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Mirror movements (MM) influence bimanual performance in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (uCP). Whilst MM are related to brain lesion characteristics and the corticospinal tract (CST) wiring pattern, the combined impact of these neurological factors remains unknown. Forty-nine children with uCP (mean age 10y6mo) performed a repetitive squeezing task to quantify similarity (MM-similarity) and strength (MM-intensity) of the MM activity. We used MRI data to evaluate lesion type (periventricular white matter, N = 30; cortico-subcortical, N = 19), extent of ipsilesional damage, presence of bilateral lesions, and damage to basal ganglia, thalamus and corpus callosum. The CST wiring was assessed with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (17 CSTcontralateral, 16 CSTipsilateral, 16 CSTbilateral). Data was analyzed with regression analyses. In the more-affected hand, MM-similarity and intensity were higher with CSTbilateral/ipsilateral. In the less-affected hand, MM-similarity was higher in children with (1) CSTcontra with CSC lesions, (2) CSTbilat/ipsi with PVL lesions and (3) CSTbilat/ipsi with unilateralized lesions. MM-intensity was higher with larger damage to the corpus callosum and unilateral lesions. A complex combination of neurological factors influences MM characteristics, and the mechanisms differ between hands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 15 N natural abundance (NA) method is increasingly used to quantify fertiliser N recovery by crops, even though this method does not always provide comparable results to those obtained using 15 N-enrichment (EN). This study assessed the ability of both methods to quantify urea-N recovery by maize (Zea mays) in soils with different management histories. A pot experiment was conducted using eight soils that differed in tillage, stubble management, and N fertiliser use history. Urea-N (unlabelled or 15 N-enriched at 10 atom-%) was applied at a rate equivalent to 150 kg N ha−1 prior to sowing maize. Method comparison was based on N recovery efficiency (REN) and N derived from fertiliser (Ndff). Maize grown in soils without fertiliser N history had significantly higher δ15N and Ndff but lower REN, than soils with fertiliser N histories. The NA method also consistently estimated 10% lower REN and Ndff than the EN method regardless of management history, although fertiliser N history affected the relationship between the methods. A highly significant linear relationship was obtained for REN measured using NA and EN methods (R2 = 0.98) in soils without fertiliser N history, but no relationship was apparent for soils with a long fertiliser N history. In conclusion, (1) the significant effect of fertiliser N history on the isotopic signature of soil N will limit the use of the NA method if soils with different N fertiliser histories are studied; and (2) REN and Ndff determined by NA were consistently lower than the EN method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhanced efficiency nitrogen fertilisers (EENFs) attempt to improve nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by synchronizing nitrogen (N) supply with crop demand to improve crop productivity/profitability and minimize environmental impacts. This study evaluated the impact of ten EENFs (at 125 and 250 kg N ha−1) compared to urea-N (at 0, 62.5, 125, 175, 250 and 300 kg N ha−1) subsurface banded in a no-till maize (Zea mays L.) production system. Crop growth was examined in both the year of application and in the following year (without fertiliser N) to assess residual impacts. Nitrous oxide emissions from a subset of EENFs applied at 150 kg N ha−1 in an adjacent experiment were monitored in year 1. Grain yield increased with increasing rates of applied urea-N in year 1, with a maximum potential yield of 11.2 t ha−1 achieved at ≥ 175 kg N ha−1. However, grain and biomass yield, agronomic NUE, and N transfer efficiency did not increase with EENFs compared to urea-N, and some controlled release fertilisers (CRFs) decreased yield by 9–16%. Nitrification inhibitors decreased cumulative N2O emissions by 67%, while CRFs had no significant effect. Residual fertiliser N remaining in the soil at the end of the first season was strongly correlated with grain yield in the subsequent cropping year, but EENFs did not have a greater residual impact on crop growth than urea-N. The inability of EENFs to deliver increased crop N uptake or grain yield does not provide a clear case for their use as an alternative to conventional urea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To conduct a field-based, integrated assessment of the effect of band-applied, polymer-sulfur coated urea (PSCU), plant oil coated urea (POCU), and polymer coated urea (PCU) on (i) the release dynamics of urea-N and mineral N in the soil profile (Experiment 1); and (ii) the crop N recovery and agronomic response of an irrigated maize crop (Experiment 2) relative to standard urea. Methods: Two experiments were conducted in a Vertosol under subtropical field conditions. In both experiments, six treatments (nil, urea, PSCU, POCU, and two PCU products) were replicated four times. Soil samples were collected at 8, 27, 48, 82 and 173 days after fertiliser application (DAF) to quantify N release dynamics. Maize biomass production, N uptake, grain yield and N content were quantified to assess the agronomic performance of CRFs relative to standard urea. Results: CRFs delayed the release of N relative to standard urea. Soil moisture and mass flow impacted N release dynamics from fertiliser bands, with soil chemical changes largely confined to the band for CRFs. Despite obvious differences in N release dynamics, there were no clear advantages of CRFs relative to standard urea for crop productivity and grain yield. A significant amount of in-season mineralization likely masked any potential benefits arising from the slower release of N from CRF products. Conclusion: This study improves our understanding of how CRFs behave in soil under changing environmental conditions and highlights the complexity of synchronizing N supply and crop N requirements to improve NUE in irrigated maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modified constraint-induced movement therapy (mCIMT) improves upper limb (UL) motor execution in unilateral cerebral palsy (uCP). As these children also show motor planning deficits, action-observation training (AOT) might be of additional value. Here, we investigated the combined value of AOT to mCIMT on UL kinematics in children with uCP in a randomized controlled trial. Thirty-six children with uCP completed an UL kinematic and clinical evaluation after participating in a 9-day mCIMT camp wearing a splint for 6 h/day. The experimental group (mCIMT + AOT, n = 20) received 15 h of AOT, i.e. video-observation and execution of unimanual tasks. The control group (mCIMT + placebo, n = 16) watched biological-motion free videos and executed the same tasks. We examined changes in motor control (movement duration, peak velocity, time-to-peak velocity, and trajectory straightness) and kinematic movement patterns (using Statistical Parametric Mapping) during the execution of three unimanual, relevant tasks before the intervention, after and at 6 months follow-up. Adding AOT to mCIMT mainly affected movement duration during reaching, whereas little benefit is seen on UL movement patterns. mCIMT, with or without AOT, improved peak velocity and trajectory straightness, and proximal movement patterns. Clinical and kinematic improvements are poorly related. Although there seem to be limited benefits of AOT to CIMT on UL kinematics, our results support the inclusion of kinematics to capture changes in motor control and movement patterns of the proximal joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the role of lesion timing (periventricular white matter versus cortical and deep grey matter lesions) and type of corticospinal tract (CST) wiring pattern (contralateral, bilateral, ipsilateral) on white matter characteristics of the CST, medial lemniscus, superior thalamic radiations and sensorimotor transcallosal fibers in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP), and examined the association with upper limb function. Thirty-four children (mean age 10 years 7 months ± 2 years 3 months) with unilateral CP underwent a comprehensive upper limb evaluation and diffusion weighted imaging (75 directions, b value 2800). Streamline count, fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity were extracted from the targeted tracts and asymmetry indices were additionally calculated. Transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied to assess the CST wiring pattern. Results showed a more damaged CST in children with cortical and deep grey matter lesions (N = 10) and ipsilateral CST projections (N = 11) compared to children with periventricular white matter lesions (N = 24; p < 0.02) and contralateral CST projections (N = 9; p < 0.025), respectively. Moderate to high correlations were found between diffusion metrics of the targeted tracts and upper limb function (r = 0.45–0.72; p < 0.01). Asymmetry indices of the CST and sensory tracts could best explain bimanual performance (74%, p < 0.0001) and unimanual capacity (50%, p = 0.004). Adding lesion timing and CST wiring pattern did not further improve the model of bimanual performance, while for unimanual capacity lesion timing was additionally retained (58%, p = 0.0002). These results contribute to a better understanding of the underlying neuropathology of upper limb function in children with unilateral CP and point towards a clinical potential of tractography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xanthomonas citri pv. citri (X. citri pv. citri) is the causal agent of Asiatic citrus canker and infects economically important citrus crops. X. citri pv. citri contains one type VI secretion system (T6SS) required for resistance to predation by the soil amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum and induced by the ECF sigma factor EcfK in the presence of amoeba. In this work, we describe the analysis of T6SS gene expression during interaction with host plants. We show that T6SS genes and the cognate positive regulator ecfK are upregulated during growth in the plant surface (epiphytic) and maintain low expression levels during growth inside plant mesophyll. In addition, expression of the virulence-associated T3SS is also induced during epiphytic growth and shows a temporal induction pattern during growth inside plant leaves. The T6SS is not required for adhesion to leaf surface and biofilm formation during the first stages of plant colonization nor for killing of yeasts cells. Since the phyllosphere is colonized by eukaryotic predators of bacteria, induction of the X. citri pv. citri anti-amoeba T6SS during epiphytic growth suggests the presence of an environmental signal that triggers the resistance phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Establish a method to indirectly measure evaporation in microwell-based cell culture systems and show that the proposed method allows compensating for liquid losses in fed-batch processes.Results: A correlation between evaporation and the concentration of Na+ was found (R2 = 0.95) when using the 24-well-based miniature bioreactor system (micro-Matrix) for a batch culture with GS-CHO. Based on these results, a method was developed to counteract evaporation with periodic water additions based on measurements of the Na+ concentration. Implementation of this method resulted in a reduction of the relative liquid loss after 15 days of a fed-batch cultivation from 36.7 ± 6.7% without volume corrections to 6.9 ± 6.5% with volume corrections.Conclusion: A procedure was established to indirectly measure evaporation through a correlation with the level of Na+ ions in solution and deriving a simple formula to account for liquid losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Asthmatics are adversely affected by the presence of air pollutants, the concentrations of which can nowadays be measured. However, the utility of this information in clinical practice has not been defined in a group of asthmatics in stable condition. Our objective was to determine what impact the level of air pollutants had on the control of their asthma and the degree of airway inflammation. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of adult asthmatics in stable condition. From the regional environmental authority, we obtained the concentrations of ambient nitric oxide (NO), ozone (O), suspended particulate matter up to 10 micrometers in diameter (PM) and sulphur dioxide (SO) at fixed geographical points. Disease control was assessed using asthma control test (ACT) scores, and airway inflammation using fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) values. Correlation and linear regression studies were performed using ACT scores as the dependent variable. Results: The study included 99 asthmatics, aged 39 years (SD 8), 55 % women. Mean ACT value was 17.2 (SD 6.5), and FeNO 33.7 (SD 16). Of the pollutants studied, only NO was correlated with ACT scores (CC = 0.45, p < 0.001). We found no relationship between pollutants and airway inflammation. Multivariate analysis showed that ACT score was predicted by ambient air NO concentration and, to a lesser extent, mean FeNO. Conclusions: Information on the concentration of ambient NO in our environment can help the clinician to interpret the evolution of asthmatic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate a rheumatology outpatient consultation access system for new patients. New patients seen from April 2005 to April 2006 at our rheumatology clinic ( n = 4,460) were included and classified according to their appointment type: ordinary appointments (OA) to be seen within 30 days, urgent appointments (UA) and work disability appointments (WDA) to be seen within 3 days. Age, sex, diagnosis, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) as determined by the Rosser Index were recorded. Logistic regression models were run to identify factors that contribute to each type of appointment. OA was the method of access for 1,938 new patients, while 1,194 and 1,328 patients were seen through WDA and UA appointments, respectively. Younger male patients, and those with microcrystalline arthritis, sciatica, shoulder, back, or neck pain, were more likely to use the faster access systems (UA or WDA), whereas patients with a degenerative disease were mainly seen through OA (<0.001). Subjects with poor (3.96; 95 % CI, 2.8-5.5) or very poor HRQoL (70.8; 95 % CI, 14.9-334) were strongly associated to visiting a rheumatologist through the WDA or UA access systems, respectively, compared to OA. Age, gender, diagnosis, and mainly health-related quality of life are associated with the referral pattern of access to rheumatologic outpatient care. Among new patients subjects with the worst HRQoL were more likely to access with faster methods (UA or WDA) than those with better HRQoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The partitioning of the total soil CO efflux into its two main components: respiration from roots (and root-associated organisms) and microbial respiration (by means of soil organic matter (SOM) and litter decomposition), is a major need in soil carbon dynamics studies in order to understand if a soil is a net sink or source of carbon. Methods: The heterotrophic component of the CO efflux was estimated for 11 forest sites as the ratio between the carbon stocks of different SOM pools and previously published (ΔC derived) turnover times. The autotrophic component, including root and root-associated respiration, was calculated by subtracting the heterotrophic component from total soil chamber measured CO efflux. Results: Results suggested that, on average, 50.4 % of total soil CO efflux was derived from the respiration of the living roots, 42.4 % from decomposition of the litter layers and less than 10 % from decomposition of belowground SOM. Conclusions: The ΔC method proved to be an efficient tool by which to partition soil CO efflux and quantify the contribution of the different components of soil respiration. However the average calculated heterotrophic respiration was statistically lower compared with two previous studies dealing with soil CO efflux partitioning (one performed in the same study area; the other a meta-analysis of soil respiration partitioning). These differences were probably due to the heterogeneity of the SOM fraction and to a sub-optimal choice of the litter sampling period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Severe diarrhea may complicate pelvic radiotherapy and force interruption of treatment. As there is no current clinical or experimental information on the role of the gut microbiota in this pathogenesis, we conducted a pilot observational study on the fecal microbiota in patients receiving pelvic radiotherapy. METHODS: The study involved 10 patients who underwent 5 wk of radiotherapy for abdominal tumors and 5 controls. Four fecal samples were collected from each individual: before, during, at the end, and 2 wk after treatment. Following the amplification of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene from the samples, DNA fingerprinting and cloning-sequencing techniques were used to determine their microbial profile and composition, respectively. RESULTS: Six patients suffered acute postradiotherapy diarrhea and 4 did not. In patients without diarrhea, as well as in healthy volunteers, microbial diversity was stable over a period of 7 wk. However, patients exhibiting diarrhea showed a progressive modification in their microbial diversity. A radical drop in similarity index was observed at the end ( P= 0.026) and still 2 wk after radiotherapy ( P= 0.014). Interestingly, cluster analysis of the microbial profile in the first sample (S1) (collected before radiotherapy) displayed a dendogram where patients that presented diarrhea clustered separately from those that did not develop diarrhea after radiotherapy. Moreover, sequence analysis of dominant bacteria in the S1 sample confirmed differences between the diarrhea and nondiarrhea groups. DISCUSSION: In this set of patients, susceptibility or protection against diarrhea after radiotherapy could be linked to different initial microbial colonization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Studies have identified abnormal characteristics of the gut microbiota in patients with active IBD, but whether the changes are causal or secondary to inflammation remains uncertain. We investigated dynamics of fecal microbiota in ulcerative colitis (UC) during remission by genomic technology. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients in clinical remission and on stable maintenance mesalazine therapy were recruited (N = 33). Fecal samples were collected at regular intervals over a period of 1 yr. Sixteen patients who remained in remission and eight healthy controls were included in the analysis. Variable V6 to V8 regions of the 16S rRNA gene in DNA extracts from fecal samples were amplified by polymerase chain reaction. Amplicons were separated by denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis, band profiles were compared by software, and similarity indices were calculated from densitometric curves. RESULTS: Band profiles showed unique patterns with low similarity index between individuals, suggesting host specificity in the predominant microbiota. Within the same individual, profiles were stable in controls but varied notably over time in patients. In controls, the similarity index was remarkably stable (78 ± 8% mean ± SD) over a period of 24 months. However, patients showed a steady decline in similarity index versus the initial profile, dropping down to 42 ± 24% at month 3 of follow-up and to 23 ± 19% at month 12 ( P < 0.001). Biodiversity of the dominant microbiota, as estimated by number of bands, was lower in patients (17 ± 4) than controls (23 ± 4, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Molecular analysis of fecal bacteria in patients with inactive UC shows low biodiversity and temporal instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light and gibberellins (GAs) mediate many essential and partially overlapping plant developmental processes. DELLA proteins are GA-signalling repressors that block GA-induced development. GA induces degradation of DELLA proteins via the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway, but light promotes accumulation of DELLA proteins by reducing GA levels. It was proposed that DELLA proteins restrain plant growth largely through their effect on gene expression. However, the precise mechanism of their function in coordinating GA signalling and gene expression remains unknown. Here we characterize a nuclear protein interaction cascade mediating transduction of GA signals to the activity regulation of a light-responsive transcription factor. In the absence of GA, nuclear-localized DELLA proteins accumulate to higher levels, interact with phytochrome-interacting factor 3 (PIF3, a bHLH-type transcription factor) and prevent PIF3 from binding to its target gene promoters and regulating gene expression, and therefore abrogate PIF3-mediated light control of hypocotyl elongation. In the presence of GA, GID1 proteins (GA receptors) elevate their direct interaction with DELLA proteins in the nucleus, trigger DELLA protein’s ubiquitination and proteasome-mediated degradation, and thus release PIF3 from the negative effect of DELLA proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Rationale. We performed this study with the intention of describing the clinical-etiological characteristics and therapeutic responses in a group of epileptic children seen at the Instituto Nacional de Pediatría (INP), a tertiary facility in Mexico City. Methods. All patients who attended the Epileptic Clinic between March and June 1998 and fulfilled the selection criteria were enrolled in the study. Clinical and therapeutic response data were recorded. Three groups were formed by etiology. Statistical tests were two-tailed, with α=0.05. Results. In all, 719 patients were studied. The distribution by etiology was as follows: group I, idiopathic (123 patients); group II, cryptogenic (132); and group III, symptomatic (464). In group I, 56% of the patients were female. Mean age at onset was 5 years 2 months (SD: 3 years 8 months) in group I; 1 year 11 months (SD: 2 years 5 months) in group II; and 2 years 10 months (SD: 3 years 1 month) in group III. The mean evolution time was 5 years 4 months (SD: 4 years) in all groups. The most frequent variety of epilepsy in the three groups was generalized epilepsy, followed by partial epilepsy. The following epileptic syndromes were identified: in group I, 28 patients had epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizures, 15, absence epilepsy, and 6, benign rolandic seizures; in group II, all 32 patients had focal cryptogenic epilepsy; in group III, 235 had generalized symptomatic and 192, focal symptomatic epilepsy. The main etiologies were hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (24%) and neural infections (22%). Appropriate seizure control was achieved in 108 (87%) patients in group I; 84 (64%) in group II; and 315 (68%) in group III. In group I, no patient needed more than two antiepileptic drugs and 90% had normal psychomotor development. Conclusion. When the three groups were compared in terms of appropriate epileptic control and normal psychomotor development, group I differed from the other groups and the difference was statistically significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In children with unilateral cerebral palsy (uCP), the corticospinal tract (CST)-wiring patterns may differ (contralateral, ipsilateral or bilateral), partially determining motor deficits. However, the impact of such CST-wiring on functional connectivity remains unknown. Here, we explored resting-state sensorimotor functional connectivity in 26 uCP with periventricular white matter lesions (mean age (standard deviation): 12.87 m (±4.5), CST wiring: 9 contralateral, 9 ipsilateral, 6 bilateral) compared to 60 healthy controls (mean age (standard deviation): 14.54 (±4.8)), and between CST-wiring patterns. Functional connectivity from each M1 to three bilateral sensorimotor regions of interest (primary sensory cortex, dorsal and ventral premotor cortex) and the supplementary motor area was compared between groups (controls vs. uCP; and controls vs. each CST-wiring group). Seed-to-voxel analyses from bilateral M1 were compared between groups. Additionally, relations with upper limb motor deficits were explored. Aberrant sensorimotor functional connectivity seemed to be CST-dependent rather than specific from all the uCP population: in the dominant hemisphere, the contralateral CST group showed increased connectivity between M1 and premotor cortices, whereas the bilateral CST group showed higher connectivity between M1 and somatosensory association areas. These results suggest that functional connectivity of the sensorimotor network is CST-wiring-dependent, although the impact on upper limb function remains unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article in the previous issue about a study on molecular alterations in the tight junction signaling pathway in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D).

Surgical procedures are prevalent in porcine embryo transfer (ET) programs, where the use of vitrified embryos is quasi non-existent. This study compared the effectiveness of surgical vs nonsurgical deep uterine (NsDU) ET using vitrified, in vivo-derived embryos (morulae and blastocysts) on the reproductive performance and welfare of the recipients. The recipient sows (n = 122) were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: surgical ET with 30 vitrified-warmed embryos (S-30 group, control); NsDU-ET with 30 vitrified-warmed embryos (NsDU-30 group) and NsDU-ET with 40 vitrified-warmed embryos (NsDU-40 group). Regardless of embryo stage, the NsDU-ET with 40 embryos presented similar rates of farrowing (72.7%) and litter size (9.9 ± 2.1 piglets) as the customary surgical procedure (75.0% and 9.6 ± 2.7 piglets). Numbers of ET-embryos appeared relevant, since the NsDU-ET with 30 embryos resulted in a decrease (P < 0.05) in farrowing rates (38.9%) and litter sizes (5.7 ± 2.4 piglets). In conclusion, we demonstrate for the first time that farrowing rate and litter size following a NsDU-ET procedure increase in function of a larger number of transferred vitrified embryos, with fertility equalizing that obtained with the invasive surgical approach. The results open new possibilities for the widespread use of non-invasive ET in pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]