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ABSTRACT Background The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess the diagnostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT and the prognostic value of metabolic PET parameters in patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck (ACCHN). Methods Forty patients with newly diagnosed ACCHN were enrolled in this study. We investigated the diagnostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT for detecting and staging compared to conventional CT. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis for progression-free survival (PFS) was performed with clinicopathological factors and metabolic PET parameters. Results The 18F-FDG PET/CT showed comparable sensitivity (92.3%) to conventional CT for lesion detection, and changed staging and management plan in 6 patients (15.0%). Lower PFS rates were associated with advanced T classification, advanced TNM classification, high maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax; >5.1), and high total lesion glycolysis (>40.1) of the primary tumor. Conclusion The 18F-FDG PET/CT can provide additional information for initial staging, and metabolic PET parameters may serve as prognostic factors of ACCHN. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 447-455, 2017 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that compares the effects of iPad-assisted instruction (IAI) and teacher-directed instruction (TDA) as the primary mode of instructional delivery during reading sessions for elementary students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The methodology for TDI and IAI instructions using curriculum-based measure (CBM) are discussed. The results show that TDI instruction is more effective in increasing the accuracy of responding on CBM probes.

Objectives: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the value of preoperative 18F-FDG (FDG) PET/CT in predicting cervical lymph node (LN) metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Methods: One hundred and ninety-three newly diagnosed PTC patients (M: F = 25:168, age = 46.8 ± 12.2) who had undergone pretreatment FDG PET/CT and had neck node dissection were included in this study. The FDG avidity of the primary tumor and the SUVmax of the primary tumor (pSUVmax) were analyzed for prediction of LN metastasis. Detectability by ultrasonography (US) and FDG PET/CT for cervical LN metastasis were also assessed and compared with the pSUVmax. Results: The FDG avidity of the primary tumor was identified in 118 patients (FDG avid group: 61.0%, M: F = 16:102, age 47.0 ± 12.7 years) and pSUVmax ranged from 1.3 to 35.6 (median 4.6) in the FDG avid group. The tumor size in the FDG avid group was bigger and there was a higher incidence of LN metastasis compared to the FDG non-avid group (0.93 vs. 0.59 cm, p <0.001 and 49.2 vs. 33.3%, p <0.05). In the FDG avid group, patients with LN metastasis had higher pSUVmax than patients without LN metastasis (8.7 ± 8.3 vs. 5.7 ± 5.1, p <0.001). The incidence of central LN metastasis in patients with a pSUVmax >4.6 was 54%; however, the detectability of central LN metastasis by US and FDG PET/CT were 10.3% and 3.6%, respectively. Conclusion: A high FDG avidity of the primary tumor was related to LN metastasis in PTC patients. Therefore, patients with a high pSUVmax should be cautiously assessed for LN metastasis and might need a more comprehensive surgical approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inexpensive software applications designed to teach reading, writing, mathematics, and other academic areas have become increasingly popular. Although previous research has demonstrated the potential efficacy of such applications, there is a paucity of research that compares applications instruction (AI) with traditional teacher-directed instruction (TDI), and the relative effectiveness and efficiency of these instructional approaches remains largely unknown. This study used an alternating treatment design to compare academic engagement and outcomes (i.e., word identification and reading fluency) during an AI condition and a TDI condition for four students with learning disabilities (LD) attending a charter school. Instructional conditions (i.e., TDI, AI) were randomly alternated 7 times each, for a total of 14 instructional sessions. Results indicated that both approaches fostered high levels of engagement although students were more engaged during AI. With regard to academic performance, visual and quantitative analysis suggest that TDI was more effective than AI in terms of passage fluency and word identification. Students completed social validity rating scales to examine instructional preference. Results indicated that both approaches, TDI and AI, were popular with the students. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The trade-off between growth and immunity is crucial for survival in plants. However, the mechanism underlying growth-immunity balance has remained elusive. The PRE-IBH1-HBI1 tripartite helix-loop-helix/basic helix-loop-helix module is part of a central transcription network that mediates growth regulation by several hormonal and environmental signals. Here, genome-wide analyses of HBI1 target genes show that HBI1 regulates both overlapping and unique targets compared with other DNA binding components of the network in Arabidopsis thaliana , supporting a role in specifying network outputs and fine-tuning feedback regulation. Furthermore, HBI1 negatively regulates a subset of genes involved in immunity, and pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) signals repress HBI1 transcription. Constitutive overexpression and loss-of-function experiments show that HBI1 inhibits PAMP -induced growth arrest, defense gene expression, reactive oxygen species production, and resistance to pathogen. These results show that HBI1, as a component of the central growth regulation circuit, functions as a major node of crosstalk that mediates a trade-off between growth and immunity in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine whether maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), whole-body metabolic tumour volume (WBMTV), and whole-body total lesion glycolysis (WBTLG) measured on pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT can predict prognosis in patients with extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL). Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 20 patients with newly-diagnosed ENKTL who underwent pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT. WBMTV and WBTLG were measured automatically using the boundaries of voxels presenting SUV > 3.0. Uni- and multivariate analyses for survival and disease progression were performed using clinical variables and PET parameters (SUVmax, WBMTV, and WBTLG). Results: During the follow-up period (median 26.3 months), 12 patients showed disease progression and 10 patients died from the disease. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed cut-off values for SUVmax, WBMTV and WBTLG of 8.1, 14.4 cm 3 and 52.7, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that the International Prognostic Index (IPI) score and PET parameters were significant predictors of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Multivariate analysis, even after adjustment for the IPI score, showed that high WBMTV was the best predictor of OS and PFS, and high SUVmax and WBTLG were significant predictors of PFS. Conclusion: Our results suggested that the use of PET parameters together with the IPI score may be useful for detailed prediction of prognosis in ENKTL patients. Therefore, despite a lower IPI score, patients with high PET parameter values might be considered candidates for aggressive therapy to improve clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi2Mg2/3Nb4/3O7 (BMN) thin films were deposited on copper clad laminate substrates at temperatures below 150 °C for embedded capacitor applications by pulsed laser deposition. The BMN films deposited at temperatures below 150 °C showed smooth surface morphologies having root mean square roughness of approximately 3.0 nm. 130-nm-thick films deposited at 150 °C exhibit a dielectric constant of 47, a capacitance density of approximately 302 nF/cm2, and breakdown strength of 0.7 MV/cm. The origin exhibiting high dielectric constant in BMN films deposited at low temperatures was attributed to the nanocrystallines having grain sizes of approximately 4.0 nm in the films. The low temperature processed-BMN films are suitable candidate for capacitor applications embodied directly on printed circuit board substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate-induced changes in marine fishery resources in South Korea have been a big concern over the last decades. The climate regime shift has led to not only a change in the dominant fishery resources, but also a decline in fishery landings in several species. The habitat suitability index (HSI) has been widely used to detect and forecast fishing ground formation. In this study, the catch data of the Todarodes pacificus (Japanese Common Squid) and satellite-derived environmental parameters were used to estimate the HSI for the T. pacificus around South Korea. More than 80% of the total catch was found in regions with a sea surface temperature (SST) of 14.91–27.26 °C, sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) of 0.05–0.20 m, chlorophyll-a of 0.32–1.35 mg m−3, and primary production of 480.41–850.18 mg C m−2 d−1. Based on these results, the HSI model for T. pacificus was derived. A strong positive relationship (R2 = 0.9260) was found between the HSI and the fishery landings. The climatological monthly mean HSI from 2002 to 2016 showed several hotspots, coinciding with the spawning and feeding grounds of T. pacificus. This outcome implies that our estimated HSI can yield a reliable prediction of the fishing ground for T. pacificus around South Korea. Furthermore, the approach with the simple HSI model used in this study can be applied elsewhere, and will help us to understand the spatial and temporal distribution of fishery resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our main objective in this study was to determine the inter-annual variation of the annual new production in the East/Japan Sea (EJS), which was estimated from MODIS-aqua satellite-derived sea surface nitrate (SSN). The new production was extracted from northern (>40° N) and southern (>40° N) part of EJS based on Sub Polar Front (SPF). Based on the SSN concentrations derived from satellite data, we found that the annual new production (Mean ± S.D = 85.6 ± 10.1 g C m−2 year−1) in the northern part of the EJS was significantly higher (t-test, p < 0.01) than that of the southern part of the EJS (Mean ± S.D = 65.6 ± 3.9 g C m−2 year−1). Given the relationships between the new productions and sea surface temperature (SST) in this study, the new production could be more susceptible in the northern part than the southern part of the EJS under consistent SST warming. Since the new production estimated in this study is only based on the nitrate inputs into the euphotic depths during the winter, new productions from additional nitrate sources (e.g., the nitrate upward flux through the MLD and atmospheric deposition) should be considered for estimating the annual new production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A metabolic study revealed that 28-norcastasterone in Arabidopsis is synthesized from cholesterol via the late C-6 oxidation pathway. On the other hand, the early C-6 oxidation pathway was found to be interrupted because cholestanol is converted to 6-oxocholestanol, but further metabolism to 28-norcathasterone was not observed. The 6-oxoBRs were found to have been produced from the respective 6-deoxoBRs administered to the enzyme solution, thus indicating that these 6-oxoBRs are supplied from the late C-6 oxidation pathway. Heterologously expressed CYP85A1 and CYP85A2 in yeast catalysed this C-6 oxidation, with CYP85A2 being much more efficient than CYP85A1. Abnormal growth of det2 and dwf4 was restored via the application of 28-norcastasterone and closer precursors. Furthermore, det2 and dwf4 could not convert cholesterol to cholestanol and cholestanol to 6-deoxo-28-norcathasterone, respectively. It is, therefore, most likely that the same enzyme system is operant in the synthesis of both 28-norcastasterone and castasterone. In the presence of S-adenosyl-L-methionine, the cell-free enzyme extract catalysed the C-24 methylation of 28-norcastasterone to castasterone, although the conversion rates of 28-norteasterone to teasterone and 28-nortyphasterol to typhasterol were much lower; this suggests that 28-norcastasterone is the primary precursor for the generation of C28-BRs from C27-BRs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: To elucidate the spatial and temporal roles of EXPANSIN A5 (AtEXPA5) in growth and development of Arabidopsis thaliana, phenotypic alterations in loss-of-function mutants were observed. Seedlings of the null mutant, expA5-1, had shorter roots and hypocotyls than those of wild-type plants under both light and dark conditions. Compared to wild-type plants, the mutants had smaller rosette leaves. AtEXPA5 was dominantly expressed in aerial parts of A. thaliana, especially in the inflorescence stems and flowers. Expression of AtEXPA5 was enhanced by exogenously applied brassinosteroids. AtEXPA5 expression was reduced in a brassinosteroid-deficient mutant (det2) and a signaling mutant (bri1-301), while it was increased in bzr1-1D, a dominant mutant of a brassinosteroid transcription factor. A double mutant, bzr1-1DXexpA5-1, showed reduced growth compared to the bzr1-1D mutant. In addition, the brassinazole resistance of bzr1-1D was impaired in the double mutant. These findings indicate that AtEXPA5 is a growth-regulating gene whose expression is controlled by brassinosteroid signaling downstream of BZR1 in A. thaliana. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapy has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for tissue regeneration and repair. In this study, we non-invasively monitored the tracking of MSCs toward burn injury sites using MSCs expressing firefly luciferase (Fluc) gene in living mice, and evaluated the effects of the MSCs at the injury site. Murine MSCs co-expressing Fluc and green fluorescent protein (GFP) were established using a retroviral system (referred to as MSC/Fluc). To evaluate the ability of MSC migration toward burn injury sites, cutaneous burn injury was induced in the dorsal skin of mice. MSC/Fluc was intravenously administrated into the mice model and bioluminescence imaging (BLI) was performed to monitor MSC tracking at designated time points. BLI signals of MSC/Fluc appeared in burn injury lesions at 4 days after the cell injection and then gradually decreased. Immunoblotting analysis was conducted to determine the expression of neovascularization-related genes such as TGF-β1 and VEGF in burnt skin. The levels of TGF-β1 and VEGF were higher in the MSC/Fluc-treated group than in the burn injury group. Our observations suggested that MSCs might assist burn wound healing and that MSCs expressing Fluc could be a useful tool for optimizing MSC-based therapeutic strategies for burn wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]