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A recent article in Anaesthesia examined the association between pre-operative depression and postoperative pain outcomes. The study found that pre-operative depression was associated with worse pain severity in both the early postoperative period and later follow-up. However, the degree of improvement in pain scores from before surgery to 1-2 years after surgery was similar between depressed and non-depressed patients. The article also highlighted some methodological limitations in the study, including potential bias due to overestimation of sample size. The authors suggest that further evidence is needed before routine screening for depression and comprehensive psychological interventions are implemented in clinical practice. [Extracted from the article]

Brillouin oscillation appears in picosecond ultrasonics for a transparent specimen because of backward light scattering by moving strain pulse. Its amplitude is comparable with those of other responses, such as pulse-echo signals and through-thickness resonance, obscuring these non-Brillouin-oscillation responses. We here find that Brillouin oscillation can be suppressed in a transparent free-standing film by coating both sides with a metallic thin film of appropriate thickness and that this peculiar behavior is caused by strain pulses generated on both sides with a slight phase difference. This phenomenon allowed us to fabricate a Brillouin-oscillation-free diamond free-standing film, which showed a high capability for sensor applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is to discuss the clinical efficacy for small dose of propofol and sufentanil intravenous anesthesia in endoscopic variceal ligation. 62 patients of endoscopic variceal ligation treated in our hospital from April 2013 to October 2014 are selected to be randomly divided into control group and observation group. The contrastive analysis for anesthetic effect was made after giving sufentanil+propofol to control group and small dose of sufentanil+propofol to observation group. Incidence rates of hyoxemia and hypotension in the observation group were respectively 3.23 % and 6.45 %, far less than the 38.71 % and 16.13 % in the control group. Therefore, the coincidence time of patients in the observation group was significantly short than that in the control group, showing a significant difference (p<0.05). Small dose of propofol+sufentanil applied in endoscopic variceal ligation works well and has a relatively high safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We here report three cases with RNA-specific adenosine deaminase ( I ADAR1 i ) mutations causing psoriasis concomitant with dyschromatosis symmetrica hereditaria (DSH). Co-existence of psoriasis and DSH implies that patients with I ADAR1 i mutations may have decreased A-to-I RNA editing in keratinocytes, leading to the development of psoriasis. [Extracted from the article]

Adenosine triphosphate–binding cassette subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1), also known as permeability glycoprotein, multidrug-resistant protein 1, or cluster of differentiation 243 (CD243), is a crucial protein for purging foreign substances from cells. The functions of ABCB1 have been investigated extensively for their roles in cancer, stem cells, and drug resistance. Abundant pharmacogenetic studies have been conducted on ABCB1 and its association with treatment responsiveness to various agents, particularly chemotherapeutic and immunomodulatory agents. However, its functions in the skin and implications on dermatotherapeutics are far less reported. In this article, we reviewed the roles of ABCB1 in dermatology. ABCB1 is expressed in the skin and its appendages during drug delivery and transport. It is associated with treatment responsiveness to various agents, including topical steroids, methotrexate, cyclosporine, azathioprine, antihistamines, antifungal agents, colchicine, tacrolimus, ivermectin, tetracycline, retinoid acids, and biologic agents. Moreover, genetic variation in ABCB1 is associated with the pathogenesis of several dermatoses, including psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, melanoma, bullous pemphigoid, Behçet disease, and lichen planus. Further investigation is warranted to elucidate the roles of ABCB1 in dermatology and the possibility of enhancing therapeutic efficacy through ABCB1 manipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: While several studies have documented the consistency of milking order and its association with milk yield in herds with conventional milking systems, there is limited data available on herds in the automatic milking systems (AMS) where cows move to the dairy voluntarily to be milked. Aims: The present study was conducted to examine the consistency of milking order in AMS and its association with milk yield and cow characteristics. Methods: The study was performed at The University of Melbourne Dookie Dairy in northern Victoria, Australia. The milking herd had up to 158 Holstein–Friesian cows in a pasture-based AMS with a three-way grazing system. The study utilised the individual-cow milking times, parity number, days in milk and data on daily production (milk yield in kilograms, fat and protein percentages and liveweight) from August 2017 till April 2018. Monthly milking order was determined for each milking session by ranking individual cows on the basis of their recorded time of milking. Key results: A consistent milking order was observed with the order of cows at the beginning (percentile rank position 0–33) and end of the milking order (percentile rank position 68–100) being less variable than cows in the middle positions. Milking orders from any two consecutive months were highly correlated (P < 0.01). Energy-corrected milk yield was negatively associated with the milking position (5 of 9 months) and days in milk (8 of 9 months), but positively associated with parity number and liveweight (5 of 9 months). The cow factors such as energy-corrected milk yield, liveweight, parity and days in milk were poor predictors of milking order. This suggests that other factors such as health and social dominance might be of importance. Conclusions: This observational study indicated that cows at the beginning of the milking order have a higher milk yield than do cows at the end of the milking order in pasture-based automatic milking systems. Implications: Grazing-management strategies that allow cows at the end of the milking order to access fresh pasture are worthy of further investigation. In automatic milking systems with voluntary cow movement, a cow's milking time is dictated by its desire to be milked. A consistent milking order was observed, with groups at the beginning and end of the milking order being more consistent than cows in the middle of the order. Earlier milked cows had higher milk production than later cows suggesting that management strategies to provide access to fresh pasture for later milked cows are worthy of investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) poses a serious threat to citrus production. This research aimed to explore chlorophyll fluorescence imaging for characterizing the photosynthetic response to HLB-infected citrus leaves in different orchards and seasons. Chlorophyll fluorescence images of citrus leaves were acquired with an in-house chlorophyll fluorescence imaging system. It was found that sucrose and glucose accumulated earlier than starch in HLB-infected leaves, and a similar carbohydrate metabolic pattern was observed in HLB-infected leaves grown in different orchards from cool to hot seasons. The pathogen damaged the thylakoid structure of chloroplasts with a higher value of Fo. It decreased photosynthetic activity of the host by reducing the number of active photosynthetic centers and the maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) with lower values of Fv/Fo and Fv/Fm. Additionally, the pathogen modified the allocation of excitation energy in citrus leaves by reducing the actual quantum yield of PSII ( ΦPSII) due to an increase of non-regulated energy quenching ( ΦNO), which indicated irreversible PSII damage before symptom development. Moreover, photosynthetic signatures combined with the random forest method were able to identify HLB in the asymptomatic stage with an overall accuracy of 91.8%. These results demonstrated the potential of chlorophyll fluorescence imaging for evaluating the photosynthetic response to HLB as well as disease diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisphosphonates (BPs) are first-line drugs for the treatment of osteoporotic fractures, but long-term use of BP reduces bone turnover and is associated with atypical femur fractures (AFFs). Additionally, BP treatment may cause delayed fracture healing or nonunion, which makes AFF treatment difficult. The incidence of AFF is generally low. In fact, there are only a few clinical reports of AFF and there is no controlled study on AFF treatment. Herein, we report a case of multiple osteoporotic fractures. After 5 years of BP treatment, left and right AFFs occurred within 2 years. The fracture types and surgical operations were the same, but the level of bone metabolism and drug treatment were different. The right AFF healed well following teriparatide initiation compared with non-healed left AFF with BP continuation; thus, our case can be considered a self-controlled study. Furthermore, we have reviewed the diagnosis and treatment of this case in detail and analyzed and investigated the potential causes of the different outcomes of AFFs between the two sides to inform the clinical treatment of atypical fractures. Mini Abstract We report a case of bilateral AFFs. The surgical treatments were the same, but the final treatment outcomes were different with or without teriparatide treatment. We investigated the potential causes of the different outcomes of AFFs between the two sides to inform the clinical treatment of AFFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for morbid obesity and its metabolic related comorbidities; type 2 diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia.1 However, the literature is scarce regarding the long‐term outcome after bariatric surgery, especially among multi‐ethnic Asian populations. Considering the growing number of bariatric metabolic surgeries in Asia, we have attempted to provide a regional perspective on 5‐year long‐term clinical outcomes post bariatric surgery in Singapore. Between 2010 and 2016, all bariatric operative cases were included, and these comprised: laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), 393; laparoscopic Roux‐En‐Y gastric bypass (RYGB), 125; laparoscopic mini‐gastric bypass (MGB), 43. The primary outcome measure was the percentage of excess weight loss (% EWL) at 6 months, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years, with % remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at 1 year following LSG (49.7%, 61.2%, 56.1%, 47.8%, 40.8% and 47.3%; 82.2%), RYGB (60.2%, 62.1%, 57.6%, 50.1%, 48.7% and 47.7%; 86.9%) and MGB (58%, 68.1%, 62.7%, 66.2%, 64.0%, 65.2%; 71.9%). In conclusion, MGB and RYGB showed the greatest % EWL at 5 years and are recommended for moderate T2DM. LSG is an effective bariatric operation with a high % EWL up to 2 years, and a high remission rate of mild T2DM. The remission rate of T2DM was equally high in all 3 surgical groups, independent of ethnic differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characteristics of gonadal development were investigated in Muscovy duck embryos at various embryonic ages.Hematoxylin-Eosin and periodic acid-Schiff staining were used to identify primordial germ cells, oogonia and sustentacular cells.Gene specific primers were designed based on conserved regions of duck antimullerian hormone (AMH), oestrogen receptor-α (ESR-α), doublesex and Mab-3 related transcription factor-1(DMRT1) and W chromosome protein kinase C inhibitor/interacting gene (WPKCI). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to characterise gene expression during gonad development in Muscovy duck embryos.Histology indicated that ovarian and testicular cells of Muscovy duck embryos developed on d 9 and 10.Immunohistochemistry showed that mouse vasa homologue-positive cells as well as Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor-positive cells increased significantly more in females than in males between d 9 and 10. AMH and ESR-α expression increased significantly during early development. DMRT1 acts prior to and during testis differentiation whereas WPKCI was expressed actively in the female Muscovy duck embryo before the onset of gonadal differentiation.Gonad development in Muscovy duck embryo was associated with several genes that were expressed before morphological features appear and were gender specific. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We propose an innovative description to provide a quantitative basis to enhance the conversion efficiency of InAs/GaAs quantum dot solar cells (QDSC). A theoretical approach and numerical simulation are used to improve the performance of the quantum dots and analyze the relevance to enhance the conversion efficiency. The absorption coefficient of QDs is determined in terms of dot material, dot size, size dispersion, and shape, which are used to obtain a better match between the absorption spectrum of QDs with the portion of the solar spectrum. Either increasing the surface density for raising the photocurrent or enlarging the dot size for matching well the solar spectrum is a trade-off issue. The influence of surface density, spacer thickness, and number of dot layers on the open-circuit voltage and efficiency is discussed in detail. Moreover, volume fraction can be taken as a balance reference for the counteracting effect between JSC and VOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In Taiwan, nearly all medical dispute cases were reviewed by an official Medical Review Committee ( MRC). Aims The aim of this study was to investigate the time trends of assessment reports by the MRC to estimate the changing trends of medical malpractice litigation. Methods All assessment reports of the MRC from a nationwide database were reviewed. The assessment reports were analysed according to the year of completion. We further analysed the time trends by adjusting numbers for the size of the general population and numbers of physicians. Stratified analyses were also conducted by region and commission authority. Results Between 1987 and 2006, the MRC completed a total of 5324 assessment reports, with 4949 reports involving a medical dispute and the remaining 375 reports not involving a medical dispute. The numbers of assessment reports increased from 139 in 1987 to 221 in 1996 and 361 in 2006. The assessment increased from 0.70 per 100 000 people in 1987 to 1.03 and 1.58 per 100 000 people in 1996 and 2006 respectively. There was a stable trend of 8.5-10.0 assessments per 1000 physicians annually during the study period. Rising trends were consistent for all regions of Taiwan and for all criminal cases, but increases were more significant for civil cases. Conclusions The numbers of medical dispute cases have increased significantly over the past 20 years. More studies to investigate the reasons of the rising trends and to find resolving methods to decrease the numbers of medical dispute will be helpful in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic imaging findings and treatment results of patients with idiopathic intracranial hypotension (IIH) due to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks. Methods: Between February 2009 and April 2012, 26 IIH patients (15 men, median age 49 years) presenting with orthostatic headache ( n = 20) and/or with spontaneous subdural effusions or subarachnoid hemorrhage ( n = 19) were enrolled. Twenty-three patients underwent a whole spine CT and MRI myelography, starting 45 min after the intrathecal injection of 9 cc of iomeprol (Imeron 300 M) and 1 cc of gadobutrolum (Gadovist). Three patients only underwent MR myelography after intrathecal gadobutrolum injection. Adjacent to the level(s) of the detected CSF leak(s) along the nerve roots, 20 cc of fresh venous blood with 0.5 cc Gadovist was injected epidurally (blood patch, BP). The distribution of the BP was visualized by MRI the following day. Treatment results were evaluated clinically and by myelography 2 weeks after the application of the BP. Retreatment was offered to patients with persistent symptoms and continued CSF leakage. Results: CSF leaks were detected at the cervical ( n = 12), thoracic ( n = 25), or lumbar ( n = 21) spine. In 23 patients, more than one spinal segment was affected. One patient refused treatment. BP were applied in one ( n = 9) or several ( n = 16) levels. Clinical and/or radiological improvement was achieved after one ( n = 16), two ( n = 5), three ( n = 3), or five ( n = 1) BPs. Conclusion: CT and MRI myelography allow the reliable detection of spinal CSF leaks. The targeted and eventually repeated epidural BP procedure is a safe and efficacious treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lump theory was used to carry out a prior simulation for a residual oil hydrodesulfurization reaction kinetic model. The prior simulation results show that the use of the lumping kinetic method to investigate residual oil HDS process is feasible, and the proper lump number is 3 or 4. Subsequently, combined with the sulfur compounds hydrodesulfurization reaction mechanism and the level of sulfur compounds detection, a residual oil hydrodesulfurization reaction lumping kinetic model is established on the basis of sulfur content in four components of residual oil, which can provide a reference for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A method of agglomeration detection in horizontal stirred bed reactors was obtained based on the frequency of acoustic emission (AE) signals vary with different sizes of particles stricken on the wall. The AE signal was dealt with by the method of spectrum analysis and wavelet analysis. It was found that the low frequency band energy ratio of AE signals (d6~d7) increased as the agglomerations were added in the reactor. So this method could predict the agglomeration environmental friendly with fairly good accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the data of a hydrogenated residual oil fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process in a petrochemical company, the effect of hydrogenated residual oil four-component (saturates, aromatics, resins, and asphaltenes; SARA) property on sulfur distribution of light oil in an FCC process was reviewed and a conjunction formula between sulfur distribution of light oil and SARA property was established. The associated results indicated that sulfur distribution of light oil in the FCC process was reduced as the saturate, aromatic, and resin component of hydrogenated residual oil increased, and the effect factor decreased in the order, saturate > aromatic > resin. On the other hand, the enhancement of the asphaltene component made the sulfur distribution of light oil increase slightly. In addition, the conjunction formula was used to predict sulfur distribution of light oil by the other hydrogenated residual oil feedstock and the calculated sulfur distribution of light oil was in good agreement with the actual data; all the predicted relative errors were less than 5% and the mean relative error was 2.98%. The results showed that the established conjunction formula possessed good predictive features and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CONTEXT: Current studies have found limited evidence for an association between doctor emotional intelligence (EI) and the patient-doctor relationship (PDR). This study explored the associations among doctor EI, patient trust and the PDR using multi-source and multi-level approaches. METHODS: A total of 994 outpatients and 39 doctors representing 11 specialties were surveyed. RESULTS: Doctors' self-rated EI was not significantly correlated with any variables rated by the patients. The nurse-rated PDR and the EI score for the doctor were positively associated with patient trust at a significant level. CONCLUSIONS: Multi-sources for assessment of doctor EI may be more objective and predictive than doctor self-ratings in ascertaining the associations among patient trust, the PDR, and patient satisfaction. Emotional intelligence coaching for doctors and interdisciplinary collaboration among clinicians are needed to optimise the efficient and therapeutic function of the PDR for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Glutamatergic synaptic transmission is a dynamic process determined by the amount of glutamate released by presynaptic sites, the clearance of glutamate in the synaptic cleft, and the properties of postsynaptic glutamate receptors. Clearance of glutamate in the synaptic cleft depends on passive diffusion and active uptake by glutamate transporters. In this study, we examined the role of glial glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) in spinal sensory processing. Excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) of substantia gelatinosa neurons recorded from spinal slices of young adult rats were analyzed before and after GLT-1 was pharmacologically blocked by dihydrokainic acid. Inhibition of GLT-1 prolonged the EPSC duration and the EPSC decay phase. The EPSC amplitudes were increased in neurons with weak synaptic input but decreased in neurons with strong synaptic input upon inhibition of GLT-1. We suggest that presynaptic inhibition, desensitization of postsynaptic AMPA receptors, and glutamate “spillover” contributed to the kinetic change of EPSCs induced by the blockade of GLT-1. Thus, GLT-1 is a key component in maintaining the spatial and temporal coding in signal transmission at the glutamatergic synapse in substantia gelatinosa neurons. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Based on a fixed-fluid-bed reactor and a GOR-Q catalyst, the influence of process parameters on decreasing gasoline olefin content was studied. The results show that the catalyst had an obvious effect on the decreasing gasoline olefins. A higher catalyst-to-oil ratio, lower weighted hourly space velocity, and lower reactor temperature give rise to lower gasoline olefin content. The reduction of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) gasoline olefin content is achieved by decreasing olefins of low carbon number. Reaction temperature under 520°C and catalyst-to-oil ratio = 7.0 for a GOR-Q catalyst are advantageous for decreasing olefin content of FCC gasoline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Glutamate is a primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian CNS. Glutamate released from presynaptic neurons is cleared from the synaptic cleft passively by diffusion and actively by glutamate transporters. In this study, the role of glutamate transporters in sensory processing in the spinal cord has been investigated in behavioral, in vivo and in vitro experiments. Intrathecal application of a non-selective glutamate transport inhibitor, l-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (10μl of 100μM solution) induced hypersensitivity to peripheral mechanical and thermal stimuli. Topical application of l-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (100μM) onto the dorsal surface of the L3–L6 spinal cord increased spontaneous activities, innocuous and noxious stimulus-evoked responses and after-discharges of wide dynamic range neurons in the L4–5 spinal segments. Whole cell recordings made from superficial dorsal horn neurons in an isolated whole spinal cord from newborn rats (2–3 weeks old) revealed that bath-applied l-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (100μM) produced partial membrane depolarization, increased spontaneous action potentials with decreased neuronal membrane resistance and time constant, but without significant changes of capacitance. Finally, the amplitude and duration of primary afferent evoked-excitatory postsynaptic currents recorded from neurons in the substantia gelatinosa in the spinal slices from young adult rats (6–8 weeks old) were increased in the presence of l-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (100μM). This study indicates that glutamate transporters regulate baseline excitability and responses of dorsal horn neurons to peripheral stimulation, and suggests that dysfunction of glutamate transporters may contribute to certain types of pathological pain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Changes in the signaling of wide dynamic range neurons and the expression of glutamate transporters in the lumbar spinal dorsal horn of rats with Taxol-induced hyperalgesia are detailed in this report. Deep spinal lamina neurons have significantly increased spontaneous activity and after-discharges to noxious mechanical stimuli, increased responses to both skin heating and cooling, and increased after-discharges and abnormal windup to transcutaneous electrical stimuli. The expression of glutamate transporter proteins in the dorsal horn is decreased at the time point corresponding to the physiological changes. These results suggest a state of increased excitability develops in spinal pain-signaling neurons as a consequence of decreased glutamate clearance. These changes in dorsal horn neurobiology likely in turn contribute to the hyper-responsiveness to sensory stimuli seen in animals treated with Taxol and may play a role in the pain seen in cancer patients receiving Taxol. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study is concerned with the 'service encounter', and seeks to describe, by use of the Service Encounter Evaluation Model, how the processes involved in the service encounter affect customer satisfaction. Its findings have implications for management practice and research directions, and recommendations are made. With the implementation of a national health insurance scheme, an ever-prospering economy and continually improving educational levels in Taiwan, demand among citizens for good health and medical care is ever increasing. Obstetrics and gynecology patients often differ greatly from general patients, in terms of their moods and emotions. This research involved an empirical study, whose subjects were 590 customers of general clinics and 339 customers of gynecology clinics, in various medical centers in southern Taiwan. By factor analysis, the study established four influencing factors, which were 'Medical professionals', 'Nursing professionals', 'Service personnel' and 'Space and facilities'. Using the Linear Structural Relation Model (LISREL), it found that medical professionals, nursing professionals, service personnel and space and facilities were effective predictors of medical treatment satisfaction. We also found that the greatest positive impact on overall medical treatment satisfaction resulted from rises in satisfaction with medical professionals, but that the least impact was achieved in relation to service personnel in the general and gynecology clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: C fiber dorsal root reflexes (DRR) contribute to neurogenic inflammation and possibly also to touch-evoked pain (allodynia) induced by intradermal capsaicin. The responses of C fibers in the sural nerve to graded mechanical stimuli before and following intradermal capsaicin were studied in 39 adult male rats. Two-thirds of 111 fibers were without spontaneous activity, while the remaining fibers averaged 1.41±0.25 spontaneous antidromic spikes per second. Among the quiescent C fibers only two had excitatory receptive fields, whereas the active C fibers showed three patterns of activity, an excitatory response, an inhibitory response, or no response to mechanical stimulation. The excitatory responses were to high intensity mechanical stimuli alone, while inhibitory responses were evoked in a graded fashion by both noxious and innocuous mechanical stimuli. Intradermal injection of capsaicin increased spontaneous and evoked DRRs in all C fibers with excitatory responses to mechanical stimuli, but none acquired responses to innocuous stimuli. Capsaicin initially produced inhibition of spontaneous activity in C fibers with inhibitory or no receptive fields, but this later resumed and achieved a rate higher than baseline. Mechanical stimuli re-applied following the resumption of spontaneous discharges failed to produce any response. Spontaneous DRRs were increased by topical application of 1 mM β-alanine (a competitive antagonist for GABA transporters) and abolished by ipsilateral spinal nerve L5 lesion, verifying antidromic origin. The role of C fiber DRRs in normal sensory transmission and during hyperalgesia is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this study ibuprofen (50.0 mg/kg, i.p.), rofecoxib (10.0 mg/kg, i.p.) and thalidomide (50.0 mg/kg, oral) were shown to prevent vincristine-induced mechanical hyperalgesia. Sprague-Dawley rats were injected every other day with vincristine (0.1 mg/kg) over 13 days. The animals were cotreated daily with vehicle (saline), ibuprofen, rofecoxib or thalidomide throughout the period of vincristine treatment. Mechanical withdrawal threshold to punctuate and radiant heat stimuli were determined prior to and then on alternate days throughout the treatment period. Vincristine vehicle-treated animals developed marked mechanical hyperalgesia from day 5 of chemotherapy and this lasted until the end of the experiment. Thermal thresholds were not altered by the administration of vincristine vehicle. Animals in the vincristine vehicle group neither gained nor lost weight during the treatment period. All three active drugs showed an antihyperalgesic effect on the responses to mechanical stimulation of the hind paw that was significant from day 5 for ibuprofen and thalidomide and from day 7 for rofecoxib. Thermal thresholds increased after the administration of both the NSAIDs and thalidomide. Rofecoxib was the only drug to show any beneficial effect in protecting the animals from failure to gain body weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The maturation of dorsal root reflexes (DRRs) in lumbar roots was characterized in neonatal rats at 1, 2 and 3 weeks after birth using an in vitro isolated spinal cord preparation with attached dorsal roots and dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Changes of DRRs in rats of increasing age were also tested by administration of capsaicin to the DRG and related to spinal mechanisms of hyperalgesia by defining the behavioral responses of neonatal rats to intradermal capsaicin. DRRs evoked by stimulating the adjacent root in 1 week old rats are characterized by highly desynchronized waveforms with power spectra concentrated at frequencies greater than 200 Hz. DRRs in 1 week old rats show very little change in amplitude or area with increasing afferent stimulation strength. In contrast DRRs in 2 and 3 weeks old rats are highly synchronized with power concentrated at frequencies less than 100 Hz and show a graded increase in amplitude and area with increasing stimulus strength. The recovery of DRR amplitude in a paired pulse stimulus protocol is faster in 1 week rats than in 2 or 3 weeks old rats. Finally, DRRs in 2 and 3 week old rats show increased amplitude and area following application of capsaicin to the DRG of the stimulating root whereas those in 1 week old rats do not. These changes parallel the behavioral responses of neonatal rats as 2 and 3 weeks old rats show secondary mechanical hyperalgesia following intradermal capsaicin, but 1 week old rats do not. Our data indicate that the spinal circuitry for DRRs in the neonatal period undergoes rapidly dynamic development in the rat. This development is sufficiently rapid that mechanisms of spinal sensitization induced by capsaicin can be studied in rats 2 weeks old and older. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

First-principles calculations with the full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave (FP-LAPW) method have been performed to investigate detailed electronic and linear optical properties of Sr2CuO2Cl2, which is a classical low-dimensional antiferromagnet (AFM) charge transfer (CT) insulator. Within the local-spin-density approximation (LSDA) plus the on-site Coulomb interaction U (LADA+U) added on Cu 3d orbitals, our calculated band gap and spin moments are well consistent with the experimental and other theoretical values. The energy dispersion relation agrees well with the angle resolved photoemission measurements. Its linear optical properties are calculated within the electric-dipole approximation. The absorption spectrum is found to agree well with the experimental result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormal sensation and pain are major dose-limiting factors in cancer chemotherapy with vincristine. In this study, we have adapted a model of this condition by using repeated daily intraperitoneal injections of vincristine in rats. Mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia without change in responses to thermal stimuli were first observed following 5–8 days of vincristine treatment (0.1 mg/kg/day) and then persisted throughout the remainder of the treatment interval (2–3 weeks). Electrophysiological recording from wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons in the lumbar (L4–L5) spinal dorsal horn in hyperalgesic rats demonstrated significantly increased spontaneous activity and after-discharges to noxious mechanical stimuli (von Frey filaments with a bending force greater than 58.02 mN, skin compression 1.3 and 3 N, 1 mm2), increased acute A- and C-fiber responses, after-discharges and abnormal ‘wind-up’ to electrical stimuli (5 mA, 2 ms) at 0.1 Hz applied across the receptive field. These results suggest a state of central sensitization develops in spinal WDR neurons with repeated vincristine treatment that contributes to the spontaneous pain and hyperalgesia seen in patients and the hyperresponsiveness to sensory stimuli seen in animals treated with vincristine. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

: The structural, electronic, and optical properties of 4 Å single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) contained inside the zeolite channels have been studied based upon the density-functional theory in the local-density approximation (LDA). Our calculated results indicate that the relaxed geometrical structures for the smallest SWNTs in the zeolite channels are much different from those of the ideal isolated SWNTs, producing a great effect on their physical properties. It is found that all three kinds of 4 Å SWNTs can possibly exist inside the Zeolite channels. Especially, as an example, we have also studied the coupling effect between the ALPO4-5 zeolite and the tube (5,0) inside it, and found that the zeolite has real effects on the electronic structure and optical properties of the inside (5,0) tube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of spike bursts in thalamo–cortical processing of sensory information has received an increasing amount of interest over the past several years. Previously it has been reported that short high-frequency spike trains (3–8 action potentials occurring at 67–167 Hz), or spike bursts, are increased in both human and non-human primate thalamus following deafferentation. Here we examine the effects of lesion of the ventral spinal quadrant alone versus combined lesion of the ventral and dorsal spinal quadrants on the evoked and spontaneous spike trains in thalamic neurons. A total of 1175 neurons were sampled from 13 animals, three intact, six with ventral quadrant lesions (three with prolonged survival and three with short-term survival after spinal lesion) and four with combined ventral and dorsal quadrant lesions. Detailed analysis was conducted on 256 of these neurons, which revealed that thalamic neurons of animals with ventral quadrant lesions had elevated burst and non-burst spike rates while neurons from animals with combined ventral–dorsal lesions showed two types of change. Neurons in the forelimb areas showed increased bursts without a change in non-burst activity, while neurons in lateral VPL without receptive fields showed very low non-burst activity, but high burst spike rates. The magnitude of the effects produced by ventral–lateral spinal lesions was more pronounced in the short-term survival animals than in the long-term survival animals. These results show that the effects of deafferentation on the physiological properties of thalamic neurons are dependent on the afferent tract or tracts that are lesioned and the time after lesion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Functional plasticity in receptive field properties underlies the mechanism whereby spinal dorsal horn neurons encode changes in pain sensitivity following peripheral injury. Activation of “silent” or subliminal excitatory synapses was hypothesized to account for this injury-induced neural plasticity. To better characterize the mechanisms governing subliminal inputs, we adapted whole-cell patch clamp to the study of dorsal horn neurons in intact, anesthetized rats. In this report we show that the membrane properties of spinal cells correlate to functional class defined by action potential responses to cutaneous stimuli. In addition, we report the discovery of a novel “silent” population of neurons with solely subliminal excitatory inputs at rest that can be activated by membrane depolarization. Finally, an induced change in baseline membrane potential to a level nearer that of a different functional class results in a corresponding change in the responses to cutaneous stimuli of a given cell to that of the new functional class. In summary our findings suggest that biophysical membrane properties are key factors determining the functional profile of spinal neurons. The rapid change of such properties may regulate the function of silent synapses in spinal neurons and underlie rapid development of neural plasticity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Treatment of pain in newborns is associated with problematic drug side effects. Previous studies demonstrate that an intraoral infusion of sucrose and other sweet components of mother''s milk are effective in alleviating pain in infant rats and humans. These findings are of considerable significance, as sweet tastants are used in pain and stress management in a number of clinical procedures performed in human infants. The ability of sweet stimuli to induce analgesia is absent in adult rats, suggesting that this is a developmentally transient phenomenon. However, the age range over which intraoral sucrose is capable of producing analgesia is not known. We investigated the effects of intraoral sucrose (7.5%) on nocifensive withdrawal responses to thermal and mechanical stimuli in naive and inflamed rats at postnatal days (P) P0–21. In some rats, Complete Freund''s adjuvant (CFA) was injected in a fore- or hindpaw to produce inflammation. In non-inflamed animals, for noxious thermal stimuli, sucrose-induced analgesia emerged at P3, peaked at P7–10, then progressively declined and was absent at P17. For mechanical forepaw stimuli, sucrose-induced analgesia emerged, and was maximal at ∼P10, then declined and was absent at P17. By contrast, maximal sucrose-induced analgesia for mechanical hindpaw stimuli was delayed (P13) compared to that for the forepaw, although it was also absent at P17. In inflamed animals, sucrose reduced hyperesthesia and hyperalgesia assessed with mechanical stimuli. Sucrose-induced analgesia in inflamed animals was initially present at P3 for the forepaw and P13 for the hindpaw, and was absent by P17 for both limbs. Intraoral sucrose produced significantly greater effects on responses in fore- and hindpaws in inflamed rats than in naive rats indicating that it reduces hyperalgesia and allodynia beyond its effects on responses in naive animals. These findings support the hypothesis that sucrose has a selective influence on analgesic mechanisms and that an enhanced sucrose effect takes place in hyperalgesic, inflamed animals as compared to naive animals. Taken together, these results indicate that intraoral sucrose alleviates transient pain in response to thermal and mechanical stimuli, and also effectively reduces inflammatory hyperalgesia and allodynia. Sucrose-induced analgesia is age-dependent and limited to the pre-weaning period in rats. The age-dependency of sucrose-induced analgesia and its differential maturation for the fore- and hindpaw may be due to developmental changes in endogenous analgesic mechanisms and developmental modulation of the interaction between gustatory and pain modulatory pathways. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study aimed to investigate whether computed tomography (CT)-measured erector spinae parameters (ESPs) have diagnostic, severity assessment, and prognostic predictive value in uremic sarcopenia (US). A total of 202 uremic patients were enrolled and divided into two groups: a control group and a sarcopenia group. Sarcopenia was classified into two types: severe and nonsevere. The area, volume, and density of the erector spinae (ES) were measured using chest CT images, and the relevant ESP, including the erector spinae index (ESI), total erector spinae volume (TESV), erector spinae density (ESD), and erector spinae gauge (ESG) were calculated. The occurrence of adverse events was followed-up for 36 months. The diagnostic value and severity of US were determined using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Survival curves diagnosed using CT were plotted and compared with the curve drawn using the gold standard. Cox regression analysis was used to identify independent risk factors associated with survival in US. With an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.840 and 0.739, the combined ESP has diagnostic value and the ability to assess the severity of US. There was no significant difference in the survival curve between the combined ESP for the diagnosis of US and the gold standard (P > 0.05). ESI is a standalone predictor of survival in patients with US. ESP measured by CT has diagnostic values for US and its severity, as well as being a predictive value for the prognosis of US. • CT-measured erector spinae parameters can be used to diagnose uremic sarcopenia. • The erector spinae parameter can be used to assess the severity of uremic sarcopenia. • Erector spinae index-independent risk factor for poor prognosis in uremic sarcopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parasitic barnacle, Sacculina granifera, changed the abdominal morphology of the host crab, Portunus pelagicus (L.). Three different shapes were recognizable with increase of the host size. Crabs carrying externae could be found throughout the year with higher percentages in the dry season (May-October) in the Gulf of Carpentaria and in warm months (October-March) in Moreton Bay. The parasite infested more males than females in the Gulf but both sexes of crabs equally in the Bay. Generally the parasite matured when the host (always immature) reached the size of mature crabs. The smallest crab carrying an externa was 70 mm carapace width from the Gulf and 90 mm CW from the Bay. Overall, 66% of P. pelagicus were found with externae in the Bay, a subtropical area where crabs are heavily exploited by amateur and commercial fishermen. In comparison, only 12% of crabs were found with externae in the Gulf, a tropical area where no commercial fishery is targeted at this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The two most commonly used airway management techniques during general anaesthesia are supraglottic airway devices and tracheal tubes. In older patients undergoing elective non‐cardiothoracic surgery under general anaesthesia with positive pressure ventilation, we hypothesised that a composite measure of in‐hospital postoperative pulmonary complications would be less frequent when a supraglottic airway device was used compared with a tracheal tube. We studied patients aged ≥ 70 years in 17 clinical centres. Patients were allocated randomly to airway management with a supraglottic airway device or a tracheal tube. Between August 2016 and April 2020, 2900 patients were studied, of whom 2751 were included in the primary analysis (1387 with supraglottic airway device and 1364 with a tracheal tube). Pre‐operatively, 2431 (88.4%) patients were estimated to have a postoperative pulmonary complication risk index of 1–2. Postoperative pulmonary complications, mostly coughing, occurred in 270 of 1387 patients (19.5%) allocated to a supraglottic airway device and 342 of 1364 patients (25.1%) assigned to a tracheal tube (absolute difference −5.6% (95%CI −8.7 to −2.5), risk ratio 0.78 (95%CI 0.67–0.89); p < 0.001). Among otherwise healthy older patients undergoing elective surgery under general anaesthesia with intra‐operative positive pressure ventilation of their lungs, there were fewer postoperative pulmonary complications when the airway was managed with a supraglottic airway device compared with a tracheal tube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hot roll bonding of 4343/4A60 aluminum alloy has been performed in the Gleeble-3500 thermal simulator. The bonding process constitutive behavior has been analyzed. The results show that the peak flow stress decreases with the deformation temperature and strain rate reduction. An Arrhenius-type constitutive equation is used to describe the constitutive behavior of the hot-rolled 4343/4A60 aluminum alloy with the thermal deformation activation energy Q = 118.48 kJ/mol. The alloy microstructure and dynamic recrystallization are studied using the optical microscope. It is revealed that in the temperature range between 573 and 623 K the dynamic recovery has a strong effect on the alloy microstructure evolution. It has been also concluded that the dynamic recovery is the basic softening mechanism of 4343/4A60 composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1929, H. Weyl proposed that the massless solution of the Dirac equation represents a pair of a new type of particles, the so-called Weyl fermions. However, their existence in particle physics remains elusive after more than eight decades. Recently, significant advances in both topological insulators and topological semimetals have provided an alternative way to realize Weyl fermions in condensed matter, as an emergent phenomenon: when two non-degenerate bands in the three-dimensional momentum space cross in the vicinity of the Fermi energy (called Weyl nodes), the low-energy excitations behave exactly as Weyl fermions. Here we report the direct observation in TaAs of the long-sought-after Weyl nodes by performing bulk-sensitive soft X-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements. The projected locations at the nodes on the (001) surface match well to the Fermi arcs, providing undisputable experimental evidence for the existence of Weyl fermionic quasiparticles in TaAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Increased activation of spinal GSK3β is associated with the genesis of taxol-induced pain. [•] This is accompanied by increased GFAP, IL-1β expression and a decreased expression of GLT-1. [•] Lithium (a GSK3β inhibitor) treatment prevents and attenuates taxol-induced neuropathic pain. [•] Lithium attenuates GSK3β activities, GFAP, IL-1β expression and improves the expression of GLT-1. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Weeds are one of the main problems faced by agronomists, which are the cause of large losses of crops in many farmlands. Screening of novel biocontrol agents against weeds is highly desired to control a wide variety of weeds. The endophytic fungal isolate HL-1 was isolated from the phyllosphere of Cirsium setosum indigenous to agricultural fields of Hualong, Qinghai Province. The isolate was evaluated for its herbicidal activity against target weeds and its safety to major crops. The feasibility of solid substrate fermentation for the spore production of isolate HL-1 has been examined. The results indicated that the disease incidences of Galium aparine, Chenopodium album, Malva crispa, and Polygonum lapathifolium applied with HL-1 filtrate were 96.24%, 87.48%, 55.71%, and 65.48%, and the fresh weight reductions were 69.04%, 72.02%, 66.12%, and 58.03%, respectively. The filtrate was safe to Triticum aestivum and Vicia faba and slightly pathogenic to Brassica napus, Pisum sativum, and Hordeum vulgare. The strain was validated as Alternaria alternata by cultural characteristic and internal transcribed spacer sequencing. Optimization of the carbon and nitrogen sources for cultural media and materials for solid-state fermentation demonstrated that strain HL-1 had better colony growth and spore yield with the optimal carbon source of glucose, nitrogen source of yeast extract, and the optimal material was rapeseed cake. The optimal fermentation conditions of HL-1 are a temperature of 25 ℃, an inocula age of 72 h, initial moisture content of 40%, and an inoculated quantity of 8%. Its formulation showed a strong herbicidal activity on the tested weeds in both pot and field experiments, especially Stellaria media. Thus, phyllosphere microbiota is considered to be an important resource for implementing new biological herbicides for weed control, and this work provides a formulation of a mycoherbicide made up of spores produced by HL-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]