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Altered level of consciousness (ALC) is a common chief complaint during emergency department (ED) visits, with a broad spectrum of disease causes. The neurological pupil index (NPI) is an objective method for assessing the pupillary light reflex (PLR) by measuring pupil-related indices in patients with ALC. This study hypothesized that NPI values would differ according to the cause of ALC and aimed to determine the association between NPI values and the cause of ALC in patients admitted to the ED. Patients with a chief complaint of ALC or those who presented with signs of ALC as perceived by healthcare providers in the ED were enrolled. The main exposure was the NPI value measured in the ED at either the arrival time or when ALC was first detected and 1 hour after the initial NPI check. The primary outcome was ALC etiology, which included non-brain and brain causes. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to test the association between the NPI value and cause of ALC. A total of 607 patients were analyzed. The proportions of non-brain vs. brain causes in the initial NPI <3 and initial NPI =3 groups were 52.4% vs. 36.1% and 66.4% vs. 17.2%, respectively. The proportions of non-brain vs. brain causes in the 1-hour NPI <3 and 1-hour NPI =3 groups were 46.2% vs. 41.8% and 68.4% vs. 15.6%, respectively. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of initial NPI =3 was 2.28 and 0.27 for non-brain and brain causes. The AORs of 1-hour NPI =3 for non-brain and brain causes were 2.75 and 0.21, respectively. If the initial and 1-hour NPIs are <3, the ALC is likely caused by brain-related issues. Conversely, if the initial and 1-hour NPIs are =3, the ALC is likely caused by non-brain-related issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the recent changes such as allele frequencies and total probability of exclusion (PE) in Thoroughbred horses in Korea using short tandem repeat (STR) parentage panels between 2006 and 2016. Methods: The genotype was provided for 5,988 horse samples with 15 microsatellite markers (AHT4, AHT5, ASB2, ASB17, ASB23, CA425, HMS1, HMS2, HMS3, HMS6, HMS7, HTG4, HTG10, LEX3 and VHL20). Results: In our study, the observed number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 (HMS1) to 9 (ASB17) in 2006 and 4 (HMS1) to 9 (ASB2) in 2016, with a mean value of 6.28 and 6.40, respectively. Of the 15 markers, HMS2, HTG4, and CA425 loci had relatively low polymorphism information content (<0.5000) in the Thoroughbred population. Mean levels of genetic variation in 2006 and 2016 were observed heterozygosity (HO) = 0.708, and expected heterozygosity (HE) = 0.685, as well as and HO = 0.699 and HE = 0.682, respectively. The PE was calculated for each group based on the allele frequencies of 14 or 15 STRs. The 2006 survey analyzed that PE was 0.9998, but it increased to 0.9999 in 2016 after the HMS2 marker was added in 2011. The current STR panel is still a powerful tool for parentage verification that contributes to the maintenance of integrity in the Thoroughbred population. Conclusion: The current STR panel is still a powerful tool for parentage verification that contributes to the maintenance of integrity in the Thoroughbred horses. However, continuous monitoring genetic variability is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is an acute-phase protein produced primarily in the liver that plays a key role in both the initiation and maintenance of inflammation. Rapidly secreted SAA induces neutrophilia at inflammatory sites, initiating inflammation and inducing the secretion of various cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-17. IL-17 is expressed in several inflammatory cells, including innate immune cells such as γδT cells, ILC3 cells, and neutrophils. Increased IL-17 levels exacerbate various inflammatory diseases. Among other roles, IL-17 induces bone loss by increasing receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) secretion, which stimulates osteoclast differentiation. Several studies have demonstrated that chronic inflammation induces bone loss, suggesting a role for SAA in bone health. To test this possibility, we observed an increase in IL-17-producing innate immune cells, neutrophils, and γδT cells in these mice. In 6-month-old animals, we detected increased osteoclast-related gene expression and IL-17 expression in bone lysates. We also observed an increase in neutrophils that secreted RANKL in the bone marrow of TG mice. Finally, we demonstrated decreased bone mineral density in these transgenic (TG) mice. Our results revealed that the TG mice have increased populations of IL-17-producing innate immune cells, γδT cells, and neutrophils in TG mice. We additionally detected increased RANKL and IL-17 expression in the bone marrow of 6-month-old TG mice. Furthermore, we confirmed significant increases in RANKL-expressing neutrophils in TG mice and decreased bone mineral density. Our results provide evidence that chronic inflammation induced by SAA1 causes bone loss via IL-17-secreting innate immune cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to establish the cytogenetic analyses of human peripheral blood samples caused by simulation of partial-body exposures. Either accidental or occupational partial-body exposure to ionizing radiation poses significant health hazards that are indicated by induction of chromosome aberrations (CA). The percentages of mixtures of blood samples irradiated in vitro with 2 Gy of gamma rays were 10, 25, 50, 75 and 100.0%. Lymphocytes were cultured for 48 hr, harvested with standard procedures and then first-division metaphase cells were analyzed. It showed that the frequencies of unstable CA depend on the proportion of the irradiated blood. All frequencies of the observed CA was lower than that of predicted or calculated from 100% exposed blood, except in one case, indicating a phenomenon of "dilution" of the un-irradiated into irradiated lymphocytes that may take place a bystander effects. Our data showed that the quantification of CA in human peripheral blood lymphocytes may be an important tool of dose assessment for partial-body exposure to ionizing radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium (Ti) is often used as an orthopedic and dental implant material due to its better mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and excellent biocompatibility. Formation of TiO2 nanotubes (TiO2 NTs) on titanium is an interesting surface modification to achieve controlled drug delivery and to promote cell growth. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess excellent chemical durability andmechanical strength. The use ofCNTs in biomedical applications such as scaffolds has received considerable attention in recent years. The present study aims to modify the surface of titanium by anodizing to form TiO2 NTs and subsequently deposit CNTs over it by electrophoretic deposition (EPD). Characteristic, biocompatibility, and apatite forming ability of the surface modified samples were evaluated. The results of the study reveal that CNTs coating on TiO2 nanotubes help improve the biological activity and this type of surface modification is highly suitable for biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of cyclic precalcification treatment to impart bioactive properties for titanium implants. Before precalcification, the titanium implants were subjected to blasting usinghydroxyapatite (HAp), a resorbable blasting medium (RBM treated), and anodized using an electrolyte containing glycerol, H2O, and NH4F. Precalcification treatment was performed by two different methods, namely, continuous immersion treatment (CIT) and alternate immersion treatment (AIT). In CIT, the RBM treated and anodized titanium implants were immersed in 0.05 M NaH2PO4 solution at 80°C and saturated Ca(OH)2 solution at 100°C for 20 min, whereas during AIT, they were immersed alternatively in both solutions for 1 min for 20 cycles. Anodizing of the titanium implants enables the formation of self-organized TiO2 nanotubes. Cyclic precalcification treatment imparts a better bioactive property and enables an increase in activation level of the titanium implants. The removal torque values of the RBM treated, CIT treated, and AIT treated titanium implants are 10.8 ± 3.7 Ncm, 17.5 Ç 3.5 Ncm, and 28.1 Ç 2.4 Ncm, respectively. The findings of the study indicate the cyclic precalcification in an effective surface treatment method that would help accelerate osseointegration and impart bioactive property of titanium implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The warming acupuncture for hyperthermia therapy is made of STS304. However, its needle point cannot be reached to a desirable temperature due to heat loss caused by low thermal conductivity, and the quantification of stimulation condition and the effective standard establishment of warming acupuncture are required as a heat source. Accordingly, in this study, after Ag-Cu alloys with different composition ratios were casted and then mixed with additives to improve their physical and mechanical properties, the thermal conductivity and biocompatibility of the alloy specimens were evaluated for selecting suitable material. Ag-Cu binary alloys and ternary alloys added 5 wt% Zn or 2 wt% Mg were casted and then cold drawn to manufacture needles for acupuncture, and their physical properties, thermal conductivity, and biocompatibility were evaluated for their potential use in warming acupuncture. The results of this study showed that the physical and mechanical properties of the Ag-Cu alloys were improved by additives and that the thermal conductivity, machinability, and biocompatibility of the Ag-Cu alloys were improved by Mg addition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Corynebacterium glutamicum whcA gene is known to play a negative role in the expression of genes responding to oxidative stress. The encoded protein contains conserved cysteines, which likely coordinate the redox-sensitive Fe-S cluster. To identify proteins which may interact with WhcA, we employed a two-hybrid system utilizing WhcA as 'bait'. Upon screening, several partner proteins were isolated from the C. glutamicum genomic library. Sequencing analysis of the isolated clones revealed out-of-frame peptide sequences, one of which showed high sequence homology with a dioxygenase encoded by NCgl0899. In vivo analysis of protein interaction using real-time quantitative PCR, which monitors his3 reporter gene expression, demonstrated that the interaction between NCgl0899-encoded protein and WhcA was specific. The interaction was labile to oxidants, such as diamide and menadione. Based on these data, NCgl0899 was named spiA (stress protein interacting with WhcA). Physical association and dissociation of the purified His6-WhcA and GST-SpiA fusion proteins, as assayed by in vitro pull-down experiments, were consistent with in vivo results. These data indicated that the interaction between WhcA and SpiA is not only specific but also modulated by the redox status of the cell and the functionality of the WhcA protein is probably modulated by the SpiA protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Purpose  To evaluate the efficacy and safety of simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery with respect to patient satisfaction, outcomes, and complication rates. Methods  We conducted a prospective study of consecutive patients who had simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery on the same day or separate bilateral cataract surgery with an interval of 2 days between operations. The changes in refraction, visual acuity, degree of anisometropia, and complication rates were compared between the simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery and separate bilateral cataract surgery groups. Patient satisfaction was assessed with a questionnaire. Results  Ninety-four patients who had simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery and 100 patients who had separate bilateral cataract surgery were enrolled in this study. The preoperative best-corrected visual acuity (logMAR) was 0.31 ± 0.17 in the simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery group and 0.29 ± 0.16 in the separate bilateral cataract surgery group, and it improved postoperatively to 0.11 ± 0.12 in the simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery group and to 0.10 ± 0.11 in the separate bilateral cataract surgery group. There was no significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.061). In addition, 96.8% of eyes in the simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery group and 97.0% of eyes in the separate bilateral cataract surgery group were within 1.0 diopters of the mean absolute error, and there were no sight-threatening intraoperative or postoperative complications in the two groups. Conclusions  Simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery may be an effective and safe bilateral cataract surgery option with a high degree of patient satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiO2 nanotube array (TN) on titanium plate was fabricated by using an electrochemical method. The crystal structure and surface morphology of TN array was examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Field Emission Scanning Electronic Microscopy (FE-SEM), respectively. The stability of the nanotube structure and crystal phase transition was studied at different temperatures in dry oxygen ambient. The as-deposited films were found to be amorphous. The tubes crystallized in the anatase phase at a temperature of 450°C. Anatase crystallites formed inside the tubes walls was transformed completely to rutile at 500°C in dry environment. With the heating temperature increased the intensity of rutile peak increased with decrease in reflection from titanium. Intense rutile peak was observed at 600°C. The average pore diameter as calculated from FE-SEM images was 50–100 nm. At higher temperature tubular structure completely collapsed leaving dense rutile crystallites. A model was proposed to explain the formation mechanism of TN fabricated on titanium plate in HF/H2SO4 electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several arithmetic circuits use Carry-Save (CS) representation of signed numbers in one's complement or two's complement. However, arithmetic right shifts of the CS form may generate incorrect results. This work presents the problem and proposes a simple solution to keep the correct CS representation of signed numbers when arithmetic right-shift operations or sign extensions are required. The authors discuss why the problem does not occur in most of the traditional implementations of arithmetic circuits and also emphasize that it may happen for some types of arithmetic algorithm and arithmetic hardware design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate differences in progression patterns of normal‐tension glaucoma patients in three clusters classified by Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). Method: 200 eyes of NTG patients classified by HCA in 2015 who were followed up until now were included. We evaluated the progression rate of NTG in SD‐OCT and visual field test and compared characteristics of the progression in each group. Result: A total of 153 patients were followed up and the mean observation period was 5 years. In cluster 1, which showed early glaucomatous damage in the previous report, the mean retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) reduction rate was −0.83 μm/year. In cluster 2, which showed moderate glaucomatous damage, the reduction rate was −0.45 μm/year, and In cluster 3, which showed young and myopic glaucomatous damage, the rate was −0.36 μm/year. The progression pattern of cluster 3 showed a double‐peak distribution with the RNFL reduction rate being 0.11 μm/year in non‐progressive group and −1.07 μm/year in progressive group. Conclusion: When the optic nerve head parameters were classified by HCA, the divided groups showed different patterns of NTG progression. In particular, the group of young myopia showed a mixture of two different patterns. / [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten-eleven translocation methylcytosine dioxygenase 1 (Tet1) initiates DNA demethylation by converting 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) at CpG-rich regions of genes, which have key roles in adult neurogenesis and memory. In addition, the overexpression of Tet1 with 5-hmC alteration in patients with psychosis has also been reported, for instance in schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. The mechanism underlying Tet1 overexpression in the brain; however, is still elusive. In the present study, we found that Tet1-transgenic (Tet1-TG) mice displayed abnormal behaviors involving elevated anxiety and enhanced fear memories. We confirmed that Tet1 overexpression affected adult neurogenesis with oligodendrocyte differentiation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of Tet1-TG mice. In addition, Tet1 overexpression induced the elevated expression of immediate early genes, such as Egr1, c-fos, Arc, and Bdnf, followed by the activation of intracellular calcium signals (i.e., CamKII, ERK, and CREB) in prefrontal and hippocampal neurons. The expression of GABA receptor subunits (Gabra2 and Gabra4) fluctuated in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. We evaluated the effects of Tet1 overexpression on intracellular calcium-dependent cascades by activating the Egr1 promoter in vitro. Tet1 enhanced Egr1 expression, which may have led to alterations in Gabra2 and Gabra4 expression in neurons. Taken together, we suggest that the Tet1 overexpression in our Tet1-TG mice can be applied as an effective model for studying various stress-related diseases that show hyperactivation of intracellular calcium-dependent cascades in the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten-eleven translocation methylcytosine dioxygenase 1 (Tet1) initiates DNA demethylation by converting 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) at CpG-rich regions of genes, which have key roles in adult neurogenesis and memory. In addition, the overexpression of Tet1 with 5-hmC alteration in patients with psychosis has also been reported, for instance in schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. The mechanism underlying Tet1 overexpression in the brain; however, is still elusive. In the present study, we found that Tet1-transgenic (Tet1-TG) mice displayed abnormal behaviors involving elevated anxiety and enhanced fear memories. We confirmed that Tet1 overexpression affected adult neurogenesis with oligodendrocyte differentiation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of Tet1-TG mice. In addition, Tet1 overexpression induced the elevated expression of immediate early genes, such as Egr1, c-fos, Arc, and Bdnf, followed by the activation of intracellular calcium signals (i.e., CamKII, ERK, and CREB) in prefrontal and hippocampal neurons. The expression of GABA receptor subunits (Gabra2 and Gabra4) fluctuated in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. We evaluated the effects of Tet1 overexpression on intracellular calcium-dependent cascades by activating the Egr1 promoter in vitro. Tet1 enhanced Egr1 expression, which may have led to alterations in Gabra2 and Gabra4 expression in neurons. Taken together, we suggest that the Tet1 overexpression in our Tet1-TG mice can be applied as an effective model for studying various stress-related diseases that show hyperactivation of intracellular calcium-dependent cascades in the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of memory and cognitive abilities. In AD, amyloid β (Aβ) protein aggregates in the brain of patients, forming amyloid plaques. Aβ plaques are known to be surrounded by activated microglial cells. Serum amyloid A (SAA) is elevated from several hundred to 1000-fold as part of the immune response against various injuries, including trauma, infection, and inflammation. Additionally, continuous elevation of SAA is related to the development of amyloidosis. This study was designed to identify the relationship between SAA1 and AD using liver specific SAA1 overexpressing mice (TG), because SAA1 is expressed in the liver during the acute phase. We detected exogenous SAA1 expression in the brain of TG mice. This result implies that liver-derived SAA1 migrates to the brain tissues. Thus, we confirmed that the blood brain barrier (BBB) functioned normally using Evans-blue staining and CARS. Furthermore, our results show an increase in the accumulation of the 87 kDa form of Aβ in TG mice compared to wild type mice (WT). Additionally, the number of microglial cells and levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were increased. Next, we investigated the relationship between SAA1 and depression by performing social interaction tests. The results showed that TG mice have a tendency to avoid stranger mice and an impaired social recognition. In conclusion, the SAA1 TG mouse model is a valuable model to study depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The role of surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) on pack boronizing of AISI H11 type tool steel is addressed. SMAT induced plastic deformation, enabled nanocrystallization at the surface, reduced the grain size and increased the volume fraction of non-equilibrium gain boundaries, increased the accumulation of defects and dislocations at the grain boundaries and within the grains. These features helped to promote the diffusion of boron during boronizing and increased the case depth and hardness of the borided layer. Duplex treatment on SMATed H11 steel samples helps to achieve a higher case depth when compared to the single stage treatment. The findings of the study suggest that SMAT can be used as a pre-treatment for boronizing of H11 tool steel. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Discusses the detection of somatic mutations of the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) tumor suppressor gene in sporadic angiofibromas. Characteristics of mutations; Types of proliferating cells involved in angiofibromas; Role of the Men1 gene product in the initiation and regression of a subset of sporadic angiofibromas.