proapoptotic TRAIL-R2 agonists. Human triple (ER/PR/HER2)-negative breast carcinoma cell lines were cultured in control or methionine-free media. The effects of methionine depletion on TRAIL receptor expression and sensitivity to chemotherapy or a humanized agonistic TRAIL-R2 monoclonal antibody (lexatumumab) were determined. The melanoma-associated antigen MAGED2 was silenced to delineate its functional role in sensitizing TNBC cells to methionine stress. An orthotopic TNBC model was utilized to evaluate the effects of dietary methionine deficiency, lexatumumab, or the combination. Methionine depletion sensitized TNBC cells to lexatumumab-induced caspase activation and apoptosis by increasing TRAIL-R2 mRNA and cell surface expression. MCF-10A cells transformed by oncogenic H-Ras, but not untransformed cells, and matrix-detached TNBC cells were highly sensitive to the combination of lexatumumab and methionine depletion. Proteomics analyses revealed that MAGED2, which has been reported to reduce TRAIL-R2 expression, was suppressed by methionine stress. Silencing MAGED2 recapitulated features of methionine deprivation, including enhanced mRNA and cell surface expression of TRAIL receptors and increased sensitivity to TRAIL receptor agonists. Dietary methionine deprivation enhanced the antitumor effects of lexatumumab in an orthotopic metastatic TNBC model. Methionine depletion exposes a targetable defect in TNBC cells by increasing TRAIL-R2 expression. Our findings provide the foundation for a clinical trial combining dietary methionine restriction and TRAIL-R2 agonists. Clin Cancer Res; 21(12); 2780-91. ©2015 AACR. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

Influence of culture and language sensitive physics on science attitude enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales, Marie Paz E.

2015-12-01

The study critically explored how culture and language sensitive curriculum materials in physics improve Pangasinan learners' attitude towards science. Their cultural dimensions, epistemological beliefs, and views on integration of culture and language in the teaching and learning process determined their cultural preference or profile. Design and development of culture and language sensitive curriculum materials in physics were heavily influenced by these learners' cultural preference or profile. Pilot-study using interviews and focus group discussions with natives of Pangasinan and document analysis were conducted to identify the culture, practices, and traditions integrated in the lesson development. Comparison of experimental participants' pretest and posttest results on science attitude measure showed significant statistical difference. Appraisal of science attitude enhancement favored the experimental group over the control group. Qualitative data deduced from post implementation interviews, focus group discussions, and journal log entries showed the same trend in favor of the experimental participants. The study revealed that culture and language integration in the teaching and learning process of physics concepts enabled students to develop positive attitude to science, their culture, and native language.

Low temperature caused modifications in the arrangement of cell wall pectins due to changes of osmotic potential of cells of maize leaves (Zea mays L.).

PubMed

Bilska-Kos, Anna; Solecka, Danuta; Dziewulska, Aleksandra; Ochodzki, Piotr; Jończyk, Maciej; Bilski, Henryk; Sowiński, Paweł

2017-03-01

The cell wall emerged as one of the important structures in plant stress responses. To investigate the effect of cold on the cell wall properties, the content and localization of pectins and pectin methylesterase (PME) activity, were studied in two maize inbred lines characterized by different sensitivity to cold. Low temperature (14/12 °C) caused a reduction of pectin content and PME activity in leaves of chilling-sensitive maize line, especially after prolonged treatment (28 h and 7 days). Furthermore, immunocytohistological studies, using JIM5 and JIM7 antibodies, revealed a decrease of labeling of both low- and high-methylesterified pectins in this maize line. The osmotic potential, quantified by means of incipient plasmolysis was lower in several types of cells of chilling-sensitive maize line which was correlated with the accumulation of sucrose. These studies present new finding on the effect of cold stress on the cell wall properties in conjunction with changes in the osmotic potential of maize leaf cells.

Anteroposterior chest radiograph vs. chest CT scan in early detection of pneumothorax in trauma patients.

PubMed

Omar, Hesham R; Mangar, Devanand; Khetarpal, Suneel; Shapiro, David H; Kolla, Jaya; Rashad, Rania; Helal, Engy; Camporesi, Enrico M

2011-09-27

Pneumothorax is a common complication following blunt chest wall trauma. In these patients, because of the restrictions regarding immobilization of the cervical spine, Anteroposterior (AP) chest radiograph is usually the most feasible initial study which is not as sensitive as the erect chest X-ray or CT chest for detection of a pneumothorax. We will present 3 case reports which serve for better understanding of the entity of occult pneumothorax. The first case is an example of a true occult pneumothorax where an initial AP chest X-ray revealed no evidence of pneumothorax and a CT chest immediately performed revealed evidence of pneumothorax. The second case represents an example of a missed rather than a truly occult pneumothorax where the initial chest radiograph revealed clues suggesting the presence of pneumothorax which were missed by the reading radiologist. The third case emphasizes the fact that "occult pneumothorax is predictable". The presence of subcutaneous emphesema and pulmonary contusion should call for further imaging with CT chest to rule out pneumothorax. Thoracic CT scan is therefore the "gold standard" for early detection of a pneumothorax in trauma patients. This report aims to sensitize readers to the entity of occult pneumothorax and create awareness among intensivists and ER physicians regarding the proper diagnosis and management.

Combining coherent hard X-ray tomographies with phase retrieval to generate three-dimensional models of forming bone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bortel, Emely L.; Langer, Max; Rack, Alexander; Forien, Jean-Baptiste; Duda, Georg N.; Fratzl, Peter; Zaslansky, Paul

2017-11-01

Holotomography, a phase sensitive synchrotron-based μCT modality, is a quantitative 3D imaging method. By exploiting partial spatial X-ray coherence, bones can be imaged volumetrically with high resolution coupled with impressive density sensitivity. This tomographic method reveals the main characteristics of the important tissue compartments in forming bones, including the rapidly-changing soft tissue and the partially or fully mineralized bone regions, while revealing subtle density differences in 3D. Here we show typical results observed within the growing femur bone midshafts of healthy mice that are 1, 3, 7, 10 and 14 days old (postpartum). Our results make use of partially-coherent synchrotron radiation employing inline Fresnel-propagation in multiple tomographic datasets obtained in the imaging beamline ID19 of the ESRF. The exquisite detail creates maps of the juxtaposed soft, partially mineralized and highly mineralized bone revealing the environment in which bone cells create and shape the matrix. This high resolution 3D data is a step towards creating realistic computational models that may be used to study the dynamic processes involved in bone tissue formation and adaptation. Such data will enhance our understanding of the important biomechanical interactions directing maturation and shaping of the bone micro- and macro-geometries.

Radiation prevulcanized natural rubber latex: Cytotoxicity and safety evaluation on animal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keong, C. C.; Zin, W. M. Wan; Ibrahim, P.; Ibrahim, S.

2010-05-01

Radiation prevulcanized natural rubber latex (RVNRL) was claimed to be more user friendly than natural rubber latex prevulcanized by sulphur curing system. The absence of Type IV allergy inducing chemicals in RVNRL make it a suitable material for manufacturing of many kinds of latex products, especially those come into direct contact with users. This paper reveals and discusses the findings of cytotoxicity test and safety evaluation on animal for RVNRL. The test was done on RVNRL films prepared by coagulant dipping method and RVNRL dipped products produced by latex dipped product manufacturers. Cytotocixity test was carried out on mammalian cell culture American Type Culture Collection CCL 81, Vero. Results indicated that no cytotoxic effect from RVNRL films and products was found on the cell culture. Two animal studies, namely dermal sensitization study and primary skin irritation study, were done on gloves made from RVNRL. Albino white guinea pigs were used as test subjects in dermal sensitization study and results showed no sensitization induced by the application of test material in the guinea pigs. Primary skin irritation study was done on New Zealand white rabbits and results showed that the product tested was not corrosive and was not a primary irritant

Temperature Sensitivity as a Microbial Trait Using Parameters from Macromolecular Rate Theory

PubMed Central

Alster, Charlotte J.; Baas, Peter; Wallenstein, Matthew D.; Johnson, Nels G.; von Fischer, Joseph C.

2016-01-01

The activity of soil microbial extracellular enzymes is strongly controlled by temperature, yet the degree to which temperature sensitivity varies by microbe and enzyme type is unclear. Such information would allow soil microbial enzymes to be incorporated in a traits-based framework to improve prediction of ecosystem response to global change. If temperature sensitivity varies for specific soil enzymes, then determining the underlying causes of variation in temperature sensitivity of these enzymes will provide fundamental insights for predicting nutrient dynamics belowground. In this study, we characterized how both microbial taxonomic variation as well as substrate type affects temperature sensitivity. We measured β-glucosidase, leucine aminopeptidase, and phosphatase activities at six temperatures: 4, 11, 25, 35, 45, and 60°C, for seven different soil microbial isolates. To calculate temperature sensitivity, we employed two models, Arrhenius, which predicts an exponential increase in reaction rate with temperature, and Macromolecular Rate Theory (MMRT), which predicts rate to peak and then decline as temperature increases. We found MMRT provided a more accurate fit and allowed for more nuanced interpretation of temperature sensitivity in all of the enzyme × isolate combinations tested. Our results revealed that both the enzyme type and soil isolate type explain variation in parameters associated with temperature sensitivity. Because we found temperature sensitivity to be an inherent and variable property of an enzyme, we argue that it can be incorporated as a microbial functional trait, but only when using the MMRT definition of temperature sensitivity. We show that the Arrhenius metrics of temperature sensitivity are overly sensitive to test conditions, with activation energy changing depending on the temperature range it was calculated within. Thus, we propose the use of the MMRT definition of temperature sensitivity for accurate interpretation of temperature sensitivity of soil microbial enzymes. PMID:27909429

Evaluation of an inpatient fall risk screening tool to identify the most critical fall risk factors in inpatients.

PubMed

Hou, Wen-Hsuan; Kang, Chun-Mei; Ho, Mu-Hsing; Kuo, Jessie Ming-Chuan; Chen, Hsiao-Lien; Chang, Wen-Yin

2017-03-01

To evaluate the accuracy of the inpatient fall risk screening tool and to identify the most critical fall risk factors in inpatients. Variations exist in several screening tools applied in acute care hospitals for examining risk factors for falls and identifying high-risk inpatients. Secondary data analysis. A subset of inpatient data for the period from June 2011-June 2014 was extracted from the nursing information system and adverse event reporting system of an 818-bed teaching medical centre in Taipei. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and logistic regression analysis. During the study period, 205 fallers and 37,232 nonfallers were identified. The results revealed that the inpatient fall risk screening tool (cut-off point of ≥3) had a low sensitivity level (60%), satisfactory specificity (87%), a positive predictive value of 2·0% and a negative predictive value of 99%. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed an area under the curve of 0·805 (sensitivity, 71·8%; specificity, 78%). To increase the sensitivity values, the Youden index suggests at least 1·5 points to be the most suitable cut-off point for the inpatient fall risk screening tool. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a considerably increased fall risk in patients with impaired balance and impaired elimination. The fall risk factor was also significantly associated with days of hospital stay and with admission to surgical wards. The findings can raise awareness about the two most critical risk factors for falls among future clinical nurses and other healthcare professionals and thus facilitate the development of fall prevention interventions. This study highlights the needs for redefining the cut-off points of the inpatient fall risk screening tool to effectively identify inpatients at a high risk of falls. Furthermore, inpatients with impaired balance and impaired elimination should be closely monitored by nurses to prevent falling during hospitalisations. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Ultrasound-mediated structural changes in cells revealed by FTIR spectroscopy: A contribution to the optimization of gene and drug delivery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimaldi, Paola; Di Giambattista, Lucia; Giordani, Serena; Udroiu, Ion; Pozzi, Deleana; Gaudenzi, Silvia; Bedini, Angelico; Giliberti, Claudia; Palomba, Raffaele; Congiu Castellano, Agostina

2011-12-01

Ultrasound effects on biological samples are gaining a growing interest concerning in particular, the intracellular delivery of drugs and genes in a safe and in a efficient way. Future progress in this field will require a better understanding of how ultrasound and acoustic cavitation affect the biological system properties. The morphological changes of cells due to ultrasound (US) exposure have been extensively studied, while little attention has been given to the cells structural changes. We have exposed two different cell lines to 1 MHz frequency ultrasound currently used in therapy, Jurkat T-lymphocytes and NIH-3T3 fibroblasts, both employed as models respectively in the apoptosis and in the gene therapy studies. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy was used as probe to reveal the structural changes in particular molecular groups belonging to the main biological systems. The genotoxic damage of cells exposed to ultrasound was ascertained by the Cytokinesis-Block Micronucleus (CBMN) assay. The FTIR spectroscopy results, combined with multivariate statistical analysis, regarding all cellular components (lipids, proteins, nucleic acids) of the two cell lines, show that Jurkat cells are more sensitive to therapeutic ultrasound in the lipid and protein regions, whereas the NIH-3T3 cells are more sensitive in the nucleic acids region; a meaningful genotoxic effect is present in both cell lines only for long sonication times while in the Jurkat cells also a significant cytotoxic effect is revealed for long times of exposure to ultrasound.

Visual Search in ASD: Instructed Versus Spontaneous Local and Global Processing.

PubMed

Van der Hallen, Ruth; Evers, Kris; Boets, Bart; Steyaert, Jean; Noens, Ilse; Wagemans, Johan

2016-09-01

Visual search has been used extensively to investigate differences in mid-level visual processing between individuals with ASD and TD individuals. The current study employed two visual search paradigms with Gaborized stimuli to assess the impact of task distractors (Experiment 1) and task instruction (Experiment 2) on local-global visual processing in ASD versus TD children. Experiment 1 revealed both groups to be equally sensitive to the absence or presence of a distractor, regardless of the type of target or type of distractor. Experiment 2 revealed a differential effect of task instruction for ASD compared to TD, regardless of the type of target. Taken together, these results stress the importance of task factors in the study of local-global visual processing in ASD.

Cilnidipine, an L/N-type calcium channel blocker prevents acquisition and expression of ethanol-induced locomotor sensitization in mice.

PubMed

Bhutada, Pravinkumar; Mundhada, Yogita; Patil, Jayshree; Rahigude, Anand; Zambare, Krushna; Deshmukh, Prashant; Tanwar, Dhanshree; Jain, Kishor

2012-04-11

Several evidences indicated the involvement of L- and N-type calcium channels in behavioral effects of drugs of abuse, including ethanol. Calcium channels are implicated in ethanol-induced behaviors and neurochemical responses. Calcium channel antagonists block the psychostimulants induced behavioral sensitization. Recently, it is demonstrated that L-, N- and T-type calcium channel blockers attenuate the acute locomotor stimulant effects of ethanol. However, no evidence indicated the role of calcium channels in ethanol-induced psychomotor sensitization. Therefore, present study evaluated the influence of cilnidipine, an L/N-type calcium channel blocker on acquisition and expression of ethanol-induced locomotor sensitization. The results revealed that cilnidipine (0.1 and 1.0μg/mouse, i.c.v.) attenuates the expression of sensitization to locomotor stimulant effect of ethanol (2.0g/kg, i.p.), whereas pre- treatment of cilnidipine (0.1 and 1.0μg/mouse, i.c.v.) during development of sensitization blocks acquisition and attenuates expression of sensitization to locomotor stimulant effect of ethanol. Cilnidipine per se did not influence locomotor activity in tested doses. Further, cilnidipine had no influence on effect of ethanol on rotarod performance. These results support the hypothesis that neuroadaptive changes in calcium channels participate in the acquisition and the expression of ethanol-induced locomotor sensitization. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synthesis and study on the luminescence properties of cadmium borate phosphors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Annalakshmi, O.; Jose, M.T., E-mail: mtjosein@yahoo.co.in; Venkatraman, B.

2014-02-01

Highlights: • Cadmium borate synthesized by solid state sintering technique. • Neutron sensitivity of the material ten times that of TLD-600. • Gamma sensitivity is found to be twice that of TLD-100. • Gamma response is linear from 0.1 to 10{sup 3} mGy. - Abstract: Cadmium borate compound prepared through wet chemical reaction from the starting chemicals followed by high temperature solid state synthesis below the melting point to get the final TL phosphor powder. Phase purity and bond details of cadmium borate crystals are characterized using X-ray diffraction technique and infrared spectroscopy. Feasibility of these materials for radiation dosimetrymore » applications was studied after gamma and neutron irradiation. Gamma irradiation of undoped phosphors show a single peak around 185 °C whereas doping with gadolinium and silver, new more intense peak observed at 290 °C. Irradiation to thermal neutrons revealed single peak around 170 °C for all the phosphors. TL emission spectra and photoluminescence (PL) studies were also carried out on the phosphors. These borate materials are found to be highly sensitive to neutrons and hence can be used for neutron detection. Neutron sensitivity of the material is about ten times that of TLD-600.« less

Dissociation between the Prevalence of Atopy and Allergic Disease in Rural China among Children and Adults

PubMed Central

Kim, Jennifer S; Ouyang, Fengxiu; Pongracic, Jacqueline A; Fang, Yaping; Wang, Binyan; Liu, Xue; Xing, Houxun; Caruso, Deanna; Liu, Xin; Zhang, Shanchun; Xu, Xiping; Wang, Xiaobin

2009-01-01

Background The prevalence of allergic diseases is increasing worldwide, but the reasons are not well understood. Previous studies suggest that this trend may be associated with lifestyle and urbanization. Objective To describe patterns of sensitization and allergic disease in an unselected agricultural Chinese population. Methods The data was derived from a community-based twin study in Anqing, China. Skin prick testing was performed to foods and aeroallergens. Atopy was defined as sensitization to ≥1 allergen. Allergic disease was ascertained by self-report. The analysis was stratified by sex and age (children [11-17 years] and adults [≥18 years]) and included 1059 same-sex twin pairs. Results Of 2118 subjects, 57.6% were male (n=1220). Ages ranged from 11-71 years; 43.3% were children (n=918). Atopy was observed in 47.2% (n=999) of participants. The most common sensitizing foods were shellfish (16.7%) and peanut (12.3%). The most common sensitizing aeroallergens were dust mite (30.6%) and cockroach (25.2%). Birth order and zygosity had no effect on sensitization rates. Multivariate logistic regression models revealed risk factors for sensitization include age for foods and sex for aeroallergens. The rates of food allergy and asthma were estimated to be <1%. Conclusions Atopic sensitization was common in this rural farming Chinese population, particularly to shellfish, peanut, dust mite, and cockroach. The prevalence of allergic disease, in contrast, was quite low. Clinical Implications Allergen sensitization was far more common than the rate of self-reported allergic disease in this community. Evidence of sensitization is an inadequate marker of allergic disease and better correlates with clinical disease are needed. Capsule summary Among this large unselected Chinese rural farming community, atopy was observed in nearly half of the study subjects, but the rate of allergic disease was comparatively very low. PMID:18805578

In vivo gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate levels in people with first-episode schizophrenia: A proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

PubMed

Chiu, P W; Lui, Simon S Y; Hung, Karen S Y; Chan, Raymond C K; Chan, Queenie; Sham, P C; Cheung, Eric F C; Mak, Henry K F

2018-03-01

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) dysfunction and its consequent imbalance are implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Reduced GABA production would lead to a disinhibition of glutamatergic neurons and subsequently cause a disruption of the modulation between GABAergic interneurons and glutamatergic neurons. In this study, levels of GABA, Glx (summation of glutamate and glutamine), and other metabolites in the anterior cingulate cortex were measured and compared between first-episode schizophrenia subjects and healthy controls (HC). Diagnostic potential of GABA and Glx as upstream biomarkers for schizophrenia was explored. Nineteen first-episode schizophrenia subjects and fourteen HC participated in this study. Severity of clinical symptoms of patients was measured with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Metabolites were measured using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and quantified using internal water as reference. First-episode schizophrenia subjects revealed reduced GABA and myo-inositol (mI), and increased Glx and choline (Cho), compared to HC. No significant correlation was found between metabolite levels and PANSS scores. Receiver operator characteristics analyses showed Glx had higher sensitivity and specificity (84.2%, 92.9%) compared to GABA (73.7%, 64.3%) for differentiating schizophrenia patients from HC. Combined model of both GABA and Glx revealed the best sensitivity and specificity (89.5%, 100%). This study simultaneously showed reduction in GABA and elevation in Glx in first-episode schizophrenia subjects, and this might provide insights on explaining the disruption of modulation between GABAergic interneurons and glutamatergic neurons. Elevated Cho might indicate increased membrane turnover; whereas reduced mI might reflect dysfunction of the signal transduction pathway. In vivo Glx and GABA revealed their diagnostic potential for schizophrenia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

MRI versus breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) in newly diagnosed ductal cell carcinoma-in-situ: a prospective head-to-head trial.

PubMed

Keto, Jessica L; Kirstein, Laurie; Sanchez, Diana P; Fulop, Tamara; McPartland, Laura; Cohen, Ilona; Boolbol, Susan K

2012-01-01

Mammography remains the standard imaging technique for the diagnosis of ductal carcinoma-in-situ (DCIS). Functional breast imaging, including breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), has known limitations in evaluating DCIS. To date, there are limited data on the utility of breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) in DCIS. We sought to prospectively compare the sensitivity of BSGI to MRI in newly diagnosed DCIS patients. Patients with newly diagnosed DCIS from June 1, 2009, through May 31, 2010, underwent a protocol with both breast MRI and BSGI. Each imaging study was read by a separate dedicated breast radiologist. Patients were excluded if excisional biopsy was performed for diagnosis, if their MRI was performed at an outside facility, or if final pathology revealed invasive carcinoma. There were 18 patients enrolled onto the study that had both MRI and BSGI for newly diagnosed DCIS. The sensitivity for MRI was 94% and for BSGI was 89% (P > 0.5, NS). There was one index tumor not seen on either MRI or BSGI, and one index tumor seen on MRI but not visualized on BSGI. Although BSGI has previously been shown to be as sensitive as MRI for detecting known invasive breast carcinoma, this study shows that BSGI is equally as sensitive as MRI at detecting newly diagnosed DCIS. As a result of the limited number of patients enrolled onto the study, larger prospective studies need to be performed to determine the true sensitivity and specificity of BSGI.

[Micromonospora resistence to definite antibiotics and their ability to produce structurally analogous antibiotics].

PubMed

Bibikova, M V; Ivanitskaia, L P; Tikhonova, A S

1980-01-01

Thirty six cultures of Micromonospora freshly isolated from soil samples were studied with respect to their sensitivity to a number of antibiotics of various structures and modes of action. It was found that all of them were highly sensitive to penicillin, ristomycin, tetracycline, rifampicin, streptomycin, olivomycin, carminomycin and dactinomycin. Significant differences in sensitivity of the Micromonospora cultures were revealed only with respect to gentamicin, tobramicin, erythromycin and lincomycin. Seven cultures were resistant to gentamicin and tobramicin and sensitive to all of the other antibiotics. Broad spectrum antibiotics were isolated from these cultures. The study of the antibiotic chemistry showed that they were 2-desoxystreptamine-containing aminoglycosides. Two cultures proved to be resistant to erythromycin and lincomycin. When identified with the use of antibiotic resistant staphylococcal strains, the crude antibiotic substances isolated from these cultures appeared to be not active against staphylococci resistant to erythromycin and lincomycin. By their chromatograpi- behaviour the antibiotics were close to macrolides. Therefore, it was found that production of aminoglycoside and macrolide antibiotics was most characteristic of Micromonospora. A certain correlation between resistance of Micromonospora to these 2 antibiotic groups and capacity for their production was shown.

Kinesthetic deficit in children with developmental coordination disorder.

PubMed

Li, Kuan-yi; Su, Wei-jen; Fu, Hsuan-wei; Pickett, Kristen A

2015-03-01

The aim of this study was to measure and compare kinesthetic sensitivity in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and typically developing (TD) children between 6 and 11 years old. 30 children with DCD aged 6 to 11 years (5 in each age group) and 30 TD children participated in the study. Participants placed their forearms on a passive motion apparatus which extended the elbow joint at constant velocities between 0.15 and 1.35°s(-1). Participants were required to concentrate on detection of passive arm motion and press a trigger held in their left hand once they sensed it. The detection time was measured for each trial. The DCD group was significantly less sensitive in detection of passive motion than TD children. Further analysis of individual age groups revealed that kinesthetic sensitivity was worse in DCD than TD children for age groups beyond six years of age. Our findings suggested that individual with DCD lag behind their TD counterparts in kinesthetic sensitivity. Between the ages of 7 and 11 years the difference between groups is quantifiable and significant with 11 year old children with DCD performing similar to 7 year old TD children. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sensitivity of projected long-term CO2 emissions across the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marangoni, G.; Tavoni, M.; Bosetti, V.; Borgonovo, E.; Capros, P.; Fricko, O.; Gernaat, D. E. H. J.; Guivarch, C.; Havlik, P.; Huppmann, D.; Johnson, N.; Karkatsoulis, P.; Keppo, I.; Krey, V.; Ó Broin, E.; Price, J.; van Vuuren, D. P.

2017-01-01

Scenarios showing future greenhouse gas emissions are needed to estimate climate impacts and the mitigation efforts required for climate stabilization. Recently, the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) have been introduced to describe alternative social, economic and technical narratives, spanning a wide range of plausible futures in terms of challenges to mitigation and adaptation. Thus far the key drivers of the uncertainty in emissions projections have not been robustly disentangled. Here we assess the sensitivities of future CO2 emissions to key drivers characterizing the SSPs. We use six state-of-the-art integrated assessment models with different structural characteristics, and study the impact of five families of parameters, related to population, income, energy efficiency, fossil fuel availability, and low-carbon energy technology development. A recently developed sensitivity analysis algorithm allows us to parsimoniously compute both the direct and interaction effects of each of these drivers on cumulative emissions. The study reveals that the SSP assumptions about energy intensity and economic growth are the most important determinants of future CO2 emissions from energy combustion, both with and without a climate policy. Interaction terms between parameters are shown to be important determinants of the total sensitivities.

Evidence of red sensitive photoreceptors in Pygopleurus israelitus (Glaphyridae: Coleoptera) and its implications for beetle pollination in the southeast Mediterranean.

PubMed

Martínez-Harms, J; Vorobyev, M; Schorn, J; Shmida, A; Keasar, T; Homberg, U; Schmeling, F; Menzel, R

2012-06-01

A very well-documented case of flower-beetle interaction is the association in the Mediterranean region between red bowl-shaped flowers and beetles of the family Glaphyridae. The present study examines the visual mechanisms by which Pygopleurus israelitus (Glaphyridae: Scarabaeoidea: Coleoptera) would perceive the colors of flowers they visit by characterizing the spectral sensitivity of its photoreceptors. Our measurements revealed the presence of three types of photoreceptors, maximally sensitive in the UV, green and red areas of the spectrum. Using color vision space diagrams, we calculated the distribution of beetle-visited flower colors in the glaphyrid and honeybee color space and evaluated whether chromatic discrimination differs between the two types of pollinators. Respective color loci in the beetle color space are located on one side of the locus for green foliage background, whereas in the honeybee the flower color loci surround the locus occupied by green foliage. Our results represent the first evidence of a red sensitive photoreceptor in a flower-visiting coleopteran species, highlighting Glaphyridae as an interesting model group to study the role of pollinators in flower color evolution.

Auditory evoked potential could reflect emotional sensitivity and impulsivity

PubMed Central

Kim, Ji Sun; Kim, Sungkean; Jung, Wookyoung; Im, Chang-Hwan; Lee, Seung-Hwan

2016-01-01

Emotional sensitivity and impulsivity could cause interpersonal conflicts and neuropsychiatric problems. Serotonin is correlated with behavioral inhibition and impulsivity. This study evaluated whether the loudness dependence of auditory evoked potential (LDAEP), a potential biological marker of central serotonergic activity, could reflect emotional sensitivity and impulsivity. A total of 157 healthy individuals were recruited, who performed LDAEP and Go/Nogo paradigms during electroencephalogram measurement. Barratt impulsivity scale (BIS), Conners’ Adult ADHD rating scale (CAARS), and affective lability scale (ALS) were evaluated. Comparison between low and high LDAEP groups was conducted for behavioural, psychological, and event-related potential (ERP) measures. The high LDAEP group showed significantly increased BIS, a subscale of the CAARS, ALS, and false alarm rate of Nogo stimuli compared to the low LDAEP group. LDAEP showed significant positive correlations with the depression scale, ALS scores, subscale of the CAARS and Nogo-P3 amplitude. In the source activity of Nogo-P3, the cuneus, lingual gyrus, and precentral gyrus activities were significantly increased in the high LDAEP group. Our study revealed that LDAEP could reflect emotional sensitivity and impulsivity. LDAEP, an auditory evoked potential could be a useful tool to evaluate emotional regulation. PMID:27910865

Sensitivity for Cues Predicting Reward and Punishment in Young Women with Eating Disorders.

PubMed

Matton, Annelies; de Jong, Peter; Goossens, Lien; Jonker, Nienke; Van Malderen, Eva; Vervaet, Myriam; De Schryver, Nele; Braet, Caroline

2017-11-01

Increasing evidence shows that sensitivity to reward (SR) and punishment (SP) may be involved in eating disorders (EDs). Most studies used self-reported positive/negative effect in rewarding/punishing situations, whereas the implied proneness to detect signals of reward/punishment is largely ignored. This pilot study used a spatial orientation task to examine transdiagnostic and interdiagnostic differences in SR/SP. Participants (14-29 years) were patients with anorexia nervosa of restricting type (AN-R, n = 20), binge/purge ED group [AN of binge/purge type and bulimia nervosa (n = 16)] and non-symptomatic individuals (n = 23). Results revealed stronger difficulties to redirect attention away from signals of rewards in AN-R compared with binge/purge EDs, and binge/purge EDs showed stronger difficulties to direct attention away from signals of punishment compared with AN-R. Findings demonstrate interdiagnostic differences and show that the spatial orientation task is sensitive for individual differences in SP/SR within the context of EDs, thereby sustaining its usefulness as behavioural measure of reinforcement sensitivity. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Antibiotic sensitivity pattern in blaNDM-1-positive and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae

PubMed Central

Mulla, Summaiya; Charan, Jaykaran; Rajdev, Sangita

2016-01-01

Background: Some studies published in recent time revealed that many bacteria from Enterobacteriaceae group are multi-antibiotic-resistant because of the production enzymes carbapenemase particularly New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase encoded by gene called blaNDM-1. Looking at public health importance of this issue there is a need for studies at other centers to confirm or refute published findings. Objectives: This study was designed with the aim of exploring antibiotic resistance in Enterobacteriaceae group of bacteria and also to explore gene and enzyme responsible for it. Materials and Methods: Samples of Enterobacteriaceae were collected from wards and outpatient departments. Antibiotic sensitivity was checked by an automated system (VITEK 2 COMPACT). Carbapenemase production was assessed by Modified Hodge Test. Presence of blaNDM-1 was assessed by polymerase chain reaction. Statistics: Frequency and percentage were used to describe the data. Frequency of sensitivity was compared between carbapenemase producers and noncarbapenemase producers by Fisher's exact test. Results: Forty-seven percent bacteria were found to be producing carbapenemase enzyme. These bacteria were significantly less sensitive to cefoperazone, cefepime, and amikacin. Among carbapenemase-producing organisms, 3% and 6% were resistant to tigecycline and colistin, respectively. Forty percent bacteria were found to be having blaNDM-1 gene. There was a significant difference between blaNDM-1-positive and blaNDM-1-negative for sensitivity toward cefoperazone + sulbactam, imipenem, meropenem, amikacin, tobramycine, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin. Conclusion: Presence of carbapenemase enzyme and blaNDM-1 gene is associated with high level of resistance in Enterobacteriaceae group of bacteria and only few antibiotics have good sensitivity for these organisms. PMID:26958516

Allergenicity and cross-reactivity of booklice (Liposcelis bostrichophila): a common household insect pest in Japan.

PubMed

Fukutomi, Yuma; Kawakami, Yuji; Taniguchi, Masami; Saito, Akemi; Fukuda, Azumi; Yasueda, Hiroshi; Nakazawa, Takuya; Hasegawa, Maki; Nakamura, Hiroyuki; Akiyama, Kazuo

2012-01-01

Booklice (Liposcelis bostrichophila) are a common household insect pest distributed worldwide. Particularly in Japan, they infest 'tatami' mats and are the most frequently detected insect among all detectable insects, present at a frequency of about 90% in dust samples. Although it has been hypothesized that they are an important indoor allergen, studies on their allergenicity have been limited. To clarify the allergenicity of booklice and the cross-reactivity of this insect allergen with allergens of other insects, patients sensitized to booklice were identified from 185 Japanese adults with allergic asthma using skin tests and IgE-ELISA. IgE-inhibition analysis, immunoblotting and immunoblotting-inhibition analysis were performed using sera from these patients. Allergenic proteins contributing to specific sensitization to booklice were identified by two-dimensional electrophoresis and two-dimensional immunoblotting. The booklouse-specific IgE antibody was detected in sera from 41 patients (22% of studied patients). IgE inhibition analysis revealed that IgE reactivity to the booklouse allergen in the sera from one third of booklouse-sensitized patients was not inhibited by preincubation with extracts from any other environmental insects in this study. Immunoblotting identified a 26-kD protein from booklouse extract as the allergenic protein contributing to specific sensitization to booklice. The amino acid sequence of peptide fragments of this protein showed no homology to those of previously described allergenic proteins, indicating that this protein is a new allergen. Sensitization to booklice was relatively common and specific sensitization to this insect not related to insect panallergy was indicated in this population. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

A fluorescence study of liposomes entrapped in sol-gel materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yamanaka, S.A.; Singh, S.; Sasaki, D.Y.

1997-12-31

Liposomes of phosphatidylcholine lipids were successfully entrapped in silicates using the sol-gel method with complete retention of the molecular aggregates over long periods in aqueous solution. Fluorescent studies of the small unilamellar vesicles of 5% pyrene labeled lipid PSIDA with DSPC remobilized in the gel found significant lipid reorganization upon aging in aqueous solutions. Monitoring of pyrene excimer (470 nm) to monomer (375 nm) ratios in the bilayer reveals that the silicate matrix tends to disperse PSIDA lipid aggregates from that observed in free solution. On an interesting note, the liposomes in the gel at pH 7.5. The PSIDA/DSPC liposomes,more » sensitive to heavy metal ions in free solution, maintain similar sensitivity in the gel yet the sensor material can not be recycled.« less

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in the diagnosis of malignancy in patients with paraneoplastic neurological syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

García Vicente, Ana María; Delgado-Bolton, Roberto C; Amo-Salas, Mariano; López-Fidalgo, Jesús; Caresia Aróztegui, Ana Paula; García Garzón, José Ramón; Orcajo Rincón, Javier; García Velloso, María José; de Arcocha Torres, María; Alvárez Ruíz, Soledad

2017-08-01

The detection of occult cancer in patients suspected of having a paraneoplastic neurological syndrome (PNS) poses a diagnostic challenge. The aim of our study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the diagnostic performance of FDG PET for the detection of occult malignant disease responsible for PNS. A systematic review of the literature (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, and DARE) was undertaken to identify studies published in any language. The search strategy was structured after addressing clinical questions regarding the validity or usefulness of the test, following the PICO framework. Inclusion criteria were studies involving patients with PNS in whom FDG PET was performed to detect malignancy, and which reported sufficient primary data to allow calculation of diagnostic accuracy parameters. When possible, a meta-analysis was performed to calculate the joint sensitivity, specificity, and detection rate for malignancy (with 95% confidence intervals [CIs]), as well as a subgroup analysis based on patient characteristics (antibodies, syndrome). The comprehensive literature search revealed 700 references. Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were ultimately selected. Most of the studies were retrospective (12/16). For the quality assessment, the QUADAS-2 tool was applied to assess the risk of bias. Across 16 studies (793 patients), the joint sensitivity, specificity, and detection rate for malignancy with FDG PET were 0.87 (95% CI: 0.80-0.93), 0.86 (95% CI: 0.83-0.89), and 14.9% (95% CI: 11.5-18.7), respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) of the summary ROC curve was 0.917. Homogeneity of results was observed for sensitivity but not for specificity. Some of the individual studies showed large 95% CIs as a result of small sample size. The results of our meta-analysis reveal high diagnostic performance of FDG PET in the detection of malignancy responsible for PNS, not affected by the presence of onconeural antibodies or clinical characteristics.

Effect of simulated microgravity on oxidation-sensitive gene expression in PC12 cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwon, Ohwon; Sartor, Maureen; Tomlinson, Craig R.; Millard, Ronald W.; Olah, Mark E.; Sankovic, John M.; Banerjee, Rupak K.

2006-01-01

Oxygen utilization by and oxygen dependence of cellular processes may be different in biological systems that are exposed to microgravity (micro-g). A baseline in which cellular changes in oxygen sensitive molecular processes occur during micro-g conditions would be important to pursue this question. The objective of this research is to analyze oxidation-sensitive gene expression in a model cell line [rat pheochromocytoma (PC12)] under simulated micro-g conditions. The PC12 cell line is well characterized in its response to oxygen, and is widely recognized as a sensitive model for studying the responses of oxygen-sensitive molecular and cellular processes. This study uses the rotating wall vessel bioreactor (RWV) designed at NASA to simulate micro-g. Gene expression in PC12 cells in response to micro-g was analyzed by DNA microarray technology. The microarray analysis of PC12 cells cultured for 4 days under simulated micro-g under standardized oxygen environment conditions revealed more than 100 genes whose expression levels were changed at least twofold (up-regulation of 65 genes and down-regulation of 39 genes) compared with those from cells in the unit gravity (unit-g) control. This study observed that genes involved in the oxidoreductase activity category were most significantly differentially expressed under micro-g conditions. Also, known oxidation-sensitive transcription factors such as hypoxia-inducible factor-2α, c-myc, and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ were changed significantly. Our initial results from the gene expression microarray studies may provide a context in which to evaluate the effect of varying oxygen environments on the background of differential gene regulation of biological processes under variable gravity conditions.

Effect of simulated microgravity on oxidation-sensitive gene expression in PC12 cells

PubMed Central

Kwon, Ohwon; Sartor, Maureen; Tomlinson, Craig R.; Millard, Ronald W.; Olah, Mark E.; Sankovic, John M.; Banerjee, Rupak K.

2008-01-01

Oxygen utilization by and oxygen dependence of cellular processes may be different in biological systems that are exposed to microgravity (micro-g). A baseline in which cellular changes in oxygen sensitive molecular processes occur during micro-g conditions would be important to pursue this question. The objective of this research is to analyze oxidation-sensitive gene expression in a model cell line [rat pheochromocytoma (PC12)] under simulated micro-g conditions. The PC12 cell line is well characterized in its response to oxygen, and is widely recognized as a sensitive model for studying the responses of oxygen-sensitive molecular and cellular processes. This study uses the rotating wall vessel bioreactor (RWV) designed at NASA to simulate micro-g. Gene expression in PC12 cells in response to micro-g was analyzed by DNA microarray technology. The microarray analysis of PC12 cells cultured for 4 days under simulated micro-g under standardized oxygen environment conditions revealed more than 100 genes whose expression levels were changed at least twofold (up-regulation of 65 genes and down-regulation of 39 genes) compared with those from cells in the unit gravity (unit-g) control. This study observed that genes involved in the oxidoreductase activity category were most significantly differentially expressed under micro-g conditions. Also, known oxidation-sensitive transcription factors such as hypoxia-inducible factor-2α, c-myc, and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ were changed significantly. Our initial results from the gene expression microarray studies may provide a context in which to evaluate the effect of varying oxygen environments on the background of differential gene regulation of biological processes under variable gravity conditions. PMID:19081771

Racial and ethnic differences in experimental pain sensitivity: systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Kim, Hee Jun; Yang, Gee Su; Greenspan, Joel D; Downton, Katherine D; Griffith, Kathleen A; Renn, Cynthia L; Johantgen, Meg; Dorsey, Susan G

2017-02-01

Our objective was to describe the racial and ethnic differences in experimental pain sensitivity. Four databases (PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and PsycINFO) were searched for studies examining racial/ethnic differences in experimental pain sensitivity. Thermal-heat, cold-pressor, pressure, ischemic, mechanical cutaneous, electrical, and chemical experimental pain modalities were assessed. Risk of bias was assessed using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality guideline. Meta-analysis was used to calculate standardized mean differences (SMDs) by pain sensitivity measures. Studies comparing African Americans (AAs) and non-Hispanic whites (NHWs) were included for meta-analyses because of high heterogeneity in other racial/ethnic group comparisons. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed by subgroup analyses by sex, sample size, sample characteristics, and pain modalities. A total of 41 studies met the review criteria. Overall, AAs, Asians, and Hispanics had higher pain sensitivity compared with NHWs, particularly lower pain tolerance, higher pain ratings, and greater temporal summation of pain. Meta-analyses revealed that AAs had lower pain tolerance (SMD: -0.90, 95% confidence intervals [CIs]: -1.10 to -0.70) and higher pain ratings (SMD: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.30-0.69) but no significant differences in pain threshold (SMD: -0.06, 95% CI: -0.23 to 0.10) compared with NHWs. Estimates did not vary by pain modalities, nor by other demographic factors; however, SMDs were significantly different based on the sample size. Racial/ethnic differences in experimental pain sensitivity were more pronounced with suprathreshold than with threshold stimuli, which is important in clinical pain treatment. Additional studies examining mechanisms to explain such differences in pain tolerance and pain ratings are needed.

AgRP Neurons Control Systemic Insulin Sensitivity via Myostatin Expression in Brown Adipose Tissue.

PubMed

Steculorum, Sophie M; Ruud, Johan; Karakasilioti, Ismene; Backes, Heiko; Engström Ruud, Linda; Timper, Katharina; Hess, Martin E; Tsaousidou, Eva; Mauer, Jan; Vogt, Merly C; Paeger, Lars; Bremser, Stephan; Klein, Andreas C; Morgan, Donald A; Frommolt, Peter; Brinkkötter, Paul T; Hammerschmidt, Philipp; Benzing, Thomas; Rahmouni, Kamal; Wunderlich, F Thomas; Kloppenburg, Peter; Brüning, Jens C

2016-03-24

Activation of Agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons potently promotes feeding, and chronically altering their activity also affects peripheral glucose homeostasis. We demonstrate that acute activation of AgRP neurons causes insulin resistance through impairment of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake into brown adipose tissue (BAT). AgRP neuron activation acutely reprograms gene expression in BAT toward a myogenic signature, including increased expression of myostatin. Interference with myostatin activity improves insulin sensitivity that was impaired by AgRP neurons activation. Optogenetic circuitry mapping reveals that feeding and insulin sensitivity are controlled by both distinct and overlapping projections. Stimulation of AgRP → LHA projections impairs insulin sensitivity and promotes feeding while activation of AgRP → anterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (aBNST)vl projections, distinct from AgRP → aBNSTdm projections controlling feeding, mediate the effect of AgRP neuron activation on BAT-myostatin expression and insulin sensitivity. Collectively, our results suggest that AgRP neurons in mice induce not only eating, but also insulin resistance by stimulating expression of muscle-related genes in BAT, revealing a mechanism by which these neurons rapidly coordinate hunger states with glucose homeostasis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Microstructure characterization of onion (A.cepa) peels and thin films for dye sensitized solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abodunrin, T.; Boyo, A.; Usikalu, M.; Obafemi, L.; Oladapo, O.; Kotsedi, L.; Yenus, Z.; Maaza, M.

2017-03-01

A.cepa peels are obtained from mature onion bulbs. Because of the continuous need for energy, alternative avenues for producing energy are gaining importance. The motivation for this work is based on an urgent need to source energy from readily available waste materials like domestic onion peels. Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) fabricated via doctor blade method and high temperature sintering from waste (onion peels) are investigated for their ability to convert solar to electrical energy. The charge carriers were revealed under phytochemical screening. Functional groups of compounds present in A.cepa peel were analyzed with Fourier transform in infrared (FTIR). The influence of different electrolyte sensitizer is observed on the DSSCs under standard air mass conditions of 1.5 AM. The microstructure properties of these A.cepa DSSCs were explored using scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), x-ray diffraction and Fluorecence spectroscopy (XRF). The interfacial boundary between A.cepa dye, TiO2 framework of TiO2 and indium doped tin oxide (ITO) reveals several prominent anatase and rutile peaks. Photoelectric results, revealed dye-sensitized solar cells with a maximum power output of 126 W and incident photon to conversion energy (IPCE) of 0.13%.This work has established that A.cepa peels can be used as a source of micro-energy generation.

Studies on DNA damage: discordant responses of rate of DNA disentanglement (viscosimetrically evaluated) and alkaline elution rate, obtained for several compounds. Possible explanations of the discrepancies.

PubMed

Parodi, S; Balbi, C; Abelmoschi, M L; Pala, M; Russo, P; Santi, L

1983-12-01

Alkaline elution is a well-known method for detecting DNA damage. Recently we have developed a viscosimetric method that is even more sensitive than alkaline elution. Here we report that the two methods, although apparently both revealing alkaline DNA fragmentation, can give dramatically different results for a significant series of compounds. We suspect that alkaline elution might reveal not only DNA fragmentation but also the extent of disentanglement of chromatin structure, whereas this DNA disentanglement rate, when evaluated viscosimetrically , is more strictly correlated with the initiation of DNA unwinding.

Rat Phantom Depth Dose Studies in Electron, X-ray, Gamma-Ray, and Reactor Radiation Fields

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-12-01

i©™D©/^ ^1[P@^T Rat phantom depth dose studies in electron , Xrayf gamma-ray, and reactor radiation fields M. Dooley D. M. Eagleson G. H. Zeman...energy electrons , bremsstrahlung, and mixed neutron/gamma radiation fields are sometimes used in radiobiological experiments employing rats. This report...have revealed differing sensitivities of experimental animals that have been exposed to cobalt-60 photons, high-energy electrons , high-energy X rays

Segregation of face sensitive areas within the fusiform gyrus using global signal regression? A study on amygdala resting-state functional connectivity.

PubMed

Kruschwitz, Johann D; Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas; Veer, Ilya M; Wackerhagen, Carolin; Erk, Susanne; Mohnke, Sebastian; Pöhland, Lydia; Haddad, Leila; Grimm, Oliver; Tost, Heike; Romanczuk-Seiferth, Nina; Heinz, Andreas; Walter, Martin; Walter, Henrik

2015-10-01

The application of global signal regression (GSR) to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data and its usefulness is a widely discussed topic. In this article, we report an observation of segregated distribution of amygdala resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) within the fusiform gyrus (FFG) as an effect of GSR in a multi-center-sample of 276 healthy subjects. Specifically, we observed that amygdala rs-FC was distributed within the FFG as distinct anterior versus posterior clusters delineated by positive versus negative rs-FC polarity when GSR was performed. To characterize this effect in more detail, post hoc analyses revealed the following: first, direct overlays of task-functional magnetic resonance imaging derived face sensitive areas and clusters of positive versus negative amygdala rs-FC showed that the positive amygdala rs-FC cluster corresponded best with the fusiform face area, whereas the occipital face area corresponded to the negative amygdala rs-FC cluster. Second, as expected from a hierarchical face perception model, these amygdala rs-FC defined clusters showed differential rs-FC with other regions of the visual stream. Third, dynamic connectivity analyses revealed that these amygdala rs-FC defined clusters also differed in their rs-FC variance across time to the amygdala. Furthermore, subsample analyses of three independent research sites confirmed reliability of the effect of GSR, as revealed by similar patterns of distinct amygdala rs-FC polarity within the FFG. In this article, we discuss the potential of GSR to segregate face sensitive areas within the FFG and furthermore discuss how our results may relate to the functional organization of the face-perception circuit. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hormone replacement therapy diminishes hearing in peri-menopausal mice.

PubMed

Price, Katharine; Zhu, Xiaoxia; Guimaraes, Patricia F; Vasilyeva, Olga N; Frisina, Robert D

2009-06-01

We recently discovered that progestin in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for post-menopausal women has detrimental effects on the ear and central auditory system [Guimaraes, P., Frisina, S.T., Mapes, F., Tadros, S.F., Frisina, D.R., Frisina, R.D., 2006. Progestin negatively affects hearing in aged women. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. - PNAS 103, 14246-14249]. To start determining the generality and neural bases of these human findings, the present study examined the effects of combination HRT (estrogen+progestin) and estrogen alone on hearing in peri-menopausal mice. Specifically, auditory brainstem responses (ABRs-sensitivity of the auditory system) and distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs-cochlear outer hair cell system) were employed. Middle age female CBA mice received either a time-release, subcutaneous implanted pellet of estrogen+progestin, estrogen alone, or placebo. Longitudinal comparisons of ABR threshold data obtained at 4 months of treatment revealed statistically significant declines in auditory sensitivity over time for the combined estrogen+progestin treatment group, with the estrogen only group revealing milder changes at 3, 6 and 32 kHz. DPOAE testing revealed statistically significant differences for the estrogen+progestin treatment group in the high and middle frequency ranges (15-29 and 30-45 kHz) after as early as 2 months of treatment (p<0.01 and p<0.001, respectively). Statistically significant changes were also seen at 4 months of treatment across all frequencies for the combined HRT group. These data suggest that estrogen+progestin HRT therapy of 4 months duration impairs outer hair cell functioning and overall auditory sensitivity. These findings indicate that estrogen+progestin HRT may actually accelerate age-related hearing loss, relative to estrogen monotherapy; findings that are consistent with the clinical hearing loss observed in aging women that have taken combination HRT.

Effects of reward and punishment on task performance, mood and autonomic nervous function, and the interaction with personality.

PubMed

Sakuragi, Sokichi; Sugiyama, Yoshiki

2009-06-01

The effects of reward and punishment are different, and there are individual differences in sensitivity to reward and punishment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of reward and punishment on task performance, mood, and autonomic nervous function, along with the interaction with personality. Twenty-one healthy female subjects volunteered for the experiment. The task performance was evaluated by required time and total errors while performing a Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. We assessed their personalities using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) questionnaire, and mood states by a profile of mood states. Autonomic nervous function was estimated by a spectral analysis of heart rate variability, baroreflex sensitivity, and blood pressure. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant interaction of condition x time course on mood and autonomic nervous activity, which would indicate a less stressed state under the rewarding condition, but revealed no significant interaction of condition x time course on the task performance. The interactions with personality were further analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA applying the clinical scales of MMPI as independent variables, and significant interactions of condition x time course x Pt (psychasthenia) on task performance, mood, and blood pressure, were revealed. That is, the high Pt group, whose members tend to be sensitive and prone to worry, showed gradual improvement of task performance under the punishing situation with slight increase in systolic blood pressure, while showed no improvement under the rewarding situation with fatigue sense attenuation. In contrast, the low Pt group, whose members tend to be adaptive and self-confident, showed gradual improvement under the rewarding situation. Therefore, we should carefully choose the strategy of reward or punishment, considering the interaction with personality as well as the context in which it is given.

Micelle-induced versatile sensing behavior of bispyrene-based fluorescent molecular sensor for picric acid and PYX explosives.

PubMed

Ding, Liping; Bai, Yumei; Cao, Yuan; Ren, Guijia; Blanchard, Gary J; Fang, Yu

2014-07-08

The effect of surfactant micelles on the photophysical properties of a cationic bispyrene fluorophore, Py-diIM-Py, was systemically examined. The results from series of measurements including UV-vis absorption, steady-state fluorescence emission, quantum yield, fluorescence lifetime, and time-resolved emission spectra reveal that the cationic fluorophore is only encapsulated by the anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactant micelles and not incorporated in the cationic dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and neutral Triton X-100 (TX100) surfactant micelles. This different fluorophore location in the micellar solutions significantly influences its sensing behavior to various explosives. Fluorescence quenching studies reveal that the simple variation of micellar systems leads to significant changes in the sensitivity and selectivity of the fluorescent sensor to explosives. The sensor exhibits an on-off response to multiple explosives with the highest sensitivity to picric acid (PA) in the anionic SDS micelles. In the cationic DTAB micelles, it displays the highest on-off responses to PYX. Both the sensitivity and selectivity to PYX in the cationic micelles are enhanced compared with that to PA in the anionic micelles. However, the poor encapsulation in the neutral surfactant TX100 micelles leads to fluorescence instability of the fluorophore and fails to function as a sensor system. Time-resolved fluorescence decays in the presence of explosives reveal that the quenching mechanism of two micellar sensor systems to explosives is static in nature. The present work demonstrates that the electrostatic interaction between the cationic fluorophore and differently charged micelles plays a determinative role in adjusting its distribution in micellar solutions, which further influences the sensing behavior of the obtained micellar sensor systems.

Measuring high spatiotemporal variability in saltation intensity using a low-cost Saltation Detection System: Wind tunnel and field experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Winter, W.; van Dam, D. B.; Delbecque, N.; Verdoodt, A.; Ruessink, B. G.; Sterk, G.

2018-04-01

The commonly observed over prediction of aeolian saltation transport on sandy beaches is, at least in part, caused by saltation intermittency. To study small-scale saltation processes, high frequency saltation sensors are required on a high spatial resolution. Therefore, we developed a low-cost Saltation Detection System (SalDecS) with the aim to measure saltation intensity at a frequency of 10 Hz and with a spatial resolution of 0.10 m in wind-normal direction. Linearity and equal sensitivity of the saltation sensors were investigated during wind tunnel and field experiments. Wind tunnel experiments with a set of 7 SalDec sensors revealed that the variability of sensor sensitivity is at maximum 9% during relatively low saltation intensities. During more intense saltation the variability of sensor sensitivity decreases. A sigmoidal fit describes the relation between mass flux and sensor output measured during 5 different wind conditions. This indicates an increasing importance of sensor saturation with increasing mass flux. We developed a theoretical model to simulate and describe the effect of grain size, grain velocity and saltation intensity on sensor saturation. Time-averaged field measurements revealed sensitivity equality for 85 out of a set of 89 horizontally deployed SalDec sensors. On these larger timescales (hours) saltation variability imposed by morphological features, such as sand strips, can be recognized. We conclude that the SalDecS can be used to measure small-scale spatiotemporal variabilities of saltation intensity to investigate saltation characteristics related to wind turbulence.

Neural Summation in the Hawkmoth Visual System Extends the Limits of Vision in Dim Light.

PubMed

Stöckl, Anna Lisa; O'Carroll, David Charles; Warrant, Eric James

2016-03-21

Most of the world's animals are active in dim light and depend on good vision for the tasks of daily life. Many have evolved visual adaptations that permit a performance superior to that of manmade imaging devices [1]. In insects, a major model visual system, nocturnal species show impressive visual abilities ranging from flight control [2, 3], to color discrimination [4, 5], to navigation using visual landmarks [6-8] or dim celestial compass cues [9, 10]. In addition to optical adaptations that improve their sensitivity in dim light [11], neural summation of light in space and time-which enhances the coarser and slower features of the scene at the expense of noisier finer and faster features-has been suggested to improve sensitivity in theoretical [12-14], anatomical [15-17], and behavioral [18-20] studies. How these summation strategies function neurally is, however, presently unknown. Here, we quantified spatial and temporal summation in the motion vision pathway of a nocturnal hawkmoth. We show that spatial and temporal summation combine supralinearly to substantially increase contrast sensitivity and visual information rate over four decades of light intensity, enabling hawkmoths to see at light levels 100 times dimmer than without summation. Our results reveal how visual motion is calculated neurally in dim light and how spatial and temporal summation improve sensitivity while simultaneously maximizing spatial and temporal resolution, thus extending models of insect motion vision derived predominantly from diurnal flies. Moreover, the summation strategies we have revealed may benefit manmade vision systems optimized for variable light levels [21]. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Separating foliar physiology from morphology reveals the relative roles of vertically structured transpiration factors within red maple crowns and limitations of larger scale models

PubMed Central

Bauerle, William L.; Bowden, Joseph D.

2011-01-01

A spatially explicit mechanistic model, MAESTRA, was used to separate key parameters affecting transpiration to provide insights into the most influential parameters for accurate predictions of within-crown and within-canopy transpiration. Once validated among Acer rubrum L. genotypes, model responses to different parameterization scenarios were scaled up to stand transpiration (expressed per unit leaf area) to assess how transpiration might be affected by the spatial distribution of foliage properties. For example, when physiological differences were accounted for, differences in leaf width among A. rubrum L. genotypes resulted in a 25% difference in transpiration. An in silico within-canopy sensitivity analysis was conducted over the range of genotype parameter variation observed and under different climate forcing conditions. The analysis revealed that seven of 16 leaf traits had a ≥5% impact on transpiration predictions. Under sparse foliage conditions, comparisons of the present findings with previous studies were in agreement that parameters such as the maximum Rubisco-limited rate of photosynthesis can explain ∼20% of the variability in predicted transpiration. However, the spatial analysis shows how such parameters can decrease or change in importance below the uppermost canopy layer. Alternatively, model sensitivity to leaf width and minimum stomatal conductance was continuous along a vertical canopy depth profile. Foremost, transpiration sensitivity to an observed range of morphological and physiological parameters is examined and the spatial sensitivity of transpiration model predictions to vertical variations in microclimate and foliage density is identified to reduce the uncertainty of current transpiration predictions. PMID:21617246

Evaluation of chondromalacia of the patella with axial inversion recovery-fast spin-echo imaging.

PubMed

Lee, S H; Suh, J S; Cho, J; Kim, S J; Kim, S J

2001-03-01

The purpose of our study was to assess the accuracy of inversion recovery-fast spin-echo (IR-FSE) imaging for the evaluation of chondromalacia of the patella. Eighty-six patients were included, they underwent magnetic resonance (MR) examination and subsequent knee arthroscopy. Medial and lateral facets of the patella were evaluated separately. Axial images were obtained by using IR-FSE (TR/TE/TI = 3000/25/150 msec; echo train length, 8; 4-mm thickness; 12-cm field of view; 512 x 256 matrix; two, number of excitations) with a 1.5-T MR machine. MR interpretation of chondromalacia was made on the basis of the arthroscopic grading system. Of a total of 172 facets graded, arthroscopy revealed chondromalacia in 14 facets with various grades (G0, 158; G1, 1; G2, 3; G3, 6; G4, 4). Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in the chondromalacia grades were 57.1%, 93.0%, and 90.1%, respectively. There was one false-negative case (G4) and 11 false-positive cases (G1, eight; G2, two; G3, one). Sensitivity and specificity corrected by one grade difference were improved to 85.7% and 98.1%, respectively. When cartilage changes were grouped into early (corresponding to grade 1 and 2) and advanced (grade 3 and 4) diseases, sensitivity and specificity of the early and advanced diseases were 75% and 94% and 80% and 99%, respectively. IR-FSE imaging of the knee revealed high specificity but low sensitivity for the evaluation of chondromalacia of the patella.

Corollary discharge inhibition of wind-sensitive cercal giant interneurons in the singing field cricket

PubMed Central

Hedwig, Berthold

2014-01-01

Crickets carry wind-sensitive mechanoreceptors on their cerci, which, in response to the airflow produced by approaching predators, triggers escape reactions via ascending giant interneurons (GIs). Males also activate their cercal system by air currents generated due to the wing movements underlying sound production. Singing males still respond to external wind stimulation, but are not startled by the self-generated airflow. To investigate how the nervous system discriminates sensory responses to self-generated and external airflow, we intracellularly recorded wind-sensitive afferents and ventral GIs of the cercal escape pathway in fictively singing crickets, a situation lacking any self-stimulation. GI spiking was reduced whenever cercal wind stimulation coincided with singing motor activity. The axonal terminals of cercal afferents showed no indication of presynaptic inhibition during singing. In two ventral GIs, however, a corollary discharge inhibition occurred strictly in phase with the singing motor pattern. Paired intracellular recordings revealed that this inhibition was not mediated by the activity of the previously identified corollary discharge interneuron (CDI) that rhythmically inhibits the auditory pathway during singing. Cercal wind stimulation, however, reduced the spike activity of this CDI by postsynaptic inhibition. Our study reveals how precisely timed corollary discharge inhibition of ventral GIs can prevent self-generated airflow from triggering inadvertent escape responses in singing crickets. The results indicate that the responsiveness of the auditory and wind-sensitive pathway is modulated by distinct CDIs in singing crickets and that the corollary discharge inhibition in the auditory pathway can be attenuated by cercal wind stimulation. PMID:25318763

Evaluation performance of diagnostic methods of intestinal parasitosis in school age children in Ethiopia.

PubMed

Yimer, Mulat; Hailu, Tadesse; Mulu, Wondemagegn; Abera, Bayeh

2015-12-26

Although the sensitivity of Wet mount technique is questionable, it is the major diagnostic technique for routine diagnosis of intestinal parasitosis in Ethiopia. Therefore, the aim of this study was the evaluation performance of diagnostic methods of intestinal parasitosis in school age children in Ethiopia. A cross sectional study was conducted from May to June 2013. Single stool sample was processed for direct, Formol ether concentration (FEC) and Kato Katz methods. The sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) of diagnostic tests were calculated in terms of the "Gold" standard method (the combined result of the three methods altogether). A total of 422 school age children were participated in this study. The prevalence of intestinal parasites was high (74.6%) with Kato Katz technique. The sensitivity of Wet mount, FEC and Kato Katz tests against the Gold standard test was 48.9, 63.1 and 93.7%, respectively. Kato Katz technique revealed a better NPV 80.4 (80.1-80.6) as compared to the Wet mount (33.7%) and FEC techniques (41.3%). In this study, the Kato Katz technique outperformed the other two methods but the true values for sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic values are not known. Moreover, it is labor intensive and not easily accessible. Hence, it is preferable to use FEC technique to complement the Wet mount test.

Restoration of gravitropic sensitivity in starch-deficient mutants of Arabidopsis by hypergravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fitzelle, K. J.; Kiss, J. Z.

2001-01-01

Despite the extensive study of plant gravitropism, there have been few experiments which have utilized hypergravity as a tool to investigate gravisensitivity in flowering plants. Previous studies have shown that starch-deficient mutants of Arabidopsis are less sensitive to gravity compared to the wild-type (WT). In this report, the question addressed was whether hypergravity could restore the sensitivity of starch-deficient mutants of Arabidopsis. The strains examined include a WT, a starchless mutant and a reduced-starch mutant. Vertical orientation studies with dark-grown seedlings indicate that increased centrifugal acceleration improves orientation relative to the acceleration vector for all strains, even the WT. For starchless roots, growth of seedlings under constant 5 g acceleration was required to restore orientation to the level of the WT at 1 g. In contrast, approximately 10 g was required to restore the orientation of the starchless mutant hypocotyls to a WT level at 1 g. Examination of plastid position in root cap columella cells of the starchless mutant revealed that the restoration of gravitropic sensitivity was correlated with the sedimentation of plastids toward the distal cell wall. Even in WT plants, hypergravity caused greater sedimentation of plastids and improved gravitropic capability. Collectively, these experiments support the hypothesis of a statolith-based system of gravity perception in plants. As far as is known, this is the first report to use hypergravity to study the mechanisms of gravitropism in Arabidopsis.

Thermo-optical Characterization of Photothermal Optical Phase Shift Detection in Extended-Nano Channels and UV Detection of Biomolecules.

PubMed

Shimizu, Hisashi; Miyawaki, Naoya; Asano, Yoshihiro; Mawatari, Kazuma; Kitamori, Takehiko

2017-06-06

The expansion of microfluidics research to nanofluidics requires absolutely sensitive and universal detection methods. Photothermal detection, which utilizes optical absorption and nonradiative relaxation, is promising for the sensitive detection of nonlabeled biomolecules in nanofluidic channels. We have previously developed a photothermal optical phase shift (POPS) detection method to detect nonfluorescent molecules sensitively, while a rapid decrease of the sensitivity in nanochannels and the introduction of an ultraviolet (UV) excitation system were issues to be addressed. In the present study, our primary aim is to characterize the POPS signal in terms of the thermo-optical properties and quantitatively evaluate the causes for the decrease in sensitivity. The UV excitation system is then introduced into the POPS detector to realize the sensitive detection of nonlabeled biomolecules. The UV-POPS detection system is designed and constructed from scratch based on a symmetric microscope. The results of simulations and experiments reveal that the sensitivity decreases due to a reduction of the detection volume, dissipation of the heat, and cancellation of the changes in the refractive indices. Finally, determination of the concentration of a nonlabeled protein (bovine serum albumin) is performed in a very thin 900 nm deep nanochannel. As a result, the limit of detection (LOD) is 2.3 μM (600 molecules in the 440 attoliter detection volume), which is as low as that previously obtained for our visible POPS detector. UV-POPS detection is thus expected be a powerful technique for the study of biomolecules, including DNAs and proteins confined in nanofluidic channels.

Identification and classification of genes required for tolerance to high-sucrose stress revealed by genome-wide screening of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Ando, Akira; Tanaka, Fumiko; Murata, Yoshinori; Takagi, Hiroshi; Shima, Jun

2006-03-01

Yeasts used in bread making are exposed to high concentrations of sucrose during sweet dough fermentation. Despite its importance, tolerance to high-sucrose stress is poorly understood at the gene level. To clarify the genes required for tolerance to high-sucrose stress, genome-wide screening was undertaken using the complete deletion strain collection of diploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The screening identified 273 deletions that yielded high sucrose sensitivity, approximately 20 of which were previously uncharacterized. These 273 deleted genes were classified based on their cellular function and localization of their gene products. Cross-sensitivity of the high-sucrose-sensitive mutants to high concentrations of NaCl and sorbitol was studied. Among the 273 sucrose-sensitive deletion mutants, 269 showed cross-sensitivities to sorbitol or NaCl, and four (i.e. ade5,7, ade6, ade8, and pde2) were specifically sensitive to high sucrose. The general stress response pathways via high-osmolarity glycerol and stress response element pathways and the function of the invertase in the ade mutants were similar to those in the wild-type strain. In the presence of high-sucrose stress, intracellular contents of ATP in ade mutants were at least twofold lower than that of the wild-type cells, suggesting that depletion of ATP is a factor in sensitivity to high-sucrose stress. The genes identified in this study might be important for tolerance to high-sucrose stress, and therefore should be target genes in future research into molecular modification for breeding of yeast tolerant to high-sucrose stress.

Developmental programming: insulin sensitizer treatment improves reproductive function in prenatal testosterone-treated female sheep.

PubMed

Veiga-Lopez, Almudena; Lee, James S; Padmanabhan, Vasantha

2010-08-01

Prenatal testosterone (T) excess causes reproductive and metabolic disruptions including insulin resistance, attributes of women with polycystic ovary syndrome. This study tested the hypothesis that insulin resistance contributes toward severity of reproductive disruptions in prenatally T-treated females. Pregnant sheep were injected im with 100 mg of T-propionate semiweekly from d 30-90 of gestation. Immediately after the first breeding season, a subset of controls and prenatal T-treated (TR) sheep were administered an insulin sensitizer (rosiglitazone; 8 mg/d) orally for 8 months. Untreated control and prenatal T-treated females (T group) were studied in parallel. Biochemical analyses revealed rosiglitazone to be safe for use in sheep. Glucose tolerance tests performed before and after the insulin sensitizer treatment found that insulin sensitizer decreased cumulative insulin, cumulative insulin/glucose ratio, and insulin area under the curve by about 50% and increased the insulin sensitivity index by about 70% in the TR compared with the T group. Twenty percent of TR females showed a reduced number of cycles in the second relative to first breeding season as opposed to 80% of T group females showing such deterioration. Insulin sensitizer treatment also decreased the number of aberrant cycles (>/=18 d) during the second breeding season in the TR group relative to the first as opposed to the T group females showing an increase in the second breeding season relative to the first. These findings provide evidence that insulin sensitizer treatment prevents further deterioration of the reproductive axis in prenatal T-treated sheep, a finding of translational relevance to women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Developmental Programming: Impact of Prenatal Testosterone Excess on Insulin Sensitivity, Adiposity, and Free Fatty Acid Profile in Postpubertal Female Sheep

PubMed Central

Veiga-Lopez, A.; Moeller, J.; Patel, D.; Ye, W.; Pease, A.; Kinns, J.

2013-01-01

Prenatal T excess causes reproductive and metabolic disruptions including insulin resistance, attributes of women with polycystic ovary syndrome. This study tested whether increases in visceral adiposity, adipocyte size, and total free fatty acids underlie the insulin resistance seen in prenatal T-treated female sheep. At approximately 16 months of age, insulin resistance and adipose tissue partitioning were determined via hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp and computed tomography, respectively, in control and prenatal T-treated females. Three months later, adipocyte size and free fatty acid composition were determined. Results revealed that at the postpubertal time points tested, insulin sensitivity was increased, visceral adiposity and adipocyte size in both the sc and the visceral compartments were reduced, and circulating palmitic acid was increased in prenatal T-treated females relative to controls. In parallel studies, 20-month-old prenatal T-treated females tended to have increased basal insulin to glucose ratio. Relative to earlier findings of reduced insulin sensitivity of prenatal T-treated females during early life and adulthood, these findings of increased insulin sensitivity and reduced adiposity postpubertally are suggestive of a period of developmental adaptation. The disruption observed in free fatty acid metabolism a few months later correspond to a time point when the insulin sensitivity indices of prenatal T-treated animals appear to shift toward insulin resistance. In summary, current findings of improved insulin sensitivity and reduced visceral adiposity in postpubertal prenatal T-treated sheep relative to our earlier findings of reduced insulin sensitivity during early postnatal life and adulthood are indicative of a period of developmental adaptation. PMID:23525243

Auraptene Attenuates Malignant Properties of Esophageal Stem-Like Cancer Cells.

PubMed

Saboor-Maleki, Saffiyeh; Rassouli, Fatemeh B; Matin, Maryam M; Iranshahi, Mehrdad

2017-08-01

The high incidence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma has been reported in selected ethnic populations including North of Iran. Low survival rate of esophageal carcinoma is partially due to the presence of stem-like cancer cells with chemotherapy resistance. In the current study, we aimed to determine the effects of auraptene, an interesting dietary coumarin with various biological activities, on malignant properties of stem-like esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, in terms of sensitivity to anticancer drugs and expression of specific markers. To do so, the half maximal inhibitory concentration values of auraptene, cisplatin, paclitaxel, and 5-fluorouracil were determined on esophageal carcinoma cells (KYSE30 cell line). After administrating combinatorial treatments, including nontoxic concentrations of auraptene + cisplatin, paclitaxel, or 5-fluorouracil, sensitivity of cells to chemical drugs and also induced apoptosis were assessed. In addition, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to study changes in the expression of tumor suppressor proteins 53 and 21 ( P53 and P21), cluster of differentiation 44 ( CD44), and B cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 ( BMI-1) upon treatments. Results of thiazolyl blue assay revealed that auraptene significantly ( P < .05) increased toxicity of cisplatin, paclitaxel, and 5-fluorouracil in KYSE30 cells, specifically 72 hours after treatment. Conducting an apoptosis assay using flow cytometry also confirmed the synergic effects of auraptene. Results of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed significant ( P < .05) upregulation of P53 and P21 upon combinatorial treatments and also downregulation of CD44 and BMI-1 after auraptene administration. Current study provided evidence, for the first time, that auraptene attenuates the properties of esophageal stem-like cancer cells through enhancing sensitivity to chemical agents and reducing the expression of CD44 and BMI-1 markers.

Analytical evidence of heterogeneous lead accumulation in the hypothalamic defence area and nucleus tractus solitarius.

PubMed

Guimarães, D; Santos, J P; Carvalho, M L; Diniz, M S; House, B; Miller, V M

2014-09-01

Lead is a potent toxicant associated with adverse cardiovascular effects and hypertension in children. Yet, few studies have determined if autonomic dysfunction associated with lead exposure involves brain regions which regulate autonomic responses. Central autonomic nuclei such as the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and hypothalamic defence area (HDA) may be particularly sensitive to lead infiltration because they are adjacent to ventricles and areas with semi-permeable blood-brain-barriers. To understand if autonomic nuclei are sensitive to lead accumulation Wistar rats were exposed to lead from the gestational period and lead levels were quantified in brain regions that regulate arterial pressure: the NTS and the HDA. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) was used to quantify total brain lead levels and revealed no differences between exposed and control tissues; measured values were close to the detection limit (2μg/g). Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) was also used, which has a greater sensitivity, to quantify lead. There was ∼2.1μg/g lead in the NTS and ∼3.1μg/g lead in the HDA of exposed rats, and no lead in the control rats. There were greater lead levels in the HDA (∼50%) as compared with the NTS. Pathology studies revealed more prominent lead granules in the HDA as compared with the NTS. Increased microglia and astrocyte activation was also noted in the NTS of lead exposed rats as compared with the HDA. Regional differences in neuro-inflammatory responses likely contribute to heterogeneous lead accumulation, with enhanced clearance of lead in the NTS. Future studies will resolve the mechanisms underpinning tissue-specific lead accumulation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From in silico to in vitro: a trip to reveal flavonoid binding on the Rattus norvegicus Kir6.1 ATP-sensitive inward rectifier potassium channel.

PubMed

Trezza, Alfonso; Cicaloni, Vittoria; Porciatti, Piera; Langella, Andrea; Fusi, Fabio; Saponara, Simona; Spiga, Ottavia

2018-01-01

ATP-sensitive inward rectifier potassium channels (Kir), are a potassium channel family involved in many physiological processes. K ATP dysfunctions are observed in several diseases such as hypoglycaemia, hyperinsulinemia, Prinzmetal angina-like symptoms, cardiovascular diseases. A broader view of the K ATP mechanism is needed in order to operate on their regulation, and in this work we clarify the structure of the Rattus norvegicus ATP-sensitive inward rectifier potassium channel 8 (Kir6.1), which has been obtained through a homology modelling procedure. Due to the medical use of flavonoids, a considerable increase in studies on their influence on human health has recently been observed, therefore our aim is to study, through computational methods, the three-dimensional (3D) conformation together with mechanism of action of Kir6.1 with three flavonoids. Computational analysis by performing molecular dynamics (MD) and docking simulation on rat 3D modelled structure have been completed, in its closed and open conformation state and in complex with Quercetin, 5-Hydroxyflavone and Rutin flavonoids. Our study showed that only Quercetin and 5-Hydroxyflavone were responsible for a significant down-regulation of the Kir6.1 activity, stabilising it in a closed conformation. This hypothesis was supported by in vitro experiments demonstrating that Quercetin and 5-Hydroxyflavone were capable to inhibit K ATP currents of rat tail main artery myocytes recorded by the patch-clamp technique. Combined methodological approaches, such as molecular modelling, docking and MD simulations of Kir6.1 channel, used to elucidate flavonoids intrinsic mechanism of action, are introduced, revealing a new potential druggable protein site.

Maternal sensitivity, infant limbic structure volume and functional connectivity: a preliminary study

PubMed Central

Rifkin-Graboi, A; Kong, L; Sim, L W; Sanmugam, S; Broekman, B F P; Chen, H; Wong, E; Kwek, K; Saw, S-M; Chong, Y-S; Gluckman, P D; Fortier, M V; Pederson, D; Meaney, M J; Qiu, A

2015-01-01

Mechanisms underlying the profound parental effects on cognitive, emotional and social development in humans remain poorly understood. Studies with nonhuman models suggest variations in parental care affect the limbic system, influential to learning, autobiography and emotional regulation. In some research, nonoptimal care relates to decreases in neurogenesis, although other work suggests early-postnatal social adversity accelerates the maturation of limbic structures associated with emotional learning. We explored whether maternal sensitivity predicts human limbic system development and functional connectivity patterns in a small sample of human infants. When infants were 6 months of age, 20 mother–infant dyads attended a laboratory-based observational session and the infants underwent neuroimaging at the same age. After considering age at imaging, household income and postnatal maternal anxiety, regression analyses demonstrated significant indirect associations between maternal sensitivity and bilateral hippocampal volume at six months, with the majority of associations between sensitivity and the amygdala demonstrating similar indirect, but not significant results. Moreover, functional analyses revealed direct associations between maternal sensitivity and connectivity between the hippocampus and areas important for emotional regulation and socio-emotional functioning. Sensitivity additionally predicted indirect associations between limbic structures and regions related to autobiographical memory. Our volumetric results are consistent with research indicating accelerated limbic development in response to early social adversity, and in combination with our functional results, if replicated in a larger sample, may suggest that subtle, but important, variations in maternal care influence neuroanatomical trajectories important to future cognitive and emotional functioning. PMID:26506054

Analysis of the causes of discrepancies in troponin I concentrations as measured by ARCHITECT High-Sensitive Troponin I ST and STACIA CLEIA cTnI.

PubMed

Kondo, Takashi; Kobayashi, Daisuke; Mochizuki, Maki; Asanuma, Kouichi; Takahashi, Satoshi

2017-01-01

Background Recently developed reagents for the highly sensitive measurement of cardiac troponin I are useful for early diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. However, differences in measured values between these new reagents and previously used reagents have not been well studied. In this study, we aimed to compare the values between ARCHITECT High-Sensitive Troponin I ST (newly developed reagents), ARCHITECT Troponin I ST and STACIA CLEIA cardiac troponin I (two previously developed reagent kits). Methods Gel filtration high-performance liquid chromatography was used to analyse the causes of differences in measured values. Results The measured values differed between ARCHITECT High-Sensitive Troponin I ST and STACIA CLEIA cardiac troponin I reagents (r = 0.82). Cross-reactivity tests using plasma with added skeletal-muscle troponin I resulted in higher reactivity (2.17-3.03%) for the STACIA CLEIA cardiac troponin I reagents compared with that for the ARCHITECT High-Sensitive Troponin I ST reagents (less than 0.014%). In addition, analysis of three representative samples using gel filtration high-performance liquid chromatography revealed reagent-specific differences in the reactivity against each cardiac troponin I complex; this could explain the differences in values observed for some of the samples. Conclusion The newly developed ARCHITECT High-Sensitive Troponin I ST reagents were not affected by the presence of skeletal-muscle troponin I in the blood and may be useful for routine examinations.

Spectra analysis of coating antigen: A possible explanation for difference in anti-AFB1 polyclonal antibody sensitivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Yang; Liu, Aiping; Wang, Xiaohong; Chen, Fusheng

2016-10-01

For the detection of small hapten molecules, indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) is a preferred method. However, diverse coating antigen might bring different antiserum titer and sensitivity for the identical antiserum. In the present study, four AFB1-protein (aflatoxin B1-carrier protein) conjugates were prepared by activated ester method (AFB1O-BSA/AFB1O-OVA) and mannich method (AFB1-cBSA/AFB1-cOVA), and then applied as coating antigen for titer and sensitivity detection of the identical antiserum obtained from rabbit immunized by AFB1-KLH. Afterwards, the ultraviolet-visible, fluorescence and far-ultraviolet circular dichroism (far-UV CD) spectra were recorded for understanding the difference in titer and sensitivity obtained. Results revealed that AFB1O-BSA/AFB1O-OVA showed a strong intrinsic fluorescence band centered at 450 nm that originated from the emission of AFB1, which differed from AFB1-cBSA/AFB1-cOVA, while the decrease of α-helical and increase of β-sheet in AFB1-cBSA was the most remarkable. This indicated that the better sensitivity obtained by using AFB1O-BSA as coating antigen might be caused by its extended structure, because such structure affect the binding between AFB1 and antibody. The study might offer structural information for understanding the titer and sensitivity difference caused by coating antigen.

Identification and antibiogram pattern of Bacillus cereus from the milk and milk products in and around Jammu region

PubMed Central

Yusuf, Umar; Kotwal, S. K.; Gupta, Sanjolly; Ahmed, Touqeer

2018-01-01

Aim: The aims of the present study were to assess the prevalence, identification, and antibiogram pattern of Bacillus cereus from 215 samples of different milk and milk products in and around Jammu region. Materials and Methods: In the present study, 215 samples of milk, rasgulla, burfi, rasmalai, kalaari, paneer, ice cream, and pastry were collected and analyzed for the isolation of the B. cereus using PEMBA, and antibiogram pattern was observed for all the milk and milk products. Results: B. cereus was detected in 61/215 samples with an overall prevalence of 28.37%. Biotyping revealed predominantly 5, 7, and 2 biotypes in raw milk. Burfi and ice cream revealed 2, 3, 5, and 7 biotypes. Rasgulla had 2, 3, and 5 biotypes; paneer and rasmalai had biotypes 2 and 5, while kalaari revealed biotype 5. Antibiogram pattern revealed that isolates were highly sensitive to gentamicin (100%), intermediate to ampicillin (40.98%), tetracycline (31.14%), erythromycin (29.50%), and amoxicillin (26.22%), and high resistance against penicillin G (100%). Adulteration of starch was detected in 16.66 % raw milk samples. All starch positive samples were positive for B. cereus. However, 12 starch negative samples also yielded B. cereus. Conclusion: From this study, it was concluded that highest prevalence of B. cereus was found in ice cream. Several isolates of B. cereus showed toxigenic activity, so the presence of B. cereus in milk and milk products may be of public health hazard. The antibiogram pattern of B. cereus isolates showed sensitivity to gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, and resistance to penicillin-G and cephalexin. The presence of B. cereus in milk and milk products showed a strong association besides establishing the fact that starch adulteration can be indicative of the presence of B. cereus. PMID:29657402

Low maternal sensitivity at 6 months of age predicts higher BMI in 48 month old girls but not boys.

PubMed

Wendland, Barbara E; Atkinson, Leslie; Steiner, Meir; Fleming, Alison S; Pencharz, Paul; Moss, Ellen; Gaudreau, Hélène; Silveira, Patricia P; Arenovich, Tamara; Matthews, Stephen G; Meaney, Michael J; Levitan, Robert D

2014-11-01

Large population-based studies suggest that systematic measures of maternal sensitivity predict later risk for overweight and obesity. More work is needed to establish the developmental timing and potential moderators of this association. The current study examined the association between maternal sensitivity at 6 months of age and BMI z score measures at 48 months of age, and whether sex moderated this association. Longitudinal Canadian cohort of children from birth (the MAVAN project). This analysis was based on a dataset of 223 children (115 boys, 108 girls) who had structured assessments of maternal sensitivity at 6 months of age and 48-month BMI data available. Mother-child interactions were videotaped and systematically scored using the Maternal Behaviour Q-Sort (MBQS)-25 items, a standardized measure of maternal sensitivity. Linear mixed-effects models and logistic regression examined whether MBQS scores at 6 months predicted BMI at 48 months, controlling for other covariates. After controlling for weight-relevant covariates, there was a significant sex by MBQS interaction (P=0.015) in predicting 48 month BMI z. Further analysis revealed a strong negative association between MBQS scores and BMI in girls (P=0.01) but not boys (P=0.72). Logistic regression confirmed that in girls only, low maternal sensitivity was associated with the higher BMI categories as defined by the WHO (i.e. "at risk for overweight" or above). A significant association between low maternal sensitivity at 6 months of age and high body mass indices was found in girls but not boys at 48 months of age. These data suggest for the first time that the link between low maternal sensitivity and early BMI z may differ between boys and girls. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improved Xenobiotic Metabolism and Reduced Susceptibility to Cancer in Gluten-Sensitive Macaques upon Introduction of a Gluten-Free Diet

PubMed Central

Sestak, Karol; Conroy, Lauren; Aye, Pyone P.; Mehra, Smriti; Doxiadis, Gaby G.; Kaushal, Deepak

2011-01-01

Background A non-human primate (NHP) model of gluten sensitivity was employed to study the gene perturbations associated with dietary gluten changes in small intestinal tissues from gluten-sensitive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Methodology Stages of remission and relapse were accomplished in gluten-sensitive animals by administration of gluten-free (GFD) and gluten-containing (GD) diets, as described previously. Pin-head-sized biopsies, obtained non-invasively by pediatric endoscope from duodenum while on GFD or GD, were used for preparation of total RNA and gene profiling, using the commercial Rhesus Macaque Microarray (Agilent Technologies),targeting expression of over 20,000 genes. Principal Findings When compared with normal healthy control, gluten-sensitive macaques showed differential gene expressions induced by GD. While observed gene perturbations were classified into one of 12 overlapping categories - cancer, metabolism, digestive tract function, immune response, cell growth, signal transduction, autoimmunity, detoxification of xenobiotics, apoptosis, actin-collagen deposition, neuronal and unknown function - this study focused on cancer-related gene networks such as cytochrome P450 family (detoxification function) and actin-collagen-matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) genes. Conclusions/Significance A loss of detoxification function paralleled with necessity to metabolize carcinogens was revealed in gluten-sensitive animals while on GD. An increase in cancer-promoting factors and a simultaneous decrease in cancer-preventing factors associated with altered expression of actin-collagen-MMP gene network were noted. In addition, gluten-sensitive macaques showed reduced number of differentially expressed genes including the cancer-associated ones upon withdrawal of dietary gluten. Taken together, these findings indicate potentially expanded utility of gluten-sensitive rhesus macaques in cancer research. PMID:21533263

Decision-making patterns and sensitivity to reward and punishment in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Masunami, Taiji; Okazaki, Shinji; Maekawa, Hisao

2009-06-01

Earlier studies have demonstrated that attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with aberrant sensitivity to rewards and punishments. Although some studies have focused on real-life decision making in children with ADHD using the Iowa gambling task, the number of good deck choices, a frequently used index of decision-making ability in the gambling task, is insufficient for investigating the complex decision-making strategies in subjects. In the present study, we investigated decision-making strategies in ADHD children, analyzing T-patterns with rewards, with punishments, and without rewards and punishments during the gambling task, and examined the relationship between decision-making strategies and skin conductance responses (SCRs) to rewards and punishments. We hypothesized that ADHD children and normal children would employ different decision-making strategies depending on their sensitivity to rewards and punishments in the gambling task. Our results revealed that ADHD children had fewer T-patterns with punishments and exhibited a significant tendency to have many T-patterns with rewards, thus supporting our hypothesis. Moreover, in contrast to normal children, ADHD children failed to demonstrate differences between reward and punishment SCRs, supporting the idea that they had an aberrant sensitivity to rewards and punishments. Therefore, we concluded that ADHD children would be impaired in decision-making strategies depending on their aberrant sensitivity to rewards and punishments. However, we were unable to specify whether large reward SCRs or small punishment SCRs is generated in ADHD children.

Quantitative method to determine the regional drinking water odorant regulation goals based on odor sensitivity distribution: illustrated using 2-MIB.

PubMed

Yu, Jianwei; An, Wei; Cao, Nan; Yang, Min; Gu, Junong; Zhang, Dong; Lu, Ning

2014-07-01

Taste and odor (T/O) in drinking water often cause consumer complaints and are thus regulated in many countries. However, people in different regions may exhibit different sensitivities toward T/O. This study proposed a method to determine the regional drinking water odorant regulation goals (ORGs) based on the odor sensitivity distribution of the local population. The distribution of odor sensitivity to 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) by the local population in Beijing, China was revealed by using a normal distribution function/model to describe the odor complaint response to a 2-MIB episode in 2005, and a 2-MIB concentration of 12.9 ng/L and FPA (flavor profile analysis) intensity of 2.5 was found to be the critical point to cause odor complaints. Thus the Beijing ORG for 2-MIB was determined to be 12.9 ng/L. Based on the assumption that the local FPA panel can represent the local population in terms of sensitivity to odor, and that the critical FPA intensity causing odor complaints was 2.5, this study tried to determine the ORGs for seven other cities of China by performing FPA tests using an FPA panel from the corresponding city. ORG values between 12.9 and 31.6 ng/L were determined, showing that a unified ORG may not be suitable for drinking water odor regulations. This study presents a novel approach for setting drinking water odor regulations. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Microbial oceanography in a sea of opportunity.

PubMed

Bowler, Chris; Karl, David M; Colwell, Rita R

2009-05-14

Plankton use solar energy to drive the nutrient cycles that make the planet habitable for larger organisms. We can now explore the diversity and functions of plankton using genomics, revealing the gene repertoires associated with survival in the oceans. Such studies will help us to appreciate the sensitivity of ocean systems and of the ocean's response to climate change, improving the predictive power of climate models.

Diagnosing Autism in Adults with Intellectual Disability: Validation of the DiBAS-R in an Independent Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heinrich, Manuel; Böhm, Julia; Sappok, Tanja

2018-01-01

The study assessed the diagnostic validity of the diagnostic behavioral assessment for autism spectrum disorders-revised (DiBAS-R; 19-item screening scale based on ratings by caregivers) in a clinical sample of 381 adults with ID. Analysis revealed a sensitivity of 0.82 and a specificity of 0.67 in the overall sample (70.3% agreement). Sensitivity…

The Relationship of Maternal Behavior and Acculturation to the Quality of Attachment in Hispanic Infants Living in New York City.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fracasso, Maria P.; And Others

1994-01-01

Studied the relationship of parenting behavior and acculturation to the quality of attachment in 26 Puerto Rican and Dominican infants. Results revealed equal numbers of secure and insecure infants, although more boys than girls were secure. Mothers of secure infants were more sensitive and engaged in more frequent abrupt-interfering pick-ups. (KS)

Theoretical study of modulated multi-layer SPR device for improved refractive index sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohapatra, Saswat; Moirangthem, Rakesh S.

2018-02-01

In the present work, a theoretical investigation of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) properties of a multilayer film (Au-SiO2-Au) coated on a glass prism is being carried out. In this multilayer structure, each interface corresponds to multiple SPR modes. To obtain the maximum reflection dips in the SPR modes, the thickness of SiO2 layer is optimized by varying it from 100-600 nm. Our calculation also reveals that SPR mode corresponding to Au-ambient interface is very sensitive to the changes in the surrounding medium, least affecting other SPR modes. The sensing performance of the proposed nano-plasmonic sensor is theoretically calculated using bulk refractive index sensing. Such multilayer SPR sensing device has advantages over conventional SPR devices in terms of their bulk sensitivity and self-referencing, claiming itself as a potential candidate for the development of highly sensitive biological sensor.

Strain-specific variations in cation content and transport in mouse erythrocytes

PubMed Central

Rivera, Alicia; Zee, Robert Y. L.; Alper, Seth L.; Peters, Luanne L.

2013-01-01

Studies of ion transport pathophysiology in hematological disorders and tests of possible new therapeutic agents for these disorders have been carried out in various mouse models because of close functional similarities between mouse and human red cells. We have explored strain-specific differences in erythrocyte membrane physiology in 10 inbred mouse strains by determining erythrocyte contents of Na+, K+, and Mg2+, and erythrocyte transport of ions via the ouabain-sensitive Na-K pump, the amiloride-sensitive Na-H exchanger (NHE1), the volume and chloride-dependent K-Cl cotransporter (KCC), and the charybdotoxin-sensitive Gardos channel (KCNN4). Our data reveal substantial strain-specific and sex-specific differences in both ion content and trans-membrane ion transport in mouse erythrocytes. These differences demonstrate the feasibility of identifying specific quantitative trait loci for erythroid ion transport and content in genetically standardized inbred mouse strains. PMID:23482811

Strain-specific variations in cation content and transport in mouse erythrocytes.

PubMed

Rivera, Alicia; Zee, Robert Y L; Alper, Seth L; Peters, Luanne L; Brugnara, Carlo

2013-05-01

Studies of ion transport pathophysiology in hematological disorders and tests of possible new therapeutic agents for these disorders have been carried out in various mouse models because of close functional similarities between mouse and human red cells. We have explored strain-specific differences in erythrocyte membrane physiology in 10 inbred mouse strains by determining erythrocyte contents of Na(+), K(+), and Mg(2+), and erythrocyte transport of ions via the ouabain-sensitive Na-K pump, the amiloride-sensitive Na-H exchanger (NHE1), the volume and chloride-dependent K-Cl cotransporter (KCC), and the charybdotoxin-sensitive Gardos channel (KCNN4). Our data reveal substantial strain-specific and sex-specific differences in both ion content and trans-membrane ion transport in mouse erythrocytes. These differences demonstrate the feasibility of identifying specific quantitative trait loci for erythroid ion transport and content in genetically standardized inbred mouse strains.

Ranking ecological risks of multiple chemical stressors on amphibians.

PubMed

Fedorenkova, Anastasia; Vonk, J Arie; Lenders, H J Rob; Creemers, Raymond C M; Breure, Anton M; Hendriks, A Jan

2012-06-01

Populations of amphibians have been declining worldwide since the late 1960s. Despite global concern, no studies have quantitatively assessed the major causes of this decline. In the present study, species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) were developed to analyze the sensitivity of anurans for ammonium, nitrate, heavy metals (cadmium, copper), pesticides (18 compounds), and acidification (pH) based on laboratory toxicity data. Ecological risk (ER) was calculated as the probability that a measured environmental concentration of a particular stressor in habitats where anurans were observed would exceed the toxic effect concentrations derived from the species sensitivity distributions. The assessment of ER was used to rank the stressors according to their potential risk to anurans based on a case study of Dutch freshwater bodies. The derived ERs revealed that threats to populations of anurans decreased in the sequence of pH, copper, diazinon, ammonium, and endosulfan. Other stressors studied were of minor importance. The method of deriving ER by combining field observation data and laboratory data provides insight into potential threats to species in their habitats and can be used to prioritize stressors, which is necessary to achieve effective management in amphibian conservation. Copyright © 2012 SETAC.

The pitfalls of platform comparison: DNA copy number array technologies assessed

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background The accurate and high resolution mapping of DNA copy number aberrations has become an important tool by which to gain insight into the mechanisms of tumourigenesis. There are various commercially available platforms for such studies, but there remains no general consensus as to the optimal platform. There have been several previous platform comparison studies, but they have either described older technologies, used less-complex samples, or have not addressed the issue of the inherent biases in such comparisons. Here we describe a systematic comparison of data from four leading microarray technologies (the Affymetrix Genome-wide SNP 5.0 array, Agilent High-Density CGH Human 244A array, Illumina HumanCNV370-Duo DNA Analysis BeadChip, and the Nimblegen 385 K oligonucleotide array). We compare samples derived from primary breast tumours and their corresponding matched normals, well-established cancer cell lines, and HapMap individuals. By careful consideration and avoidance of potential sources of bias, we aim to provide a fair assessment of platform performance. Results By performing a theoretical assessment of the reproducibility, noise, and sensitivity of each platform, notable differences were revealed. Nimblegen exhibited between-replicate array variances an order of magnitude greater than the other three platforms, with Agilent slightly outperforming the others, and a comparison of self-self hybridizations revealed similar patterns. An assessment of the single probe power revealed that Agilent exhibits the highest sensitivity. Additionally, we performed an in-depth visual assessment of the ability of each platform to detect aberrations of varying sizes. As expected, all platforms were able to identify large aberrations in a robust manner. However, some focal amplifications and deletions were only detected in a subset of the platforms. Conclusion Although there are substantial differences in the design, density, and number of replicate probes, the comparison indicates a generally high level of concordance between platforms, despite differences in the reproducibility, noise, and sensitivity. In general, Agilent tended to be the best aCGH platform and Affymetrix, the superior SNP-CGH platform, but for specific decisions the results described herein provide a guide for platform selection and study design, and the dataset a resource for more tailored comparisons. PMID:19995423

Comparison of novel and standard diagnostic tools for the detection of Schistosoma mekongi infection in Lao People's Democratic Republic and Cambodia.

PubMed

Vonghachack, Youthanavanh; Sayasone, Somphou; Khieu, Virak; Bergquist, Robert; van Dam, Govert J; Hoekstra, Pytsje T; Corstjens, Paul L A M; Nickel, Beatrice; Marti, Hanspeter; Utzinger, Jürg; Muth, Sinuon; Odermatt, Peter

2017-08-10

Given the restricted distribution of Schistosoma mekongi in one province in Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and two provinces in Cambodia, together with progress of the national control programmes aimed at reducing morbidity and infection prevalence, the elimination of schistosomiasis mekongi seems feasible. However, sensitive diagnostic tools will be required to determine whether elimination has been achieved. We compared several standard and novel diagnostic tools in S. mekongi-endemic areas. The prevalence and infection intensity of S. mekongi were evaluated in 377 study participants from four villages in the endemic areas in Lao PDR and Cambodia using Kato-Katz stool examination, antibody detection based on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and schistosome circulating antigen detection by lateral-flow tests. Two highly sensitive test systems for the detection of cathodic and anodic circulating antigens (CCA, CAA) in urine and serum were utilized. Stool microscopy revealed an overall prevalence of S. mekongi of 6.4% (one case in Cambodia and 23 cases in Lao PDR), while that of Opisthorchis viverrini, hookworm, Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides and Taenia spp. were 50.4%, 28.1%, 3.5%, 0.3% and 1.9%, respectively. In the urine samples, the tests for CCA and CAA detected S. mekongi infections in 21.0% and 38.7% of the study participants, respectively. In the serum samples, the CAA assay revealed a prevalence of 32.4%, while a combination of the CAA assay in serum and in urine revealed a prevalence of 43.2%. There was a difference between the two study locations with a higher prevalence reached in the samples from Lao PDR. The CCA, CAA and ELISA results showed substantially higher prevalence estimates for S. mekongi compared to Kato-Katz thick smears. Active schistosomiasis mekongi in Lao PDR and Cambodia might thus have been considerably underestimated previously. Hence, sustained control efforts are still needed to break transmission of S. mekongi. The pivotal role of highly sensitive diagnostic assays in areas targeting elimination cannot be overemphasised.

High surface plasmon resonance sensitivity enabled by optical disks.

PubMed

Dou, Xuan; Phillips, Blayne M; Chung, Pei-Yu; Jiang, Peng

2012-09-01

We report a systematic, experimental, and theoretical investigation on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing using optical disks with different track pitches, including Blu-ray disk (BD), digital versatile disk (DVD), and compact disk (CD). Optical reflection measurements indicate that CD and DVD exhibit much higher SPR sensitivity than BD. Both experiments and finite-difference time-domain simulations reveal that the SPR sensitivity is significantly affected by the diffraction order of the SPR peaks and higher diffraction order results in lower sensitivity. Numerical simulations also show that very high sensitivity (∼1600  nm per refractive index unit) is achievable by CDs.

Computer-aided detection of pulmonary embolism at CT pulmonary angiography: can it improve performance of inexperienced readers?

PubMed

Blackmon, Kevin N; Florin, Charles; Bogoni, Luca; McCain, Joshua W; Koonce, James D; Lee, Heon; Bastarrika, Gorka; Thilo, Christian; Costello, Philip; Salganicoff, Marcos; Joseph Schoepf, U

2011-06-01

To evaluate the effect of a computer-aided detection (CAD) algorithm on the performance of novice readers for detection of pulmonary embolism (PE) at CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA). We included CTPA examinations of 79 patients (50 female, 52 ± 18 years). Studies were evaluated by two independent inexperienced readers who marked all vessels containing PE. After 3 months all studies were reevaluated by the same two readers, this time aided by CAD prototype. A consensus read by three expert radiologists served as the reference standard. Statistical analysis used χ(2) and McNemar testing. Expert consensus revealed 119 PEs in 32 studies. For PE detection, the sensitivity of CAD alone was 78%. Inexperienced readers' initial interpretations had an average per-PE sensitivity of 50%, which improved to 71% (p < 0.001) with CAD as a second reader. False positives increased from 0.18 to 0.25 per study (p = 0.03). Per-study, the readers initially detected 27/32 positive studies (84%); with CAD this number increased to 29.5 studies (92%; p = 0.125). Our results suggest that CAD significantly improves the sensitivity of PE detection for inexperienced readers with a small but appreciable increase in the rate of false positives.

A survey of the pyrabactin resistance-like abscisic acid receptor gene family in poplar.

PubMed

Yu, Jingling; Li, Hejuan; Peng, Yajing; Yang, Lei; Zhao, Fugeng; Luan, Sheng; Lan, Wenzhi

2017-08-03

The conserved PYR/PYL/RCAR family acts as abscisic acid (ABA) receptors for land plants to adapt to terrestrial environments. Our recent study reported that the exogenous overexpression of poplar PtPYRL1 and PtPYRL5, the PYR/PYL/RCAR orthologs, promoted the sensitivity of transgenic Arabidopsis to ABA responses. Here, we surveyed the PtPYRL family in poplar, and revealed that although the sequence and structure are relatively conserved among these receptors, PtPYRL members have differential expression patterns and the sensitivity to ABA or drought treatment, suggesting that PtPYRLs might be good candidates to a future biotechnological use to enhance poplar resistance to water-stress environments.

Excessive users of violent video games do not show emotional desensitization: an fMRI study.

PubMed

Szycik, Gregor R; Mohammadi, Bahram; Hake, Maria; Kneer, Jonas; Samii, Amir; Münte, Thomas F; Te Wildt, Bert T

2017-06-01

Playing violent video games have been linked to long-term emotional desensitization. We hypothesized that desensitization effects in excessive users of violent video games should lead to decreased brain activations to highly salient emotional pictures in emotional sensitivity brain regions. Twenty-eight male adult subjects showing excessive long-term use of violent video games and age and education matched control participants were examined in two experiments using standardized emotional pictures of positive, negative and neutral valence. No group differences were revealed even at reduced statistical thresholds which speaks against desensitization of emotion sensitive brain regions as a result of excessive use of violent video games.

Vanadium substitution: A simple and economic way to improve UV sensing in ZnO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srivastava, Tulika; Bajpai, Gaurav; Rathore, Gyanendra; Liu, Shun Wei; Biring, Sajal; Sen, Somaditya

2018-04-01

The UV sensing in pure ZnO is due to oxygen adsorption/desorption process from the ZnO surface. Vanadium doping improves the UV sensitivity of ZnO. The enhancement in UV sensitivity in vanadium-substituted ZnO is attributed to trapping and de-trapping of electrons at V4+ and V5+-related defect states. The V4+ state has an extra electron than the V5+ state. A V4+ to V5+ transformation happens with excitation of this electron to the conduction band, while a reverse trapping process liberates a visible light. An analytic study of response phenomenon reveals this trapping and de-trapping process.

Plasmid-linked ampicillin resistance in haempohilus influenza type b.

PubMed

Elwell, L P; De Graaff, J; Seibert, D; Falkow, S

1975-08-01

Four ampicillin-resistant, beta-lactamase-producing strains of Haempohilus influenzae type b were examined for the presence of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Three resistant strains contained a 30 x 10-6-dalton (30Mdal) plasmid and one resitant strain contained a 3-Mdal plasmid. The ampicillin-sensitive Haemophilus strains examined did not contain plasmid DNA. Transformation of a sensitive H. influenzae strain to ampicillin resistance with isolated plasmid DNA preparations revealed that the structural gene for beta-lactamase resided on both plasmid species. DNA-DNA hybridization studies showed that the 30-Mdal Haemophilus plasmid contained the ampicillin translocation DNA segment (TnA) found on some R-factors of enteric origin of the H. influenzae plasmids.

Electrically detected magnetic resonance in a W-band microwave cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, V.; Lo, C. C.; George, R. E.; Lyon, S. A.; Bokor, J.; Schenkel, T.; Ardavan, A.; Morton, J. J. L.

2011-03-01

We describe a low-temperature sample probe for the electrical detection of magnetic resonance in a resonant W-band (94 GHz) microwave cavity. The advantages of this approach are demonstrated by experiments on silicon field-effect transistors. A comparison with conventional low-frequency measurements at X-band (9.7 GHz) on the same devices reveals an up to 100-fold enhancement of the signal intensity. In addition, resonance lines that are unresolved at X-band are clearly separated in the W-band measurements. Electrically detected magnetic resonance at high magnetic fields and high microwave frequencies is therefore a very sensitive technique for studying electron spins with an enhanced spectral resolution and sensitivity.

A Multiwavelength Study of Coronal Structure: A Simultaneous Observation from NIXT and YOHKOH

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golub, Leon

1998-01-01

Solar soft X-ray images taken simultaneously by the Yohkoh and the Normal Incidence X-ray Telescope (NIXT) reveal significantly different coronal structures. Coronal loops are more clearly seen in the Yohkoh images, and the isolated island-like structures seen in the NIXT image have been found to correspond to the footpoints of the Yohkoh loops. The difference is due to the difference in the temperature response of the telescopes: NIXT is sensitive to temperatures ranging from 0.9 to 3 MK, while Yohkoh is more sensitive to temperatures above 2.5 MK. The morphological differences reflect the multi-temperature (1-5 MK) nature of the solar coronal plasmas.

["Plastic lung". Broncho-pulmonary pathology related to plastics (author's transl)].

PubMed

Anthoine, D; Martinet, Y; Zuck, P; Peiffer, G; Dangelzer, J; Lamy, P

1980-01-01

Plastics can induce three main groups of respiratory accidents.--Acute and subacute intoxications related to the inhalation of volatil substances from decomposing plastics (mostly during burning and pyrolysis) or on the contrary during synthesis. They are accidental chemical broncho-pneumopathies (acute tracheo-bronchitis and pulmonary edema).--Chronic broncho-pneumopathies following repeated inhalation of dusts or suspension of plastics: pneumoconioses and thesaurismoses leading to pulmonary fibrosis.--Broncho-pneumopathies related to the irritant and sensitizing action of some components of plastics: professional asthma and sensitization pneumopathies. Diagnosis of such diseases therefore imposes a careful study of working conditions. Proof rests on two arguments:--curing by risk eviction;--analysis of the products in order to reveal their toxicity.

[Statocyst regulation of the heart and statokinetic reflexes in the crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus, during linear acceleration].

PubMed

Kuntsova, M Ia; Sveshnikov, V G; Timofeeva, E V

1978-01-01

In experiments on the shore crab H. sanguineus studies have been made of the effect of variable longitudinal acceleration during swinging (for 15--30 min) upon cardiac activity and gravitational reflexes. High sensitivity of gravitational receptors of the canal statocyst to the effect of acceleration was demonstrated. Removal of the statocysts increases the frequency and amplitude of cardiac contractions as revealed by ECG recording. Changes in stato-kinetic coordinations cause both the disorder of overturning reactions and the disorder of reciprocal inhibition in antagonistic muscles of the dactylopodite. Statocyst regulation of skeletal muscles and heart is presumably realised via contralateral inhibitory canal which is sensitive to linear accelerations.

The Neuroimaging Studies in Children with Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Complications: A 10 Years Descriptive Sudy in Tehran.

PubMed

Shahi, Mohammad Vafaee; Noorbakhsh, Samileh; Zarrabi, Vida; Nourozi, Banafsheh; Tahernia, Leila

2018-01-01

Any mismatch between the production and absorption of CSF results in hydrocephalus. In most cases, the selected choice of treatment is the ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion. Although, the surgery could have complications such as infection, shunt malfunction, subdural hematoma, seizure and Shunt immigration; so, the early and proper detection of these complications could result in better prognosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the efficacy of CT scan, CSF analysis and X-ray radiography in detection of shunt complications and problems in shunt placement and further follow-up in hospitalized children. The medical records of children in Rasul Akram hospital in Tehran were reviewed retrospectively in the last 10 years, from 2006 to 2016. All data were recorded in the prepared form including the age, sex, shunt complication, CT scan and CSF characteristics. The total number of 95 patients were interfered in this study including 56 males (58.9%) and 39 females (41.1%). The mean age at the onset of complications were 2.8±2.2 years-old. The shunt obstruction (60%) and infection (25.3%) were the most common complications. The CT scan was able to detect 36.5% of shunt complications. The CT scan had the sensitivity and specificity of 50 and 87%, respectively in detection of shunt obstruction. The all cases of brain hematoma and hemorrhage were revealed by CT scan. On the other hand, the CT scan had 20% of sensitivity and 60% of specificity in the detection of shunt infection. The CSF evaluation in shunt infection revealed 92% hypoglycemia, 87.5% pleocytosis, and 62.5% positive CSF culture. CSF had the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 92, 82, 63 and 97%, respectively. The patient's symptoms and signs were helpful in obtaining higher test accuracy. The CT scan was not a good sensitive and specific study in the detection of shunt obstruction and infection, but it was very accurate in detection of hemorrhage and hematoma. On the other hand, CSF evaluation was a reliable test in shunt infection disclosure.

Co-occurrence of Pain Symptoms and Somatosensory Sensitivity in Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Moisset, Xavier; Calbacho, Valentina; Torres, Pilar; Gremeau-Richard, Christelle; Dallel, Radhouane

2016-01-01

Background Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a chronic and spontaneous oral pain with burning quality in the tongue or other oral mucosa without any identifiable oral lesion or laboratory finding. Pathogenesis and etiology of BMS are still unknown. However, BMS has been associated with other chronic pain syndromes including other idiopathic orofacial pain, the dynias group and the family of central sensitivity syndromes. This would imply that BMS shares common mechanisms with other cephalic and/or extracephalic chronic pains. The primary aim of this systematic review was to determine whether BMS is actually associated with other pain syndromes, and to analyze cephalic and extracephalic somatosensory sensitivity in these patients. Methods This report followed the PRISMA Statement. An electronic search was performed until January 2015 in PubMed, Cochrane library, Wiley and ScienceDirect. Searched terms included “burning mouth syndrome OR stomatodynia OR glossodynia OR burning tongue OR oral burning”. Studies were selected according to predefined inclusion criteria (report of an association between BMS and other pain(s) symptoms or of cutaneous cephalic and/or extracephalic quantitative sensory testing in BMS patients), and a descriptive analysis conducted. Results The search retrieved 1512 reports. Out of these, twelve articles met criteria for co-occurring pain symptoms and nine studies for quantitative sensory testing (QST) in BMS patients. The analysis reveals that in BMS patients co-occurring pain symptoms are rare, assessed by only 0.8% (12 of 1512) of the retrieved studies. BMS was associated with headaches, TMD, atypical facial pain, trigeminal neuralgia, post-herpetic facial pain, back pain, fibromyalgia, joint pain, abdominal pain, rectal pain or vulvodynia. However, the prevalence of pain symptoms in BMS patients is not different from that in the age-matched general population. QST studies reveal no or inconsistent evidence of abnormal cutaneous cephalic and extracephalic somatosensory sensitivity. Conclusions There is no evidence for a high rate of other pain symptoms or somatosensory impairments co-occurring with BMS. These results thus suggest that BMS rather depends on specific mechanisms, likely at the trigeminal level. Nevertheless, more thoroughly conducted research is required to draw definitive conclusion. PMID:27657531

Cross-sensitization to Artemisia and Ambrosia pollen allergens in an area located outside of the current distribution range of Ambrosia.

PubMed

Grewling, Łukasz; Jenerowicz, Dorota; Bogawski, Paweł; Smith, Matt; Nowak, Małgorzata; Frątczak, Agata; Czarnecka-Operacz, Magdalena

2018-02-01

The role of long-distance transported (LDT) Ambrosia pollen in inducing new sensitization and affecting sensitization rates in Artemisia -sensitized patients is unclear. The aim of this study was to estimate the degree of cross-sensitization to Ambrosia/Artemisi a allergens in citizens of Poznan (Western Poland). This area is covered by extensive Artemisia populations but does not currently have local Ambrosia populations. Sera of 119 patients were tested by fluoroenzyme immunoassay (CAP-FEIA system) against pollen allergen extracts of Artemisia vulgaris and Ambrosia artemisiifolia , an allergenic component of A. vulgaris ( nArt v 1 ), and an allergenic component of A. artemisiifolia ( nAmb a 1 ). Skin prick tests (SPTs, n = 86) were performed with pollen allergen extracts of A. vulgaris and A. artemisiifolia . Artemisia and Ambrosia pollen in ambient air was collected (1996-2013) by a Hirst type volumetric trap sited at roof level (33 m). The SPT showed that the prevalence of sensitization to Ambrosia and Artemisia pollen exceeded 3.5%, and 10.5%, respectively. The measurements of IgE in blood serum (CAP-FEIA) revealed that among Ambrosia -sensitized patients 90.1% (20/22 patients) were concomitantly sensitized to Artemisia . 59.1% (13/22) of these patients reacted to nArt v 1 , suggesting primary sensitization to Artemisia pollen. Only 2 (9.1%) patients were mono-sensitized to Ambrosia pollen extract, but surprisingly not to nAmb a 1 . The LDT Ambrosia pollen had a negligible effect on the rate of sensitization to Ambrosia allergens in Poznan and did not increase the prevalence of sensitization to Artemisia pollen in this region. However, the majority of patients showing hypersensitization to Artemisia pollen might also present symptoms during elevated episodes of LDT of Ambrosia pollen.

Hindlimb unweighting induces changes in the p38MAPK contractile pathway of the rat abdominal aorta.

PubMed

Summers, Scott Matthew; Hayashi, Yuichiro; Nguyen, Steven Vu; Nguyen, Thu Minh; Purdy, Ralph Earl

2009-07-01

Hindlimb unweighting (HLU) of rats is a model used to mimic the cephalic fluid shift potentially involved in the orthostatic intolerance experienced by astronauts. Certain arteries in these rats exhibit a decreased contractile response to adrenergic agonists. It was shown previously that this may be caused by changes in thick filament regulation (Summers et al., Vascul Pharmacol 48: 208-214, 2008). In the present study, it was hypothesized that HLU also modifies thin filament regulation by effects on p38(MAPK) and ERK. Abdominal aorta rings from 20-day HLU rats and untreated controls were subjected to phenylephrine and phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBU) concentration response curves in the presence and absence of two inhibitors: the p38(MAPK) inhibitor SB-203580 and the MEK inhibitor U-0126. SB-203580 decreased control sensitivity to both agonists, but HLU sensitivity was not significantly affected. U-0126, which blocks enzymes immediately upstream of ERK, affected sensitivity to both agonists equally between control and HLU. Western blot analysis revealed no change in total levels of p38(MAPK) and its downstream target heat shock protein 27 but did reveal a decrease in phosphorylated levels of both after stimulation with PDBU and phenylephrine after HLU treatment. Neither total ERK nor phosphorylated levels after stimulation were affected by HLU. Total levels of caldesmon, a molecule downstream of both pathways, were decreased, but phosphorylated levels after stimulation were decreased by roughly twice as much. The results of this study demonstrate that HLU downregulates p38(MAPK), but not ERK, signaling. In turn, this may decrease actin availability for contraction.

Maternal Childhood Sexual Trauma, Child Directed Aggression, Parenting Behavior, and the Moderating Role of Child Sex

PubMed Central

Zvara, B.J.; Mills-Koonce, R.; Cox, M.

2016-01-01

Using propensity-matched controls, the present study examines the associations between maternal report of child-directed aggression and observed parenting behavior across early childhood for women with and without childhood sexual trauma histories. The moderating role of child sex was also examined. The sample (n=204) is from a longitudinal study of rural poverty exploring the ways in which child, family, and contextual factors shape development over time. After controlling for numerous factors including child and primary caregiver covariates, findings reveal that childhood sexual trauma is related to sensitive parenting behavior and child-directed aggression. Findings further revealed that child sex moderates the relation between sexual trauma history and maternal behavior towards children. Implications for interventions for mothers with childhood sexual trauma histories and directions for future study are proposed. PMID:28450762

Attachment Insecurity Predicts Punishment Sensitivity in Anorexia Nervosa.

PubMed

Keating, Charlotte; Castle, David J; Newton, Richard; Huang, Chia; Rossell, Susan L

2016-10-01

Individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) experience insecure attachment. We investigated whether insecure attachment is associated with punishment and reward sensitivity in women with AN. Women with AN (n = 24) and comparison women (n = 26) (CW) completed The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, The Attachment Style Questionnaire, and Sensitivity to Punishment/Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire. Participants with AN returned higher ratings for insecure attachment (anxious and avoidant) experiences and greater sensitivity to punishment (p = 0.001) than CW. In AN, sensitivity to punishment was positively correlated with anxious attachment and negative emotionality but not eating disorder symptoms. Regression analysis revealed that anxious attachment independently predicted punishment sensitivity in AN. Anxious attachment experiences are related to punishment sensitivity in AN, independent of negative emotionality and eating disorder symptoms. Results support ongoing investigation of the contribution of attachment experiences in treatment and recovery.

Evaluation of differential representative values between Chinese hamster cells and human lymphocytes in mitomycin C-induced cytogenetic assays and caspase-3 activity.

PubMed

Liao, Pei-Hu; Lin, Ruey-Hseng; Yang, Ming-Ling; Li, Yi-Ching; Kuan, Yu-Hsiang

2012-03-01

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, its lung fibroblasts (V79), and human lymphocytes are routinely used in in vitro cytogenetic assays, which include micronuclei (MN), sister chromatid exchange (SCE), and chromosome aberration (CA) assays. Mitomycin C (MMC), a DNA cross-link alkylating agent, is both an anticancer medicine and a carcinogen. To study the differential representative values of cell types in MMC-treated cytogenetic assays and its upstream factor, cysteine aspartic acid-specific protease (caspase)-3. Among the chosen cell types, lymphocytes expressed the highest sensitivity in all three MMC-induced assays, whereas CHO and V79 showed varied sensitivity in different assays. In MN assay, the sensitivity of CHO is higher than or equal to V79; in SCE assay, the sensitivity of CHO is the same as V79; and in CA assay, the sensitivity of CHO is higher than V79. In-depth analysis of CA revealed that in chromatid breaks and dicentrics formation, lymphocyte was the most sensitive of all and CHO was more sensitive than V79; and in acentrics and interchanges formation, lymphocyte was much more sensitive than the others. Furthermore, we found caspase-3 activity plays an important role in MMC-induced cytogenetic assays, with MMC-induced caspase-3 activity resulting in more sensitivity in lymphocytes than in CHO and V79. Based on these findings, lymphocyte will make a suitable predictive or representative control reference in cytogenetic assays and caspase-3 activity with its high specificity, positive predictive value, and sensitivity.

Role of bone marrow cells in the growth inhibition of transplanted methylcholanthrene-induced sarcoma (MCA). [/sup 137/Cs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scuderi, P.; Rosse, C.

1981-03-01

The operation of various antitumor mechanisms in vivo remains largely unknown. The presence of specific sensitized cells in the spleen and lymph node of tumor-bearing and tumor-immune animals has been demonstrated. Such cells are more effectively revealed by secondary sensitization of the splenocytes of tumor-immune animals in vitro by reexposing them to the tumor. Tumor-immune in vitro sensitized splenocytes (ISS) are highly effective in retarding the in vivo growth of the sensitizing tumor when they are transplated together with tumor cells into normal recipient mice. However, if the same cell transfer is made into lethally irradiated mice, the tumor willmore » grow rapidly in 100% of recipients. The objective of the present study is to explore this phenomenon and to determine the origin of the host cells that are capable of collaborating with tumor-immune in vitro sensitized splenocytes in the regulation of tumor growth. We designed experiments to test whether the host cells involved in tumor growth regulation are derived from the spleen, thymus, or the bone marrow and set out to determine whether or not collaboration of the host cells with ISS was specific as far as the sensitizing tumor was concerned.« less

Clostridium perfringens Enterotoxin Interacts with Claudins via Electrostatic Attraction*

PubMed Central

Kimura, Jun; Abe, Hiroyuki; Kamitani, Shigeki; Toshima, Hirono; Fukui, Aya; Miyake, Masami; Kamata, Yoichi; Sugita-Konishi, Yoshiko; Yamamoto, Shigeki; Horiguchi, Yasuhiko

2010-01-01

Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE), a causative agent of food poisoning, is a pore-forming toxin disrupting the selective permeability of the plasma membrane of target cells, resulting in cell death. We previously identified claudin as the cell surface receptor for CPE. Claudin, a component of tight junctions, is a tetratransmembrane protein and constitutes a large family of more than 20 members, not all of which serve as the receptor for CPE. The mechanism by which the toxin distinguishes the sensitive claudins is unknown. In this study, we localized the region of claudin responsible for interaction with CPE to the C-terminal part of the second extracellular loop and found that the isoelectric point of this region in sensitive claudins was higher than insensitive claudins. Amino acid substitutions to lower the pI resulted in reduced sensitivity to CPE among sensitive claudins, whereas substitutions to raise the pI endowed CPE-insensitive claudins with sensitivity. The steric structure of the claudin-binding domain of CPE reveals an acidic cleft surrounded by Tyr306, Tyr310, Tyr312, and Leu315, which were reported to be essential for interaction with the sensitive claudins. These results imply that an electrostatic attraction between the basic claudin region and the acidic CPE cleft is involved in their interaction. PMID:19903817

Minimal second language exposure, SES, and early word comprehension: New evidence from a direct assessment*

PubMed Central

Deanda, Stephanie; Arias-Trejo, Natalia; Poulin-Dubois, Diane; Zesiger, Pascal; Friend, Margaret

2015-01-01

Although the extant literature provides robust evidence of the influence of language exposure and socioeconomic status (SES) on language acquisition, it is unknown how sensitive the early receptive vocabulary system is to these factors. The current study investigates effects of minimal second language exposure and SES on the comprehension vocabulary of 16-month-old children in the language in which they receive the greatest exposure. Study 1 revealed minimal second language exposure and SES exert significant and independent effects on a direct measure of vocabulary comprehension in English-dominant and English monolingual children (N = 72). In Study 2, we replicated the effect of minimal second language exposure in Spanish-dominant and Spanish monolingual children (N = 86), however no effect of SES on vocabulary was obtained. Our results emphasize the sensitivity of the language system to minimal changes in the environment in early development. PMID:26957947

Enhanced performance of porphyrin sensitized solar cell based on graphene quantum dots decorated photoanodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sehgal, Preeti; Narula, Anudeep Kumar

2018-05-01

Porphyrin sensitized solar cells (PSSC) has been successfully fabricated composed of graphene quantum dots (GQD) functionalized ZnO photoanodes, zinc tetrakis (4-carboxy phenyl)porphyrin (TCPPZn) as sensitizer and polypyrrole coated oxidised multiwalled carbon nanotubes (PPy/OMWCNT) as counter electrode. The effect of the concentration of GQD on the structural, morphological, photophysical and photovoltaic properties of GQD@ZnO, and GQD@ZnO/TCPPZn nanocomposites has also been investigated. Studies indicate that TCPPZn adsorbed on the surface on GQD@ZnO. Hot electron injection mechanism and multiple exciton generation from GQD to ZnO were mainly responsible for the photoexcitation response in PSSC. This study indicates that GQD can play role of sensitizer to some extent. The time decay measurements reveals the evidences of FRET mechanism, and synergistic interaction between GQD and TCPPZn. The Jsc, Voc, PCE of the corresponding PSSC devices enhanced initially and then decreased. Among all the devices fabricated, the PSSC with a 40% amount of GQD (GQD@ZnO/TCPPZn 40%) attains the best performance with the Jsc = 10.1 mA/cm2, Voc = 0.48, PCE = 2.45% FF = 0.507 higher than ZnO@TCPPZn device fabricated without GQD. Overall, this design provides a new concept for the development of photoanodes which derive better efficiency for dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) and PSSC at economical low cost.

The high-sweet-fat food craving among women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder: emotional response, implicit attitude and rewards sensitivity.

PubMed

Yen, Ju-Yu; Chang, Shun-Jen; Ko, Chih-Hung; Yen, Cheng-Fang; Chen, Cheng-Sheng; Yeh, Yi-Chun; Chen, Cheng-Chung

2010-09-01

This study aimed to: (1) evaluate food craving and high-sweet-fat food craving across the menstrual cycle; (2) compare the craving and explicit/implicit emotional response to different food; and (3) investigate the reward sensitivity among PMDD and control groups. The PMDD group without treatment history and control group were evaluated for food craving, emotional response to food, implicit attitude task to food, and responsiveness to reward both in luteal and follicular phases. A total of 59 women with PMDD and 60 controls had completed the study. The results revealed that both PMDD diagnosis and luteal phase were associated with higher body mass index. The high-sweet-fat food provoked higher craving, positive emotional, and positive implicit response more than other foods. The luteal phase contributed to higher food and high-sweet-fat food cravings. Besides, the PMDD women had higher reward sensitivity, emotional response, positive implicit attitude, and craving response to high-sweet-fat foods. Further, the rewarding sensitivity was associated with emotional response to high-sweet-fat food which was associated with high-sweet-fat food craving. These results would suggest emotional response and implicit attitude might play a role for high-sweet-fat food craving of PMDD. Further, PMDD women with higher reward sensitivity should be a target group of intervention for high-sweet-fat food craving. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pharmacological effects of ethanol on ingestive behavior of the preweanling rat

PubMed Central

Kozlov, Andrey P.; Nizhnikov, Michael E.; Varlinskaya, Elena I.; Spear, Norman E.

2009-01-01

The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that sensitivity of ingestive behavior of infant rat to the pharmacological effects of ethanol changes between postnatal (P) days 9 and 12. The intake of 0.1% saccharin and water, general motor activity, and myoclonic twitching activity were assessed following administration of three doses of ethanol (0, 0.25, 0.5g/kg) while fluids were free available to the animals. The 0.5g/kg dose of ethanol attenuated saccharin intake in P9 pups and enhanced saccharin intake in P12 rats. On P12 some sex-related differences emerged at 0.5g/kg of ethanol, with saccharin intake being higher in females than in their male counterparts. Taste reactivity probe revealed that 0.5 g/kg of ethanol increased taste responsiveness to saccharin on P12 but only to infusions presented at a high rate. The results of the present study indicate that ontogenetic changes in sensitivity to the effects of ethanol on ingestive behavior occur during the second postnatal week, with P9 animals being more sensitive to the inhibitory (sedative) effects on saccharin intake and P12 rats being more sensitive to the stimulatory effects of ethanol. We suggest that acute ethanol enhanced saccharin intake via sensitization of oral response to appetitive taste stimulation. PMID:19549546

Language evaluation protocol for children aged 2 months to 23 months: analysis of sensitivity and specificity.

PubMed

Labanca, Ludimila; Alves, Cláudia Regina Lindgren; Bragança, Lidia Lourenço Cunha; Dorim, Diego Dias Ramos; Alvim, Cristina Gonçalves; Lemos, Stela Maris Aguiar

2015-01-01

To establish cutoff points for the analysis of the Behavior Observation Form (BOF) of children in the ages of 2 to 23 months and evaluate the sensitivity and specificity by age group and domains (Emission, Reception, and Cognitive Aspects of Language). The sample consisted of 752 children who underwent BOF. Each child was classified as having appropriate language development for the age or having possible risk of language impairment. Performance Indicators (PI) were calculated in each domain as well as the overall PI in all domains. The values for sensitivity and specificity were also calculated. The cutoff points for possible risk of language impairment for each domain and each age group were obtained using the receiver operating characteristics curve. The results of the study revealed that one-third of the assessed children have a risk of language impairment in the first two years of life. The analysis of BOF showed high sensitivity (>90%) in all categories and in all age groups; however, the chance of false-positive results was higher than 20% in the majority of aspects evaluated. It was possible to establish the cutoff points for all categories and age groups with good correlation between sensitivity and specificity, except for the age group of 2 to 6 months. This study provides important contributions to the discussion on the evaluation of the language development of children younger than 2 years.

Variation in Optoelectronic Properties of Azo Dye-Sensitized TiO 2 Semiconductor Interfaces with Different Adsorption Anchors: Carboxylate, Sulfonate, Hydroxyl and Pyridyl Groups

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Lei; Cole, Jacqueline M.; Dai, Chencheng

2014-05-28

The optoelectronic properties of four azo dye-sensitized TiO2 interfaces are systematically studied as a function of a changing dye anchoring group: carboxylate, sulfonate, hydroxyl, and pyridyl. The variation in optoelectronic properties of the free dyes and those in dye/TiO 2 nanocomposites are studied both experimentally and computationally, in the context of prospective dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) applications. Experimental UV/vis absorption spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and DSSC device performance testing reveal a strong dependence on the nature of the anchor of the optoelectronic properties of these dyes, both in solution and as dye/TiO2 nanocomposites. First-principles calculations on both an isolated dye/TiO2 clustermore » model (using localized basis sets) and each dye modeled onto the surface of a 2D periodic TiO2 nanostructure (using plane wave basis sets) are presented. Detailed examination of these experimental and computational results, in terms of light harvesting, electron conversion and photovoltaic device performance characteristics, indicates that carboxylate is the best anchoring group, and hydroxyl is the worst, whereas sulfonate and pyridyl groups exhibit competing potential. Different sensitization solvents are found to affect critically the extent of dye adsorption achieved in the dye-sensitization of the TiO2 semiconductor, especially where the anchor is a pyridyl group.« less

Mitochondrial fission determines cisplatin sensitivity in tongue squamous cell carcinoma through the BRCA1–miR-593-5p–MFF axis

PubMed Central

Chen, Weixiong; Chen, Weiliang; Tang, Qionglan; Wang, Youyuan; Su, Yuxiong; Jin, Shaowen; Zhang, Daming; Zhong, Jianglong; Li, Yilin; Wen, Bin; Zhang, Zhang; Yang, Pu; Zhou, Bin; Liang, Qixiang; Yu, Xing; Zhu, Yinghua; Hu, Pengnan; Chu, Junjun; Huang, Wei; Feng, Yuhuan; Peng, Hongzhuang; Huang, Qihong; Song, Erwei; Li, Jinsong

2015-01-01

Cisplatin has been widely employed as a cornerstone chemotherapy treatment for a wide spectrum of solid neoplasms; increasing tumor responsiveness to cisplatin has been a topic of interest for the past 30 years. Strong evidence has indicated that mitochondrial fission participates in the regulation of apoptosis in many diseases; however, whether mitochondrial fission regulates cisplatin sensitivity remains poorly understood. Here, we show that MFF mediated mitochondrial fission and apoptosis in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) cells after cisplatin treatment and that miR-593-5p was downregulated in this process. miR-593-5p attenuated mitochondrial fission and cisplatin sensitivity by targeting the 3′ untranslated region sequence of MFF and inhibiting its translation. In exploring the underlying mechanism of miR-593-5p downregulation, we observed that BRCA1 transactivated miR-593-5p expression and attenuated cisplatin sensitivity in vitro. The BRCA1-miR-593-5p-MFF axis also affected cisplatin sensitivity in vivo. Importantly, in a retrospective analysis of multiple centers, we further found that the BRCA1-miR-593-5p-MFF axis was significantly associated with cisplatin sensitivity and the survival of patients with TSCC. Together, our data reveal a model for mitochondrial fission regulation at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels; we also reveal a new pathway for BRCA1 in determining cisplatin sensitivity through the mitochondrial fission program. PMID:25912308

Overexpression of xeroderma pigmentosum group C decreases the chemotherapeutic sensitivity of colorectal carcinoma cells to cisplatin.

PubMed

Zhang, Yi; Cao, Jia; Meng, Yanni; Qu, Chunying; Shen, Feng; Xu, Leiming

2018-05-01

Xeroderma pigmentosum group C (XPC) is a DNA-damage-recognition gene active at the early stage of DNA repair. XPC also participates in regulation of cell-cycle checkpoint and DNA-damage-induced apoptosis. In the present study, the expression levels of genes involved in nucleotide excision repair (NER) were assessed in human colorectal cancer (CRC) tissue. This analysis revealed that expression of XPC mRNA significantly increased in colorectal carcinoma tissues compared with matched normal controls. Expression of XPC gradually increased along with the degree of progression of CRC. In vitro , an XTT assay demonstrated that small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting XPC significantly increased the sensitivity of CRC SW480 cells to cisplatin, whereas cells transfected with a XPC-overexpression plasmid became more resistant to cisplatin. Furthermore, flow cytometry revealed that the proportion of apoptotic cells significantly increased in XPC-knockdown cells upon cisplatin treatment. However, the overexpression XPC significantly increased the resistance of cells to cisplatin. In vivo , tumor growth was significantly reduced in tumor-bearing mice when the XPC gene was knocked down. Upregulation of the expression of pro-apoptotic Bcl-associated X and downregulation of the anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma 2 proteins was observed in the implanted tumor tissue. In conclusion, XPC serves a key role in chemotherapeutic sensitivity of CRC to cisplatin, meaning that it may be a potential target for chemotherapy of CRC.

Arabidopsis MLO2 is a negative regulator of sensitivity to extracellular reactive oxygen species.

PubMed

Cui, Fuqiang; Wu, Hongpo; Safronov, Omid; Zhang, Panpan; Kumar, Rajeev; Kollist, Hannes; Salojärvi, Jarkko; Panstruga, Ralph; Overmyer, Kirk

2018-04-01

The atmospheric pollutant ozone (O 3 ) is a strong oxidant that causes extracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, has significant ecological relevance, and is used here as a non-invasive ROS inducer to study plant signalling. Previous genetic screens identified several mutants exhibiting enhanced O 3 sensitivity, but few with enhanced tolerance. We found that loss-of-function mutants in Arabidopsis MLO2, a gene implicated in susceptibility to powdery mildew disease, exhibit enhanced dose-dependent tolerance to O 3 and extracellular ROS, but a normal response to intracellular ROS. This phenotype is increased in a mlo2 mlo6 mlo12 triple mutant, reminiscent of the genetic redundancy of MLO genes in powdery mildew resistance. Stomatal assays revealed that enhanced O 3 tolerance in mlo2 mutants is not caused by altered stomatal conductance. We explored modulation of the mlo2-associated O 3 tolerance, powdery mildew resistance, and early senescence phenotypes by genetic epistasis analysis, involving mutants with known effects on ROS sensitivity or antifungal defence. Mining of publicly accessible microarray data suggests that these MLO proteins regulate accumulation of abiotic stress response transcripts, and transcript accumulation of MLO2 itself is O 3 responsive. In summary, our data reveal MLO2 as a novel negative regulator in plant ROS responses, which links biotic and abiotic stress response pathways. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dynamic maps of UV damage formation and repair for the human genome

PubMed Central

Hu, Jinchuan; Adebali, Ogun; Adar, Sheera; Sancar, Aziz

2017-01-01

Formation and repair of UV-induced DNA damage in human cells are affected by cellular context. To study factors influencing damage formation and repair genome-wide, we developed a highly sensitive single-nucleotide resolution damage mapping method [high-sensitivity damage sequencing (HS–Damage-seq)]. Damage maps of both cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and pyrimidine-pyrimidone (6-4) photoproducts [(6-4)PPs] from UV-irradiated cellular and naked DNA revealed that the effect of transcription factor binding on bulky adducts formation varies, depending on the specific transcription factor, damage type, and strand. We also generated time-resolved UV damage maps of both CPDs and (6-4)PPs by HS–Damage-seq and compared them to the complementary repair maps of the human genome obtained by excision repair sequencing to gain insight into factors that affect UV-induced DNA damage and repair and ultimately UV carcinogenesis. The combination of the two methods revealed that, whereas UV-induced damage is virtually uniform throughout the genome, repair is affected by chromatin states, transcription, and transcription factor binding, in a manner that depends on the type of DNA damage. PMID:28607063

Mother-teen communication about weight management.

PubMed

Dailey, René M; Thompson, Charee M; Romo, Lynsey Kluever

2014-01-01

Although research shows family members can influence each other's diet and exercise behaviors, the specific strategies that most effectively motivate individuals to enact healthy behaviors have not been revealed. Toward this goal, this study employed confirmation theory to assess how the quality of weight management (WM) communication between 107 mother-teen dyads was related to their diet and exercise behaviors as well as their subjective perceptions of the productivity of WM conversations. Confirmation theory proposes two components of confirmation: acceptance and challenge. Analyses revealed that accepting and challenging communication were both positively related to the perceived productivity of WM conversations. However, more complex associations emerged for diet and exercise. Acceptance was more helpful in motivating better eating habits for mothers with low health motivation and teens with high health motivation. For exercise, challenge was helpful in motivating teens with higher sensitivity about communicating about weight issues; however, counter to predictions, challenge was negatively related to exercise for teens with low health motivation and low sensitivity. These interactions, however, explained less variance than analyses for perceived effectiveness and satisfaction.

The role of left inferior frontal cortex during audiovisual speech perception in infants.

PubMed

Altvater-Mackensen, Nicole; Grossmann, Tobias

2016-06-01

In the first year of life, infants' speech perception attunes to their native language. While the behavioral changes associated with native language attunement are fairly well mapped, the underlying mechanisms and neural processes are still only poorly understood. Using fNIRS and eye tracking, the current study investigated 6-month-old infants' processing of audiovisual speech that contained matching or mismatching auditory and visual speech cues. Our results revealed that infants' speech-sensitive brain responses in inferior frontal brain regions were lateralized to the left hemisphere. Critically, our results further revealed that speech-sensitive left inferior frontal regions showed enhanced responses to matching when compared to mismatching audiovisual speech, and that infants with a preference to look at the speaker's mouth showed an enhanced left inferior frontal response to speech compared to infants with a preference to look at the speaker's eyes. These results suggest that left inferior frontal regions play a crucial role in associating information from different modalities during native language attunement, fostering the formation of multimodal phonological categories. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chickens from lines artificially selected for juvenile low and high body weight differ in glucose homeostasis and pancreas physiology.

PubMed

Sumners, L H; Zhang, W; Zhao, X; Honaker, C F; Zhang, S; Cline, M A; Siegel, P B; Gilbert, E R

2014-06-01

Artificial selection of White Plymouth Rock chickens for juvenile (day 56) body weight resulted in two divergent genetic lines: hypophagic low weight (LWS) chickens and hyperphagic obese high weight (HWS) chickens, with the latter more than 10-fold heavier than the former at selection age. A study was designed to investigate glucose regulation and pancreas physiology at selection age in LWS chickens and HWS chickens. Oral glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity tests revealed differences in threshold sensitivity to insulin and glucose clearance rate between the lines. Results from real-time PCR showed greater pancreatic mRNA expression of four glucose regulatory genes (preproinsulin, PPI; preproglucagon, PPG; glucose transporter 2, GLUT2; and pancreatic duodenal homeobox 1, Pdx1) in LWS chickens, than HWS chickens. Histological analysis of the pancreas revealed that HWS chickens have larger pancreatic islets, less pancreatic islet mass, and more pancreatic inflammation than LWS chickens, all of which presumably contribute to impaired glucose metabolism. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dynamic maps of UV damage formation and repair for the human genome.

PubMed

Hu, Jinchuan; Adebali, Ogun; Adar, Sheera; Sancar, Aziz

2017-06-27

Formation and repair of UV-induced DNA damage in human cells are affected by cellular context. To study factors influencing damage formation and repair genome-wide, we developed a highly sensitive single-nucleotide resolution damage mapping method [high-sensitivity damage sequencing (HS-Damage-seq)]. Damage maps of both cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and pyrimidine-pyrimidone (6-4) photoproducts [(6-4)PPs] from UV-irradiated cellular and naked DNA revealed that the effect of transcription factor binding on bulky adducts formation varies, depending on the specific transcription factor, damage type, and strand. We also generated time-resolved UV damage maps of both CPDs and (6-4)PPs by HS-Damage-seq and compared them to the complementary repair maps of the human genome obtained by excision repair sequencing to gain insight into factors that affect UV-induced DNA damage and repair and ultimately UV carcinogenesis. The combination of the two methods revealed that, whereas UV-induced damage is virtually uniform throughout the genome, repair is affected by chromatin states, transcription, and transcription factor binding, in a manner that depends on the type of DNA damage.

ZnO nanofiber (NFs) growth from ZnO nanowires (NWs) by controlling growth temperature on flexible Teflon substrate by CBD technique for UV photodetector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farhat, O. F.; Halim, M. M.; Ahmed, Naser M.; Qaeed, M. A.

2016-12-01

In this study, ZnO nanofibers (ZnO NFs) were successfully grown for the first time on Teflon substrates using CBD technique. The well-aligned ZnO nanorods (ZnO NRs) were transformed to ZnO nanofibers (NFs) by varying growth temperature and growth time. The high intensity and distinct growth orientation of peaks observed in the XRD spectra of the NFs indicate high crystal quality. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) revealed high density of small diameter sized and long ZnO nanofibers (NFs) that are distributed in random directions. Raman analyses revealed a high E2 (high) peak at 436 nm, which indicates the wurtzite structure of ZnO. A flexible ZnO nanofiber (NFs)-based metal-semiconductor-metal UV detector was fabricated and analyzed for photo response and sensitivity under low power illumination (375 nm, 1.5 mW/cm2). The results showed a sensitivity of 4045% which can be considered a relatively high response and baseline recovery for UV detection.

A genome-wide nanotoxicology screen of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants reveals the basis for cadmium sulphide quantum dot tolerance and sensitivity.

PubMed

Marmiroli, M; Pagano, L; Pasquali, F; Zappettini, A; Tosato, V; Bruschi, C V; Marmiroli, N

2016-01-01

The use of cadmium sulphide quantum dots (CdS QDs) is increasing, particularly in the electronics industry. Their size (1-10 nm in diameter) is, however, such that they can be taken up by living cells. Here, a bakers' yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) deletion mutant collection has been exploited to provide a high-throughput means of revealing the genetic basis for tolerance/susceptibility to CdS QD exposure. The deletion of 112 genes, some associated with the abiotic stress response, some with various metabolic processes, some with mitochondrial organization, some with transport and some with DNA repair, reduced the level of tolerance to CdS QDs. A gene ontology analysis highlighted the role of oxidative stress in determining the cellular response. The transformation of sensitive mutants with centromeric plasmids harbouring DNA from a wild type strain restored the wild type growth phenotype when the complemented genes encoded either HSC82, DSK2 or ALD3. The use of these simple eukaryote knock-out mutants for functional toxicogenomic analysis will inform studies focusing on higher organisms.

Serum sphinganine and the sphinganine to sphingosine ratio as a biomarker of dietary fumonisins during chronic exposure in ducks.

PubMed

Tran, S T; Tardieu, D; Auvergne, A; Bailly, J D; Babilé, R; Durand, S; Benard, G; Guerre, P

2006-03-10

Sphinganine concentration (Sa) and sphinganine to sphingosine ratio (Sa/So) are sensitive biomarkers of fumonisin B1 (FB1) exposure in animals and have been proposed to reveal FB1 exposure in humans. They correlate with liver and kidney toxicity and often precede signs of toxicity. However, the use of Sa and Sa/So is confusing during chronic exposure. Indeed, some authors report altered sphingolipids metabolism, whereas others fail to demonstrate significant effect. The aim of this study was to investigate the kinetics of Sa and Sa/So in the serum of ducks over a 77-day exposure to 0, 2, 8, 32 and 128 mg FB1/kg feeds. Serum biochemistry was also investigated to reveal hepatotoxicity. The results obtained indicate that the kinetics of sphingolipids and serum biochemistry are closely linked with the duration of the exposure. After a strong and rapid increase Sa and Sa/So decrease then stabilize. The lowest investigated dose able to determine a detectable effect is 2 mg/kg feeds, the Sa/So ratio being the most sensitive biomarker of FB1 exposure.

[Hypertension and its related organ damage--pathophysiology and new diagnostic strategy].

PubMed

Shimosawa, Tatsuo

2013-03-01

Hypertension is the most common non-communicable disease. Although novel therapeutic agents have become available and blood pressure tends to be lowered, the morbidity and mortality rates of hypertension-induced renal failure or stroke in Japan have not decreased in recent decades. This might be because we cannot choose appropriate therapy based upon the pathophysiology of high blood pressure and the degree of organ damage. Salt-sensitive hypertension has a poorer prognosis than resistant hypertension regardless of blood pressure control and is more common in Asians than in Caucasians. Therefore, understanding the pathophysiology of salt sensitivity and diagnosing it is very important. Recent advances in research into salt-sensitive hypertension revealed that mineralocorticoid receptor activities independent of aldosterone induce both salt-sensitive hypertension and organ damage, which is closely related to oxidative stress. In an other study, sympathetic overactivity was related to salt sensitivity via epigenetic modulation. Current research into new surrogate markers is mostly focused on hunting for humoral factors, and novel directions to evaluate receptor functions such as mineralocorticoid receptor or epigenetic modulations would open a new door for the early diagnosis of organ damage and tailor-made therapy.

Evaluation of ionophore sensitivity of Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria maxima isolated from the Algerian to Jijel province poultry farms.

PubMed

Djemai, Samir; Mekroud, Abdeslam; Jenkins, Mark C

2016-07-15

The present study represents the first description of ionophore resistance in recovered from commercial Algerian (Jijel-Algeria) broiler farms. Microscopy and intervening transcribed sequence 1 PCR (ITS1 PCR) revealed only 2 Eimeria species present in litter from these farms- namely Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria maxima. A pool of these isolates were evaluated in broiler chickens (Cobb 500) for sensitivity to 5 anticoccidial compounds-diclazuril (1ppm), lasalocid (125ppm), monensin (125ppm), narasin (70ppm) and salinomycin (60ppm). As indicated by anticoccidial sensitivity profiles based on lesion scores and anticoccidial index (ACI), complete resistance to monensin and narasin, partial resistance to salinomycin and lasalocid, and complete sensitivity to diclazuril was observed. While lack of sensitivity to monensin is not surprising given its use for years as the sole anticoccidial compound, the resistance to monoether (narasin) and polyether (lasalocid) ionophores suggests that cross-resistance has developed in a segment of the Eimeria population. The fairly uniform Eimeria species composition among all poultry farms suggests that E. acervulina and E. maxima more rapidly develop resistance to ionophore drugs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Photostability of low cost dye-sensitized solar cells based on natural and synthetic dyes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdou, E. M.; Hafez, H. S.; Bakir, E.; Abdel-Mottaleb, M. S. A.

2013-11-01

This paper deals with the use of some natural pigments as well as synthetic dyes to act as sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Anthocyanin dye extracted from rosella (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) flowers, the commercially available textile dye Remazole Red RB-133 (RR) and merocyanin-like dye based on 7-methyl coumarin are tested. The photostability of the three dyes is investigated under UV-Vis light exposure. The results show a relatively high stability of the three dyes. Moreover, the photostability of the solid dyes is studied over the TiO2 film electrodes. A very low decolorization rates are recorded as; rate constants k = 1.6, 2.1 and 1.9 × 10-3 min-1 for anthocyanin, RR and coumarin dyes, respectively. The stability results favor selecting anthocyanin as a promising sensitizer candidate in DSSCs based on natural products. Dyes-sensitized solar cells are fabricated and their conversion efficiency (η) is 0.27%, 0.14% and 0.001% for the anthocyanin, RR and coumarin dyes, respectively. Moreover, stability tests of the sealed cells based on anthocyanin and RR dyes are done under continuous light exposure of 100 mW cm-2, reveals highly stable DSSCs.

Kir6.2 Variant E23K Increases ATP-Sensitive K+ Channel Activity and Is Associated With Impaired Insulin Release and Enhanced Insulin Sensitivity in Adults With Normal Glucose Tolerance

PubMed Central

Villareal, Dennis T.; Koster, Joseph C.; Robertson, Heather; Akrouh, Alejandro; Miyake, Kazuaki; Bell, Graeme I.; Patterson, Bruce W.; Nichols, Colin G.; Polonsky, Kenneth S.

2009-01-01

OBJECTIVE The E23K variant in the Kir6.2 subunit of the ATP-sensitive K+ channel (KATP channel) is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes. The present study was undertaken to increase our understanding of the mechanisms responsible. To avoid confounding effects of hyperglycemia, insulin secretion and action were studied in subjects with the variant who had normal glucose tolerance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Nine subjects with the E23K genotype K/K and nine matched subjects with the E/E genotype underwent 5-h oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs), graded glucose infusion, and hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp with stable-isotope–labeled tracer infusions to assess insulin secretion, action, and clearance. A total of 461 volunteers consecutively genotyped for the E23K variant also underwent OGTTs. Functional studies of the wild-type and E23K variant potassium channels were conducted. RESULTS Insulin secretory responses to oral and intravenous glucose were reduced by ∼40% in glucose-tolerant subjects homozygous for E23K. Normal glucose tolerance with reduced insulin secretion suggests a change in insulin sensitivity. The hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp revealed that hepatic insulin sensitivity is ∼40% greater in subjects with the E23K variant, and these subjects demonstrate increased insulin sensitivity after oral glucose. The reconstituted E23K channels confirm reduced sensitivity to inhibitory ATP and increase in open probability, a direct molecular explanation for reduced insulin secretion. CONCLUSIONS The E23K variant leads to overactivity of the KATP channel, resulting in reduced insulin secretion. Initially, insulin sensitivity is enhanced, thereby maintaining normal glucose tolerance. Presumably, over time, as insulin secretion falls further or insulin resistance develops, glucose levels rise resulting in type 2 diabetes. PMID:19491206

Small-fiber neuropathy and pain sensitization in survivors of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

PubMed

Lieber, S; Blankenburg, M; Apel, K; Hirschfeld, G; Hernáiz Driever, P; Reindl, T

2018-05-01

Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN) of large-fibers affects up to 20% of survivors of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We aimed to describe small-fiber toxicity and pain sensitization in this group. In a cross-sectional, bicentric study we assessed 46 survivors of pediatric ALL (Mean age: 5.7 ± 3.5 years at diagnosis, median 2.5 years after therapy; males: 28). ≥6 years of age, ≥3 months after last administration of Vincristine, and cumulative dose of Vincristine 12 mg/m 2 . We used a reduced version of the Pediatric-modified Total Neuropathy Score (Ped-mTNS) as bedside test and Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) for assessment of small- and large-fiber neuropathy as well as pain sensitization. We employed Nerve Conduction Studies (NCS) as the most accurate tool for detecting large-fiber neuropathy. Fifteen survivors (33%) had abnormal rPed-mTNS values (≥4 points) and 5 survivors (11%) reported pain. In QST, the survivor group showed significant (p < 0.001) inferior large-fiber function and pain sensitization when compared to healthy matched peers. We identified deficits of vibration in 33 (72%) and tactile hypoesthesia in 29 (63%), hyperalgesia to blunt pressure in 19 (41%), increased mechanical pain sensitivity in 12 (26%) and allodynia in 16 (35%) of 46 survivors. Only 7 survivors (15%) had pathologic NCS. QST is a sensitive tool that revealed signs of large-fiber neuropathy in two thirds, small-fiber neuropathy and pain sensitization in one third of survivors. Prospective studies using QST in pediatric oncology may help to elucidate the pathophysiology of small-fiber neuropathy and pain sensitization as well as their relevance for quality of survival. Copyright © 2018 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sensitivity to Stroke Emerges in Kindergartners Reading Chinese Script

PubMed Central

Li, Su; Yin, Li

2017-01-01

To what extent are young children sensitive to individual stroke, the smallest unit of writing in Chinese that carries no phonological or semantic information? The present study examined Chinese kindergartners’ sensitivity to stroke and the contribution of reading ability and age to stroke sensitivity. Fifty five children from Beijing, including 28 4-year-olds (Mage = 4.55 years, SD = 0.28, 16 males) and 29 5-year-olds (Mage = 5.58 years, SD = 0.30, 14 males), were administered an orthographic matching task and assessed on non-verbal IQ and Chinese word reading. In the orthographic matching task, children were asked to decide whether two items were exactly the same or different in three conditions, with stimuli being correctly written characters (e.g., “”), stroke-missing or redundant characters (e.g., “”), and Tibetan alphabets (e.g., “”), respectively. The stimuli were presented with E-prime 2.0 software and were displayed on a Surface Pro. Children responded by touching the screen and reaction time was used as a measure of processing efficiency. The 5-year-olds but not the 4-year-olds processed correctly written characters more efficiently than stroke-missing/redundant characters, suggesting emergence of stroke sensitivity from age 5. The 4- and 5-year-olds both processed correctly written characters more efficiently than Tibetan alphabets, ruling out the possibility that the 5 year olds’ sensitivity to stroke was due to the unusual look of the stimuli. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that Chinese word reading explained 10% additional variance in stroke sensitivity after having statistically controlled for age. Age did not account for additional variance in stroke sensitivity after having considered Chinese word reading. Taken together, findings of this study revealed that despite the visually highly complex nature of Chinese and the fact that individual stroke carries no phonological or semantic information, children develop sensitivity to stroke from age 5 and such sensitivity is significantly associated with reading experience. PMID:28626438

Sensitivity to Stroke Emerges in Kindergartners Reading Chinese Script.

PubMed

Li, Su; Yin, Li

2017-01-01

To what extent are young children sensitive to individual stroke, the smallest unit of writing in Chinese that carries no phonological or semantic information? The present study examined Chinese kindergartners' sensitivity to stroke and the contribution of reading ability and age to stroke sensitivity. Fifty five children from Beijing, including 28 4-year-olds ( M age = 4.55 years, SD = 0.28, 16 males) and 29 5-year-olds ( M age = 5.58 years, SD = 0.30, 14 males), were administered an orthographic matching task and assessed on non-verbal IQ and Chinese word reading. In the orthographic matching task, children were asked to decide whether two items were exactly the same or different in three conditions, with stimuli being correctly written characters (e.g., "), stroke-missing or redundant characters (e.g., "), and Tibetan alphabets (e.g., "), respectively. The stimuli were presented with E-prime 2.0 software and were displayed on a Surface Pro. Children responded by touching the screen and reaction time was used as a measure of processing efficiency. The 5-year-olds but not the 4-year-olds processed correctly written characters more efficiently than stroke-missing/redundant characters, suggesting emergence of stroke sensitivity from age 5. The 4- and 5-year-olds both processed correctly written characters more efficiently than Tibetan alphabets, ruling out the possibility that the 5 year olds' sensitivity to stroke was due to the unusual look of the stimuli. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that Chinese word reading explained 10% additional variance in stroke sensitivity after having statistically controlled for age. Age did not account for additional variance in stroke sensitivity after having considered Chinese word reading. Taken together, findings of this study revealed that despite the visually highly complex nature of Chinese and the fact that individual stroke carries no phonological or semantic information, children develop sensitivity to stroke from age 5 and such sensitivity is significantly associated with reading experience.

Maternal Psychosocial Maladjustment and Child Internalizing Symptoms: Investigating the Modulating Role of Maternal Sensitivity.

PubMed

Bouvette-Turcot, Andrée-Anne; Bernier, Annie; Leblanc, Élizabel

2017-01-01

In light of evidence suggesting that maternal adaptation may impact early child emotional development, this study investigated the interactive effects of maternal psychosocial maladjustment and maternal sensitivity on child internalizing symptoms, with the aim of investigating the potentially protective function of maternal sensitivity. Families (N = 71 to 106 across measures, with gender spread almost evenly: number of boys = 31 to 51 across measures) took part in four assessments between child ages 1 and 3 years. Mothers completed measures of parental stress, psychological distress, and marital satisfaction when their children were between 12 and 15 months. A composite score of maternal psychosocial maladjustment was derived from these measures. Maternal sensitivity was rated by trained observers at 12 months following a home visit. Child internalizing symptoms were assessed by both parents when the child was 2 and 3 years old. Hierarchical regressions revealed that increased maternal psychosocial maladjustment was related to more internalizing symptoms in children, however only among children of less sensitive mothers. In contrast, children of more sensitive mothers appeared to be protected. This was observed with maternal reports at 2 years, and both maternal and paternal reports at 3 years. These results suggest that young children may be differentially affected by their parents' emotional adjustment, while highlighting the pivotal protective role of maternal sensitivity in this process.

Is State Anxiety, Trait Anxiety, or Anxiety Sensitivity a Clinical Predictor of Symptoms in Those Presenting With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury or Concussion?

PubMed

Hixson, Krista M; Allen, Alex N; Williams, Andrew S; McLeod, Tamara C Valovich

2017-11-01

Clinical Scenario: Mild traumatic brain injury, or concussion, has been associated with physical, cognitive, and emotional sequelae. Little is understood in regard to many characteristics, such as anxiety, and their effect on post-concussion symptoms. Is state anxiety, trait anxiety, or anxiety sensitivity a clinical predictor of symptoms in those presenting with mild traumatic brain injury or concussion? Summary of Key Findings: A literature search returned 3 possible studies; 3 studies met inclusion criteria and included. One study reported in athletes that greater social support was associated with decreased state-anxiety, lower state anxiety post-concussion was associated with increased social support, and that those with greater social support may experience reduced anxiety, regardless of injury type sustained. One study reported baseline trait anxiety in athletes was not significantly associated with post-concussion state anxiety, but that symptoms of depression at baseline was the strongest predictor for post-concussion state anxiety. Three studies reported that state and trait anxiety are not related to increased post-concussion symptom scores. One study reported that greater anxiety sensitivity is related to higher reported post-concussion symptom scores, which may manifest as somatic symptoms following concussion, and revealed that anxiety sensitivity may be a risk factor symptom development. Clinical Bottom Line: There is low-level to moderate evidence to support that anxiety sensitivity is linked to post-concussion symptoms. State and trait anxiety do not appear to be related to post-concussion symptoms alone. Post-concussion state anxiety may occur if post-concussion symptoms of depression are present or if baseline symptoms of depression are present. Better social support may improve state anxiety post-concussion. Strength of Recommendation: There is grade B evidence to support that state and trait anxiety are not risk factors for post-concussion symptom development. There is grade C evidence to support anxiety sensitivity as a risk factor for developing post-concussion symptoms.

Construction of MoS2/Si nanowire array heterojunction for ultrahigh-sensitivity gas sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Di; Lou, Zhenhua; Wang, Yuange; Xu, Tingting; Shi, Zhifeng; Xu, Junmin; Tian, Yongtao; Li, Xinjian

2017-10-01

Few-layer MoS2 thin films were synthesized by a two-step thermal decomposition process. In addition, MoS2/Si nanowire array (SiNWA) heterojunctions exhibiting excellent gas sensing properties were constructed and investigated. Further analysis reveals that such MoS2/SiNWA heterojunction devices are highly sensitive to nitric oxide (NO) gas under reverse voltages at room temperature (RT). The gas sensor demonstrated a minimum detection limit of 10 ppb, which represents the lowest value obtained for MoS2-based sensors, as well as an ultrahigh response of 3518% (50 ppm NO, ˜50% RH), with good repeatability and selectivity of the MoS2/SiNWA heterojunction. The sensing mechanisms were also discussed. The performance of the MoS2/SiNWA heterojunction gas sensors is superior to previous results, revealing that they have great potential in applications relating to highly sensitive gas sensors.

Construction of MoS2/Si nanowire array heterojunction for ultrahigh-sensitivity gas sensor.

PubMed

Wu, Di; Lou, Zhenhua; Wang, Yuange; Xu, Tingting; Shi, Zhifeng; Xu, Junmin; Tian, Yongtao; Li, Xinjian

2017-10-27

Few-layer MoS 2 thin films were synthesized by a two-step thermal decomposition process. In addition, MoS 2 /Si nanowire array (SiNWA) heterojunctions exhibiting excellent gas sensing properties were constructed and investigated. Further analysis reveals that such MoS 2 /SiNWA heterojunction devices are highly sensitive to nitric oxide (NO) gas under reverse voltages at room temperature (RT). The gas sensor demonstrated a minimum detection limit of 10 ppb, which represents the lowest value obtained for MoS 2 -based sensors, as well as an ultrahigh response of 3518% (50 ppm NO, ∼50% RH), with good repeatability and selectivity of the MoS 2 /SiNWA heterojunction. The sensing mechanisms were also discussed. The performance of the MoS 2 /SiNWA heterojunction gas sensors is superior to previous results, revealing that they have great potential in applications relating to highly sensitive gas sensors.

Hydrothermal growth of highly monodispersed TiO2 nanoparticles: Functional properties and dye-sensitized solar cell performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navaneethan, M.; Nithiananth, S.; Abinaya, R.; Harish, S.; Archana, J.; Sudha, L.; Ponnusamy, S.; Muthamizhchelvan, C.; Ikeda, H.; Hayakawa, Y.

2017-10-01

Monodispersed anatase TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by hydrothermal method using citric acid as a capping agent. The effect of citric acid and the growth time on the formation of TiO2, functional properties and dye-sensitized solar cell performances were investigated. X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy results revealed that the TiO2 nanoparticles possess the anatase phase. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurement revealed the formation of spherical nanoparticles with monodispersity in size and morphology. An average size of 14 nm was obtained for the growth period of 15 h. The maximum efficiency (η) of dye-sensitized solar cell was achieved for TiO2 nanoparticles grown for 15 h as 7.66% which was higher than that of commercial P25 TiO2 (5.23%) and uncapped nanoparticles (3.68%).

Atypical presentation of multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS).

PubMed

Yenerel, Nursal Melda; Kucumen, Beril; Gorgun, Ebru; Dinc, Umut Asli

2008-01-01

To present fundus autofluorescence (FAF), indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), and microperimetry (MP) findings of a patient with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS). Observational case report. A 30-year-old woman with blurry vision was referred for evaluation. Fundus examination revealed only foveal granularity. FAF showed hyperautofluorescent spots, although they were not visible clinically. On ICGA, matching areas were hypofluorescent. Microperimetry revealed mean sensitivity decrease. The resolution of the symptoms was followed by disappearance of these spots in FAF and ICGA and increase of mean macular sensitivity in MP. FAF is a noninvasive imaging technique that might help in the differential diagnosis of chorioretinal pathologies.

Dermatitis in a rubber tyre factory.

PubMed

Zina, A M; Bedello, P G; Cane, D; Bundino, S; Benedetto, A

1987-07-01

An outbreak of occupational dermatitis in a rubber tyre factory is reported. An unusual clinical picture was recognized. Patch tests revealed a high sensitization rate to the MBT derivative used: 2-(2'-4'dinitrophenylthio)benzothiazole. Since tests with MBT mix and dinitrophenol were negative; sensitization to a contaminant was suspected. DNCB was traced as the substance responsible.

Towards Practical Privacy-Preserving Internet Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Shiyuan

2012-01-01

Today's Internet offers people a vast selection of data centric services, such as online query services, the cloud, and location-based services, etc. These internet services bring people a lot of convenience, but at the same time raise privacy concerns, e.g., sensitive information revealed by the queries, sensitive data being stored and…

Genome-wide association analysis of diverse soybean genotypes reveals novel markers for nitrogen traits

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Nitrogen is a primary plant nutrient that plays a major role in achieving maximum economic yield. Insufficient availability most often limits soybean crop growth. Symbiotic N2 fixation in soybean is highly sensitive to limited water availability, and breeding for reduced N2 fixation sensitivity to ...

Antibiotic sensitivity pattern from pregnant women with urinary tract infection in Bangalore, India.

PubMed

Sibi, G; Kumari, Pinki; Kabungulundabungi, Neema

2014-09-01

To determine the antibacterial profile of pregnant women with urinaty tract infections and analyze the antibiotic sensitivity pattern for the effective treatment. A total of 395 urine samples from pregnant women with different gestational age were processed for the isolation of uropathogens and tested against eight groups of antibiotics namely penicillins, cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, macrolides, lincosamides, glycopeptides and sulfonamides. A positive culture percentage of 46.6% was obtained with the highest urinary tract infection in third trimester gestational age. Among the uropathogens isolated, 85.6% were Gram negative and 14.4% were Gram positive with Escherichia coli as the predominant bacteria (43.9%) followed by Klebsiella oxytoca (19.4%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (13.3%). Antibiotic sensitivity assay revealed that amikacin had the highest overall sensitivity (n=136; 76.7%) and the subsequent highest sensitivity was observed with ciprofloxacin (n=132; 73.3%), clindamycin (n=124; 68.9%), cefotaxime (n=117; 65%) and nalidixic acid (n=115; 63.9%). The findings revealed that uropathogens were more resistant to penicillins, macrolides and glycopeptides which restrict their use in treating urinaty tract infections during pregnancy. In conclusion, common causative bacteria and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern are to be determined along with their safety to mother and fetus for the effective treatment of urinary tract infections during pregnancy. Copyright © 2014 Hainan Medical College. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evidence for wavelike anomalies with short meridional and large zonal scales in the lower stratospheric temperature field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stanford, J. L.; Short, D. A.

1981-01-01

Global microwave brightness temperature measurements are analyzed to investigate the range of meridional wavelengths 2000-3000 km where spectral studies reveal larger than expected variance. The data, from the TIROS-N Microwave Sounding Unit, are sensitive to lower stratospheric temperatures (30-150 mb). The results reveal striking temperature anomalies with short meridional wavelengths (2000-3000 km) and long zonal wavelengths (zonal wavenumbers 1-4). The anomalies, with amplitudes approximately 1-2 K, extend from the equatorial region to at least as high as 70 deg N and 70 deg S during January 1979. The features exhibit slow eastward movement or else are nearly stationary for several days. In the Northern Hemisphere, comparison with NMC data reveals that the strongest features tend to be associated with major jet streams.

Intact figure-ground segmentation in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Herzog, Michael H; Kopmann, Sabine; Brand, Andreas

2004-11-30

As revealed by backward masking studies, schizophrenic patients show strong impairments of early visual processing. However, the underlying temporal mechanisms are not yet well understood. To shed light on the exact timing of these deficits, we employed a paradigm in which two masks follow each other. We investigated 16 medicated schizophrenic patients and a matched group of 14 controls with a new backward masking technique, shine-through. In accordance with other masking studies, schizophrenic patients require a dramatically longer processing time to reach a predefined performance level compared with healthy subjects. However, patients are surprisingly sensitive to subtle differences in the timing of the two masks, revealing good temporal resolution. This good temporal resolution indicates intact and fast perceptual grouping and figure-ground segmentation in spite of high susceptibility to masking procedures in schizophrenia.

Sleep quality and temperament among university students: differential associations with nighttime sleep duration and sleep disruptions.

PubMed

Lukowski, Angela F; Milojevich, Helen M

2015-01-01

Sleep-temperament associations have not yet been examined among university students, despite awareness of the high incidence of sleep problems in this population. The present study was conducted (a) to examine whether sleep quality was associated with temperament among university-attending young adults and (b) to determine whether particular components of sleep quality were differentially associated with temperament. University students completed questionnaires designed to assess sleep quality and temperament. Poor sleep quality was associated with increased negative affect and orienting sensitivity as well as decreased effortful control; regression analyses revealed differential associations between components of nighttime sleep quality and temperament ratings. The presented study reveals conceptual continuity in sleep-temperament relations from infancy to young adulthood and highlights important avenues for future research.

Bi2Te3 thin hexagonal nanoplatelets: Synthesis and its characterization studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinoth, S.; Balaganapathi, T.; KaniAmuthan, B.; Arun, T.; Muthuselvam, I. Panneer; Chou, Fang-Cheng; Thilakan, P.

2017-08-01

Solvothermal synthesis and optimization of pure Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) hexagonal nanoplatelets was carried out from Bismuth Oxide (Bi2O3) and Tellurium dioxide (TeO2). XRD measurements revealed a sensitive change in crystallization behaviour in correlation with variation in Te/Bi stoichiometry identified through the exchange in intensities between (10 10 ̅) and (110) peaks. Further, Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDAX) analysis revealed the variation in Te/Bi ratio with respect to autoclave temperature. Field emission scanning electron Microscope (FESEM) and the high resolution transmission electron Microscope (HRTEM) studies show the complete growth of hexagonal nanoplatelets at 200 °C. Confocal Micro-Raman measurements revealed the occurrence of symmetry breaking in the synthesized hexagonal nanoplatelets. The electrical conductivity and the activation energy were recorded as 6.01×10-3 S/m and 0.042 eV respectively. Highest maximum absolute value of Seebeck coefficient of -355 μV/K was obtained for the hexagonal nanoplatelets.

Differential thermodynamic signature of carbon nanomaterials using amphiphilic micellar probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharyya, Tamoghna; Dasgupta, Anjan Kr

2018-04-01

The thermodynamic signature of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and reduced graphene oxide (rG-O) using amphiphilic micellar probe has been explored. The study reveals an intricate correlation between nano-surface topology and calorimetric profile of SWCNTs, MWCNTs and rG-O. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) is found to be sensitive to the topological diversity of nanomaterials. The study explores a thermodynamic approach to characterize the nano-surface topology of SWCNTs, MWCNTs and graphene surface.

Face processing regions are sensitive to distinct aspects of temporal sequence in facial dynamics.

PubMed

Reinl, Maren; Bartels, Andreas

2014-11-15

Facial movement conveys important information for social interactions, yet its neural processing is poorly understood. Computational models propose that shape- and temporal sequence sensitive mechanisms interact in processing dynamic faces. While face processing regions are known to respond to facial movement, their sensitivity to particular temporal sequences has barely been studied. Here we used fMRI to examine the sensitivity of human face-processing regions to two aspects of directionality in facial movement trajectories. We presented genuine movie recordings of increasing and decreasing fear expressions, each of which were played in natural or reversed frame order. This two-by-two factorial design matched low-level visual properties, static content and motion energy within each factor, emotion-direction (increasing or decreasing emotion) and timeline (natural versus artificial). The results showed sensitivity for emotion-direction in FFA, which was timeline-dependent as it only occurred within the natural frame order, and sensitivity to timeline in the STS, which was emotion-direction-dependent as it only occurred for decreased fear. The occipital face area (OFA) was sensitive to the factor timeline. These findings reveal interacting temporal sequence sensitive mechanisms that are responsive to both ecological meaning and to prototypical unfolding of facial dynamics. These mechanisms are temporally directional, provide socially relevant information regarding emotional state or naturalness of behavior, and agree with predictions from modeling and predictive coding theory. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Is he playing solo or within an ensemble? How the context, visual information, and expertise may impact upon the perception of musical expressivity.

PubMed

Glowinski, Donald; Riolfo, Arianna; Shirole, Kanika; Torres-Eliard, Kim; Chiorri, Carlo; Grandjean, Didier

2014-01-01

Visual information is imperative when developing a concrete and context-sensitive understanding of how music performance is perceived. Recent studies highlight natural, automatic, and nonconscious dependence on visual cues that ultimately refer to body expressions observed in the musician. The current study investigated how the social context of a performing musician (eg playing alone or within an ensemble) and the musical expertise of the perceivers influence the strategies used to understand and decode the visual features of music performance. Results revealed that both perceiver groups, nonmusicians and musicians, have a higher sensitivity towards gaze information; therefore, an impoverished stimulus such as a point-light display is insufficient to understand the social context in which the musician is performing. Implications for these findings are discussed.

PPAR-γ in the Cardiovascular System

PubMed Central

Duan, Sheng Zhong; Ivashchenko, Christine Y.; Usher, Michael G.; Mortensen, Richard M.

2008-01-01

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), an essential transcriptional mediator of adipogenesis, lipid metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and glucose homeostasis, is increasingly recognized as a key player in inflammatory cells and in cardiovascular diseases (CVD) such as hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, congestive heart failure, and atherosclerosis. PPAR-γ agonists, the thiazolidinediones (TZDs), increase insulin sensitivity, lower blood glucose, decrease circulating free fatty acids and triglycerides, lower blood pressure, reduce inflammatory markers, and reduce atherosclerosis in insulin-resistant patients and animal models. Human genetic studies on PPAR-γ have revealed that functional changes in this nuclear receptor are associated with CVD. Recent controversial clinical studies raise the question of deleterious action of PPAR-γ agonists on the cardiovascular system. These complex interactions of metabolic responsive factors and cardiovascular disease promise to be important areas of focus for the future. PMID:18288291

Blood-Gene Expression Reveals Reduced Circadian Rhythmicity in Individuals Resistant to Sleep Deprivation

PubMed Central

Arnardottir, Erna S.; Nikonova, Elena V.; Shockley, Keith R.; Podtelezhnikov, Alexei A.; Anafi, Ron C.; Tanis, Keith Q.; Maislin, Greg; Stone, David J.; Renger, John J.; Winrow, Christopher J.; Pack, Allan I.

2014-01-01

Study Objectives: To address whether changes in gene expression in blood cells with sleep loss are different in individuals resistant and sensitive to sleep deprivation. Design: Blood draws every 4 h during a 3-day study: 24-h normal baseline, 38 h of continuous wakefulness and subsequent recovery sleep, for a total of 19 time-points per subject, with every 2-h psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) assessment when awake. Setting: Sleep laboratory. Participants: Fourteen subjects who were previously identified as behaviorally resistant (n = 7) or sensitive (n = 7) to sleep deprivation by PVT. Intervention: Thirty-eight hours of continuous wakefulness. Measurements and Results: We found 4,481 unique genes with a significant 24-h diurnal rhythm during a normal sleep-wake cycle in blood (false discovery rate [FDR] < 5%). Biological pathways were enriched for biosynthetic processes during sleep. After accounting for circadian effects, two genes (SREBF1 and CPT1A, both involved in lipid metabolism) exhibited small, but significant, linear changes in expression with the duration of sleep deprivation (FDR < 5%). The main change with sleep deprivation was a reduction in the amplitude of the diurnal rhythm of expression of normally cycling probe sets. This reduction was noticeably higher in behaviorally resistant subjects than sensitive subjects, at any given P value. Furthermore, blood cell type enrichment analysis showed that the expression pattern difference between sensitive and resistant subjects is mainly found in cells of myeloid origin, such as monocytes. Conclusion: Individual differences in behavioral effects of sleep deprivation are associated with differences in diurnal amplitude of gene expression for genes that show circadian rhythmicity. Citation: Arnardottir ES, Nikonova EV, Shockley KR, Podtelezhnikov AA, Anafi RC, Tanis KQ, Maislin G, Stone DJ, Renger JJ, Winrow CJ, Pack AI. Blood-gene expression reveals reduced circadian rhythmicity in individuals resistant to sleep deprivation. SLEEP 2014;37(10):1589-1600. PMID:25197809

Hyaluronic acid modified pH-sensitive liposomes for targeted intracellular delivery of doxorubicin.

PubMed

Paliwal, Shivani Rai; Paliwal, Rishi; Agrawal, Govind Prasad; Vyas, Suresh Prasad

2016-12-01

Surface-modified pH-sensitive liposomal system may be useful for intracellular delivery of chemotherapeutics. Achieving site-specific targeting with over-expressed hyaluronic acid (HA) receptors along with using pH sensitive liposome carrier for intracellular drug delivery was the aim of this study. Stealth HA-targeted pH-sensitive liposomes (SL-pH-HA) were developed and evaluated to achieve effective intracellular delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) vis-a-vis enhanced antitumor activity. The in vitro release studies demonstrated that the release of DOX from SL-pH-HA was pH-dependent, i.e. faster at mildly acidic pH ∼5, compared to physiological pH ∼7.4. SLpH-HA was evaluated for their cytotoxicity potential on CD44 receptor expressing MCF-7 cells. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of SL-pH-HA and SL-HA were about 1.9 and 2.5 μM, respectively, after 48 h of incubation. The quantitative uptake study revealed higher localization of targeted liposomes in the receptor positive cells, which was further confirmed by fluorescent microscopy. The antitumor efficacy of the DOX-loaded HA-targeted pH-sensitive liposomes was also verified in a tumor xenograft mouse model. DOX was efficiently delivered to the tumor site by active targeting via HA and CD44 receptor interaction. The major side-effect of conventional DOX formulation, i.e. cardiotoxicity was also estimated by measuring serum enzyme levels of LDH and CPK and found to be minimized with developed formulation. Overall, HA targeted pH-sensitive liposomes were significantly more potent than the non-targeted liposomes in cells expressing high levels of CD44. Results strongly implies the promise of such liposomal system as an intracellular drug delivery carrier developed for potential anticancer treatment.

Anatomical association between wrist extensor musculature and topographical pain sensitivity maps of the elbow area.

PubMed

Prados-Frutos, Juan Carlos; Ruiz-Ruiz, Beatriz; De-la-Llave-Rincón, Ana Isabel; Arendt-Nielsen, Lars; Madeleine, Pascal; Fernández-de-Las-Peñas, César

2012-06-01

High-density topographical sensitivity maps have been developed to visualize nonuniformity deep tissue pain sensitivity in, for example, lateral epicondylitis (LE). The aim of this cadaveric study was to determine the anatomical association between the topographical sensitivity maps over the elbow area and wrist extensor musculature. A topographical pressure sensitivity map consisting of 12 points forming a 3 × 4 matrix: 4 points in the superior part, 4 points in the middle, and 4 points in the lower part around the lateral epicondyle was marker on a 50-year embalmed cadaver. Color marker pins were inserted into each point. Pins were removed during the process of dissection, but the small holes created by their removal assured accurate relocation. Progressive dissection revealed that points 1 to 4 (superior line) were placed over the musculotendinous junction and belly of the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) muscle, points 6 to 8 (middle line) were placed over the musculotendinous junction and belly of the extensor digitorum communis muscle, and points 9 to 12 (inferior line) were located over the musculotendinous junction and belly of the extensor carpi ulnaris muscle. It was also observed that the superficial branch of the radial nerve runs between the belly of the ECRB and extensor digitorum communis muscles. This study confirmed that anatomical location previously assumed supporting the important wrist extensor muscles, particularly the ECRB, in patients with LE as depicted by pressure pain sensitivity maps. This study also suggests a potential role of the superficial branch of the radial nerve in LE. Copyright © 2012 National University of Health Sciences. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Farming environment and prevalence of atopy at age 31: prospective birth cohort study in Finland.

PubMed

Lampi, J; Canoy, D; Jarvis, D; Hartikainen, A-L; Keski-Nisula, L; Järvelin, M-R; Pekkanen, J

2011-07-01

Cross-sectional studies have shown an association between the farming environment and a decreased risk of atopic sensitization, mainly related to contact with farm animals in the childhood. Investigate the association of a farming environment, especially farm animal contact, during infancy, with atopic sensitization and allergic diseases at the age of 31. In a prospective birth cohort study, 5509 subjects born in northern Finland in 1966 were followed up at the age of 31. Prenatal exposure to the farming environment was documented before or at birth. At age 31, information on health status and childhood exposure to pets was collected by a questionnaire and skin prick tests were performed. Being born to a family having farm animals decreased the risk of atopic sensitization [odds ratio (OR) 0.67; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.56-0.80], atopic eczema ever (OR 0.77; 95% CI 0.66-0.91), doctor-diagnosed asthma ever (OR 0.74; 95% CI 0.55-1.00), allergic rhinitis at age 31 (OR 0.87; 95% CI 0.73-1.03) and allergic conjunctivitis (OR 0.86; 95% CI 0.72-1.02) at age 31. There was a suggestion that the reduced risk of allergic sensitization was particularly evident among the subjects whose mothers worked with farm animals during pregnancy, and that the reduced risk of the above diseases by farm animal exposure was largely explained by the reduced risk of atopy. Having cats and dogs in childhood revealed similar associations as farm animals with atopic sensitization. Contact with farm animals in early childhood reduces the risk of atopic sensitization, doctor-diagnosed asthma and allergic diseases at age 31. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Can time-averaged flow boundary conditions be used to meet the clinical timeline for Fontan surgical planning?

PubMed

Wei, Zhenglun Alan; Trusty, Phillip M; Tree, Mike; Haggerty, Christopher M; Tang, Elaine; Fogel, Mark; Yoganathan, Ajit P

2017-01-04

Cardiovascular simulations have great potential as a clinical tool for planning and evaluating patient-specific treatment strategies for those suffering from congenital heart diseases, specifically Fontan patients. However, several bottlenecks have delayed wider deployment of the simulations for clinical use; the main obstacle is simulation cost. Currently, time-averaged clinical flow measurements are utilized as numerical boundary conditions (BCs) in order to reduce the computational power and time needed to offer surgical planning within a clinical time frame. Nevertheless, pulsatile blood flow is observed in vivo, and its significant impact on numerical simulations has been demonstrated. Therefore, it is imperative to carry out a comprehensive study analyzing the sensitivity of using time-averaged BCs. In this study, sensitivity is evaluated based on the discrepancies between hemodynamic metrics calculated using time-averaged and pulsatile BCs; smaller discrepancies indicate less sensitivity. The current study incorporates a comparison between 3D patient-specific CFD simulations using both the time-averaged and pulsatile BCs for 101 Fontan patients. The sensitivity analysis involves two clinically important hemodynamic metrics: hepatic flow distribution (HFD) and indexed power loss (iPL). Paired demographic group comparisons revealed that HFD sensitivity is significantly different between single and bilateral superior vena cava cohorts but no other demographic discrepancies were observed for HFD or iPL. Multivariate regression analyses show that the best predictors for sensitivity involve flow pulsatilities, time-averaged flow rates, and geometric characteristics of the Fontan connection. These predictors provide patient-specific guidelines to determine the effectiveness of analyzing patient-specific surgical options with time-averaged BCs within a clinical time frame. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gingival condition and tooth-brushing behavior after alcohol consumption.

PubMed

Mizutani, S; Ekuni, D; Tomofuji, T; Yamane, M; Azuma, T; Iwasaki, Y; Morita, M

2015-08-01

Various studies have reported the relationship between alcohol consumption and gingival condition. However, they focus on the direct effects of alcohol consumption or alcohol sensitivity on gingival condition, and it is unclear how oral health behaviors relate these relationships. The aims of this study were to assess the inter-relationships between gingival condition, tooth-brushing behavior after drinking alcohol and alcohol sensitivity in university students who drink more than once per week on average. A total of 808 students (541 males, 267 females) that habitually consume alcohol were analyzed. The disease activity of gingival condition was assessed as the percentage of bleeding on probing (%BOP). Additional information regarding alcohol sensitivity and oral health behaviors, including tooth-brushing behavior after drinking, were also collected. Thirteen percent of the current participants reported neglecting tooth-brushing after drinking, and their alcohol consumption was higher than those who did not neglect tooth-brushing. Logistic regression analysis showed that high %BOP (%BOP ≥ 20) was associated with male (OR = 1.53; 95% CI, 1.01-2.33), neglect of tooth-brushing after drinking (OR = 2.60; 95% CI, 1.20-5.61) and debris index (OR = 8.38; 95% CI, 4.24-16.60) in participants with low alcohol sensitivity. In participants with high alcohol sensitivity, high %BOP was associated with debris index (OR = 7.60; 95% CI, 3.12-18.51), but not with any oral health behaviors. The study revealed that alcohol consumption was indirectly related to gingival disease activity through the neglect of tooth-brushing after drinking alcohol in university students with low alcohol sensitivity. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

MAG-EPA resolves lung inflammation in an allergic model of asthma.

PubMed

Morin, C; Fortin, S; Cantin, A M; Rousseau, É

2013-09-01

Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by airways hyperresponsiveness, inflammation and airways remodelling involving reversible bronchial obstruction. Omega-3 fatty acids and their derivatives are known to reduce inflammation in several tissues including lung. The effects of eicosapentaenoic acid monoacylglyceride (MAG-EPA), a newly synthesized EPA derivative, were determined on the resolution of lung inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in an in vivo model of allergic asthma. Ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized guinea-pigs were treated or not with MAG-EPA administered per os. Isometric tension measurements, histological analyses, homogenate preparation for Western blot experiments or total RNA extraction for RT-PCR were performed to assess the effect of MAG-EPA treatments. Mechanical tension measurements revealed that oral MAG-EPA treatments reduced methacholine (MCh)-induced bronchial hyperresponsiveness in OVA-sensitized guinea-pigs. Moreover, MAG-EPA treatments also decreased Ca(2+) hypersensitivity of bronchial smooth muscle. Histological analyses and leucocyte counts in bronchoalveolar lavages revealed that oral MAG-EPA treatments led to less inflammatory cell recruitment in the lung of OVA-sensitized guinea-pigs when compared with lungs from control animals. Results also revealed a reduction in mucin production and MUC5AC expression level in OVA-sensitized animals treated with MAG-EPA. Following MAG-EPA treatments, the transcript levels of pro-inflammatory markers such as IL-5, eotaxin, IL-13 and IL-4 were markedly reduced. Moreover, per os MAG-EPA administrations reduced COX2 over-expression in OVA-sensitized animals. We demonstrate that MAG-EPA reduces airway hyperresponsiveness and lung inflammation in OVA-sensitized animals, a finding consistent with a decrease in IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, COX-2 and MUC5AC expression levels in the lung. The present data suggest that MAG-EPA represents a new potential therapeutic strategy for resolving inflammation in allergic asthma. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Executive functioning and substance use in adolescence: Neurobiological and behavioral perspectives.

PubMed

Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen; Kahn, Rachel E; Lauharatanahirun, Nina; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Bickel, Warren K; Chiu, Pearl H; King-Casas, Brooks

2017-06-01

The current review is guided by the theoretical perspective that emphasizes the regulating role of executive functioning (Carver et al., 2009) and presents studies that elucidate the ways that executive functioning (inhibition and working memory) explain individual differences in adolescent substance use independently or by regulating the reactive system (reward and punishment sensitivity). Behavioral studies indicate that main effects of executive functioning on adolescent substance use are often nonsignificant or weak in effect sizes. In contrast, emerging evidence suggests consistent and stronger regulating effects of executive functioning over reward and punishment sensitivity. Functional neuroimaging studies reveal significant associations between executive functioning task-related hemodynamic responses and substance use with strong effect sizes. There is also direct evidence from studies testing statistical interactions of the regulating effects of EF-related brain activation, and indirect evidence in studies examining functional connectivity, temporal discounting, and reinforced control. We note key future directions and ways to address limitations in existing work. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Relationship Between Serum Endocan Levels With the Presence of Slow Coronary Flow: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Kundi, Harun; Gok, Murat; Kiziltunc, Emrullah; Topcuoglu, Canan; Cetin, Mustafa; Cicekcioglu, Hulya; Ugurlu, Burcu; Ulusoy, Feridun Vasfi

2017-07-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between endocan levels with the presence of slow coronary flow (SCF). In this cross-sectional study, a total of 88 patients, who admitted to our hospital, were included in this study. Of these, 53 patients with SCF and 35 patients with normal coronary flow were included in the final analysis. Coronary flow rates of all patients were determined by the Timi Frame Count (TFC) method. In correlation analysis, endocan levels revealed a significantly positive correlation with high sensitive C-reactive protein and corrected TFC. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the endocan levels were found as independently associated with the presence of SCF. Finally, using a cutoff level of 2.3, endocan level predicted the presence of SCF with a sensitivity of 77.2% and specificity of 75.2%. In conclusion, our study showed that higher endocan levels were significantly and independently related to the presence of SCF.

Validation of a modification to Performance-Tested Method 070601: Reveal Listeria Test for detection of Listeria spp. in selected foods and selected environmental samples.

PubMed

Alles, Susan; Peng, Linda X; Mozola, Mark A

2009-01-01

A modification to Performance-Tested Method (PTM) 070601, Reveal Listeria Test (Reveal), is described. The modified method uses a new media formulation, LESS enrichment broth, in single-step enrichment protocols for both foods and environmental sponge and swab samples. Food samples are enriched for 27-30 h at 30 degrees C and environmental samples for 24-48 h at 30 degrees C. Implementation of these abbreviated enrichment procedures allows test results to be obtained on a next-day basis. In testing of 14 food types in internal comparative studies with inoculated samples, there was a statistically significant difference in performance between the Reveal and reference culture [U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Bacteriological Analytical Manual (FDA/BAM) or U.S. Department of Agriculture-Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS)] methods for only a single food in one trial (pasteurized crab meat) at the 27 h enrichment time point, with more positive results obtained with the FDA/BAM reference method. No foods showed statistically significant differences in method performance at the 30 h time point. Independent laboratory testing of 3 foods again produced a statistically significant difference in results for crab meat at the 27 h time point; otherwise results of the Reveal and reference methods were statistically equivalent. Overall, considering both internal and independent laboratory trials, sensitivity of the Reveal method relative to the reference culture procedures in testing of foods was 85.9% at 27 h and 97.1% at 30 h. Results from 5 environmental surfaces inoculated with various strains of Listeria spp. showed that the Reveal method was more productive than the reference USDA-FSIS culture procedure for 3 surfaces (stainless steel, plastic, and cast iron), whereas results were statistically equivalent to the reference method for the other 2 surfaces (ceramic tile and sealed concrete). An independent laboratory trial with ceramic tile inoculated with L. monocytogenes confirmed the effectiveness of the Reveal method at the 24 h time point. Overall, sensitivity of the Reveal method at 24 h relative to that of the USDA-FSIS method was 153%. The Reveal method exhibited extremely high specificity, with only a single false-positive result in all trials combined for overall specificity of 99.5%.

Aptamer-aided target capturing with biocatalytic metal deposition: an electrochemical platform for sensitive detection of cancer cells.

PubMed

Yi, Zi; Li, Xiao-Yan; Gao, Qing; Tang, Li-Juan; Chu, Xia

2013-04-07

A novel aptamer biosensor for cancer cell assay has been reported on the basis of ultrasensitive electrochemical detection. Cancer cell capturing is first accomplished via aptamer-aided recognition, and the cell-aptamer binding events then mediate an alkaline phosphatase-catalyzed silver deposition reaction which can be probed by electrochemical detection. Following biocatalytic silver deposition, an efficient amplification approach for sensitive electrochemical measurements is demonstrated, for cell detection with high sensitivity. Ramos cell are used as a model case, a typical biomarker of the acute blood cell cancer, Burkitt's lymphoma. The results reveal that the developed technique displays desirable selectivity in Ramos cell discrimination, and linear response range from 10 to 10(6) cells with a detection limit as low as 10 cells. Due to the simple procedures, label-free and electrochemistry based detection format, this technique is simple and cost-effective, and exhibits excellent compatibility with miniaturization technologies. The electrochemical cell detection strategy may create an intrinsically specific and sensitive platform for cancer cell assay and associated studies.

Spectral sensitivity of a colour changing spider.

PubMed

Defrize, Jérémy; Lazzari, Claudio R; Warrant, Eric J; Casas, Jérôme

2011-04-01

Vision plays a paramount role in some spider families such as the Salticidae, Lycosidae and Thomisidae, as it is involved in prey hunting, orientation or choice of substrate. In the thomisid Misumena vatia, for which the substrate colour affects the body colour, vision seems to mediate morphological colour changes. However, nothing is known about which component of visual signals from the substrate might be perceived, nor whether M. vatia possesses the physiological basis for colour vision. The aim of this study is thus to investigate the vision of this spider species by measuring the spectral sensitivities of the different pairs of eyes using electrophysiological methods. Extra- and intracellular electrophysiological recordings combined with selective adaptation revealed the presence of two classes of photoreceptor cells, one sensitive in the UV region of the spectrum (around 340 nm) and one sensitive in the green (around 520 nm) regions in the four pairs of eyes. We conclude that M. vatia possesses the physiological potential to perceive both chromatic and achromatic components of the environment. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Time-Resolved Fluorescent Immunochromatography of Aflatoxin B1 in Soybean Sauce: A Rapid and Sensitive Quantitative Analysis.

PubMed

Wang, Du; Zhang, Zhaowei; Li, Peiwu; Zhang, Qi; Zhang, Wen

2016-07-14

Rapid and quantitative sensing of aflatoxin B1 with high sensitivity and specificity has drawn increased attention of studies investigating soybean sauce. A sensitive and rapid quantitative immunochromatographic sensing method was developed for the detection of aflatoxin B1 based on time-resolved fluorescence. It combines the advantages of time-resolved fluorescent sensing and immunochromatography. The dynamic range of a competitive and portable immunoassay was 0.3-10.0 µg·kg(-1), with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.1 µg·kg(-1) and recoveries of 87.2%-114.3%, within 10 min. The results showed good correlation (R² > 0.99) between time-resolved fluorescent immunochromatographic strip test and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Soybean sauce samples analyzed using time-resolved fluorescent immunochromatographic strip test revealed that 64.2% of samples contained aflatoxin B1 at levels ranging from 0.31 to 12.5 µg·kg(-1). The strip test is a rapid, sensitive, quantitative, and cost-effective on-site screening technique in food safety analysis.

Auditory Perception, Suprasegmental Speech Processing, and Vocabulary Development in Chinese Preschoolers.

PubMed

Wang, Hsiao-Lan S; Chen, I-Chen; Chiang, Chun-Han; Lai, Ying-Hui; Tsao, Yu

2016-10-01

The current study examined the associations between basic auditory perception, speech prosodic processing, and vocabulary development in Chinese kindergartners, specifically, whether early basic auditory perception may be related to linguistic prosodic processing in Chinese Mandarin vocabulary acquisition. A series of language, auditory, and linguistic prosodic tests were given to 100 preschool children who had not yet learned how to read Chinese characters. The results suggested that lexical tone sensitivity and intonation production were significantly correlated with children's general vocabulary abilities. In particular, tone awareness was associated with comprehensive language development, whereas intonation production was associated with both comprehensive and expressive language development. Regression analyses revealed that tone sensitivity accounted for 36% of the unique variance in vocabulary development, whereas intonation production accounted for 6% of the variance in vocabulary development. Moreover, auditory frequency discrimination was significantly correlated with lexical tone sensitivity, syllable duration discrimination, and intonation production in Mandarin Chinese. Also it provided significant contributions to tone sensitivity and intonation production. Auditory frequency discrimination may indirectly affect early vocabulary development through Chinese speech prosody. © The Author(s) 2016.

Enhanced photoresponse in dye-sensitized solar cells via localized surface plasmon resonance through highly stable nickel nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Md. Mahbubur; Im, Sang Hyuk; Lee, Jae-Joon

2016-03-01

We demonstrated the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of Ni nanoparticles (NiNPs) on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Our study revealed that NiNPs in a conventional I-/I3- electrolyte (NiNPs@I-/I3-) increased the net optical absorption of a N719 dye over a broad wavelength range by LSPR, and concurrently improved the power conversion efficiency (PCE) in DSSCs. At an optimized concentration of the NiNPs@I-/I3- electrolyte (1 mg mL-1), N719-sensitized DSSCs with a photoanode thickness of ca. 2, 5, and 10 μm, exhibited net PCEs of 2.32, 6.02, and 9.83%, respectively. These efficiencies were consistent with a net improvement of 43.2, 20.4, and 12.7%, respectively and were mainly attributed to a significant enhancement of the short circuit current density (Jsc) by the LSPR from the NiNPs. Similar effects were observed for cells sensitized by the N3, Ru505, and Z907 dyes. Furthermore, the NiNPs exhibited excellent resistance to corrosion from a conventional I-/I3- electrolyte over a period of 60 days.We demonstrated the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of Ni nanoparticles (NiNPs) on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Our study revealed that NiNPs in a conventional I-/I3- electrolyte (NiNPs@I-/I3-) increased the net optical absorption of a N719 dye over a broad wavelength range by LSPR, and concurrently improved the power conversion efficiency (PCE) in DSSCs. At an optimized concentration of the NiNPs@I-/I3- electrolyte (1 mg mL-1), N719-sensitized DSSCs with a photoanode thickness of ca. 2, 5, and 10 μm, exhibited net PCEs of 2.32, 6.02, and 9.83%, respectively. These efficiencies were consistent with a net improvement of 43.2, 20.4, and 12.7%, respectively and were mainly attributed to a significant enhancement of the short circuit current density (Jsc) by the LSPR from the NiNPs. Similar effects were observed for cells sensitized by the N3, Ru505, and Z907 dyes. Furthermore, the NiNPs exhibited excellent resistance to corrosion from a conventional I-/I3- electrolyte over a period of 60 days. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Details of the materials, optimization of the amount of NiNPs, and the stability of the devices. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr08155f

Ultrasound-mediated structural changes in cells revealed by FTIR spectroscopy: a contribution to the optimization of gene and drug delivery.

PubMed

Grimaldi, Paola; Di Giambattista, Lucia; Giordani, Serena; Udroiu, Ion; Pozzi, Deleana; Gaudenzi, Silvia; Bedini, Angelico; Giliberti, Claudia; Palomba, Raffaele; Castellano, Agostina Congiu

2011-12-15

Ultrasound effects on biological samples are gaining a growing interest concerning in particular, the intracellular delivery of drugs and genes in a safe and in a efficient way. Future progress in this field will require a better understanding of how ultrasound and acoustic cavitation affect the biological system properties. The morphological changes of cells due to ultrasound (US) exposure have been extensively studied, while little attention has been given to the cells structural changes. We have exposed two different cell lines to 1 MHz frequency ultrasound currently used in therapy, Jurkat T-lymphocytes and NIH-3T3 fibroblasts, both employed as models respectively in the apoptosis and in the gene therapy studies. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy was used as probe to reveal the structural changes in particular molecular groups belonging to the main biological systems. The genotoxic damage of cells exposed to ultrasound was ascertained by the Cytokinesis-Block Micronucleus (CBMN) assay. The FTIR spectroscopy results, combined with multivariate statistical analysis, regarding all cellular components (lipids, proteins, nucleic acids) of the two cell lines, show that Jurkat cells are more sensitive to therapeutic ultrasound in the lipid and protein regions, whereas the NIH-3T3 cells are more sensitive in the nucleic acids region; a meaningful genotoxic effect is present in both cell lines only for long sonication times while in the Jurkat cells also a significant cytotoxic effect is revealed for long times of exposure to ultrasound. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermal emission and absorption of radiation in finite inverted-opal photonic crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Florescu, Marian; Stimpson, Andrew J.; Lee, Hwang

We study theoretically the optical properties of a finite inverted-opal photonic crystal. The light-matter interaction is strongly affected by the presence of the three-dimensional photonic crystal and the alterations of the light emission and absorption processes can be used to suppress or enhance the thermal emissivity and absorptivity of the dielectric structure. We investigate the influence of the absorption present in the system on the relevant band edge frequencies that control the optical response of the photonic crystal. Our study reveals that the absorption processes cause spectral broadening and shifting of the band edge optical resonances, and determine a strongmore » reduction of the photonic band gap spectral range. Using the angular and spectral dependence of the band edge frequencies for stop bands along different directions, we argue that by matching the blackbody emission spectrum peak with a prescribed maximum of the absorption coefficient, it is possible to achieve an angle-sensitive enhancement of the thermal emission/absorption of radiation. This result opens a way to realize a frequency-sensitive and angle-sensitive photonic crystal absorbers/emitters.« less

Prevalence of fragrance sensitivity in the American population.

PubMed

Caress, Stanley M; Steinemann, Anne C

2009-03-01

This study determined the percentages of individuals who report adverse effects from exposure to fragranced products in the U.S. population and in subpopulations of those with asthma or chemical sensitivity. Data were collected through telephone interviews from two geographically weighted, random samples of the continental U.S. in two surveys during 2002-2003 and 2005-2006 (1,057 and 1,058 cases, respectively). Respondents were asked if they find being next to someone wearing a scented product irritating or appealing; if they have headaches, breathing difficulties, or other problems when exposed to air fresheners or deodorizers; and if they are irritated by the scent from laundry products, fabric softeners, or dryer sheets that are vented outside. Results aggregated from both surveys found that 30.5% of the general population reported scented products on others irritating, 19% reported adverse health effects from air fresheners, and 10.9% reported irritation by scented laundry products vented outside. This study reveals that a considerable percentage of the U.S. population reports adverse health effects or irritation from fragranced products, with higher percentages among those with asthma and chemical sensitivity.

Enzyme responsive drug delivery system based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles for tumor therapy in vivo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yun; Ding, Xingwei; Li, Jinghua; Luo, Zhong; Hu, Yan; Liu, Junjie; Dai, Liangliang; Zhou, Jun; Hou, Changjun; Cai, Kaiyong

2015-04-01

To reduce the toxic side effects of traditional chemotherapeutics in vivo, we designed and constructed a biocompatible, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) responsive drug delivery system based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). MMPs substrate peptide containing PLGLAR (sensitive to MMPs) was immobilized onto the surfaces of amino-functionalized MSNs via an amidation reaction, serving as MMPs sensitive intermediate linker. Bovine serum albumin was then covalently coupled to linker as end-cap for sealing the mesopores of MSNs. Lactobionic acid was further conjugated to the system as targeting motif. Doxorubicin hydrochloride was used as the model anticancer drug in this study. A series of characterizations revealed that the system was successfully constructed. The peptide-functionalized MSNs system demonstrated relatively high sensitivity to MMPs for triggering drug delivery, which was potentially important for tumor therapy since the tumor’s microenvironment overexpressed MMPs in nature. The in vivo experiments proved that the system could efficiently inhibit the tumor growth with minimal side effects. This study provides an approach for the development of the next generation of nanotherapeutics toward efficient cancer treatment.

Genome-wide identification of wheat (Triticum aestivum) expansins and expansin expression analysis in cold-tolerant and cold-sensitive wheat cultivars

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jun-Feng; Xu, Yong-Qing; Dong, Jia-Min; Peng, Li-Na; Feng, Xu; Wang, Xu; Li, Fei; Miao, Yu; Yao, Shu-Kuan; Zhao, Qiao-Qin; Feng, Shan-Shan; Hu, Bao-Zhong

2018-01-01

Plant expansins are proteins involved in cell wall loosening, plant growth, and development, as well as in response to plant diseases and other stresses. In this study, we identified 128 expansin coding sequences from the wheat (Triticum aestivum) genome. These sequences belong to 45 homoeologous copies of TaEXPs, including 26 TaEXPAs, 15 TaEXPBs and four TaEXLAs. No TaEXLB was identified. Gene expression and sub-expression profiles revealed that most of the TaEXPs were expressed either only in root tissues or in multiple organs. Real-time qPCR analysis showed that many TaEXPs were differentially expressed in four different tissues of the two wheat cultivars—the cold-sensitive ‘Chinese Spring (CS)’ and the cold-tolerant ‘Dongnongdongmai 1 (D1)’ cultivars. Our results suggest that the differential expression of TaEXPs could be related to low-temperature tolerance or sensitivity of different wheat cultivars. Our study expands our knowledge on wheat expansins and sheds new light on the functions of expansins in plant development and stress response. PMID:29596529

Sensitivity to lunar cycles prior to the 2007 eruption of Ruapehu volcano.

PubMed

Girona, Társilo; Huber, Christian; Caudron, Corentin

2018-01-24

A long-standing question in Earth Science is the extent to which seismic and volcanic activity can be regulated by tidal stresses, a repeatable and predictable external excitation induced by the Moon-Sun gravitational force. Fortnightly tides, a ~14-day amplitude modulation of the daily tidal stresses that is associated to lunar cycles, have been suggested to affect volcano dynamics. However, previous studies found contradictory results and remain mostly inconclusive. Here we study how fortnightly tides have affected Ruapehu volcano (New Zealand) from 2004 to 2016 by analysing the rolling correlation between lunar cycles and seismic amplitude recorded close to the crater. The long-term (~1-year) correlation is found to increase significantly (up to confidence level of 5-sigma) during the ~3 months preceding the 2007 phreatic eruption of Ruapehu, thus revealing that the volcano is sensitive to fortnightly tides when it is prone to explode. We show through a mechanistic model that the real-time monitoring of seismic sensitivity to lunar cycles may help to detect the clogging of active volcanic vents, and thus to better forecast phreatic volcanic eruptions.

Fundamental study on reactivities of gluten protein types from wheat, rye and barley with five sandwich ELISA test kits.

PubMed

Lexhaller, Barbara; Tompos, Christine; Scherf, Katharina Anne

2017-12-15

Monitoring the compliance of gluten-free foods to the regulatory threshold of 20mg/kg of gluten is essential for celiac disease patients. The different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for gluten detection each have specific characteristics, but there are only a few systematic comparisons. This fundamental study compared the specificities and sensitivities of the R5, G12 and Skerritt monoclonal and two polyclonal antibodies to well-defined gluten protein types (GPT) isolated from wheat, rye and barley flours. Quantitation of protein concentrations by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography provided independent reference values. The ELISA responses showed high variability depending on the type of cereal, the GPT and the antibody used. Overall, ω1,2-gliadins and γ-75k-secalins were most reactive, whereas ω5-gliadins and γ-, B- and D-hordeins were detected with the lowest sensitivities. These results revealed which GPT each antibody is most sensitive to and provided novel insights that will be helpful for appropriate calibration of ELISAs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neural and behavioural responses to face-likeness of objects in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

PubMed Central

Akechi, Hironori; Kikuchi, Yukiko; Tojo, Yoshikuni; Osanai, Hiroo; Hasegawa, Toshikazu

2014-01-01

Numerous studies have revealed atypical face processing in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) characterized by social interaction and communication difficulties. This study investigated sensitivity to face-likeness in ASD. In Experiment 1, we found a strong positive correlation between the face-likeness ratings of non-face objects in the ASD (11–19 years old) and the typically developing (TD) group (9–21 years old). In Experiment 2 (the scalp-recorded event-related potential experiment), the participants of both groups (ASD, 12–19 years old; TD, 12–18 years old) exhibited an enhanced face-sensitive N170 amplitude to a face-like object. Whereas the TD adolescents showed an enhanced N170 during the face-likeness judgements, adolescents with ASD did not. Thus, both individuals with ASD and TD individuals have a perceptual and neural sensitivity to face-like features in objects. When required to process face-like features, a face-related brain system reacts more strongly in TD individuals but not in individuals with ASD. PMID:24464152

PPARγ2Pro12Ala Polymorphism and Human Health

PubMed Central

He, Weimin

2009-01-01

The nuclear hormone receptor peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is an important transcription factor regulating adipocyte differentiation, lipid and glucose homeostasis, and insulin sensitivity. Numerous genetic mutations of PPARγ have been identified and these mutations positively or negatively regulate insulin sensitivity. Among these, a relatively common polymorphism of PPARγ, Pro12Ala of PPARγ2, the isoform expressed only in adipose tissue has been shown to be associated with lower body mass index, enhanced insulin sensitivity, and resistance to the risk of type 2 diabetes in human subjects carrying this mutation. Subsequent studies in different ethnic populations, however, have revealed conflicting results, suggesting a complex interaction between the PPARγ2 Pro12Ala polymorphism and environmental factors such as the ratio of dietary unsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids and/or between the PPARγ2 Pro12Ala polymorphism and genetic factors such as polymorphic mutations in other genes. In addition, this polymorphic mutation in PPARγ2 is associated with other aspects of human diseases, including cancers, polycystic ovary syndrome, Alzheimer disease and aging. This review will highlight findings from recent studies. PMID:19390629

Time-dependent efficiency measurements of donor-acceptor, dye-sensitized polymer solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandaccari, Kyle; Chesmore, Grace; Tajalli-Tehrani Valverde, Parisa; Bugaj, Mitchel; McNelis, Brian; Barber, Richard, Jr.

The fullerene/polymer active layer pairing of PCBM/P3HT has become the model system within the field of polymer solar cell research. A large body of work concerned with reporting improved efficiencies for this system exists, but truly quantitative studies of device lifetime and long-term degradation tendencies are much rarer. Here, we report the effects of two donor-acceptor diazo dye sensitizers on efficiency and lifetime upon addition into the PCBM/P3HT active layer at varied concentrations. The electrical and efficiency measurements were supplemented by time-dependent UV-visible spectroscopy studies and morphology investigations via atomic-force microscopy (AFM). This pairing with spectroscopy offers an internal check on the data as the rate of change in absorbance of the active layer correlates almost exactly to the rate of power conversion efficiency decrease. Additionally, AFM imaging reveals different morphology patterns when dye concentrations and functionalities change. Such observations suggest that such small-molecule sensitizers exert yet undetermined effects on the organization of components within the active layer at the molecular level.

Salvianolic acid A reverses cisplatin resistance in lung cancer A549 cells by targeting c-met and attenuating Akt/mTOR pathway.

PubMed

Tang, Xia-Li; Yan, Li; Zhu, Ling; Jiao, De-Min; Chen, Jun; Chen, Qing-Yong

2017-09-01

Drug resistance is one of the leading causes of chemotherapy failure in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of c-met in human lung cancer cisplatin resistance cell line (A549/DDP) and the reversal mechanism of salvianolic acid A (SAA), a phenolic active compound extracted from Salvia miltiorrhiza. In this study, we found that A549/DDP cells exert up-regulation of c-met by activating the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. We also show that SAA could increase the chemotherapeutic efficacy of cisplatin, suggesting a synergistic effect of SAA and cisplatin. Moreover, we revealed that SAA enhanced sensitivity to cisplatin in A549/DDP cells mainly through suppression of the c-met/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Knockdown of c-met revealed similar effects as that of SAA in A549/DDP cells. In addition, SAA effectively prevented multidrug resistance associated protein1 (MDR1) up-regulation in A549/DDP cells. Taken together, our results indicated that SAA suppressed c-met expression and enhanced the sensitivity of lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells to cisplatin through AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Surveillance for Toxoplasma gondii in California mussels (Mytilus californianus) reveals transmission of atypical genotypes from land to sea.

PubMed

Shapiro, Karen; VanWormer, Elizabeth; Aguilar, Beatriz; Conrad, Patricia A

2015-11-01

Coastal habitat contamination with Toxoplasma gondii is a health risk to humans and marine wildlife, with infections documented in both nearshore and pelagic marine mammals. Due to lack of sensitive methods for detection of T. gondii in water, this study utilized an alternative surveillance approach for evaluating marine habitat contamination using wild mussels. The objectives of this study were to (i) validate sensitive molecular tools for T. gondii detection in mussels and (ii) apply optimized methods in a surveillance study to determine the prevalence and genotype(s) of T. gondii in mussels. Simplex polymerase chain reaction screening and multiplex genotyping assays were validated and then applied on 959 wild-caught mussels collected from central California. Thirteen mussels (1.4%) had detectable T. gondii DNA and the presence of T. gondii in mussels was significantly associated with proximity to freshwater run-off and collection during the wet season. Molecular characterization revealed alleles from T. gondii types I, II/III, X at the B1 locus, and a novel atypical B1 allele that was recently documented in T. gondii-infected carnivores from California. Findings demonstrate higher than previously reported T. gondii contamination of California coastlines, and describe novel strains of the parasite that further link terrestrial sources with marine contamination. © 2014 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Uncovering the influence of social skills and psychosociological factors on pain sensitivity using structural equation modeling.

PubMed

Tanaka, Yoichi; Nishi, Yuki; Nishi, Yuki; Osumi, Michihiro; Morioka, Shu

2017-01-01

Pain is a subjective emotional experience that is influenced by psychosociological factors such as social skills, which are defined as problem-solving abilities in social interactions. This study aimed to reveal the relationships among pain, social skills, and other psychosociological factors by using structural equation modeling. A total of 101 healthy volunteers (41 men and 60 women; mean age: 36.6±12.7 years) participated in this study. To evoke participants' sense of inner pain, we showed them images of painful scenes on a PC screen and asked them to evaluate the pain intensity by using the visual analog scale (VAS). We examined the correlation between social skills and VAS, constructed a hypothetical model based on results from previous studies and the current correlational analysis results, and verified the model's fit using structural equation modeling. We found significant positive correlations between VAS and total social skills values, as well as between VAS and the "start of relationships" subscales. Structural equation modeling revealed that the values for "start of relationships" had a direct effect on VAS values (path coefficient =0.32, p <0.01). In addition, the "start of relationships" had both a direct and an indirect effect on psychological factors via social support. The results indicated that extroverted people are more sensitive to inner pain and tend to get more social support and maintain a better psychological condition.

Systematic Development and Validation of a Thin-Layer Densitometric Bioanalytical Method for Estimation of Mangiferin Employing Analytical Quality by Design (AQbD) Approach

PubMed Central

Khurana, Rajneet Kaur; Rao, Satish; Beg, Sarwar; Katare, O.P.; Singh, Bhupinder

2016-01-01

The present work aims at the systematic development of a simple, rapid and highly sensitive densitometry-based thin-layer chromatographic method for the quantification of mangiferin in bioanalytical samples. Initially, the quality target method profile was defined and critical analytical attributes (CAAs) earmarked, namely, retardation factor (Rf), peak height, capacity factor, theoretical plates and separation number. Face-centered cubic design was selected for optimization of volume loaded and plate dimensions as the critical method parameters selected from screening studies employing D-optimal and Plackett–Burman design studies, followed by evaluating their effect on the CAAs. The mobile phase containing a mixture of ethyl acetate : acetic acid : formic acid : water in a 7 : 1 : 1 : 1 (v/v/v/v) ratio was finally selected as the optimized solvent for apt chromatographic separation of mangiferin at 262 nm with Rf 0.68 ± 0.02 and all other parameters within the acceptance limits. Method validation studies revealed high linearity in the concentration range of 50–800 ng/band for mangiferin. The developed method showed high accuracy, precision, ruggedness, robustness, specificity, sensitivity, selectivity and recovery. In a nutshell, the bioanalytical method for analysis of mangiferin in plasma revealed the presence of well-resolved peaks and high recovery of mangiferin. PMID:26912808

Association of oxidative status and insulin sensitivity in periparturient dairy cattle: an observational study.

PubMed

Abuelo, A; Hernández, J; Benedito, J L; Castillo, C

2016-04-01

Post-parturient insulin resistance (IR) is a common feature in all mammalian animals. However, in dairy cows, it can be exacerbated because of high milk yield, leading to excessive negative energy balance, which is related with increased disease incidence, reduced milk production and worsened reproductive performance. IR has been extensively investigated in humans suffering from diabetes mellitus. In these subjects, it is known that oxidative stress (OS) plays a causative role in the onset of IR. Although OS occurs in transitional dairy cattle, there are yet no studies that investigated the association between IR and OS in dairy cattle. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between OS and IR in dairy cattle. Serum samples were taken repeatedly from 22 dairy cows from 2 months prior to the expected calving date to 2 months after calving and were analysed for markers of metabolic and redox balance. Surrogate indices of insulin sensitivity were also calculated. Generalised linear mixed models revealed an effect of the oxidative status on peripheral insulin concentration and on indices of insulin sensitivity. Hence, field trials should investigate the effectiveness of antioxidant therapy on insulin sensitivity in peripheral tissues during the transition period of dairy cattle. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Curcumin increases the sensitivity of Paclitaxel-resistant NSCLC cells to Paclitaxel through microRNA-30c-mediated MTA1 reduction.

PubMed

Lu, Yimin; Wang, Jun; Liu, Lei; Yu, Lequn; Zhao, Nian; Zhou, Xingju; Lu, Xudong

2017-04-01

Non-small-cell lung cancer is one of the most lethal cancers in the worldwide. Although Paclitaxel-based combinational therapies have long been used as a standard treatment in aggressive non-small-cell lung cancers, Paclitaxel resistance emerges as a major clinical problem. It has been demonstrated that Curcumin from Curcuma longa as a traditional Chinese medicine can inhibit cancer cell proliferation. However, the role of Curcumin in Paclitaxel-resistant non-small-cell lung cancer cells is not clear. In this study, we investigated the effect of Curcumin on the Paclitaxel-resistant non-small-cell lung cancer cells and found that Curcumin treatment markedly increased the sensitivity of Paclitaxel-resistant non-small-cell lung cancer cells to Paclitaxel. Mechanically, the study revealed that Curcumin could reduce the expression of metastasis-associated gene 1 (MTA1) gene through upregulation of microRNA-30c in Paclitaxel-resistant non-small-cell lung cancer cells. During the course, MTA1 reduction sensitized Paclitaxel-resistant non-small-cell lung cancer cells and enhanced the effect of Paclitaxel. Taken together, our studies indicate that Curcumin increases the sensitivity of Paclitaxel-resistant non-small-cell lung cancer cells to Paclitaxel through microRNA-30c-mediated MTA1 reduction. Curcumin might be a potential adjuvant for non-small-cell lung cancer patients during Paclitaxel treatment.

Patients with chronic tension-type headache demonstrate increased mechano-sensitivity of the supra-orbital nerve.

PubMed

Fernández-de-Las-Peñas, César; Coppieters, Michel W; Cuadrado, María Luz; Pareja, Juan A

2008-04-01

This study aimed to establish whether increased sensitivity to mechanical stimuli is present in neural tissues in chronic tension-type headache (CTTH). Muscle hyperalgesia is a common finding in CTTH. No previous studies have investigated the sensitivity of peripheral nerves in patients with CTTH. A blinded controlled study. Pressure pain thresholds (PPT) and pain intensity following palpation of the supra-orbital nerve (V1) were compared between 20 patients with CTTH and 20 healthy matched subjects. A pressure algometer and numerical pain rate scale were used to quantify PPT and pain to palpation. A headache diary was kept for 4 weeks to substantiate the diagnosis and record the pain history. The analysis of variance demonstrated significantly lower PPT for patients (0.86+/-0.13 kg/cm2) than controls (1.50+/-0.19 kg/cm2) (P<.001). Pain to palpation was also higher for patients (2.73+/-1.58) than controls (0.15+/-0.28) (P<.001). Within the CTTH group, intensity, frequency, and duration of the headaches were negatively correlated with PPT (rsor=0.72; P<.001). These findings reveal that mechanical hypersensitivity is not limited to muscles but also occurs in cranial nerves, and that the level of sensitization, either due to peripheral or central processes, is related to the severity of the primary headache.

Monoclonal antibody DS6 detects a tumor-associated sialoglycotope expressed on human serous ovarian carcinomas.

PubMed

Kearse, K P; Smith, N L; Semer, D A; Eagles, L; Finley, J L; Kazmierczak, S; Kovacs, C J; Rodriguez, A A; Kellogg-Wennerberg, A E

2000-12-15

A newly developed murine monoclonal antibody, DS6, immunohistochemically reacts with an antigen, CA6, that is expressed by human serous ovarian carcinomas but not by normal ovarian surface epithelium or mesothelium. CA6 has a limited distribution in normal adult tissues and is most characteristically detected in fallopian tube epithelium, inner urothelium and type 2 pneumocytes. Pre-treatment of tissue sections with either periodic acid or neuraminidase from Vibrio cholerae abolishes immunoreactivity with DS6, indicating that CA6 is a neuraminidase-sensitive and periodic acid-sensitive sialic acid glycoconjugate ("sialoglycotope"). SDS-PAGE of OVCAR5 cell lysates has revealed that the CA6 epitope is expressed on an 80 kDa non-disulfide-linked glycoprotein containing N-linked oligosaccharides. Two-dimensional non-equilibrium pH gradient gel electrophoresis indicates an isoelectric point of approximately 6.2 to 6.5. Comparison of the immunohistochemical distribution of CA6 in human serous ovarian adenocarcinomas has revealed similarities to that of CA125; however, distinct differences and some complementarity of antigen expression were revealed by double-label, 2-color immunohistochemical studies. The DS6-detected CA6 antigen appears to be distinct from other well-characterized tumor-associated antigens, including MUC1, CA125 and the histo-blood group-related antigens sLea, sLex and sTn. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Ultrasensitive Determination of Piroxicam at Diflunisal-Derived Gold Nanoparticle-Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaikh, Tayyaba; uddin, SiraJ; Talpur, Farah N.; Khaskeli, Abdul R.; Agheem, Muhammad H.; Shah, Muhammad R.; Sherazi, Tufail H.; Siddiqui, Samia

2017-10-01

We present a simple and green approach for synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNps) using analgesic drug diflunisal (DF) as capping and stabilizing agent in aqueous solution. Characterization of the synthesized diflunisal-derived gold nanoparticles (DF-AuNps) was performed by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, revealing the surface plasmon absorption band at 520 nm under optimized experimental conditions. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy established the effective interaction of the capping agent with the AuNps. Topographical features of the synthesized DF-AuNps were assessed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), revealing average particle height of 29 nm to 32 nm. X-ray diffractometry was used to study the crystalline nature, revealing that the synthesized DF-AuNps possessed excellent crystalline properties. The synthesized DF-AuNps were employed to modify the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for selective determination of piroxicam (PX) using differential pulse voltammetry technique. The fabricated Nafion/DF-AuNps/GCE sensor exhibited high sensitivity compared with bare GCE. The current response of the fabricated sensor was found to be linear in the PX concentration range of 0.5 μM to 50 μM, with limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 50 nM and 150 nM, respectively. The proposed sensor was successfully utilized for sensitive and rapid determination of PX in human serum, urine, and pharmaceutical samples.

Integrated analysis of rice transcriptomic and metabolomic responses to elevated night temperatures identifies sensitivity- and tolerance-related profiles.

PubMed

Glaubitz, Ulrike; Li, Xia; Schaedel, Sandra; Erban, Alexander; Sulpice, Ronan; Kopka, Joachim; Hincha, Dirk K; Zuther, Ellen

2017-01-01

Transcript and metabolite profiling were performed on leaves from six rice cultivars under high night temperature (HNT) condition. Six genes were identified as central for HNT response encoding proteins involved in transcription regulation, signal transduction, protein-protein interactions, jasmonate response and the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Sensitive cultivars showed specific changes in transcript abundance including abiotic stress responses, changes of cell wall-related genes, of ABA signaling and secondary metabolism. Additionally, metabolite profiles revealed a highly activated TCA cycle under HNT and concomitantly increased levels in pathways branching off that could be corroborated by enzyme activity measurements. Integrated data analysis using clustering based on one-dimensional self-organizing maps identified two profiles highly correlated with HNT sensitivity. The sensitivity profile included genes of the functional bins abiotic stress, hormone metabolism, cell wall, signaling, redox state, transcription factors, secondary metabolites and defence genes. In the tolerance profile, similar bins were affected with slight differences in hormone metabolism and transcription factor responses. Metabolites of the two profiles revealed involvement of GABA signaling, thus providing a link to the TCA cycle status in sensitive cultivars and of myo-inositol as precursor for inositol phosphates linking jasmonate signaling to the HNT response specifically in tolerant cultivars. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Combined zebrafish-yeast chemical-genetic screens reveal gene-copper-nutrition interactions that modulate melanocyte pigmentation.

PubMed

Ishizaki, Hironori; Spitzer, Michaela; Wildenhain, Jan; Anastasaki, Corina; Zeng, Zhiqiang; Dolma, Sonam; Shaw, Michael; Madsen, Erik; Gitlin, Jonathan; Marais, Richard; Tyers, Mike; Patton, E Elizabeth

2010-01-01

Hypopigmentation is a feature of copper deficiency in humans, as caused by mutation of the copper (Cu(2+)) transporter ATP7A in Menkes disease, or an inability to absorb copper after gastric surgery. However, many causes of copper deficiency are unknown, and genetic polymorphisms might underlie sensitivity to suboptimal environmental copper conditions. Here, we combined phenotypic screens in zebrafish for compounds that affect copper metabolism with yeast chemical-genetic profiles to identify pathways that are sensitive to copper depletion. Yeast chemical-genetic interactions revealed that defects in intracellular trafficking pathways cause sensitivity to low-copper conditions; partial knockdown of the analogous Ap3s1 and Ap1s1 trafficking components in zebrafish sensitized developing melanocytes to hypopigmentation in low-copper environmental conditions. Because trafficking pathways are essential for copper loading into cuproproteins, our results suggest that hypomorphic alleles of trafficking components might underlie sensitivity to reduced-copper nutrient conditions. In addition, we used zebrafish-yeast screening to identify a novel target pathway in copper metabolism for the small-molecule MEK kinase inhibitor U0126. The zebrafish-yeast screening method combines the power of zebrafish as a disease model with facile genome-scale identification of chemical-genetic interactions in yeast to enable the discovery and dissection of complex multigenic interactions in disease-gene networks.

An Animal Model of Trichloroethylene-Induced Skin Sensitization in BALB/c Mice.

PubMed

Wang, Hui; Zhang, Jia-xiang; Li, Shu-long; Wang, Feng; Zha, Wan-sheng; Shen, Tong; Wu, Changhao; Zhu, Qi-xing

2015-01-01

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a major occupational hazard and environmental contaminant that can cause multisystem disorders in the form of occupational medicamentosa-like dermatitis. Development of dermatitis involves several proinflammatory cytokines, but their role in TCE-mediated dermatitis has not been examined in a well-defined experimental model. In addition, few animal models of TCE sensitization are available, and the current guinea pig model has apparent limitations. This study aimed to establish a model of TCE-induced skin sensitization in BALB/c mice and to examine the role of several key inflammatory cytokines on TCE sensitization. The sensitization rate of dorsal painted group was 38.3%. Skin edema and erythema occurred in TCE-sensitized groups, as seen in 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) positive control. Trichloroethylene sensitization-positive (dermatitis [+]) group exhibited increased thickness of epidermis, inflammatory cell infiltration, swelling, and necrosis in dermis and around hair follicle, but ear painted group did not show these histological changes. The concentrations of serum proinflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interferon (IFN)-γ, and interleukin (IL)-2 were significantly increased in 24, 48, and 72 hours dermatitis [+] groups treated with TCE and peaked at 72 hours. Deposition of TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-2 into the skin tissue was also revealed by immunohistochemistry. We have established a new animal model of skin sensitization induced by repeated TCE stimulations, and we provide the first evidence that key proinflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-2 play an important role in the process of TCE sensitization. © The Author(s) 2015.

Verbal priming and taste sensitivity make moral transgressions gross.

PubMed

Herz, Rachel S

2014-02-01

The aims of the present study were to assess whether: (a) visceral and moral disgust share a common oral origin (taste); (b) moral transgressions that are also viscerally involving are evaluated accordingly as a function of individual differences in taste sensitivity; (c) verbal priming interacts with taste sensitivity to alter how disgust is experienced in moral transgressions; and (d) whether gender moderates these effects. Standard tests of disgust sensitivity, a questionnaire developed for this research assessing different types of moral transgressions (nonvisceral, implied-visceral, visceral) with the terms "angry" and "grossed-out," and a taste sensitivity test of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) were administered to 102 participants. Results confirmed past findings that the more sensitive to PROP a participant was the more disgusted they were by visceral, but not moral, disgust elicitors. Importantly, the findings newly revealed that taste sensitivity had no bearing on evaluations of moral transgressions, regardless of their visceral nature, when "angry" was the emotion primed. However, when "grossed-out" was primed for evaluating moral violations, the more intense PROP tasted to a participant the more "grossed-out" they were by all transgressions. Women were generally more disgust sensitive and morally condemning than men, but disgust test, transgression type, and priming scale modulated these effects. The present findings support the proposition that moral and visceral disgust do not share a common oral origin, but show that linguistic priming can transform a moral transgression into a viscerally repulsive event and that susceptibility to this priming varies as a function of an individual's sensitivity to the origins of visceral disgust-bitter taste.

An experimental test of the effect of acute anxious arousal and anxiety sensitivity on negative reinforcement smoking.

PubMed

Farris, Samantha G; Zvolensky, Michael J

2016-07-01

Although anxiety sensitivity has been reliably associated with smoking-anxiety comorbidity, there has not been a test of whether this construct moderates the effect of acute anxious arousal on actual smoking behavior. The present study utilized an experimental design to test the moderating role of anxiety sensitivity on laboratory-induced anxious arousal in terms of smoking urges and topography (puff style). Participants were adult daily smokers (n=90; Mage=43.6 SD =9.7); average 15.8 cigarettes per day). A between-subjects design was used; participants were randomly assigned to complete a biological challenge procedure consisting of either a single vital capacity inhalation of 35% carbon dioxide (CO2)-enriched air mixture or compressed room air. Smoking urges and smoking topography (puff behavior) were assessed before and after the challenge. Results revealed a significant interaction between anxiety sensitivity and experimental condition (b=-9.96, p=0.014), such that high anxiety sensitive smokers exposed to 35% CO2-enriched air reported significantly lower levels of smoking urges, relative to low anxiety sensitive smokers; the conditional effect of anxiety sensitivity was not observed for the room air condition. There were no significant interaction effects of experimental manipulation by anxiety sensitivity for any of the smoking topography outcomes. The present results suggest for smokers with higher levels of anxiety sensitivity, the acute experience of anxious arousal is related to decreased subjective smoking urges. These data invite future research to explore the reasons for dampened smoking urges, including cardiorespiratory symptom severity. © The Author(s) 2016.

Perceptual Learning Improves Contrast Sensitivity of V1 Neurons in Cats

PubMed Central

Hua, Tianmiao; Bao, Pinglei; Huang, Chang-Bing; Wang, Zhenhua; Xu, Jinwang

2010-01-01

Summary Background Perceptual learning has been documented in adult humans over a wide range of tasks. Although the often observed specificity of learning is generally interpreted as evidence for training-induced plasticity in early cortical areas, physiological evidence for training-induced changes in early visual cortical areas is modest, despite reports of learning-induced changes of cortical activities in fMRI studies. To reveal the physiological bases of perceptual learning, we combined psychophysical measurements with extracellular single-unit recording under anesthetized preparations, and examined the effects of training in grating orientation identification on both perceptual and neuronal contrast sensitivity functions of cats. Results We have found that training significantly improved perceptual contrast sensitivity of the cats to gratings with the spatial frequencies near the ‘trained’ spatial frequency, with stronger effects in the trained eye. Consistent with behavioral assessments, the mean contrast sensitivity of neurons recorded from V1 of the trained cats was significantly higher than that of neurons recorded from the untrained cats. Furthermore, in the trained cats, the contrast sensitivity of V1 neurons responding preferentially to stimuli presented via the trained eyes was significantly greater than that of neurons responding preferentially to stimuli presented via the ‘untrained’ eyes. The effect was confined to the trained spatial frequencies. In both trained and untrained cats, the neuronal contrast sensitivity functions derived from the contrast sensitivity of the individual neurons were highly correlated with behaviorally determined perceptual contrast sensitivity functions. Conclusions We suggest that training-induced neuronal contrast-gain in area V1 underlies behaviorally determined perceptual contrast sensitivity improvements. PMID:20451388

Characterization of Homopolymer and Polymer Blend Films by Phase Sensitive Acoustic Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ngwa, Wilfred; Wannemacher, Reinhold; Grill, Wolfgang

2003-03-01

CHARACTERIZATION OF HOMOPOLYMER AND POLYMER BLEND FILMS BY PHASE SENSITIVE ACOUSTIC MICROSCOPY W Ngwa, R Wannemacher, W Grill Institute of Experimental Physics II, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany Abstract We have used phase sensitive acoustic microscopy (PSAM) to study homopolymer thin films of polystyrene (PS) and poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), as well as PS/PMMA blend films. We show from our results that PSAM can be used as a complementary and highly valuable technique for elucidating the three-dimensional (3D) morphology and micromechanical properties of thin films. Three-dimensional image acquisition with vector contrast provides the basis for: complex V(z) analysis (per image pixel), 3D image processing, height profiling, and subsurface image analysis of the polymer films. Results show good agreement with previous studies. In addition, important new information on the three dimensional structure and properties of polymer films is obtained. Homopolymer film structure analysis reveals (pseudo-) dewetting by retraction of droplets, resulting in a morphology that can serve as a starting point for the analysis of polymer blend thin films. The outcome of confocal laser scanning microscopy studies, performed on the same samples are correlated with the obtained results. Advantages and limitations of PSAM are discussed.

Emotion-focused coping and distraction: sex differences in the influence of anxiety sensitivity during noxious heat stimulation.

PubMed

Thompson, T; Keogh, E; Chen, M J-L; French, C C

2012-03-01

While previous research has indicated that the relative efficacy of attentional strategies on pain may be influenced by anxiety sensitivity (AS) and sex, no study appears to have examined this within the context of an emotion-focus versus distraction paradigm. The present study compared the effect of attentional emotion-focus and distraction instructions on pain response with noxious heat stimulation in 114 healthy adults (62 women and 52 men) varying in levels of AS. Results indicated that men reported a significantly higher mean tolerance time than women. Moderated regression analysis also revealed a significant strategy × anxiety sensitivity × sex interaction on pain tolerance. For those low in AS, relative efficacy was dependent upon sex, with distraction superior to emotion-focusing in women, but with strategies equivalent in men. For those high in AS, however, distraction resulted in uniformly greater pain tolerance than attentional emotion-focusing. These results indicate that AS and sex may be influential in determining the relative effectiveness of distraction and emotion-based attentional strategies for pain management. © 2011 European Federation of International Association for the Study of Pain Chapters.

Comparative silicone breast implant evaluation using mammography, sonography, and magnetic resonance imaging: experience with 59 implants.

PubMed

Ahn, C Y; DeBruhl, N D; Gorczyca, D P; Shaw, W W; Bassett, L W

1994-10-01

With the current controversy regarding the safety of silicone implants, the detection and evaluation of implant rupture are causing concern for both plastic surgeons and patients. Our study obtained comparative value analysis of mammography, sonography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the detection of silicone implant rupture. Twenty-nine symptomatic patients (total of 59 silicone implants) were entered into the study. Intraoperative findings revealed 21 ruptured implants (36 percent). During physical examination, a positive "squeeze test" was highly suggestive of implant rupture. Mammograms were obtained of 51 implants (sensitivity 11 percent, specificity 89 percent). Sonography was performed on 57 implants (sensitivity 70 percent, specificity 92 percent). MRI was performed on 55 implants (sensitivity 81 percent, specificity 92 percent). Sonographically, implant rupture is demonstrated by the "stepladder sign." Double-lumen implants may appear as false-positive results for rupture on sonography. On MRI, the "linguine sign" represents disrupted fragments of a ruptured implant. The most reliable imaging modality for implant rupture detection is MRI, followed by sonogram. Mammogram is the least reliable. Our study supports the clinical indication and diagnostic value of sonogram and MRI in the evaluation of symptomatic breast implant patients.

Specificity of Disgust Vulnerability in the Distinction and Treatment of OCD

PubMed Central

Olatunji, Bunmi O.; Tart, Candyce D.; Ciesielski, Bethany G.; McGrath, Patrick B.; Smits, Jasper A. J.

2011-01-01

A growing body of research has implicated disgust as a potential risk factor for the development and maintenance of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). The first aim of the present study was to determine whether related, yet distinct, disgust vulnerabilities are endorsed more strongly by individuals with OCD than by those with another anxiety disorder. The second aim was to examine the unique contributions of changes in disgust to symptom improvement observed with exposure-based treatment for OCD. In study 1, individuals with OCD, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and nonclinical controls (NCCs) completed a measure of disgust propensity and disgust sensitivity. Compared to NCCs and individuals with GAD, those with OCD more strongly endorsed disgust propensity. However, individuals with OCD did not significantly differ from individuals with GAD in disgust sensitivity, although both groups reported significantly higher disgust sensitivity levels compared to NCCs. Study 2 comprised mediation analyses of symptom improvement among individuals with OCD and revealed that decreases in disgust propensity over time mediated improvement in OCD symptoms, even after controlling for improvements in negative affect. The implications of these findings for conceptualizing the role of disgust in the nature and treatment of OCD are discussed. PMID:21353249

Efficient monitoring of the blood-stage infection in a malaria rodent model by the rotating-crystal magneto-optical method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orbán, Ágnes; Rebelo, Maria; Molnár, Petra; Albuquerque, Inês S.; Butykai, Adam; Kézsmárki, István

2016-03-01

Intense research efforts have been focused on the improvement of the efficiency and sensitivity of malaria diagnostics, especially in resource-limited settings for the detection of asymptomatic infections. Our recently developed magneto-optical (MO) method allows the accurate quantification of malaria pigment crystals (hemozoin) in blood by their magnetically induced rotation. First evaluations of the method using β-hematin crystals and in vitro P. falciparum cultures implied its potential for high-sensitivity malaria diagnosis. To further investigate this potential, here we study the performance of the method in monitoring the in vivo onset and progression of the blood-stage infection in a rodent malaria model. Our results show that the MO method can detect the first generation of intraerythrocytic P. berghei parasites 66-76 hours after sporozoite injection, demonstrating similar sensitivity to Giesma-stained light microscopy and exceeding that of flow cytometric techniques. Magneto-optical measurements performed during and after the treatment of P. berghei infections revealed that both the follow up under treatment and the detection of later reinfections are feasible with this new technique. The present study demonstrates that the MO method - besides being label and reagent-free, automated and rapid - has a high in vivo sensitivity and is ready for in-field evaluation.

RNA sequencing of leaf tissues from two contrasting chickpea genotypes reveals mechanisms for drought tolerance.

PubMed

Badhan, Sapna; Kole, Pravas; Ball, Andrew; Mantri, Nitin

2018-06-13

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the second most important winter crop which is consumed globally due to its high nutritional value. Chickpea as one of the leguminous crop is important in crop rotation with cereal crops like wheat and barley. The main constraints for chickpea production are abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and heat. Among these, drought is a major cause of the decline in chickpea production in worldwide. Studies conducted so far have provided a limited insight into different genetic pathways associated with drought tolerance/response. In this study, the leaf tissue from shoots apical meristem stage of drought tolerant (ICC8261) and drought sensitive (ICC283) genotypes were analysed using RNA sequencing to identify genes/pathways associated with drought tolerance/sensitivity in both genotypes. It was observed that genes related to ethylene response, MYB-related protein, xyloglucan endotransglycosylase, alkane hydroxylase MAH-like, BON-1 associated, peroxidase 3, cysteine-rich and transmembrane domain, vignain and mitochondrial uncoupling were specifically up-regulated in the tolerant genotype whereas, same genes were down-regulated in sensitive genotype. The crosstalk between the different hormones and transcriptional factors involved in drought tolerance and sensitivity in both genotypes make them great candidates for future research. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Melanocortin-1 receptor gene variants affect pain and µ-opioid analgesia in mice and humans

PubMed Central

Mogil, J; Ritchie, J; Smith, S; Strasburg, K; Kaplan, L; Wallace, M; Romberg, R; Bijl, H; Sarton, E; Fillingim, R; Dahan, A

2005-01-01

Background: A recent genetic study in mice and humans revealed the modulatory effect of MC1R (melanocortin-1 receptor) gene variants on κ-opioid receptor mediated analgesia. It is unclear whether this gene affects basal pain sensitivity or the efficacy of analgesics acting at the more clinically relevant µ-opioid receptor. Objective: To characterise sensitivity to pain and µ-opioid analgesia in mice and humans with non-functional melanocortin-1 receptors. Methods: Comparisons of spontaneous mutant C57BL/6-Mc1re/e mice to C57BL/6 wildtype mice, followed by a gene dosage study of pain and morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G) analgesia in humans with MC1R variants. Results: C57BL/6-Mc1re/e mutant mice and human redheads—both with non-functional MC1Rs—display reduced sensitivity to noxious stimuli and increased analgesic responsiveness to the µ-opioid selective morphine metabolite, M6G. In both species the differential analgesia is likely due to pharmacodynamic factors, as plasma levels of M6G are similar across genotype. Conclusions: Genotype at MC1R similarly affects pain sensitivity and M6G analgesia in mice and humans. These findings confirm the utility of cross species translational strategies in pharmacogenetics. PMID:15994880

Sensitivity of Podosphaera xanthii populations to anti-powdery-mildew fungicides in Spain.

PubMed

Bellón-Gómez, Davinia; Vela-Corcía, David; Pérez-García, Alejandro; Torés, Juan A

2015-10-01

Cucurbit powdery mildew caused by Podosphaera xanthii limits crop production in Spain, where disease control is largely dependent on fungicides. In previous studies, high levels of resistance to QoI and DMI fungicides were documented in south-central Spain. The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity of P. xanthii populations to other fungicides and to provide tools for improved disease management. Using a leaf-disc assay, sensitivity to thiophanate-methyl, bupirimate and quinoxyfen of 50 isolates of P. xanthii was analysed to determine discriminatory concentrations between sensitive and resistant isolates. With the exception of thiophanate-methyl, no clearly different groups of isolates could be identified, and as a result, discriminatory concentrations were established on the basis of the maximum fungicide field application rate. Subsequently, a survey of P. xanthii resistance to these fungicides was carried out by testing a collection of 237 isolates obtained during the 2002-2011 cucurbit growing seasons. This analysis revealed very high levels of resistance to thiophanate-methyl (95%). By contrast, no resistance to bupirimate and quinoxyfen was found. Results suggest that thiophanate-methyl has become completely ineffective for controlling cucurbit powdery mildew in Spain. By contrast, bupirimate and quinoxyfen remain as very effective tools for cucurbit powdery mildew management. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Polarization sensitive localization based super-resolution microscopy with a birefringent wedge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinkó, József; Gajdos, Tamás; Czvik, Elvira; Szabó, Gábor; Erdélyi, Miklós

2017-03-01

A practical method has been presented for polarization sensitive localization based super-resolution microscopy using a birefringent dual wedge. The measurement of the polarization degree at the single molecule level can reveal the chemical and physical properties of the local environment of the fluorescent dye molecule and can hence provide information about the sub-diffraction sized structure of biological samples. Polarization sensitive STORM imaging of the F-Actins proved correlation between the orientation of fluorescent dipoles and the axis of the fibril.

Chemically Amplified Bilevel Resist Based on Condensation of Siloxanes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakata, Miwa; Ito, Toshio; Yamashita, Yoshio

1991-11-01

This paper deals with a negative bilevel resist which is based on the acid-catalyzed condensation reaction of poly(siloxane)s. The resist systems consist of photoacid generators and poly(siloxane). Ph3S+OTf- reveals an efficient activity for silanol condensation and the system has a high sensitivity of 0.31 mJ/cm2. Tetrafunctional silane plays the role of crosslinker in this system. Sensitivity improvement of low-sensitivity systems such as benzoin p-toluenesulfonate/poly(siloxane) can be achieved by this method.

Molecular basis of 'hypoxic' breast cancer cell radio-sensitization: phytochemicals converge on radiation induced Rel signaling.

PubMed

Aravindan, Sheeja; Natarajan, Mohan; Herman, Terence S; Awasthi, Vibhudutta; Aravindan, Natarajan

2013-03-04

Heterogeneously distributed hypoxic areas are a characteristic property of locally advanced breast cancers (BCa) and generally associated with therapeutic resistance, metastases, and poor patient survival. About 50% of locally advanced BCa, where radiotherapy is less effective are suggested to be due to hypoxic regions. In this study, we investigated the potential of bioactive phytochemicals in radio-sensitizing hypoxic BCa cells. Hypoxic (O2-2.5%; N2-92.5%; CO2-5%) MCF-7 cells were exposed to 4 Gy radiation (IR) alone or after pretreatment with Curcumin (CUR), curcumin analog EF24, neem leaf extract (NLE), Genistein (GEN), Resveratrol (RES) or raspberry extract (RSE). The cells were examined for inhibition of NFκB activity, transcriptional modulation of 88 NFκB signaling pathway genes, activation and cellular localization of radio-responsive NFκB related mediators, eNos, Erk1/2, SOD2, Akt1/2/3, p50, p65, pIκBα, TNFα, Birc-1, -2, -5 and associated induction of cell death. EMSA revealed that cells exposed to phytochemicals showed complete suppression of IR-induced NFκB. Relatively, cells exposed EF24 revealed a robust inhibition of IR-induced NFκB. QPCR profiling showed induced expression of 53 NFκB signaling pathway genes after IR. Conversely, 53, 50, 53, 53, 53 and 53 of IR-induced genes were inhibited with EF24, NLE, CUR, GEN, RES and RSE respectively. In addition, 25, 29, 24, 16, 11 and 21 of 35 IR-suppressed genes were further inhibited with EF24, NLE, CUR, GEN, RES and RSE respectively. Immunoblotting revealed a significant attenuating effect of IR-modulated radio-responsive eNos, Erk1/2, SOD2, Akt1/2/3, p50, p65, pIκBα, TNFα, Birc-1, -2 and -5 with EF24, NLE, CUR, GEN, RES or RSE. Annexin V-FITC staining showed a consistent and significant induction of IR-induced cell death with these phytochemicals. Notably, EF24 robustly conferred IR-induced cell death. Together, these data identifies the potential hypoxic cell radio-sensitizers and further implies that the induced radio-sensitization may be exerted by selectively targeting IR-induced NFκB signaling.

A receiver operated curve-based evaluation of change in sensitivity and specificity of cotinine urinalysis for detecting active tobacco use.

PubMed

Balhara, Yatan Pal Singh; Jain, Raka

2013-01-01

Tobacco use has been associated with various carcinomas including lung, esophagus, larynx, mouth, throat, kidney, bladder, pancreas, stomach, and cervix. Biomarkers such as concentration of cotinine in the blood, urine, or saliva have been used as objective measures to distinguish nonusers and users of tobacco products. A change in the cut-off value of urinary cotinine to detect active tobacco use is associated with a change in sensitivity and sensitivity of detection. The current study aimed at assessing the impact of using different cut-off thresholds of urinary cotinine on sensitivity and specificity of detection of smoking and smokeless tobacco product use among psychiatric patients. All the male subjects attending the psychiatry out-patient department of the tertiary care multispecialty teaching hospital constituted the sample frame for the current study in a cross-sectionally. Quantitative urinary cotinine assay was done by using ELISA kits of Calbiotech. Inc., USA. We used the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to assess the sensitivity and specificity of various cut-off values of urinary cotinine to identify active smokers and users of smokeless tobacco products. ROC analysis of urinary cotinine levels in detection of self-reported smoking provided the area under curve (AUC) of 0.434. Similarly, the ROC analysis of urinary cotinine levels in detection of self-reported smoking revealed AUC of 0.44. The highest sensitivity and specificity of 100% for smoking were detected at the urinary cut-off value greater than or equal to 2.47 ng/ml. The choice of cut-off value of urinary cotinine used to distinguish nonusers form active users of tobacco products impacts the sensitivity as well as specificity of detection.

Boundary element analysis of the directional sensitivity of the concentric EMG electrode.

PubMed

Henneberg, K A; Plonsey, R

1993-07-01

Assessment of the motor unit architecture based on concentric electrode motor unit potentials requires a thorough understanding of the recording characteristics of the concentric EMG electrode. Previous simulation studies have attempted to include the effect of EMG electrodes on the recorded waveforms by uniformly averaging the tissue potential at the coordinates of one- or two-dimensional electrode models. By employing the boundary element method, this paper improves earlier models of the concentric EMG electrode by including an accurate geometric representation of the electrode, as well as the mutual electrical influence between the electrode surfaces. A three-dimensional sensitivity function is defined from which information about the preferential direction of sensitivity, blind spots, phase changes, rate of attenuation, and range of pick-up radius can be derived. The study focuses on the intrinsic features linked to the geometry of the electrode. The results show that the cannula perturbs the potential distribution significantly. The core and the cannula electrodes measure potentials of the same order of magnitude in all of the pick-up range, except adjacent to the central wire, where the latter dominates the sensitivity function. The preferential directions of sensitivity are determined by the amount of geometric offset between the individual sensitivity functions of the core and the cannula. The sensitivity function also reveals a complicated pattern of phase changes in the pick-up range. Potentials from fibers located behind the tip or along the cannula are recorded with reversed polarity compared to those located in front of the tip. Rotation of the electrode about its axis was found to alter the duration, the peak-to-peak amplitude, and the rise time of waveforms recorded from a moving dipole.

Complex patterns of divergence among green-sensitive (RH2a) African cichlid opsins revealed by Clade model analyses

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Gene duplications play an important role in the evolution of functional protein diversity. Some models of duplicate gene evolution predict complex forms of paralog divergence; orthologous proteins may diverge as well, further complicating patterns of divergence among and within gene families. Consequently, studying the link between protein sequence evolution and duplication requires the use of flexible substitution models that can accommodate multiple shifts in selection across a phylogeny. Here, we employed a variety of codon substitution models, primarily Clade models, to explore how selective constraint evolved following the duplication of a green-sensitive (RH2a) visual pigment protein (opsin) in African cichlids. Past studies have linked opsin divergence to ecological and sexual divergence within the African cichlid adaptive radiation. Furthermore, biochemical and regulatory differences between the RH2aα and RH2aβ paralogs have been documented. It thus seems likely that selection varies in complex ways throughout this gene family. Results Clade model analysis of African cichlid RH2a opsins revealed a large increase in the nonsynonymous-to-synonymous substitution rate ratio (ω) following the duplication, as well as an even larger increase, one consistent with positive selection, for Lake Tanganyikan cichlid RH2aβ opsins. Analysis using the popular Branch-site models, by contrast, revealed no such alteration of constraint. Several amino acid sites known to influence spectral and non-spectral aspects of opsin biochemistry were found to be evolving divergently, suggesting that orthologous RH2a opsins may vary in terms of spectral sensitivity and response kinetics. Divergence appears to be occurring despite intronic gene conversion among the tandemly-arranged duplicates. Conclusions Our findings indicate that variation in selective constraint is associated with both gene duplication and divergence among orthologs in African cichlid RH2a opsins. At least some of this variation may reflect an adaptive response to differences in light environment. Interestingly, these patterns only became apparent through the use of Clade models, not through the use of the more widely employed Branch-site models; we suggest that this difference stems from the increased flexibility associated with Clade models. Our results thus bear both on studies of cichlid visual system evolution and on studies of gene family evolution in general. PMID:23078361

Mechanisms of the adenosine A2A receptor-induced sensitization of esophageal C fibers

PubMed Central

Brozmanova, M.; Mazurova, L.; Ru, F.; Tatar, M.; Hu, Y.; Yu, S.

2015-01-01

Clinical studies indicate that adenosine contributes to esophageal mechanical hypersensitivity in some patients with pain originating in the esophagus. We have previously reported that the esophageal vagal nodose C fibers express the adenosine A2A receptor. Here we addressed the hypothesis that stimulation of the adenosine A2A receptor induces mechanical sensitization of esophageal C fibers by a mechanism involving transient receptor potential A1 (TRPA1). Extracellular single fiber recordings of activity originating in C-fiber terminals were made in the ex vivo vagally innervated guinea pig esophagus. The adenosine A2A receptor-selective agonist CGS21680 induced robust, reversible sensitization of the response to esophageal distention (10–60 mmHg) in a concentration-dependent fashion (1–100 nM). At the half-maximally effective concentration (EC50: ≈3 nM), CGS21680 induced an approximately twofold increase in the mechanical response without causing an overt activation. This sensitization was abolished by the selective A2A antagonist SCH58261. The adenylyl cyclase activator forskolin mimicked while the nonselective protein kinase inhibitor H89 inhibited mechanical sensitization by CGS21680. CGS21680 did not enhance the response to the purinergic P2X receptor agonist α,β-methylene-ATP, indicating that CGS21680 does not nonspecifically sensitize to all stimuli. Mechanical sensitization by CGS21680 was abolished by pretreatment with two structurally different TRPA1 antagonists AP18 and HC030031. Single cell RT-PCR and whole cell patch-clamp studies in isolated esophagus-specific nodose neurons revealed the expression of TRPA1 in A2A-positive C-fiber neurons and demonstrated that CGS21682 potentiated TRPA1 currents evoked by allylisothiocyanate. We conclude that stimulation of the adenosine A2A receptor induces mechanical sensitization of nodose C fibers by a mechanism sensitive to TRPA1 antagonists indicating the involvement of TRPA1. PMID:26564719

A Comparison of the Sensitivities of Dominant Plant Species to Experimental Drought

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Felton, A. J.; Smith, M.; Griffin-Nolan, R.; Slette, I.

2015-12-01

Locally and globally, climate extremes are expected to become an increasingly important determinant of terrestrial ecosystem structure and functioning. In particular, extreme drought events are likely to have the most pronounced and negative impact on biodiversity (Tilman and El haddi 1992), carbon storage (Ciais et al. 2005) and cycling (Reichstein et al. 2013). As a consequence, an expressed need has been for a next generation of experiments designed to elucidate the causes and consequences of ecosystem sensitivity to drought (Smith 2011, Reichstein et al. 2013). A recent analysis of the 2012 U.S. Southwest drought revealed different sensitivities in primary production across five grassland ecosystems positioned along a precipitation gradient, with the most mesic (wet) grassland less sensitive than the most xeric (dry) grassland (Knapp et al. 2015). While this analysis suggests increasing sensitivity to drought with decreasing mean annual precipitation (MAP), an understanding of the relative roles of the abiotic (e.g., resource availability) and biotic (e.g., species identity) ecosystem components in driving this sensitivity trend is unclear. To address this uncertainty, we conducted a soil moisture manipulation study using the dominant grass species from the tallgrass prairie (892mm MAP), the shortgrass steppe (372mm MAP), and desert grassland (246mm MAP). The study imposed a "dry-down" to four target levels of volumetric soil water content at 25%, 20%, 15% and 10% to simulate different drought intensities. Each plant species experienced identical levels of water availability, with environmental conditions such as soil resource supply and temperature also held constant. Thus, this study allowed us to isolate each species sensitivity to water availability without confounding environmental differences. Measurements included growth rates of stem outputs and photosynthetically active leaves, maximum carbon assimilation, above and belowground net primary production. In total, the proposed application of this study is to contribute towards an understanding of the determinants of grassland ecosystem sensitivity to drought, with the underlying assumption that the responses of dominant plant species will largely determine ecosystem responses to contemporary and future climate change.

Molecular packing and magnetic properties of lithium naphthalocyanine crystals: hollow channels enabling permeability and paramagnetic sensitivity to molecular oxygen

PubMed Central

Pandian, Ramasamy P.; Dolgos, Michelle; Marginean, Camelia; Woodward, Patrick M.; Hammel, P. Chris; Manoharan, Periakaruppan T.; Kuppusamy, Periannan

2009-01-01

The synthesis, structural framework, magnetic and oxygen-sensing properties of a lithium naphthalocyanine (LiNc) radical probe are presented. LiNc was synthesized in the form of a microcrystalline powder using a chemical method and characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility, powder X-ray diffraction analysis, and mass spectrometry. X-Ray powder diffraction studies revealed a structural framework that possesses long, hollow channels running parallel to the packing direction. The channels measured approximately 5.0 × 5.4 Å2 in the two-dimensional plane perpendicular to the length of the channel, enabling diffusion of oxygen molecules (2.9 × 3.9 Å2) through the channel. The powdered LiNc exhibited a single, sharp EPR line under anoxic conditions, with a peak-to-peak linewidth of 630 mG at room temperature. The linewidth was sensitive to surrounding molecular oxygen, showing a linear increase in pO2 with an oxygen sensitivity of 31.2 mG per mmHg. The LiNc microcrystals can be further prepared as nano-sized crystals without the loss of its high oxygen-sensing properties. The thermal variation of the magnetic properties of LiNc, such as the EPR linewidth, EPR intensity and magnetic susceptibility revealed the existence of two different temperature regimes of magnetic coupling and hence differing columnar packing, both being one-dimensional antiferromagnetic chains but with differing magnitudes of exchange coupling constants. At a temperature of ∼50 K, LiNc crystals undergo a reversible phase transition. The high degree of oxygen-sensitivity of micro- and nano-sized crystals of LiNc, combined with excellent stability, should enable precise and accurate measurements of oxygen concentration in biological systems using EPR spectroscopy. PMID:19809598

Targeting glutamine metabolism in multiple myeloma enhances BIM binding to BCL-2 eliciting synthetic lethality to venetoclax.

PubMed

Bajpai, R; Matulis, S M; Wei, C; Nooka, A K; Von Hollen, H E; Lonial, S; Boise, L H; Shanmugam, M

2016-07-28

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy that is largely incurable due to development of resistance to therapy-elicited cell death. Nutrients are intricately connected to maintenance of cellular viability in part by inhibition of apoptosis. We were interested to determine if examination of metabolic regulation of BCL-2 proteins may provide insight on alternative routes to engage apoptosis. MM cells are reliant on glucose and glutamine and withdrawal of either nutrient is associated with varying levels of apoptosis. We and others have demonstrated that glucose maintains levels of key resistance-promoting BCL-2 family member, myeloid cell leukemic factor 1 (MCL-1). Cells continuing to survive in the absence of glucose or glutamine were found to maintain expression of MCL-1 but importantly induce pro-apoptotic BIM expression. One potential mechanism for continued survival despite induction of BIM could be due to binding and sequestration of BIM to alternate pro-survival BCL-2 members. Our investigation revealed that cells surviving glutamine withdrawal in particular, enhance expression and binding of BIM to BCL-2, consequently sensitizing these cells to the BH3 mimetic venetoclax. Glutamine deprivation-driven sensitization to venetoclax can be reversed by metabolic supplementation with TCA cycle intermediate α-ketoglutarate. Inhibition of glucose metabolism with the GLUT4 inhibitor ritonavir elicits variable cytotoxicity in MM that is marginally enhanced with venetoclax treatment, however, targeting glutamine metabolism with 6-diazo-5-oxo-l-norleucine uniformly sensitized MM cell lines and relapse/refractory patient samples to venetoclax. Our studies reveal a potent therapeutic strategy of metabolically driven synthetic lethality involving targeting glutamine metabolism for sensitization to venetoclax in MM.

Targeting glutamine metabolism in multiple myeloma enhances BIM binding to BCL-2 eliciting synthetic lethality to venetoclax

PubMed Central

Bajpai, R; Matulis, SM; Wei, C; Nooka, AK; Von Hollen, HE; Lonial, S; Boise, LH; Shanmugam, M

2016-01-01

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy that is largely incurable due to development of resistance to therapy-elicited cell death. Nutrients are intricately connected to maintenance of cellular viability in part by inhibition of apoptosis. We were interested to determine if examination of metabolic regulation of BCL-2 proteins may provide insight on alternative routes to engage apoptosis. MM cells are reliant on glucose and glutamine and withdrawal of either nutrient is associated with varying levels of apoptosis. We and others have demonstrated that glucose maintains levels of key resistance-promoting BCL-2 family member, myeloid cell leukemic factor 1 (MCL-1). Cells continuing to survive in the absence of glucose or glutamine were found to maintain expression of MCL-1 but importantly induce pro-apoptotic BIM expression. One potential mechanism for continued survival despite induction of BIM could be due to binding and sequestration of BIM to alternate pro-survival BCL-2 members. Our investigation revealed that cells surviving glutamine withdrawal in particular, enhance expression and binding of BIM to BCL-2, consequently sensitizing these cells to the BH3 mimetic venetoclax. Glutamine deprivation-driven sensitization to venetoclax can be reversed by metabolic supplementation with TCA cycle intermediate α-ketoglutarate. Inhibition of glucose metabolism with the GLUT4 inhibitor ritonavir elicits variable cytotoxicity in MM that is marginally enhanced with venetoclax treatment, however, targeting glutamine metabolism with 6-diazo-5-oxo-l-norleucine uniformly sensitized MM cell lines and relapse/refractory patient samples to venetoclax. Our studies reveal a potent therapeutic strategy of metabolically driven synthetic lethality involving targeting glutamine metabolism for sensitization to venetoclax in MM. PMID:26640142

The MAPKK FgMkk1 of Fusarium graminearum regulates vegetative differentiation, multiple stress response, and virulence via the cell wall integrity and high-osmolarity glycerol signaling pathways.

PubMed

Yun, Yingzi; Liu, Zunyong; Zhang, Jingze; Shim, Won-Bo; Chen, Yun; Ma, Zhonghua

2014-07-01

Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases play crucial roles in regulating fungal development, growth and pathogenicity, and in responses to the environment. In this study, we characterized a MAP kinase kinase FgMkk1 in Fusarium graminearum, the causal agent of wheat head blight. Phenotypic analyses of the FgMKK1 mutant (ΔFgMKK1) showed that FgMkk1 is involved in the regulation of hyphal growth, pigmentation, conidiation, deoxynivalenol biosynthesis and virulence of F. graminearum. ΔFgMKK1 also showed increased sensitivity to cell wall-damaging agents, and to osmotic and oxidative stresses, but exhibited decreased sensitivity to the fungicides iprodione and fludioxonil. In addition, the mutant revealed increased sensitivity to a biocontrol agent, Trichoderma atroviride. Western blot assays revealed that FgMkk1 positively regulates phosphorylation of the MAP kinases Mgv1 and FgOs-2, the key component in the cell wall integrity (CWI) and high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) signalling pathway respectively. Yeast two-hybrid assay indicated that Mgv1 interacts with a transcription factor FgRlm1. The FgRLM1 mutant (ΔFgRLM1) showed increased sensitivity to cell wall-damaging agents and exhibited decreased virulence. Taken together, our data indicated that FgMkk1 is an upstream component of Mgv1, and regulates vegetative differentiation, multiple stress response and virulence via the CWI and HOG signalling pathways. FgRlm1 may be a downstream component of Mgv1 in the CWI pathway in F. graminearum. © 2013 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Differential neural representation of oral ethanol by central taste-sensitive neurons in ethanol-preferring and genetically heterogeneous rats

PubMed Central

Wilson, David M.; Brasser, Susan M.

2011-01-01

In randomly bred rats, orally applied ethanol stimulates neural substrates for appetitive sweet taste. To study associations between ethanol's oral sensory characteristics and genetically mediated ethanol preference, we made electrophysiological recordings of oral responses (spike density) by taste-sensitive nucleus tractus solitarii neurons in anesthetized selectively bred ethanol-preferring (P) rats and their genetically heterogeneous Wistar (W) control strain. Stimuli (25 total) included ethanol [3%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 25%, and 40% (vol/vol)], a sucrose series (0.01, 0.03, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1 M), and other sweet, salt, acidic, and bitter stimuli; 50 P and 39 W neurons were sampled. k-means clustering applied to the sucrose response series identified cells showing high (S1) or relatively low (S0) sensitivity to sucrose. A three-way factorial analysis revealed that activity to ethanol was influenced by a neuron's sensitivity to sucrose, ethanol concentration, and rat line (P = 0.01). Ethanol produced concentration-dependent responses in S1 neurons that were larger than those in S0 cells. Although responses to ethanol by S1 cells did not differ between lines, neuronal firing rates to ethanol in S0 cells increased across concentration only in P rats. Correlation and multivariate analyses revealed that ethanol evoked responses in W neurons that were strongly and selectively associated with activity to sweet stimuli, whereas responses to ethanol by P neurons were not easily associated with activity to representative sweet, sodium salt, acidic, or bitter stimuli. These findings show differential central neural representation of oral ethanol between genetically heterogeneous rats and P rats genetically selected to prefer alcohol. PMID:21918002

Differential neural representation of oral ethanol by central taste-sensitive neurons in ethanol-preferring and genetically heterogeneous rats.

PubMed

Lemon, Christian H; Wilson, David M; Brasser, Susan M

2011-12-01

In randomly bred rats, orally applied ethanol stimulates neural substrates for appetitive sweet taste. To study associations between ethanol's oral sensory characteristics and genetically mediated ethanol preference, we made electrophysiological recordings of oral responses (spike density) by taste-sensitive nucleus tractus solitarii neurons in anesthetized selectively bred ethanol-preferring (P) rats and their genetically heterogeneous Wistar (W) control strain. Stimuli (25 total) included ethanol [3%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 25%, and 40% (vol/vol)], a sucrose series (0.01, 0.03, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1 M), and other sweet, salt, acidic, and bitter stimuli; 50 P and 39 W neurons were sampled. k-means clustering applied to the sucrose response series identified cells showing high (S(1)) or relatively low (S(0)) sensitivity to sucrose. A three-way factorial analysis revealed that activity to ethanol was influenced by a neuron's sensitivity to sucrose, ethanol concentration, and rat line (P = 0.01). Ethanol produced concentration-dependent responses in S(1) neurons that were larger than those in S(0) cells. Although responses to ethanol by S(1) cells did not differ between lines, neuronal firing rates to ethanol in S(0) cells increased across concentration only in P rats. Correlation and multivariate analyses revealed that ethanol evoked responses in W neurons that were strongly and selectively associated with activity to sweet stimuli, whereas responses to ethanol by P neurons were not easily associated with activity to representative sweet, sodium salt, acidic, or bitter stimuli. These findings show differential central neural representation of oral ethanol between genetically heterogeneous rats and P rats genetically selected to prefer alcohol.

Ultraviolet vision in lacertid lizards: evidence from retinal structure, eye transmittance, SWS1 visual pigment genes and behaviour.

PubMed

Pérez i de Lanuza, Guillem; Font, Enrique

2014-08-15

Ultraviolet (UV) vision and UV colour patches have been reported in a wide range of taxa and are increasingly appreciated as an integral part of vertebrate visual perception and communication systems. Previous studies with Lacertidae, a lizard family with diverse and complex coloration, have revealed the existence of UV-reflecting patches that may function as social signals. However, confirmation of the signalling role of UV coloration requires demonstrating that the lizards are capable of vision in the UV waveband. Here we use a multidisciplinary approach to characterize the visual sensitivity of a diverse sample of lacertid species. Spectral transmission measurements of the ocular media show that wavelengths down to 300 nm are transmitted in all the species sampled. Four retinal oil droplet types can be identified in the lacertid retina. Two types are pigmented and two are colourless. Fluorescence microscopy reveals that a type of colourless droplet is UV-transmitting and may thus be associated with UV-sensitive cones. DNA sequencing shows that lacertids have a functional SWS1 opsin, very similar at 13 critical sites to that in the presumed ancestral vertebrate (which was UV sensitive) and other UV-sensitive lizards. Finally, males of Podarcis muralis are capable of discriminating between two views of the same stimulus that differ only in the presence/absence of UV radiance. Taken together, these results provide convergent evidence of UV vision in lacertids, very likely by means of an independent photopigment. Moreover, the presence of four oil droplet types suggests that lacertids have a four-cone colour vision system. © 2014. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Toxicological effects on earthworms (Eisenia fetida) exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of BDE-47 and BDE-209 from a metabolic point.

PubMed

Liang, Ruoyu; Chen, Juan; Shi, Yajuan; Lu, Yonglong; Sarvajayakesavalu, Suriyanarayanan; Xu, Xiangbo; Zheng, Xiaoqi; Khan, Kifayatullah; Su, Chao

2018-05-15

Earthworms improve the soil fertility and they are also sensitive to soil contaminants. Earthworms (Eisenia fetida), standard reference species, were usually chosen to culture and handle for toxicity tests. Metabolic responses in earthworms exposed to 2, 2', 4, 4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) and decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) were inhibitory and interfered with basal metabolism. In this study, 1 H-NMR based metabolomics was used to identify sensitive biomarkers and explore metabolic responses of earthworms under sub-lethal BDE-47 and BDE-209 concentrations for 14 days. The results revealed that lactate was accumulated in earthworms exposed to BDE-47 and BDE-209. Glutamate increased significantly when the concentration of BDE-47 and BDE-209 reached 10 mg/kg. The BDE-47 exposure above 50 mg/kg concentration decreased the content of fumarate significantly, which was noticed different from that of BDE-209. Whereas, the BDE-207 or BDE-209 exposure increased the protein degradation into amino acids in vivo. The increased betaine content indicated that earthworms may maintain the cell osmotic pressure and protected enzyme activity by metabolic regulation. Moreover, the BDE-47 and BDE-209 exposure at 10 mg/kg changed most of the metabolites significantly, indicating that the metabolic responses were more sensitive than growth inhibition and gene expression. The metabolomics results revealed the toxic modes of BDE-47 and BDE-209 act on the osmoregulation, energy metabolism, nerve activities, tricarboxylic acid cycle and amino acids metabolism. Furthermore, our results highlighted that the 1 H-NMR based metabolomics is a strong tool for identifying sensitive biomarkers and eco-toxicological assessment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Where in the Oregon Trail Is Carmen Sandiego? A Commentary on Software and Its Sensitivity to Diversity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guzman, Delrita Cruz

2002-01-01

Addresses cultural biases, language biases, cultural sensitivity, and the authenticity of educational software for children, critiquing several popular educational programs and revealing the pitfalls of software design and the problem among software engineers (lack of training and lack of cultural knowledge). Proposes tips to help parents and…

Evaluating the Effectiveness of the International Dimension in an Undergraduate Curriculum by Assessing Students' Intercultural Sensitivity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkey, Sarah Ruth

2013-01-01

This evaluation research revealed that students' intercultural sensitivity (IS) scores did not change regardless of the type of class in which the student was enrolled. IS scores were not significantly different based on gender, age, ethnicity, undergraduate classification, college enrollment, and number of "I" courses taken. There were…

Highly sensitive "signal-on" electrochemiluminescent biosensor for the detection of DNA based on dual quenching and strand displacement reaction.

PubMed

Lou, Jing; Wang, Zhaoyin; Wang, Xiao; Bao, Jianchun; Tu, Wenwen; Dai, Zhihui

2015-10-07

A "signal-on" electrochemiluminescent DNA biosensing platform was proposed based on the dual quenching and strand displacement reaction. This novel "signal-on" detection strategy revealed its sensitivity in achieving a detection limit of 2.4 aM and its selectivity in distinguishing single nucleotide polymorphism of target DNA.

Identification of biomarkers in human head and neck tumor cell lines that predict for in vitro sensitivity to gefitinib.

PubMed

Hickinson, D Mark; Marshall, Gayle B; Beran, Garry J; Varella-Garcia, Marileila; Mills, Elizabeth A; South, Marie C; Cassidy, Andrew M; Acheson, Kerry L; McWalter, Gael; McCormack, Rose M; Bunn, Paul A; French, Tim; Graham, Alex; Holloway, Brian R; Hirsch, Fred R; Speake, Georgina

2009-06-01

Potential biomarkers were identified for in vitro sensitivity to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib in head and neck cancer. Gefitinib sensitivity was determined in cell lines, followed by transcript profiling coupled with a novel pathway analysis approach. Eleven cell lines were highly sensitive to gefitinib (inhibitor concentration required to give 50% growth inhibition [GI(50)] < 1 microM), three had intermediate sensitivity (GI(50) 1-7 microM), and six were resistant (GI(50) > 7 microM); an exploratory principal component analysis revealed a separation between the genomic profiles of sensitive and resistant cell lines. Subsequently, a hypothesis-driven analysis of Affymetrix data (Affymetrix, Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA) revealed higher mRNA levels for E-cadherin (CDH1); transforming growth factor, alpha (TGF-alpha); amphiregulin (AREG); FLJ22662; EGFR; p21-activated kinase 6 (PAK6); glutathione S-transferase Pi (GSTP1); and ATP-binding cassette, subfamily C, member 5 (ABCC5) in sensitive versus resistant cell lines. A hypothesis-free analysis identified 46 gene transcripts that were strongly differentiated, seven of which had a known association with EGFR and head and neck cancer (human EGF receptor 3 [HER3], TGF-alpha, CDH1, EGFR, keratin 16 [KRT16], fibroblast growth factor 2 [FGF2], and cortactin [CTTN]). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunoabsorbant assay analysis confirmed Affymetrix data, and EGFR gene mutation, amplification, and genomic gain correlated strongly with gefitinib sensitivity. We identified biomarkers that predict for in vitro responsiveness to gefitinib, seven of which have known association with EGFR and head and neck cancer. These in vitro predictive biomarkers may have potential utility in the clinic and warrant further investigation.

Voltage-Sensitive Fluorescence of Indocyanine Green in the Heart

PubMed Central

Martišienė, Irma; Mačianskienė, Regina; Treinys, Rimantas; Navalinskas, Antanas; Almanaitytė, Mantė; Karčiauskas, Dainius; Kučinskas, Audrius; Grigalevičiūtė, Ramunė; Zigmantaitė, Vilma; Benetis, Rimantas; Jurevičius, Jonas

2016-01-01

So far, the optical mapping of cardiac electrical signals using voltage-sensitive fluorescent dyes has only been performed in experimental studies because these dyes are not yet approved for clinical use. It was recently reported that the well-known and widely used fluorescent dye indocyanine green (ICG), which has FDA approval, exhibits voltage sensitivity in various tissues, thus raising hopes that electrical activity could be optically mapped in the clinic. The aim of this study was to explore the possibility of using ICG to monitor cardiac electrical activity. Optical mapping experiments were performed on Langendorff rabbit hearts stained with ICG and perfused with electromechanical uncouplers. The residual contraction force and electrical action potentials were recorded simultaneously. Our research confirms that ICG is a voltage-sensitive dye with a dual-component (fast and slow) response to membrane potential changes. The fast component of the optical signal (OS) can have opposite polarities in different parts of the fluorescence spectrum. In contrast, the polarity of the slow component remains the same throughout the entire spectrum. Separating the OS into these components revealed two different voltage-sensitivity mechanisms for ICG. The fast component of the OS appears to be electrochromic in nature, whereas the slow component may arise from the redistribution of the dye molecules within or around the membrane. Both components quite accurately track the time of electrical signal propagation, but only the fast component is suitable for estimating the shape and duration of action potentials. Because ICG has voltage-sensitive properties in the entire heart, we suggest that it can be used to monitor cardiac electrical behavior in the clinic. PMID:26840736

Chronic Stressors and Adolescents' Externalizing Problems: Genetic Moderation by Dopamine Receptor D4. The TRAILS Study.

PubMed

Zandstra, Anna Roos E; Ormel, Johan; Hoekstra, Pieter J; Hartman, Catharina A

2018-01-01

The existing literature does not provide consistent evidence that carriers of the Dopamine D4 Receptor 7-repeat allele are more sensitive to adverse environmental influences, resulting in enhanced externalizing problems, compared to noncarriers. One explanation is that the adverse influences examined in prior studies were not severe, chronic, or distressing enough to reveal individual differences in sensitivity reflected by DRD4-7R. This study examined whether the 7-repeat allele moderated the association between chronic stressors capturing multiple stressful aspects of individuals' lives and externalizing problems in adolescence. We expected that chronic stressor levels would be associated with externalizing levels only in 7-repeat carriers. Using Linear Mixed Models, we analyzed data from 1621 Dutch adolescents (52.2% boys), obtained in three measurement waves (mean age approximately 11, 13.5, and 16 years) from the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) population-based birth cohort and the parallel clinic-referred cohort. Across informants, we found that higher levels of chronic stressors were related to higher externalizing levels in 7-repeat carriers but not in noncarriers, as hypothesized. Although previous studies on the 7-repeat allele as a moderator of environmental influences on adolescents' externalizing problems have not convincingly demonstrated individual differences in sensitivity to adverse environmental influences, our findings suggest that adolescent carriers of the Dopamine D4 Receptor 7-repeat allele are more sensitive to chronic, multi-context stressors than noncarriers.

Air pollution tolerance index of plants around brick kilns in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

PubMed

Achakzai, Khanoranga; Khalid, Sofia; Adrees, Muhammad; Bibi, Aasma; Ali, Shafaqat; Nawaz, Rab; Rizwan, Muhammad

2017-04-01

In any contaminated environment, the sensitive plant species can serve as bio-indicator of air pollution while tolerant plant species can act as a sink for air pollutants. Air pollution tolerance index (APTI) is an important tool to screen out plants based on their tolerance or sensitivity level to different air pollutants. The present study was aimed to identify the sensitive and tolerant plant species in the vicinity of brick kilns in the Rawalpindi city. To determine the susceptibility level of the selected plant species, four biochemical parameters, ascorbic acid, total chlorophyll content, relative water content and pH of leaf extract, were assessed and APTI was calculated. Plant sampling was carried out with increasing distance of 100, 300 and 500 m around three brick kiln sites and APTI values were calculated by following the standard methods. The results of the study revealed that among nine studied plant species, Calotropis procera (APTI = 20.05) and Althernanthera pungens (APTI = 17.13) were found to be the most tolerant species, whereas Malva neglecta (APTI = 8.83) was found to be the most sensitive species. Inconsistent trend of variations was seen in the APTI values at each site. The present study suggested that the most tolerant species, C. procera and A. pungens, could be grown in the vicinity of such pollution sources as a remedial measure of brick kiln pollution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stress-induced phase sensitivity of small diameter polarization maintaining solid-core photonic crystal fibre

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhihao; Zhang, Chunxi; Xu, Xiaobin

2017-09-01

Small diameter (cladding and coating diameter of 100 and 135 μm) polarization maintaining photonic crystal fibres (SDPM-PCFs) possess many unique properties and are extremely suitable for applications in fibre optic gyroscopes. In this study, we have investigated and measured the stress characteristics of an SDPM-PCF using the finite-element method and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, respectively. Our results reveal a radial and axial sensitivity of 0.315 ppm/N/m and 25.2 ppm per 1 × 105 N/m2, respectively, for the SDPM-PCF. These values are 40% smaller than the corresponding parameters of conventional small diameter (cladding and coating diameter of 80 and 135 μm) panda fibres.

Photon Upconversion Using Baird-Type (Anti)Aromatic Quinoidal Naphthalene Derivative as a Sensitizer

DOE PAGES

Shokri, Siamak; Wiederrecht, Gary P.; Gosztola, David J.; ...

2017-10-02

In this study, a naphtho-p-quinodimethane (QDM) exhibiting Baird’s 4n - π antiaromaticity was used as green photonsharvesting chromophore to sensitize perylene (Per) leading to upconverted blue photoluminescence. The solution phase QDM → Per triplet energy transfer (TET) could not be unraveled via the Stern-Volmer method, but transient absorption measurements revealed that the kinetics of T 1 → T n for QDM (τ = 1.4 μs) was 1 order of magnitude reduced (τ= 0.17 μs) as a result of 3(Per)* formation. Lastly, we demonstrated that incident light with power densities in the microwatt regime is sufficient to perform photon upconversion usingmore » the present set of molecular systems.« less

[Diagnosis of septic loosening of hip prosthesis with LeukoScan. SPECT scan with 99mTc-labeled monoclonal antibodies].

PubMed

Kaisidis, A; Megas, P; Apostolopoulos, D; Spiridonidis, T; Koumoundourou, D; Zouboulis, P; Lambiris, E; Vassilakos, P

2005-05-01

Diagnosis of septic loosening of hip endoprosthesis with antigranulocyte scintigraphy (AGS) was analysed. Twenty-one hip prostheses were studied using laboratory tests and, in cases of elevated values, three-phase bone scan (BS) and AGS. Elective SPECT/CT scans were performed. Histologic and microbiologic exams verified the diagnosis. The AGS analysis revealed sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of value 1, while positive and negative predictive values were also 1. BS showed sensitivity of 1 and specificity of 0.33. In three cases, SPECT/CT scans corroborated the AGS interpretation. This diagnostic algorithm proved effective in the detection of septic loosening of hip prostheses. AGS can be avoided without risk of infection being overlooked.

The latitudinal gradient of the NO peak density

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fesen, C. G.; Rusch, D. W.; Gerard, J.-C.

1990-01-01

Results are presented from SME observations of the latitudinal gradients of peak NO densities at about 110-km altitude during the solstice and equinox periods from 1982 through 1985. It is shown that the response of the peak NO densities to the declining level of solar activity varies with latitude, with the polar regions exhibiting low sensitivity and the low-latitude regions responding strongly. The SME data also revealed marked asymmetries in the latitudinal structure of the two hemispheres for each season and considerable day-to-day variations in the NO densities. The solar cycle minimum data for June were simulated using a two-dimensional model; results of sensitivity studies performed with varied quenching rate and eddy diffusion coefficient are presented.

Predictive simulations and optimization of nanowire field-effect PSA sensors including screening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumgartner, Stefan; Heitzinger, Clemens; Vacic, Aleksandar; Reed, Mark A.

2013-06-01

We apply our self-consistent PDE model for the electrical response of field-effect sensors to the 3D simulation of nanowire PSA (prostate-specific antigen) sensors. The charge concentration in the biofunctionalized boundary layer at the semiconductor-electrolyte interface is calculated using the propka algorithm, and the screening of the biomolecules by the free ions in the liquid is modeled by a sensitivity factor. This comprehensive approach yields excellent agreement with experimental current-voltage characteristics without any fitting parameters. Having verified the numerical model in this manner, we study the sensitivity of nanowire PSA sensors by changing device parameters, making it possible to optimize the devices and revealing the attributes of the optimal field-effect sensor.