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Objectives Salivary glands are useful targets for gene therapeutics. After gene transfer into salivary glands, regulated secretory pathway proteins, such as human growth hormone, are secreted into saliva, whereas constitutive secretory pathway proteins, such as erythropoietin, are secreted into the bloodstream. Secretion of human growth hormone (hGH) into the saliva is not therapeutically useful. In this study, we attempted to redirect the secretion of transgenic hGH from the saliva to the serum by site-directed mutagenesis. Materials and Methods We tested hGH mutants first in vitro with AtT20 cells, a model endocrine cell line that exhibits polarized secretion of regulated secretory pathway proteins. Selected mutants were further studied in vivo using adenoviral-mediated gene transfer to rat submandibular glands. Results We identified two mutants with differences in secretion behavior compared to wild-type hGH. One mutant, ΔN1-6, was detected in the serum of transduced rats, demonstrating that expression of this mutant in the salivary gland resulted in its secretion through the constitutive secretory pathway. Conclusion This study demonstrates that mutagenesis of therapeutic proteins normally destined for the regulated secretory pathway may result in their secretion via the constitutive secretory pathway into the circulation for potential therapeutic benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The explosion of new technologies, the progressive implementation of the Internet, the massive use of social networks and the current economic and financial crisis have, along with other factors, provoked a drop in sales of the printed press in the western countries of the planet. This study analyses the evolution of news quality in five European reference newspapers (Financial Times, Corriere della Sera, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Le Monde and El País) over a period between 2001 and 2012. Methodology. The research method used in this work has its roots in the concept of media performance developed by Denis McQuail (1992); which allows the use of transversal parameters to evaluate news quality. Results. The results indicate (n=1,137) that the European reference press only just passes the test to which it has been subjected (5.39 out of 10). The average index shows a moderate downtrend which is not applicable to all the papers. Conclusions. All the analysed newspapers appear to have forgotten about the social function which has historically been attributed to journalism as the guardian of citizens' interests. This is reflected in the poor results which all of them obtain in the section "social contribution of the news". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The explosion of new technologies, the progressive implementation of the Internet, the massive use of social networks and the current economic and financial crisis have, along with other factors, provoked a drop in sales of the printed press in the western countries of the planet. This study analyses the evolution of news quality in five European reference newspapers (Financial Times, Corriere della Sera, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Le Monde and El País) over a period between 2001 and 2012. Methodology. The research method used in this work has its roots in the concept of media performance developed by Denis McQuail (1992); which allows the use of transversal parameters to evaluate news quality. Results. The results indicate (n=1,137) that the European reference press only just passes the test to which it has been subjected (5.39 out of 10). The average index shows a moderate downtrend which is not applicable to all the papers. Conclusions. All the analysed newspapers appear to have forgotten about the social function which has historically been attributed to journalism as the guardian of citizens' interests. This is reflected in the poor results which all of them obtain in the section "social contribution of the news". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to present our experience in treating dorso-lumbar tuberculosis by one-stage posterior circumferential fusion and to compare this group with a historical group treated by anterior debridement followed by postero-lateral fusion and stabilization.Methods: Between 2003 and 2008, 32 patients with active spinal tuberculosis were treated by one-stage posterior circumferential fusion and prospectively followed for a minimum of two years. Pain severity was measured using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Neurological assessment was done using the Frankel scale. The operative data, clinical, radiological, and functional outcomes were also compared to a similar group of 25 patients treated with anterior debridement and fusion, followed 10-14 days later by posterior stabilization and postero-lateral fusion.Results: The mean operative time and duration of hospital stay were significantly longer in the two-stage group. The mean estimated blood loss was also larger, though insignificantly, in the two-stage group. The incidence of complications was significantly lower in the one-stage group. At final follow-up, all 34 patients with pre-operative neurological deficits showed at least one Frankel grade of neurological improvement, all 57 patients showed significant improvement of their VAS back pain score, the mean kyphotic angle has significantly improved, all patients achieved solid fusion and 43 (75.4%) patients returned to their pre-disease activity level or work.Conclusion: Instrumented circumferential fusion, whether in one or two stages, is an effective treatment for dorso-lumbar tuberculosis. One-stage surgery, however, is advantageous because it has lower complication rate, shorter hospital stay, less operative time and blood loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Plating non-unions of the tibial diaphysis often presents the technical problem of poor purchase of screws due to osteoporosis. To improve the stabilization, insertion of one or more screws through the plate across the tibio-fibular space to the fibula (fibula-pro-tibia plating) has been practiced. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the fibula-pro-tibia plating technique in managing difficult diaphyseal tibial non-unions.Methods: Between 2000 and 2008, 30 patients with diaphyseal non-union of tibia were managed with this technique. The time between injury and index operation ranged between six and 24 months (average, 11 months). Sixteen patients had three surgical procedures before the index operation, ten had two procedures and four patients had one.Results: The duration of follow-up ranged between ten and 38 months (average 26 months). The mean healing time was 3.5 months. Complications were minimal and included two cases of delayed union which required regrafting after four months and two cases, which had infected nonunion, had reactivation of the infection, which resolved completely after achieving union and removing the plates. There was no negative effect from this fixation technique on the ankle joint motion.Conclusion: The fibula-pro-tibia plating technique is an effective variation in plating diaphyseal tibial non-unions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the role of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)FDG-PET/CT) in detecting distant metastases and second primary cancers in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) at staging. Studies about (18)FDG-PET/CT for detecting distant metastases and second primary cancers in patients with HNC were systematically searched in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and EBM Review databases from January 1, 2000 to March 1, 2011. A software called "Meta-DiSc" was used to obtain pooled estimates of sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratios, summary receiver operating characteristic curves, and Q* index. Twelve articles fulfilled all inclusion criteria. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and Q* index estimates with 95% confidence interval for PET/CT were 0.888 (0.827-0.928), 0.951 (0.936-0.963), and 0.937 (0.844-0.964). Subgroup analysis showed similar pooled estimates of sensitivity, specificity, and Q* index for initial staging and restaging, nasopharyngeal cancer and all other sites of HNC. (18)FDG-PET/CT has good diagnostic performance in detecting distant metastases and second primary cancers in patients with HNC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of physical therapy service use among the urban adult population of Lages (Santa Catarina), according to demographic and socioeconomic variables. METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional study with multiple-stage sampling was carried out among adults aged 20 to 59 years (n=2051). Data were gathered by means of interviews at the participants' home, in which they provided information on the use of physical therapy services over their lifetime. The prevalence of this outcome was estimated for the entire population according to sex, age, educational level, self-evaluation of health, and income. RESULTS:The prevalence of physical therapy service use was 33.5% (95% CI: 33.0%-39.8%) among men and 31.5% (95% CI: 28.9%-34.1%) among women. Regarding the other demographic variables investigated, the prevalence of physical therapy use increased with age and was highest among the 50 to 59 year-old group (47.2%; 95% CI: 42.4%-52.0%). The prevalence was also higher among participants of self-reported Asian background (45.9%; 95% CI: 29.1%-62.7%). Regarding socioeconomic variables, it was observed that groups with better indicators reported greater service use: 46.9% (95% CI: 42.3%-51.5%) in the highest income range and 37.5% (95% CI: 34.4%-40.7%) in the range of 12 to 15 years of education. CONCLUSION: The present study found that physical therapy service use varied among this population according to the participants' socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term congenital myopathy is applied to muscle disorders presenting with generalized muscle weakness and hypotonia from early infancy with delayed developmental milestones. The congenital myopathies have been classified into various categories based on morphological findings on muscle biopsy. Although the clinical symptoms may seem homogenous, the genetic basis is remarkably variable. This review will focus on myotubular myopathy, centronuclear myopathy, central core disease, and congenital neuromuscular disease with uniform Type 1 fiber, myopathies that are subjects of our ongoing examinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an individual with chronic low back pain who was treated with an implanted morphine pump, which provided very good pain relief for 16 mos. However, the patient developed acute paraplegia secondary to progressive necrotic myelopathy, a rare form of transverse myelitis. The cause of this patient's neurologic deficit was unclear. Three months after the onset of paralysis, a trial of discontinuation of the intrathecal morphine was performed to exclude the morphine as a reversible cause of paralysis. Within 24 hrs after his pump was depleted, his pain became significantly worse. He was maintained on oral opioids for 6 mos, and his pain was only partly controlled, with a daily average visual analog scale score of 7/10. There was no improvement in his neurologic status after stopping the intrathecal morphine therapy, and several consecutive magnetic resonance images of the spine demonstrated radiologic progression of spinal cord involvement. The patient developed classic opioid side effects of excessive somnolence and constipation. Intrathecal morphine therapy was re-instituted, and the patient reported a significant decrease of his pain, an improvement in quality of life, and no complications related to pump functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to systematically review the evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and to conduct a meta-analysis of the effects of yoga on physical and psychosocial outcomes in cancer patients and survivors.Methods: A systematic literature search in ten databases was conducted in November 2011. Studies were included if they had an RCT design, focused on cancer patients or survivors, included physical postures in the yoga program, compared yoga with a non-exercise or waitlist control group, and evaluated physical and/or psychosocial outcomes. Two researchers independently rated the quality of the included RCTs, and high quality was defined as >50% of the total possible score. Effect sizes (Cohen's d) were calculated for outcomes studied in more than three studies among patients with breast cancer using means and standard deviations of post-test scores of the intervention and control groups.Results: Sixteen publications of 13 RCTs met the inclusion criteria, of which one included patients with lymphomas and the others focused on patients with breast cancer. The median quality score was 67% (range: 22-89%). The included studies evaluated 23 physical and 20 psychosocial outcomes. Of the outcomes studied in more than three studies among patients with breast cancer, we found large reductions in distress, anxiety, and depression (d = -0.69 to -0.75), moderate reductions in fatigue (d = -0.51), moderate increases in general quality of life, emotional function and social function (d = 0.33 to 0.49), and a small increase in functional well-being (d = 0.31). Effects on physical function and sleep were small and not significant.Conclusion: Yoga appeared to be a feasible intervention and beneficial effects on several physical and psychosocial symptoms were reported. In patients with breast cancer, effect size on functional well-being was small, and they were moderate to large for psychosocial outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Physical activity is associated with better physical and mental health in older adults. Pole walking is a form of walking which may have additional health benefits in older adults, because of the addition of hand held poles, and consequent upper limb involvement. However, few studies have examined the potential additional effects of pole walking on physical and psychosocial health in older adults compared with walking. The aim of this study is to compare the effect of a pole walking program with the effects of a walking program, on physical and psychosocial wellbeing, in older adults in assisted living facilities. Methods/design Sixty men and women from assisted living communities over 65 years will be recruited from senior retirement facilities and randomized into a group based, pole walking program, or walking program. The pole walking group will use the Exerstrider method of pole walking. Total duration of the programs is 12 weeks, with three sessions per week, building from 20 minute to 30 minute sessions. The primary outcome is physical function, as measured by items from the Seniors Fitness Test and hand grip strength. Secondary outcomes include, physical activity levels, sedentary behaviour, joint pain, and quality of life. All outcomes will be assessed before and after the programs, using valid and reliable measures. Discussion The study will add to the evidence base for the effects of pole walking, compared with walking, on physical and psychosocial health and physical function, in healthy older adults. This will improve understanding about the feasibility of pole walking programs and its specific benefits in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Retirement is a major life transition during which people restructure everyday activities; however little is known about this. The primary aim of the Life After Work study is to comprehensively measure changes in time use and patterns of physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and its associations with health and wellbeing, across the retirement transition. Methods/Design A target sample of 120 participants aged 50 years and over will be recruited in two Australian state capital cities, Adelaide and Brisbane. Participants will undertake a battery of assessments approximately 3 months prior to retirement, and 3, 6 and 12 months post-retirement. Measures will include self-reported use of time (using the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adults), objectively assessed physical activity and sedentary behaviour (using Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers), self-reported health and well-being (using a battery of questionnaires including the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), Australian Unity Personal Well-being Index (AUPWI), ), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales 21 (DASS21), Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), retirement circumstances and socio-demographic characteristics, objectively assessed anthropometric measures (height, weight and waist circumference), and resting blood pressure. Multivariate mixed models will be used to examine changes in use of time, health and well-being across retirement. Discussion The results will provide important new information that will inform the development of lifestyle and policy interventions to address and improve health and well-being in retirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The objective of this study was to extend the findings of the preliminary study by measuring the avidity of IgG anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies (anti-β2-GPI) on a larger group of patients with primary or secondary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and anti-β2-GPI positive patients without APS in the frame of the European Forum on antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL).Methods. Serum from 137 patients with primary APS, APS associated with autoimmune diseases, and patients with autoimmune diseases other than APS from five EU rheumatology centres were tested for anti-β2-GPI antibodies. The 109 patients who were sera positive for anti-β2-GPI by the in-house anti-β2-GPI enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) at the Immunology Laboratory, UMC Ljubljana were selected for further testing on avidity with chaotropic anti-β2-GPI ELISA.Results. High, low and heterogeneous avidity IgG anti-β2-GPI was found in 32/109, 17/109 and 60/109 patients respectively. Significantly more patients with APS were in the high avidity than in the low avidity anti-β2-GPI group, while the opposite was observed for non-APS (both p < 0.001). The most common clinical feature among patients with high avidity anti-β2-GPI was thrombosis, mainly due to venous thrombosis (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, versus low avidity anti-β2-GPI group).Conclusion. Patients with or without APS had anti-β2-GPI of high, low or heterogeneous avidity. High avidity anti-β2-GPI was associated with thrombosis and APS, while in the low avidity anti-β2-GPI group non-APS (predominantly SLE) patients prevailed. Determination of anti-β2-GPI avidity should be considered in the analytical strategies for further differentiation of patients with anti-β2-GPI antibodies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have suggested that oxidative stress may play a role in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD). Moreover, recent studies indicate that lithium and valproate exert neuroprotective effects against oxidative stress. We studied the effects of the mood stabilizers lithium and valproate on amphetamine-induced oxidative stress in an animal model of mania. METHODS: In the first model (reversal treatment), adult male Wistar rats received d-amphetamine or saline for 14 days, and between the 8th and 14th days, they were treated with lithium, valproate or saline. In the second model (prevention treatment), rats were pretreated with lithium, valproate or saline, and between the 8th and 14th days, they received d-amphetamine or saline. We assessed locomotor activity with the open-field task. We measured thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and protein carbonyl formation, as parameters of oxidative stress, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), the major antioxidant enzymes, in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. RESULTS: Lithium and valproate reversed (reversal treatment model) and prevented (prevention treatment model) amphetamine-induced hyperactivity and reversed and prevented amphetamine-induced TBARS formation in both experiments. However, the co-administration of lithium or valproate with amphetamine increased lipid peroxidation, depending on the brain region and treatment regimen. No changes in protein carbonyl formation were observed. SOD activity varied with different treatment regimens, and CAT activity increased when the index of lipid peroxidation was more robust. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that lithium and valproate exert protective effects against amphetamine-induced oxidative stress in vivo, further supporting the hypothesis that oxidative stress may be associated with the pathophysiology of BD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This pilot study was undertaken to test techniques of application of laser, appropriate outcome measures and to determine effect sizes in order to facilitate the performance of a larger, clinical trial of laser therapy in chronic neck pain. Methods: We conducted a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of low level laser therapy in 20 patients with chronic neck pain. The primary outcome measure was change in a 10cm Visual Analogue Scale [VAS] for pain. Other measures used included a Self-Reported Improvement in pain [SRI], measured by a VAS, Short-Form 36 Quality-of-Life questionnaire [SF-36], Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire [NPNPQ] and the McGill Pain Questionnaire [MPQ]. Measurements were taken at baseline, at the end of 7 weeks treatment and at 12 weeks from baseline. Results: We found a positive, pain-relieving effect in the treated group compared with those given placebo using the VAS [P < 0.039], SRI [P < 0.001], NPNPQ [P < 0.002] and the MPQ [P < 0.009]. The results of the SF-36 did not differ significantly between the two groups. Patients in the treated group experienced an average pain score improvement of 66.7% compared with 16.6% in the placebo group. Conclusion: Low-Level Laser Therapy [LLLT], at the parameters used in this pilot study, may provide a non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical therapy for chronic neck pain for patients in general practice. Further study of this technique in a large-scale trial would be justified on the basis of the findings of this pilot study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the effectiveness of 300mW, 830nm laser in the management of patients with chronic neck pain, in general practice, between May 1998 and June 1999. Data was obtained from 78 patients who rated self-assessed improvement of symptoms on a visual analog scale. An average improvement of 67.5 percent was found in 48 patients who reported a positive response to treatment. Number of treatments was the only factor that correlated with a positive response reaching a plateau by 15. Low level laser therapy using this wavelength and power of infrared laser may provide a nondrug, noninvasive option for the management of neck pain. This study lends support for a randomized-controlled trial to further evaluate this therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contents We investigated whether supplementing the medium used to transport bovine oocytes with different macromolecules [foetal calf serum ( FCS) or bovine serum albumin ( BSA)] or a mixture of antioxidants (cysteine, cysteamine and catalase) affects their nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation and thereby affects their subsequent embryonic development and cryotolerance. Oocytes were transported for 6 hr in a portable incubator and then subjected to standard in vitro maturation ( IVM) for 18 hr. The oocytes in the control groups were cultured (standard IVM) for 24 hr in medium containing 10% FCS (Control FCS) or 10% FCS and the antioxidant mixture (Control FCS+Antiox). The intracellular concentrations of reactive oxygen species ( ROS) at the end of IVM period were lower in the oocytes subjected to simulated transport in the presence of a macromolecular supplement or the antioxidant mixture than that of the control group ( FCS: 0.62 and BSA: 0.66 vs. Control FCS: 1.00, p < .05; and Transp: 0.58 and Transp Antiox: 0.70 vs. Control FCS: 1.00, p < .05). After IVM, the mitochondrial membrane potentials of the transported oocytes were lower than those of the non-transported oocytes ( FCS: 0.41 and BSA: 0.57 vs. Control FCS: 1.00, p < .05; and Transp: 0.48 and Transp Antiox: 0.51 vs. Control FCS: 1.00 and Control Antiox: 0.84, p < .05). The blastocyst formation rates (36.9% average) and the re-expansion rates of vitrified-warmed blastocysts (53%, average) were unaffected ( p > .05) by the treatments. In conclusion, supplementing the medium in which bovine oocytes are transported with antioxidants or different macromolecules did not affect their in vitro production of embryos or their cryotolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rod-like, flower-like and caddice clew-like zinc oxide architectures were fabricated by increasing annealing time under a simple solution route. The annealing time altered the orientation of rods, which made rods form flower. The well-defined nanoflower was composed of orderly and radical nanorods. Of all three samples, the sensor-based nanoflower showed the high response, short response/recovery time, and excellent selectivity to ethanol under the optimal working temperature of 360 °C. The enhancement of ethanol-sensing properties is owing to 3D hierarchical and layer-by-layer structure which provide more gas diffusion pathways. The above results suggest that the 3D hierarchical feature with large surface-to-volume ratio is a good candidate for ethanol detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous coral-like pure and Y-doped SnO 2 nanoparticles were fabricated by electrospinning method and calcination procedure. The porous coral-like SnO 2 nanostructure and morphology were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray detector (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicated that the coral-like structure was composed of SnO 2 nanoparticles, and Y-doped SnO 2 nanoparticles had smaller particle size of about 6 nm. The response of coral-like Y-doped SnO 2 based sensor was higher than pure SnO 2 for the same acetic acid concentration. These results demonstrate that the coral-like Y-doped SnO 2 nanoparticles can be used as the sensing material for fabricating high performance acetic acid sensors. The acetic acid sensing mechanism of SnO 2 rectangular nanoparticles was also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, porous SnO2 hollow nanofibers were fabricated by electrospinning technique and calcination procedure. The hollow SnO2 nanofibers were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray detector, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmet-Teller and the gas sensing properties for ethanol were also investigated. The results indicated that rough porous SnO2 hollow nanostructure with large specific surface area (26.43m²/g) was composed of very small nanoparticles (about 20nm). The pore size was calculated above 4nm. Furthermore, the gas sensor based on this hollow structure has an optimum operating temperature of 300°C, high sensitivity, quick response and good selectivity for ethanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The flower-like zinc oxide mesoscopic structure was successfully synthesized by a novel solution route with the assistance of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP). These ZnO nanoflowers were composed of uniform and long nanorods. PVP and ammonia water played a key role in nanorods growth and the possible growth mechanism was tentatively proposed based on the experiment results. Furthermore, the gas sensor based on this mesoscopic structure with large specific surface area has an optimum operating temperature of 420°C and exhibits high sensitivity, quick response and good selectivity for acetone. The sensitivity is about 1170 and the response time is around 7s for 1000ppm acetone. The results suggest that the mesoscopic structure of flower-like ZnO nanorods is a good candidate for fabricating effective acetone sensor. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Physical activity is associated with better physical and mental health in older adults. Pole walking is a form of walking which may have additional health benefits in older adults, because of the addition of hand held poles, and consequent upper limb involvement. However, few studies have examined the potential additional effects of pole walking on physical and psychosocial health in older adults compared with walking. The aim of this study is to compare the effect of a pole walking program with the effects of a walking program, on physical and psychosocial wellbeing, in older adults in assisted living facilities.Methods/design: Sixty men and women from assisted living communities over 65 years will be recruited from senior retirement facilities and randomized into a group based, pole walking program, or walking program. The pole walking group will use the Exerstrider method of pole walking. Total duration of the programs is 12 weeks, with three sessions per week, building from 20 minute to 30 minute sessions.The primary outcome is physical function, as measured by items from the Seniors Fitness Test and hand grip strength. Secondary outcomes include, physical activity levels, sedentary behaviour, joint pain, and quality of life. All outcomes will be assessed before and after the programs, using valid and reliable measures.Discussion: The study will add to the evidence base for the effects of pole walking, compared with walking, on physical and psychosocial health and physical function, in healthy older adults. This will improve understanding about the feasibility of pole walking programs and its specific benefits in this population.Trial Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12612001127897. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Retirement is a major life transition during which people restructure everyday activities; however little is known about this. The primary aim of the Life After Work study is to comprehensively measure changes in time use and patterns of physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and its associations with health and wellbeing, across the retirement transition.Methods/design: A target sample of 120 participants aged 50 years and over will be recruited in two Australian state capital cities, Adelaide and Brisbane. Participants will undertake a battery of assessments approximately 3 months prior to retirement, and 3, 6 and 12 months post-retirement. Measures will include self-reported use of time (using the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adults), objectively assessed physical activity and sedentary behaviour (using Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers), self-reported health and well-being (using a battery of questionnaires including the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), Australian Unity Personal Well-being Index (AUPWI), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales 21 (DASS21), Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), retirement circumstances and socio-demographic characteristics, objectively assessed anthropometric measures (height, weight and waist circumference), and resting blood pressure. Multivariate mixed models will be used to examine changes in use of time, health and well-being across retirement.Discussion: The results will provide important new information that will inform the development of lifestyle and policy interventions to address and improve health and well-being in retirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Growing evidence suggests that long-term abuse of ketamine does harm the heart and increases the risk of sudden death. The present study was performed to explore the cardiotoxicity of ketamine and the protective effects of metoprolol. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Rats and rabbits were divided into control, ketamine, metoprolol alone and ketamine plus metoprolol groups. Ketamine (40 mg·kg−1·day−1, i.p.) and metoprolol (20 mg·kg−1·day−1, p.o.) were administered continuously for 12 weeks in rats and 8 weeks in rabbits. Cardiac function, electrophysiological disturbances, cardiac collagen, cardiomyocte apoptosis and the remodelling-related proteins were evaluated. KEY RESULTS Rabbits treated with ketamine showed decreased left ventricular ejection fraction, slowed ventricular conduction velocity and increased susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmia. Metoprolol prevented these pathophysiological alterations. In ketamine-treated rats, cardiac collagen volume fraction and apoptotic cell number were higher than those of control animals; these effects were prevented by co-administration of metoprolol. Consistently, the expressions of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases-1, apoptosis-inducing factor and NF-κB-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells were all increased after ketamine treatment and sharply reduced after metoprolol administration. Moreover, ketamine enhanced sympathetic sprouting, manifested as increased growth-associated protein 43 and tyrosine TH expression. These effects of ketamine were prevented by metoprolol. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Chronic treatment with ketamine caused significant ventricular myocardial apoptosis, fibrosis and sympathetic sprouting, which altered the electrophysiological properties of the heart and increased its susceptibility to malignant arrhythmia that may lead to sudden cardiac death. Metoprolol prevented the cardiotoxicity of ketamine, indicating a promising new therapeutic strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Recently identified antagonists of the urotensin-II (U-II) receptor (UT) are of limited utility for investigating the (patho)physiological role of U-II due to poor potency and limited selectivity and/or intrinsic activity.Experimental Approach: The pharmacological properties of two novel UT antagonists, GSK1440115 and GSK1562590, were compared using multiple bioassays.Key Results: GSK1440115 (pK(i)= 7.34-8.64 across species) and GSK1562590 (pK(i)= 9.14-9.66 across species) are high affinity ligands of mammalian recombinant (mouse, rat, cat, monkey, human) and native (SJRH30 cells) UT. Both compounds exhibited >100-fold selectivity for UT versus 87 distinct mammalian GPCR, enzyme, ion channel and neurotransmitter uptake targets. GSK1440115 showed competitive antagonism at UT in arteries from all species tested (pA(2)= 5.59-7.71). In contrast, GSK1562590 was an insurmountable UT antagonist in rat, cat and hUT transgenic mouse arteries (pK(b)= 8.93-10.12 across species), but a competitive antagonist in monkey arteries (pK(b)= 8.87-8.93). Likewise, GSK1562590 inhibited the hU-II-induced systemic pressor response in anaesthetized cats at a dose 10-fold lower than that of GSK1440115. The antagonistic effects of GSK1440115, but not GSK1562590, could be reversed by washout in rat isolated aorta. In ex vivo studies, GSK1562590 inhibited hU-II-induced contraction of rat aorta for at least 24 h following dosing. Dissociation of GSK1562590 binding was considerably slower at rat than monkey UT.Conclusions and Implications: Whereas both GSK1440115 and GSK1562590 represent high-affinity/selective UT antagonists suitable for assessing the (patho)physiological role of U-II, only GSK1562590 exhibited sustained UT residence time and improved preclinical efficacy in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study was performed in patients with a repeat percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) at the vertebral levels previously undergoing vertebroplasty. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose of this study is to examine if a repeat PV is effective on pain-relief at the vertebral levels previously undergoing vertebroplasty. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Although pain-relief is usually high with the treatment of PV in the painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures, there are still about 5% to 22% of such patients experiencing no improvement on pain after PV. A repeat PV at the same vertebrae previously treated with PV may be an option for these patients without a pain-relief. METHODS: Out of 334 procedures of PV in 242 patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures from October 2000 to June 2006 in our institute, 15 vertebrae in 15 patients with unrelieved pain in 4 to 32 days after an initial PV were treated with a repeat vertebroplasty. The clinical outcomes were assessed by measurements of visual analog scale, and the imaging features were analyzed pre- and postprocedure. RESULTS: The mean volume of Polymethylmethacrylate injected in each vertebra was 4.0 mL (range, 1.5-9 mL) in the repeat PV. During the first month of follow-up after repeat PV in this series, a mean visual analog scale scores of the pain level was reduced from 8.6 (range, 7-10) preprocedure to 1.67 points (range, 0-4) postprocedure, with a mean reduction of 6.93 points (range, 4-8). Complete and partial pain relief were reached in 11 (73%) and 4 patients (27%), respectively in a mean follow-up of 15 months. No serious complications related to the procedures occurred, but asymptomatic Polymethylmethacrylate leakage around vertebrae was demonstrated on radiograph or computed tomography in 2 patients. CONCLUSION: The outcomes of this series suggest that repeat PV is effective at the same vertebral levels in patients without pain-relief who underwent previous PV. Absent or inadequate filling of cement in the unstable fractured areas of the vertebral body may be responsible for the unrelieved pain after the initial PV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To determine whether experience improves the consistency of visual search behaviour in fracture identification in plain radiographs, and the effect of specialization. Material and Methods: Twenty-five observers consisting of consultant radiologists, consultant orthopaedic surgeons, orthopaedic specialist registrars, orthopaedic senior house officers, and accident and emergency senior house officers examined 33 skeletal radiographs (shoulder, hand, and knee). Eye movement data were collected using a Tobii 1750 eye tracker with levels of diagnostic confidence collected simultaneously. Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence and Gaussian mixture model fitting of fixation distance-to-fracture were used to calculate the consistency and the relationship between discovery and reflective visual search phases among different observer groups. Results: Total time spent studying the radiograph was not significantly different between the groups. However, the expert groups had a higher number of true positives (p<0.001) with less dwell time on the fracture site (p<0.001) and smaller KL distance (r=0.062, p<0.001) between trials. The Gaussian mixture model revealed smaller mean squared error in the expert groups in hand radiographs (r=0.162, p=0.07); however, the reverse was true in shoulder radiographs (r=-0.287, p<0.001). The relative duration of the reflective phase decreases as the confidence level increased (r=0.266, p=0.074). Conclusions: Expert search behaviour exhibited higher accuracy and consistency whilst using less time fixating on fracture sites. This strategy conforms to the discovery and reflective phases of the global-focal model, where the reflective search may be implicated in the cross-referencing and conspicuity of the target, as well as the level of decision-making process involved. The effect of specialization appears to change the search strategy more than the effect of the length of training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Assess the effect of antioxidant treatment on late memory impairment and early hippocampus oxidative stress after cecal ligation and perforation.Subjects: Male Wistar rats.Interventions: Rats underwent sham operation or cecal ligation and perforation. Animals that underwent cecal ligation and perforation were divided into groups: 1) treated with basic support (50 mL/kg saline, 30 mg/kg ceftriaxone, and 25 mg/kg clindamycin every 6 hrs), 2) treated with basic support plus N-acetylcysteine (20 mg/kg N-acetylcysteine at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 hrs after cecal ligation and perforation), 3) treated with basic support plus deferoxamine (20 mg/kg deferoxamine at 3 and 24 hrs after cecal ligation and perforation), 4) treated with basic support plus N-acetylcysteine and deferoxamine, or 5) treated with N-acetylcysteine plus deferoxamine.Measurements and Main Results: On days 10 and 30 after surgery, the animals underwent behavioral tasks: inhibitory avoidance task, habituation to an open field, and continuous multiple-trials step-down inhibitory avoidance task. The sepsis group showed significantly decreased performance in latency retention compared with the sham group in the inhibitory avoidance task. In the open-field task, the sepsis group presented memory impairment after sepsis. In the continuous multiple-trials step-down inhibitory avoidance task, the sepsis group showed a significant increase in the number of training trials required to reach the acquisition criterion. All these memory impairments were prevented by N-acetylcysteine plus deferoxamine treatment, but not its isolate use. In addition, the combined use of antioxidants attenuated oxidative damage in hippocampus 6 hrs after sepsis induction.Conclusions: Antioxidant treatment prevented the development of late cognitive deficits in an animal model of sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginseng, the root of Panax ginseng, has been used as folk medicine in the treatment of various diseases for thousands of years in China. Ginsenoside Rb(1) (Rb(1)), one of the effective components of ginseng, has been reported to release nitric oxide and decrease intracellular free Ca(2+) in cardiac myocytes, both of which play important roles in antihypertrophic effect. This study was to investigate the potential effect of Rb(1) on right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) induced by monocrotaline (MCT) and its possible influence on calcineurin (CaN) signal trasnsduction pathway. MCT-treated animals were administered with Rb(1) (10 and 40mg /kg) from day 1 to day 14 (preventive administration) or from day 15 to day 28 (therapeutic administration), or with vehicle as corresponding controls. After 2 weeks, significantly hypertrophic reactions, including RVH index and the expressions of atrial natriuretic peptide mRNA, appeared in right ventricle of all MCT-treated animals (p<0.05), which were significantly decreased with some improvements of myocardial pathomorphology in both Rb(1) prevention- and therapy-groups (p<0.05). Similarly, MCT-treatment caused the high expressions of mRNA and/or proteins of CaN, NFAT(3) and GATA(4) from cardiocytes (p<0.05) and Rb(1) could alleviate the expressions of these factors above (p<0.05). These results suggest that Rb(1) treatment can inhibit the RVH induced by MCT, which may be involved in its inhibitory effects on CaN signal transduction pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We state a general principle for seismic migration/inversion processes: think image point coordinates; compute in surface coordinates. This principle allows the natural separation of multiple travel paths of energy from a source to a reflector to a receiver. Further, the Beylkin determinant (Jacobian of transformation between processing parameters and acquisition surface coordinates) is particularly simple in stark contrast to the common-offset Beylkin determinant in standard single arrival Kirchhoff .A feature of this type of processing is that it changes the deconvolution structure of Kirchhoff operators or the deconvolution imaging operator of wave equation migration into convolution operators; that is, division by Green's functions is replaced by multiplications by adjoint Green's functions.This transformation from image point coordinates to surface coordinates is also applied to a recently developed extension of the standard Kirchhoff inversion method. The standard method uses Green's functions in the integration process and tends to produce more imaging artefacts than alternatives, such as methods using Gaussian beam representations of Green's functions in the inversion formula. These methods point to the need for a true-amplitude Kirchhoff technique that uses more general Green's functions: Gaussian beams, true-amplitude one-way Green's functions, or Green's functions from the two-way wave equation. Here, we present a derivation of a true-amplitude Kirchhoff that uses these more general Green's functions. When this inversion is recast as an integral over all sources and receivers, the formula is surprisingly simple. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although health departments routinely inspect restaurants to assess compliance with established hygienic standards, few data are available on the effectiveness of these efforts in preventing foodborne disease. The study reported here assessed the impact on foodborne-disease hospitalizations in Los Angeles County of a restaurant hygiene grading system that utilized publicly posted grade cards. The grading system was introduced in January 1998. Hospital discharge data on foodborne-disease hospitalizations were analyzed for Los Angeles County and, as a control, for the rest of California during the period 1993-2000. Ordinary least-squares regression analysis was done to measure the effect of the grading program on these hospitalizations. After baseline temporal and geographic trends were adjusted for, the restaurant hygiene grading program was associated with a 13.1 percent decrease (p < .01) in the number of foodborne-disease hospitalizations in Los Angeles County in the year following implementation of the program (1998). This decrease was sustained over the next two years (1999-2000). The results suggest that restaurant hygiene grading with public posting of results is an effective intervention for reducing the burden of foodborne disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Although burnout among nurses has been studied in a great deal, this work has not included Korean nurses. Furthermore, the role of personal resources such as empathy and empowerment in predicting the variance in burnout has never been examined. AIM: The purpose of this study was to understand the phenomenon of burnout among Korean nurses. A comprehensive model of burnout was examined to identify significant predictors among individual characteristics, job stress and personal resource, with the intention of providing a basis for individual and organizational interventions to reduce levels of burnout experienced by Korean nurses. METHODS: A cross-sectional correlational design was used. A sample of 178 nurses from general hospitals in southern Korea was surveyed from May 1999 to March 2000. The data were collected using paper and pencil self-rating questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and hierarchical multiple regression. RESULTS: Korean nurses reported higher levels of burnout than nurses in western countries such as Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Nurses who experienced higher job stress, showed lower cognitive empathy and empowerment, and worked in night shifts at tertiary hospitals were more likely to experience burnout. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying a comprehensive model of burnout among Korean nurses is an essential step to develop effective managerial strategies to reduce the problem. Suggestions to reduce the level of burnout include enhancing nurses' cognitive empathy and perceived power, providing clear job descriptions and work expectations, and exploring nurses' shift preferences, especially at tertiary hospitals. In future research we recommend recruiting nurses from broader geographical areas using random selection in order to increase the generalizability of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 is a pandemic disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which spread worldwide, revealing uphill repercussions. The infection is mediated by coronavirus spike protein and host cell receptor ACE2 (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2). Several cell lines have been used as an in vitro model to test potential drugs and to study the viral kinetics. Since lungs are one of the first organs affected by the virus, pulmonary cell lines such as: A549 (lung cells) and BEAS-2B (Bronchial epithelium cells) are the most studied. However, these cells present a slow viral replication profile which complicate the testing of new antiviral drugs and viral replication studies. High levels of ACE2, which is observed in some groups of patients, is associated with the increase of viral replication and severe symptoms. Thus, the development of a BEAS-2B cell line overexpressing ACE2 would be a useful model to study SARS-CoV-2 infection and to study new drugs. Develop a BEAS-2B cell line overexpressing ACE2 and evaluate the role of ACE2 on SARS-CoV-2 viral kinetics. BEAS-2B were transfected with pCEP-ACE2-myc and selected with hygromycin (125ng/ul) for 20 days, creating BEAS-2B-ACE2 cell line. ACE2 expression was quantified by RT-qPCR. Western Blotting and Immunofluorescence were used to quantify the ACE2 protein levels. ACE2 activity was evaluated using (MCA-Ala-Pro-Lys(Dnp)-OH) substrate. Cells were infected with SARS-CoV-2 (MOI=0.2). Viral kinetics were analyzed by RT-qPCR. Proliferation analysis was performed by MTT assay. Long-term overexpression ACE2 in BEAS-2B-ACE2 was confirmed by RT-qPCR, Western Blotting and Immunofluorescence. Compared to BEAS-2B, ACE2 mRNA expression was 100-fold higher (p<0.05), ACE2 protein levels increased 12X (p<0.05) and the immunofluorescence showed that ACE2 protein was more abundantly in BEAS-2B-ACE2. A 50X (p<0.0001) increase in the ACE2 activity was observed 2 months after the transfection. There was no difference in proliferation between BEAS-2B-ACE2 and BEAS-2B. Overexpression of ACE2 increased the viral kinetics. BEAS-2B-ACE2 presented 1000X (p<0.05) more SARS-CoV-2 RNA in cells and supernatant compared with BEAS-2B, 48 and 72 hours after infection. Here we show for the first time that overexpression of ACE2 in BEAS-2B drastically changes the infection profile of SARS-CoV-2 and increases viral load – making it an useful cell line for future studies of SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular ejection fraction (RV-EF) has traditionally been used to measure and compare RV function serially over time, but may be a relatively insensitive marker of change in RV myocardial contractile function. We developed a cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) tagging-based technique with a view to rapid and reproducible measurement of RV long axis function and applied it in patients with congenital heart disease. METHODS: We studied 84 patients: 56 with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF); 28 with atrial septal defect (ASD): 13 with and 15 without pulmonary hypertension (RV pressure >40mmHG by echocardiography). For comparison, 20 healthy controls were studied. CMR acquisitions included an anatomically defined four chamber cine followed by a cine gradient echo-planar sequence in the same plane with a labelling pre-pulse giving a tag line across the basal myocardium. RV tag displacement was measured with automated registration and tracking of the tag line together with standard measurement of RV-EF. RESULTS: Mean RV displacement was higher in the control (26+/-3mm) than in rTOF (16+/-4mm) and ASD with pulmonary hypertension (18+/-3mm) groups, but lower than in the ASD group without (30+/-4mm), P<0.001. The technique was reproducible with inter-study bias+/-95% limits of agreement of 0.7+/-2.7mm. While RV-EF was lower in rTOF than in controls (49+/-9% versus 57+/-6%, P<0.001), it did not differ between either ASD group and controls. CONCLUSIONS: Measurements of RV long axis displacement by CMR tagging showed more differences between the groups studied than did RV-EF, and was reproducible, quick and easy to apply. Further work is needed to assess its potential use for the detection of longitudinal changes in RV myocardial function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]