Search

We present the first results from a proof-of-concept search for dark sectors via invisible decays of pseudoscalar η and η^{'} mesons in the NA64h experiment at the CERN SPS. Our novel technique uses the charge-exchange reaction of 50 GeV π^{-} on nuclei of an active target as the source of neutral mesons. The η,η^{'}→invisible events would exhibit themselves via a striking signature-the complete disappearance of the incoming beam energy in the detector. No evidence for such events has been found with 2.9×10^{9} pions on target accumulated during one day of data taking. This allows us to set a stringent limit on the branching ratio Br(η^{'}→invisible)<2.1×10^{-4} improving the current bound by a factor of ≃3. We also set a limit on Br(η→invisible)<1.1×10^{-4} comparable with the existing one. These results demonstrate the great potential of our approach and provide clear guidance on how to enhance and extend the sensitivity for dark sector physics from future searches for invisible neutral meson decays.

Municipal wastewater treatment plants are required to monitor persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in their wastewater treatment related discharges and to assess the impact of the discharges on the environment and public health. One tool for monitoring chlorinated organic pollutants particularly is a gas chromatographic (GC) system coupled to a pair of halogen-specific electron capture detectors (ECDs) with helium (He) as the mobile phase. He supplies, however, has become inconsistent and unreliable lately. In its place, N 2 gas is evaluated in this study as a potential substitute for He in quantifying organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, chlordane congeners and toxaphene in wastewater treatment related matrices (influent, effluent, benthic sediment, mussel tissue, and biosolids/sludge). N 2 is inert, inexpensive and requires no additional hardware to incorporate into the basic functions of a GC-ECD. Our results show that, with the usual data quality controls (blank, laboratory control, matrix spike/duplicate and proficiency testing samples, and the fact that certified reference materials data met requirements), N 2 can replace He for regulatory purposes. And when necessary, the N 2 -based retention times (t N ) can be predicted reliably from He-based retention times (t He ), irrespective of column chemistry or POPs (here: t N = 1.90t He + 0.04, R 2 = 0.996)., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper, (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

We report the first search for dark sectors performed at the NA64 experiment employing a high energy muon beam and a missing energy-momentum technique. Muons from the M2 beamline at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron with a momentum of 160  GeV/c are directed to an active target. The signal signature consists of a single scattered muon with momentum <80  GeV/c in the final state, accompanied by missing energy, i.e., no detectable activity in the downstream calorimeters. For a total dataset of (1.98±0.02)×10^{10} muons on target, no event is observed in the expected signal region. This allows us to set new limits on the remaining (m&#95;{Z^{'}},g&#95;{Z^{'}}) parameter space of a new Z^{'} (L&#95;{μ}-L&#95;{τ}) vector boson which could explain the muon (g-2)&#95;{μ} anomaly. Additionally, our study excludes part of the parameter space suggested by the thermal dark matter relic abundance. Our results pave the way to explore dark sectors and light dark matter with muon beams in a unique and complementary way to other experiments.

In the pandemic, nursing programs found a way to continue the training process through virtual classrooms and technological tools to support the teaching and learning process. The aim of the present research was to analyze the existing literature on the methodologies and technologies used in nursing education during the pandemic. Methods and results, in this context, were integrative review of the literature through the SciELO, PubMed, CUIDEN, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL (EBSCO), Redalyc, and Dialnet databases, by running a search on the use of the keywords "nursing students," "new technology," and "pandemic," for literature published between 2020 and 2022. As a search strategy, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flowchart was used. Finally, the virtualization of nursing teaching has been positive in giving continuity to the training process, and student learning has been verified. However, there is evidence that some actions and skills are not possible at the moment with the available methodologies and tools and still require attendance for some practical activities., Competing Interests: Competing InterestsThe authors declare no competing interests., (© The Author(s) under exclusive licence to International Association of Medical Science Educators 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Thermal dark matter models with particle χ masses below the electroweak scale can provide an explanation for the observed relic dark matter density. This would imply the existence of a new feeble interaction between the dark and ordinary matter. We report on a new search for the sub-GeV χ production through the interaction mediated by a new vector boson, called the dark photon A^{'}, in collisions of 100 GeV electrons with the active target of the NA64 experiment at the CERN SPS. With 9.37×10^{11} electrons on target collected during 2016-2022 runs NA64 probes for the first time the well-motivated region of parameter space of benchmark thermal scalar and fermionic dark matter models. No evidence for dark matter production has been found. This allows us to set the most sensitive limits on the A^{'} couplings to photons for masses m&#95;{A^{'}}≲0.35  GeV, and to exclude scalar and Majorana dark matter with the χ-A^{'} coupling α&#95;{D}≤0.1 for masses 0.001≲m&#95;{χ}≲0.1  GeV and 3m&#95;{χ}≤m&#95;{A^{'}}.

The TEI peer tutoring program (in Spanish, Tutoría entre Iguales , hereinafter TEI ) is Spain's most important coexistence program for the prevention of violence and bullying in secondary schools and one of the first worldwide. So that we may better appreciate the effectiveness and benefits of this program, a comparative study has been developed between four schools that are presently following this preventive strategy (TEI centres) and four other schools that do not carry out the TEI program (non-TEI centres). Controlling the other sociodemographic variables, students' perception of coexistence, bullying and cyberbullying has been evaluated. In total, 1015 secondary school students belonging to eight schools from four autonomous communities in Spain participated. The results reveal that the students of TEI centres have a more favourable perception of educational coexistence and indicate lower rates of bullying and cyberbullying than those studying at non-TEI centres. These results highlight the benefits of the TEI program and the need to continue promoting and expanding these preventing bullying strategies in schools.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe cases of patients with presumable dysimmune small-fiber neuropathy (SFN)-related neuropathic corneal pain (NCP), presenting with autoantibodies against trisulfated heparin disaccharide (TS-HDS) or fibroblast growth factor receptor-3 (FGFR-3)., Methods: This study was a case series of 3 patients with NCP with positive anti-TS-HDS and/or anti-FGFR-3 autoantibodies and systemic SFN as confirmed by positive skin biopsy results., Results: All 3 patients were women with a mean age of 34.3± 6.1 years. They suffered from moderate to severe persistent chronic ocular discomfort (10/10, 10/10, and 9/10 on a visual analogue scale, respectively). Although 1 patient suffered from ocular pain and photophobia alone, the other 2 patients experienced additional non-ocular pain. One of the patients had pain on her face and head, and 1 patient reported neck and lower back pain. Two patients had high anti-TS-HDS IgM titers, whereas 1 patient had both high anti-TS-HDS IgM and anti-FGFR-3 IgG titers. Skin biopsy confirmed the presence of SFN in all patients by demonstrating decreased intraepidermal nerve fiber density., Conclusions: The presence of anti-TS-HDS and anti-FGFR-3 autoantibodies in patients with NCP with positive skin biopsy findings for SFN highlights the potential role of dysimmune SFN in the pathogenesis of this disease., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

A 52-year-old woman with a complex medical history, including a history of consanguinity, developed refractory uncontrollable spine pain after a motor vehicle accident 2 years before presentation. There were no well-defined findings on clinical examination. She was found to have mildly elevated serum creatine phosphokinase levels, and spine imaging revealed fatty replacement and atrophy affecting predominantly lumbar paraspinal muscles. Initial EMG sampling of multiple limb muscles was normal. However, a follow-up concentric needle examination sampling paraspinal and trunk muscles showed abundant myotonic discharges, fibrillations and positive sharp waves, and myopathic motor unit action potential changes. This pattern of neurophysiologic abnormalities prompted the search for a myopathic disorder, which was ultimately confirmed with additional studies. This case highlights the critical role of neurophysiologic evaluation of paraspinal and other trunk muscles in the disambiguation of clinical and imaging data, helping to establish the diagnosis of a rare but treatable myopathy at early disease stages., (© 2023 American Academy of Neurology.)

Studies have shown that ancient cultures used microalgae as food for centuries. Currently, scientific reports highlight the value of nutritional composition of microalgae and their ability to accumulate polyunsaturated fatty acids at certain operational conditions. These characteristics are gaining increasing interest for the aquaculture industry which is searching for cost-effective replacements for fish meal and oil because these commodities are one of the most significant operational expenses and their dependency has become a bottleneck for their sustainable development of the aquaculture industry. This review is aimed at highlighting the use of microalgae as polyunsaturated fatty acid source in aquaculture feed formulations, despite their scarce production at industrial scale. Moreover, this document includes several approaches to improve microalgae production and to increase the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids with emphasis in the accumulation of DHA, EPA, and ARA. Furthermore, the document compiles several studies which prove microalgae-based aquafeeds for marine and freshwater species. Finally, the study explores the aspects that intervene in production kinetics and improvement strategies with possibilities for upscaling and facing main challenges of using microalgae in the commercial production of aquafeeds., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Oscar Soto-Sánchez et al.)

The number of people suffering from mental health problems is rising, with anxiety and depression now the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric conditions. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are one of the most prescribed pharmaceuticals to treat these conditions, which has led to their common detection in many aquatic ecosystems. As the monoaminergic system shows a high degree of structural conservation across diverse animal phyla, a reasonable assumption is that the environmental levels of SSRIs in surface water can lead to adverse effects on fish and other aquatic wildlife. For instance, Sertraline (SER), a widely prescribed SSRI, has been shown to induce adverse effects in fish, albeit most of the reports used exposure concentrations exceeding those occurring in natural environments. Therefore, there is still a great lack of knowledge regarding SERs effects in fish species, especially during early life stages. This study describes the evaluation of developmental exposure of zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) to environmentally relevant concentrations of SER (from 0.01 to 10 μg/L), using a battery of key survival behaviors and further relating them with the expression of genes and neurochemical profiles of the monoaminergic system. We found that developmental exposure to SER did not affect embryo morphogenesis and growth. However, concentrations as low as 0.1 μg/L induced hypolocomotion and delayed learning. The observed behavioral impairment was associated with augmented serotonin levels rather than other neurochemicals and molecular markers, highlighting the relationship between serotonin signaling and behavior in zebrafish., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Faria, Bellot, Soto, Prats, Montemurro, Manjarrés, Gómez-Canela and Raldúa.)

A search for a new Z^{'} gauge boson associated with (un)broken B-L symmetry in the keV-GeV mass range is carried out for the first time using the missing-energy technique in the NA64 experiment at the CERN SPS. From the analysis of the data with 3.22×10^{11} electrons on target collected during 2016-2021 runs, no signal events were found. This allows us to derive new constraints on the Z^{'}-e coupling strength, which, for the mass range 0.3≲m&#95;{Z^{'}}≲100  MeV, are more stringent compared to those obtained from the neutrino-electron scattering data.

The P2RY8-CRLF2 and IGH-CRLF2 rearrangements induce the overexpression of cytokine receptor-like factor 2 (CRLF2) and have been associated with relapse and poor prognosis in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). Additionally, they are frequently documented in high-risk Hispanic populations. To better understand the potential causes of the adverse prognosis of childhood B-ALL in Mexico, we analyzed these rearrangements and the CRLF2 mRNA and protein levels in 133 Mexican children with B-ALL. We collected bone marrow samples at diagnosis and evaluated the CRLF2 gene expression by qRT-PCR and the total CRLF2 protein by flow cytometry. P2RY8-CRLF2 and IGH-CRLF2 were detected by RT-PCR and FISH, respectively. The median time of follow-up to determine the prognostic significance of the CRLF2 abnormalities was three years. In 82% of the participants, the mRNA levels correlated with the cell-surface and intracellular CRLF2 protein levels. The P2RY8-CRLF2 rearrangement was present in 31.5% (42/133) of the patients, while the IGH-CRLF2 rearrangement was detected in 13.5% (9/67) of patients with high expression of CRLF2 (6.8% of the total sample). CRLF2 copy number variations (gain) were also detected in 7.5% (5/67) of patients with high protein levels. The overall survival (OS) presented significantly lower rates in patients with high white blood cell count (≥50x10 9 /L) regardless of CRLF2 expression, but high levels of CRLF2 gene expression appears to contribute to the reduction of OS within this group of patients. In conclusion, in our cohort, a high occurrence of CRLF2 abnormalities was documented, particularly the P2RY8-CRLF2 rearrangement, which might represent a characteristic of the Mexican population. Targeted therapy to treat this group of patients could improve OS., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

High precision measurements of the polarized electron beam-spin asymmetry in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) from the proton have been performed using a 10.6 GeV incident electron beam and the CLAS12 spectrometer at Jefferson Lab. We report here a high precision multidimensional study of single π^{+} SIDIS data over a large kinematic range in Bjorken x, fractional energy, and transverse momentum of the hadron as well as photon virtualities Q^{2} ranging from 1-7  GeV^{2}. In particular, the structure function ratio F&#95;{LU}^{sinϕ}/F&#95;{UU} has been determined, where F&#95;{LU}^{sinϕ} is a twist-3 quantity that can reveal novel aspects of emergent hadron mass and quark-gluon correlations within the nucleon. The data's impact on the evolving understanding of the underlying reaction mechanisms and their kinematic variation is explored using theoretical models for the different contributing transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions.

Strange matter is believed to exist in the cores of neutron stars based on simple kinematics. If this is true, then hyperon-nucleon interactions will play a significant part in the neutron star equation of state. Yet, compared to other elastic scattering processes, there is very little data on Λ-N scattering. This experiment utilized the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) detector to study the Λp→Λp elastic scattering cross section in the incident Λ momentum range 0.9-2.0  GeV/c. These are the first data on this reaction since the 1970s. The new cross sections have significantly better accuracy and precision than the existing world data, and the techniques developed here can also be used in future experiments.

We present the first measurement of the timelike Compton scattering process, γp→p^{'}γ^{*}(γ^{*}→e^{+}e^{-}), obtained with the CLAS12 detector at Jefferson Lab. The photon beam polarization and the decay lepton angular asymmetries are reported in the range of timelike photon virtualities 2.25

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most aggressive form of glioma and is characterized by poor prognosis and high recurrence despite intensive clinical interventions. To retrieve the key factors underlying the high malignancy of GB with potential diagnosis utility, we combined the analysis of The Cancer Gene Atlas and the REMBRANDT datasets plus a molecular examination of our own collection of surgical tumor resections. We determined a net reduction in the levels of the non-canonical histone H3 variant H3.3 in GB compared to lower-grade astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas with a concomitant increase in the levels of the canonical histone H3 variants H3.1/H3.2. This increase can be potentially useful in the clinical diagnosis of high-grade gliomas, as evidenced by an immunohistochemistry screening of our cohort and can be at least partially explained by the induction of multiple histone genes encoding these canonical forms. Moreover, GBs showing low bulk levels of the H3.1/H3.2 proteins were more transcriptionally similar to low-grade gliomas than GBs showing high levels of H3.1/H3.2. In conclusion, this study identifies an imbalanced ratio between the H3 variants associated with glioma malignancy and molecular patterns relevant to the biology of gliomas, and proposes the examination of the H3.3 and H3.1/H3.2 levels to further refine diagnosis of low- and high-grade gliomas in future studies.

The term "giant cell myositis" has been used to refer to muscle diseases characterized histologically by multinucleated giant cells. Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune neuromuscular junction disorder. The rare concurrence of giant cell myositis with myasthenia gravis has been reported; however, the clinical and histological features have varied widely. Here, we present such a case and a review of the literature. An 82-year-old woman admitted for subacute, progressive, proximal muscle weakness developed acute-onset dysphagia, dysphonia, and respiratory distress 5 days after admission. Laboratory findings were positive for acetylcholine receptor binding antibodies and striational muscle antibodies against titin. Muscle biopsy demonstrated widespread muscle fiber necrosis with multinucleated giant cells, consistent with giant cell myositis. She died despite treatment with pulse methylprednisolone and plasma exchange. A literature review of the PubMed and Scopus databases from 1944 to 2020 identified 15 additional cases of these co-existing diagnoses. We found that giant cell myositis with myasthenia gravis primarily affects female patients, is typically diagnosed in the 6-7th decades, and is characterized by the presence of thymoma. Muscle histology predominantly shows giant cell infiltrate without granulomas. The onset of myasthenia gravis symptoms may precede, follow, or coincide with symptoms of myositis. Treatment with thymectomy, anticholinesterase inhibitors, or immunosuppressive therapy may lead to favorable clinical outcomes., (© 2021. International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR).)

Objective: To establish predictive factors of patients who failed intra-cavernosal injection therapy and ultimately required corporoglandular shunting during first-time ischemic priapism episodes., Methods: A retrospective review was performed of all patients over the age of 18 who presented to our institution with first-time episode of ischemic priapism from 2009 to 2019. Variables assessed included: body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, race, insurance-type, hypertension, etiology, age, duration of erection prior to evaluation, total amount of phenylephrine injected, and use of corporal irrigation. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed utilizing duration of erection and amount of phenylephrine., Results: One-hundred and forty-seven patients met inclusion criteria of which 24 patients required surgical intervention. There were differences associated with mean total phenylephrine used, duration of erection between shunted patients and non-shunted patients with regards to age (P = .38) or etiology (P = .81). Multivariable analysis revealed differences between duration of erection and BMI greater than 25 kg/m 2 . ROC curve analyses revealed total amount of phenylephrine injected and duration of erection were acceptable and excellent predictors of need for shunt procedures with area under the curves of 0.72 and 0.90, respectively. Optimal cut-off values for each were found to be 950 mcg and 15.5 hours., Conclusion: Our study suggests that patients who require greater than 950 mcg of total phenylephrine or present with erections lasting greater than 15.5 hours are significantly more likely to require corporoglandular shunting and should be counseled appropriately as such., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: We aimed to establish new cut-off values for SIRS (Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) variables in the obstetric population., Methods: A prospective cohort study in pregnant and postpartum women admitted with systemic infections between December 2017 and January 2019. Patients were divided into three cohorts: Group A, patients with infection but without severe maternal outcomes (SMO); Group B, patients with infection and SMO or admission to the intensive care unit (ICU); and Group C, a control group. Outcome measures were ICU admission and SMO. The relationship between SIRS criteria and SMO was expressed as the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC), selecting the best cut-off for each SIRS criterion., Results: A total of 541 obstetric patients were enrolled, including 341 with infections and 200 enrolled as the reference group (Group C). The patients with infections included 313 (91.7%) in Group A and 28 (8.2%) in Group B. There were significant differences for all SIRS variables in Group B, compared with Groups A and C, but there were no significant differences between Groups A and C. The best cut-off values were the following: temperature 38.2 °C, OR 4.1 (1.8-9.0); heart rate 120 bpm, OR 2.9 (1.2-7.4); respiratory rate 22 bpm, OR 4.1 (1.6-10.1); and leukocyte count 16,100 per mcl, OR 3.5 (1.6-7.6)., Conclusions: The cut-off values for SIRS variables did not differ between healthy and infected obstetric patients. However, a higher cut-off may help predict the population with a higher risk of severe maternal outcomes., (© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

Background: Wild-type transthyretin (ATTRwt) amyloid deposition has been found in the ligamentum flavum (LF) of patients undergoing spinal stenosis surgery. Our group previously reported that ATTRwt amyloid is associated with an increased lumbar ligamentum flavum thickness at symptomatic levels that required surgery. A comprehensive evaluation of LF thickness at asymptomatic levels in addition to symptomatic, treated levels has never been performed in ATTRwt patients. In this study, we compare the total LF thickness of all lumbar levels (lumbar LF burden) in ATTRwt and non-ATTRwt patients., Methods: We retrospectively identified 177 patients who underwent lumbar spine surgery. Ligamentum flavum thickness of 885 lumbar levels was measured on T2-weighted axial MRI. Amyloid presence was confirmed through Congo red staining of specimens, and subtype of ATTRwt was confirmed using mass-spectrometry and gene sequencing., Results: Of the 177 patients, 30 (16.9%) were found to have ATTRwt in the ligamentum flavum. One hundred and fifty ATTRwt levels and 735 non-ATTRwt levels were measured by four different reviewers, with an intraclass coefficient (ICC) of 0.79. Mean ligamentum flavum thickness was 4.64 (±1.31) mm in the ATTRwt group and 3.99 (±1.45) mm in the non-ATTRwt group (p < 0.001). The lumbar LF burden (sum of ligamentum flavum thickness at all lumbar levels) for ATTRwt patients was 23.22 (±4.48) mm, and for non-ATTRwt patients was 19.96 (±5.49) mm (p = 0.003) CONCLUSION: The lumbar LF burden is greater in patients with ATTRwt amyloid compared to non-ATTRwt patients. This supports prior evidence that ATTRwt amyloid deposition might be associated with increased LF thickness and lumbar stenosis. This potential association requires more research and could be an important finding, as medications have recently become available that can treat patients with ATTRwt amyloid deposition., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The observation of beam spin asymmetries in two-pion production in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering off an unpolarized proton target is reported. The data presented here were taken in the fall of 2018 with the CLAS12 spectrometer using a 10.6 GeV longitudinally spin-polarized electron beam delivered by CEBAF at JLab. The measured asymmetries provide the first opportunity to extract the parton distribution function e(x), which provides information about the interaction between gluons and quarks, in a collinear framework that offers cleaner access than previous measurements. The asymmetries also constitute the first ever signal sensitive to the helicity-dependent two-pion fragmentation function G&#95;{1}^{⊥}. A clear sign change is observed around the ρ mass that appears in model calculations and is indicative of the dependence of the produced pions on the helicity of the fragmenting quark.

The quark structure of the f&#95;{2}(1270) meson has, for many years, been assumed to be a pure quark-antiquark (qq[over ¯]) resonance with quantum numbers J^{PC}=2^{++}. Recently, it was proposed that the f&#95;{2}(1270) is a molecular state made from the attractive interaction of two ρ mesons. Such a state would be expected to decay strongly to final states with charged pions due to the dominant decay ρ→π^{+}π^{-}, whereas decay to two neutral pions would likely be suppressed. Here, we measure for the first time the reaction γp→π^{0}π^{0}p, using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer detector at Jefferson Lab for incident beam energies between 3.6 and 5.4 GeV. Differential cross sections, dσ/dt, for f&#95;{2}(1270) photoproduction are extracted with good precision due to low backgrounds and are compared to theoretical calculations.

A first measurement of the longitudinal beam spin asymmetry A&#95;{LU} in the semi-inclusive electroproduction of pairs of charged pions is reported. A&#95;{LU} is a higher-twist observable and offers the cleanest access to the nucleon twist-3 parton distribution function e(x). Data have been collected in the Hall-B at Jefferson Lab by impinging a 5.498-GeV electron beam on a liquid-hydrogen target, and reconstructing the scattered electron and the pion pair with the CLAS detector. One-dimensional projections of the A&#95;{LU}^{sinϕ&#95;{R}} moments are extracted for the kinematic variables of interest in the valence quark region. The understanding of dihadron production is essential for the interpretation of observables in single-hadron production in semi-inclusive DIS, and pioneering measurements of single-spin asymmetries in dihadron production open a new avenue in studies of QCD dynamics.

Background: Wild-type transthyretin (ATTRwt) amyloid deposits have been found in the ligamentum flavum of patients undergoing surgery for spinal stenosis. The relationship between ATTRwt and ligamentum flavum thickness is unclear. We used pre-operative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to analyze ligamentum flavum thickness in lumbar spinal stenosis patients with and without ATTRwt amyloid., Methods: We retrospectively identified 178 patients who underwent lumbar spine surgery. Ligamentum flavum thickness of 253 specimens was measured on T2-weighted axial MRI. Amyloid presence was confirmed through Congo red staining of specimens, and ATTRwt was confirmed using mass-spectrometry and gene sequencing., Results: Twenty four of the 178 patients (13.5%) were found to have ATTRwt in the ligamentum flavum. Forty ATTRwt specimens and 213 non-ATTRwt specimens were measured. Mean ligamentum flavum thickness was 4.92 (±1.27) mm in the ATTRwt group and 4.00 (±1.21) mm in the non-ATTRwt group (p < 0.01). The ligamentum flavum was thickest at L4-L5, with a thickness of 5.15 (±1.27) mm and 4.23 (±1.29) mm in the ATTRwt and non-ATTRwt group, respectively (p = 0.007). There was a significant difference in ligamentum flavum thickness between ATTRwt and non-ATTRwt case for both patients younger than 70 years (p = 0.016) and those older than 70 years (p = 0.004). ATTRwt patients had greater ligamentum flavum thickness by 0.83 mm (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.41-1.25 mm, p < 0.001) when controlled for age and lumbar level., Conclusion: Patients with ATTRwt had thicker ligamentum flavum compared to patients without ATTRwt. Further studies are needed to investigate the pathophysiology of ATTRwt in ligamentum flavum thickening., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We have measured beam-spin asymmetries to extract the sinϕ moment A&#95;{LU}^{sinϕ} from the hard exclusive e[over →]p→e^{'}nπ^{+} reaction above the resonance region, for the first time with nearly full coverage from forward to backward angles in the center of mass. The A&#95;{LU}^{sinϕ} moment has been measured up to 6.6  GeV^{2} in -t, covering the kinematic regimes of generalized parton distributions (GPD) and baryon-to-meson transition distribution amplitudes (TDA) at the same time. The experimental results in very forward kinematics demonstrate the sensitivity to chiral-odd and chiral-even GPDs. In very backward kinematics where the TDA framework is applicable, we found A&#95;{LU}^{sinϕ} to be negative, while a sign change was observed near 90° in the center of mass. The unique results presented in this Letter will provide critical constraints to establish reaction mechanisms that can help to further develop the GPD and TDA frameworks.

Background: Transthyretin wild-type (ATTRwt) amyloidosis is a systemic process resulting in deposition of misfolded transthyretin protein in several different tissues throughout the body. It is known to be a cause of progressive, life-threatening cardiomyopathy and lumbar spinal stenosis and carpal tunnel syndrome., Case Description: Here we present the case of a 71-year-old man who has clinical manifestations of all 3 entities over several years, providing a picture of the natural history of ATTRwt amyloidosis. This patient eventually underwent a heart transplant because of progressive cardiac amyloidosis (CA) resulting in end-stage heart failure. However, symptoms in carpal tunnel and lumbar spine manifested years before the symptoms of heart failure. ATTRwt amyloidosis may present as a clinical triad of lumbar stenosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and heart failure. Recently developed medications have shown efficacy in slowing the progress of systemic and cardiac amyloidosis., Conclusions: Knowing that extracardiac symptoms may occur first, we propose that sending ligamentum flavum and flexor tenosynovium for pathologic evaluation may be a unique opportunity to screen and treat a population of patients at risk for developing CA and heart failure., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We report on the measurement of the γp→J/ψp cross section from E&#95;{γ}=11.8  GeV down to the threshold at 8.2 GeV using a tagged photon beam with the GlueX experiment. We find that the total cross section falls toward the threshold less steeply than expected from two-gluon exchange models. The differential cross section dσ/dt has an exponential slope of 1.67±0.39  GeV^{-2} at 10.7 GeV average energy. The LHCb pentaquark candidates P&#95;{c}^{+} can be produced in the s channel of this reaction. We see no evidence for them and set model-dependent upper limits on their branching fractions B(P&#95;{c}^{+}→J/ψp) and cross sections σ(γp→P&#95;{c}^{+})×B(P&#95;{c}^{+}→J/ψp).

In the past two decades, deeply virtual Compton scattering of electrons has been successfully used to advance our knowledge of the partonic structure of the free proton and investigate correlations between the transverse position and the longitudinal momentum of quarks inside the nucleon. Meanwhile, the structure of bound nucleons in nuclei has been studied in inclusive deep-inelastic lepton scattering experiments off nuclear targets, showing a significant difference in longitudinal momentum distribution of quarks inside the bound nucleon, known as the EMC effect. In this Letter, we report the first beam spin asymmetry (BSA) measurement of exclusive deeply virtual Compton scattering off a proton bound in ^{4}He. The data used here were accumulated using a 6 GeV longitudinally polarized electron beam incident on a pressurized ^{4}He gaseous target placed within the CLAS spectrometer in Hall-B at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The azimuthal angle (ϕ) dependence of the BSA was studied in a wide range of virtual photon and scattered proton kinematics. The Q^{2}, x&#95;{B}, and t dependencies of the BSA on the bound proton are compared with those on the free proton. In the whole kinematical region of our measurements, the BSA on the bound proton is smaller by 20% to 40%, indicating possible medium modification of its partonic structure.

Introduction: It is essential that orthopaedic resident physicians be highly proficient in all aspects, considering the balance between supply, demand, need and context. Fundamental to identify the capacity and quality installed for their training in Mexico., Material and Methods: Observational Study, transverse, non-probabilistic sampling-conglomerates, in two phases. The instrument has 8 domains, 57 variables and 4,867 items. 60 graduate professors of 20 states, 50 hospital sites, 22 university programs., Results: 1,038 years of experience (collective intelligence), 17 years of experience/teacher (01 to 50 years). Identified: acute pathology 30 (2 to 90%), chronic pathology 30 (5 to 96%), patients 15 years, 10 (3 to 30%), patients between 15 and 65 years, 47 (2 to 78%), patients 65 years, 20 (2 to 60%), number of beds/seat 20 (2 to 510), number of clinics 3 (1 to 48), number of surgical procedures/headquarters per year at the national level, was 960 (50 to 24,650). The national average per resident doctor is 362 surgeries/year with 1,450 surgical times/year., Conclusions: The needs and resources for the training of physicians specializing in orthopedics/traumatology are highly heterogeneous, so it should be adapted to the epidemiological needs of the region of influence, in an area of epidemiological transition. 62.2% expressed not having or have bad academic and scientific infrastructure at its headquarters, more than 50% without rotation overseas and 90% without regular scientific production.

First measurements of double-polarization observables in ω photoproduction off the proton are presented using transverse target polarization and data from the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) FROST experiment at Jefferson Lab. The beam-target asymmetry F has been measured using circularly polarized, tagged photons in the energy range 1200-2700 MeV, and the beam-target asymmetries H and P have been measured using linearly polarized, tagged photons in the energy range 1200-2000 MeV. These measurements significantly increase the database on polarization observables. The results are included in two partial-wave analyses and reveal significant contributions from several nucleon (N^{*}) resonances. In particular, contributions from new N^{*} resonances listed in the Review of Particle Properties are observed, which aid in reaching the goal of mapping out the nucleon resonance spectrum.

Background: Spatial and biological characteristics of structural frontal disconnectivity in schizophrenia remain incompletely understood. Simultaneous streamline count (SC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) analyses may yield relevant complementary information to this end., Methods: Using 3T diffusion magnetic resonance imaging both SC and FA were calculated for the tracts linking lateral and medial subregions of prefrontal cortex (PFC) to cingulate, hippocampus, caudate and thalamus in 27 schizophrenia patients (14 first-episodes) and 27 controls. Relationships of these parameters with cognition, symptoms, treatment doses and illness duration were assessed where significant between-groups differences were detected., Results: Patients showed lower SC and FA in the tracts linking lateral and medial PFC to thalamus (likely corresponding to anterior thalamic peduncle) and lower FA in those linking PFC to caudate (likely through internal capsule), right caudal anterior cingulate and left hippocampus (likely corresponding to hippocampal-prefrontal pathway). Moreover, patients showed greater SC values for the tracts linking medial PFC and left caudal anterior cingulate. SC and FA values for the tracts linking PFC and caudal anterior cingulate were positively related to motor speed, executive function, problem solving and completed categories in WCST. FA for the tract linking right lateral PFC and caudate was directly related to positive symptoms and FA for the tract linking left medial PFC and left thalamus was inversely related to negative symptoms. Treatment doses were not associated with SC or FA values in any tract. Illness duration was negatively associated with SC and FA in the tracts linking PFC and subcortical areas., Conclusions: Widespread alterations in frontal structural connectivity of PFC can be found in schizophrenia, and are related to cognition, symptoms and illness duration., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Agave is a good source of polysaccharides for the production of fermentable sugars as sustainable bioenergy feedstock solutions for semi-arid and arid lands. This plant grows in arid areas, which correspond to a large territory in northern Mexico. Having lignocellulose as the polysaccharide of interest, the information for the enzymatic saccharification of this kind of material is limited. Agave cell walls have a unique recalcitrant nature, but having a high cellulose content, makes this plant material an interesting research subject. In this work, acidic, alkaline and aqueous pretreatments were evaluated to generate a biomass rich in cellulose. The saccharification of pretreated Agave leaves-residue was evaluated under experimental designs to identify the most suitable conditions for enzymatic hydrolysis. Maximum value obtained was 31% glucose, which further increased to 41.4% at extended hydrolysis time of 96 h. The highest cellulose-saccharification reached was up to 61.81%, making Agave atrovirens an alternative for bioethanol production in its geographical area of cultivation.

Background: Caudal and penile blocks are the most popular regional anesthetic techniques used in infants and children undergoing urological surgery. A recent report has suggested that penile venous pooling resulting from caudal blocks could affect surgical outcomes after hypospadias operations., Objective: The aim was to report our experience in patients with distal hypospadias undergoing repair with caudal versus penile block., Study Design: A retrospective clinical database was constructed for patients who underwent distal hypospadias repair by a single surgeon (M.P.B.) at our sponsoring institutions for the time period 2008-2013 (n = 192). Collected data included hypospadias classification (glanular, coronal, subcoronal), chordee status, perioperative anesthesia (caudal vs. penile), and assessment of postoperative complications (fistula and meatal stenosis)., Results: Risk ratio (RR) analysis for all distal hypospadias cases revealed that there is a higher risk of developing complications in patients who underwent caudal anesthesia than in patients who underwent penile block RR for a complication was 3.70 (95% CI 1.05-13.03; p < 0.04) (Figure)., Discussion: Similar to other papers in the literature, we found that patients who underwent caudal anesthesia had more complications than those who underwent penile block. The limitations of this study include not adjusting the results according to the severity of hypospadias., Conclusion: The main goal of this study was accomplished by demonstrating that, in our series, caudal anesthesia is associated with a higher risk of fistula formation after undergoing distal hypospadias repair than penile block., (Copyright © 2016 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Studies have shown that encountering an inguinal hernia during robotic radical prostatectomy is not uncommon. We reviewed our experience with simultaneous robotic prostatectomy and mesh hernia repair to identify variables predictive of a hernia., Materials and Methods: Our cohort consisted of 693 consecutive men who underwent robotic radical prostatectomy as performed by 1 surgeon. Hernias were repaired with mesh composed of equal parts of absorbable polyglecaprone-25 and nonabsorbable polypropylene monofilament. Preoperative variables potentially predictive of an inguinal hernia were evaluated., Results: Inguinal hernias were encountered in 55 of 639 patients (8.6%), of which 22.3% were bilateral for a total of 68 hernia sides. Only 26 of 55 hernias (47.2%) were evident preoperatively. Men with a preoperative I-PSS (International Prostate Symptom Score) of 15 or greater had a 22.4% chance (30 of 134) of requiring a hernia repair compared with 5% in those without such a score (OR 5.54, 95% CI 3.13-9.81, p <0.0001). There were no differences between the hernia and nonhernia groups in prostate size, body mass index, age, blood loss, transfusions, operative time, length of stay or any Clavien grade II-V complication. In 47 patients there was 1 recurrence at a median followup of 27.9 months. There were no cases of mesh associated pain or erosion., Conclusions: Independent of prostate size, men with preoperative lower urinary tract dysfunction were at 5 times the risk of a hernia at robotic radical prostatectomy (22.4% vs 5%). Given that half of the hernias were subclinical, patients with an I-PSS of 15 or greater should be counseled about the potential need for hernia repair at robotic radical prostatectomy., (Copyright © 2016 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To explore the effects of tofacitinib-an oral Janus kinase inhibitor for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-with or without methotrexate (MTX), on MRI endpoints in MTX-naive adult patients with early active RA and synovitis in an index wrist or hand., Methods: In this exploratory, phase 2, randomised, double-blind, parallel-group study, patients received tofacitinib 10 mg twice daily + MTX, tofacitinib 10 mg twice daily + placebo (tofacitinib monotherapy), or MTX + placebo (MTX monotherapy), for 1 year. MRI endpoints (Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Clinical Trials RA MRI score (RAMRIS), quantitative RAMRIS (RAMRIQ) and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI) were assessed using a mixed-effect model for repeated measures. Treatment differences with p<0.05 (vs MTX monotherapy) were considered significant., Results: In total, 109 patients were randomised and treated. Treatment differences in RAMRIS bone marrow oedema (BME) at month 6 were -1.55 (90% CI -2.52 to -0.58) for tofacitinib + MTX and -1.74 (-2.72 to -0.76) for tofacitinib monotherapy (both p<0.01 vs MTX monotherapy). Numerical improvements in RAMRIS synovitis at month 3 were -0.63 (-1.58 to 0.31) for tofacitinib + MTX and -0.52 (-1.46 to 0.41) for tofacitinib monotherapy (both p>0.05 vs MTX monotherapy). Treatment differences in RAMRIQ synovitis were statistically significant at month 3, consistent with DCE MRI findings. Less deterioration of RAMRIS and RAMRIQ erosive damage was seen at months 6 and 12 in both tofacitinib groups versus MTX monotherapy., Conclusions: These results provide consistent evidence using three different MRI technologies that tofacitinib treatment leads to early reduction of inflammation and inhibits progression of structural damage., Trial Registration Number: NCT01164579., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/)

The glutathione S transferase (GST) family plays an important role in the processing of carcinogens. Data on the null GSTM1 genotype has revealed associations with cancer, and has been suggested to affect carcinogen metabolism and to contribute to tumor promotion in the mammary gland. We examined the role of the null GSTM1 genotype by comparing the genotypes of 276 healthy Mexican women with those of 558 Mexican women with breast cancer (BC). The genotype frequencies observed in the controls and patients with BC were 38 and 45% for the null GSTM1 genotype, respectively. The obtained odds ratio (OR) was 1.36, with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI) of 1.02-1.8, P = 0.04. The protective association was also evident upon analysis of the distributions of the null GSTM1 genotype in patients with positive chemotherapy response who had high plasma levels of glucose (OR 0.56, 95%CI = 0.33-0.94, P = 0.03). This study suggested that the null GSTM1 genotype is associated with BC susceptibility in the Mexican population analyzed.

Objective: The Direct Assessment of Nonvertebral Fractures in Community Experience (DANCE) study investigated the use of teriparatide in men and women with osteoporosis in the United States (US) and Puerto Rico (PR). In a sub-analysis, we evaluated whether the baseline characteristics of Latinas differed from those of white women in the study population and whether any patient attributes affected physicians' decisions to prescribe teriparatide., Methods: We assessed 3 patient cohorts treated with teriparatide 20 microg once daily for up to 24 months: 1) PR Latinas, 2) US Latinas, and 3) white women on the US mainland (white women). We analyzed differences related to ethnicity (Latina vs. white) and geography (PR vs. US mainland)., Results: Overall, 302 of the 3243 women (9%) enrolled in DANCE were Latina (205 of these 302 Latinas resided in PR). Significant differences were observed in 7 of 11 baseline characteristics. White women had more prior fragility fractures and family history of hip fracture than Latinas, while PR Latinas were generally older than US Latinas and had more comorbid conditions. A similar proportion of subjects in each cohort had received prior osteoporosis therapy. Physicians prescribed teriparatide more often for Latinas based on multiple risk factors for fracture and intolerance to previous osteoporosis therapy and to white women based on inadequate response to previous therapy or new (incident) fractures. Overall, Latinas were less persistent with teriparatide therapy than white women., Conclusion: We observed significant differences related to ethnicity and geography in the baseline demographics of Latinas enrolled in the DANCE study, criteria cited by physicians for initiating teriparatide therapy, and treatment persistence.

Magnetic fluid hyperthermia as a cancer treatment method is an attractive alternative to other forms of hyperthermia. It is based on the heat released by magnetic nanoparticles subjected to an alternating magnetic field. Recent studies have shown that magnetic fluid hyperthermia-treated cells respond significantly better to chemotherapeutic treatment compared with cells treated with hot water hyperthermia under the same temperature conditions. We hypothesized that this synergistic effect is due to an additional stress on the cellular membrane, independent of the thermal heat dose effect that is induced by nanoparticles exposed to an alternating magnetic field. This would result in an increase in Cis-diammine-dichloroplatinum (II) (cDDP, cisplatin) uptake via passive transport. To test this hypothesis, we exposed cDDP-treated cells to extracellular copper in order to hinder the human cell copper transporter (hCTR1)-mediated active transport of cDDP. This, in turn, can increase the passive transport of the drug through the cell membrane. Our results did not show statistically significant differences in surviving fractions for cells treated concomitantly with magnetic fluid hyperthermia and cDDP, in the presence or absence of copper. Nonetheless, significant copper-dependent variations in cell survival were observed for samples treated with combined cDDP and hot water hyperthermia. These results correlated with platinum uptake studies, which showed that cells treated with magnetic fluid hyperthermia had higher platinum uptake than cells treated with hot water hyperthermia. Changes in membrane fluidity were tested through fluorescence anisotropy measurements using trimethylamine-diphenylhexatriene. Additional uptake studies were conducted with acridine orange and measured by flow cytometry. These studies indicated that magnetic fluid hyperthermia significantly increases cell membrane fluidity relative to hot water hyperthermia and untreated cells, and hence this could be a factor contributing to the increase of cDDP uptake in magnetic fluid hyperthermia-treated cells. Overall, our data provide convincing evidence that cell membrane permeability induced by magnetic fluid hyperthermia is significantly greater than that induced by hot water hyperthermia under similar temperature conditions, and is at least one of the mechanisms responsible for potentiation of cDDP by magnetic fluid hyperthermia in Caco-2 cells.

Studies on hexose consumption by Saccharomyces cerevisiae show that glucose is consumed faster than fructose when both are present (9:1 fructose to glucose) in the medium during the fermentation of Agave. The objective of this work was to select strains of S. cerevisiae that consume fructose equal to or faster than glucose at high fructose concentrations by analyzing the influence of different glucose concentrations on the fructose consumption rate. The optimal growth conditions were determined by a kinetics assay using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using 50 g of glucose and 50 g of fructose per liter of synthetic medium containing peptone and yeast extract. Using the same substrate concentrations, strain ITD-00185 was shown to have a higher reaction rate for fructose over glucose. At 75 g of fructose and 25 g of glucose per liter, strain ITD-00185 had a productivity of 1.02 gL(-1) h(-1) after 40 h and a fructose rate constant of 0.071 h(-1). It was observed that glucose concentration positively influences fructose consumption when present in a 3:1 ratio of fructose to glucose. Therefore, adapted strains at high fructose concentrations could be used as an alternative to traditional fermentation processes.

Objective: To further assess the clinically active dose range of etoricoxib, a COX-2 selective inhibitor, in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)., Methods: RA patients were randomized to etoricoxib 10, 30, 60, or 90 mg or placebo in a double-blind, 12-week study. DMARDs (methotrexate, biologics) or low-dose corticosteroids were allowed in stable doses. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients completing the study and achieving an American College of Rheumatology 20% (ACR20) response. Secondary endpoints included individual components of the ACR index and Patient Global Assessment of Pain. Safety was assessed by physical exam and adverse experiences (AEs) occurrences., Results: Etoricoxib 90 mg was the only dose to reach a statistically significant difference from placebo (p < 0.001) on the primary endpoint; etoricoxib 60 mg approached significance (p = 0.057). Significant pain improvement vs. placebo was observed with etoricoxib 90 mg (p < 0.001), 60 mg (p = 0.018), and 30 mg (p = 0.017). Despite the use of background biologics and corticosteroids, a dose response was still apparent. A higher proportion of etoricoxib 60 and 90 mg patients had renovascular AEs (i.e., edema and hypertension) compared with placebo, although discontinuations for renovascular AEs were rare. Etoricoxib 90 mg had a higher incidence of serious AEs (n = 5; 1 was considered drug-related) versus placebo (n = 0)., Limitations: The present study was not powered to detect differences in cardiovascular or gastrointestinal safety by dose. Additionally, further research is needed to clarify the role of doses less than the etoricoxib 90 mg dose for pain management in RA patients., Conclusion: Etoricoxib 90 mg demonstrated statistically superior efficacy (ACR20) compared with placebo and numerical superiority over the other doses of etoricoxib studied. Etoricoxib 30 and 60 mg demonstrated significant pain improvement versus placebo, suggesting utility for some patients.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) of clinical, imaging and motor evoked potentials (MEP) for predicting the short-term prognosis of multiple sclerosis (MS)., Methods: We obtained clinical data, MRI and MEP from a prospective cohort of 51 patients and 20 matched controls followed for two years. Clinical end-points recorded were: 1) expanded disability status scale (EDSS), 2) disability progression, and 3) new relapses. We constructed computational classifiers (Bayesian, random decision-trees, simple logistic-linear regression-and neural networks) and calculated their accuracy by means of a 10-fold cross-validation method. We also validated our findings with a second cohort of 96 MS patients from a second center., Results: We found that disability at baseline, grey matter volume and MEP were the variables that better correlated with clinical end-points, although their diagnostic accuracy was low. However, classifiers combining the most informative variables, namely baseline disability (EDSS), MRI lesion load and central motor conduction time (CMCT), were much more accurate in predicting future disability. Using the most informative variables (especially EDSS and CMCT) we developed a neural network (NNet) that attained a good performance for predicting the EDSS change. The predictive ability of the neural network was validated in an independent cohort obtaining similar accuracy (80%) for predicting the change in the EDSS two years later., Conclusions: The usefulness of clinical variables for predicting the course of MS on an individual basis is limited, despite being associated with the disease course. By training a NNet with the most informative variables we achieved a good accuracy for predicting short-term disability.

During simultaneous generation of static and dynamic forces, motor cortical signals only predict the dynamic components, suggesting a key role in the coding of force changes. However, such a role is obscured by uncertainties regarding the representation of dynamic force signals in corticospinal outputs. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the motor cortex in humans during a task that dissociated the direction of instantaneous net force and that of force derivative. The direction of TMS-evoked force outputs was closely associated with that of the force derivative, and had no relationship with that of the net force generated simultaneously, even though the magnitude of the instantaneous net force largely exceeded that of the force derivative. This observation supports the hypothesis that during dynamic force generation, the motor cortex and the corticospinal system assume a pivotal role in coding the direction of force changes, through selective recruitment of spinal motoneurons.

Colloidal suspensions of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles are known to dissipate energy when exposed to an oscillating magnetic field. Such energy dissipation can be employed to locally raise temperature inside a tumor between 41°C and 45°C (hyperthermia) to promote cell death, a treatment known as magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH). This work seeks to quantify differences between MFH and hot-water hyperthermia (HWH) in terms of reduction in cell viability using two cancer cell culture models, Caco-2 (human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma) and MCF-7 (human breast cancer). Magnetite nanoparticles were synthesized via the co-precipitation method and functionalized with adsorbed carboxymethyl dextran. Cytotoxicity studies indicated that in the absence of an oscillating magnetic field, cell viability was not affected at concentrations of up to 0.6 mg iron oxide/mL. MFH resulted in a significant decrease in cell viability when exposed to a magnetic field for 120 minutes and allowed to rest for 48 hours, compared with similar field applications, but with shorter resting time. The results presented here suggest that MFH most likely induces apoptosis in both cell types. When compared with HWH, MFH produced a significant reduction in cell viability, and these effects appear to be cell-type related.

Motor preparation for execution of both simple and choice reaction time tasks (SRT and CRT) involves enhancement of corticospinal excitability (CE). However, motor preparation also implies changes in inhibitory control that have thus far been much less studied. Short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) has been shown to decrease before CE increases. Therefore we reasoned that, if SICI contributes to inhibitory control of voluntary movement during the preparatory phase, it would be larger in CRT than in SRT because of the need to keep the movement unreleased until the uncertainty resolves on which task is required. We measured changes in SICI and in CE at different time points preceding motor reaction in normal subjects. Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (spTMS) and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (ppTMS) produced time-dependent changes in both SRT and CRT, with shortening when applied close to the presentation of the imperative signal ("early") and lengthening when applied near the expected reaction ("late"). In addition, at all stimulation time points, reaction time was shorter with ppTMS than that with spTMS, but there was no consistent association between the amount of SICI and reaction time changes. At early stimulation time points, CE was reduced in CRT but not in SRT. However, SICI in CRT was not different from SICI in SRT. At late stimulation time points, SICI decreased just before enhancement of CE. Our findings indicate that inhibitory circuits other than SICI are responsible for setting the level of CE at earlier parts of the reaction time period. Although the decrease in SICI may contribute to the increase in CE at the last part of the premotor period, the two phenomena are not dependent on each other.

Imagining motor actions is enough to enhance cortical motor excitability. However, the fact that execution of the motor task has to be inhibited should have a correlate on the extent of cortical excitability enhancement. Therefore, we examined the possible differences between real and motor imagery of simple reaction time tasks (SRT) in the facilitation of the motor-evoked potential (MEP) to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and in the reduction of short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) taking place before the movement onset. Thirteen healthy volunteers were requested to perform visual real or imaginary SRT tasks (rSRT and iSRT) with their dominant hand. For rSRT, subjects had to perform a rapid isometric squeeze as soon as possible after the imperative signal. For iSRT they had to imagine the same movement without actually doing it. Electromyographic (EMG) signals were recorded from the first dorsal interosseus (FDI) muscle. The mean EMG onset was calculated for each subject in rSRT trials. Single-and paired-pulse TMS (at an interstimulus interval of 2.5 ms) were applied at rest and at time intervals of -25, -50, -75, -100 and -125 ms before the expected real (rSRT) mean EMG onset. In rSRT there was a significant increase of MEP to single-pulseTMS at the intervals of -50 and -25 ms, and in iSRT at -50 ms in comparison to the rest condition. % SICI changes were significantly reduced at the intervals of -75, -50 and -25 ms, before EMG the onset in rSRT and at -50 and -25 in iSRT (P < 0.05) in comparison to % SICI changes at rest. The differences between MEPs to spTMS and MEP to ppTMS were significantly larger at rest, -125 and -100 ms intervals in rSRT, and at all intervals in iSRT. Imagining to move causes an increase in corticospinal excitability and a decrease in intracortical inhibition that follow a temporal profile similar to those observed with real movements. However, complete removal of SICI happened only in rSRT at the shortest intervals before the EMG onset. Such action may delineate new tool in motor rehabilitation of patients who have limitation to move.

Heap leaching is an effective and widely used method of recovering metals from low-grade ores. However, the heap leaching technique has not yet been used in other biotechnological processes such as bioremediation. This work describes biostimulation of the native microbial consortium as a novel application of the heap leaching technique to bioremediate mining soils contaminated with hydrocarbons. Microorganisms present in the polluted soil were isolated in a liquid mineral solution using diesel fuel as the sole energy and carbon source. Biodegradation activity was evaluated and two genera, Flavobacterium and Aspergillus, were identified as the primary microorganisms that degraded hydrocarbons in the polluted soil. In order to simulate the heap leaching process on a laboratory scale, using both columns and piles, the contaminated soil was mixed with different sand concentrations and was agglomerated before it was used. Three flow rates, of the mineral solution, were evaluated. Of the rates tested, biodegradation was most efficient at a flow rate of 200 ml h(-1). The heap leaching technique demonstrated good efficiency in the column and pile, with a 2% soil-sand mixture lowering the TPH concentration from 61,000 to 1800 mg kg(-1) (98.5%) in 15 d.

Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the human motor cortex evokes simple muscle jerks whose physiological significance is unclear. Indeed, in subjects performing a motor task, there is uncertainty as to whether TMS-evoked outputs reflect the ongoing behavior or, alternatively, a disrupted motor plan. Considering force direction and magnitude to reflect qualitative and quantitative features of the motor plan respectively, we studied the relationships between voluntary forces and those evoked by TMS. In five healthy adults, we recorded the isometric forces acting a hand joint and the electromyographic activity in the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle. Responses obtained at rest were highly invariant. Evoked responses obtained while subjects generated static and dynamic contractions were highly codirectional with the voluntary forces. Such directional relationships were independent of stimulation intensity, stimulated cortical volume, or magnitude of voluntary force exerted. Dynamic force generation was associated with a marked increase in the magnitude of the evoked force that was linearly related to the rate of force generation. The timing of central conduction was different depending on functional role of the target muscle, as either agonist or joint fixator. These results indicate that the architecture of motor plans remain grossly undisrupted by cortical stimulation applied during voluntary motor behavior. The significant magnitude modulation of responses during dynamic force generation suggests an essential role of the corticospinal system in the specification of force changes. Finally, the corticospinal activation depends on the functional role assumed by the target muscle, either postural or agonist.

Short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) decreases during voluntary contraction of the target muscle. It is unknown whether this effect also occurs with postural contractions. We have compared the effects of voluntary and postural contractions on SICI in the soleus (SOL) muscle. We applied transcranial magnetic stimuli (TMS) in subjects under three tasks: sitting at rest (Rest), sitting while activating the SOL muscle (Voluntary), or standing quietly (Postural). In control trials, we applied suprathreshold TMS to obtain unconditioned motor-evoked potentials (MEPs). In test trials, the same TMS was preceded by a subthreshold TMS at different interstimulus intervals (ISIs), to obtain a conditioned MEP. SICI and intracortical facilitation (ICF) were expressed as the decrease or increase in MEP size relative to unconditioned MEPs. There was significant effect of task in mean SICI or mean ICF in SOL. Mean SICI in SOL was 52% in Rest and decreased to 21% in Voluntary and 15% in Postural. Mean ICF in SOL was 132% and decreased to 113% in Voluntary and to 108% in Postural. Mean SICI in SOL was not different in Voluntary and Postural tasks. There was no effect of task in mean SICI or mean ICF in TA. Our results indicate that decrease of SICI with muscle contraction occurs to a similar extent with tonic voluntary and postural activation, suggesting that those contractions require a similar type of cortical involvement. However, it cannot be excluded that some part of the SICI reduction with muscle contraction depends on changes in segmental excitability.